JOHN A. EAST. 


	One of the most prominent citizens in the Dominion of Canada today
is John A. East, pioneer foundryman of Saskatoon and sole owner of the
John East Iron Works.  He was born in Grand Valley, Ontario, on his
father's farm in the township of Amaranth, district of Duffern, on the
2d of January, 1881. His parents were William and Mary (Gulley) East,
the former a native of Ontario and the latter a native of England, who
was brought to Canada by her parents when she was a baby. Mr. East
farmed successfully in Dufferin district, Ontario, throughout his life. His
death occurred in 1900. Mrs. East survives her husband and is living at
Fergus, Ontario.
	In the pursuit of his education John A. East attended the country
schools of his native district and while still in his teens made his initial
step into the business world.  He went to work for the Massey-Harris
Company but did not complete his apprenticeship as a machinist at that
time.  He worked for the Dominion Radiator Company at Toronto and
later for the Morrison Brass Foundry in that city. Subsequently he went
to the United States and located in Chicago, where he worked at the
Gates Iron Works, the Allis Chalmers Electrical Shop and for two or
three other shops in that city.  He then went to work in the Buda
Engine Works at Harvey, Illinois. While an employe of the Gates Iron
Works in Chicago, Mr. East became an expert mechanic and made over
fifty-eight dollars a week, doing piece work.  From Harvey he went to
Birmingham, Alabama, and remained there for about a year, when he
returned to Toronto.  He again went to the States and worked in two
schools in Cincinnati, Ohio, and for some time was connected with an
Ornamental Iron Works in Canton, Ohio. For several months he worked
in Utica, New York, and then went to Franklin, Pennsylvania, and from
there to Philadelphia, where he worked in several shops, including the
Niles Bement Pond Company, manufacturers of heaviest iron working
machinery.  lie then went to Pittston and subsequently returned to
Toronto.  In 1905 he came west to Winnipeg and worked at the Vulcan
Iron Works for some time.  He then entered the employ of Jackson
brothers at Strathcona, now Edmonton.  During all this time Mr. East
was absorbing the various phases of the iron works business. About this
time, however, he decided to turn his attention to farming and took up
a homestead at Innisfree, Alberta, remaining on the land long enough to
receive his patent, the time required being two years. He improved the
place to some extent, but suffered many hardships and privations.  He
was hailed and frozen out and he worked at most anything to make a
living. When it came time to plaster his house he didn't have enough
money to pay for having it done and therefore did it himself.  He was
so successful that he secured the contract to plaster several houses in
construction in that part of the country. The key to Mr. East's success
has been his ability to recognize and utilize every opportunity that has
come his way. He was later persuaded to return to Jackson Brothers at
Strathcona and he worked for them until 1909.  Rumors of the attrac-
tions of Saskatoon had reached him and in 1909 he came here and laid
the foundations of his present business. During the years 1910 and 1913
he operated a small foundry, manufacturing sewer and waterworks spe-
cial castings, and conducting a general jobbing foundry business.  Al-
though he had no capital he managed to get some lumber, enough to
build his foundry, which was twenty by thirty feet.  Year by year Mr.
East has added to his plant and today it occupies a tract of land, seventy-
five by one hundred and twenty feet. He is the first man west of Winni-
peg to undertake the manufacture of waterworks specials, manufactur-
ing everything from the smallest tool to the threshing machine. He has
made several machines for the Dominion government at Ottawa, one be-
ing the Flax machine for use in experimental farming.
One of the specialties of the plant is the reboring of cylinders. How
this was brought about can best be told by quoting from an article writ-
ten by Mr. East:
	"Having received a carload of junk, consisting of gas-engine cylinders,
we found, on examination, that they had been scrapped for such defects
as being scored by a pin, being cut with excess dust and grit, or for want
of proper lubrication, while the cylinder was perfect in every other way.
It was then that we conceiyed the idea of reboring cylinders, and finally
succeeded in getting a tractor owner to have his cylinders rebored. The
results were gratifying so far as power was concerned; but the job was
crude and the finish very rough.  Realizing the value of our discovery,
we immediately began to install proper machinery to do this work in an
up-to-date manner.  Now we have the best equipped plant in westernan
Canada for this class of work.
