35 



It should be borne in mind that these great advances in values 



during the last three years do not represent an equal increase in 



tonnages, inasmuch as nearly every metal, except gold, has greatly 



increased in price. 



^ , . The production of coal increased in all the provinces 



Production xt c- • t^i 



of Coal except JNova cscotia. Ihe greatest mcrease was m 



the production of Alberta to meet the deficiency 

 caused by the war and the war measures of the United States Fuel 

 Administration. The amount of United States bituminous coal avail- 

 able was much less than usual. In addition, shipments of anthracite 

 to Canada were reduced to 77 per cent of the amount actually imported 

 in 1917, although that amount had proved to be inadequate during 

 the excessively cold winter of 1917-18. For Western Canada, the 

 United States Fuel Administration gave instructions that anthracite 

 shipments were to be reduced to 65 per cent of the tonnage usually 

 shipped to Winnipeg and to 50 per cent of the amount normally 

 shipped to the remainder of Manitoba; no anthracite being shipped 

 to points west of Manitoba. The deficiency thus caused by these 

 measures was met by the largely increased shipments of Alberta coal. 



The total production of marketable coal in 1918 was 14,977,926 

 short tons, valued at S55,192,896 — the largest tonnage except in 

 1913. The production included 115,405 tons of semi-anthracite, 

 11,636,190 tons of bituminous, and 3,226,331 tons of lignite. 



Production in Alberta increased to 5,972,816 tons, as compared 

 with 4,736,368 tons in 1917, and 4,014,755 tons in 1913 — an increase 

 of nearly Ij million tons as compared with 1917, and of nearly 2 

 million tons as compared with 1913. 



Decline in During the winter of 1917-18 statements were made 



Nova Scotia in the press that it was possible to largely increase 



^" the production of coal in Nova Scotia. This optim- 



istic view was not shared by us, and, in February, Mr. Dick was 

 instructed to report on the probable shortage. Mr. Dick, basing his 

 report on confidential information received from the principal mining 

 companies, estimated that Nova Scotia would produce only 5,259,000 

 long tons (5,890,000 short tons), as compared with 7,980,073 short 

 tons in the ' banner ' year, 1913, a decrease of two million tons, or 

 nearly 25 per cent. This estimate was communicated to the Do- 

 minion Government and to the Fuel Controller, Mr. C. A. Magrath. 

 The actual production was 5,195,144 long tons (5,818,562 short 

 tons) — practically as stated by Mr. Dick. 



Mr. Hiram Donkin, Inspector of Mines for Nova Scotia, states 

 that the falling off in the production of coal in Nova Scotia was largely 

 due to the decrease in the number of men employed at the coal face; 

 59875— 3 i 



