1911-12 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS, FOEESTS AND MINES. ix 



11,116 tons of copper, being the largest production yet. The nickel in the matte 

 was valued at $4,722,040, and the copper $1,581,062. The producing companies 

 are two in number — the Canadian Copper Company and the Mond Nickel Com- 

 pany. The former has been enlarging and improving its plant, and the latter has 

 erected new smelting works at Coniston, east of Sudbury, to which it purposes to 

 remove early in 1913. A third company, the Dominion Nickel Copper Company, 

 has sold its holdings to English interests, who are likely to enter upon a vigorous 

 campaign of production. Extensive diamond drill borings have revealed the pre- 

 sence- of very large reserves of ore at the Frood, Murray, and other mines. 



Iron Ore and Pig Iron. — Iron ore to the extent of 117,3o7 tons valued at 

 $238,884 was raised from the Helen, Moose Mountain and Bessemer mines. Con- 

 centration plants are being erected at Moose IMountain and Magpie. Of pig iron 

 the output was 589,593 tons as compared with 526,610 tons in 1911, the number of 

 blast furnaces in operation being eight. 



Other Products. — Brick, stone, and Portland cement were produced in in- 

 creased quantities, the whole production of building materials amounting in value 

 to $8,735,575. Petroleum continues to decline in yield, and natural gas to increase, 

 the value of the former in 1912 being $344,537, and of the latter $3,268,022. Salt, 

 gypsum, mica, graphite, corundum, talc, feldspar, iron pyrites, quartz and the other 

 materials on the long list of minor minerals comprised in the mining industry of 

 the Province were produced on about the usual scale, several of them providing the 

 basis of industries of local importance. 



The aggregate value of the minerals and mineral products for 1912 was $48,- 

 341,612, as compared with $41,976,797 in 1911, an increase of 13 per cent. In 

 the development and settlement of the northern portions of Ontario the mining in- 

 dustry is of great importance, as may be realized from the fact that it gives em- 

 ployment to about 20,000 men and pays out in wages over 12 million dollars yearly. 



Collections. 



The total revenue of the Department from all sources was $2,900,204.74. Of 

 this $218,737.29 came from agricultural and town -sites, and included $98,838, 

 the purchase price of the Townships of Haggart and Kendry. $36,842.65 was 

 derived from town sites ; mining lands, $51,634.48 ; rent — 'leases, $52,030.16 ; miners' 

 licenses, permits, and recording fees, $107,162.70; royalties, $250,145.65; supple- 

 mentary revenue tax, $190,875.53 ; from woods and forests the revenue was $1,985,- 

 662.78, covering such items as bonus, $540,702.85; timber dues, $1,339,957.12; 

 ground rent, $96,262.81; transfer fees, $8,740. (See Appendix No. 4, page 8.) 



DiSBUESEMEXTS. 



The total expenditure of the Department for ordinary services was $603,782.31. 

 Some of the principal items were: Agents' salaries and disbursements, $15,374.84; 

 homestead inspectors, $10,524.41; Crown timber agents, $27,630.94; wood rang- 

 ing and estimation of timber, $91,753.06; fire ranging, $124,483.74; Forest Re- 

 serves, fire ranging, etc., Temagami Reserve $46,394.96, Metagami Reserve, 

 $8,723.86; Mississaga Reserve, $11,965.01; Nepigon Reserve, $8,568.17; Quetico 

 Reserve, $4,407.95; Mines and Mining, $32,129.01; Mining Recorders, $27,296.75; 

 Surveys, $123,016.46; Refunds, $15,625.44; Contingencies, lands, and forests, 

 $25,815.29; Bureau of Mines, $9,188.67. 



