Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

206 HISTORY OF THE BANKwho were even then moving in, was to prove that in favourableseasons the opposite view was justified. Later years haveshown that an adequate annual rainfall cannot always berelied upon, but provision has since been made for irrigating aconsiderable part of the area.The establishment of branches in Medicine Hat, Calgaryand Edmonton has seemed worthy of extended notice, becausethe marvellous change that has come over the West in a fewyears has made these towns important centres. At these pointsThe Canadian Bank of Commerce was not the first bank in thefield (the pioneer phase of its activity in this partof thecountry was to come a year or so later), and the bank's officerswere feeling their way cautiously. These three branches,with Moosomin and eight smaller towns, completed the bank'swestern programme for 1902, and were followed in 1903 byRegina, Portage la Prairie and Prince Albert. In 1904 MooseJaw was added to the list, and in 1905 Lethbridge, Brandonand Saskatoon. These centres are mentioned because oftheir comparative importance. During these years manywhere it wasother branches were established at smaller places,1a race as to which bank should open first, and in these conteststhe resourcefulness of the aggressive young officers of TheCanadian Bank of Commerce in many instances carried offthe honours. The story of some of their efforts and of thehardships they had to endure is narrated in the followingchapter.It was indeed necessary that the bank should put forthall its energies, if it was to keep pace with the phenomenaldevelopment that was taking place, stimulated by both immigrationand railway construction. A rival to the CanadianPacific Railway had entered the field in the shape of theCanadian Northern Railway, and by a policy of acquiringunused charters and branch lines was already linking thelatter together to form part of a new transcontinental system.Even a third line to span the prairie, the Grand Trunk PacificJSee Appendix XII. page 559.