Manitoba had a quiet year on both the political and agricultural fronts. The province upheld Prime Minister Mackenzie King's request for release from past pledges regarding the drafting of men for overseas service by a vote of more than six to one. The 'yes' vote in the plebiscite, held on April 27, went above 110,000 as against approximately 18,000 'noes.' The margin was more decisive than in any other province.
Crops were good throughout the province, though there was some loss as a result of a shortage of harvest hands. In line with government policies, the acreage devoted to wheat was curtailed slightly, and there was a sharp increase in the acreage seeded in flax, oats, and barley. Winnipeg, the great wheat storage center of Western Canada, was overwhelmed by the demand for storage facilities, and the lack of elevator storage space resulted in an unusual amount — practically half the total wheat crop — being stored on the farm. Wheat growers benefited when the government price for wheat was increased from seventy to ninety cents a bushel, but the bonuses paid to the growers of flax and the coarse grains made the production of these crops relatively more profitable.
The 1941 census figures, released early in 1942, showed Manitoba to have a population of 722,447, exclusive of men in the armed services. The 1931 population was 700,139. Since the province's population increase failed to measure up to that of Canada as a whole, its representation in the Dominion House of Commons was cut from 17 to 14, the second largest loss suffered by any province.
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