TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1919. THE DAILY BRITISH WHIG fof 64,128 recruits for the Canadian { Expeditionary Force were secured in! {this military 'district, This magnifi- | {cent total places Kingston fourth! {among the various military districts | {in the Dominion, being su by | | only Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg. | {It is true that the Kingston district | includes Ottawa, a large recruiting | centre, but even with that'the record | | is a splendid one. PAGE TWENTY-ONE "KINGSTON HARBOUR HAS GREAT DESTINY Y It is the Key to All Canada's Waterborne Grain Trade--Kingston Will One Day KINGSTON AS A MILITARY CENTRE Headquarters of Miitary District Number Three--Has Long Been. the Quarters While there are many people who feel that it i8 a detriment to Kingston that it has been for so many years a garrison city, the record of the distriet during the war has done much to dispell that feeling. The coming into force of the citizen army brought men of all ranks and classes under the common army of military disciplige, and the result is that mueh of the old indifference and antipathy to the sol- diers has disappeared. Ever since old Fart Frontenac became the military station for Upper Canada, Kingston has beefi a garrison city. The regiment which still has its permanent quarters here is the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, which is quartered in the. Tete de Pont Barracks, on the old site of the first fort which was built here. This unit was well established in the city twenty-five years ago, and in all campaigns which have been fought since then its guns have played a part. The Record of the 14th P.W.O.R. At the same period, in 1894, the most prominent of the Kingston militia regiments was the 14th Prince of Wales Own Rifles. At that time this regiment was in a flourishing condition, and was well officered and manned. In 1894 Lt.-Col.Henry R. Smith was the commanding officer of the regiment. He was also sergeant- at-arms of the Canadian House of Commons, and under his guidance the old regiment reached a high state of efficiency. : In January, 1898 he was succeeded in his command by Lt.-Col J. 8. Skinner, who was commanding officer when the South African War broke out in Octoberi 18909. He was seconded for duty withthe Provisional Infantry Regiment at Halifax during the war, and Major James Galloway took command of the 14th. The call for volunteers which went forth at the beginning of the war in South Africa met with a hearty re- sponse. Scores of members offered their services, but only a limited number were acepted from each of the Canadian militia regiments, so that their quota amobinted to one officer and twenty-one men. These werved with distinetion in the Cana- dian 'infantry and artillery, Major W. Bruce Carruthers béihg mentioned in despatches. : € hoy ---- A Récord of Progress, Major R. E. Kent succeeded to the command of the regiment on January 18th, 1903, being gazetted Lieutenant- Colonel. When he took charge the 14th was composed of six companies. Shortly afterwards it was increased to eight. During Col. Kent's regime 1 u « Municipally owned water, gas and electric supplies Electric power supplied by the Hydro-Ele | # bearer section and a signalling corps were formed in connection with the regiment. The officers had an up- hill fight, owing to the fact that there was not at that time a rifle fange at Earriefield, and hence little to act as an incentive to young men to join the regiment, but, notwithstanding this drawback, the 14th was kept right up to strength. Very little ceremonial drill took place under Col. Kent, who preferred fo take his regiment outside for field exercises and route marches. Col, Kent's five-year term expired in 1908, but was extended a year at the request of his officers, on account of the splendid re-organization effected by their command. The officers under Lt.-Col. Kent in 1908 were Majors A. B. Cunningham, aid W. B. Skinner; Captains E. O. Strange, J. L. H. Bogart, C. A. Low, (now Lt.-Col), W. S. Hughes, (now Brig.-Gen.), J. MeD. Mowat, (killed in action.); Lieuts. C. M. Strange, L. Sherwood, H. J. Dawson, (now. Lt.-Col, D.8.0., with bar, CM.G.,) E. H. Pense, T. V. Anderson; Second Lieuts. J. M. Far- rell, J. F. Sparks, H. P. Taylor, M. J. Horsey, R. H. Britton, L. E. Staples, J. Bullis, 8. H. McCammon, R. Brock, 'G. T. Birch, W. H. Craig, (now Lt.- Col); Paymaster, Hon. Major A. J. Sinclair; Quartermaster, Captain W, H, Macnee; Medical Officers, Surgeon Major R. W. Garrett and Surgeon- Lieut. John Herald; Hof. Chaplain, Rev, G.L, Starr, (now Major). Col. Kent was in 1909 promoted to the command of the 7th Infantry Brigade, and he was succeeded in the command of the 14th by Lt.