86 



BRITISH COLUMBIA. 



BULGARIA. 



trade of Rossland and the surrounding country is 

 now mainly with Sun Francisco, Spokane, and 

 Seattle, and much of the smelting is being done 

 over the Ameriean border. But the projected 

 Crow's Nest Pass Railway, connect ing the district 

 with the Canadian Pacific Railroad, will make a 

 difference in this connection. 



Agriculture. This interest is not as flourishing 

 as it should be. The climate is admirably adapted 

 to fruit raising, however, and the Dominion experi- 

 mental farm at Agassiz has done good work in this 

 direction. Luge experimental orchards have been 

 planted, and a great variety of fruit has been tried, 

 with a success which is followed up in fruit farms 

 at other points. Of these, Lord Aberdeen's is the 

 chief in production as well as the largest in extent. 

 A traveling dairy was sent through the province 

 last year to instruct the farmers in butter making, 

 while the cultivation of hops is a new industry 

 which has met with much success. 



Education. The statistics show an expenditure 

 in 1894-'95 of $189.037 upon teachers' salaries and 

 incidentals, the building of 11 new schoolhouses, 

 and the attendance of 13.482 pupils, an increase of 

 869. There were 202 schools in operation, with 319 

 teachers, and an average cost to the province of 

 $14.02 for each pupil. The average monthly salary 

 of the city teachers was $66.62, and of the rural 

 teachers $55.46. The provincial system is free and 

 undenominational, and is entirely supported by the 

 Government. There is a superintendent of -educa- 

 tion, but each school is locally controlled by trustees 

 elected by the ratepayers of the district. There are 

 4 high schools, with 515 pupils and 12 teachers. 



Finances. The ordinary revenue for the year 

 ending June 30, 1895, shows an increase from $798,- 

 570 to $896,025, while the ordinary expenditure 

 shows an increase of $370,000 over that of the pre- 

 ceding year. The total revenue, including the con- 

 solidated fund account, was $1,906,924.99. 



The chief items of expenditure were as follow : 

 Net payment on public debt, $357,497.38; civil 

 government, $145,590.19 ; administration of justice, 

 $127,558.49 ; legislation, $39,419.72 ; maintenance 

 of public institutions, $29,536.39 ; hospitals and 

 charities, $48,630.47 ; administration of justice 

 (additional), $74,861.09 ; education, $189,037.25 ; 

 public works, $749,217.35; miscellaneous, $145,- 

 576.66; total, $1,906,924.99. 



Coal and Railways. The gold development 

 has naturally enhanced the value of the coal de- 

 posits. There is undoubtedly a very large quantity 

 of coal in the different areas". The Nanaimo basin 

 is understood to have about 200 square miles, and 

 that of Comox about 700 miles, while in the Rocky 

 mountains proper there are very large and unde- 

 fined areas. The Crow's Nest pass has abundant 

 coal suitable for smelting. The Kaslo and Slocan 

 Railway, running through the mining districts, was 

 opened in November, 1895. The Nakusp and Slo- 

 can line was extended, as well as the Nelson and 

 Fort Sheppard Railway. The Revelstoke branch 

 was built to the head of Arrow lake, where it con- 

 nects by boats with these lines and with points on 

 Columbia river. The Columbia and Western line, 

 connecting Ifossland and Trail, complete. 



Fisheries. The tolal export in 1895 was valued 

 3,264,500, a decrease of s-_> 70.000 from !| ia ,t O f 

 the previous year. The low prices were a cause of 

 regret, but otherwise the industry is brisk, espe- 

 cially in the export of halibut to Boston and New 

 and in salmon canning. Of this latter fishing 

 i".' 1 ' 1 '" Udcasesin 1*95. compared 



with 494,371 cases in 1894 the Dominion inspec- 

 t " r -'."> n ' recenl report that "it is gratifving 

 '" '";'' thai the rivers of the province, especially 

 tl |L ' ' * no signs of depletion or of being 



overfished, being in this respect unique among the 

 great salmon rivers of the Pacific coast." Prof. 

 Prince, however, who is acting on an international 

 fisheries commission, deprecates the wasteful slaugh- 

 ter of fish at Point Roberts, in United States terri- 

 tory, as being likely to affect the salmon runs of the 

 Fraser. 



The fur-seal industry is yearly becoming more 

 important to the province. In 1894, 53 vessels, 

 averaging 66 tons each and giving employment to 

 867 whites and 518 Indians, sailed from the port of 

 Victoria. The total value of the vessels and boats 

 engaged in the provincial sealing was $419,675, 

 while the sealing catch in this first year after im- 

 posing the restrictions of the Paris Tribunal was 

 94,474 seals. The summary for 1895 was only 72,- 

 414, but changing values make a difference in the 

 final estimate. The provisional agreement recently 

 made with Russia provides a joint Russian and 

 British protective zone of 30 miles around the 

 Komandorsky Islands in the north Pacific, as well 

 as one of 10 miles along the shores of the Russian 

 mainland. 



Trade. The exports in 1895 were valued at 

 $9,114,058, and the imports at $4.368.425. The duty 

 collected upon the latter was $1.137,727. The trade 

 with China and Japan showed fair expansion, and 

 the steamships of the Canadian Pacific Company 

 were kept busy with full freights and passenger 

 lists. So with the direct Australian trade and that 

 of the northern Pacific steamships. A service has 

 recently been established by the Oregon Company 

 between the Orient, Puget Sound, and Portland, the 

 vessels calling at Vancouver on their inward and 

 outward voyages. Of the exports the products of 

 the mine amounted to $4,615,452, and those of the 

 fisheries to $3,264,461. They were valued at $1,- 

 300,000 in excess of the previous year, while the 

 imports were valued at $1.000.000 less. 



The tonnage of the shipping shows an increase 

 of foreign presumably American over British 

 and Canadian. The British tonnage of the vessels 

 at ports in 1895 was 353,133; that of Canada, 

 6,258 ; while the foreign tonnage was 1,868,656, an 

 increase in the latter of nearly 300,000 tons. 



Manufactures. The capital invested in manu- 

 factures in 1891 was only $191,547, but it has since 

 been extending greatly. In 1893 paint works were 

 established in Vancouver, and they now have the 

 bulk of the provincial trade. Chemical works 

 started at the same time are kept busy in filling 

 orders from the United States as well as at home. 

 Cold-storage plants are also operating successfully, 

 while the impetus to mining has started many smelt- 

 ing works into operation. Lumber mills, sash and 

 door factories, sugar refineries, iron works, pork- 

 packing establishments, and some creameries have 

 also been placed upon a paying basis. 



Signs of Growth. The lumber business has 

 shown a distinct improvement during the year 

 45,000.000 feet having been shipped. Several strong 

 Canadian banks have opened branches in Vancouver, 

 as well as mortgage investment companies. The 

 population is increasing rapidly in Rossland at the 

 rate of 200 a day. The Parliament buildings at Vic- 

 toria have made fair progress, and are to cost $600,- 

 000. A provincial home has been erected at Kam- 

 loops. A cylinder pier bridge over Thompson river 

 is under way. A courthouse at Nanaimo is being 

 built, and the Dominion Government is erecting a 

 handsome post office and a customhouse in Vic- 

 toria. 



BULGARIA, a principality in eastern Europe, 

 created in 1878 out of a former province of Turkey 

 by the decision of the great powers at the Congress 

 of Berlin, giving effect to the independence of Bul- 

 garia achieved by the armed intervention of Russia. 



