

NEWFOUNDLAND. 



559 



Tin- \alue of the export of salmon in the same Industries. Tho last census nhowcd tlmt 

 tras$llS,870. then- were In UM eoloor 58 MW mill 



Total uiluc ..f Osheriea in 1890, $5,049,700. and distuleriea, 6 iron foundri.-, 



The Fisheries Commission are conducting their 

 operation- with a twofold object : 



(1) To restore exhausted watcrsto their former 

 abundance liy the ari ilicial propagat ion of mii- 



tine and other food fishes ; c,') to protect tho va- 

 rious fisheries by a proper regulation for thosea- 

 or fishing mid of ilio various ap 



6 bduriM, 7 furnitur. . !)"> otli,. i facto- 



ries; valueof factories, ifeiirj-J.-VM ; value uf goods 

 produced, $ 1 ,. r ).Yl,:,;jJ ; numlN-r of iutiids cm- 

 J.loyed, ii.loli. 



Minerals. As a mining country Newfound- 

 land occupies n high place. It stands sixth 



for li-hing and of tho various appliances for among the copper-producing countries of the 

 catching ii-h. world. From 1W4. wh.-n the first com-cr mine 



At Dudo cod and lobster hatchery, one of tho was opened, till 1ST!) copper and nickel ore to 

 lar-e-t in the world, in IH'Jl, !<),< ><M),000 codfish the value of $4,629,889 had b. ,-n ,.\p,,ried. Since 

 were hatched and planted in Trinity May, and also that date copper mining has gone on .steadily. 

 about 15,000,000 young lobsters. At [.resent the chief copper mines are those of 



In addition, the propagation of lobsters was Tilt Cove and Little Bftj, OH the shofctoi Notre 

 carried on by means of floating incubators, tho Dame Bay. From these two mines the export in 

 invention <>f Mr. Adolph Nielsen. Superintendent 1890 was as follows: 

 of Fisheries, in nearly all the great uays. A re- 

 markable success has been reached. The incul ia- 

 tor- are worked by men who have been specially 

 instructed, and at a very small cost. The ova 

 are -tripped from the fibrils under tho tails of 

 the female lobsters which are brought to the fac- 

 tories before they are thrown into the boilers, and 

 the germs of life are thus saved from destruc- 

 tion. The incubators arc placed near the lobster 

 factories in puro sea water which has a certain 

 amount of motion. They are hatched in a few 

 days and liberated, and then a fresh supply of 

 ova is obtained. In 1891 432 of these floating 

 incubators were used at 18 different stations. 



The astounding number of 550,000,000 were 

 hatched in the season. It is anticipated that this 

 method of artificial propagation, together with 

 a stringent enforcement of a close season and 

 the prohibition of the capture of immature lob- 



sters. will have the effect of arresting the threat- minerals have also been found in workable quan- 

 ened destruction of the lobster fishery, and even tities at Port-a-Port, St. George's Bay. A very 

 of extending it by planting lobsters in waters valuable gypsum mine has recently been opened 

 where they were previously unknown. In no at Romaine s brook, St. George's Bay. from which 



the export, is large, but returns arc not yet avail- 



An extensive depositof iron pyrites, averaging 

 52 per cent, of sulphur, was discovered a few 

 \ears ago at Pilley's island in the same bay. In 

 1890 the export of pvrites from this mine^was 

 1,670 tons; value, $72.315. In 1891 the export 

 was more than doubled, and in 1892 will prob- 

 ably reach 70,000 tons. An antimony mine has 

 been recently opened in the same region, which 

 promises well, and news of a large deposit of as- 

 bestos on the west coast has been received lately. 

 Silver and lead mines are worked in Placentla 

 Bay, but as yet on a small scale. Both these 



other country has such success been reached in 

 lobster hatching. Mr. Nielsen has invented a 

 lobster trap which will permit the escape of young 

 lobsters that have not reached the reproductive 

 age, and are too small for use, while larger lob- 

 sters are retained. 



The herring fishery receives special attention, 

 and under Mr. Nielsen's instructions for curing 

 and (lacking this fishery is developing rapidly. 

 During his researches last summer Mr. .Nielsen 

 discovered a bank, over one hundred miles long, 

 off the west coast of the island where herring of 

 a superior quality resort in large numbers, and 

 where a summer drift-net herring fishery might 

 be established. In summer the herring are fat 

 and in the best condition for being taken. 



Finances. The following table shows the 

 imports, exports, and revenue in the years 

 named : 



able. The coal area of St. George's Bay as yet 

 unworked is 25 miles wide by 10 in length. 



Shipping. The registered shipping on Dec. 

 31, 1891, was 2,207 vessels; net tonnage. 98,619 

 tons. In 1890 48 new vessels were built ; ton- 

 nage, 1,896 tons; bounty paid, $7,506. 



Railways. The construction of the Hall's 

 Bay Railway made excellent progress during 

 1891. At the close of the year about 70 miles 

 were graded and t he rails laia over a considerable 

 portion of this line. From COO to 800 men were 

 employed on it. 



Political. The political events of the "An- 

 cient Colony '' during 1S!M were jH-culiarly im- 

 portant. They have been developed chiefly in 

 connection with the vexed question of the 

 "French shore." British subjects had otab- 

 lishcd lobster factories at various points along 

 that portion of the coast on which the French 

 have certain 1'shing privileges secured to them 

 by treaties. The French objected to such opera- 

 tions as a violation of tho treaties, and claimed 

 an exclusive right to take lobsters, or. at leji>t. 

 1,454,586 an equal right with British subjects. The Brit- 

 ish Government held that the right of the 

 The public debt in 1890 was $4,13H.(>'J7. which French was limited " to taking and drying fi-h." 

 averages about $19.69 per head of tho entire but that the treaties did not include ihe catch- 

 population. The interest on the public debt in ing of shell ii-h and their manufacture ami 

 1890 was $202,914. packing on shore. 



YKAR. 



1VS.. 



Import*. 



I SHI. 



$5.897,408 

 Y.420,400 

 ,fi07.06S 



Exporte. 



$5,176,730 

 ,!W2,OI8 



(M>;I;'..;-<; 



1.870.099 





