Montreal, July 8.
Canada observed on July'1, the 70th anniversary of the confederation of the four provinces which were at) that time separate colonies. This the annual midsummer holiday for Canadians, and is marked by a general cessation of industrial activ Hity; out-of-door occupations such tennis, golf and swimming become the most popular for the day, and plenle parties gather by lake' and Fiver.
This also marks the end of: the first half of 1937, and is. an excellent! time to survey the progress of general. conditions. The gradual Speed in the pendulum of business which has been taking place, with a few short pauses, since the summer of 1932, has kept on at a somewhat accelerated pace. The increase in business has been marked by 0 number of favourable changes, and has. been reflected by increases in railway car-loadings, railway. rev-ennes and Federal revenues. Carloadings have been consistently higher this year than in 1936, and the me crease has affected " practically all lasses of commodities. The gross earnings of the railways for the frst half of the year are up by 10 per cent, with prospects for the balance of the year good. Under the heading of Federal revenue customs, excise receipts and income tax collections are much higher; as there has been increase in the rate of taxation, Wis fair to say that the' rise in revenues 1s indicative of better 'Employment is now showing dis-Uinct signs of improvement. At the last date for which figures are available, May 1, there was an me crease of 82,000 on the roll of employed to a' new total of 1011474, 'The relief rolls, however, have not been shrinking as rapidly as might' be expected, One is, therefore, forced to the conclusion "that the newly-employed come from the ranks either of the youth coming up to take their places in industrial life, or of those Who have never needed to ask, for relict. There is a growing shortage <whieh is now becoming acute—ot skilled labour. Gradually the experience men have been called back fo their former jobs, or have found new ones, or have returned to the Old Country; and the training younger men in. apprenticeship hi been going on as it should have} been,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.