The T. Eaton Co., Limited, was one of Canada's foremost merchandising establishments in 1927-28 and during the year made marked expansion. The T. Eaton Company Maritimes Limited was incorporated to carry out extensions in the Maritime Provinces and a department store was opened in Halifax. Construction of a large store in Calgary was begun in April, 1928, and plans were made for stores in other centres. The Robert Simpson Co., Limited, announced during the week of Apr. 8, 1928, that it would erect a large addition to its Toronto store at a cost of $4,000,000, and work on this structure was commenced almost immediately. At the Annual Meeting of the Hudson's Bay Co., in London, June 26, 1928, the Governor, Charles V. Sale, announced that more space was needed in the Calgary shop and property had been acquired which would enable the Company to double the size of the structure as occasion arose. STATISTICAL SURVEY OF THE YEAR IN CANADA, 1927 By R. H. Coats, F.R.S.C., F.S.S. (Hon.) The two tables herewith represent a selection of the more important social and economic statistics for 1927 in Canada. Table I. is in the form of a series of summary statistics, comparing the year as a whole with its two immediate predecessors. Table II. enables the main movements within the year to be traced from month to month. The year as a whole saw a marked continuance and acceleration of prosperity. Perhaps the most significant feature was the increasing scale of capital development, importations of capital totalling at least $250 millions. The basic factor lay in the agricultural situation, the wheat crop being the second largest on record, the hay crop the largest, with prices well maintained; notwithstanding that the live stock industry suffered from unsettled markets, and dairying production was somewhat down, the revenue from general agriculture was higher than in any previous year,since the years of post-war "boom" (1918, 1919 and 1920),—this on the top of three preceding years of great agricultural prosperity. In the mining field, likewise, the largest output on record was reported both in quantities and values, the latter notwithstanding price declines. The capital development above mentioned was chiefly in mining and power enterprises; it was reflected in a considerably increased immigration and in a generally higher level of employment, the year's index for the latter being 103.4 as compared with 98.4 in 1926. Especially in construction (building permits in 63 cities totalling $185 millions as compared with $156 millions in 1926), pulp and paper enterprises and general manufactures was the activity pronounced. From these fields the stimulus was passed on to transportation (3,399,013 railway carloadings as compared with 3,258,745), banking (deposits averaging $2,415 millions as compared with $2,277 millions), and general business. Of the latter the best all-round measure is perhaps the index number of the physical volume of production and exchange maintained in the Bureau of Statistics, which stood at 146 as compared with 135 in 1926. The general buoyancy, however, was in particular attested by the most active stock market in the history of the Canadian exchanges and by an import and export trade which, though slightly smaller in value than in the preceding year, as a result of certain price declines, was larger in volume than ever before recorded. Wholesale prices, usually buoyant in a period of the character above briefly sketched, were slightly down, the reflection at bottom of monetary policy abroad, notably in the United States. The year closed with virtually all economic barometers pointing toward still higher levels in 1928. NOTE.-The above chart illustrates the trend of speculation (common stocks), general business (prices), and banking and currency (notice deposits). The lines are expressed in multiples of a standard deviation from a common average, so that the degree of variation from month to month is strictly comparable. Employment in Canada, 1925-1928 JAN FEB.MAR. APR. MAY JUNE JULY AUG.SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC.JAN The curve is based on the number of employees at work on the first day of each month, the number of employees for January, 1920, being taken as 100. NOTE. |