

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES OP CANADA. 



431 



of a canal by the Nicaragua route in the event 

 of failure to reach an agreement with Colombia. 

 Those governments were anxious to have the 

 Nicaragua Canal completed, and they offered 

 terms more favorable to the United States than 

 the Colombian Government considered itself com- 

 petent to concede. The Nicaraguan Government 

 was financially embarrassed before the military 

 measures taken against revolution and a further 

 decline in the value of the paper currency added 

 to its difficulties. In November all customs du- 

 ties were raised 160 per cent, on account of the 

 depreciation of paper money. 



NORTH CAROLINA. (See under UNITED 

 STATES.) 



NORTH DAKOTA. (See under UNITED 

 STATES.) 



NORTHWEST TERRITORIES OF CANA- 

 DA. The area of the Northern Territories, in- 

 cluding Keewatin, Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, Al- 

 berta, Athabasca, Mackenzie, and Ungava, is 

 2,330,840 square miles; population in 1901, 200,- 

 000; capital, Regina. The area of the district of 

 Franklin, reaching up to the far north, is not ac- 

 curately known. 



Government and Politics. The Territorial 

 Government in 1902 was unchanged. It com- 

 prised F. W. G. Haultain, K. C., as Premier, Attor- 

 ney-General, and Commissioner of Education; A. 

 L. Sifton, Treasurer and Commissioner of Public 

 Works; G. H. V. Bulyea, Commissioner of Agri- 

 culture and Territorial Secretary. William Eakin 

 was Speaker of the Assembly during its last ses- 

 sion before the general elections. D. H. McDonald 

 acted as leader of the Opposition. The session 

 of the Assembly was opened by Lieut.-Gov. A. E. 

 Forget on March 20, with a speech from the throne, 

 of which the following are the significant passages: 



" The unprecedented crop of last season brought 

 the transportation question into prominence, and 

 demonstrated the necessity for improved and en- 

 larged accommodation for shipping and carrying 

 grain to eastern points after the close of lake nav- 

 igation. Owing to the representation made to 

 the Canadian Pacific authorities by my Govern- 

 ment, through the Department of Agriculture, 

 the evils of the grain blockade existing a few 

 weeks ago have been considerably mitigated. 

 As a result, the farmers are now in receipt of an 

 increase in prices amounting to at least 10 per 

 cent, over prices formerly obtaining. 



" Owing to the great increase of population in 

 the Territories, provision will have to be made 

 for increased representation in the Legislature, 

 and a measure dealing with that subject will be 

 submitted to you." 



The Assembly was prorogued on April 19, after 

 discussing at great length the question of obtain- 

 ing full provincial rights from the Dominion Gov- 

 ernment and passing measures of local impor- 

 tance. One of the chief measures of the session 

 was that presented by Mr. Bulyea, on April 18, 

 in the form of a request to the Dominion Govern- 

 ment asking amendment of the elevator act, so 

 that when there was an undue difference between 

 the street and the track prices of grain, the com- 

 missioner may order that all cars placed at such 

 station shall be located at any elevator of which 

 the manager is prepared to pay the proper price. 

 He believed there was a combine in this connec- 

 tion, and that large sums were being made out of 

 the farmers by elevator companies unduly de- 

 pressing prices. 



On April 18, Mr. Bennett moved a vote of cen- 

 sure against the Government for compromising 

 lawsuits entered against them by the Hudson 

 Bay Company regarding certain local-improve- 



ment taxes. Mr. Haultain declared that the set- 

 tlement was much better than litigation extend- 

 ing up to the judicial conference in London, and 

 was supported t>y 26 to 6 votes. On the same day 

 Mr. R. S. Lake moved the following resolution, 

 which was unanimously passed: 



" That in the opinion of this House, as the Ca- 

 nadian Pacific Railroad has signally failed to 

 meet the pressing necessities of the Northwest in 

 the matter of the transportation of grain, and as 

 the Dominion Government has postponed confer- 

 ring upon the Northwest powers that would ena- 

 ble the Territories to take steps to improve this 

 present condition of affairs, therefore it becomes 

 the imperative duty of the Dominion Government 

 to take immediately steps looking to the procur- 

 ing of increased transportation facilities for the 

 Territories, whether by additional trunk lines or 

 otherwise." 



On April 2, a convention of the Eastern Assini- 

 boia Liberals was held at Indian Head, and a se- 

 ries of resolutions was passed urging action in 

 connection with the elevator companies as to 

 wheat storage; the grant of increased powers of 

 self-government and control to the Territorial 

 Legislature ; the reduction of Dominion fees under 

 the land titles act; certain amendments to the 

 homestead regulations in the Dominion lands 

 act; more attention on the part of the Dominion 

 Government to the transportation question, espe- 

 cially in districts where farmers have to haul 

 their produce 15 to 35 miles. A vigorous protest 

 was also lodged against any increase in the Fed- 

 eral tariff, and a demand was made for reduced 

 duties on agricultural implements and other man- 

 ufactured products. At a gathering of Liberals 

 in Calgary on Sept. 3 resolutions were passed em- 

 bodying the following platform for the Territories: 

 1. Demand for better post-office service. 2. No 

 return to a protective tariff, and no increase in 

 customs. 3. Increased expenditure by the Domin- 

 ion on roads and bridges. 4. Increased railway 

 and transportation facilities. 5. Three members 

 for Alberta. 6. Thanks to the Laurier Govern- 

 ment for the ability, integrity, and efficiency of its 

 administration, and particularly that of the De- 

 partment of the Interior. 



Finances. The Treasurer's budget speech, was 

 delivered on April 15. He said there would be a 

 decrease of $3,000 in the civil-service vote; there 

 was a slight increase in legislation of $1,000, owing 

 to placing the library on a different footing. In 

 the item for the administration of justice there 

 would be an increase, but it would not add to the 

 public burdens, as it was brought about by pay- 

 ing clerks of courts salaries instead of fees. The 

 vote for education was about the same as last 

 year. There was an increase in the Agricultural 

 Department, where the work was very much great- 

 er than in previous years. The grants to hospi- 

 tals were an automatic increase in consequence of 

 the ordinance of the past year. The last item, 

 miscellaneous, showed a great increase, from 

 $5,000 to $45,000. The reason of this was that 

 there would be an election, and $30,000 would be 

 required for that. Then there was the contem- 

 plated trip of the Premier to the coronation cere- 

 mony in England. The amount asked for this in 

 the estimates was $5,000. The speaker then re- 

 ferred to the inadequate moneys supplied them 

 by the Dominion Government. In 1898 the 

 amount was $282,000, and since then it had been 

 increased by only $75,000. That was a very small 

 amount, compared with the growth of the coun- 

 try. In the old province the increase of popula- 

 tion had been gradual, but in the Northwest a 

 new nation had sprung into existence at once. 



