236 DEEP FURROWS 



special needs of the Alberta farmers. The province at 

 the western end of the grain fields accordingly experi- 

 enced quite a delay in obtaining elevator action. 



In the meantime the discussion of terminal storage 

 facilities was going on at Ottawa. The need for such 

 facilities at Calgary and Vancouver was pressed by 

 the Alberta representatives on various farmer dele- 

 gations and finally the Dominion Government declared 

 its intention of establishing internal elevators with full 

 modern equipment at Moose Jaw and Saskatoon in 

 Saskatchewan and at Calgary in Alberta; a Dominion 

 Government terminal elevator at the Pacific Coast like- 

 wise was on the programme. 



By this time the government operation of the Mani- 

 toba elevators had proved a complete failure and they 

 had been leased by the Grain Growers' Grain Company. 

 In Saskatchewan, however, the co-operative elevators 

 were proving successful. i 



A close study of the co-operative scheme adopted in 

 the province just east of them enabled the United 

 Farmers of Alberta to work out a plan along similar 

 lines. This was presented to the Premier, whose name 

 meanwhile had changed from Rutherford to Sifton. 

 The Act incorporating the Alberta Farmers' Co- 

 Operative Elevator Company, Limited, was drafted in 

 the spring of 1913 and passed unanimously by the 

 Legislature. The new company held its first meeting 

 in August, elected its officers* and went to work 

 enthusiastically. 



It had been decided by the United Farmers that full 

 control and responsibility must rest in their own 

 hands. They proposed to provide the means for raising 

 at each point where an elevator was built sufficient 



* See Appendix Par. 18. 





