Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1916-07-07
CANADASEXCELLENT
FINANCIAL STANDING
Bank CIearings Increase-Agri-
culture Is a Paying Indus
try-Manufactures
Doing Well.

Business experts assert that Can
ada Is on the threshold of perhaps
a most prosperous era In her his
tory. The unprecedented value of
farm products of 1915, together
with the very large output of factories
working on munitions of war has sud-
denly brought the country into q POI
sition, financially, scarcely hoped for
as a nation for years to come. Ex-
port surplus of $50,OO0,OOO a month is
making Canada very strong In cash.
Extract from official bulletin Of Feb
ruary IL, 1915.
The response by the farmers Of Can
ada to the call for increased produc-
ton In 1915 was a total net output
exceeding n billion dollars, an in
crease over normal years of at least
three hundred millions. The three
Prairie Provinces contributed prob
ably nearly one-half of the total prod
uct.
The wheat crop was worth $310,000,-
600, and accounted for about 80 per
cent of the total agricultural product.
Other things counted also. Look at
dairying. In Ontario the dairy pro-
duction was increased 20 per cent,
and prices were over 10 per cent
ahead Of 1914. Other provinces shared
In the increase, especially Alberta,
Saskatchewan, Quebec and Nova Sco-
tia. The dairy COW was ION the job"
in 1915. So also were the beef cattle,
the pigs and the hens.
1t Is not fair to the farmers of the
Prairies to call the wheat crop of 1915
a miracle" crop. The farmers cult
waited more land and gave attention
to their seed. Providence gave them
favorable weather. Then they toiled
early and late in the harvesting and
threshing. Good cultivation gave big
ger yields than careless work, 45 bush
els as against %.
The wealth of Western Canada is
by no means all in its wheat crop. If
the country had no wheat at all it
would still be famous as a land of sue
cessful farmers on account of it's stock
production. From one shipping point
(High River, Alberta) over $75,000.00
worth Of horses have been sold in the
last two months. The average price
to the farmer has been about S175.00
per head. According to Government
returns there are a million and a half
horses in Manitoba, saskatchewan and
Alberta, worth probably $150,O0 900.
The investments which farmers of
Western Canada are making in live
stock and farm improvements are
good evidence of the fact that they
have money for these purposes. 1t is
apparent, however, that they are also
spending some of their profits on
those things which will bring greater
comfort and enjoyment to themselves,
their wives and their families. The
automobile trade all through the
country is particularly active, and
farmers are the biggest buyers. A re-
cent report of the Saskatoon district
shows that in two months a million
dollars worth Of automobiles have
been sold, largely to farmers. Nor are
all Of these cars of the cheaper makes;
some high-priced machines are in de-
mand.
Bank clearings throughout the West
ern Provinces show greater CONNER
cial activity than at the same season
in 1915 or 1914, the increase for the
last week of February being $S,000,000
and almost $9,OOO,OO0, respectively,
for the first week of March $15,000,-
600 over 1915 and $3.50 900 over
1914. The same excellent story
from Moose Jaw, Sask., where they
showed from 40 to 100 per cent over
the previous year. Calgary, Alta,
bank clearings continue to reflect the
greatly improved business conditions
as compared with a year ago. Cana
da's bank clearings for the month of
February, 1916, were the greatest for
any February in the cOuntry'S history.