Fairbanks, Morse & Co. began doing business in Canada in the last decade of the 19th century, importing tools and machinery from the U.S.A. to Canada. Executive Henry J. Fuller was unable to convince his American bosses to begin manufacturing in Canada so he proposed to buy out their Canadian operations. In early 1905 he, along with several other investors, established The Canadian Fairbanks-Morse Co., Ltd., to do just that. In July of that year, Fairbanks-Morse Canadian Manufacturing Co.; we are uncertain how this firm relates, except that it was apparently specialized more in raw materials than in tools and machines. In any event, in 1911 Canadian Fairbanks-Morse Co., Ltd., purchased the entire capital stock of Fairbanks-Morse Canadian Manufacturing Co.

Advertisement from March 1906 Canadian Machinery

Canadian Fairbanks-Morse was both a manufacturer and a dealer and they were often coy about who actually made what. When they sold products from big-name makers such as S. A. Woods Co., or Niles-Bement-Ponds then there was no confusion but they often sold products from lesser-known makers, such as SIlver Manufacturing Co., branded as Canadian Fairbanks-Morse. Other products, including gas engines, were actually manufactured by Canadian Fairbanks-Morse in Canada, and others were manufactured by Fairbanks-Morse in the U.S.A.

Information Sources

Information Sources

• March 1905 Canadian Machinery & Manufacturing News, in a list of incorporations.

  Canadian Fairbanks Co., Limited, Montreal, share capital $500,000, purpose to acquire and carry on the business of the Fairbanks Co. The directors are: Henry J. Fuller, C. M. Redul, T. A. Pownall, C. A. Duclos, and E. J. Sarle, all of Montreal.

• Also in the March 1905 Canadian Machinery & Manufacturing News.

  Canadian Fairbanks Co.—The most important move in machinery circles within the month has been the establishment of the Canadian Fairbanks Co., with Mr. H. J. Fuller as president. During the past six years this company has built up a monster business in Canada. The Fairbanks Co. did not see their way clear to manufacture in Canada, so that Mr. Fuller offered to buy the business in order to organize it as a Canadian Firm. It has been arranged that the business will be conducted, on and after March 15th, as The Canadian Fairbanks Co., Limited, Mr. Fuller being president and treasurer. It is his intention to erect a large plant for manufacturing in Canada the specialties which they have heretofore imported.

  The first move will be to remove the Montreal warehouse into new quarters at 4440446 St. James street on the first of May next, the old quarters on Craig street being also retained, as the extra space will be needed for the increase of business.

  The new company will continue to represent the following companies: The American Tool Works Co., Cincinnati, O.; the American Wood Working Machinery Co., New York City; the Americal Spiral Pipe Works, Chicago, Ill.; the American Steam Gauge & Valve Co., Boston, Mass.; the Buhl Malleable Co., Detroit, Mich.; the Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Co., Providence, R.I.; the Bignall & Keeler Manufacturing Co., Edwardsville, Ill.; Messrs. H. A. Cole & Co.,Liverpool, England; the Emmert Manufacturing Co., Waynesboro, Pa.; the Foster Engineering Co., Newark, N.J.; the E. M. Dart Manufacturing Co., Providence, R.I.; the Goubert Manufacturing Co., New York City; the H. W. Johns-Manville Co., New York City; the Johns-Pratt Co., Hartford, Conn.; J. J. McCabe, New York City; the Niles-Bement-Pond Co., New York City; the Norton Emery Wheel Co., Worcester, Mass.; the Oneida Steel Pulley Co., Oneida, N.Y.; the Oster Manufacturing Co., Cleveland, O.; the G. M. Parks Co., Fitchburg, Mass.; the Wm. Rutherford & Sons Co., Montreal, Quebec; Messrs. Randolph-Clowes Co., Waterbury, Conn.; the Reed Manufacturing Co., Erie, Pa.; the Reliance Machine Tool Co., Cleveland, O.; the Riehle Bros.' Testing Machine Co., Philadelphia, Pa.; the Taunton Loco. & Manufacturing Co., Taunton, Mass.; Messr. J. B. Treasure & Co., Liverpool, England; the Warner Instrument Co, Beloit, Wis.; the Union Manufacturing Co. (Chuck Dept.), New Britain, Conn.; the S. A. Woods Machine Co., Boston, Mass.; the T. B. Wood's Sons Co., Chambersburg, Pa.; Messrs. Wilmarth & Morman Co., Grand Rapids, Mich.; the Warnock Manufacturing Co., Worcester, Mass.

• July 1905 Canadian Machinery & Manufacturing News.

  Fairbanks-Morse Canadian Manufacturing Co., Limited, of Toronto; share capital $250,000; purpose to manufacture and deal in tin, iron, steel, etc. The directors are: G. W. Sparks, of Chicago, Ill., and C. J. Brittain and A. W. Holmested, of Toronto.

• August 1905 Canadian Machinery & Manufacturing News.

  The Canadian Fairbanks Co., Limited, has been granted power to increase their capital stock from $500,000 to $650,000.

• A 1910 article about this firm provides some information on what products the firm was actually manufacturing in Canada.
• The archive.org site has a scan of a 1912 catalog from this firm. The catalog includes engines, tractors, pumps, agricultural machinery, woodworking machinery, and scales. It is not always clear whether the products were made by Fairbanks-Morse or by someone else.
• A Practical Machinist forum post mentions a Canadian Fairbanks-Morse lathe that was actually made by the little-known firm Summit Machine Works of Worcester, Mass. In the same discussion, a Canadian Fairbanks-Morse drill press is believed to have been manufactured by Silver Manufacturing Co.
• Google Books listing of a 1925 catalog from this firm.
• Moody's Analyses of Investments for 1918 provides the following information on this firm.

  THE CANADIAN FAIRBANKS-MORSE CO., LTD.

  History: Incorporated under Canadian laws March 15, 1905. In 1911 purchased the entire capital stock of Fairbanks-Morse Canadian Mfg. Co. Factories are located at Toronto and Sherbrooke; warehouses and offices at Montreal, Hamilton, Windsor, St. John, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec, Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, Saskatoon and Victoria.

  Management: Officers: H. J. Puller, Pres.; Thos. McMillan, Vice-Pres. and Sec; Percy C. Brooks, Vice-Pres. in Charge of Mfg.; C. G. Drinkwater, Vice-Pres. and Sales Mgr.; R. B. Potts, Treas.; T. M. Cullen, Asst. Sec, Montreal, Que. Directors: H. J. Fuller, Thos. McMillan, C. G. Drinkwater, P. C. Brooks, F. M. Boughey, W. E. Miller, Robert H. Morse, C. H. Morse, Jr., H. C. McClary. Annual Meeting: Fourth Wednesday in March. Office: 84-98 St. Antoine St., Montreal.