Montreal, 1535-1914. Vol. 2. Under British Rule, 1760-1914

V

MONTREAL AND WORLD CITIES

But there is still another interesting comparison to be made—how does Montreal stand among the cities of the world? Here is the answer:

VI

OPTIMISTIC SPECULATIONS AND PROPHECIES

By this table Montreal jumps to twenty-sixth place in the list of great cities. In 1901 she stood ninety-fifth in the same list. This position, however, is not as conclusively Montreal’s due as is her rank in the table of North American cities, for the reason that it is not possible to speak with exactitude regarding the actual size of the cities below Montreal when their suburbs are included. Manchester, so considered, is no doubt much larger. However, the position accorded the city cannot be far wrong, and there is no gainsaying the fact that Montreal has grown in ten years from the ninety-fifth place among the cities of the world to a place in the first thirty or forty.

There is good reason for believing that Montreal is now the largest city in the self-governing Dominions of the Empire. Only London, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester, in the British Isles, can claim to exceed her in population. If we exclude from the calculation the densely populated cities of the East, and Occidental cities, she will rank among the first twenty. And is there a city, among those which now surpass her in population, which is showing as large a percentage of growth? As the metropolitan city of a virgin half-continent, towards which the tide of immigration is yearly rushing with greater force, Montreal is growing with Canada’s growth, and every man who is convinced of the tremendous development Canada will witness within the next decade must realize that this development will mean that Montreal must move, in that time, close to the million mark.

In 1901 Montreal had a population of 267,000. Her suburbs then were small, but supposing we put them at 33,000, and call the greater city 300,000. If today this greater city is 625,000 the growth in eleven years has been 325,000, or about 30,000 per year. Is it unreasonable to assume that in nine years’ time we will have a million souls on this island?

The following computation also will be interesting in later years as a specimen of current speculations and prophecies in 1914 of Montreal’s growth:

“At this rate,” says a contemporary writer, “the city’s population will be considerably over the million mark in 1919. By 1931, two years would be quite sufficient to add to the population of the spreading city, more people than are at present living in both the city and suburbs. If the present rate of increase should remain constant, twenty-six years from today would see a city containing a greater population than the whole of the Dominion of Canada can boast of today, and with seven and three-quarter millions of people, exclusive of suburbs, considerably larger than the London of the present time. A trip further in the future is too dizzy for the brain of any but the trained mathematician, but the array of figures are sufficient to show that within the life-time of the present citizens the city on the shores of the St. Lawrence is likely to stand in the fore-front of the leading centers of the world. Of course, it is only natural to expect that the increase will not be maintained at the present rate, but the addition of growing suburbs will likely prevent any considerable decrease in the rate of advance.”

Before concluding these statistical pictures we may sum up the vital figures of the metropolis:

VII

THE GREATER MONTREAL OF 1912

Population of Greater Montreal, estimated, 625,000.

Assessed valuation of city nearly equals $1,000 per head of entire population of greater city.

City’s revenue from all sources, $8,200,000.

Montreal’s customs receipts are $20,000,000 a year.

The city of Montreal is divided into 125,141 lots.

The city of Montreal is owned by 29,123 people.

If the land upon which the city is built was divided up among the population the per capita share would be about one and one-sixth lots.

Montreal’s assessed valuation this year is $601,000,000.

Exemptions from real estate assessment in the city amount to practically one-quarter of the whole.

Montreal has 1,200 streets and more are being opened up every week.

Montreal’s police force numbers close upon seven hundred officers and constables.

The city’s militia units have an enrolled strength of approximately four thousand two hundred officers, non-commissioned officers and men.

Montreal has over five hundred firemen, divided up among nearly thirty stations.

There are 150 churches in Montreal.

The longest street is Notre Dame Street, with a total length of nearly fifteen miles.

Montreal’s port is visited during the season by nearly eight hundred ocean steamers and thirteen thousand lake and river steamers, the whole fleet having a tonnage of approximately seven million tons.

Montreal has three grain elevators, with a total capacity of 4,750,000 bushels, which is to be added to by another 2,000,000 bushels.

