whose duty it is to do everything possible to further 

 the establishment of successful traffic-producing indus- 

 tries. These staffs have all information concerning 

 raw materials, industrial sites, manufacturing conditions 

 and are able to give advice on location of industries 

 with a full knowledge of conditipnsand pertinent factors. 

 Such gratuitous services constitute a real saving to the 

 prospective manufacturer in time and money which he 

 must otherwise spend in visiting numerous points to 

 seek preliminary information. 



Local bodies anxious to augment the populations of 

 their town or city and increase their prosperity by estab- 

 lishment of new industries frequently offer special induce- 

 ments in connection with industrial sites, taxation, etc. 



4. Canadian Markets. Can be better developed, en- 

 larged and taken care of from a Canadian plant and 

 organization than from London, New York or elsewhere 

 abroad. 



5. Empire Markets. A Canadian organization is in an 

 excellent geographical distributing centre and keeps in 

 close touch with the British Empire trade situation. 



6. Raw Materials. Users of Canadian raw materials by 

 making their product in Canada save tariff charges on 

 the export of their raw materials, save freight charges 

 on the transportation of these raw materials and save 

 freight and tariff charges on the proportion of finished 

 product which sells in Canada. Also by locating plant 

 near source of raw material save overhead expenses. 



Canada is rich in industrial raw materials such as 

 minerals, fuels (coal, natural gas, peat) clays, feldspar, 

 building stones, limestones, cement ingredients, timber, 

 bitumen, oil shales, fluorspar, nickel, mica, graphite, 

 abrasives, sands, asbestos, magnesite, and many others. 



7. Labor conditions in certain parts of Canada are better, 

 more stable, less addicted to organized agitation than 

 in most other countries. Any industry which is pre- 

 pared to deal fairly with labour can be assured of an 

 abundant and cheap supply in any location where the 

 establishment of that industry is commercially justified. 

 United States labour rates to some extent influence 

 Canadian, but local conditions a'so have a strong effect 

 (as in the Province of Quebec). 



8. Power. The supply of cheap hydro-electric power is 

 one of Canada's greatest assets. The amount developed 

 is but a small proportion of that available and its 

 distribution is especially fortunate in relation to large 

 distributing centres such as Toronto, Montreal, Winni- 

 peg and Vancouver. It is also fortunate that in those 

 provinces where large hydro-electric development cannot 

 be had, there are vast resources of coal available. 



9. Fuel. Although certain parts of Canada are depend- 

 ent for coal supply on importation from the United 

 States, there are both in the East and West vast reserves 

 of commercial coal only partially developed but which 

 are coming to be more and more utilized from year to 

 year. 



In Western Canada vast fields of natural gas are avail- 

 able, supplying light and power at lowest cost. In an 

 important case natural gas is sold to industries as low as one 

 cent per 1,000 cu. ft. 



The not improbable discovery of commercial oil fields 

 may become an important additional source of fuel 

 in the not distant future. 



A New Tanning Process 



A company, in which Sir James Outram and 

 other prominent business men are interested, 

 is under organization at Calgary to establish and 

 operate a tannery using the French vacuum or 

 Nance process. It is stated that it has the 

 endorsation of the Provincial Government and 

 the promoters expect shortly to have the neces- 

 sary capital to begin operations. They claim also 

 to have the rights for the process in Canada, and 



67 



have selected Calgary as the point of manufacture 

 for that portion of Canada west of the Great 

 Lakes. 



The Nance process of tanning was invented 

 by an Australian named Nance. The method 

 was patented in England ten years ago. It does 

 not appear to have made much headway in Eng- 

 land in this time, but in France it is said to have 

 been taken up and pushed, largely on account of 

 the war, when it was necessary to obtain leather 

 under a short period of tanning. It is also said 

 that a few years ago to tan under., this process 

 required fifteen days, since which time it has been 

 discovered that by taking all the oxygen out of 

 the tanning matter it is possible to turn out the 

 product in six days. The labor required under 

 the process is only about 10% of that under the 

 old method. 



Hermetically Sealed Tanks 



The process consists of hermetically sealed 

 tanks in which a vacuum is created after which 

 the tanning material is allowed to run in. Being 

 under vacuum and without oxygen it boils or 

 is agitated like rapidly boiling water, under which 

 condition the hide absorbs it ; all the pores being 

 open, the tanning material at once spreads 

 throughout the mass, performs its function rap- 

 idly with no more damage to the material than 

 under the old, slow, process, and, it is claimed, 

 with less damage to the texture. 



The promoters feel that a very large percen- 

 tage of the hides of Western Canada could be 

 collected at Calgary, and as a hide when tanned 

 does not represent more than 30% of it in the 

 raw state, in weight, if the produce from them, 

 in the shape of leather, were for shipment, the 

 cost of transportation would be materially lower 

 than the raw hide. 



The power required to operate this tannery 

 is set at not more than 6 h.p. Machinery re- 

 quired, chiefly tanks, is not expensive, and 

 local quarters in which to house the industry can 

 be secured at reasonable figures. It is stated 

 further that the company will accept as stock in 

 the concern, quantities of hides which farmers 

 and stockmen now have on hand for sale. 



The Growth of British Columbia 



British Columbia is frequently quoted as being poten- 

 tially the richest area of Canada, as possessed of the greatest 

 wealth of natural resources of the provinces of Dominion 

 Confederation. In the development of these great riches 

 lies the assured greatness of the Pacific ( oast province, for 

 the world has need of these materials and will insist on their 

 development according as its needs grow greater. Already 

 great progress has been made in the utilization of the stores 

 of minerals, fish, timber, and agricultural resources, but as 

 yet the immense wealth can hardly be said to have been 

 tapped. The following survey will illustrate the rapid 

 manner in which development in British Columbia has 

 been taking place, which may be taken as an indication of 

 future expansion, granted an influx to the province of 

 capital and labor. Unfortunately it is not possible to give 

 figures illustrative of the progress since the termination of 

 the war, in which period the province experienced a stimulus 



