merly President of the Farmers' Union); George Edwards (formerly President of the Saskatchewan Grain Growers' Association). District Directors were also elected. Officers of the Women's section elected were: President, Mrs. G. Hollis, Shaunavon; First Vice-President, Mrs. Ida McNeill, Expanse ; Second Vice-President, Mrs. A. P. St. John, Kisbey. These were to be also members of the Board of the main organization. W. M. Thrasher, formerly Secretary of the Farmers' Union, was later appointed Secretary. The headquarters of the Association were established at Saskatoon, as the result of a ballot of the membership taken by mail. Saskatchewan Egg and Poultry Pool. The Directors of the Saskatchewan Egg and Poultry Pool, in their Annual Report presented at the Annual Meeting in Regina, Mar. 10, 1927, stated that the first year's operation of the Egg and Poultry Pool resulted in a turnover of $537,417. At the end of January, 1927, there was a reserve of $7,709 in the hands of the Pool. During the season the Pool handled 89 carloads of eggs, approximately 1,200,000 dozen, 17 carloads of culled hens, 15 cars of live spring chickens and fowl, 26 cars of dressed chickens and turkeys, and approximately two cars in the storage pool. Negotiations were reported with the other Provinces looking to the creation of a central selling agency for eggs and poultry. Directors elected were: President, Mrs. John Holmes, Asquith; and Mrs. J. E. Cameron, Findlater; Mrs. C. White, Unity; Mrs. N. Morrison, Spalding; J. L. Major, Stockholm; and J. C. Raeburn, Ravenscrag. Saskatchewan Agricultural Societies. At the Convention of Saskatchewan Agricultural Societies in Saskatoon, Jan. 11-13, 1927, it was shown that there were 158 such societies with a total membership of more than 28,000. Prize money at 1926 exhibitions totalled $158,904. J. P. Robinson, Vice-President, in presenting the Annual Report, declared that the pressing need of agriculture was lower cost production. Discussing the statistics of agricultural production for 1926, Mr. Robinson pointed out that they represented seven times the annual production of 1906. The Convention went on record as being in favour of establishment of a Provincial system of agricultural agents. A resolution proposed in favour of re-establishing the bounty on coyotes did not carry, and discussion showed that farmers from the Prairie areas of the Province wanted jack rabbits destroyed by coyotes, while in the wooded areas destruction of coyotes was sought. Officers elected were: Honorary Presidents, Russell Wilson, Saskatoon, and Dean W. J. Rutherford; President, J. P. Robinson, Cadillac; Vice-President, F. W. Townley Smith, Lashburn. Saskatchewan Stock Breeders ; Other Associations. Meetings of Saskatchewan Livestock Breeders at Moose Jaw, Jan. 10-20, 1927, were the best attended in years, and were marked by optimism and reports of progress. The Swine Breeders' Association went on record as favouring the grading of pure-bred hogs on Saskatchewan farms prior to the sales at Regina and Saskatoon, in preference to a scheme of voluntary advanced registration. It was voted to establish a memorial trophy to the late Captain J. C. Smith, who had done much for the livestock industry of the Province. The Directors were also instructed to make a contribution to the Major Mantle memorial fund. Officers elected were: Honorary President, A. B. Potter, Langbank; President, Philip Leech, Baring; Vice-President, C. M. Learmouth, Regina. Reports to the Horse Breeders' Association showed Saskatchewan's horse population in 1926 to be 1,203,247, an increase of 33,295 over the figures for the previous year, and a greater increase than recorded in any other Province, while Saskatchewan had about 400,000 more horses than Alberta, the second horse Province in the Dominion. Membership in the Association grew from 120 in 1917 to 375 in 1926, indicating increasing interest in horse-breeding. Officers elected were: President, Peter Taylor, Arcola; Vice-President, Dr. Charles Head, Regina; Secretary, J. G. Robertson, Regina. At the Annual Meeting of the Sheep Breeders' Association a resolution was passed recommending the importation of sheep from Great Britain as soon as possible, which at present was prevented by quarantine regulations. Offic elected for 1927 were as follows: Honorary President, Hon. C. M. Hamilton, Regina; President, I. J. Rushton, Rocanville; Vice-President, W. C. Heron, Huntoon; Secretary, J. G. Robertson, Regina. The Saskatchewan Livestock Pool meeting at Regina on Mar. 18, 1927, received reports to the effect that the contract sign-up had been successful. Policy of the Pool was outlined as follows: that the permanent independence of the Association be fully maintained in any agreement for marketing livestock ; that the Association establish its own sales agencies; in favour of a central selling agency owned and controlled by the co-operative livestock marketing organizations of the three Provinces; that so far as practicable livestock should be collected, sorted and sold on stock yards in Saskatchewan; that connections be established in Eastern Canada and the United States; that direct export of cattle be made to Great Britain as soon as possible; that feeders and stockers be sold as direct as possible to eliminate speculation and that where such cattle were sold in Saskatchewan they be so sold as to avoid long freight hauls; and that no effort be spared