THE RELATION BETWEEN WATER-POWERS 

 AND FORESTS. 



Cecil B. Smith, C.E., Chairman, Temiscaming Railway 



Commission. 



Canada is well supplied with coal, both in its extreme 

 Eastern and Western Provinces, but over an area extending 

 for three thousand miles from New Brunswick to the foothills 

 of the Rockies, and from the United States boundary as far 

 Northward as we have knowledge of a definite nature, there are 

 no coal measures of importance that have yet been discovered; 

 and whilst this deficiency is not an absolutely vital one, owing 

 to the abundance of coal in the neighbouring United States, yet 

 it is of great economic importance, and has been a large factor 

 in retarding manufacturing in this country. 



Now that wood for fuel has become scarce and expensive 

 in many localities, there is a double drain on the pockets of our 

 people, and a continually increasing stream of money is flowing 

 across our Southern border to purchase coal for heating and 

 power purposes. 



Until quite recently this had not appeared very important 

 because wood, being plentiful, was largely and often wastefully 

 used for fuel and power, and because manufacturing was not 

 carried on extensively, and therefore the power problem did 

 not loom large in the public view. However, the last ten years 

 have worked many changes, and we arc now face to face with a 

 condition and not a theory. 



Street and suburban railways are operated by electricity ; 

 Cities and towns demand electric lighting; manufactures are 

 increasing by leaps and bounds, and more and more coal con- 

 tinues to pour over our frontier to meet our ever growing demand 

 for power. 



The natural query is How and To what extent can this 

 unfortunate economic condition be improved upon, and what is 

 the proper channel through which the desired end can best be 

 accomplished ? 



The direct use of water-power for pumping and grinding is 

 embedded in histont\ and doubtless such uses will continue to 

 form an important factor in daily life for generations to come; 

 but, excepting in special cases, these uses will be and are, con- 



