OCR Text |
Show CANADA KEEPS ' EYE ON BONUS 1 Dominion Soldiers May De- I ' cide They Also Should I Have Cash kl By t. A. STEVENSON k Cnruullim Parliamentary Authority Special to Tlic Standard-Examiner Copyright, 1922, By Tho Standard-Ex- It nxnlner IM (Canada has many problems In con.- ; 11 mon with the United States. One these Is the proposed soldier bonus. Another Is the St. Lawrnce waterway project. A third Is the piopoaal to send diplomatic representatives to 9 Dublin The Canadian point of view H la authoritatively set forth In Mr 1 H Stevenson's dispatch.) OTTAWA, Ontario, Feb. 25. Tho i M Canadian government Is watching with 1 1 Interest tin; progress of the plan to M 1 give the American soldier a bonus for H their services In tho late war. HL When peace came tho Canadian par- W llament :-anctloned very liberal provls- ; III Ion for the returning army. A generous i-M service gratuity was given to every sol-dlor; sol-dlor; repatriation and civil re-estab-llshment schemes were carefully plan- JKL ned and efficiently executed and a sol- BH dlers' settlement board which has placed about 25,000 veterans on farms under favorable terms, well establish- f ed Various veterans' organisations pressed for n further monetary bonus In addition to the gratuity. The coal- A lilori and the Melghen governments E JM both resisted the demand and had the backing of Intelligent public opinion. . igU Uut the Liberal p. iris at Its national iB convention In 1919 expressed a ten- tatlve sympathy with the Idea of bon- V us and Borne Liberal candidates pledged pledg-ed themselves riming tho late campaign cam-paign to reopen the question. If, therefore, there-fore, a bonus Is granted to the American Ameri-can soldiers, their Canadian friends are certain to renew their demands for a similar reward and the King government govern-ment will bo placed In a difficult position posi-tion will be compelled to plead the greater poverty of the Canadian treasury treas-ury as Its only excuse for refusal. If, therefore the farm bloc or the executive execu-tive vetoes the whole bonus plan at Washington, few tears will be shed In cabinet circles In Ottawa EEfl MAKE LITTLE HEADWAY Tho Irish element In Canada, most of Whom are supporters of the Liberal l! party, havo been pressln; the King government to send a representative to Lublin, but have made little headway. Until the throny problem of Canadian Canad-ian representation at Washington is settled, the new administration will not essay lurther adventures In the diplomatic field. Canada at present, 1 r maintains as a liaison with the im-perlal im-perlal government a high commission- er at l-ondon; he has a variety of du- J fl ties and henceforth will have charge m, H of tho Immigration and other offices kept In London by the Ottawa government. govern-ment. The pst is always held by a political supporter of the government and the king has Just appointed to It f Mr P. C. Larkln, a leading merchant of Toronto, whose teas have made his name a household word throughout Canada and In many American etates. He Is a multl-mlllionalre who has always al-ways retained democratic sympathies and his selection ie "nera!ly praised. ST. LAWFLKNCE WATERWAY The St. Lawrence waterway project Is a subject of constant discussion in Canada, but public opinion Is decidedly decided-ly lukewarm to an enterprise which calls In the present state of Canadian finances for a further capital oxpendl-ture oxpendl-ture of J25.000.000 ss a minimum. Ev- ery cent of It would have to bo borrowed bor-rowed Figures which have been com- L piled bv competent authorities show flsssV that the annual value of the production produc-tion of the American territory which EJ would benefit from the waterway Is mnnv times greater than that of tho H parallel area In Canada and It has been suggested that If the financial burden involved wore allotted between . .. the two countries, in proportion to tho Jt b nefits likely to accrue to each, tho prospects of Canadian co-operation would be enhanced There could be periodical revision of the rate of tho filSjl burden as altered conditions changed j the ratio of the benefits. Senator King's resolution in the American congress is not taken seriously seri-ously In Canada and In the area where the English speaking farmers who onco settled the wholo Of the district known as the eastern township of (? Quebec arc making their last stand against the Fronch -Canadian flood which has overwhelmed them In many countries. Senator King's zoal for territory which would give his country coun-try control of half the channel of the St. Lawrence down to tidewater, would If carried out to its logical conclusion, con-clusion, brin gwlthln his net most of I mc wivj oi muiitiwi, wiucn sxanas in the southern end of an Island formed by the division of the St. Lawrence V into two channels. Xo sign can be discovered In Ottawa of any approach .concerning the waterway scheme from the Harding administration to the King government. |