1919-20 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS, FOEESTS AND MINES. 9 



Under the Act 1 Edward VII, Cap. 6, and amendments thereto covering 

 these grants it is necessar}^ for all locatees of the lands granted under this Act 

 to apply for their patents for such lands before ten years have expired from 

 the date of location. If this application for patent is not made within ten years 

 then the land comes under the settlement regulations, and unless the settlement 

 duties are proceeded with, the locations are liable to cancellation. Previous to 

 the expiration of the ten years after location, the Department has sent a notice to 

 each veteran, who should apply for his patent stating this fact, and in this manner 

 has saved many of the locations from becoming subject to the settlement duties. 

 See Appendix No. 11. 



Financial Assistance to Settlers. 



The Settlers' Loan Commissioner reports having received up to October 31st, 

 1919, a total of 3,001 applications for loans, amounting in all to $776,790.00. 

 In all, 1,414 loans have been made to settlers amounting to $442,256.00. In 

 addition, an advance of $12,000 was made to the Sudbury Co-Operative Creamery 

 Company, to which reference was made in the annual report for the previous year. 



Requests for loans are given most careful consideration, but advances are 

 not made except in cases where the security offered is sufficient to afford the Depart- 

 ment every reasonable protection. 



It is worthy of note that nearly 90 per cent, of accrued interest payments 

 have been taken care of by borrowers, and further that payments on principal 

 have exceeded the amounts due on account — ^numerous loans having been paid off 

 in advance of date of maturity. 



The settlers of Northern Ontario, generally speaking, appear to appreciate 

 fully the advantages afforded by the Settlers' Loan Commissioner, and the amounts 

 which have been advanced, undoubtedly, have greatly assisted settlement in the 

 north, and have also considerably increased production along agricultural lines. 



Memorandum Re Mineral Industry in Ontario for 1919. 



The chief metallic products of Ontario are nickel, copper, gold and silver. 

 The effect of the great war was to stimulate the production of three of these 

 metals, namely, nickel, copper and silver, while on gold it had the opposite effect. 



Nickel and copper are essentials for modern warfare, and while the war con- 

 tinued their production rose to the maximum capacity of the mines. Of nickel the 

 total output in 1918 was 46,072 tons, having a value of $27,840,422. The signing 

 of the armistice on the 11th November, 1918, found the allied governments and 

 munition contractors stocked with nickel and the demand at once ceased. Curtail- 

 ment of operations at the mines and smelters immediately followed, and for the 

 larger part of 1919, only a minimum amount of work was done, awaiting the 

 absorption of the surplus nickel by peace and reconstruction industries. Towards 

 the end of the year demand revived, and the prospect is for an early resumption on 

 a pre-war scale. The total output in 1919 was about one-half that of the previous 

 year, and the value fell to about $12,000,000. There was a similar reduction in 

 the output of copper, say from 23,000 tons to about half the quantity, the value 

 being about $3,500,000. 



The extraordinary demand for silver, and the falling off of the output in all 

 silver-producing countries, had a marked effect on the Cobalt silver mines. This 



2 F.M. 