-Col. A. B. Cunningham, = Col. Cunningham continued the field work, and in June of that year a famous sham battle was held in conjunction with the cadets of the Royal Military College. A couple of field days at the new Barriefield ranges were also very popular events that year. On several occasions men of the 14th have represented Canada at the Bisley Shooting meet in England, and have taken high standing. In. October, 1901, the 14th Regiment acted as guard of honour to the present King and Queen, then Duke and Duchess of York, when they visited Kingston. At the Royal review which was held in Toronto in the autumn of 1901, the 14th, then under the command: of Major Galloway, was highly eompli- mented by the Divisional Commander, the late Brig-Gen. Buchan, for the excellent way it passed the saluting base during 'the march past. For three years, 1907 to 1909, the officers of the 14th placed a regimental hockey team on the ice. In 1907 it lost the semior championship by a small margin; in 1908 it won 'that championship and in 1909 it again = Kingston DER i th ne DOA of R.C.HA-Records of the 14th Militia Regiments are Splendid. ~The War Figures for the District are Magnificent. 'i ved hockey in the final es, but the cup. gio The Royal Canadian Horse Artillery While the 14th regiment was win- ning fame as Kingston's militia infantry unit, there was stationed in | Kingston the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery of the Permanent Forces. This unit was the follower of the Royal Field Artillery unit which was stationed in Kingston for so many years, When the South African War broke out, a battery of artillery was sent to the front, under the command of the late Lt.-Col. J. A. G. Hudon, who died only a year ago. This bat- tery played a large part in that cam- paign, and won many honours for its consistently brilliant work. The Call to Arms in 1914. When the great European War broke out in 1914, the rush of volun- teers from Kingston greatly exceeded the numbers which it was possiblt to send. The first Canadian unit to receive. its aetive service orders was the R.C.H.A., which within a few days of the declaration of war was on its way to Valcartier Camp, where it prepared the site for the arrival of the units of the first Canadian cont tingent. Meanwhile the 14th had recruited a full company for overseas, and at the end of August, 1914, it proceeded to Valeartier Camp, where it became rt of the 2nd Battalion of the .EF., a unit which afterwards covered itself with glory in France and Belgium. After the dispatch of the first contingent, recruiting began in real earnest, and battalion after battalion was raised and sent over- seas. Lt.-Col, (now Brig.-Gen.) W. S, Hughes was at the time in com- mand of the 14th Regiment, and he was authorized to raise a battalion for overseas service, known as the 21st Battalion. In May, 1915, this bat- talion® sailed for overseas, where 'it gained a splendid reputation as one of the finest battalions in the 2nd Canadian Division. The .50th Bat- talion was the next infantny unit which was recruited in Kingston, and then battalion followed battalion, and several batteries of . artillery. and squadrons of Mounter Rifles were raised.' The district became famous for its splendid recruiting record, and, as Kingston was the headquarters of Military District No, 3.,. under =the command of the late Major-Gen. T. D. R. Hemming, it became a hive of unifornied men. Barriefield Camp was each summer the scene of great ac- tivity, for many battalions trained there for the front . - : According to returns issded by Militia Headquarters, Ottawa, a total li [on the field of honour, blic Uti Thousands of Kingston and district | men have paid the supreme sacrifice and . many thousands more have been wounded on the field of battle. It would be impossible to give a list of all the honours won by Kingston men, but it is true that they have secured cally every honour it is possible to win. The old officers of the 14th, the R.CHA, the Field Ambulance and other Kingston Corps have risen to positions of prominence in the Cana- dian and Imperial armies, amongst them being Brig.-Gen. W. S. Hughes, i A. E. Ross, Brig.-Gen. Fanet and many others. } Kingston still enjoys the distinction of being the headquarters of this military district. On the retirement of the late Major-Gen. T. D. R. Hem- ming in January of this year, the command passed into the hands of Brig.