134 REPORT OF THE No. 3 



ill places. I found that the main travelled road a few miles east of Dry den was 

 partly constructed and in some places was only a mere trail or winter road. After 

 careful examination of different roads constructed, and consultation with tlie 

 settlers, I found that the best interests of the agricultural sections in that district 

 would be served by constructing a fairly good gravel road along the concession lines 

 paralleling or as near to the railway as possible, or adjacent to the right-of-way 

 where practicable, following, as far as possible, existing roads. A careful survey 

 and exploration was made from Dyment to Oxdrift, and the old roads and trails 

 were straightened out and diversions made where required to a\oid bad grades. 

 Work Avas commenced at Dryden and tlie road cut out where required, well ditclied 

 and graded as far east as Ellen Bay, a distance of nearly 10 miles ; 1 miles of tlie 

 worst part of this road was surfaced with gravel. It will be necessary, however, to 

 re-surface the balance of this road as soon as conditions will permit as the soil is 

 nearly all a heavy clay or clay loam. 



A short road was constructed west of Dryden along the line l)etweeii Conces- 

 sions 5 and 6 about 2 miles, and graded, to give to a small settlement an outlet to 

 the railway. 



From the proposed trunk road along the railway several good colonization 

 roads have been opened up into the agricultural townships to the north, and when 

 the main trunk road is completed, connecting these roads with the railway stations, 

 it will be of very great service to the different scattered settlements north to the 

 Crand Trunk Pacific Railway. There is a very fine tract of land in this section of 

 the district, a large percentage of which is not yet under cultivation, partly owing 

 to the lack of more good roads and schools. The construction oL' a fairly good 

 trunk road along the Canadian Pacific Railway, from station to station, will greatly 

 relieve the situation. The character of the country is such as to warrant a reason- 

 abls expenditure on trunk roads in this particular section. The settlers as yet are 

 comparatively poor and cannot do very much in the way of assistance, further than 

 in the maintenance of the road. This section excels in the ])roduction of clover 

 and timothy seed; the settlers find a ready market for their produce at the ]m]\) and 

 paper mills at Dryden. 



ROADS IX THE DISTRICT OF RAINY RIVER. 



Number of miles of new roads cut out only 23 



Number of miles of new roads cut out, grubbed and graded 23 



Number of miles of old roads I'egraded and repaired 14 



Number of miles of old roads resurfaced with gravel 18 . 6 



Number of culverts constructed 27 



Number of bridges constructed 3 



Number of feet of tap drains constructed 4,217 



During the winter of 1917, beginning about the middle of January, several 

 small contracts were let for the surfacing of parts of trunk roads where gravel could 

 be easily procured and hauled more cheaply than during the summer season. As 

 soon as the season opened up in May the main trunk roads were run over with road 

 drags or small graders where they had become rutted late in the fall of the previous 

 season. When the settlers had finished their seeding, small contracts were given to 

 settlers throughout the district for the cutting and clearing of roads in the section' 

 between Fort Frances and the Lake of the Woods; these contracts numbered about 

 thirty. A few road camps were started about the beginning of June and were 



