199 



The management of timber on lands under license in unsarveyed territory, 

 or in surveyed lands where settlement has not yet penetrated, is comparatively 

 easy ; all that is required being a close inspection of operations by wood rangers. 

 But in old settled townships, where licenses granted man}' years past still obtain, 

 and where settlers who had, prior to 1st July, 1867, purchased lots out of limits, 

 being actual residents on their lots with certain improvements, are allowed to 

 cut and sell the timber on their lands under the "settler's license regulations," 

 the dues on the timber so sold being applied towards payment of the purchase 

 money due the Crown, less ten per cent, for collection ; and in newly surveyed 

 townships in free grant territories covered by license, where locations have been 

 or are being made under the Free Grants Act, as well as lands sold under the 

 Land Act of i860 within or adjoining timber limits, subject to the Pine Tree 

 Regulations under Order-in-Council of 27th May, 1869, there is great care 

 required in guarding against imposition and fraud upon the revenue, by passing- 

 timber cut on lands of the Crown in trespass as cut under authority of settler's 

 license or general timber license, or in process of clearing the lands for cultivation 

 under the 10th secuon of the Free Grants Act, and the Order-in-Council of '27th 

 May, 1869, with respect to lands sold under the Land Act of 18GO. To watch the 

 interest of the revenue and at the s ime time avoid apparent harshness in dealing 

 with settlers on the public lands demands the greatest circumspection by the 

 department, and zeal and vigilance on the part of its employees on the ground ; 

 yet, notwithstanding the exercise of eveiy care and precaution, the conflicting 

 interests arising between lumber operators and settlers are frequent and perplexing. 



The Free Grant Townships in the Muskoka, Parry Sound, and Nipissing 

 Districts are being rapidly settled upon, the lands being in many cases selected 

 and large improvements made before they were open for location or sale under 

 the Act ; in view of this fact, and that it would be impolitic to assume the atti- 

 tude of retarding the settlement of the country, the question of dealing with the 

 pine timber on the lands befoi'e they were formally located, so that the timber 

 might be utilized in the public interest, instead of allowing it to be destroyed by 

 fires, incidental to the clearing of the land, was somewhat embarrassing, seeing 

 that the sawn lumber and square timber trade was in such a state of depression 

 as had never before been experienced, and that in conspqnence the result of 

 selling the townships situated as described, as timber berths, it was anticipated 

 would be anything but satisfactory in a revenue point of view ; however, as 

 settlement could not be kept back, it became imperative that the right to cut the 

 timber on the lands should be disposed of, so that as much as possible might 

 accrue to the public chest. Accordingly, eight, or nine townships, in the 

 condition referred to were inspected as to the pine limber thereon, and 

 reports examined with regard to the quantities in different parts of the 

 townships, and berths of various areas from four to twenty-six square miles each 

 were prepared so as to have the several groups of pine distributed over the 

 respective berths and thereby as far as possible insure sales ; through the careful 

 management in the laying out of the berths, the sale, which took place was very 

 successful, the amount realized giving an average of $200 per square mile 



In April, 1869, new regulations were introduced of which the following is a 

 copy. They took the place of those established by Order-in-Council da ed June 

 12, 1866, and published in the Cana<l Gazette of June 23, 1866, and enforced 

 from that date : 



.(3) CROWN TIMBER REGULATIONS. 



(Established under Chapter 23 of the Consolidated Statutes of Canada by 

 order of His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor-in-Coimcil, dated the I6fch 

 April, I860). 



