MINISTER'S REPORT 

 To End of Fiscal Year, March 31, 1935 



As provided for in The Fiscal Year Act 1935, Chap. 22, 25 Geo. V, the 

 fiscal year closing on March 31, 1935 covered a period of only five months 

 from the close of the old fiscal year. 



STAFF CHANGES 



During that period one member of the Head Office staff died, in the 

 person of W. A. McCord, who passed away suddenly Feb. 23rd, 1935. Mr. 

 McCord had been in the Service since May 26, 1926, and will be missed by 

 many friends in the Service and out of it. 



Certain staff reorganization took place involving in some cases redistri- 

 bution of duties, in others salary adjustments, and in others superannuation 

 or discontinuance of services. This applied particularly to the field staff, 

 and the details of various changes appear in Appendices 1 and 2 hereof. 



LAND TRANSACTIONS 



In the last annual report mention was made of the policy of renting 

 Crown lands under certain circumstances. That policy will continue. In 

 some sections lands should not be permanently alienated. When a patent 

 issues control of revenue possibilities is lost by the Crown, but where title is 

 given on a rental basis the revenue possibilities are not prejudiced, and at the 

 same time the applicant for summer resort site or other purpose obtains tem- 

 porarily, during the specified period, absolute control, equally as good as if he 

 were in fact the absolute owner. Many properties of this nature which had 

 passed from the Crown permanently in former years are abandoned and no 

 longer used. The owners consequently would have been as well off on a rental 

 basis, and the properties would still have belonged to the Crown. For these 

 reasons rental propositions will be more readily approved than those involving 

 permanent alienation. The annual collections for leases and other rentals 

 appear in Appendices 3 and 4 following. 



Owing to the change in elapsed time in the fiscal year under review in this 

 report it is difficult to draw comparisons with previous fiscal periods, not only 

 because of the difference in elapsed time, but also because land, timber, and 

 other transactions passing through the Department from time to time are after 

 all largely seasonal. 



During this period Sales to the number of 540 and Free Grants to the num- 

 ber of 168 were effected. 



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