to bring about Government grading of cattle and sheep as soon as possible. A Commission to study co-operative livestock marketing in Europe was sent abroad in February by the trustees of the Saskatchewan Agricultural Research Foundation. The income of that foundation is derived from the investment of Saskatchewan's share of the surplus funds of the Canada Wheat Board of 1919. The Commission was composed of Edward Evans, Manager of the Moose Jaw Stockyards; P. J. Hoffman, farmer, of Annaheim; Dr. W. W. Swanson, Professor of Economics, University of Saskatchewan, and was accompanied by Capt. W. Waldron, O.B.E., Commissioner of Co-operation and Markets for the Province, who acted as Secretary. The 1926 Census. Preliminary Report of the 1926 Census showed the population of Saskatchewan to be 821,042, of which 578,476 were classed as rural and 242,566 urban. The increase in the rural population in five years was 39,924, or 7.4 per cent., and in the urban 23,608, or 10 per cent. Population of Regina was 37,329, an increase of 2,894; of Saskatoon, 31,234; Moose Jaw, 19,039; Prince Albert, 7,873; North Battleford, 4,787; Swift Current, 4,175; and Weyburn, 4,119. All of these showed increases in the five-year period except Moose Jaw, where there was a decline of 246. Other Important Incidents Premier Gardiner, members of the Cabinet and supporters in the House, were the guests of the Regina Liberal Association at a banquet on Jan. 31, 1927. In the course of his address the Premier paid a lengthy tribute to the Wheat Pool, and said, in part : "The Government looks upon the Wheat Pool as one of the greatest agencies for good that this Province has had. It is one of those organizations which thrives on opposition from its natural opponents. If it ever meets with failure the disruption will come from within and will not be because of economic weakness in the method of marketing, but because of differences within the ranks of contract signers over matters external to the Pool and more particularly those matters upon which human sentiment runs deep." Continuing, he said: "The Wheat Pool has stabilized agriculture and it has stabilized finance." Mr. Gardiner's address was largely directed against the idea of economic group political action. The Grain Growers' Association, he said, had "ceased to function as a great organization controlling the destines of the Province when its political manipulations led its leaders to use its machinery for the satisfaction of their own political ambition." He argued against the views in favour of economic group political organization which had been put forward by William Irvine, U.F.A. member of the Dominion House for Wetaskawin. The appointment of a Commission was announced by Premier Gardiner on Jan. 9, 1927, to inquire into the economic practicability of generating power at central power plants and water power sites and distributing it throughout the Province. L. A. Thornton, Regina, was appointed Chairman, and the other Commissioners were Mr. Arthur Hitchcock, Moose Jaw, and Professor A. R. Grieg, Saskatoon, with Mr. R. N. Blackburn, Chief Mechanical Superintendent of the Province, as Secretary. A previous report on the question of developing power from coal centres had been made in 1912 by Mr. R.O. Wynne-Roberts, but the Government considered that development of the Province since that time, and advances in scientific methods justified a further inquiry. The Provincial Liquor Board was enlarged in January by the appointment of a second Commissioner, Arthur Wilson, who had been associated with the work of the Board for some time. At the same time the administration of the Liquor Act was removed from the direction of the Executive Council to the Liquor Board. Intention of the Dominion Government to establish a national park of 850 square miles in territory some 60 miles north of Prince Albert was announced on Jan. 7 by Hon. T. C. Davis, Minister of Municipal Affairs. The territory in question, which includes many lakes, was reported to contain a good deal of big game, and the waters to be well stocked with fish. On May 7, 1927, Hon. W. L. Mackenzie King, Prime Minister, announced at Ottawa that an Order-inCouncil had been passed, creating Prince Albert National Park, comprising approximately 1,377 square miles, and embracing Sturgeon Forest Reserve, and adjoining areas northward as far as Montreal Lake. On Dec. 10, 1926, W. F. Kerr, formerly Red Cross Commissioner for Saskatchewan, was appointed Commissioner of Publications, succeeding W. A. McLeod, who became Director of Publicity for the Central Selling Agency of the Wheat Pools. The Canadian National Railway Bridge at Dunblane, the first railway and traffic bridge across the South Saskatchewan River, was opened Nov. 15, 1926, by Premier Gardiner and Sir Henry Thornton, President of the Canadian National Railways. The bridge was jointly constructed by the Railway and the Province. The new C. P. R. hotel at Regina, the Hotel Saskatchewan, was opened May 24, 1927, by the President, E. W. Beatty, K.C. It was announced on May 7, 1927, that Colin Fraser had been appointed Commissioner of the Saskatchewan Farm Loan Board. On June 8, 1927, Corporal H. Lett, of the Saskatchewan Provincial Police, succeeded the late J. H. Telfer as Sergeant-at-Arms of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly. THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA The First of the Sixth The 1st