CANADIAN POKES T BY ASSOCIATION. 45 



tion, if you agree with me and I am sure you will when you hear from my 

 friend, Mr. Macoun, who knows all about that territory to pass a reso- 

 lution heartily endorsing the proposition, and have it sent to the Prime 

 Minister and the Minister of the Interior. 



Just a word or two more. There is another thing in conection with 

 which I am going to ask the people of New Brunswick to give us some assis- 

 tance. In connection with the damming of the St. Lawrence River, there is 

 an American company, which we think is conected with the great water 

 power trust which has been acquiring the water powers of the United 

 States, endeavouring to secure the privilege of damming the St. Lawrence 

 at the Long Sault, for the purpose of developing power there to the amount 

 of four or five hundred thousand horsepower. I do not know that I would 

 be justified in inflicting upon you any lengthy explanations regarding the 

 nature of the application, but I am quite safe in saying this : It is neither 

 more nor less than an attempt on the part of a private company of United 

 States capitalists to control and monopolize the power of the St. Lawrence 

 at that point. ^Applause.) The question is coming before the Interna- 

 tional Waterways Commission and the Federal Government, and the Con- 

 servation Commission was asked to express its opinion upon the subject. 

 My friend, the Chairman, and the other members of the Commission met, 

 and after we had gone into it very carefully, we decided we would enter our 

 most uncompromising opposition to that proposal, on the ground that if it 

 be allowed to be done, five-sixths of the power will be developed on the 

 American side and wholly out of the governmental control of the people of 

 Canada, and also on the ground that if that power is to be developed, it 

 ought to be developed by the Canadian Government, and held, so far as our 

 share is concerned, upon the Canadian side, for the use and benefit of the 

 people of Canada. (Applause.) 



We expect a long and arduous fight. I can speak with perfect cer- 

 tainty, no matter how long or how hard the fight, we are not going to with- 

 draw from the position which we have taken in any shape or manner. We 

 ask that you express yourselves through the Forestry Association, and also 

 through the press of the Province of New Brunswick, so that we may be 

 able to say that the people of the Province of New Brunswick, as repre- 

 sented by the people who take an interest in questions of this kind, are clear 

 and definite in their opinion upon this subject. 



I have trepassed upon your time long enough, longer than I expected 

 to when I began to speak. I shall entertain most pleasant recollections 

 of my first visit to the City of Fredericton. (Much applause.) 



MR. J. M. MACOUN (Geological Survey, Ottawa) emphasized what 

 Hon. Mr. Sifton had said as to the eastern slope of the Rockies, a district 

 with which he was very familiar. He instanced disastrous floods in that 

 section in 1901, owing to the burning of the forests on the upper reaches 

 of some of the rivers. He strongly advocated the formation of a reserve 

 to take in all the eastern slope. If the foothills were denuded it would 

 mean the destruction of many towns and village in the country adjacent, 

 and the hope of doing much in the way of irrigation would be gone. 



