is great ability to analyze trade, had not mastered
economics. Neither had the President of a great Canadian bank when he
said before the armistice, that merchants with empty shelves and able
to buy cheap goods would be in luck. It was a bad time for prophets.

However, for a man who aimed at so many nails, Sir George had a good
average of hitting. But while he was talking so much, and in Europe so
long, the biggest-business administration of which he was the chief
went along on its own more or less mechanical momentum. By 1917 Canada
had a total export trade of more than half a billion; with a possible
yearly munition order of 500 millions--no thanks to the Minister of
Trade. No nation in the world exported so much from so few people. No
Ministry of Trade had such a record. Sir George knew exactly what it
all meant. He was used to analytical surveys. But one fails to
remember that at any period he issued from his office, the trade centre
of the Dominion, any statements that shewed him to be more than a
puzzled commentator on the riddle of trade, usually between speeches
and journeys. Sir George never did have executive patience for the
mastery of detail. In this case he did not even convince the people
that he had sized up the great general outlines, so fascinating because
so profoundly unusual.

In June, 1916, Sir George issued in his weekly Trade Bulletin a
resounding Call To Action for a business conference at Ottawa of all
parties interested for the purpose of pulling the country's industries
and organizations into one big _ensemble_ for getting back to peace.
That "Call" was published in one paper illustrated by a picture of Sir
George--in the climax of a speech. A few months later a political
writer was in Ottawa, and when he came back he wrote an article about
the Foster Conference. The following extract shows what he thought of
it:

In Ottawa, last week, I met a big bear of a Canadian westerner. He had
just arrived from Toronto. He was all smiles, all energy and
enthusiasm, and he was looking for the Minister of Trade and Commerce,
Sir George E. Foster.

"Tell you what I want him for," he said. "I want to go up and shake
hands with a real live man. That's what I want. I read his message
'bout getting together, and it sure set me thinking. I'm strong for
this Conference scheme. I'm going to back it for all I'm worth and do
my darndest to help a real, live statesman to pull off a big deal.