42

Family Labour Earnings and Non-Farm Income

Family labour earnings, non-farm income and total income are tabulated in
Tables 30, 31 and 32. On the part-time farms total income amounted to $850,
$1,135 and $972 per farm in the three respective districts (Table 30). The income
was almost entirely of the non-farm type; labour earnings from the farm were
small or negative. It appeared, then, that the benefits that the part-time farmers
had received from their farms were mainly the opportunities to obtain items of
food at farm prices, house rent at a reasonable rate and some security in the
event of cessation of outside employment.

TABLE 30.—FAMILY LABOUR EARNINGS! AND NON-FARM INCOME ON
NON-COMMERCIAL FARMS, PRINCE GEORGE-SMITHERS, 1943-45

Number Family 2
Area Farm Type of Labour Alon ser ae oe 5
Farms Earnings
| $ $ $

Prince Georgeycy eee Part-time........... 19 —66 916 850
Subsistence.......... | 11 73 239 312

Vanderhooftn nc. c ayaa Part-time........... 8 129 1,006 1,135
Subsistence.......... 10 85 276 361

Smithers-Francois Lake........ Part-timessss.c ee 21 —56 1,028 972
Subsistence.......... 5 —614 389 —225

The total income of the livestock, mixed and off types farms had averaged
approximately the same as the part-time (Table 31). The main part of the
income, however, was from the farm, only $150 to $300 being non-farm income.
“Labour earnings” on the crop farms in each of the three districts was notably
low and probably indicated that farm programs based on livestock enterprises
were the most satisfactory throughout the area.

TABLE 31.—LABOUR EARNINGS AND NON-FARM INCOME ON COMMERCIAL
NON-SPECIALTY FARMS, PRINCE GEORGE-SMITHERS, -1943-45

Number Family
Area 4 Farm Type of Labour Nowa y es
Farms Earnings
$ $ $
PrINcek Georg eres ake ee een Cropie eee 8 29 0 29
Livestock. . 15 767 116 883
Mixedh en ern ay 20 602 221 823
Manderhoofn.cs saeco eee Crop ea wee ea | 3 137 | 111 248
| Livestock.... =a 28 718: | 158 876
lMixed: SoS ce. | 25 1,023 180 1, 203
Smithers-Francois Lake........ | Choos. tabsoeees ¢ 5 268 ~ | 260 528
| Livestock 29 372 149 541
Mixed hee met ers 20 644 350 994

There were a few specialty product farms in the area. Those producing
poultry had not made significantly better earnings than the ordinary livestock
farm type (Table 32). On the other hand, forage seed, vegetable seed and
whole milk producers netted the highest earnings in each district of any
farm type.

* Details of receipts and expenditures are shown in Appendix II.