Barr Colony Land Grant Trebled in Area
Forty Townships Reserved for All British Party, the Advance
Guard of Which Passed Through Winnipeg Last Night
Strong, manly, clean, well dressed, intelligent, was the impression
the vanguard of the Barr colony gave to all that saw them during
their stay of an hour or so in the city last night on their way direct
to their new farm homes northwest of Saskatoon. It is doubtful if any
class of immigrants have ever created a more favorable impression in the
city than the little advance guard of some sixty attached in their
special coach to the east train last night. If the balance of the
Barr colonists are like the first quota to arrive, they will need little
sentimental sympathy, for they are in every way independent in spirit
and finances. Nor is it an arrogant independence such as often has been
seen among new settlers, but an independence born of confidence in
their industry and determination to succeed.
This first party is the scouting guard of the main band, and came
over ahead of them in the Megantic, the balance following on the
Lake Manitoba. They report a rough voyage on the ocean occupying
fourteen days, but say they have recovered their spirits and appetites
since they took to the road, and are high in their praises of the
officials, both of the government and the railroad, who did everything
possible for their comfort, and supplied them with a special car all the
way from St. John. They had their own cooking utensils and a number of
the luxuries of travel, and as the party was homogeneous and well
acquainted, they passed a very good time.
As an example of the industrious character of the party, one young
man who had a scarcity of money and wished to earn all he could to
prepare for his new home, did the duties of "chef" for the car, and made
a good thing out of it besides relieving the individual families and
groups of the onerous duties of the commissiariat.
They wished to express their thanks to Immigration Commissioner
Smith, who joined them at Ottawa, for his good services in assisting
them, and for his copious advice and instructions as to the country
and methods to be best followed. On a rough estimate they considered
he answered at least a thousand questions, and when the train
reached Winnipeg he was ready for more.
"We hardly heard of Canada before this year," said one of them,
"and now we don't hear anything else." The party is indeed drawn from
all quarters of the earth. Some from the sheep ranches of Australia,
where a five-year drought has killed off the sheep by the thousands
and rendered extension of the industry impossible. Some from under
the burning sun of India, large numbers from South Africa - a large
percentage of them being returned soldiers - and the balance mostly
from England, Scotland and Ireland.
They say that it is almost an impossibility now to make farming
in England pay, and as Australia and South Africa have proven
unsatisfactory they were beginning to be at a loss where to go until
Canada appeared as a haven of refuge.
Asked as to how they had been persuaded to come out they said
principally by advertising. Most of them had never seen Barr, and so
far as they knew he had no agents. "We simply banded together and
came," they said, "and here we are and eighteen hundred more are coming
next week." Barr, they thought, had no idea himself of the extent
his plan would reach when he started it and if he had worked really
hard and organized thoroughly he could have had twice the number.
"I suppose you were told you had no snap ahead of you and are ready
for lots of roughing it?" they were asked.
"Do we look like suckers?" was the reply, and another man showed his
hands, which certainly looked quite capable of lots of "roughing it."
As nearly the whole band are experienced farmers and many of them have
spent years on the veldt of Africa and the sand plains of Australia, and
in the jungles of India they are no lackadaisical loungers.
Most of those who have had no experience on farms are remaining in
Manitoba to learn western methods before taking up lands as they have
been constantly advised to do. The balance will settle at once.
As most of them have sold property before coming out they have
considerable money and indeed a casual observer would pass through their
tourist car and never suspect them of being settlers new to the country,
but rather an ordinary trainload of well-fixed people.
The first party consists of families for the most part. The children
are well-dressed, good mannered and bright and the ladies refined.
One of their first acts was to hunt for papers and to eagerly read the
general news.
The party left on the west train for Saskatoon. Attached to the
same train were six coaches of general passengers and a large number of
Englishmen bound for points along the line. Previous to this another
train left about seven, packed to its utmost with old country settlers
for stations west. On the Barr train were three heavily loaded
baggage cars.
Barr Colony Land Grant Trebled in Area
Commissioner J. O. Smith returned last evening from a hurried trip to
Ottawa, whether he had gone to consult with Deputy Minister Smart and
Superintendent Scott regarding the arrangements necessary for the
reception of the Barr colony. Last night Mr. Smith advised the Free Press
that two important modifications had been made in the original plans.
Owing to the greatly increased number of the Barr party, it was
decided to increase the area of the reserve originally allotted to the
colony. The government set apart all the homesteading lands of
thirteen townships for the new arrivals, when the matter was discussed
between the immigration authorities and Mr. Barr last autumn. It has
now been decided to increase the Barr grant to forty townships.
The reservation, as now decided on, will stretch from west of
Battleford to the south bank of the North Saskatchewan. The second
point on which the plans of the department differ from those
originally intended, is that the Barr people will not be permitted
to homestead more than 75 per cent of the land available for entry in
any township. This conclusion was reached by the department, because
it was felt that it would be advantageous to the colonists to have among
them a leavening of Canadian or American farmers, who would be familiar
with agricultural methods suitable to the district, and whose operations
would be an object lesson to those who could not be expected to be
familiar with the conditions of farm work necessary to success.
The Barr grant, as now enlarged, will amount to almost 350,000
acres – enough to give homesteads to more than 2,100 families.
The Rev. Mr. Robbins, the accredited agent of Mr. Barr, left on last
night's delayed train for the west, in company with the fifty or sixty
of the colony who arrived last night. They will go right through to
Saskatoon.
During his three or four days stay in the city, Mr. Robbins has had
several interviews with Mr. Wm. Whyte and F. T. Griffin, of the
C.P.R., and Acting Commissioner Moffatt and Mr. C. W. Speers.
Many matters affecting the colony, such as the forwarding of supplies,
and the freighting of effects from Saskatoon to the colony,
were thoroughly gone into.
Mr. Robbins' ideas and plans have been materially modified as the result
of these consultations, the experience of the departmental and
railway officials having suggested many improvements on his original
plans.
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