purchases were made the Ontario Legislature had passed the Act complained of. Though the name of the tax had been changed to that of license fee, Mr. Clark maintained that the nature of the legislation was a gross breach of faith, and declared that the amount authorized exceeded the value of the ores or matte, and involved practical confiscation. As the object was not to raise Provincial revenue but for regulating the refining and smelting industries, he maintained that the legislation also trenched upon Dominion jurisdiction and should thorefore be disallowed. All the precedents were in favour of such a course and no interest would be injured by it. Mr. Hiram W. Hixon, M.E., followed and declared that from careful examination of the region and the ore deposits he would place the value of 30 pounds of copper at $3.00, and 30 pounds of nickel at $6.00. Deducting from this net value of one ton mined, the cost of the mining ($2.50), the total return would be $6.50 as against a proposed tax of $7.00. The imposition of the tax would, he stated, amount to confiscation of the properties. Mr. J. R. Blaikie, President of the Sudbury Board of Trade, presented the unanimous Resolution of that body demanding disallowance. Mr. B. T. A. Bell then spoke at some length and declared the Ontario Mines Act, in this connection, to be not only unconstitutional but inexpedient. The Mercier Act in Quebec some ten years before had proceeded along these lines and been promptly disallowed by the Dominion Government. The Mining industry, as distinct from the smelter and refiner, received no help from any Government and only wanted to be left. alone. It was wrong and ridiculous to protect the refiner or smelter at the expense of the miner. Mr. George R. Smith, M.P.P., thought that this measure would retard, if not destroy investment in Ontario mines. After some words from Dr. F. D. Adams, of Montreal, the deputation withdrew. Later in the year the Dominion Government decided to refer the matter to the Supreme Court of Canada with a view to testing the constitutionality of the Act, and with the right of appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London. Mines and The figures for Quebec in connection with mineral development are not large, and in the official year 1899-1900, the sales of mining lands were only reported Quebec to the small amount of $6,605. They were mainly on the north shore of the St. Lawrence where magnetic iron sand abounds; in the Coleraine region for chromic iron; and in the Ottawa region for mica. There were $5,202 collected from mining licenses. Mr. J. Obalski, Inspector of Mines, advised the Commissioner, in March, 1901, that "the mining industry continues to develop regularly in this Province without, however, presenting any very striking new features. The most important operations have been in asbestos, copper, mica, chrome and iron, and an increase in the output of these has to be reported. The working population has augmented, and it is noteworthy that in certain districts wages have been raised 25 per cent. by the mining companies." The gross value of the mineral utilized was stated to be $2,546,076 for the year running from January 1, 1900, to January 1, 1901, and the number of hands employed was 5,400, with about $1,300,000 received in wages for ten months' work. The Mining Act was declared to have been well supported and the safety of the miners amply secured. The increased price of iron was found to be having a good effect on prospecting. The Inspector referred particularly to the production of asbestos in the Province during the year. The total was $719,416 in value with $15,948 worth of asbestic. During the past year this industry assumed a development which equalled that of the best periods of its history and prices rose proportionately high. The demand also greatly increased and necessitated the taking on of a larger number of hands, night work in some cases, and an increase of the capacity of the mills, etc. In addition, mines that have been unworked for some years were re-opened. This prosperity applies to the districts. of Thetford, Black Lake and Danville, and the best illustration that can be given of it is supplied by the fact that the mining companies voluntarily raised their rate of wages 25 per cent." The principal mineral products of Quebec in 1900 were copper, valued at $359,418; pig iron, $140,978; asbestos, $763,431; mica, $100,000; and pyrites, $151,164. In the Quebec Legislature, upon the motion of the Hon. Mr. Turgeon, a measure was framed and passed, in accordance with certain Resolutions accepted by the House, during the Session of 1901 and dealing with mines and mining. By this Act it was declared that all mines belonging to the Crown under the law and conceded before July 24, 1880, should be abandoned by the Crown and belong exclusively to the owner of the surface, with the exception of gold and silver mines and provided that the prospector had not divested himself of the right of pre-emption. "In the event of the conditions of the location