BRITISH COLUMBIA 



936 



BRITISH COLUMBIA 



to 50,000,000 pounds, valued at $7,000,000 to 

 $8,000,000. Of the non-metallic minerals coal 

 is most important. It is mined chiefly on 

 Vancouver Island, but there are known to be 

 rich deposits in the Rocky Mountains, espe- 

 cially in the southern third of the province. 

 In the production of coal British Columbia is 

 second to Nova Scotia among the provinces, 

 but its annual average of 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 

 short tons is less than half that of the leader. 



Fisheries. For many years Nova Scotia 

 held first rank among the provinces for its 

 fisheries, but in 1912 British Columbia forged 

 ahead; the fisheries of this province are now 

 the most important in Canada and yield about 

 forty per cent of the annual total for the 

 Dominion. The salmon fisheries are by far 

 the most valuable, and their products, includ- 

 ing canned fish, average about $10,000,000 a 

 year. Seventy-five per cent of the catch is 

 canned each year. The salmon are of several 

 kinds and ascend the rivers at different seasons. 

 The spring salmon, or quinnat, is the largest, 

 and the best for use when fresh. The sockeye, 

 which follows in the summer, is smaller, though 

 of more uniform size, and is preferred for 

 canning because when the run has once begun 

 it invariably continues steadily in enormous 

 numbers. The dog-salmon are caught by the 

 Japanese, who salt them for export to the Far 

 East. During the season from 2,000 to 2,500 

 boats are used at the mouth of the Fraser 

 River, from which the largest part of the catch 

 is taken. About two-thirds of the canneries 

 are qn the Fraser River; most of the remainder 

 are on the Skeena River and Rivers Inlet. 



The only other fish of much importance is 

 halibut, the catch of which has an annual 

 average value of $1,750,000. Cod, herring, shad, 

 sturgeon, clams and crabs add about $2,000,000 

 each year, bringing the total value of the 

 fisheries to $13,000,000 or $14,000,000 a year. 

 The fur-seal fisheries were formerly important, 

 but are now almost extinct (see SEAL). 



Agriculture. Mining and fishing are the 

 greatest industries, but not the only ones. 

 There are many fertile sections where grains 

 and other field crops are being successfully 

 raised, and the lower valley of the Fraser River 

 is one of the regions where fruits and vegetables 

 of all kinds reward the farmer's work. Prac- 

 tically all of the valleys are fertile, and require 

 only irrigation to make them productive. In 

 the Okanagan. Thompson and Columbia val- 

 leys are more than 100,000 acres tributary to 

 irrigating canals, and there are several hundred 



thousand more acres available. The irrigated 

 land will support many kinds of crops, but 

 the expense of constructing irrigation systems 

 makes intensive cultivation of fruits and vege- 

 tables most profitable. 



Wheat is raised only in small quantities, 

 but the production of oats averages 3,000,000 

 bushels. The potato crop is about the same 

 size. Live-stock raising is of some importance, 

 and there are perhaps 300,000 head, including 

 horses, in the province. The production of but- 

 ter and cheese is important locally. Apples, 

 peaches, pears, plums, cherries and various 

 small fruits, including strawberries, are raised 

 with great success, especially in the warm delta 

 of the Fraser River. Agriculture in British 

 Columbia represents a total investment of 

 perhaps $200,000,000, and the total annual yield 

 of all products is about one-tenth of that 

 amount. 



Transformation of Raw Products. British 

 Columbia has three great industries, which 

 are dependent on its own raw products. These 

 industries, in the order of their importance, 

 are the transformation of logs into lumber and 

 dozens of other products, the smelting of ores, 

 and the canning and preserving of fish. These 

 three industries produce more than one-half 

 of the total manufactures of the province. 

 The annual grand total is now over $80,000,000 ; 

 in 1900 it was $19,000,000. Log and lumber 

 products are worth $20,000,000 to $25,000,000; 

 smelted ores represent a value of $15,000,000, 

 and canned fish $8,000,000 more. Vancouver 

 is the center of manufacturing, and alone pro- 

 duces about one-fourth of the total. The many 

 rapid streams which descend the west slope of 

 the Coast Range furnish abundant water power 

 where it is most needed on or near the coast 

 and there is no visible reason why the manu- 

 facturing industries should not continue to 

 grow. 



Waterways and Railways. Owing to the 

 mountainous character of a large part of the 

 province, the means of transportation have 

 not yet been fully developed. The construc- 

 tion of wagon-roads and even trails is a task 

 involving great skill and expense. The con- 

 struction of railways is - even more costly, but 

 the province is now served by the three great 

 transcontinental lines, the Canadian Pacific, 

 the Canadian Northern and the Grand Trunk 

 Pacific. The total railway mileage in 1915 

 was about 3,000, and other lines already sur- 

 veyed or under contract will add at least 4,500 

 miles more. 



