Report of the Minister of Lands and Forests 

 of the Province of Ontario 



For the Year ending 31st October, 1930 



A BRIEF RETROSPECT AND GENERAL ADMINISTRATION 



A cursory examination of the records of this Department in respect of its 

 activities during the last quarter of a century, or since the beginning of the early 

 part of the year 1905 when a change of Government occurred, discloses most 

 interesting and gratifying results that reflect continued progress. 



At that time the northern boundaries of the Province extended only to the 

 English River, Lake Joseph and the Great Albany River flowing into James 

 Bay, while the entire natural resources were directly comprised within and 

 listed under the control of the Crown Lands Department which nomenclature 

 had obtained since the cession by the French following the Battle of the Plains 

 of Abraham. 



Now the northern boundaries, by the acquisition in 1912 of additional 

 territory formerly part of the North West Territories, reach the Hudson Bay 

 and embrace a new empire of 130,000 square miles and lengthen the distance 

 from the most southerly point, Pelee, in Lake Erie, to the most northerly on 

 the Hudson Bay by 375 miles so that it is now approximately 1,000 miles as the 

 crow flies. 



Thousands of miles of road have since been constructed, fertile agricultural 

 land, mining land and water power has been developed, the wilderness, so called, 

 of Northern Ontario has given place to fervid business enterprises, until to-day 

 we have in that area mining fields known the world over, six cities, twenty-two 

 towns and over one hundred and fifty communities under some form of municipal 

 government with a population of three hundred and fifty thousand people. 



Such is progress, and the mark of destiny reveals itself day by day indicating 

 that Ontario is still in process of a general expansion and development notwith- 

 standing the general depression which she in part shares in common with the 

 rest of the world to-day. 



The term "Crown Lands" covered indeed a multitude of potentialities and 

 a diversity of administrative activities — land for agricultural and other endless 

 purposes, mines and minerals, timber and all forest supplies, fur-bearing animals, 

 game and fish, water power and its kindred interests, river driving, navigation 

 within limitations, road and bridge building, colonization and immigration 

 and aids to settlers. All these in their different aspects were governed by 

 various Acts coming within the scope and under the jurisdiction of the responsible 

 Minister, the Commissioner of Crown Lands. 



Important changes, however, were soon made to harmonize with a new 

 era. The growth of the mining industry and its prospective contribution to 

 the future industrial prosperity of the country demanded a recognition hitherto 

 not accorded it, and in 1905 the old Crown Lands Department was changed to 

 the Department of Lands and Mines. While this change was an outstanding 

 recognition of the fact that "land" produced the precious metals, it failed to 



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