132 REPORT OF THE No. 3 



applied the condition that tlie bid must be by the thousand feet, so that we 

 shall receive pay for all the timber that is upon the territory, and the 

 purchaser will only pay for what he gets. The ground rent has been con- 

 tinued at |5 per mile, and the dues at |2 per thousand. Upon one berth which 

 was sold in this way the highest bid was |10.52 per thousand feet bonus, 

 in addition to |2 per thousand dues and |5 per mile ground rent. Under 

 these new regulations the Department measures the timber so as to make sure 

 that we shall get the full return. 



I have sketched for you the principles that have guided us in our timber 

 sales, and the changes in the regulations that have been made. Now at the 

 end of 41| years, we find that we have sold in that period about 12,000 miles 

 or the same extent of territory that was under license when we took over the 

 management of the timber. For that timber we have received in bonus, 

 ground rent and timber dues about forty million and a quarter of dollars, 

 nearly a million dollars a year, and in the same period we have received for 

 lands and mines over nine million of dollars, so that our total revenue from 

 lands, timber and mines in forty-one and a half years has been fifty million 

 and a quarter of dollars. To this extent the people have been relieved of 

 taxation by the sale of the natural resources of the Province. Now in that 

 period of forty-one and a half years we have cut and disposed of twenty 

 four billions of pine, or an average of five hundred and seventy-eight millions 

 per annum. We hear a great deal about the rapid cutting away of our tim- 

 ber but there has been no marked increase in quantity in the past ten or eleven 

 years. In 1896 to 1907 inclusive the average cut was only six hundred and 

 seventy-three millions per annum, and for the last two years the cut has 

 been seven hundred and ten millions per annum or an increase of thirty- 

 seven millions over the average of the last eleven years, and this is largely 

 attributable to railway construction in the West, and I may say that a very 

 large percentage of it consisted of jackpine. 



I have taken considerable pains to ascertain what we still have on 

 licensed territory. I have had inquiries made from the quarters best able 

 to furnish accurate information, and then have got the opinions of our own 

 men, who are familiar with the region, and as a result of that inquiry we 

 estimate that there is about seven billions of feet B.M. of red and white 

 pine standing on our licensed territory, besides jack pine, hemlock and 

 spruce, of which there are also large quantities. Hemlock has been called 

 the "skim milk" of the forest. Well, when we cannot get cream or fresh 

 milk we are glad to get skimmed milk, and it may be said of our hemlock 

 that it is coming more and more into use for purposes for which pine is 

 too expensive. Of the jack pine it may be said that it is rapidly increasing 

 in value as its adaptability is admitted for railway purposes, especially ties. 

 Millions of ties are now got out consisting principally of jack pine timber. 

 Spruce will soon be as valuable as pine. 



The preservation of this timber from destruction by fire is a matter of 

 hourly concern, I may say, to the Minister of the Crown responsible for the 

 management of our timber. Now it will be asked, What have you done to 

 protect this great heritage from destruction? Well, I may say that ever 

 since the year 1885 we have had a staff of fire rangers each season on licensed 

 territory. We say to the licensees, who are men of all schools of political 

 thought : How many men will you require to protect your limit from fire 

 during the coming season? They give us the number and they select the 

 men who shall do the ranging. It may be fairly assumed that they choose 

 men who are familiar with the territory, and who are capable of doing the 

 work. We give them instructions and furnish them with literature to hand 



