ONTARIO. 



As to lunatic asylums, the report of the in- 

 spector showed that on Sept. 30, 1901, there were 

 4,604 patients in the asylums of the province, 

 compared with 3,318 in 1890. The question of the 

 relative increase of insanity, compared with the 

 population, the inspector declared to be very per- 

 plexing. While the provincial population had in- 

 creased 56 per cent, in forty years, the number 

 of insane and idiotic persons known had increased 

 from 1,631 to 5,880, or 260 per cent. 



Assessment Commission. On Feb. 13, 1902, 

 the commissioners appointed in the preceding 

 year to investigate the condition and laws re- 

 garding assessments and municipal taxation in 

 Ontario, made their final report. They went into 

 the whole subject with some elaboration, and 

 concluded that " in Ontario, as everywhere else, 

 the direct taxation of personal property gener- 

 ally fails to reach the new kinds of property or 

 wealth which modern civilization has produced." 

 The existing taxes should be abolished, and the 

 only feasible substitutes were thought to be (1) 

 an improved and more general tax, and (2) a 

 tax on the occupiers of land, based on its rental 

 value. Single tax was not only too radical, but 

 it was impossible as well as unprecedented. 

 Various recommendations were made, and a bill 

 was submitted for the Government to utilize, but 

 nothing was done in the matter. 



Forestry and Pulp-Wood. The annual report 

 on forestry in Ontario was published under date 

 of Jan. 24, 1902. Statistics were given of the 

 acreage in each county. The total showed 365,127 

 acres of woodland, compared with 425,781 in 

 1896. The experience and legislation of the Uni- 

 ted States in regard to reforestation were then 

 described, and further action in Ontario was 

 urged. The question of pulp-wood concessions 

 in the forests of northern Ontario was a promi- 

 nent political question. The Government assert- 

 ed that these grants of territory, or rather of cer- 

 tain rights and privileges on the territory, were 

 given under safe conditions and solely for pur- 

 poses of development. The Opposition asserted 

 that they were really grants of public property 

 to enrich friends of the Government at the ex- 

 pense of the people. The area of the seven con- 

 cessions was 15,660 square miles. 



Mines. Steady progress was shown in the de- 

 velopment of the mining interests of Ontario in 

 1901-02. On March 4 of the latter year the offi- 

 cial report of the Bureau of Mines, prepared by 

 Thomas W. Gibson, director, was submitted, and it 

 was made public in August. The total production 

 of the four years preceding Jan. 1, 1902, was as 

 follows: 1898, $7,235,877; 1899, $8,416,673; 1900, 

 $9,298,624; 1901, $11,831,086. In 1901, therefore, 

 the total production showed an increase of $4,595,- 

 209 in value over that of 1898, while the metallic 

 products increased by $3,327,732. Of this latter 

 output in 1901, copper contributed 11 per cent., 

 nickel 37, and pig-iron 33 per cent. Gold, silver, 

 iron ore, and steel were small in comparison. The 

 number of such concerns incorporated in 1901 was 

 47, with a nominal capital of $27,716,000, while 

 13 companies of foreign origin took out licenses 

 to sell stock and hold real estate in the province, 

 with a nominal capital of $12,250,000. Mr. 

 Gibson made the following comment : " It is a 

 somewhat remarkable fact that metalliferous mi- 

 ning in this province is almost wholly carried on 

 by companies whose share capital is in the hands 

 of people living in Great Britain or the United 

 States. In nickel and copper this is true without 

 exception; in gold it is all but true, and so also 

 in iron." 



The lead in progress was taken by the copper- 



nickel industry. The yield of nickel ore for the 

 year amounted to 8,882,000 pounds, or 4,441 tons, 

 valued in the matte at $1,859,970. This was an. 

 increase in quantity of 25 per cent., and in value- 

 of 145 per cent, compared with 1900. The copper 

 contents of the matte were 4,197 tons, valued at 

 $589,080, compared with 3,364 tons, worth $319- 

 681, in 1901. 



