Mr. Sifton announced that he would ask the Government for $50,000 a year for the work of the Commission. In this general connection Mr. Fisher, Minister of Agriculture, speaking at Montreal on Feb. 10th, said: "We are here in Canada in a much better position than the people of the United States. In the United States the forest wealth has been almost, if not absolutely, alienated from the public control. The United States Government has been selling forest rights until they have comparatively few left, and private individuals and corporations have secured almost absolute control of these individual natural resources. In Canada we have never sold the land on which are located our splendid forests; we have reserved the control of the forests as a public possession." Addressing the Canadian Club, St. John, on the 13th, Mr. James Lawler, Secretary of the Canadian Forestry Association, declared that "Canada's forest area-at any rate that available for industrial purposes -is only about one-half, or even less, that of the United States. If utilized at present rate of lumber consumption in the United States Canada's forests will disappear in 12 years. Ontario, if it followed the reckless policy of the past, will exhaust its forests in 30 years. At the same time Canada's forests are her most important economic assets. In the last 42 years her exports of forest-products have exceeded by one-third the value of her exports of farm products. And in the future her forests will steadily increase in value. In Canada over 400,000 people are dependent upon the lumbering industry; to say nothing of the vast army engaged in the various industries of which lumber is the raw material." The 11th annual Convention of the Canadian Forestry Association was held at Fredericton, Mch. 1, 1910, with Hon. W. C. H. Grimmer in the chair as Vice-President for New Brunswick. The Lieut.-Governor (Mr. L. J. Tweedie) opened the gathering and addresses were delivered by Mr. Premier Hazen, Hon. C. W. Robinson, Mayor Fred. Chestnut, and others. A number of able papers were read upon various phases and conditions of the Forestry problem by Chancellor C. C. Jones, Prof. R. B. Miller of the University of New Brunswick, F. C. Whitman of Nova Scotia, Hon. J. P. Burchill, M.L.A., H. W. Woods, M.L.A., and others. Mr. C. F. Oak, of Bangor, Maine, made a vigorous appeal for the free exportation of pulp-wood and was answered by W. B. Snowball of Moncton, N.B. Mr. Clifford Sifton made an elaborate speech. He declared himself in favour of a permanent tenure being given to the holder of trustee lands and asked for support to his Conservation Commission and strong opposition to such schemes as the Long Sault damming of the St. Lawrence River. Resolutions were passed by the Convention declaring (1) that all water-powers within Canadian boundaries and, especially, those in waters bordering on the United States should be reserved by the Dominion or Provincial Governments; (2) that the Dominion Government should enact more stringent laws to compel Railway companies to take better precautions against Forest fires and especially the Government Railways; (3) that the timber lands at the head-waters of all rivers and streams should be reserved; (4) that the time had arrived when the Federal and Provincial Governments should limit the cutting of lumber or pulp-wood on Crown Lands. At the succeeding annual meeting of the Association-Ottawa, Mch. 10-Senator W. C. Edwards of Ottawa was elected President in succession to Thomas Southworth, Mr. G. Y. Chown of Kingston Vice-President, and Mr. James Lawler Secretary. The British Columbia Timber Commission reported during the year recommending that Timber licenses be renewable from year to year; the New Brunswick Legislature on Mch. 17 declared unanimously in favour of keeping pulp-wood in the Province for manufacturing purposes; a meeting in Toronto on May 18 was addressed by Mr. Sifton who described the timber supply, the climate, water-supply, water-powers, fish and game of Canada to be all affected vitally by the preservation of the forests while Bishop DuMoulin and Mr. B. E. Walker enforced the importance of the issue. The Forestry Committee of the Conservation Commission reported on May 2nd urging a fine of $1,000 for every fire caused by Railways not keeping their rights-of-way clear, not having the best available modern appliances for preventing sparks, not having careful employees and an efficient staff of fire-rangers; and asking the Government for legislation along these lines and for provision of free transportation to fire rangers on Government railways. In August it was announced that the Commission had mapped out an extensive scheme of work for