An extensive iron range, Lake-of-theWoods gold region. ledge of our unexplored territory. that an iron region of large area exists, embracing Hunter's island and Though prospecting has been carrried on to an extent which apparently Imperfect know justifies the conclusion that the mineral resources of Ontario are enormous, it must be confessed that the examinations are as yet incomplete and to a large degree superficial. Our territory is of vast extent. The proportion of the entire area settled and brought under cultivation is comparatively small. Great stretches of the country north of the height of land, where the formations warrant the expectation that minerals exist in great variety and quantity, have scarcely been touched by the foot of the white man, and where traversed at all it has been except in rare instances by the trapper and hunter, who would either be entirely ignorant of the nature and value of mineral indications or incapable of forming an intelligent opinion upon them. But enough is known to satisfy the careful Regions of the observer that the vast region north of lakes Huron and Superior, once believed Moose valley. to be an inhospitable and worthless region of rock and muskeg, is possessed of an amount of mineral wealth likely to make it the most valuable portion of our grea province. That region is also believed to have extensive valleys vered with heavy forests of hardwood, and possessing a soil and climate that will permit the growth of abundant and varied crops of grasses, grains, roots and vegetables. South-west of Port Arthur, in the promising silver range district, lies a region possessed of great scenic attractions, ridges of trap rock, wide valleys clothed with a heavy growth of poplar, birch and banksian Richness of the pine, and having a deep fertile soil; while beautiful streams and charming lakes combine to give the region a just claim to unsurpassed picturesqueness and beauty. Productive farms and happy homes will in the near future reward the labors of the hardy settlers who are soon to occupy the wilds of the Whitefish valley and the regions beyond. Whitefish valley region. Value of the disputed territory. Of the mineral resources of the territory recently in dispute between the governments of the Dominion and Ontario, the title to which has been confirmed to the latter by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, enough is known to warrant the belief that the decision is one of very great moment to the province. The extension of the great Minnesota iron range into the territory of Canada is within the limits of the region in question. The mines of iron are likely to prove excellent in quality and practically limitless in quantity, and can be easily and cheaply brought to Port Arthur or other lake Superior ports by railways of easy grades and moderate length. The whole of the silver-bearing formation together with the gold-bearing district around the Lake-of-the-Woods are also in this region, and it is far from improbable that the present undeveloped state of the country will give place in a few years to extensive mining operations, the employment of thousands of men, and a large annual addition to the world's stock of useful and precious metals. The disputed territory also has valuable areas of pine lands, and an extensive region of excellent agricultural land in the valley of the Rainy river. MEANS OF DEVELOPMENT. velopment. The government of Ontario has heretofore pursued a liberal and enlightened policy in promoting the construction of railway lines by grants of public Means of demoney. By means of this aid many lines have been constructed in the newer sections of the province, some of which penetrate the mineral districts and furnish an outlet for ores and structural materials that would not otherwise be accessible. In addition to the ores and materials thus made available, the mineral deposits and quarries near the waters of the great lakes, conveniently situated for shipment, are numerous and abundant. Very few of the mines that have good facilities for shipment by rail or water are being worked to anything like their capacity of production. The magnificent quarries of granite, marble, red, white and brown sandstone, serpentine and soapstone situated at points along the lines of railways, and on the shores of Huron and Superior where the largest class of lake vessels can be loaded, are scarcely touched. Iron mines, from which it is believed millions of tons of ore might be shipped annually, are accessible or might be easily made so. Evidently the great want is something else than means of transportation, and some enquiry will be made later on as to the cause or causes of the prevailing stagnation. Port Arthur Just at present there exists a pressing necessity for a short railway line from Port Arthur to the silver range district south-west of that place. No Claims of the doubt is entertained as to the extent or great value of the silver lodes of that silver range. section. Experienced miners believe that it will prove the richest silver region in America. The mines now opened are contending with great difliculties, arising from the expense and delay attendant upon teaming supplies and minerals over a colonisation road never good, and at times nearly impassable. A short railway line would give a wonderful impetus to the development of the valuable mines now opened, and would undoubtedly lead to the opening of many new ones and to the inauguration of a period of great activity and prosperity. The road should be built to Whitefish lake, a distance of about 45 miles, as speedily as possible, and should then be extended from that point westward into the iron range, so as to effect a junction with the Minnesota iron range road. The Dominion government has voted a bonus of $3,200 per mile for the portion of the road from Port Arthur to Gunflint lake, a distance of 85 miles, and the grant for the shorter link by the government of Ontario will doubtless ensure the construction of the line to the vicinity of Whitefish lake. With this section of the road completed the most pressing want of the mineral district will be met, temporarily at least, and it is probable that the company can then command the resources necessary to secure the extension of its line westward. A mining region That the region of the Whitefish valley is one of great promise of great promise. cannot be doubted. The testimony of mining experts from Colorado and other silver producing regions is unanimous upon that point. Actual development has gone so far as to remove the question from the region of speculation. The Beaver mine was opened three years ago. The total amount of money expended up to August 1, 1888, exclusive of cost of land, was $169,288. This included an expensive plant, consisting in part of hoisting machinery and a large stamp mill. The amount of silver taken from the mine up to August 20, 1888, was 383,630 ounces, valued at $368,285. There was besides at that date a great amount of ore uncovered and ready to remove. Many other mines have been so far developed, too, as to render it certain that they will yield highly satisfactory returns. The iron district is also likely to prove of immense importance. Indications warrant the belief that the iron deposits in Minnesota are less extensive than those upon the same range within the province of Ontario. The Minnesota mines have but recently been made accessible by a railway line from Two Harbors on lake Superior, yet shipments from these mines for the last five years show a record strikingly suggestive of a rapidly expanding business. Following are the figures: 1884. 