Tombstone epitaph., 1916-02-20
WONDERFUL PROGRESS
 IN CANADA
It Is Over the HilI-SpIendid Bank Clearings, and the Crop Returns Reveal Vast Possi.
 biIities for the Future.

ment in Canada now that may prove attractive to American capital. Land prices in the west are low and wages whatever the outcome of the war. the future of the Dominion is assured as one of prosperity in the development of its vast resources" Chicago Tribune.
 A short time ago the Canadian gov ernment asked for private subscrip- Less than a month was given for com pletion of the subscription. On No yember 30th, the day upon which sub scriptions were to cease. it was found that 110 million of dollars had been subscribed or 60 million dollars moro than the amount asked. If there were any so pessimistic as to imagine that Canada was passing through a period of hard times the wonderful showing of this subscription should put aside all doubts of Canada's rapidly increas- ing prosperity.
 Tine bank ciearings of Winnipeg for 1915 were a billion and a half of dol- lars. Think of 1t. Then. in addition, there were the bank clearings of the other cities throughout Western Can ada Regina, Saskatoon and Moose Jaw also show big increase in clear. ings. The Winnipeg statistics show that the city has done the biggest financial. commercial and industrial business in it's history in 1915. A billion and a half are big clearings, representing business on a per cap ita basis of over s7,000 per head for every man. woman and child in the city, and has gone ahead of big man. ufacturing cities like Buffalo. and runs a close second to Detroit. It has shown bigger bank clearings than the middle west cities of Minneapolis and Duluth, and has exceeded Los Angeles, Seattle and other noted ship ping centers. It is now side by side with the ten biggest cities in North America in amount of bank clearings. But because the war helped Canada recover quickly from a natural eco homie depression it does not follow that, at the end of the war, the coun- try must suffer a relapse, and straight way return to a state of inactivity and hard times.
 A Winnipeg paper. with a we'll known reputation for conservatism in economic matters says:
 Canada's undeveloped fields should prove a mighty factor after the war in adjusting the country's business from one period to another. The staggering figures of this years crop, showing in- creases in production of 50 per cent over last year, give slight idea of the future wealth stored in vast stretches of prairie plain yet untouched by the blow. The Northwest Grain-Dealers' As- sociation on September 1 estimated that the wheat crop of the three Prairie Provinces would amount to 250,SO0, 900 bushels. On November 10 that esti- mate was increased to 307, ,230, 900 bushels. The Dominion government on September 13 estimated the West ern wheat crop at 275,772,200 bushels. but on October 15 those figures were changed to 30i,200.000 bushels.
 Monetary Returns for the Western
 Crop.
 And the amount of money which the west is receiving for its grain has not yet been wholly appreciated. Up to the 10th of December the Canadian west had received some ITO million dollars for 1S2 million bushels of it's grain crop. of which 149 million bush els was wheat. The average price of No. 1 Northern wheat for September was 93A cents; for October ssh cents, and for the first three weeks of November s103Z. On the 10th Of December there was fully 120 million bushels of wheat to be marketed. This would leave about 90 million bushels for local consumption in the Prairie Provinces.
 Bradstreet says:
 Confidence seems to have returned in Canada; grain crops are exception ally large, prices pay the farmer. and the war-order lines provide work and aid in circulating much money. Credit is more freely granted, and interior merchants are disposed to buy rather liberally. y."-Advertisement.