-Gen. Victor A. S, Williams, a returned officer who was wounded and taken prisoner at the terrific battle of Sanctuary Wood on June 2nd, 1916, and who suffered untold agonies at the hands of the Huns. He is a splen- did officer and is very popular with the staff. His chief desire is to see that the returned men are given the very best of treatment, anfl he de- votes much of his time to their inter- gsts. Around him he has gathered a very efficient staff of officers and N.C.0's. The majority of them have scen active service during the present war, and several wear the little gold bar which means a wound in action. The future of the militia regiments of Canada is still uncertain. tt is ex- pected that the identity of several overseas units will be "maintained in militia regiments, and in that case Kingston will be well represented im the new militia forces of Canada. The re-organization of the permanent forces finds the R.CH.A. and RCA. stationed in Kingston, with an ample number of other supplementary ser- vices, Kingston will retain in 'the future, as it has so nobly done in the past, its history as a military centre second to none in the Dominion of Canada. 3 . All this military activity has meant much to Kingston. During the war some millions of dollars have been spent with local merchants for the purchase of necessary supplies for the tens of thousands of troops which have been stationed here. In ad- dition the soldiers themselves have received many millions of dollars in pay and. allowances, much of which has been spent in Kingston.. The presence of these troops has thus been 'of much' financial value to the city, and has broughty much wealth into the coffers of the merchants and of the municipality. That the future will see much more money spent here in the same way is certain. So long as Kingston remains the headquarters of M. D.. No. 3, so long will the present staff be necessary ,and King- ston stands to benefit greatly by its remaining here. Instead of being a detriment, therefore, the fact of An invitation to Manufacturers and Home-Seekers from the y . aye The Commission Controls: Li. racti- | Be the Great Trans-shipping Centre and the Head of Deep-Water Navigation-It Will be the Buffalo of Canada. When one considers {greatest 'of ~all 'the problems i before Canada, it is not i hard to realize the truth of the claim {that Kingston is destined in the near | future to become one of the biggest {and busiest ports in the whole Do- minion. Cgnada has been described as the grana)y of the Empire, and most {of her vast harvests are reaped west { of the Great Lakes. The problem of | marketing her grain is largely one of i haulage to the Atlantic. It can be | taken care of there and it will be {all right when it reaches Europe. But {it must first be transported to the {Atlantic seaboard. Fortunately, Na- | ture in one of her prodigal moments, | scattered across the country a series | of immense lakes which form a chain of inland waterways from the golden west to the coast. But Nature, though prodigal in her generosity, is occas- ionally carcless of detail. Between each of the lakes there was a small | stretch of land or a piece of un- | navigable water or something, and { along the upper St. Lawrence thére | were all kinds of obstacles to the pas- sage of vessels of any draught. Successive governments have de- voted themselves to the remedying of this state of affairs. As farjback as 1779 there was a scheme to cut canals im order to overcome the Cedar, Cas- cades and Coteau Rapids, and ever since then the work has gone for- ward at one point or another in the 2,217 miles betwéen the mouth of the St. Lawrence and Port Arthur, at the head of the Great Lakes. The Sault Ste. Marie Canal has bridged the dis- tance between Lake Superior and Lake Huron and the Detroit River, | from thence to Lake Erie has been | made navigable for larger craft. Be- tween Lake Erie and Lake Ontario there is the Niagara River, with the falls situated nearly in the middle of it. The government ignored the river and cut the Wellana Canal right through to Port Dalhousie on Lake Ontario, the Kingston Harbour a Busy Place. The way was 'now clear from Port Arthur to the St. Lawrence end of Lake Ontario, to Kingston, in fact, at which point there was usually a halt made for repairs or trans-ship- ment before entering the St. Law- rence canals. Kingston in those days was 'a husy port, and it was not un- common about the latter end of the summer to see the old harbour pack- a Kingston's being a garrison city is a great advantage, and the people of Kingston are now beginning to realize this in the days of demobilization, od with shipping, mostly sailing ves- sels. Gradually the march of inevi- table progress substituted for the little wouden ships, driven by wind, great steel vessels, driven by steam. This was all right from a national point of view, but so far as Kingston was concerned it appeared to put an end to her