Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 February 1913 — THE BAROMETER OF THE POST OFFICE, THE READING OF WHICH SHOWS WESTERN CANADA'S GROWTH. [ARTICLE]

THE BAROMETER OF THE POST OFFICE, THE READING OF WHICH SHOWS WESTERN CANADA'S GROWTH.

Several of Western Canada newspapers coming to hand daring -the last part of the year 1912 contained Items of news such as the following, speaking of the Christmas .work in the postofflce: “Other years have been heavy and the employees have had plenty of opiportunity of learning what it was to work overtime, but the past has had nothing equal to the present. Forty extra men have been employed (in Winnipeg)* and mail trains have been run special. The increase in the mail this year has been due to enormous influx of people into Western Canada during the season, and also the general prosperity which the prairie provinces have enjoyed. To the latter cause has been due the, heavy increase in the number of parcels which have been shipped to the old country and Eastern Canada.” The above extract taken from a Winnipeg paper gives a fair idea of the great work that the Canadian postofflceß have had all through the western prairies. During the past year hundreds of new postofflces were established, many of them at remote points from the railway, but all forced upon the country on account of thfe new settlements that have taken place during the year. It is said of the Canadian 1 government that in its immigration and settlement policy there is nothing left undone to take care of the people and their welfare, whether it be In the new town along a new line of railway or in the remotest hamlet. This solicitude and care are not confined to the postoffice, but with every branch that has to do with organizing new districts. Bridges have been built, roads constructed, the district policed, and a dozen other things have to be done and are done. Is it any wonder that with the splendid land, the high yielding land, the land that is free to the homesteader or open to purchase at reasonable prices from the railway and land companies, that the Canadian immigration records for 1912 will show arrivals of upwards of 400,000, one-half of this being from the United States. The new literature being sent out by the immigration branch at Ottawa, and its agencies throughout the United States deals with many of the new and interesting features that will mark the work of that branch for the year 1913. —Advertisement.