Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/141

CANADA. 113 CANADA. River, and at several points on the Southwest- ern frontier. Commerce. The foreign trade of Canada shows a remarkable growth. The exports of do- mestic produce increased from .$85."200,000 in 1890 to .$170,000,000 in 1900. The largest item ($50,000,000) 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 i)roducts 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 difl'erent industries.) Great Britain and the United States receive most of the exports, the proportion going to Great Britain having increased during the period from 4(i to Od per cent., due to the great increase of agricultural and animal exports, most of which goes to that eountrv. The mine products con- stitute the only export which goes almost exclu- sively to the United States. The exports of for- eign products in 1900 amounted to $21,200,000. The imports for home consumption have simi- larly increased, being $180,800,000 in 1900, against $112,800,000 in 1890. Great Britain and most of her possessions enjoy preferential tariff rates admitting goods on a tarilT rate .3.3i;j 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. German5', 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 centurv: TEAE Imports into British North .merica from Uuited States Exports from British North America into TJnited States 1892 ^,885,988 48,i;28,.5i:i8 58,313,223 53,981,708 CI,0SG,M6 06,028,725 84,8*9,819 89,3711,458 97,337,494 1U,702,'275 $33,334,547 a8,isi;,3i2 31,320,731 1S93 1,894 1895 41,212,(KiO 40,722,792 1897 1898 1899 19fl(1 31,004,135 39,931,833 lUtt! It will be observed that while the exports from Canada to the T"nited States remained station- ary- durimj the decade those from the United States to Canada increased nearly l.iO per cent. B.XKS. Every bank, in making payments, can be compelled to pay out a certain proportion of Government notes, and must hold of its cash re- sen"e at least 40 per cent, in Government notes. In 1900 the various banks and their branches had a total capital of $fi.").000.000, with $4().,';00,- 000 in circulation, $:S05,000.000 on deposit, $:ioO,- 40.000 in liabilities, and $4.59.700.000 assets. Post-office savings hanks have been in operation since 1867: in 1900 the depositors numbered 1.50.900. and the average deposit amounted to $248. There arc also Government savings banks in Ontario, Nova Scotia. New Brunswick, Mani- toba, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island. Government. By the terms of the British orth .merica Act of 1867, the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, known also as Upper and Lower Canada, joined with the Maritime Prov- inces of Nova Scotia and Xew Brunswick to form a Federal (Government under tile name of the Dominion of Canada. Since that time the origi- nal number of provinces has been increased "to seven by the admission of :Manitoba, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island, and the public territory of the Dominion has been aug- mented by the purchase of the Xortlnvest Terri- tories from the Hudson Bay Conipanv; but the Constitution drafted in 1864 and embodied in the act of 18(i7 is still in force. Based upon the general principle of the definite division of powers between provincial and central govern- ments, the Canadian Constitution difl'ers from that of the United States in the fact that all powers not explicitly assigned to the provinces are reserved to the central Government. Under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal Legislature are the administration of the imblic debt and propert}-, the imposition of taxes for general pur- poses, the organization of the public defense, including the militia; the subjects of banking, paper money, promissory notes, legal tender, currency, and coinage; the regulation of com- merce, navigation, and shipping; the coast ser- vice, the postal service, census, statistics, patents, and copyright; naturalization, aliens, and In- dians; marriage and divorce. The subjects with- in the scope of the provincial legislatures are, among others, those of taxation for local pur- poses, the regulation of local commerce, the erec- tion of municipal corporations, the borrowing of money on the credit of the prOTince. On the questions of agriculture and immigration, the Federal and the provincial legislatures po.ssess concurrent jurisdiction; but it is provided that in the contingency of a conflict of legislation, the law of the Dominion shall prevail. Although the powers of government have, in this manner, been definitely portioned out, there has been no lack of intrusion on the part of either party into the spliere of the other. On such occasions,' when compromise has been found impossible, the prin- ciple of the superior authority inherent in the central Government has been adhered to. Strik- ing examples of this predominance are the right given the Governor-General to disallow within a year any law enacted by the provincial legisla- tures and the power of appointing the Lieutenant- Governors of the provinces. The lawmaking power of the Federal Govern- ment is vested in the King of Great Britain or his representative and the Dominion Parliament. The Parliament, the seat of which is at Ottawa, is composed of an Upper House or Senate and a Lower House or House of Commons. The members of the Senate, who are appointed for life by the Governor-General, must be subjects of the King, 30 years of age, residing in the province whence they are summoned, and owning property there to the value of $4000. At present there are 81 Senators, of whom 24 are from On- tario, 24 from Quebe<-, 10 from Xew Brunswick, 10 from Xova Scotia, 4 from Prince Edwird Island, 4 from Manitoba, 3 from British Colum- bia, and 2 from the Territories. The House of Commons is elected practically by manhood suf- frage for a period of five years, on the basis of p<ipulation. Officers of thecivil service and Gov- ernment contractors may not sit in Parliament. It is provided that Quebec shall always have 65