ECONOMIC SOLUTIONS 99 



savings of the people of Canada held as liquid assets. 

 These, as deposited in the banks, amount to slightly 

 over one billion dollars. For every dollar Canada has 

 invested in manufacturing she has five dollars invested 

 in agriculture. 



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 

 below 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. It is thought that other 

 seasonal industries might be made to dovetail in with 

 this. The hat factories of Brockville and those of Mat- 

 teawan, New York, call away certain Spencerville 

 people for a time twice a year. Let us, the suggestion 

 runs, have many such seasonal industries in the coun- 

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

 It might serve the other industries slightly; it could 



