1920-21 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS. 9 



Au ameudment to the Veterans' Land Grant Act was passed by the Legisla- 

 ture of the Province of Ontario in the Session of 1920, to come into force and take 

 effect on the 1st of June, 1920, providing " That lands located and granted under 

 this Act, have passed out of the ownership of such persons and are being held out 

 of production, and an inspection of these lands shows that the owner lives outside 

 of the District in which the lands are situate, notice may be sent to the owner 

 that such owner must within one year from the date of notice become a bona-fide 

 user or occupant of said lands and comply with the regulations made under this 

 Act and that in default of his so doing all his right, title and interest in the said 

 lands shall revert to the Crown, but the owner of such lands shall be entitled to 

 be paid by the Treasurer of Ontario an amount equal to the purchase money 

 received by the Province on the sale of the lands under this Act." But few appli- 

 cations and inquiries in pursuance of this amendment were filed during the past 

 year. 



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

 been issued 13,998 certificates and although the time for receiving applications for 

 these grants expired on the 30th of September, 1908, there are still letters being 

 received from men or their next of kin, who were entitled to this grant, who claim 

 that they have only now become aware of the fact. These applications, therefore, 

 could not now be accepted and no forms of applications have been sent out. 



During the past year there have been located 35 of these certificates covering 

 5,640 acres in the townships open for veterans, making in all a total of 8,364 

 certificates thus located. 



In seven cases the certificates have been surrendered and applied in payment 

 of lands purchased from the Crown, covering in all 703 acres, making a total of 

 798 that have thus been applied. 



There was one certificate surrendered to the Crown for the $50 commutation 

 money, making a total of 3,264 certificates surrendered in this manner. 



During the year there have been issued 69 patents for lands located by 

 veterans, and in all 7,440 have thus been disposed of. 



The total number of certificates that have, therefore, been disposed of is 

 12,426, leaving 1,572 that are still outstanding. " 



During the year 13 veteran locations, covering 2,118 acres, were cancelled for 

 the non-performance of the settlement duties to which they became subject on 

 account of being assigned before patent was issued. 



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

 grants it is necessary for all locatees of the lands located to apply for their patents 

 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 imder 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 sends a notice to each veteran directing him to the provision 

 respecting patent and in this manner has saved many of the locatees from losing 

 their lands by forfeiture. (See Appendix No. 11.) 



Collections. 



The total revenue of the Department from all sources was $2,911,047.13. Of 

 this, $81,480.12 came from Agricultural Lands and Townsites: $59,583.18 Crown 

 Leases. From Woods and Forests the revenue was $2,656,630.51 made up of the 



2 L,F. 



