1)2 KEPORT OF ONTARIO GAME No. 52 



sort, for many who would be willing to undertake a short journey either 

 alone or with their families for the sake of securing good sport during 

 the summer vacation would be deterred from coming in j)roportion as the 

 distance to be traversed and the difficulties of access become increased. 

 Plainly, therefore, it is of the utmost importance from the viewpoint of 

 encouraging the angler-tourist traffic that the sporting fisheries in the 

 more accessil)le waters of the Province should be rendered as prolific as 

 it is possible to make them, and especially so in cases such as the Mus- 

 koka district, where the natural beauty of the scenery and formation of 

 the region generally render it eminently suitable for the purposes of a 

 great summer playground, while, were it not for this factor, the locality 

 would be comparatively useless and unprofitable to the Province. 



From the returns of the $2.00 non-resident angler's tax it is certain 

 that at least 20,000 anglers visited the Province from outside during the 

 past season, but it is acknowledged that as yet the collection of this tax 

 has by no means been perfected, and consequently the actual numbers of 

 tourists who angled in Provincial waters was assuredly very much 

 greater than this figure. Unfortunately no means other than the non- 

 resident angler's tax of ascertaining the number of summer visitors from 

 outside the Province are available, but it is obvious that a great propor- 

 tion of those who purchased the licenses would liave been accompanied 

 by their families or friends, some of whom did not care to do S'O, which 

 again would very materially swell the total count. That each of tliese 

 persons was directly responsible for some cash being left in the Province 

 is evident, for board and lodging, for transportation, recreation of all 

 descriptions, and perhaps for luxuries, as likewise that the total amount 

 til us accruing to the Province must have been a very considerable sum. 

 Its exact proportions could, of course, never accurately be determined, 

 but if some method of approximating the number of annual visitors 

 attracted by the angling and scenery could be devised, it would at least 

 form a basis on Avhich an estimate could be formed, and thus constitute 

 a direct education to the citizens of the Province at large as to the im- 

 mense value to themselves of the sporting fisheries which, in all proba- 

 bility, are directl}' or indirectly responsible for at least 50 per cent, of 

 the summer tourist traffic. A rough approximation of the number could 

 at least be arrived at by requesting the keepers of hotels and boarding 

 houses to furnish returns of all visitors from inside and outside the Pro- 

 vince, other than those whose stay was in connection with business only, 

 and in the country districts, at least, the overseere might well be utilized 

 to check such returns or even themselves to compile them. 



The number of points along the great extent of the boundaries of the 

 Province which aff'ord easy ingress to visitors from the east and west and 

 south naturally result in a considerable dispersion of the visiting tour- 

 ists, and as the country opens up and transportation facilities increase 

 the range of the summer visitors will inevitably expand, especially so if, 

 as is to be hoped, their numbers cons'iderably augment. The importance, 



