$32.07, Nova Scotia $30.50, New Brunswick $23.77, Quebec $43.37, Ontario $50.22, Manitoba $28.94, Saskatchewan $21.54, Alberta $20.46, British Columbia $73.44. All the provinces except Prince Edward Island and British Columbia show increased values as compared with last year (Year Book of 1908, p. xxx), the upward tendency being attributable to the increased value of farm products. The values are relatively high in British Columbia owing to the large extent of farm land planted with orchards and small fruits. The following table shows by provinces the average wages of farm help including board, per month in the summer season, and Average per year, and the average value of board per month: Average wages of farm help wages of farm and domestic help. Average value per year Data as to the numbers of live stock in Canada were collected from correspondents on June 15, and the following table gives Numbers of the estimated numbers of horses, cattle, sheep and swine for live stock in each of the three years 1907, 1908 and 1909: 1909 and 1908. The following statement shows the percentage condition of live stock monthly from June 15 to December 15 1909, 100 repre Condition of live The average values of farm animals and wool at the end Value of farm of December are shown in the following table : animals and The total value of farm animals, computed from the foregoing averages and the number of animals on farms in June, was $558,789,000 as against $531,000,000 in 1908. The value of horses is put down at $278,789,000, of milch cows at $103,601,000 of other horned cattle at $126,326,000, of swine at $34,368, $130.72 for horses, $36.36 for milch cows, $28.81 for other horned cattle, $11.80 for swine and $5.89 for sheep. Institute. Progress has been made towards completion of the organization of the International Agricultural Institute at Rome, and at International the second session of the General Assembly of the Institute, Agricultural held in Rome in December 1909, when the Dominion of Canada was represented by the Hon. Arthur Boyer and Mr. Archibald Blue, a scheme for an international agricultural statistical service was adopted to commence with the year 1910. The first number of a Bulletin of Agricultural Statistics, printed in French, English, German, Italian and Spanish, was issued in January 1910. Steps were also taken towards the organization of information services in other branches of agriculture. Ratifications of the treaty respecting the commercial relations between Canada and France were exchanged at Paris on New commercial treaty February 1 1910, when the treaty came into operation forthwith. with France. The delay in the ratification of the treaty, as agreed as to by the convention of September 19 1907, was caused by objections of the Senate of the French Parliament to certain items of the tariff in schedule A. Under a supplementary convention, signed at Paris on January 23 1909, the original agreement is modified by a clause which provides that oxen, cows, bullocks, steers and heifers imported into France from Canada, which are in fat condition for butchering, shall be subjected to the general instead of to the minimum tariff. No definition as to what constitutes animals in fat condition for butchering is included in the supleplementary convention, but an understanding, embodied in notes of January 8 1909 exchanged between the Canadian Minister of Finance and the French Minister of Agriculture leaves to the French Government the duty of interpreting the clause as fairly and reasonably as possible by means of customs regulations, and states that in the event of the method adopted not proving satisfactory the two governments will jointly seek another modus operandi. The supplementary convention was signed on behalf of Canada by Sir Francis Bertie (British Ambassador to France) and the Hon. W. S. Fielding (Canadian Minister of Finance). Canada. The question of the amount of British capital invested abroad was discussed by Mr. George Paish in a paper read before the British capital Royal Statistical Society on June 15 1909 and published in the invested in Society's Journal for September 1909. The conclusion he arrived at was that, exclusive of the shipping interest and so far as documentary evidence showed it, the total of Great Britain's investments in other lands amounted at the end of the year 1907 to $13,109,524,933, of which a little more than half, viz. $6,723,718,533, was invested in foreign countries and the remainder, $6,385,806,400, in India and the colonies. In a statement showing the countries in which British capital is at present being most Railway statistics of Canada. by Great Britain during the year ended June 30 1909, Canada stands first with $138,512,151. The subject is further dealt with in an article in The Statist of January 8 1910, of which Mr. Paish is editor. Similar tables are there given for the calendar year 1909, and from these it appears that the total value of new British capital invested abroad during the year ended December 31 1909 was $887,790,264, of which $411,916,545 was invested in India and the colonies and $475,873,719 in foreign countries. Canada is again shown to have received the largest amount of British capital, viz., $181,463,648, this amount being distributed as to $48,305,068 amongst