BRITISH COLUMBIA. 



to the net debt, which would therefore be, when 

 this new loan was floated. s4.-J7vl41.13." 



General Development. The increase in de- 

 velopment of British Columbia is shown by the 

 following tables: 



1881. 1891. 1001. 



Number of miners 2,792 4,591 10.000 



Number of fishermen 1.850 8,798 23,000 



Number of farmers 2,381 5,874 10,000 



Number of houses 6,992 16.775 30.000 



Population 49,459 98,175 177,272 



1871. 1881. 1891. 1901. 



Revenue $192,000 $397,035.06 $1,038,237.95 $1,605,920 



1871. 1881. 1891. 1901. 



Exports $1,912,907 $2,255,753 $6,199,280 $21,645,000 



Imports 1,790,852 2,489,246 5,477,411 11,137,436 



$3,703,259 $4,744,999 $11,676,691 $32,782,436 



1874. 1881. 1891. 19O1. 



Coal mined (tons) 81,000 228,000 1,029,097 1,692,000 



In the ten years 1890-1900 there were spent 

 in hospitals $528,000; education, $2,388,138; 

 roads, streets, bridges, wharves, $3,790,775; 

 works and buildings, $2,425,280; surveys, $330,- 

 473. 



Mineral Production. The total product of 

 the mines of the province up to and including 

 1901 was $172,241,988, of which $80,000,000 was 

 in gold and $54,000,000 in coal and coke. The 

 total production in 1898 was $10,906,861 ; in 1899, 

 $12,393,131; in 1900, $20,686,780. In the year 

 ending Dec. 31, 1901, the placer gold produced 

 was valued at $970,100, the lode gold at $4,348,- 

 603, the silver at $2,884,745, the copper at 

 $4,446,963, the lead at $2,002,733, the coal and 

 coke at $5,016,398, the miscellaneous minerals at 

 $417,238. 



Education. The report of the Superintendent 

 of Education for the year 1900-'01 says t>e total 

 enrolment during the year was 23,615, an increase 

 of 2,084. Of this number, 12,069 were boys and 

 11 ,546 girls. The enrolment of the 5 high-schools 

 was 584, an increase of 31; at the graded 

 schools, 15,460, an increase of 1,647; and at the 

 common schools, 7,571, an increase of 406. The 

 average daily attendance of all schools was 

 15,334. 



The expenditure for education proper during 

 the year was: Teachers' salaries, $213,088.23; in- 

 cidentals, $20,428.07; per capita grant to city 

 districts, $65,840.76; education office, $12,205.81; 

 normal school, $1,944.30; total, $313,507.18 less 

 fees for teachers' examination, $1,320 net ex- 

 penditure, $312,187.17. The expenditure for the 

 construction of new schoolhouses, furniture, and 

 repairs and improvements to school property was 

 $38,345.14. The average cost for each pupil in 

 enrolment districts for principals and teachers 

 was $59.26. and the average monthly salary for 

 rural teachers and monitors $52.06. 



The Chinese Question. On Feb. 27 the re- 

 port of the royal commission of 1901 to inquire 

 into the question of Oriental immigration was 

 submitted to Parliament. The decisions of this 

 voluminous document may be briefly summarized. 



The belief was expressed that the Chinese kept 

 out immigrants who would become perma- 

 nent citizens, and created conditions inimical 

 to labor and dangerous to the industrial peace 

 of the community where they resided, spent lit- 

 tle of their money, and traded chiefly with their 

 own people. The commissioners believed it was 

 impossible for the province of British Columbia to 

 take its place ana part in the Dominion unless 

 its population was free from any taint of a serv- 

 ile class not imbued with a sense of the du- 



ties and responsibilities appertaining to citizen- 

 ship. The estimated white population of British 

 Columbia was 129,000, and 16,000 Chinese. The 

 commissioners pointed out that British laws rec- 

 ognized that aliens can be kept out of the coun- 

 try, especially if as a class they are undesirable. 

 The commissioners approved the views of the 

 Legislature of British Columbia, alleging the 

 probability of a great disturbance to the eco- 

 nomic condition of the province and of grave in- 

 jury being caused to the working classes by the 

 large influx of laborers from China. They found 

 that the capitation tax at $100 was ineffective 

 and inadequate. They were of the opinion that 

 the further immigration of Chinese laborers into 

 Canada ought to be prohibited, and in the mean- 

 time the capitation tax should be raised to $500. 

 Messrs. Clute and Foley recommended that the 

 capitation tax should be raised at once, while 

 Commissioner Munn recommended that $300 

 should be imposed for two years, and if a pro- 

 hibitive treaty be not obtained within that peri- 

 od, that it be then raised to $500. 



Boards of Trade Convention. A convention 

 was held at Kaslo during the week ending March 

 1, composed of representatives of the boards of 

 trade of British Columbia. Resolutions were 

 passed, including one from Traill in favor of in- 

 creasing the duties on white lead and other manu- 

 factured lead products in Canada; another from 

 Rossland regarding proposed popular safeguards 

 against corporation control of fuel and its price 

 in the Crow's Nest fields; one protesting against 

 the injustice of the existing mineral tax, and ask- 

 ing the Government to reduce it so as to levy on 

 the net value of the ore by deducting, in addi- 

 tion to the present freight and treatment charges, 

 the cost of mining exclusive of capital expendi- 

 tures. It was declared that further revenue 

 might be obtained by rigidly enforcing the tax of 

 25 cents an acre now levied on non-working 

 Crown-granted mineral claims, and also by in- 

 creasing the fees for recording assessments. 



Conservative Convention. On Sept. 12-15 

 a gathering of representative Conservatives was 

 held at Revelstoke. It was addressed by R. L. 

 Borden, the Dominion party leader, and John 

 Houston, M. P. P., was elected president of the 

 Provincial Conservative Association. Charles 

 Wilson, K. C., was selected as the provincial 

 leader, and after speeches from Col. Prior, the 

 Hon. T. Carter-Cotton, and the Hon. R. McBride, 

 opposing leaders in provincial politics, a resolu- 

 tion was passed in favor of the introduction of 

 Dominion party lines into provincial affairs. The 

 following resolutions were also passed: 



" That the policy of the party in matters of 

 provincial ros*ds and trails, ownership and con- 

 trol of railways, and the development of agricul- 

 tural resources as laid down in the platform 

 adopted in October, 1899, is hereby reaffirmed. 



" That to encourage the mining industry the 

 taxation of metalliferous mines should be on a 

 basis of percentage on net profits. 



" That Government ownership of telephone sys- 

 tems should be brought about as the first step 

 in the acquisition of public utilities. 



"That a portion of every coal area hereaftt-r 

 to be disposed of should be reserved from sale or 

 lease, so that state-owned mines may be easily 

 possible if their operation becomes necessary or 

 advisable. 



" That in pulp-land leases provisions should be 

 made for reforesting; and that steps should be 

 taken for a general preservation of forests by 

 guarding against a wasteful destruction of 

 timber. 



