CANADIAN LUMBER COMPETITION 



135 



development. One paper mill is now 

 producing 225 tons daily. A siilphite 

 fiber plant is producing 40 tons of 

 fiber per day. "A small portion of 

 this suffices to supply the Provincial 

 market, while freight rates prevent the 

 shipment of newsprint to points east of 

 Alberta. A small quantity of newsprint 

 is shipped to be distributed from 

 Calgary and Edmonton, the balance 

 (comprising over 75 per cent of the 

 output) being marketed in the North- 

 western States. About 25 per cent of 

 the sulphite fiber is sold to paper mills 

 in the same market."^ This in the 

 face of the fact that pulp logs in those 

 States cannot be sold for enough to 

 return the cost of logging. The first 

 shipment of wood pulp from British 

 Columbia to the Atlantic coast was 

 consigned to New York in September 

 of this year. 



CANADIAN MARKETS 



In 1911 the poptilation of Canada was 

 7,207,000. The five western provinces 

 with an area of 1,723,700 square miles 

 had 1,321,748 people or less than the 

 present estimated population of Phila- 

 delphia. But diiring recent years there 

 has been an unparalleled influx of 

 settlers into that territory seeking 

 homes on the boundless prairies within 

 the range of grain production. A great 

 boom was experienced. Railroads were 

 built and towns followed. The vacant 

 places were sparingly peopled. As a 

 result an enormous demand for lumber 

 was created — greater per capita than 

 was ever before known. To the west 

 was the almost untouched forest reach- 

 ing to the sea and the government 

 invited its exploitation, 

 dollars were invested in 

 manufacturing equipment, 

 ficient to supply the normal demands 

 of ten million people were erected in 

 frenzied haste to supply one and one-half 

 millions. 



Then, by 1913, immigration practi- 

 cally ceased. Stagnation followed infla- 

 tion and in rapid succession the mills 

 went down, leaving capital and labor 

 unemployed. In 1910 there were 225 

 saw mills in British Cokmibia with a 



Millions of 



timber and 



Plants suf- 



Report of the Minister of Lands. 1913. 



A Perfect Douglas Fir. 



THIS IS ON VANCOUVER ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA. SUCH 

 SPECIMENS ARE LESS COMMON IN THE PROVINCES 

 THAN IN THE STATES. 



