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HDMONTON BULLETIN. (Sint-Wasnuy.) Printed Monday and Thursday evenings, Subscription $2 a year, in advance. Transient advertisements. Five lines and under, three insertions and under $1, or 10 centes linglet asertion and center a line each week or part of week after. Standing advertisement—50 ots ofline for 3 months, FRANK OLIVER, — PROPRIETOR. ——— EDMONTON BULLETIN, FEBRUARY 21st, 1896 BOARD OR, TRADE. The annual general meeting of the Ed monton board of trade was held in the council chamber on Friday afternoon last, the president, J. A. McDougall in the chair. There was a good attendance. The report of the council was taken as read and ordered to be printed. The president then read the following address : To the Members of the Board of Trade. The past year I regret to say has not been one of general prosperity in our district for various reasons. A partial failure of crops, heavy losses caused by prairie fires and the very low prices offering for all kinds of farm produce are some of the causes re sponsible for the present depression, and to these must also be added the fact that we in common with outside places have also been suffering from the effects of the gener al hard times prevailing. We are passing through what may be called the experiment al stage of development, and among many there is a feeling of disappointment and dis couragement. Before the advent of the rail way we knew little or nothing of hard times. There was a local demand for all that was raised and all kinds of produce found ready sale and commanded big prices. As a re sult of this the fame of Edmonton district as being the choicest portion of the whole Northwest Territories had gone abroad. The shrewds now as the head of the C. P. R. were the first to recognize the fact and take advantage of it by selecting millions of acres of our best roads in prace of lands elsewhere. After the completion of the Calgary and Edmonton railway settlers began to flock in and as the country became settled up there was soon 4 surplus over and above what the local demaid required of what had formerly been the most profitable crops, and as a con sequence prices have gradually been drop ping lower and lower as the surplus increas ed and we had to ship to outside markets and compete with other districts having advantages over up in either railway rates or nearness to market. Until now prices of oats and barley in particular are so low that it has ceased to be profitable for the farmers to raise them. As for wheat that still commands a fair price on account of the local and northern trade; and the fact that there was a fairly good crop of wheat raised last year should, and no doubt will, encour age the farmers of this district to go more extensively into wheat raising than here tofore. And instead of raising oats and barley for sale, raise them for feeding stock at home. There is a good demand and cash market for hogs and beef cattle as well as young cattle. ‘The establishment of a pork packing house in our town this past year, prepared to pay cash for all that offers of a suitable kind, is a matter for congratulation, and will no doubt prove a profitable invest ment and help to solve to some extent the problem of how to make farming pey. It is a matter of general regret that the creamery company started here some two years ago, has not been successful, for if there is one thing that we excel in above all others it is our abundant pasturage for cattle. The nutritious pea-vine and other wild grasses which are to be found growing every where on our rich black void on the uplands and lowlands, should make dairying one of our most profitable industries. And let me say, the country is all right. The trouble is elsewhere,my opinion creameries as a rule will only be found profitable if run by private firms or individuals, and in place of the government tonusing them by lump sums, I would suggest a bonus of two or three cents per pound on the quantity manufactured, or better still appoint one or more selling agents to whom butter and cheese could be shipped and sold to the best advantage, as one of the greatest diffi culties that small creameries have to meet is the expense of selling and finding where to sell. or in the case of creameries that have proved a failure from various caases, let the government take hold of them, placing practical men in charge, and run them until they have been made a success in every way. Our natural markets for creamery products should be British Columbia. For the year ending June 30th, ‘94, British Columbia im ported from the United States 568,635 pounds of butter, on which a duty of 4c. a pound had to be paid, and 1,822,000 pounds from the provinces of Canada. She import ed 390,000 pounds of cheese a large propor tion of which was from the United States. We should be able to compete successfully for this trade is properly taken word of, and with the development of British Columbia’s great mining wealth which is now going ahead at a rapid rate her imports will increase largely year after year, as her population is not agricultural. While we hope to be able to do a large business and find a market for a large portion of our products in British Columbia we will have to meet keen competition. But this is not our only market, as the immense country to the north of us reach ing to the Arctic Ocean, is yearly consum ing more food supplies. It is only a few years ago when flour was as luxury in the north,and was rationed out in pint pots with great care to the fortunate few and was be yond the reach of the Indians. Now, how ever, thousands of bags of flour go north every year as well as immense quantities of bacon and other food supplies. ‘The Indians now have more time to hunt furs and don’t have to spend half their time hunting for something to eat. The result is that the Indians of the north are mostly prosperous and well-to-do, and were never so well off as they now are. In this direction we have no railway races to worry over, the advant age is all in our favor and the north country is our hope for years to come. It is earnestly to be hoped that the government will do something this season towards surveying and locating the trail between here and the Attabasca Landing, as well as spending some money in cutting out and owning up a public road to the Athabasca river at the Landing, as at present there is none. And this is the gateway to the whole northern country. But while we may to a certain expert have passed the experimental stage and know what can be most profitably raised to make farming