ticket not having been fulfilled on the above date the mines of all kinds belong to the Crown as if the grant of such lands had been made under the mining law of 1880." The holder of a mining license, or the owner of mining rights on private land, was authorized to work the mines thereon with the consent of the owner, or without it under certain specified conditions. Sworn statements of his operations and their results were to be annually tendered the Government by every owner of mining rights and person working mines. Mines and The Mineral development of Nova Scotia has been slow and steady. Although the resources of the Province in gold, copper, coal, iron and gypsum are very extensive, the production has not shown any pronounced degree of progress until within the last year or two. Coal has been the chief product and is of the bituminous class and well suited to the manufacture of gas and coke. In 1874, 972,954 tons were produced; in 1884, 1,543,829 tons; in 1894, 2,527,982 tons; and in 1900 the figures were 3,357,901. The Cape Breton Coal fields have, of late, attracted the most attention owing to the operations of the Dominion Coal Company at Sydney. In iron, Colchester and Pictou Counties have been the most prominent producers, and the Londonderry Iron Company and Nova Scotia Coal and Steel Company the principal concerns. All varieties of iron have been found in Nova Scotia. In gold, production has been going on for many years. Away back in 1862 $141,871 worth was produced. This amount rose slowly to $255,349 in 1872; $275,090 in 1882; $389,965 in 1892; and $607,152 in 1900. In the Legislature of Nova Scotia, on March 5th, the Premier made a lengthy statement to the House upon the increased sales of coal and the progress of the Cape Breton iron and steel industries. To the coal mines of the Province, declared Mr. Murray, a greatly enlarged market had been given by the development of the Whitney interests. While in 1893 the sales of coal to the United States were 16.099 tons, in 1900 they were 624,273 tons. During the next year he expected the great industry at Cape Breton to itself consume 400,000 tons of coal. There was a steady progress in the mines of Pictou and Cumberland. In the former the production for the year ending September 30, 1900, was 538,884 tons as against 460,236 tons in the preceding year. In the latter the production was 496,804 as compared with 437,121 tons in 1899. The Springhill mines alone furnished 428,904 tons in 1900. The Inverness coal fields were just beginning development and a well constructed railway had been run through their centres of production. "The coal is unlimited in quantity and its quality is of the best." The production of gold during 1900 showed a slight increase30,999 ounces as against 27,772 ounces in 1899. During the year the milling capacity of the Province had been increased by over 300 stamps and the Premier anticipated a largely increased output of gold in the near future. Modern methods were replacing the old-fashioned and expensive ones, the attention of investors was being attracted to the lower grade of ores and the industry was losing its speculative basis and being established on a more solid financial footing. Eight days after this speech of Mr. Murray's, the Report of the Hon. Charles E. Church, as Commissioner of Mines, was presented to the House. The total production of coal for the year ending September 30 1900 was 3,238,245 tons as compared with 2,642,333 tons in 1899. The distribution of sales in the two years was as follows: The shipment to other countries only totalled 1,215 tons. These sales, amounting to 2,997,546 tons, were the basis of the revenue, and this, including fees, was $413,874, as against $319,150 in the previous fiscal year. Besides gold and coal there were 15,597 tons of iron ore produced in Nova Scotia during the year, 8 tons of manganese ore, 62,000 tons of coke, 122,281 tons of gypsum, 56,500 tons of grindstone, 50,000 tons of limestone, 783 tons of barytes, 1,100 tons of tripoli and silica, and 600 tons of copper ore. There was some criticism over the omission of values in the Report. Mr. E. M. McDonald claimed that in this and other particulars it was below the standard of the other Provinces. The Premier replied that the placing of values upon the product would be largely guess-work, and it was better as it was. In Committee, on April 2nd, Mr. C. S. Willcox, the Opposition Leader, while paying high tribute to the long and faithful services of the Commissioner of Mines, was strongly of opinion that the Department required re-organization or extension, and to be placed upon a more up-to-date basis. The matter was very important. "It was our mineral wealth that differentiated us from the other Provinces of the Dominion, and which, when properly developed, would give us the highest position in this respect. among the Provinces-not even excepting British Columbia." They had 5,000 square miles of gold-bearing area, and he believed that this might yet be a greater interest than their coal