PHILIP P. ELLIS.
 


	One of the most successful business men in the province of Saskatche-
wan is Philip P. Ellis, general merchant of Wilkie.  He is a self-made
man in the truest sense of the word, having won his present-day success
as the result of consistent hard work, stanch determination and ambi-
tion. He was born at Herbrandston Hall, Pembrokeshire, South Wales,
in April of the year 1880, a son of Frederick and Charlotte (Morris)
Ellis.  His parents were natives of South Wales and there the father
engaged in farming and in the mercantile business until his death in
1900. Mrs. Ellis died in 1893.
	The public schools of his birthplace afforded Philip P. Ellis his early
education and later he attended the Ellis Commercial School and the
grammar school. Upon the completion of his schooling he associated with
his grandfather in the wholesale and retail grocery business for four
years and then went to Newport, Monmouthshire, South Wales, and
worked in a department store for some time. Subsequently he removed
to Cardiff and there worked for Thomas Lipton.  The following three
years he spent in Tunbridge Wells, England, where he was associated
with Herbert C. Gain, retail grocer, now one of the largest merchants in
Johannesburg, South Africa, and at the termination of that time he en-
gaged in the grocery business on his own account in East Grinstead,
Sussex, England, for seven years. In 1907 he was finally persuaded by
his brother to come to Canada and he immediately located in Wilkie, then
a new town. He liked Wilkie from the start and showed his faith in the
future prosperity of the town by erecting a store for the conduct of a
general mercantile business.  He has since operated the store and has
built it up from a small beginning by continually striving to please his
customers and offering them the utmost possible for their money.  He
has also increased his trade by incorporating modern methods in his buy-
ing and selling. Mr. Ellis says: "A merchant's best asset are his cus-
tomers, and my policy always has been and always will be to treat them
the best I know how. No matter whether the customer is a big buyer or
a very small one, as far as lies in our power we treat them all alike. A
merchant who bases his service and courtesy upon the amount of business
he gets from a person is riding for a fall; so, as I say, we show no dis-
crimination in our store."
	Mr. Ellis is a firm believer in advertising. One of the dominant fac-
tors in his success is his constant attention to detail. He allows no waste.
Over the future of western Canada he is enthusiastic. As concrete evi-
dence of his faith in her future, he has taken over the entire premises and
men's furnishing establishment of his brother, G. G. Ellis, which adjoined
his own business. The original store and the "Men's Store" will be oper-
ated as one enterprise under the management of Mr. Ellis. The size of his
original store was twenty-six by seventy feet, but since acquiring the other
store an archway has been cut through so that the enterprise now has a
frontage of fifty feet, with an upper floor of twenty-six feet and a large
warehouse at the back.
	Mr. Ellis is a firm believer in sharing responsibility, and each clerk in
his establishment is responsible for his own department.  The clerks do
their own buying under the supervision of Mr. Ellis. He gives his full
time on the floor, where he can meet the customers and assist wherever
he may be needed or asked for. Another interesting feature of his busi-
ness is that of offering substantial bonuses to his clerks at the end of the
business year. The bonus serves as an incentive to the clerk and always
brings excellent results.
	In September, 1910, Mr. Ellis was married to Miss Alice Victoria
Williamson and they are the parents of a daughter: Betty Morris, who
was born on the 4th of July, 1918.  Mr. Ellis follows an independent
course in politics and has served his community in various important
capacities. He has been a member of the town council for the past few
years and is now serving as chairman of the finance committee. He is a
member of the Wilkie Golf Club, Tennis Club and Curling Club.  His
religious faith is that of the Church of England, and both Mr. and Mrs.
Ellis are prominent in church work. He has served as vestryman of the
church for years.  Mr. Ellis is perfectly satisfied to make his home in
Saskatchewan and is doubly pleased with his adopted country since a
visit to the old country in 1922.


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