1909 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS, FORESTS AND MINES. ix 



that those who had been operating and were still contracting and had acquired lum- 

 bering plants and mills, etc., under a proper system of public sale and license, should 

 be given an opportunity of acquiring timber to enable them to carry on their 

 business. The Department had been preparing for the proposed change and had 

 the territory formerly under permit and some additional areas damaged by fire, sur- 

 veyed into berths and estimated and put them up for public competition on the 

 15th day of September last. Many of the berths offered had been previously cut over 

 under permit and, therefore, the sale was largely a cleaning up sale. The timber was 

 sold by the thousand feet with the object of making sure that the Crown would be 

 paid for every foot on the territory, and that the purchaser would only pay for 

 what he got. Under the old system of selling by the mile the estimates were often 

 faulty, and the Province did not get paid for all the timber on the berths. Under 

 the present system strict justice is done both the buyer and seller as to quantity. 

 The purchasers were required to deposit substantial sums as security for the due 

 performance of all the conditions. The sale was very successful in that good prices 

 were obtained, much beyond what was expected in many instances. The damaged 

 timber is now being cut so that the fire loss will not be large. ^ 



A serious fire having occurred in the Mississaga Reserve, the damaged timber 

 in that Reserve was also divided into berths and offered for public competition. 

 The bids were to be on the basis of a thousand feet B.M. — that is to say, parties 

 were invited to state how much per thousand feet B.M. they were willing to pay 

 for the timber in addition to $3 per thousand feet dues and $5 per mile ground 

 rent. It was also a condition of the sale that all timber should be measured by 

 cullers appointed by the Department whose measurements are to be the basis of 

 payment as the timber is removed, the licensees paying half the expense. The 

 right to cut is limited to a period of ten years, after which the timber remaining 

 is to revert to the Crown. 



The lumber tra3e is in a better condition because there is an increased demand 

 and an advance in prices. What effect the tariff legislation of the United States 

 will have when applied remains to be seen. The output for the season of 1909-10 

 is estimated to be from sixty to one hundred millions in excess of last year. 



Fire Ranging. 



The fire ranging system has been continued on the same lines as described in 

 my last annual report. The history and regulations of this important service were 

 reviewed and explained last year, and it is, therefore, unnecessary to refer to any- 

 thing except the work of last season. The danger points are, along the lines of 

 1 ail ways under construction, in Forest Reserves where mineral prospecting or 

 development is going on, and on licensed territory where settlers are clearing land. 

 It is a testimony to the good effect of the service on licensed lands that very few 

 fires are reported as having been caused by clearing of land by settlers. 



In the Mississaga Forest Reserve as well as in the Temiskaming forest fires 

 occurred. The quantity of timber damaged in the Mississaga would probably be 

 seventy-five million feet. As the fire ran in streaks it was necessary to sell the 

 green timber interspersed through the burnt. Every effort was made to trace .the 

 cause of this fire and fix the responsibilitv, but it was found impossible to do so. 

 Serious fires had occurred on territories south of the Reserve damaging licensed ter- 

 ritory, and the fire which injured the Reserve ran up from the licensed lands. There 

 were a few fires in the Temagami Reserve which damaged small quantities of red 