production. The Government would be justified in using extraordinary efforts to test the character of these ores and the correctness of the theory as to their richness. An assay office should be attached to the Department, and the mining inspectors should be thoroughly scientific and competent men. Accurate records should be kept of all abandoned mines and workings in the Province, and information as to prices of minerals ought to be obtained and preserved. The Department should watch the markets available for our ores, and when one was dull should be able to find another. The mineral resources of the Province ought to be better advertised, and for this purpose the Imperial Institute in London more effectively utilized. In reply, the Premier declared that the mines and miners of Nova Scotia were as well equipped as those of any country in the world. The Government were considering the matter of an assay office, and had already taken steps to test the gold resources of the Province. As to advertising, the results of such arrangements as that with Mr. H. M. Whitney, or the interest aroused in financial circles by the offer of millions of Dominion Iron and Steel Company stock, were superior to any number of paid advertisements. In the Legislative Council on March 25th, the Hon. Robert Drummond asked what arrangements had been made by the Government to answer inquiries in London as to the value and extent of the coal and gold mines of the Province. He spoke of the increased production of coal, which he estimated for the current year at 3,750,000 tons, and of the additional market in Nova Scotia and in the Province itself created by the Whitney industries. He feared, however, that with this growth in production would come a competition in sales which might bring prices down to their former unsatisfactory level. New markets must be sought, and he believed in trying those of England. It would take time and money to develop such a market, but he thought it worth trying. The coal industry in the Province had other sides than that of revenue. He believed that the wages paid out this year, exclusive of construction work, would be over $5,000,000. The twelve Coal Companies of Nova Scotia employed 7,500 men directly, and as many more indirectly. The Hon. Mr. Armstrong followed, and expressed the belief that "one million tons of coal used at home was worth five million tons sent abroad." The development of steel manufacturing and the employment to labour were two reasons for this belief. Information was at hand that there were large deposits of iron ore in the County of Annapolis, and if this and other stories of Provincial resources were true, he thought Nova Scotia might in future be made the nucleus and basis of a complete England. Commenting upon the Premier's expression of pride in the mining progress that was being made, and in the arrangements with Mr. Whitney in Cape Breton, the Windsor Tribune, on May 3rd, declared that the net result might be summed up in the fact that "in order to supply the citizens of Boston with cheap gas, the citizens of Nova Scotia have been forced to pay one dollar per ton for coal more than the usual price." This idea formed a basis of Conservative attack upon the Government during the ensuing autumn elections-the Halifax Herald claiming that control of the coal mining industry for a century had been given away to the Whitney syndicate, and as a result every coal user in Nova Scotia was now paying from $2.50 to $3.50 a chaldron more than formerly. The answer to this charge was that the Dominion Coal Company only held a proportion of the coal areas of the Province, and that prices were the same for coal on the mainland as in Cape Breton. Cheap coal meant cheap wages. On September 19th, Mr. George E. Boak supplied the Halifax Chronicle with the prices of coal in July of each year from 1889 to 1901. The figures ran from $5.55 in 1889 to $5.75 in 1891-2-3-4, down to $5.25 in 1898, and up again to $5.75 in 1899-1900, and $6.00 in 1901. The Mines of New Brunswick In his official Report for 1900, issued towards the end of the year, the Hon. A. T. Dunn, Surveyor-General of the Province, declared that greatly increased interest was being shown in the mineral development of New Brunswick. The Intercolonial Copper Company, at Dorchester, had been specially active; a large quantity of ore had been mined and substantial buildings erected. Recent investigation had shown their copper resources to be of very great extent. The coal resources of the Province had received close attention from the Government, and investigations were going on in various directions. So with oil exploration and manganese mining. The amount received from mining licenses during the year was $2,576. The official figures of the Government puplished in 1901, showed a production of 10,000 tons of coal in New Brunswick during the previous year, and an export of only 107 tons. The import of coal from Nova Scotia was at the same time 455,301 tons. There was $145,850 worth of gypsum produced during the year. |