The Benson signal., 1916-07-29
WHO'S GOT
THE MONEY
In Four Staples Alone the Farm
erS CT Western Canada Pro-
duCed 4O8 Million DOL
lars in 1915.

The Calgary (Alberta) printers have
q house organ, called "The Magnet"
and in it's columns a few weeks ago
appeared an article entitled "Who's Got
the money!" 1t was cleverly written,
and but for it's length, the writer would
have been pleased to have copied the
article in it's entirety. The purpose for
which this article is published, how
ever that of letting the readers of the
paper know of the great progress that
is being made in agriculture in West
ern Canada, will be served by copying
a portion of the article. Many Of the
readers of this paper doubtless have
friends in one of the three provinces
Manitoba Saskatchewan or Alberta.
and they will be interested in feeling
that their friends are enjoying
portion of the wealth that has come
to Western Canada farmers as re-
suit Of careful tilling of soil prodi-
gal in everything that goes to make
good grain, cattle, horses, hogs and
sheep.
Reproducing from the article:
The government does not produce
money. 1t can stamp zone Dollar on
a slip of white paper, and we accept
it at dollars worth, but neither the
paper nor the printing are worth
copper. What gives it value is the
promise of the people of Canada which
stands behind the printed slip, and our
faith in that promise.
Now do you know who's got, the
money?
Let us put it into figures. The farm
ers of Alberta, Saskatchewan and
Manitoba last year raised 342 2,94S,OOO
bushels of wheat. If we take for an
average S5 cents bushel in Manitoba,
81 cents in Saskatchewan, and 70 cents
in Alberta the seasons wheat crop was
worth $3.50, 0,629,OOO. Add to this an
oat crop of 334, $4,000 bushels,
worth 800, ,457, 900; barley crop of 35,-
254, 200 bushels, worth $15,S71 900, and
a flax crop of 1O,559,OO0 bushels worth
$15 5,843,OO0, and you find that on these
four staples alone the farmers of West
ern Canada produced wealth of
$4O7 100000.
Please note that this wealth is in
money. 1t is not in real estate at in
flated values, industrial stocks that are
half water and the rest air, fictitious
goodwills or unsaleable merchandise.
1t is in hard cash, or-which is better
hard wheat.
These figures are only for the staple
grain productions. They do not in
clude the millions of dollars represent
ed by the live stock and dairying indus
tries, or the additional millions includ-
ed in the root, fruit, and garden crops.
The creameries of Saskatchewan, for
instance produced more buttermilk
and ice cream last year than their
total production amounted to six years
ago. The milk, butter, and cheese pro-
duction of Alberta for 1915 was valued
at over eleven million dollars. The pO-
tato crop of the three provinces was
worth five millions and half. Corn
and alfalfa-comparatively new crops,
charged with tremendous possibilities
amounted to over a round million.
Even honey you didn't know we
raised honey (the bee kind) in this
country, did you? Manitoba produced
10000 pounds in 1915, and there isn't
bee in the province that doesn't
swear he's better honey-sorter than
anything in California or Washington.
That's where the money is; in the