Page 10 - 90 Years of Harper's Tire
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1930 POPULATION: 75,000
Alberta was hit hard by the Depression. At one point during the “Dirty Thirties” a reported 12 per cent of Calgarians were receiving welfare. Weather and insects destroyed crops and decimated herds of livestock. Commodity prices tanked. So did attendance at the Calgary Stampede. In 1935, a Calgary high school principal and Christian evangelist, William Aberhart, swept to victory as the province’s first Social Credit premier. In 1936, he introduced Prosperity Certificates, a form of scrip, meant to acquire goods and services. The poverty reduction scheme failed because businesses were reluctant to accept it. Social Credit, however, flourished, staying in power until 1971.
“ My dad went through the hungry thirties and still made a
living a”
nd fed his kids. So it’s been a pretty good business that way.
Don Harper