all its Committees. That on Forests would "get together the best available information in regard to timber still standing, its quality, acreage, whether owned by private individuals or Provinces or the Dominion; likewise an estimate of the amount of timber in the Forest Reserves of the country, and would make a study of the results attending prohibition of the export of logs." Speaking to the Victoria Colonist on Aug. 13 Mr. James White (Secretary) declared the prevention of fires to be the gravest problem before the Commission. "Another bad feature of the outlook is the fact that the forest resources of the United States are being so rapidly depleted that it is only a question of a very short time when American capital will be coming in here by the million and snapping up all the available timber areas. If by that time large timber reserves have not been created practically all the available timber area will be corralled." It may be added here that, according to the Ottawa Forestry Department, there were 622,129 cords of pulp-wood used in Canada during 1909 valued at $3,464,080; there were also 60 pulp mills in the Dominion. "Three-fifths of the pulp-wood cut in Canada during 1909 was exported to the United States for manufacture. Nearly all this wood went from Quebec. The average price received for it was only 45 cents more than was paid at the Quebec mills. The pulp-wood shipped from Canada in 1909 furnished 46 4-10 per cent. of the raw material used by the 90 pulp mills of the State of New York and an appreciable portion of that used by the mills of New England and Pennsylvania. The manufacture of the pulp-wood exported in 1909 kept 69 of the 251 pulp mills of the United States running at full capacity for the year. Had it been manufactured in Quebec it would have kept running 71 mills of the same size as those already in Quebec." In 1908 the value of pulp-wood produced in Canada was $2,931,653 and that of Lumber $54,338,036. With shingles, laths, cross-ties, etc., the total output in Canada of raw Forest material for manufacture was $67,425,044. In the Census of 1901 the corresponding figures were $51,718,886 and in that of 1906 the total value of products in all the wood-working industries of Canada was $119,880,489. The total import by the United States of Forest products in 1909 was $124,000,000-an increase of $26,000,000 over 1908; the imports (United States official figures) from Canada were $30,014,864; the exports to Canada were $5,516,585. According to Canadian returns the latter total should be $12,032,595. The Fisher- Canada's Fishery resources have always been thought illimitable but, in certain directions, they are now decreasing and in many others they require Conservation and careful public control. In this connection Mr. James White wrote (Victoria Colist, Aug. 28) describing the Fisheries of Canada as amongst the most important and varied and valuable in the world. "In quoting statistics, however, it is usual to quote values and not weights, although the latter is the only method of comparison that would indicate depletion, or the reverse, of our fisheries. Thus, the value of the yield in 1881 was nearly 16 million dollars, and in 1908 nearly 2512 million; but these figures do not disclose the fact that our Oyster fisheries have decreased from 189,127 barrels in 1881 to 35,027 in 1908-less than one-fifth; nor do they indicate that the Lobster industry has decreased from 7,140 tons canned in 1891 to 5,455 in 1908 and from 17,418 tons in shell in 1898 to 49 tons in 1908; that is, in ten years, the product has decreased from 24 thousand tons to 512 thousand or a little over one-fifth. In Ontario, the catch of Whitefish-our most valuable of fresh water fish-is only one-half of what it was in 1873. The average catch during the years 1906-09 of the Fraser River sockeye Salmon has decreased from 375,000 cases, the average of 1901-5, to 221,000." Yet there are vast remaining supplies and the fishing regions on the Atlantic and Pacific are still the most abundantly stocked commercial waters in the world. The value of the yearly production went up steadily from $6,577,000 in 1870 to $13,529,000 in 1879, $17,655,000 in 1889, $21,891,000 in 1899 and $29,629,000 in 1909. In 40 years the Fisheries have netted the people of Canada a known value of $732,304,000; the total taken without license or public knowledge must have been enormous. The value of the vessels engaged in Canadian Fisheries during 1909 was $3,303,121 and the number 1,750 with a tonnage of 37,662; the value of the boats was $1,855,629 and the number 41,170; the value of nets and seines and other fishing materials was $12,199,182; the total capital invested was $17,357,932. The