Deseret Evening News

IMPERIAL HIGHWAY.
England Concentrating Her War Stores and "Russian Peril" in Canada.
Ottawa, Ont., Nov. 21.—At the rate heavy ship guns, quick-firers, small arms, ammunition, munitions of war and stores for active service are arriving at Halifax and Esquimalt it will soon be possible to convert ocean steamers into armed cruisers and transports equivalent to the embarkation of 10,000 men simultaneously for any points in the far eastern seas to which the ships might be ordered.
There is apparently no intention to provide for a movement of troops to any large extent from Europe across Canada by the "Imperial Highway" to Asia. On the contrary, every indication points to Esquimalt being utilized chiefly for fitting out cruisers and transports on sudden emergency and Halifax as a supply depot for the dispatch of supplies and drafts of reinforcements overland to Esquimalt.
Facilities for transport of troops in large numbers across the continent under the conditions the imperial government would impose are not unlimited though means might be improvised at a sharp pinch to rush through as many as 10,000 men, arms, baggage and supplies without a break. No such strain, however, seems likely to occur. Weakening the British garrisons in Europe for service in the east by way of Canada is evidently contemplated. Everything concurs to induce the belief that in case of a call for troops they would embark from India, Canada doing her share providing some transports and converted cruisers. The recent additions to the China and Japan lines sailing from Canada and accommodations available on a sudden emergency from other quarters, insure sufficient tonnage at short notice to answer a summons to rendezvous at any point indicated for the embarkation of troops in the eastern seas.
Unless the information is wholly erroneous, the conditions are such that a year at least of ceaseless effort would be required to fit out an adequate Franco-Russian force for the eastern seas to cope with the British power already there or presently available. And in the meantime, it is asked, what would the British be doing?