14 REPORT OF THE No. 3 



Summer Resorts, etc. 



The sale of islands and mainland for tourist purposes and of town lots for 

 building showed a slightly improved tone over the preceding period. 



Military Grants 



The routine activities of this section of the lands branch have almost ceased 

 to be of any real charge. Of the original certificates numbering 13,998 issued 

 to the veterans of 1866 and those of the South African war only a number less 

 than 1,000 are still outstanding. These certificates, authorizing each holder 

 the privilege of acquiring 160 acres of land free, are accepted now, owing to 

 statutory amendments to the original Act, only as scrip having a cash surrender 

 value of $50.00 each, or as payment for Crown land to the value of $80.00. 

 Three such certificates were surrendered during the year. 



Patents, Leases, Licenses, etc. 



The number of instruments, as may be observed from Appendix No. 14, 

 totalled 1,578. Patents and transfers issued under the Public Lands Act 

 accounted for over 50 per cent., and licenses and leases under the same Act 

 for 25 per cent., and mining patents for the balance. 



Communications 



Some 50,858 communications were received by the various services, exclusive 

 of those directly pertaining to the Minister's Office, Land Tax Branch and 

 Forestry, while nearly 65,000 were mailed by the same services. Appendix 

 No. 15 furnishes details. 



Provincial Parks 



Unabated interest was manifested in the three great Provincial Parks, 

 Algonquin and Rondeau in Southern Ontario and Quetico in the northwestern 

 part. 



The first mentioned has its headquarters at Cache Lake on the Canadian 

 National Railways, where the railway company own and have operated a large 

 and accommodating inn for the use of visitors and the travelling public. 



The park consists of a staff of some 35 rangers whose duties involve a 

 close control of the entire park, checking up on poachers, clearing trails, fighting 

 fires and generally operating for the betterment of the park. 



Several new shelter houses for rangers have been provided, certain camping 

 areas selected for tourists and work on short roads undertaken. A new concrete 

 dam on the Madawaska River to control the waters on Cache Lake and 

 materially add to the safety and convenience of small craft has been projected 

 and will be completed this fall. There was a slight decrease in non-resident 

 fishing licenses and a noticeable increase in resident licenses, while a larger 

 number of licenses for guides and motor boats issued. 



With a view to co-ordinaing the various services under a single head in the 

 park, a change in the administration was introduced in the month of September, 

 and Mr. J. W. Millar, who has been acting Superintendent for several years, 