Montreal’s annual snow removal bill amounts to over one hundred thousand dollars, a considerable portion of which is paid by the Montreal Tramways Company.

Montreal has sixty moving picture theaters, with half a dozen others building in different parts of the city.

St. Helen’s Island is visited annually by close upon two hundred and fifty thousand people, mostly children.

Montreal has nearly three thousand privately owned automobiles, representing capital worth approximately six million five hundred thousand dollars.

Greater Montreal comprises two cities, three towns, and half a score of small municipalities.

Montreal’s annual civic light bill is $200,000.

Investigations show that on an average 3,022 school children in Montreal spend $188.70 a week on picture shows.

Montreal has 805 acres of park area.

Montreal’s banks, head offices and branches, number 112.

Montreal’s bank clearings average between fifty-five million and sixty million dollars weekly.

Montreal has one general postoffice, nine branches and eighty sub offices.

One hundred and fifty passenger trains enter and leave Montreal railway depots every twenty-four hours.

The death rate of Greater Montreal is about 40.5 per 1,000.

The city building inspection department has so far this year issued 3,150 permits.

Montreal has 260 miles of streets, of which sixty-five miles are paved.

Montreal’s 240 miles of brick sewers, if placed end to end, would reach from here to Ottawa and back, with sufficient over to reach Coteau.

Montreal’s tramways system owns and operates 125 miles of line all over the island.

Montreal’s streets are illuminated by over three thousand separate lights.

Montreal street cars this year have carried over one hundred and twenty million passengers.

There are sixty-three parishes and 800 priests in the diocese of Montreal.

Montreal has 731 schools, public, high and convents.

There are seventy-two hospitals, public and private, and asylums in Montreal.

The city has two seminaries and two universities.

Other educational establishments in Montreal include eight classical colleges.

Property under the jurisdiction of the Montreal Harbor Commission on the Montreal side of the river is worth over twenty million dollars.

Montreal’s moving picture show theaters have a seating capacity of 35,000.

Realty transfers in Montreal this year are in the neighborhood of one hundred and twelve million dollars.

There are 172,000 names in the Montreal directory for 1912.

Montreal’s area is 27,747 acres.

Greater Montreal’s daily water supply exceeds sixty-eight million gallons.

The daily per capita consumption of water in Greater Montreal is 112 gallons.

The City of Montreal waterworks supply the needs of 351,000 people.

The Montreal Water and Power Company daily pumps 25,100,000 gallons for 251,000 people.

VIII

A CITY PLAN FOR GREATER MONTREAL

Seeing the future growth of the city, a movement was started in 1909 by the City Improvement League, an association of good citizens, desirous of the best for their city. The report of its secretary for 1912, states the progress of the city plan movement as follows:

The City Improvement League has, from its commencement, consistently promoted the movement for a preconceived city plan to be adopted for the future expansion of Montreal. Its City Planning Committee, backed by the cooperation of the great commercial and philanthropic bodies of the city, has been recognized as the exponent of the wishes of our best citizens, having already two years ago secured the appointment of a Metropolitan Parks Commission, whose duty it was to study the needs of the city for such a plan.

This Commission, after a careful study, reported to the Government on January 5, 1911, on the very urgent necessity of the city immediately undertaking some action in city planning, and it recommended the establishment of a permanent Metropolitan Parks Commission, to carry on the work already initiated by the present temporary use. The Commission presented a report drawn up for them by Mr. F.M. Olmstead, on subjects dealing with the selection of lands for parks and playgrounds, and with the location of boulevards and other main lines of urban and suburban transportation, as necessary preliminaries in the formation of a city plan for Montreal. In addition, the Commission presented a draft bill for an act to establish a permanent Metropolitan Parks Commission.

A bill based on the above draft was presented in March at the following session of the Provincial Parliament, but was not passed, being held over for the next year. In the meantime, the temporary Commission having presented its report, for which it was appointed, automatically expired. The efforts of the League, to overcome the difficulties in the way of the bill, have since occupied a great part of the last year’s work.

Apart from meetings, and consultations of experts of a technical nature, every occasion was used to keep up public interest in the demand for a permanent commission.

