87 



the order of the Commission assuming to grant such approval cannot 

 be regarded by the Government of Canada as binding upon this 

 Dominion. 



The Government of the United States will readily understand 

 that, in taking this course, the Canadian Government is actuated only 

 by its concern for those treaties and conventions that have so happily 

 promoted the friendly relations between the two countries, and by 

 the belief that it is through a jealous regard for the integrity of such 

 understandings that these fortunate relations may best be maintained. 



It is with this purpose also that the Canadian Government 

 deems it appropriate to refer here to the proposal made in the order 

 in council of the 2nd September, 1918, that the two Governments 

 should take immediate steps jointly to prepare and carry out a scheme 

 looking to the most economical and comprehensive development of 

 the waters of the St. Lawrence river in the interests of the people of 

 both countries. Even though the utilization of only a portion of the 

 whole capacity of the river can be immediately contemplated, yet the 

 endeavour should be to design at the outset a complete scheme into 

 which successive developments might be fitted from time to time as 

 and when the occasion might demand. Without some such scheme 

 there is always present the great danger that the ultimate possibilities 

 of St. Lawrence navigation may be neglected or even irreparably 

 injured; for it must be borne in mind, not only that navigation is the 

 paramount national and international use of this great highway of 

 commerce, but that the possibilities of the stream in this respect have 

 been as yet by no means fully developed. On the other hand, it is 

 certain that the subordinate and incidental but important use of these 

 international boundary waters for power purposes can never be 

 rendered as efBcient and productive through a policy of simply 

 permitting a haphazard series of unrelated private enterprises as 

 through a carefully considered and comprehensive scheme of develop- 

 ment carried out under public auspices by the two countries; and 

 obviously it is only by agreement and concerted action between the 

 two countries that such a development can be undertaken. 



But, as already intimated, this is not all; there is, in addition to 

 the economic advantages, the much more important consideration 

 affecting the status of the treaties and conventions between the two 

 countries. For the adoption of the proposed joint project as an inter- 

 national policy would, it is conceived, be calculated to obviate many 

 occasions for public dissatisfaction and misunderstandings that on the 

 one side or the other might otherwise arise from time to time in respect 

 of private exploitations of the uses of these waters. Unquestionably, 

 these uses are becoming more and more regarded as public uses, and 

 it follows that the responsibility for their development should be 

 undertaken, and the benefits of such development enjoyed, by the 

 public. Indeed, for this reason and in view of the other considerations 

 here adduced the Canadian Government is strongly convinced that 

 nothing should be allowed to prejudice the chance of such a compre- 

 hensive i)Ower development of the St. Lawrence waters, and, so far as 

 its consent may be necessary, it will, therefore, be unable to sanction 

 further private enterprise of this nature. 



