extracted. The mineral is found in quartz veins 

 widely distributed over a large area. In 1862, 

 $142,000 worth of gold was taken out, and the 

 value of ore crushed per ton, down to and 

 including 1917, has been $8.80 with an average 

 yearly yield of 19,130 ounces. The Oldham gold 

 field, 25 miles north of Halifax, has been worked 

 continuously since its discovery in 1861, whilst 

 there are also producing mines in the Tangier 

 River and Cariboo districts. The Goldenville 

 district, east of Halifax, has for some time been 

 the heaviest producer, while a mine at Kemptville 

 has netted some remarkable returns. 



The 1919 production of ihe province 

 amounted to 935 ounces, and considering the 

 number of finds and their wide distribution an 

 increase may be looked for and Nova Scotia 

 considered among the first five gold - bearing 

 areas of Canada. 



Lignite Utilization Board of Canada 



By Lesslie L. Thomson, Secretary 



Though possessing 17% of the known coal resources 

 of the world, the fuel supply for the people of Canada, 

 widely separated as it is into Atlantic and Pacific fields, 

 is an ever 



F resent prob- 

 e m . To 

 assist in over- 

 ' coming the 

 difficulty and 

 take advan- 

 tage of large 

 deposits of 

 lignite under- 

 lying various 

 districts of 

 the Provinces 

 of Alberta 

 and Saskat- 

 chewan, some 

 of which in 

 the raw state 

 can only be 

 utilized when 

 freshly mined 

 and are there- 

 fore unsuited 

 for household 

 use, the Dom- 

 inion Gov- 

 ernment in 

 1918, by an 

 Or de r - i n 

 Council, 

 created the 

 Lignite Utili- 

 zation Board 

 of Canada. 



It was found that, by carbonizing this lignite, a coke or 

 charcoal was obtained which briquettes readily, and with- 

 out consideration of the by-products, such as oil, pitch, 

 ammonia sulphate, gas, etc., the result is to turn two tons 

 of inferior fuel into one ton of briquettes, approximating in 

 heating value anthracite coal with practically the same 

 heating value in the domestic furnace as the two tons from 

 which it was made. 



In its relation towards business interests, the Board 

 has the powers of an incorporated company to buy, sell, 

 make contracts, hold property, etc. ; in its relation to the 

 Government, it is a trust, holding an expending fund 



[XP[RIMENTAL CARBONIZING 

 &BRIQUCTT1NG PLANT 



HIM BIENFAIT. S.SK 



.- ECS 



provided by the Government and having power to hold 

 property in trust. Its immediate objective is the carbon- 

 izing and briquetting of the lignites of Southern Saskatch- 

 ewan for domestic use. 



Western Canada has heretofore imported about 

 500,000 tons of anthracite from Pennsylvania at a cost of 

 approximately $5,000,000 a year. 



Commenced Operations 



The Board started operations on October 1st, 1918, 

 with Mr. R. A. Ross, Chairman, and the three months of 

 1918 were given up to a study of all accumulated corres- 

 pondence, and to a tour of inspection by our engineers of 

 all briquetting plants and of the more important coal 

 treating and handling plants in Canada and the United 

 States. 



The year 1919 was given up to an experimental 

 investigation of the carbonization and briquetting of lignite. 

 This investigation was made necessary by the fact that at 

 its inception the Board discovered that a great deal of the 

 information extant on the question of lignites was unre- 

 liable and to some extent misleading. The prosecution 

 of such an experimental programme resulted also in 

 avoiding the excessive cost of mistakes in full scale appar- 

 atus. This work was undertaken at the Board's own 

 laboratory in Ottawa, erected through the courtesy and 

 co-operation of the Mines Branch, Department of Mines. 

 The specific subjects investigated were storing quantities 

 of lignite; methods of carbonization of lignite including 

 such sub-topics as specific heat, rate of carbonizing, retort 

 temperatures, retort atmospheres, effect of moisture 

 content on carbonizing; methods of briquetting, effect of 



fi n e n e s s, 

 e ff e c t of 

 moisture, ac- 

 tion of vari- 

 ous binders 

 and quantity 

 necessa ry ; 

 investigation 

 of physical 

 properties 

 of briquettes 

 and their re- 

 sistance to 

 alternate 

 drying and 

 freezing. 



The meas- 

 ure of success 

 achieved in 

 the experi- 

 mental in- 

 vestigation 

 during 1919 

 enabled the 

 Board to 

 decide to pro- 

 ceed with the 

 erection of its 

 main plant 

 near the town 

 of Bienfait, 

 Sask., during 

 the season of 

 1920. Conse- 

 quently contracts were let, and in spite of the grave 

 difficulties due to delay of delivery of machinery and 

 equipment, the end of the year saw the plant well on to 

 completion. 



During the present year (1921) the Board has com- 

 pleted its plant and completed the installation of its 

 machinery. A preliminary start in manufacturing bri- 

 quettes has been made. 



Results to Date 



In brief the net results of the Board's activities to 

 date are as follows: 



135 