	"Since then our business has developed by leaps and bounds.  Dur-
ing the last seven years we have rebored thousands of cylinders.  The
manufacturers' selling price on the cylinders we rebored in the month of
August, 1920, amounted to twenty-one thousand eight hundred and
twenty-five dollars, while our charges for reboring, supplying new over-
size pistons, rings, amounted to only five thousand three hundred and
twenty-five dollars, leaving a net saving to the farmers of sixteen thou-
sand five hundred dollars in one month alone. There was not only a sav-
ing, but their engines were actually stronger than when new, the bore
being larger and remaining more exact to round and parallel, the old
cylinder being properly seasoned, having relaxed of its internal strain,
while anyone acquainted with the manufacturing knows that new cast-
ings will warp and contract for months after being originally machined.
Any cylinder a couple of years old is acclimatized, and will not warp when
rebored, but will remain true."
	Two of the trade-marks of the John East Iron Works are: "If it's
made of cast iron we make it" and "If it's done in a machine shop we
do it."
	The plant consists of foundry, pattern shop, blacksmith shop, machine
shop and oxy-acetylene welding. In the foundry are manufactured cast
gears, flame sheets, pistons, piston rings and gears for any make of
tractor.  Castings for water and sewer connections in large numbers.
Gears for well drilling machinery, grate bars, boiler doors, sprockets,
coal chutes, land packers and castings of any shape or design, made of
cast iron, brass, bronze or aluminum. In the machine shop all manner
of work is undertaken, including the turning of crank shafts and the
regrinding of automobile and tractor cylinders. The welding shop takes
care of broken crank cases, re-tipping flues and welding broken cast-
ings.  It is the most complete and up-to-date repair shop in western
Canada. The John East Iron Works has supplied many hundreds of tons
of castings for waterworks to the city of Saskatoon during the past thir-
teen years.
	Among the important contracts filled are: The entire steel and iron
work for the Saskatoon pumping station, all the iron and pipe work for
the filtration plant for the city of Saskatoon; structural iron work for
several business blocks of Saskatoon; bronze expansion plates and. lamp
standards for the University bridge, Saskatoon; lamp standards for the
Parliament buildings at Regina and the University at Saskatoon-all
manufactured by them.
	Products of John East Iron Works have been supplied to many other
towns in the western province, including the waterwork specials and
sewer castings for North Battleford, Prince Albert, The Pas, Melfort,
Rosthern, Kerrobert, Humboldt and Outlook, nor are their customers
confined to the immediate locality. Shipments are made as far east as
Myrtle, Manitoba; west to Creston, British Columbia; north to Big River,
Saskatchewan, and south to Milestone, Saskatchewan. In fact, it would
be hard to name a town in the three western provinces where you could
not find a customer-conclusive proof of the confidence placed in the
work turned out from this plant, the result of service and good work-
manship.
	Mr. East has traveled extensively throughout the United States and
Canada and has visited all enterprises of the kind in which he is inter-
ested. In his factory are several machines which he designed and made
himself, and they are not to be found outside of his plant. They are
the machines for reboring and regrinding cylinders. Mr. East was the
first man to establish a foundry in Saskatoon. Since that time there have
been four other foundries started here, but they were closed down within
a short time. The John East Iron Works is the only one in existence in
this district and commands an extensive and ever-increasing patronage.
	On the 28th of October, 1903, Mr. East was married to Miss Elizabeth
May Mellville, a daughter of James Mellville, a native of Scotland, who came
to Canada at an early date and was one of the pioneer residents of Cree-
more, Ontario, where he engaged in farming for many years. His death
occurred in 1921. To Mr. and Mrs. East four children have been born:
Mellville, born on the 6th of September, 1904; Wheldale, born on the 23d
of July, 1908; Dorothy, born on the 26th of January, 1914; and Rita,
born on the 3d of January, 1921.
	Fraternally Mr. East is identified with the Masons, and he is a Noble
of the Mystic Shrine and past president of the Saskatoon Shrine Club.
He is likewise affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and
the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He is an active member of the
local Rotary Club, a director of the Saskatoon Industrial Exhibition, a
member of the executive committee of the Board of Trade and a high
school trustee. Socially he is affiliated with the Canadian Club and the
Saskatoon Golf and Country Club. His particular hobby is shooting and
he is a member of the Saskatoon Gun Club. The religious faith of Mr.
East and his family is that of the Anglican church, and he is a generous
contributor to its support. Mr. East is a self-made man in the truest
sense of the word and he is accorded the confidence and esteem of all
who know him.


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