pay under present conditions, still we need never hope to attain that state of prosperity which the country is capable of developing until such times as we have competition in railways. The building of the C. P. R. did much for Canada and to open up the Northwest, although it only skirted the southern portion of the Ter ritories. But much yet remains to be done to develop the central portion, the justly famous Saskatchewan valley, the greatest unbroken area of rich agricultural land in Canada, the home of thousands of pros perous settlers yet to be, and that, lack of railway facilities is now keeping back. Such a route does the British Pacific pro pose to follow, passing through the Cariboo country, opening up and making possible the full development of the rich gold and mica mines that are known to exist, and some of which are already being worked profitably under almost insurmountable difficulties and enormous expense. Such a road would open up markets for us by the way and shorten our distance to the coast and connect us on the east with the Hudson’s Bay. Then our prospects will be assured, our positions will be second to none, and when such a road is built as it surely will it will do more to develop the latent wealth of Canada than all that has yet been done. Our hopes for the future centre on it, and it is to be hoped that the railway policy of the government for such a road as the British Pacific and the Hudson’s Bay will be a liberal one. Business in town during the past year has not been so satisfactory as could be de sired owing to the financial stringency and low prices already referred to. There were some good buildings erected last year that are both a credit and an ornament to the town ; The Roman Catholic hospital, the Public school, and the Episcopal church. Outside of there not so much building was done as in 1894, as there was more or leas of a general feeling of uncertainty regarding the future on account of the bridge question. The year opens with improved prospects and much encouragement and cause for con gratulation. . Fifty thousand dollars are in the estimates for the bridge of sighs and delegations. The railway schemes of the town are full of promise and hope, and if all work together for good, as we have as surances to think it will, our cause for un certainty regarding the future of Edmonton will be removed and we will eventually, as our hopes are realized,enter upon a period of general prosperity shared by all. The report of the council is now before you showing the work done during the past year. It is to be regretted that more in terest is not taken by the members, as there is much work of importance to be done. Much good work has already been accom plished, by directing the attention of the government, the C. P. R. Co. and others to our district and its requirements. Our re commendations have always met with con sideration and our requests have in many instances been acceded to and valuable con cessions granted us, which have proven beneficial to the district at large. Before closing allow me to refer to the secretary to whom much of the credit is due, and for his untiring efforts to promote the best interests of and further the objects for which the board was organized. Jons A. McDouGaln. The president's address was ordered to be printed with that of the council. The treasurer, Jas. Mcdonald, then read the financial statement showing : Receipts.............00 4 wee $285 03 Disbursements... ......... . . 248 38 Balance, $ 36 65 To which was added the balance in hand vom last year, $16 46,making a total cash on hand of $53.21. The election of officers was then held. The president, Mr. McDougall, said that he considered the office of president should not be held by one person for more than a year. The election resulted as follows : G. R. F. Kirkpatrick, president ; J. A. McDougall, vice-president ; Jas. McDonald, treasurer ; I. Cowie, secretary ; Messrs. Bloney, Lines, Larne, Kinnaird, Gallagher, Graydon, Gariepy and Stephen, councillors. The officers and councillors constitute the board of arbitration, KE. C. Emery was re-elected auditor. At the conclusion of the election of officers the chair was taken by Mr. Kirk patrick, the newly elected president, and matters connected with the immigration convention to be held at Winnipeg were discussed. The meeting then adjourned, J. J. Tarte, M. P., said to the Toronto young liberals at a banquet on Feb. 13th: ‘tI find in the Ottawa Citizen that the gov ernment are sure to lose twenty-five friends on this question, but are just as sure to get twenty-five liberals to make up their loss. If Messia. Tupper, Bowell and Caron wait for the liberals to take them out of the hole, they will stay a great while in the hole.” (Laughter.) Mr. Tarte claimed for the liberal party that they had advocated a policy of conciliation, the offer of a commit tee of the house to sit during the session in order to bring the two parties in Manitoba ogebhoe and settle the matter. He thought it a fair one; he, as a French-Canadian, want ed justice for his countrymen, but French- Canadians did not desire to create a worse grievance. If his offer had been accepted the question could have been settled in a month. The government wanted to go to the country on their present policy in order to be in a position to appeal to racial pre judices of Quebec. They would be disap pointed in their expectations. The present soereion bill, Mr. Tarte complained, did not afford relief to the minority at all, as there were no financial means provided to give effect to the bill. The bill was con ceived in iniquity, and if they stood to gether like men it would be defeated in the house. During the Cape Breton Campaign Sir Charles Tupper, at a meeting at Glace Bay, read a telegram from Rev. Isaac Murray, a Presbyterian divine of North Sydney, endorsing Sir Charles’ candidature. This has resulted in creating trouble between Murray and his congregation. Now it developes that no such telegram was sent by Murray. The facts are, Father McPher son of Little Bras-D’or, called on Murray and asked him to sign a paper endorsing Tupper and favoring a remedial school bill. Dr. Murray declined to sign the papers, but told McPherson if he saw Sir Charles he could tell him that he was a conservative and by all means to uphold the constitution, or words to that effect, but he never sent a telegram.
Newspaper Details
Edmonton Bulletin
Edmonton, Alberta, CA
Mon, Feb 24, 1896
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Cherish M.
USA 26 Jun 2026
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