34 



Dunn of the gross operating expenses of a typical steam-electric station 

 and hydro-electric station of 20,000 h.p. each, gave the following: 

 In the steam station, coal absorbed 48.9 per cent of the gross 

 operating expenses and bond interest 19.0 per cent, whereas, in the 

 hydro-electric station, bond interest constituted 77.4 per cent of the 

 gross. 



The foregoing does not appear to present an unassailable case in 

 favour of hydro-electric development in the United States, except 

 where an advantageous position with reference to markets and low 

 unit cost present economic advantage. The coal-less provinces of 

 Ontario and Quebec, however, do not present the same basic condi- 

 tions, and the substitution of hydro-electric energy for bituminous 

 coal imported from the United States for the generation of power 

 would justify an expenditure possibly not justifiable upon purely 

 economic grounds. 



In many instances, the centralization of electric 

 Central Electric , • j ^ j • 



Plants plants presents economic advantages and economies. 



In Great Britain the Ministry of Reconstruction has 



reported on a plan of centralizing the production of electric power 



in Great Britain. There are some 600 private and municipal central 



plants for power production. The report emphasizes the wastefulness 



of a " system whereby a man at Hampstead cooks his breakfast by 



electricity from one station, travels to his office by that from a second, 



lights his ofifice by that from a third, and takes lunch at a restaurant 



supplied by a fourth." 



While it is doubtful whether the foregoing could be paralleled 



in Canada, there are localities where centralization of electric plants 



would result in substantial economies. 



MINES 



In July last, Mr. W. J. Dick, our Mining Engineer, resigned, to 

 accept a more lucrative position in Winnipeg. Pending the appoint- 

 ment of a successor to Mr. Dick, your Assistant to Chairman has had 

 to carry on this branch of our work as best he could. In addition, it 

 it is quite evident that we cannot get a competent mining engineer 

 for the salary we were paying Mr. Dick. 



With the exception of gold mining, the mining industry in 

 Canada has been stimulated by the war. The figures of mineral 

 production for the last seven years are as follows: — 



1911 $103,220,994 1915 $137,109,171 



1912 135,048,296 1916 177,201,534 



1913 145,634,812 1917 189,646,821 



1914 128,863,075 1918 211,301,897* 



*Since the Tenth .Annual Meeting, Mr. John McLeish, Chief, Division of 

 Mineral Resources and Statisties, Dept. of Mines, has courteously supplied corrected 

 statistics. The data respecting production have, therefore, been brought up to date. 



