Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/372

 320

THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — ONTARIO

mentary and secondary schools. The total expenditure on elementary schools in 1917 was 14,111,835 dollars, and on secondary schools the amount was 2,743,596 dollars.

Finance. — The revenues of the Province are derived from the sale of Crown lands, from timber, mining and liquor licences, succession duties and other fees, supplemented by a subsidy from the Dominion. The revenue and expenditure for five years were as follows : —

Year

Revenue

Expenditure

Year

Revenue

Expenditure

1913-14 1914-15 1915-16

Dollars

11,121,882 12,975,732 13,841,339

Dollars

11,819,311 12,704,362 12,706,332

1916-17 1917-18

Dollars

18,269,597 19,870,123

Dollars

1 16,518,222 I 17,460,404

Frodnction and Industry. — The Province is rich in agricultural and mineral resources ; it abounds in lakes and rivers, in extensive forests, great water powers, and valuable fisheries. The land under cultivation is about 14,000,000 acres, more than 1,000,000 additional acres are cleared, and 25,200,000 acres are assessed. Of the total land surface of the Province, which is 234,000,000 acres, the nmount of arable land is much larger than the portion now under cultivation. Beyond the cultivated portion it is esti- mated that northern Ontario alone contains some 20,000,000 acres of alluvial soil, not including the vast stretches of agricultural land south and west of James Bay. There are also vast tracts of land that are unfit for cultivation or even for pasturage. The chief industry is agriculture. The area under field crops in 1920 was 10,108,272 acres. Value produced, 1920, 376 million dollars. The crops and acreage of the agricultural produce of the Province in 1920 were as follows :— Wheat, 1,030,000 acres, 22,973,000 bushels ; barley, 484,000 acres, 16,660,000 bushels; oats, 2,880,000 acres, 129,171,000 bushels ; rye, 133,000 acres, 2,349,000 bushels ; peas, 109,000 acres, 2,210,000 bushels ; beans, 23,000 acres, 381,000 bushels; buckwheat, 143,000 acres, 3,191,000 bushels; flax, 21,000 acres, 225,000 bushels; mixed grains, 582,000 acres, 25,712,000 bushels ; potatoes, 157,500 acres, 23,962,000 bushels ; turnips, mangolds, &c, 120,000 acres, 57,990,000 bushels ; hay and clover, 3,534,000 acres, 4,459,000 tons; alfalfa, 162,000 acres, 400,000 tons. The production of tobacco in 1920 was 21,668,500 lbs. The returns for 1919 give 2,926,000 cattle, 1,102,000 sheep, 1,695,000 pigs, 720,000 horses, and 11,706,000 poultry. The farm values for 1919 were:— Land, 848,767,153 dollars; buildings, 426,649,086 dollars; implements, 137,310,618 dollars ; and live stock, 339,607,932 dollars. Ontario produces about one-half of the milk, cheese, butter, and casein of Canada (output ot creamery butter, 1918, 29,397,0001b., valued at 13,136,000 dollars; cheese, 107,887,000 lb., valued at 24,356,000 dollars). Total value of dairy products 1918, 70,000,U00 dollars.

During the fiscal year 1918-19, 749,04 acres of land were sold for agri- cultural purposes and town sites, the amount realised being 48,119 dollars : and for mining 10,600 acres for 28,350 dollars. For mining purposes 2,137 acres were leased for 1,562 dollars. Free grant locations to the number of 716 (the area thus takm heinj,' 77,298 acres of land) were taken up by in- tending settlers. The total area of Crown lands disposed of by sale and during the year was 71,454 acres, valued at 80,366 dollars.

1