ambitions to stand at the head of deep-water navigation. Port Colborne and Buffalo, vn Lake Erie became the trans-shipping ports, an Canadians saw themselves under the humiliating necessity of sending a la proportion of their grain to the Atlantic via the American ports, The government then conceived the big plan to enlarge the Welland Ca- nal and to improve Kingston harbour so that it would accommodate the largest of the Great Lakes shipping. The harbour was to becomé a national one. That is to say, the government was to assume a partial control by virtue of large expenditures made in the naticnal interests. Both the up- per and lower harbour were to be dredged. Docks were projected, ele- vators were to be built, and all kinds of improvements were planned. It was a scheme involving, with the Wel- land Canal enlargement, millions of dollars, and from the local point of view, it would be, or rather will be, the making of Kingston. This work was actualy begun short- ly before the outbreak of the war, but after a few months it was discontin- ued, owing to war conditions render- in it inexpedient to carry on the plans. The wa~ is now over, and Kingston ians are now looking forward with confidence to a resumption of opera- tions as soon as financial conditions become more normal and the neces- sary plans can be approved. The har- hour committee of the city council and the Board of Trade have lost no opportunity of pressing the impor- tance of the scheme upon the gov- ernment. They have this year been especially energetic in laying the claims of the city before the powers that be. They have so far been sue- cessful in having the government ap- point an engineer to look into the situation and prepare the plans in conjunction with an engineer appoint- ed by the city. Several conferences have been held and prospects are brighter than ever before for a speedy résumption of the wopk. The work of completing the Wel- land Canal is being rushed ahead, and it is the hope of the local public bodies to have the work on Kingstons har- for they are doing splendidly in plac- ing the discharged soldiers of this war in suitable and congenial em- ployment. { bour completed in time to have it | ready fur operation at the same time {as the canal wil be opened. Seve | schemes have beer suggested as to {how the harbour shall be improved. { One scheme is to have the immer basin ahove the Cataragui causeway, which was completed in 1917, dredged, and the big government elevators built on Bell's Island. An alternative scheme, and ene whith would be of more bene- fit to the city, would be to take over the Tete de Pont Barracks and the Montreal Transportation Company's site, and to build the elevators on that site. The channels would then be dredged to a depth of twenty-six fees for a width of six hundred, making ample water for the largest freighters to navigate in and out of Kingston's harbour. This scheme, suggested by Captain McMaster, the marine super« intendent of the M. T. Company, a man with a wide knowledge of the needs of Kingston's harbour, wad fully explained in the Whig some months ago, and is the one which seems to find most favour in the eyes of the engineers. The railway com« panies, who are favourable this scheme, would then be able to extend their service to serve these elevators, and Kingstor would have a mueh im< proved railway service. Kingston's Coming Prosperity. Now that the war is at an end, and there is cvery likelihood of the har< bour . improvements being continu and carried cut to a successful finish; there will be something of a revolu< tion in the old eity. Kingston will more than redouble its business acti vities. The impetus to thé local ship~ building industry will be tremendous. This is dealt with in another article. Apart from that there will be a big demand for labour for dry-docks be- cause Kingston will be, as it was in the old days, the place at which the most extensive repairs will be made before: the steamers turn their prows toward Port Arthur and the West. There will also be a general im- petus in"gll local industries, because experience shows that it is impossible to bring a new activity to a city with- out at the same time stirring up the other trades and manufacturing acti- vities of the district to a new lease of prosperity. Is it, then, any won- der that the people of Kingston have - faith in the destiny of their city to become one of the biggest and busiest ports in the whole Dominion of Can- ada? An ounce of prevention is better than a 200-pound physician. ; Yes, Allen, fame is all well en- ough for those who can afford it ies for heating, lighting and for power. ties Commissien "on can be readily supplied with power. ve » # Porritt