ABSTRACT
This chapter serves as an introduction to the companies whose financial statements are to be studied. A resume is made of their organization, establishment, sphere of operations and their growth, as well as a brief look is provided at the men responsible for the success of the companies. This is necessary since the financial statements of a company represent only one viewpoint of its operations and some background makes these statements more meaningful. The National Policy in Canada increased the tariff on cotton importations, thereby allowing the domestic companies to prosper. In the story of the various companies, two or three points stand out as most significant. These are the interrelationship of the directorates of these companies, the reliance of Canadian industry on the United States of America, and the impact of government policies on the growth of the companies. Without government intervention, all the companies would have had difficulty in surviving and almost no hope of showing the profits.
