1915-16 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS, FORESTS AND MINES. 



IX 



those desiring loans in that district, and after inspections had been made 121 loans 

 were granted amounting to $36,525. 



Consideration is now being devoted to all other districts,, and from the number 

 of applications received since the Act has been put into effect it would appear that 

 the settlers generally are desirous of taking advantage of the opportunity presented 

 to secure funds for a further improvement of their farms. 



For particulars of applications and the distributing of loans, see Appendix 

 No. 32, page No. 93. 



The Mining Industky. 



The Bureau of Mines has collected returns from the metalliferous mines and 

 works of Ontario showing the production for the nine months ending 30th Sep- 

 tember, 1916. Following are the figures for the period, and for purposes of com- 

 parison, figures for the corresponding period of last year. It wdll be noted that 

 there has been a large increase in the aggregate value, and also in the value of 

 nearly all the individual products, due to causes mentioned in the notes appended. 



Summary of Mineral Production First Nine Months of 1916. 



Product. 



Quantity. 



Value. 



1915 



1916 



1915 



1916 



Cobalt oi"e, tons 



" oxide, lbs 



" metallic, lbs 



Cobalt and nickle oxides (unseparated), lbs 

 Copper ore, tons 



" in matte, tons 



Gold, ounces 



Iron ore, tons 



Molybdenite (concentrates), lbs 



Nickel, oxide, lbs 



" metallic, lbs 



" in matte, tons 



Pig iron, tons 



Silver, ounces 



92 



135,337 



76,979 



2,501 



14 ! 057 

 281,712 

 302,586 



1421483 

 11,905 

 24,054 



354,153 

 17,178,629 



98 



378,732 



172,055 



57,026 



1,715 



16,989 



363,955 



271,034 



15,845 



5,152 



17,435 



31,046 



501,410 



16,203,091 



$12,472 



107,363 



66,552 



500 



2,024,658 



5,826,941 



601,044 



16,085 



4,762 



5,369,536 



4,510,906 



8,030,469 



$10,591 



231,947 



146,467 



22,890 



21 ,685 



6,285,930 



7,513,734 



673,170 



15,845 



6,381 



7,618 



15,523,000 



6,686,965 



9,750,040 



Cobalt. — The silver mines of the Cobalt district have definitely established their 

 supremacy of the sources of the world's supply of this mineral. Notwithstanding 

 the war, which has closed the European markets, the shipments of cobalt oxides were 

 much greater, both in quantity and value than in the first nine months of 1915. 

 It will be observed that metallic cobalt is assuming an important place in the list. 

 This is mainly due to its use in the manufacture of special alloys, principally stellite, 

 for high speed tools. Stellite is made of cobalt, chromium and tungsten, and is 

 finding a good demand fromi munition makers and other workers of modern hard 

 steels. 



Copper. — The extraordinary rise in the price of copper, which averaged 87 

 cents per pound in New York during the nine months, has brought about the open- 

 ing of several deposits of copper ore chiefly west of Lake Superior, from which ship- 

 ments have been made to British Columbia smelters. The principal of these mines 



