134 ESSAYS ON WHEAT 



the grain growers in consequence would obtain less for 

 their wheat. 



XXIX. The Flour Mills of Western Canada 



The flour mills of western Canada, as elsewhere, are 

 situated where power is cheap and shipping facilities are 

 most favorable. These strategic points are to be found 

 at Fort William on Lake Superior, at Keewatin and 

 Kenora on the Lake of the Woods, at Winnipeg, and at 

 various other localities on the trunk lines of railways. 

 The mills at Keewatin and Kenora are driven directly by 

 water power, whilst those at Fort William and Winnipeg 

 are driven by electric power derived from waterfalls. 

 It is interesting to note that the three mills at Medicine 

 Hat obtain their power from natural gas which is used 

 to drive electric motors. 



In the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, 

 and British Columbia, there are 148 flour mills having a 

 daily capacity of 36,000 barrels; and, in addition, there 

 are nine mills having a daily capacity of 3,200 barrels, 

 which produce rolled oats and oatmeal. '^^ By provinces 

 the statistics for the flour mills are as follows: 



Number Capacity 



of in barrels 



mills per day 



Manitoba 35 15,000 



Saskatchewan 61 9,110 



Aberta 49 10,950 



British Columbia 3 700 



Totals 148 35,760 



Fort William, Keewatin, and Kenora are situated in 



the Province of Ontario but to the west of the Great Lakes 



72 As fixed by law, one barrel of flour contains 196 pounds standard 

 weight of flour. Two bags make one barrel, and a bag of flour there- 

 fore contains 98 pounds. 