government securities, $10,460,774 municipalities, $92,359,546 railways and $30,338,260 other securities. The principal remaining borrowers from Great Britain in order of amount are shown to be: Argentina $110,504,192, United States $105,855,640, India $77,304,961, South Africa $60,133,959, Australasia $58,471,632, Russia $47,204,160, Mexico $44,333,844, Brazil $42,722,797, Japan $20,505,812, Chili $20,239,250 and Straits Settlements $15,050,230. According to the report of the comptroller of railway statistics the increase in the railway mileage of Canada for the year ended June 30 1909 was 1,138 as compared with 520 in 1908. The total railway mileage in actual operation on June 30 1909 was consequently 24,104 as against 22,966 in 1909. This does not include 675 miles of the new transcontinental railway which was open for traffic during the year, although officially returned as being still under construction. It is estimated that on June 30 1909 there were at least 3,300 miles of railway under construction. The Dominion of Canada has the largest railway mileage in proportion to population of any country in the world, while in relation to area it has the smallest with the single exception of Brazil. The actual proportions are stated to be 300 inhabitants per mile of line and 0.6 mile of line to 100 square miles of area. During the year ended June 30 $69,186,403 were added to Amount of the total capital liability of railways in Canada. This brings the capital, pas- total amount of capital invested in Canadian railways to $1,308,sengers and freight, earn481,416, of which $647,534,647 are stocks and $660,946,769 ings, etc. are funded debt. Eliminating the capital liability of the uncompleted Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and the mileage of the government owned lines, the capital obligation amounted to $55,638 per mile. The railways of Canada carried 32,683,309 passengers and 66,842,258 tons of freight in 1909, a decrease of 1,361,683 passengers and an increase of 3,771,091 tons of freight, as compared with 1908. The aggregate earnings for the year were $145,056,336, a decrease of $1,861,978. On the other hand the operating expenses were $104,600,084 or $2,704,059 less than in 1908; so that the net result is in favour of 1909 to the amount of $842,081. The number of passengers carried by with 299,099,309 in 1908, and the gross earnings were $14,611,484 as compared with $14,007,049 in 1908. of the Na By chapter 19 of the statutes of 1909 authority was given for a loan by the government of Canada of an amount not exceeding Loan towards $10,000,000 to the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company for construction the purpose of aiding the company in the completion of the con- tional Transstruction of the prairie section of the western division of the continental National Transcontinental Railway. The rate of interest pay- Railway. able by the company is fixed at 4 per cent, and the loan is repayable in ten years. By the same act (section 10) the Governor in Council is authorized to raise a loan for the sum required. By chapter 23 anthority was given to the Governor in Council to raise by way of loan a sum not exceeding $50,000,000 for the Public loan of purpose of paying maturing loans and obligations of the Domin- $50,000,000. ion of Canada and for the carrying on of public works authori zed by Parliament. cent In January and in July two public loans were floated by the Dominion Government on the London money market. The Flotation of first of these, in the form of an issue of £6,000,000 3 per new loans on bonds subscribed for at 99 per cent, was raised under the market. authority of chapter 4 of the statutes of 1908 to meet maturing obligations and to provide funds for the construction of public works and for general purposes. The loan is redeemable at par on July 1 1919, with option to the government to redeem the whole or any portion by drawings at par on or after July 1 1914 on giving three months' notice. The second loan, authorized by section 10 of chapter 19 and section 1 of chapter 23 of the statutes of 1909, was for an issue of £6,500,000 33 per cent stock to provide for the outstanding balance, amounting to £4,295,776, of a 4 per cent loan maturing January 1 1910, and to provide for the advance of $10,000,000 to the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company as above described. This loan, issued at the price of 98 per cent, is redeemable at par in London on July 1 1950, with option to the government to redeem at par on or after July 1 1930, on giving six months' notice. The fact that these loans were successfully floated at the reduced rates of interest of 33 and 3 per cent, thus effecting a conversion of 4 per cent stock into 3 per cent stock in the case of outstanding obligations, is an indication of the high financial credit which the Dominion of Canada is now able to command. The total foreign trade of Canada for the calendar year 1909 amounted to $650,291,796, exclusive of coin and bullion, as Canadian compared with $559,866,370 the final figures of 1908. Imports other countrade with in 1909 amounted to $361,606,798, as compared with $294,- tries. 720,565 in 1908 and exports to $288,684,998 as compared with $265,145,805 in 1908. Trade with Great Britain reached a |