1911-12 D'EPARTMENT OF LAKDS, FOEESTS AND MIN^ES. vii 



Transcontinemtal Railway Commission takes over their road from the contractors, 

 and trains are run on proper schedules and reasonable fares, and the carriage of 

 freight brought down to some permanent basis, then we may expect active interest 

 to arise and a steady inflow of settlers to take place. 



During the year the following townships in the clay belt have been opened for 

 settlement: German, Beatly, Stock, McCart, Bond, Playfair, Calvert, Leitch, 

 Blount, Calhoun, Calder, Pyne, Fox, Fournier, and Kennedy. During the year 

 ended the 31st of October last 250 settlers took up land in the jSTew Liskeard 

 Crown Land Agency, about 175 in the Englehart Agency, 365 in the Matheson 

 Agency, and 600 in the Cochrane Agency, while many people have gone on and 

 selected lands, but had not, on the 31st of October, been regularly entered. So 

 that before the end of the year probably 1,500 settlers had selected and entered 

 upon their lands in that region. 



It is intended to place a Crown Land Agency at the town of Hearst and open 

 townships there for sale and settlement early in the coming year. It is safe to 

 oay that ultimately the region extending from the Quebec boundary on the east 

 to the boundary of the Province of Ontario on the west, and from the C. P. R. 

 north to the height of land, will afford homes for millions of people and support 

 them in comfortable circumstances on their farms. In addition, large towns are 

 certain to spring up, which will afford markets for a good proportion of what the 

 farmers raise. 



This may seem a large prophesy, but when it is remembered that the clay 

 belt is as great in area as the present settled area of Ontario, there is no exaggera- 

 tion in the statement. 



Fkee Grants. 



In other newer parts of the Province considerable settlement has taken place. 

 While the other districts have been over-shadowed in point of interest by the clay 

 belt yet there has been good progress made. In the Rainy River Free Grant Dis- 

 trict and in the Thunder Bay Free Grant District there are considerable areas of 

 good land, and settlement is flowing in. In the Port Arthur Free Grant Agency 

 500 settlers have been located during the year. In the Rainy River Free Grant 

 Agency 366 have been located. In the Dryden Agency 158 settlers were located. 

 Altogether nearly 1,700 free grant locations were taken up by intending settlers. 

 who located and purchased in addition about 262,000 acres. During the year, 

 1,095 locatees completed their settlement conditions and obtained their patents. 



The following townships were opened under the Free Grant Act during the 

 year ending the 31st of October, 1912 : 



Baldwin (part), Lumsden (part), both in the District of Sudbury. 



Ware (part) in the District of Thunder Bay. 



MiLiTAUY Grants. 



The total number of military certificates issued to date, authorizing veterans 

 to select land under the Act 1 Edw. YIL, cap. 6, is 13,996. 



The new locations made during the year numbered 13"9, making in all to the 

 end of the year 7,871, and in 14 cases location certificates were applied for and 

 issued. \ 



Twenty-one certificates were surrendered to the Crown for the $50.00 commu- 

 tation, making in all 3,217 surrendered. . 



