1907 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS, FORESTS AND MINES. 257 



THE SQUARE TIMBER TRADE. 



A resolution adopted by tiie Legislative Assembly on February Sib, 

 1878, called for returns sbowing tbe quantity of saw logs, square and 

 waney pine timber cut on public and private lands for each of tbe years 

 from 1868 to 1877 inclusive. Tbe jfigures are cbiefly of interest as indicat- 

 ing tbe great fluctuations of trade during tbis period, resulting mainly 

 from tbe unsatisfactory condition of tbe*!Britisb market. Tbe totals for tbe 

 years specified in feet, board measure, are as follows : 



1868 177,390,000 1873 589,178,742 



1869 ...375,620,200 1874 406,185,320 



1870 300,900,850 1875 396,681,522 



1871 358,096,400 1876 294,729,327 



1872 669,569,542 1877 270,260,979 



Gvat Waste. 



Tbe report of Hon. T. B. Pardee, Commissioner of Crown Lands for tbe 

 year 1879, dealt at some lengtb witb tbe waste of valuable material involved 

 in tbe manufacture of square and waney pine timber for sbipment to Eng- 

 land. Estimating tbat in squaring timber one-fourtb of tbe wood was 

 destroyed, tbe Commissioner calculated on tbe basis of tbe returns sbowing 

 tbe production of square pine for tbe ten years 1868-1877, tbat a direct loss 

 to tbe Province of $3,577,500 for tbis period bad been sustained or an annual 

 loss of $357,750. In addition, tbe loss owing to tbe destruction of timber 

 by fires, wbicb migbt bave been confined to a limited area, and possibly 

 extinguished before great damage bad been done, bad tbey not been fed by 

 tbe debris of trees left to rot and dry, was incalculable. **It is time," con- 

 tinued tbe report, "tbat tbe Canadian lumberman engaged in the square pine 

 business should open his eyes to tbe alarming waste of a material, tbe valve 

 of wbicb is increasing every year, (tbat in fact bie is stripping his limits and 

 disposing of bis timber frequently at a loss, or at best during several years 

 past, at a rate which seldom pays more than tbe cost of cutting down, squar- 

 ino-. drawing and taking to market, while at the same time be leaves in tbe 

 woods as useless one-fourth of each tree be levels to tbe ground, one-half 

 of tbe timber so left being tbe most valuable part of tbe tree) ; and see tbe 

 necessity of turning his attention to saw milling operations as a more econ- 

 omical mode of manufacturing his timber, by which be would not only 

 benefit himself by turning to profitable account what is now so wantonly 

 wasted, but the Province generally by increasing the field of labor for its 

 people, while the Provincial Treasury would derive additional revenue from 

 tbe material saved and utilized. * * ♦ 



"It is to be hoped that those who bold timber limits and have confined 

 their operations to the manufacture of square pine, will see tbe propriety 

 and necessity of speedily reducing the production to tbe smallest possible 

 extent, witb the object of wholly withdrawing from tbe trade at an early 

 day." 



RIVERS AND STREAMS. 



Tbe use of all streams and rivers upon tbe waters of wbicb timber could 

 be floated to its destination, has from the outset of the timber trade been a 

 most important consideration to the lumberman. Debarred of this means 

 of getting out his annual cut, the possession of limits at a distance from the 

 main water highways would be of little value to bim.^ The right of the 



