BRITISH COLUMBIA. 





Curt ii tv. I in the licensed sawmills of British 

 Columbia in is'.rj was 'JiUMi-J.r.SO feet, as com- 

 pared with :;n.:,o 7. |:;;i in IHJM. This only n-piv- 

 ;he lumber product of which return.s an- 

 ivci'h cd I iv < in\ eminent. Much is manufact ured 

 I iy private individuals in the unlicensed areas of 

 which no returns are received. The principal 

 \vn. 1 made into lumber, etc., is red cedar, other- 

 \\ isc known as Oregon pine. The area of crown 

 timber land licensed in 1892 was 243-32 square 

 miles. 



Fisheries. The total yield of the British Co- 

 lumbia fisheries for 1892 amounted to $2,849,483, 

 which was a decrease from that of the previous 

 year of $159,271. The quantity of salmon dis- 

 posed of in a fresh state exceeded that of 1891 

 by 800.000 pounds, while the pack of the canners 

 fell short. 1>\ :;.i;<0,000 cans. The limited output 

 for 1892 was probably due more to a desire to 

 regulate the supply than to any scarcity of fish. 

 The season was considered satisfactory for what 

 is there termed an "off year," having turned out 

 much better than the preceding periodical " off 

 year "(1888). The product of halibut for the 

 year showed an increase over that of 1891 of over 

 200,000 pounds. An incident worthy of note 

 was the capture during 1892 of several shad at 

 River's Inlet, and on the north arm of the 

 Fraser river. The fisheries inspector stated 

 that all the shad on the Pacific coast originated 

 from the fry planted in the Sacramento river, 

 and he alluded to the incident to show a north- 

 ward migration by these fish of over 1,000 miles. 



The total number of seal skins captured by the 

 British Columbia sealing fleet in 1892 amount- 

 ed to 46,362, valued at $602,706, as compared 

 with 52,995 skins, valued at $688,935, for 1891. 



For 1893 the aggregate salmon pack of the 

 Fraser river canneries was 20,500,000 pound 

 tins, or 425,200 cases of 48 cans each, the total 

 weight being 10,000 tons. The fisheries else- 

 where were also unusually productive. The es- 

 timated value of the fish consumed by the In- 

 dians of British Columbia annually is $3,000,000, 

 which is not included in the annual production. 



In 1892 there were 143 vessels, valued at $656,- 

 150, and 1,766 boats, valued at $91,365, employed 

 in the fisheries of the province. The number of 

 sailors and seal hunters was 1.472, and of fisher- 

 men and canners 6,698. The number of salmon 

 canneries in operation during the year amounted 

 to 38. 



Seal Fishing. In consequence of the restric- 

 tions placed upon the capture of seals, the Brit- 

 ish Columbia seal fishers were not very sanguine 

 of success when the season opened last spring, 

 but notwithstanding their misgivings the sea- 

 son was fairly successful. Fifty-four vessels 

 were engaged in the industry, 24 of which sent 

 in their spring catch early in the season, and 

 the remaining 30 obtained, up to Sept. 28, on the 

 British Columbia coast, 25,120 skins. The esti- 

 mated catch for the season is 60,000 skins. 



During the preceding year (1892) the British 

 Columbia seal fishing was prosecuted at a loss 

 of about $100,000. Of the 65 vessels employed 

 3 were wrecked, 10 were seized by American or 

 Russian cruisers, and the rest secured a catch of 

 50,000 skins. There were 1,452 persons em- 

 ployed during the season, their wages aggregat- 

 ing $30,000. 



Salmon Fishing. The season of 1803 WM 



one of the most, successful for salmon fishing 

 ever known in British Columbia. The canning 

 establishments were all busv, and a large export 

 trade was transacted. On Fru.se r river the run 

 of salmon was the largest on record, and as 

 many as 45,000 were caught in three days in 

 August. Though complete and reliable statis- 

 tics are not obtainable at the time of writing, 

 sullicient is known to warrant the assumption 

 that the season's fishing was successful in a 

 marked degree. 



Exports. The chief exports of the province 

 are mineral productions, fish, cattle, fruit, and 

 timber. Large shipments of fruit were for- 

 warded to England last autumn, and large con- 

 signments of canned salmon and of cattle were 

 also sent there during the season. Shipments 

 of lumber were sent to China, Japan, and else- 

 where, and of coal to San Francisco. Complete 

 statistics are not yet obtainable of the export 

 trade of the province for 1893. 



Criminal Statistics. The number of crim- 

 inal convictions in British Columbia last year 

 was 187, or a ratio of 17-34 per 10,000 inhab- 

 itants ; for the year preceding, 145, or a ratio of 

 14-85 per 10,000. Including summary convic- 

 tions by justices of the peace, the total for last 

 year was 1,321, or 1 to 81 inhabitants, and for 

 the year before 1,360, or 1 to 71. The increase 

 in crime in the province during the past ten 

 years has been 201-55 per cent., while the popu- 

 lation increased only 98-50 per cent. 



The disproportionate increase in crime may 

 be largely attributed to the fact that the major- 

 ity of those employed in mining, in the fish-can- 

 ning industry, and in the lobster and seal fish- 

 ing, while responsible for much of the crime, 

 are not enumerated among the permanent popu- 

 lation of the province. 



Progress and Development. When Brit- 

 ish Columbia entered the Dominion of Canada, 

 in 1871, its population was 36,000. According 

 to the census of 1891 the population then was 

 96,500. Last year the increase in the number 

 of the inhabitants amounted to 10,441, and for the 

 present year (1893) allowing a similar increase, 

 which is probably a moderate estimate, the pop- 

 ulation would amount to over 117,000. This 

 enumeration does not include occasional or tem- 

 porary dwellers in the province, Indians, of 

 whom there are 35,202, or Chinese, of whom 

 many thousands are employed in mining and 

 other industries. 



The increase in the population of the towns 

 of the province has been at a much higher rate. 

 Vancouver, the Pacific terminus of the Cana- 

 dian Pacific Railway, had in 1893 a population 

 estimated in round numbers at 20,000. Until 

 May, 1886, its site was covered by a dense forest. 

 It is now a place of great commercial impor- 

 tance, having extensive wharves and warehouses, 

 fine hotels, churches, and schools, and many 

 miles of well-paved streets lighted by gas and 

 electricity. It has a regular steamship service 

 to China and Japan, to Australia ria Honolulu, 

 to San Francisco, to Alaska, and to various 

 points in the province. 



Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, with 

 an estimated population in 1892 of 17,431. in 1893 

 of 20,000, is at the southern extremity of Vancou- 



