1919-20 DEPAETMENT OF LANDS, FOEESTS AND MINES. 



163 



Appendix No. JfS. 

 The Honourable the Minister of Lands, Forests and Mines, Ontario. 



SiK, — I have the honour to submit to you the report of the work of the 

 Northern Development Branch, done under my supervision during the season 

 ending October 31st, 1919, in Temiskaming District and that part of Algoma 

 District in 'the vicinity of the Town of Hearst, being otherwise described as : ( 1 ) 

 the area tributary to the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Eailway and its 

 branches from Latchford to its Northern terminus at Cochrane, a distance of 

 almost one hundred and sixty miles, and (2) the area tributary to the Canadian 

 National Railways from the Quebec boundary westward, for a distance of about 

 two hundred miles. 



On account of the scattered settlements in Northern Ontario, the problem 

 of providing good roads for all is very difficult and costly, particularly so when 



iScene at Swastika, Ont. 



wages are high and labor is scarce. In many cases it is a question of having a 

 bad road or of having no road at all, so that we have, in order to serve the different 

 isolated settlements, many miles of road varying in quality from very good to 

 very bad, much of it often impassable at certain seasons of the year. With more 

 compact settlements the same expenditure would have constructed better and more 

 satisfactory roads on account of less mileage required. 



No new roads were cut out in advance of settk^nent during the past season. 

 This class of work was only done in order to let settlers out and give their children 

 access to school. The principal work done was towards the completing of roads 

 that had been commenced, and the repairing and improving of existing roads. 

 Considerable gravelling was done during the winter in the neighborhood of 

 Matheson, Monteith and Cochrane. It was found to be more cheaply done in 

 winter and provided work for settlers during a slack time. 



The details of most of the work done are shown in the accompanying schedule 

 in tabulated form. In addition to what is shown on this schedule, a steel bridge 

 12 F.M. 



