Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/140

* CANADA. 112 CANADA. spruce forests, for which paper-making insures a lasting and growing demand. The abundance of liemlock is also of great imijortance, in view of the growing demand for it in the tanning trade. Leather is another article of growing importance. Boot and shoe manufacturing is carried on at Montreal and Quebec, a large part of the labor being done !)y French Canadian girfs. Cottons arc manufactured in Quebec and woolens in Ontario. The manufacture of iron and steel ])roducts is another rapidly developing branch of industry, most promising in Nova Scotia, because iron ore, coal, and limestone are there found in close proximitv. The value of the ex))orts in- creased from .*294,000 in 1890 to $1,535,000 in 1000. At Winnipeg, Toronto, and a few other points, pork-packing is carried on. Lumber Ixdustry. From an early day the forests of Canada have been one of her main sources of wealth and the making of lumber has been a leading factor in the industrial life of the people. In the eastern provinces the trees have been cut from large sections of the country, in- cluding almost the whole of Ontario south of the Canadian Pacific Railroad. Formerly little at- tention was given to judicious cutting, and the aiiproach of tlu? lumljerman meant the destruc- tion of the forest. Present laws furnish partial protection. Worse than the onslaughts of the lumbermen has been the destruction by fires, but an effort is now being made to guard against that also; nevertheless, some of the most valuable varieties of forest treeS' — notably the white pine — stand in danger of extermination. Owing to the very limited nuirket in the West, the fine for- ests of Douglas fir and other useful trees are but little worked. The great forests of the country are Government property, and a large revenue is olitained therefrom. (See Finance.) The lum- l)prman nuist first buy at auction a license to cut, after which he pays an annual rent on the ground and a royalty on the timber cut. Winter is the cutting "season, when the snow affords means of transporting the logs to the streams, and the amount of the winter's yield is therefore dependent upon the duration of the snow. In former years the export of timber to English markets" was generally in the log, but more re- cently mills have beeii established, and the logs are sawed before shijunent. The exports of forest products increased from $20,000,000 in 1890 to $29,603,000 in 1900. the United States and Great Britain taking about equal quantities. Most of the product from the Great Lake region goes to the United States, while that from the Saint Lawrence ind Jlaritiine Provinces goes to Europe. White pine and spruce are the most important varieties. Tbaxsportation and CoMMl•^^eATIO^f. Can- ada owes its commercial development in a great measure to its facilities for navigation, particu- larly on the Saint Lawrence River and Great Lakes. These great natural waterways have been further improved by the Government by means of a thorougli-going canal system, so that vessels drawing 14 feet of water can now pass from Lake Superior to the Atlantic. It has lioen the ambition of the Canadians to make it possible for ocean steamers to pass directly to and fron the lakes, but it has seemed impracticable so far to carry it out, and Montreal will probably continue to be ► he head of ocean navigation. The Saint Law- rence canals, which are nine in number, have a total lengtli of 73% miles, while those connected with the Ottawa and Rideau rivers have a total of 2914 miles in length. A magnificent ship canal also comiccts Lake Superior with Lake Huron along tlic east bank of the Saint Mary's River. The total cost of constructing and nuiin- taining all Canadian canals has been $95,310,000 (1900). Of other waterways, the Saskatchewan of the Western plains is destined to be of great importance as a means of transportatiim. It was in early days a canoe route to the Rocky Moun- tains, and now has steamboats running for long stretches on the Xorth Saskatchewan. Steam- boats also run for a long distance on the Red River. The Hudson Hay Company keeps a line of steamers operating ui)on tlu' Mackenzie River for the benefit of its posts, and during the brief sunnner thej' pass back and forth between the mouth of the Athabasca and the mouth of the Mackenzie. There are also steamboats on the I'.pper Eraser and Thompson rivers. Finally, the recent peopling of the Yukon district has caused a frequent steam service to be operated on that river and its larger headwaters, enabling passen- gers to go to any of the towns along the river by steamboat from the terminus of the White Pass Railroad, at White Horse Ra]iids, to its mouth. See ALA.SKA ; Yukox Gold-Fields. The same zeal which has characterized Canada in the utilization of her waterways has led her to still greater elforts for the creation of an ade- quate railway system. It was realized that inter- colonial and transcontinental railways were a necessity, not only for the opening up of the West and the commercial development of the whole country, but more particularly as a jjolitical measure, inasmuch as the railways would serve as a bond of union between the i)rovinces, and indeed the assurance of such a road was a prerequisite of some of the provinces before they would enter into the present confederation. Thus it was that, among oUiers, two of the principal lines — the Intercolonial and Canadian Pacific — were undertaken through Government initiative, and the former was completed and is still held by the Govermnent. The latter, however, as is true of most other lines, was turned over to pri- vate hands, the Govermnent conferring upon the company a grant of land and a cash sul)sidy. and the line" thus i)rovided for was successfully com- pleted in 1887. With the development of the country the railroads are able to rely more and more on their own res(mrces, although they still seem to be far from a position of entire financial independence of the Government. Aid to the railroads has been given by the provincial and nnmicipa! govcnunents. as well as by the Domin- ion. Of the billion dollars of capital invested in the roads. Ifi per cent, represents Dominior grants. 3.18 per cent, provincial grants, and 1.59 municipal grants. In 1900 it was estimated that 1217 passengers and 203fi tons of freight were carried to every mile of line open; the length of track amounted to 17.824 miles, 0800 of this being in Ontario. The firand Trunk line and the other two lines above mentioned control about two-thirds of the total. Canadian linos connect with those of the United States by bridges across the Saint Lawrence, Niagara, and Saint Mary's rivers, by tunnels under Detroit