62,124 1885. 225,484 1886. 304,396 1887. 390,467 1888. 450,475 Long tons... With a railway line in operation from Port Arthur westward and south-westward, iron ore can be laid down at Port Arthur for shipment practically at the same cost for railway freight as at Two Harbors. It may not be necessary to push the line beyond the silver district merely for the purpose of securing mineral development while the American duties on iron ore continue, but if reciprocity ever becomes an accomplished fact a railway line from Port Arthur to the iron range could not fail to be the means of developing an enormous business in the mining, transportation and shipping of iron ore. With the exception of this line, and one to secure competitive rates for the Sudbury district, there does not seem to be an urgent necessity at the present time for the construction of railways to aid in mineral development. But with a further and greatly increased development of our mineral resources extension of old lines and construction of new ones will doubtless become necessary, and sections now but imperfectly known, such as the country between the height of land north of lake Nipissing and James bay, will then be able to present strong claims for aid. MINING CAPITAL AND MANAGEMENT. The investigations of the Commission lead to the conclusion that more than one-half of the capital invested in mining operations in Ontario is American, and that the amount of Canadian capital invested exceeds the Canadian, Eng amount of English capital. The evidence also leads to the conclusion that the lish and Ameri- American investments are managed as a rule by experienced and trained can capital invested in mining operations. men, who are capable of giving intelligent direction to the operations under their charge. It is quite evident in most cases that practical education of a thorough character has been acquired by these American mine captains in connection with the prosecution of mining enterprises in the United States, and many of them have also received the advantages of technical education in American mining schools. Canadian prospectors and miners are found as a rule to possess intelligence and energy, but in many cases they have lacked opportunity to obtain either practical or technical education. It is evident that a Canadian school of mines would do good service, and the advantages to be derived from such an institution will be more fully dwelt upon hereafter. Complaints in many instances are made that English companies have sent out managers who knew little about their business or the requirements of the country and who consequently spent money with very little advantage to their employers, and that in consequence of incompetent management failure resulted and discredit has been brought upon Canadian mining investments in the estimation of English capitalists. VALUE OF MINERAL PRODUCTS. Reliable statistics as to the value of the annual mineral products of Canada or of Ontario are not obtainable except for a limited period, and it would be too much to claim strict accuracy for some of the tables given. Almost the only reports upon the production and value of minerals in Canada, aside from the census returns of 1871 and 1881, are the statistical reports of the mining engineer to the Geological Survey, to whose reports for 1886 and 1887 the Commission is indebted for information regarding Canadian mineral production. The census returns of 1871 and 1881 give the quantities of raw minerals produced in Canada for the years 1870 and 1880 respectively, but they fail to furnish information as to values. From these sources a comparison of the mineral production of Canada for the years 1870, 1880 and 1887 may be made as to quantities, as also a comparison of the mineral production of Ontario for the same years, those for 1887 being taken from the Geological Survey report as far as returns are given. MINERAL PRODUCTION OF CANADA IN THE YEARS 1870, 1880 AND 1887. 1887. Quantity. Value. MINERAL PRODUCTION OF ONTARIO IN THE YEARS 1870, 1880 AND 1887. Petroleum and salt. Production of Ontario is the only province of the Dominion which produces petroleum and salt; and while we could not perhaps hope to compete with American manufacturers of illuminating oil, there does not seem to be much doubt of our ability to hold the home market for machinery oils, as Petrolia refiners are now finding a market for this class of oils in the United States. The salt fields of Ontario have an area of about 1,200 square miles, and reports upon the quality of the salt made by American and Canadian experts show that it is of exceptional purity. But although a superior article is produced and the wells could easily treble their present output, the industry has made no progress during the present decade owing to want of a sufficient market, while the selling price is lower than what is obtained at the wells in the neighboring state of Michigan. In 1887 the amount of iron ore used in the production of pig iron was estimated at 60,434 tons, and is included in the total product for that year of iron ore and pig 76,330 tons as given in the table of products for the Dominion. The Geological iron. Ontario's mineral exports. Survey report gives the export of iron ore from Canada for the calendar year 1887 at 13,692 tons, of which 12,224 tons was from Ontario. The trade returns give the export from Canada for the fiscal year 1887 at 23,387 tons, of which 18,907 tons was from Ontario. Copper, iron and pig iron are not classed in the census returns as raw mineral products, and these are not included in the above tables of comparative production. The production of pig iron for 1887 is estimated at 24,827 tons. The returns of all kinds of iron, exclusive of pig, produced in the Dominion in that year give the amount as 31,527 tons, and of steel as 7,326 tons. The returns, however, are incomplete, and the amount of iron produced is supposed to be one-third greater than the figure given. The material used in manufacture was chiefly scrap iron and scrap steel. The following table gives the exports of the products of the mine from Ontario to Great Britain, the United States and other countries since 1869, the first year when statistics of exports were given seperately for the Province : |