The iron industry occupied the second place in 

 importance, and the progress was very marked. 

 This was principally owing to the extensive devel- 

 opment of the Helen Mine in Michipicoten, from 

 which most of the ore now raised is taken. In 

 1901 the amount of ore produced was 273,532" 

 tons, worth $174,428, which was more than three 

 times the quantity mined in 1900. The output of 

 pig-iron was largely augmented both in value 

 and quantity. In 1900 62,385 tons were got out r 

 valued at $936,066, while in 1901 the output waa 

 116,370 tons, of the value of $1,701,703. 



There was a continuous decrease in the gold 

 product. Only 9 mines were producing gold,, 

 against 18 the previous year. Their output was 

 14,293 ounces, worth $244,443. The silver-mine* 

 yielded 151,400 ounces, valued at $82,830, against 

 160,162, valued at $96,367, the year previous. The 

 only zinc-mine in operation yielded $15,000 worth 

 of ore, or 1,500 tons. 



Petroleum products showed a decline, the yield 

 of 1901 having a value of $1,467,940. 



Agriculture. The creameries in Ontario at 

 the end of 1901 numbered 286, with a production 

 of butter valued at $1,798,264, against 308 and a 

 production of $1,819,290 in 1900. The average 

 wages of farm-laborers, according to the annual 

 report of the Bureau of Industries for 1901, was 

 $165 a year, with board, in yearly engagements, 

 and $263 a year without board. By the month 

 wages were $17.78 in the working season with 

 board, and $27.05 without. Domestic servants 

 averaged $6.90 a month. The areas of assessed 

 land in the province in 1901 was 23,636,178 acres, 

 of which 13,436,482 were cleared, 6,715,872 were 

 woodland, and 3,483,824 acres were swamp, marsh, 

 or waste land. The crops for 1902 were as fol- 

 low: Fall wheat, 20,033,669 bushels, yield per 

 acre 26.8; spring wheat, 6,048,024 bushels, per 

 acre 20; barley, 21,890,602 bushels, per acre 33.1; 

 oats, 106,431,439 bushels, per acre 42.6; peas, 

 7,664,679 bushels, per acre 14.4; beans, 670,033 

 bushels, per acre 12.4; rye, 3,509,332 bushels, per 

 acre 18.5; buckwheat, 1,911,683 bushels, per acre 

 20.5; potatoes, 12,942,502 bushels, per acre 89; 

 carrots, 3,277,161 bushels, per acre 374; mangel- 

 wurzels, 39,140,924 bushels, per acre 511; turnips, 

 71,740,204 bushels, per acre 525; corn for husking 

 (in the ear), 20,512,194 bushels, per acre 55.1 ; hay 

 and clover, 4,955,438 tons, per acre 1.87. There 

 were 2,777,983 acres of pasture land in the prov- 

 ince in 1901; 346,915 acres of orchard and gar- 

 den, 12,227 acres of vineyard, and 677.935 apple- 

 trees of fifteen years and over, producing 14,430,- 

 650 bushels of apples. The cattle on July 1 

 numbered 2,507,620, and were worth $59,527,119. 

 Those sold or slaughtered in the year numbered 

 610,880, valued at $20,286,936. The sheep num- 

 bered 1,761,799, worth $7,772,793. Those sold or 

 slaughtered in the year numbered 729.148. worth 

 $3,103,513. The hogs numbered 1,491.885, and 

 were valued at $9,298,712. Those sold or slaugh- 

 tered in the year numbered 1,973,405, valued at 

 $17,548,490. The poultry numbered 9.74.VJM. val- 

 ued at $2,859,172. Those sold or killed in the 

 year were valued at $1,305,555. The value of the 

 wool-clip was $781,769, and the product of bees in 

 the province was worth $1,111,099. 



OREGON. (See under UNITED STATES.) 



