Canada herself about 40%; and the balance divided be- 

 tween Great Britain and foreign countries. Canada may 

 well be grateful to the United States for the part she has 

 played in developing Canadian resources and industries. 

 The foregoing figures speak for themselves. But as Mr. 

 Poussette, Director of the Commercial Intelligence Service, 

 points out in his introduction to the publication which we 

 have under review, appreciation of our recent industrial 

 history is not untinged with a regret that our own country, 

 Great Britain, has not taken a more active part in our in- 

 dustrial expansion that British manufacturers have not 

 assumed a greater share of the responsibility and reward. 



These briefly are the facts which prompted the Com- 

 mercial I ntellige nee Service of the Department of Trade and 

 Commerce to undertake the publication of "Canada as a 

 Field for British Branch Industries." Investigation seems 

 to show that the seeming indifference of the United King- 

 dom is in a large measure due to a lack of definite know- 

 ledge; to ignorance of Canadian conditions and oppor- 

 tunities. 



British manufacturers know little of our present in- 

 dustrial development, less about our water-power and 

 labour conditions, and in general seem to hold the idea that 

 we are almost entirely an agricultural nation; an idea which 

 has doubtless been accentuated by the widespread display 

 of Western Canada posters and farming propaganda. It 

 is true that many of the larger British industrialists know 

 a great deal about Canada, probably more than many 

 Canadians, but the smaller man, the average Midlands or 

 north country manufacturers, seems to know little or 

 nothing. It is not suggested that any manufacturer 

 could enter Canada and carry on his business at a profit. 

 There are some lines which no British manufacturer could 

 successfully undertake, but that there are many which he 

 might successfully undertake can hardly be disputed. 



Outline of Economic and Industrial Conditions 



"Canada as a Field for British Branch Industries" is 

 therefore intended to present in concise yet comprehensive 

 form an outline of economic and industrial conditions which 

 affect Canadian manufacture. 



It contains chapters on the economic areas of Canada ; 

 natural resources in their relation to industry; the history 

 and present standing of Canadian trade; the labour situa- 

 tion in Canada; water-powers and their industrial impor- 

 tance; Canadian tariffs and trade agreements; railways, 

 canals and shipping; company incorporation and taxation; 

 and the Canadian banking system. 



The appendices include a careful analysis of industrial 

 capital in Canada, not only in total, but also by specific 

 groups of industries, and an article, based on the experience 

 of those British firms already manufacturing in Canada, 

 on Canadian market conditions which affect the sale of 

 British goods. It has been in preparation for more than 

 six months. 



This volume is designed to create in Great Britain a 

 general interest regarding Canadian conditions and oppor- 

 tunities to suggest to the British manufacturer that if he 

 will investigate the Canadian opportunities for his specific 

 line, it will probably prove to his advantage. Publicity 

 is being obtained through the Imperialist Press of Great 

 Britain, through the officesand publications of the Canadian 

 Government and Canadian Pacific Railways, and by direct 

 distribution through the offices of the High Commissioner, 

 the Agents General for the Provinces and the Canadian 

 Government Trade Commissioners. 



In addition copies have been sent to every Member of 

 Parliament in Great Britain; to the Public Schools, Libra- 

 ries and Universities; the Federation of British Industries, 

 the Associated .Chambers of Commerce of Great Britain; 

 the British Empire Producers' Organization, and other 

 industrial bodies. 



'Report of Toronto Harbour Commission, 1920. 



The Cascara Bark Industry 





As the days lengthen, a little known but im- 

 portant crop to those interested is even now 

 in its initial stages of fructification. This crop 

 is neither fruit nor grain, but a product of the 

 forest known as Cascara Bark. Once plentiful 

 in the states of Oregon and Washington, these 

 sources are becoming rapidly depleted, and Brit- 

 ish Columbia is now, in a commercial sense, the 

 world's last source of supply. 



From this bark is extracted the important 

 drug, cascara sagrada, which forms the base of 

 many laxatives. That the industry would be a 

 lucrative one when developed along commercial 

 lines, and that present efforts have only been of 

 a scattered and primitive nature, may be gauged 

 from the fact that during 1921 only some 31 

 tons of Cascara Bark were exported from the 

 Port of Vancouver, but that this comparatively 

 small quantity had a value of $6,283 or over $200 

 a ton. Whilst actual statistics are not avail- 

 able, there can be little doubt but that the New 

 York and London markets could consume a 

 very much larger tonnage than the above. 



The Pacific coast, as far north as Prince 

 Rupert, and as far east as the Fraser Valley 

 and inland to the Flathead, supplied the bulk 

 of this tonnage, most of which is gathered by 

 farmers and homesteaders in the different local- 

 ities where the graceful cascara tree is most 

 abundant. The season for harvesting, commenc- 

 ing in the earliest days of spring, when the sap 

 is flowing, does not interfere with the later 

 activities of the sons of the soil. 



As a source of income the industry, though 

 of a temporary nature, is by no means to be 

 despised. Even in pre-war days a good stripper 

 could make from $3.00 to $5.00 per day, and at 

 present prices the same man could double this 

 sum by a fair day's work, always providing the 

 location as to transportation, etc., was satis- 

 factory. Moreover, a man need not be a capi- 

 talist to engage in the industry, a few dollars for 

 the purchase of sacks and a peculiar loop-like 

 knife for stripping being the sum total of the 

 outlay. 



Methods of Collection 



The bark is at present mostly collected by 

 Indians and Japanese, who strip it, dry it in the 

 sun and ship it in sacks. This method is suicidal 

 to the industry as, when all of its bark has been 

 stripped, the tree inevitably dies. The proper 

 way to collect the bark with due regard to the 

 preservation of the tree and consequent con- 

 servation of the industry, is to remove it in strips 

 well apart from each other, taking care not to 

 take off a complete ring anywhere. In this way 

 a quarter to one-third of the bark may be re- 

 moved without unduly damaging the tree. Legis- 

 lation to enforce proper method in this regard is 



48 