In October the Fourth General Assembly of the Royal Architectural Society of Canada was held in Montreal, and on October 2d, at a special meeting of the delegates of this convention, and a large and representative gathering of citizens called together by the City Improvement League, to discuss the town planning situation, the following resolutions were carried:

“That this assembly of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada earnestly desires to urge upon the several Provincial Governments, the necessity of providing without delay, parks and playgrounds and housing commissions for each large city under their jurisdiction, especially with the object of preventing excessive mortality, and making better provisions for the health, comfort and recreation of the masses.

“That the Government of the Province of Quebec is especially urged to appoint a permanent Metropolitan Parks Commission with executive powers.”

In December the Public Health Association of Canada called its first convention, it being held in Montreal. A very valuable session on city planning, which was well attended by members of the League, provided much stimulating thought to Canadian public health officers and city planners.

A resolution to the following effect was proposed by Mr. H. Bragg, and seconded by Dr. Adami, president of the City Improvement League, viz., that this convention should recommend that Provincial legislatures should create Park Commissions, to regulate the growth of towns and cities, and to control their housing conditions, with powers of city planning and housing to extend even to suburban areas.

The matter was debated and finally left over to the Executive Committee of the Canadian Public Health Association, which next day passed the following modified resolution:

Moved by Doctor Bryce (Ottawa), and seconded by Doctor Sheriff (Ottawa), “that this association deems it worthy of urgent necessity that Provincial legislatures pass Acts making provision whereby urban municipalities can make house planning and land purchase schemes, whose operation may include suburban areas.”

During the year public bodies interested in the bill renewed their resolutions in its favour. Thus, for instance, at the annual meeting of the Board of Trade, it was resolved on the motion of Mr. R.W. Reford, seconded by Mr. Armand Chaput, “That the Montreal Board of Trade, which since February, 1910, has advocated the creation of a Metropolitan Parks Commission for the Island of Montreal, now notes with gratification that the Quebec Legislature is considering the appointment of such a commission and the board, in annual general meeting assembled, hereby prays that Legislature to adopt, during the present Session, legislation to that end.”

The above resolutions are quoted as indicative of the general trend of expert thought, which has helped to form public opinion in the city, in favour of a Metropolitan Parks Commission.

During the last two years every draft bill that has been drawn up for the above movement has always had conjoined with it clauses of a “housing” aspect, since city planning and the comfort of the working classes should never be separated. Consequently, the League has constantly promoted the study of city housing and advocated schemes for garden cities and for model workingmen’s dwellings, side by side with those for more parks, playgrounds and open spaces, as desired by all town planners.

The following associations lent valuable cooperation: The Board of Trade and La Chambre de Commerce, The Canadian Manufacturers’ Association, The Architects’ Association of the Province of Quebec, The Trades and Labor Council, The Parks and Playgrounds Association, The Citizens’ Association, The Canadian Club, The Local Council of Women, The Montreal Women’s Club, The Fédération Nationale, The Association St. Jean Baptiste, The Children’s Aid Society.

To Mr. W.D. Lighthall, K.C., Convenor of the City Planning Committee, and to its members, was due a large measure of the success of the bill. Among these may be mentioned J. George Adami, M.D.; Sir William Van Horne, E.P. Lachapelle, M.D.; J.L. Perron, K.C.; Hon. J.J. Guerin, M.D.; Controller Ainey, Sir Alexander Lacoste, L.A. Lavallee, K.C.; J.I. Finnie, M.D., M.L.A.; W.S. Maxwell, J.R. Gardiner, F.G. Todd, W. Rutherford, Prof. J.A. Dale, J.V. Desaulniers, Farquhar Robertson, Olivar Asselin, Leslie H. Boyd, K.C.; William Lyall, the late Professor Gregor, W. Johnson, H. Bragg, Dr. W.H. Atherton, secretary, and others.

Later an association entitled the Greater Montreal Housing and Planning Association was formed to assist in carrying on the above movement.

The plan movement has made uncertain progress, but still it is appreciable, especially as having overcome initial difficulties and in promoting preparatory measures and amelioration, leading toward the desired goal.

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