number of men employed was 90,357 of whom 21,694 were in canneries. Of the Canadian production of fish in 1910 totalling $29,629,169 the chief items were Cod, $3,912,806; Haddock, $829,553; Hake, $367,439; Salmon $8,204,524; Trout $621,123; Whitefish $1,000,126; Smelts $868,842; Herring $2,754,751; Sardines $551,294; Mackerel $948,071; Lobsters $3,657,146; Whales $314,870. The chief increase during this year was in Salmon. As to distribution the sea fisheries extend from the Bay of Fundy to the Strait of Belle Isle on the Atlantic Coast and from the Fraser River to Prince Rupert on the Pacific, with 250,000 square miles of fresh water in the interior of the Dominion which is variously stocked. On the Atlantic cod, hake, haddock, halibut, herring, mackerel, smelt, flounders, sardines, lobsters and oysters are the chief products; on the Pacific salmon, herring and halibut, with whale as a new industry, are prominent; in the inland waters whitefish, trout, pickerel, pike, sturgeon and fresh water herring are the principal products. The Fisheries Protection Service of Canada was in 1909 and 1910, under command of Rear-Admiral C. E. Kingsmill and consisted of 13 vessels with an aggregate of 255 men; there were on Mch. 31, 1910, 37 fish-breeding establishments in Canada and the distribution of fry totalled 1,024,282,000; the Fishing bounty payments in 1909 to 25,122 men were $155,221 and the total since 1882 was $4,421,037; the total Fisheries expenditure of the Dominion Government (Mch. 31, 1910) was $1,149,577 and the revenue $85,070; in the Marine and Fisheries Department Report for 1909-10 John J. Cowie had a valuable statement as to the causes of the non-progression of the Atlantic fisheries-incidentally he urged people to eat more fish as being wholesome, nourish ing and easily digested. He described Canadians as a nonfisheating people. The exports of Canadian Fish in 1909 were $13,319,664 or more than one-half of the production and of this $4,312,120 went to the United States and $3,579,627 to Great Britain. In connection with the Conservation Commission and its efforts to study and preserve natural resources a Committee on Fisheries was appointed as follows: Hon. F. L. Haszard, Charlottetown; Hon. Hugh Armstrong, Winnipeg; Hon. Price Ellison, Victoria; Hon. W. C. H. Grimmer, Fredericton; Hon. A. K. MacLean, Halifax; Dr. Howard Murray, Halifax; Hon. Frank Cochrane, Toronto. Waters of and Water- The available water-powers of the Dominion were estimated officially in 1910 by J. B. Challies of the Interior Department at 25,682,907 horse-power of which only 516,887 horse-power were actually developed or utilized. It was said that the maintenance of one horse-power a year from steam coal would involve the consumption of over 21 tons; the available or estimated water-powers of Canada would, therefore, involve or supply a coal consumption of 562,000,000 tons per annum; the great possible value of this natural resource was due to the new uses of electricity as developed by water power but was, of course, subject to scientific discoveries and changes in the future. Meanwhile the day of industries located beside waterfalls had passed away or was confined to small plants; that of utilizing the electric current on a large scale with immense and valuable plants and transmitting it long distances for commercial and industrial purposes had come. Mr. Challies' estimate was, of course, most tentative and vague. The Geological Survey had credited British Columbia alone with 100,000,000 horse-power which, under certain conditions, could be doubled. Mr. Sifton's estimate, on the other hand, put the figure for Canada at 17,000,000 horse-power. The question of preserving water-powers was bound up in many other matters. In this connection Mr. Clifford Sifton in his speech on Jan. 18th said: "Rain and snowfall are the sole sources of our fresh water. It is the universally essential natural resource. It is as essential to life as the heat of the sun. Canada is excep tionally favoured in that there is no part of its great area which under natural conditions is entirely arid. It will be our fault if it becomes so, as it will in some portions, unless preventive measures are taken in time. Of the total supply of fresh water which descends in the form of rain and snow, perhaps one-half is evaporated, about one-third finds its way to the sea and the remainder, about one-sixth, is used. Waters are useful for human and animal use to sustain life; for use to sustain vegetation and render agriculture possible; for navigation; for power. Under modern systems of sanitation we make use of water for flushing sewers, carrying away and destroying the most valuable of fer |