PROBLEMS OF EMPIRE.
that of the more important Chambers of Commerce—received instructions not to commit their Chambers to the policy advocated by Mr. Chamberlain. It is exceedingly significant that after the interchange of opinion which had taken place the Colonial delegates were willing to modify their views to meet their British colleagues, and that the British delegates were willing to commit themselves to the opinion that the union of the various parts of His Majesty's dominions would be greatly consolidated by the adoption of a commercial policy based upon the principle of mutual benefit. Mr. Chamberlain's policy has been put forward as a means of consolidating the Empire. That policy at present is supported in principle at any rate, if not in detail, by the representatives of the Chambers of Commerce of the Empire, many of whom went to that Congress as Free Traders.
Canada as a source of wheat supply.Then from Montreal I went to Winnipeg, the capital of the north-west of Canada, to ascertain whether the north-west of Canada was capable, as is so freely asserted, of producing all the wheat required in the United Kingdom. At a moderate estimate, there are at least 125,000,000 acres in the north-west of Canada suitable for agricultural purposes. There are under wheat to-day some 3,000,000 acres out of a total of 4,800,000 acres under cultivation. It is estimated that the surplus available for export from Manitoba is some 40,000,000 bushels. The requirements of the United Kingdom by imports amount to 200,000,000 bushels. Therefore Canada—Manitoba and the North-West—is producing to-day about one-fifth of the wheat the United Kingdom requires. The acreage necessary to produce that quantity, allowing
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