1912 AND FISHERIES COMMISSION. 285 



be of good character and physique, should make ideal guides for the 

 average tourist, for they would be cleanly in habits and polite in man- 

 ners; and, in a very short space of time, would be equally at home as 

 the woodsman in the particular districts in which they were employed. 

 Other young men, without the particular qualifications necessary for 

 guiding, would, at least as fire rangers, be obtaining practical knowledge 

 of the woods, of life in the same, and of the practical side of fire pro- 

 tection for the forests, as also, probably, of fire extinguishing. 



The people of Ontario, as a whole, maintain the park preserves, but 

 only a proportion of the people are able or desirous of making use of 

 them; and, therefore, it would seem not to be unreasonable to attempt 

 to lighten the burden on those who do not by imposing a small fee for 

 the privilege on those who do. A registration fee of 50 or 75 cents 

 would deter none from coming, but would furnish an additional source 

 of income to provide for the cost of maintenance and, equally important, 

 provide statistics as to the numbers making use of the parks. 



Your Commissioner would, therefore, recommend that: 



1. Power be taken to expropriate gradually the holdings of settlers 

 in barren and unprofitable lands, adjudged unsuited to agriculture, the 

 said settlers being offered free lands in districts more suited to agricul- 

 ture, and, with their wives, families and belongings, free transportation 

 to same. 



2. The following townships be added to the Algonquin National 

 Park: To the south — Livingstone, Laurence, and Nightingale. To the 

 east — White River, Clancy (east half), Guthrie, Barron, and Edgar. 



3. A chief ranger be appointed for the Algonquin Park. 



4. The number of rangers in the Algonquin National Park be in- 

 creased to 24. 



5. A system of taking the normal increase of beaver be adopted for 

 the provincial park preserves, pelts to be taken by Govermnent officials, 

 branded with the Government brand, and sold by tender or auction, the 

 proceeds of such sales being devoted to the maintenance of the provin- 

 cial park preserves. 



6. The students of Dr. Fernow's forestry class be encouraged to go 

 into the woods and act as guides in the provincial park preserves when 

 it is attested by Dr. Fernow that they have the proper qualifications, 

 and be employed, as far as possible, as forest fire rangers, or rangers' 

 assistants, by the Department of Lands, Forests and Mines, free trans- 

 portation to their destination and back being provided at the public 

 expense. 



Deer. 



One of the penalties of advancing civilization in all countries has 

 been the comparatively rapid disappearance of the larger forms of wild 

 animal life indigenous to tliem. Tlie axe of the woodman, the opening 

 of a country to agriculture, the creation of trade and transportation 