Session of the 6th Legislative Assembly of Alberta opened on Feb. 10, 1927, and was prorogued on Apr. 2, after passing a total of 82 Bills. The new Attorney-General, Hon. J. F. Lymburn, who had been elected in Edmonton, appeared in the House, while another new member of the Cabinet was Hon. O. L. McPherson, Little Bow, appointed Minister of Public Works on Dec. 31, 1926, in succession to Hon. Alex. Ross, who had been defeated in the Calgary constituency in the previous Provincial General Election. At the request of the Premier, Hon. Mr. Ross continued as a member of the Cabinet until the end of the year. Premier Brownlee took over the Labour portfolio formerly held by Mr. Ross. George F. Johnston, U.F.A. member for Coronation, succeeded Mr. McPherson as Speaker. Premier Brownlee had a commanding strength in the Legislature, with a total of 43 U.F.A. members. The balance of the members were divided: seven Liberals, under the leadership of Joseph T. Shaw (Bow Valley); four Conservatives, under the leadership of A. A. McGillivray (Calgary); and six Labour, led by Fred White (Calgary). The opposition of the Liberal and Conservative groups throughout the Session was very vigorous, although they sometimes acted together and sometimes opposed each other. The Labour group were no longer in alliance with the Government, as had been the case in the previous Legislature, but for the most part were more inclined to friendly action towards the Government than to hostility. The group make-up of the Legislature was marked by the fact that the usual Opposition Leader's indemnity was divided among the three leaders-$800 to each. The Speech from the Throne, after making congratulatory reference to the appointment as Governor-General of Right Hon. Viscount Willingdon, noted a steady improvement in economic conditions throughout the Province. Crop values of the previous year were mentioned as the highest in the history of the Province. Efforts of the Government to "eliminate the existing discriminatory application of freight rates, both eastward and westward" were mentioned, and presentation of the Province's case before the Board of Railway Commissioners. Reference was made to the Report of the Joint Board established by the Provincial and Dominion Governments to investigate conditions in the part of area subject to drought; and an agreement was announced with the Dominion Government for continuance of the Board for the purpose of carrying its recommendations into effect. Announcement was made of continued efforts by the Government to secure a freight rate that would enable Alberta coal to be marketed in Ontario. Sympathy was expressed with those recently bereaved in two coal mine disasters in the Crow's Nest Pass. Intention of the Department of Health to establish a system of travelling clinics was announced, and note made of the temporary establishment in London, England, of an agency to inquire into the possibility of securing a carefully selected type of immigrant. Mention was made of the announcement at the previous Session of the Legislature that an agreement had been reached with the Royal Bank of Canada with respect to certain securities affecting the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway and the Central Canada Railway. It was stated that the Government had since acquired those securities, together with all of the capital stock and assets of the two railway companies; that the agreement which provided for the operation of the railways had been cancelled; and that they were now being operated as Provincial undertakings. It was proposed to complete the construction contemplated by "The Main Highways Loan Act" of 1924, and to make provision for an enlarged programme of construction and maintenance of market roads. Regret of the Government was expressed that it had not yet been able to bring to a satisfactory conclusion the negotiations for the return to the Province of its natural resources. It was reported that the settlement and development of the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation Project were proceeding very satisfactorily. A contemplated subvention to the Provincial Telephone system to take care of unprofitable extensions was referred to. The Address in reply to the Speech from the Throne was moved by Hugh Allan (Peace River), and seconded by G. B. Walker (Claresholm). Mr. Allan dealt mainly with conditions in the northern part of the Province, and expressed satisfaction with the traffic interchange arrangements made with the Canadian National Railways on assumption by the Province of ownership of the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway and the Central Canada Railway. Mr. Walker discussed for the most part agricultural conditions in the southern part of the Province, and referred with satisfaction to the introduction of beet sugar growing in the Lethbridge northern area, where returns of approximately $50 per acre had been secured. Premier Brownlee, in his speech during the debate on the Address in reply to the Speech from the Throne, Feb. 17, reviewed the dispute between the Alberta Government and the Dominion Government on the terms of the Natural Resources Bill. The Alberta Government, he said, took the position that there was no need to refer to the courts the question of the validity of the Alberta Act, and had refused to appoint counsel to argue the case. Concluding his speech, Mr. Brownlee said: |