xii REPORT OF THE No. 3 



year for the following reasons: Areas are cut out and surrendered by the licensees 

 and there are other areas on which the ground rent is not paid and the license does 

 not issue. There was surrendered this year 257 miles and new licenses were issued 

 for areas sold during the year amounting to about 100 miles. The output of pine 

 sawlogs, booms and square timber in feet board measure was 360,377,168 feet 

 board measure, which is 127,661,498 feet board measure below the output of last 

 year. The output of timber other than pine was 64,497,036 feet board measure as 

 against 69,373,572 feet board measure for last jesiT. The quantity of pulpwood 

 taken out from Crown Lands was 131,434 cords as against 140,338 cords for last 

 year. There were 6,355,828 pieces of railway ties taken out this year as against 

 5,704,559 for last year, or an increase of 651,269 ties over the output for last year. 

 It will be seen that, as was expected, the output of all kinds of timber was con- 

 siderably below the output of last year, except railway lies. The great scarcity of 

 money compelled a number of lumbermen to shorten up their operations, while 

 others did not operate at all. It is not expected that there will be much increase 

 in the cutting of the present winter as the financial stringency has not entirely 

 ceased. 



During the year the pine timber in the Townships of Thistle and McWilliams 

 tributary to Lake Nipissing was offered for sale by public tender. The Department 

 had careful examinations made of the Townships which showed that a large per- 

 centage of the timber in them was mature and that the large tiipber was very 

 faulty. There was a request from the Ontario Pulp Company to be allowed to get 

 a part of its supply in these townships, and there was the danger of fire owing to 

 the construction of the Canadian Northern Railway in the neighborhood. Under 

 these circumstances it was considered advisable to offer the timber for sale, and it 

 «vas accordingly sold, subject to an increase in ground rent from $5 to'$10 per mile, 

 and an increase in the timber dues from $2 per thousand to $5 per thousand, and 

 the important condition was put in that no trees of a less diameter than 12 inches 

 on the stump 2 feet from the ground- should be cut. The increase of the ground 

 rent and timber dues was a substantial one and the conditions prohibiting the 

 cutting of small trees were new. The amount realized from the sale was $147,500 

 or an average per acre of about $3 with $5 per thousand to be paid when the 

 timber is cut. 



FiRERANGlNG. 



The fireranging service during the summer was composed of 217 rangers in 

 forest reserves, 208 on railways, and 114 on lands of the Crown. There were 34 

 chief rangers including the services of the Crown Timber Agents ; 4 assistant chief 

 rangers, and 8 supervising rangers on licensed lands, making a total of 585 men. 

 The timber licensees had on their various limits 350 rangers, so that the total 

 staff of firerangers on duty last year was 935 men. There were no serious fires 

 during the past season on lands of the Crown except in the Township of Dana, 

 and there the timber damaged was disposed of and will be cut this winter. On 

 licensed territory the Georgian Bay Lumber Company had some timber burnt by 

 locomotives of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and on the Booth limits tributary to 

 the Mattawa River some timber was damaged in the course of railway con- 

 struction. These are the only fires of any consequence which occurred on lands of 

 the Crown or licensed territory during the present year. 



