Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 182, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 July 1916 — WHO’S GOT THE MONEY [ARTICLE]

WHO’S GOT THE MONEY

In Four Staples Alone the Farmers of Western Canada P» oduced 408 Million Dollars in 1915. The Calgary (Alberta) printers have a house organ, called “The Magnet," and in Its columns a few weeks ago appeared an article entitled “Who’s Got the money?” It was cleverly written, and but for its length, the writer would have been pleased to have copied the article in its entirety. The purpose for which this article is published, however, that of letting the readers of the paper know of the great progress that is being made in agriculture in Western 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 a portion of the wealth that has come to Western Canada farmers as a result of careful tilling of a soil prodigal in everything that goes to make good grain, cattle, horses, hogs and sheep. ’ Reproducing from the article: The Government does not produce money. It can stamp “One Dollar” on a slip of white paper, and we accept it at a dollar’s worth, but neither the paper nor the printing are worth a 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 farmers of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba last year raised 342,948,000 bushels of wheat. If we take for an average 85 cents a bushel In Manitoba, 81 cents in Saskatchewan, and 79 cents in Alberta the season’s wheat crop was worth $280,629,000. Add to this an oat crop of 334,840,000 bushels, worth $95,457,000; a barley crop of 35,254,200 bushels, worth $15,871,000, and a flax crop of 10,559,000 bushels worth $15,843,000, and you find that on these four staples alone the ■ farmers of Western Canada produced a wealth of $407,800,000. Please note that this wealth is In money. It is not in real estate at inflated values, industrial stocks that are half water and the rest air, fictitious goodwills or unsaleabe merchandise. It is in hard cash, or—which is better —hard wheat. These figures are only for the staple grain productions. They do not include the millions of dollars represented by the live stock and dairying Industries, or the additional millions included in the root, frnlt, 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 production of Alberta for 1915 was valued at over eleven million dollars. The potato crop of the three provinces was worth five millions and a 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 105,000 pounds in 1915, and there isn’t a bee In the province that doesn’t swear he’s a better honey-sorter than anything In California or Washington. That’s where the money is; in the jeans of our honest friend the farmer, who was too slow to get Into the cities when the rest of us saw short-cuts to wealth ; who hadn’t Imagination enough to think a man can make money without earning it, and who was too dull to know that hard work Is foolish. Well, he has the laugh now. Likewise the money.—Advertisement.