IN CANADA

Hokitika Guardian, 14 August 1931, Page 2

IN CANADA

INCH EASE D BUILDING

MANY BIG CONTRACTS' IN MAY

OTTAWA, July 2

More construction was started in Canada during May than in any prevous. month this year, according to the summary issued, which shows for the month a total value in contract award of 36,895,700 doliars, or 02.5 per cent, over April. The May total is. however. about ten million dollars down from the same month a year ago. The contracts total for May ’ was helped by some industrial, railway and public works of magnitude. Reviewing the month’s activities, the MacLean firm beads a list of large awards with a canning plant at Tecum sell, Ontario, costing 2,000,090 dollars. A portion of the railway terminals at Montreal accounts for a further 2.000,000 dollars. Tbe following two items, likewise at Montreal, are a church and a borne for aged men, each 800,000 dollars. A woollen mill in York township, near Toronto, is to cost 500,000 dollars: a total of twenty-six bridges in Ontario 500,000 dollars; a hospital at Nicole, Quebec, 500,000 dollars. With-the May awards, the total for construction undertaken in Canada during the first five months in 1931 is 133,144.200 dollars. For tbe same period of 1930 the amount was 185,897,800 dollars, and in 1929, the peak year 205,701,900 dollars. Of this year’s total business buildings account for 36,952,100 dollars; residential, 31,683.. 800 dollars and industrial, 7,999,300. RECORD SALMON PACK. Tbe largest salmon pack ever recorded i.n the history of the province was the oustsndmg feature of the fisheries industry in British Columbia last year. The run of salmon was exceptionally large the catch amounting to 2,296,213cvt, and the salmon packed totalled 2,221,783 cases, an increase of 59 per cent, over the pack of 1929. The value of the canned salmon, however, increased by only 20 per cent, to 13,903,386 dollars. Including salmon marketed fresh, smoked, salted, cured and pickled, etc., 'the entire salmon fishery bad a product in 1930 valued at 16,610,834 dollars, ,a. considerable increase over tbe 14,265,795 dolllars representing the marketed value of the catch in the previous year. The salmon fishery comprised 72 per cent, of the total value of all fisheries production for the province. The product of all British Columbia fisheries i.n 1930 had a total value of 23.103,302 dollars as compared with 23,930,692 dollars in 1929, and 26,562,727 dollars the year before, v HEAVY GRAIN SHIPMENTS.

Grain shipments from the port of Montreal continue heavy and from t.*.c opening of navigation up to the end of May have exceeded even the banner year jn 1928. In May that year deliveries were approximately five million bushels less than in May this : year. There were eight days in May when grain handled in Montreal exceeded two million bushels n rhy Total deiveries from tbe beginning m the season un to tile end of May. :<<■< ording to figures announced by the Montreal Harbour Commission, were 29,111,374 bushels. Grain reciepts in May, 1931, amounted to 23,183,023 bushels as compared to 11,706,582 bushels in the same month last year, and grain deliveries in May, 1931, amounted to 24,136,447 bushels as compared to 11,754.982 bushels for May last year. On May 27, this year, receipts amounted to 1,032,881 bushels and deliveries to 1,650,186, or total of 2.683,067 bushels, constituting the peak day in the grain business of the port of Montreal so far this season. Last year, according to the annual report of the harbour commission just issued, Italy was the largest importer of grain from the port of Montreal,