11H)7 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS, FORESTS AND MINES. 221 



duce of our forests, when prepared for exportation as deals or other sawn 

 stuff in preference to their being sent from the Province in the shape of 

 timber. 



Drawhach Proposal. 



"There is one way, which occurs to me, in which this seemingly desir- 

 able encouragement could be afforded, that is, by allowing a drawback to 

 the shipper equal to one-third of the duty leviable. When it is taken into 

 account that the duty paid by the lumber merchant upon what he takes off 

 from every acre (using up everything which he can prepare for export) is pro- 

 bably more than three-fold greater than would be paid by the timber 

 merchant were he to make timber upon the same piece of land; from the 

 circumstance that of necessity he rejects or wastes what the other had no 

 difficulty in working up ; the lumber merchant appears^ to have a species of 

 right oh his side to the mark of consideration for his branch of trade, which 

 the allowance of a drawback would indicate. 



"It is unfortunately too much a matter of certainty that what used to 

 be designated our inexhaustible supplies of timber are rapidly disappear- 

 ing, and sound policy would suggest that inducements should be offered for 

 economizing that which still stands in the forest ; and in addition to those 

 which I have already named for the following among other reasons : The 

 British capital invested in our railways, and in Provincial and Municipal 

 loans, must ere long lead to an annual drain in very considerable sums in 

 the way of interest and profit, and the large amounts hitherto yearly brought 

 into the country and expended for military purposes being about to cease 

 will, both the one and the other, tend to render it more difficult than ever 

 to balance our accounts satisfactorily with Europe. To export all our pro- 

 ducts in a shape and form such as to increase their intrinsic value cannot 

 but be a matter of the greatest moment; and I believe that in recommend- 

 ing the allowance of a drawback on deals and other sawn stuff I am advocat- 

 ing a measure worthy of serious consideration." 



The System in United States. 



The differences between the Canadian and American systems of dispos- 

 ing of the timber were thoroughly discussed during the course of the investi- 

 gation. The exposition of the methods pursued in the United States ren- 

 dered it abundantly evident that whatever defects might exist in the Can- 

 adian system it was much superior to that of the United States in the matter 

 of preventing the monopoly of natural resources by comparatively few 

 individuals and securing to the public treasury returns in some measure 

 proportionate to the value of the privileges granted. 



Jonathan R. White of the State of Michigan, explained to the com- 

 mittee the system adopted in the United States for the sale of public lands 

 and timber as follows : 



"The land districts, which are established by Act of Congress, having 

 been surveyed, measures are taken for the sale of the lands by the appoint- 

 ment of a Registrar and a Receiver. The Registrar is supplied with all 

 necessary information respecting the lands. He receives the applications 

 and issues his certificates of application, but receives no money. The 

 Receiver receives the money for lands, transmits it immediately to Wash- 

 ington with name of purchaser, in whose favor the patent at Washington is 

 then transmitted to the Registrar of the land district for delivery. On the 



