TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION. Can ada Owes its eommereial development in a great to its facilities for navigation, partieu hilly on the Saint Lawrence River and Great Lakes. These great natural waterways have been further improved by the Government by means of a thorough-going canal system, so that vessels drawinr 11 feet of water can now pass from Lake Superior to the Atlantic. It has been the ambition of the Canadians to make it possible for (wean steamers to pass directly to and from the lakes, but it has seemed impraetieable so far to carry it out, and Montreal will probably eontimw to lie the head of menu navigation. The Saint Law rence canals, which are nine in number, have a total length of 73:Y., miles, while those connected with the Ottawa and Rideau rivers have a total of miles in length. A magnificent ship canal also connects Lake Superior with Lake Huron along the east bank of the Saint Mary's River. The total cost of constructing and main taining all Canadian canals has been $95.316,000 (1900). Of other waterways, the Saskatchewan of the Western plains is destined to be of great importance as a means of transportation. it was in early days a. canoe route to the Rocky Moun tains, and now has steamboats running for long stretches on the North Saskatchewan. Steam boats also rim for a long distance on the Red River. The Hudson Bay Company keeps a line of steamers operating upon the Mackenzie River for the benefit of its posts, and during the brief summer they pass back and forth between the mouth of the Athabasca and the mouth of the Mackenzie. There are also steamboats; on the upper Fraser and Thompson rivers. Finally, the recent peopling of the Yukon district has caused a frequent steam service to be operated on that river and its larger headwaters, enabling passen gers to go to any of the towns along the river by steamboat from the terminus of the White Pass Railroad, at White 'Terse Rapids. to its mouth. See ALASKA trtn-Fmt.us.
The same zeal which has characterized Canada in the utilization of her waterways has led her to still greater efforts for the ereation of an ade quate railway system. It was realized that inter colonial and t ra n seen t hien ta I railways were a necessity, not only for the opening up of the \Vest and the commercial development of the whole country, but more particularly as a political measure, inasmuch as the railways would serve as a bond of union between the provinces, and indeed the assurance of such a road was a prerequisite of some of the provinces before they would enter into the present confederation. Thins it was that, among others, two of the principal lines—the Intereolonial and Canadian Pacific— were undertaken through (fovernment and the former was completed and is still held by the Government. The latter, however, as is true of most other lines, was turned over to pri vate hands, the Government conferring upon the company a grant of land and a cash subsidy, and the line thus provided for was suecessfully com pleted in 1887. With the development of the
country the railroads are able to rely more and more on their own resources. although they still seem to be far from a position of claim financial independence of the Government. Aid to the railroads has been given lay the provincial and municipal governments, as well as by the Domin ion. Of the billion dollars of capital investet1 in the roads. lfi per cent. represents Dominior grants, 3.1S per cent. provincial grants, anal 1.59 municipal grants. In 1900 it was estimated that 1217 passeugers 2036 tons of freight were carried to every mile of line open: the length of track amounted to 17,521 miles, SOO of this being in Ontario. The Grand Trunk line and the other two lines above mentioned control about two-thirds of the total. Canadian lines connect with those of the States by bridges aeross the Saint Lawrence. Niagara, and Saint Mary's rivers, by tunnels under Detroit River, and at several points on the Southwest ern frontier.
Comm ERCE. The foreign trade of Canada shows a remarkable growth. The exports of do mestic produce increased from $85.200,000 in 1S90 to $170.600,000 in 1900. The largest item (06.000,000) and the greatest absolute advance was in animals and animal products. Second in absolute and first in relative increase were the mine products. The export of agricultural and manufactured products each more than doubled during the period, but the increase of forest. and fish exports was not so great. (See sections in this article on these different industries.) Great Britain and the United States receive most of the exports, the proportion going to Great Britain having increased during the period from 46 to 65 per cent., due to the great increase of agricultural and animal exports, most of which goes to that country. The mine products con stitute the only export which goes almost exclu sively to the United States. The exports of for eign products in 1000 amounted to $21.200,000. The imports for home consumption have simi larly increased, being 8180,800.000 in 1900. against $112,S00,000 in 1890. Great Britain and most of her possessions enjoy preferential tariff rates admitting goods on a tariff rate 331h per cent. less than the duty levied on goods from for eign countries.
The Canadian trade of the United States is next in importance only to that with Great Britain. Germany, and France. The exports from the United States to British North America are nearly three times as large as the imports. The following table shows the course of trade during the last decade of the century: It will be observed that while the exports from Canada to the United States remained station ary during the decade those from the United States to Canada increased nearly 150 per cent.