ECOXOMIC SOLUTIONS 99 



savings of the people of Canada held as liquiil assets. 

 These, as deposited in the banks, amonnt to slig:htly 

 over one billion dollars. For every dollar Canada has 

 invested in manufacturing she has five dollars invested 

 in agi'icultnre. 



Again, there is a fixed charge against the farm which 

 must be constantly met or farming cannot continue. It 

 is the subsistence wage for the family and cost of wear 

 and tear of the plant. Income from whatever source 

 must meet this of necessity, and more than this for 

 satisfactory living. Beyond it lies the " productive sur- 

 plus," which makes the business a progressive one, and 

 beyond this again the surplus proper, which constitutes 

 the prize for which progressive industry strives. Sup- 

 pose this fixed charge to be $750, suppose it $1,000 — 

 it varies with the standard of living — if income falls 

 Ixdow this amount the alternatives are: to abandon the 

 farm, to live on in grinding poverty, to seek some side 

 line of gain, or — to make farming pay better. The 

 two former alternatives are ruled out for us by our 

 very thesis. Which of the latter is the true alter- 

 native? 



Some look for seasonal industries to be established in 

 the country. The demand for farm labor is to some 

 extent a seasonal one; help is needed at certain times; 

 there is leisure at others. Tt is thought that other 

 seasonal industries might be made to dovetail in with 

 this. The hat factories of Hrockville and those of iMat- 

 teawan, New York, call away certain Spencerville 

 peopN' for a time twi<'<' a y<*ar. Let ns, the suggestion 

 runs, have many such seasonal industries in the coun- 

 try itself. I fear the whole scheme is quite Utopian. 

 It miglit serve the other industries slightly; it could 



