at his disposal, he found the task an easy one, and was successful in gathering around him men who have since carried on the government of the country in one of the most critical periods of its existence. At the time the first Borden government assumed office the world war was unthought of except as a vague speculation, which few students of world finance and world politics believed would ever become a fact, and the new Premier did not foresee that before him lay the most difficult task that had ever confronted a Canadian Government. In the summer of 1914 the conflict which ultimately developed into a war between the Central Empires and most of the other civilized powers, came like a bolt from the blue. On August 4, 1914, there was great curiosity in the chancelleries of Europe as to whether the overseas dominions of the British Empire would stand behind Great Britain. Germany, on the day she started the war, believed that they would not, and it was prophesied in Berlin that Canada would seek separation from the Empire. Sir Robert Borden at once gave the answer by placing the entire resources of the Dominion at the disposal of the Motherland; and on receiving an intimation from the late Lord Kitchener, that men were the first necessity, immediately called Parliament together to vote the necessary money. His government commenced the training and equipment of a first volunteer expeditionary force of 35,000, with provision for its further extension at need. This expeditionary force was partly trained at Valcartier camp, Quebec, and partly at Salisbury Plains, England, and first went into action at the second battle of Ypres in the spring of 1915. In the words of Viscount French, at that time Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in France, it “saved the situation” and barred the way to the Channel Ports from the Germans. In 1915 Sir Robert, who had been honored with the title of G.C.M.G. shortly before the outbreak of the conflict, visited Great Britain and France and, convincing himself that the struggle would be very long and difficult, pledged Canada to provide an aggregate of 500,000 trained men should the need arise. He and his government also made arrangements whereby Canadian manufacturers should engage largely in the production of munitions, the credits for such contracts being financed by the Canadian administration. The same policy was pursued in connection with contracts for food supplies, with the result that throughout the war there was a continued trade expansion and financial opulence that enabled Canada to make sacrifices that would otherwise have been impossible to her. During his visits to the front Sir Robert kept himself fully in touch with the needs of the Canadian army, and resolved to make it a first consideration in all his policies. A trip to Great Britain and France in the early part of 1917 convinced him that, in view of the dark outlook for peace, it would be necessary