Week
data provider: CONTENTdm
contributor: Blakemore, William
issued: 2017-03-21
issued: 1914-02-21
aggregated CHO: https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/pwv/items/1.0373752/source.json
format: application/pdf
note: The Week A British Columbia Newspaper and Review. Vol. XI, No. 52-Eleventh Year Victoria, B.C., Canada, Feb. 21, 1914 Naval Defence "No policy will be satisfactory to the people of British Columbia which does not include a substantial and prompt contribution and the ESTABLISHMENT OF A FLEET UNIT ON THE PACIFIC COAST." An Amazing Report NO more amazing report lias issued from tbe press thnn thnt which tells the story of the building of the National Transcontinental Railway and tho squandering of $40,000,000 in &the process. This branch of the Grand Trunk Pacific line was built by the Laurier Government. Mr. Fielding informed the House that the total cost would not exceed $(11,415,000. The report of (he investigating committee showed thnt it had reached the amazing sum nf $234,661,521. Today it stands saddled with nn interest charge nf $6,400,000, or $14,800 per day and (he general impression is that lhe handicap is too great lo carry and that in consequence the G. T. P, will refuse to take lhe line. If so, the Government will have to operate if mid the country will be saddled wilh another Intercolonial, which will probably lake ninny years lo reach the paying stage. These are the bare facts. When one comes down In details, (he report is even more amazing, For instance, we rend that there was no proper system nf competition in letting the contracts, Instead of open tenders with unrestricted conditions, they were all so arranged that only a few favoured firms could tender, and they appear to have dune so not on the lines of competition but nf combination, thus eleven linns secured over eight hundred miles of railway and re-let it to 100 sub-contractors. The original firms cleared an immense profit for lining nothing. The 11 contractors secured $8,800,- 000 for transferring their contracts. The firm nf il. P. Davis & Co. figured largely in ihis connection and in the ease nf two contracts received the sum nf $740,000 for simply handing them over. A practice which if nnt …
note: Publisher changes in chronological order: publisher not identified (1904-1906) ; The Week Publishing Co., Ltd. Offices (1906-1907) ; �The Week� Publishing Company, Limited (1907-1918) ; publisher not identified (1918-1920)
has type: Newspapers
spatial: Victoria (B.C.)
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0373752
language: English
lat: 48.428333
long: -123.364722
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: Victoria : "The Week" Publishing Company, Limited
rights: Images provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from the Digitization Centre: http://digitize.library.ubc.ca/
is part of: BC Historical Newspapers
source: Original Format: Royal British Columbia Museum. British Columbia Archives.
type: Text