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BUREAU OF PROVINCIAL INFORMATION.

British Columbia of To-day.

HON. J. H. TURNER AGENT-GENERAL

BUREAU OF PROVINCIAL INFORMATION.

British Columbia of To-day.

BY TIIK

HON. J. H. TURNER, AGENT-GENERAL.

BULLETIN No. 2.

VICTORIA.B.C :

Prititrd by Richard Woifundhs, Printer to the Kiiin'a Moat Exi'ellent Majesty.

inoi.

"BRITISH COLUMBIA OF TO-DAY."

Report of Lecture delivered by Hon. J. H. Turner,

Agent-General, at the Innperial Institute,

London, on the 24th Feb., 1902.

f \S the 11th of tliiH month I read a paper on " British Columbii^ of To-
^^ Day," at a meeting of the Royal Colonial Inntitute. On that oc<v-
■ion I stated that one of the objectn for establishing a British Columbia
Agency i.i London is to thoroughly inform the British people about the
Province, its climate, scenery and resources. I then proceeded to speak of
the immense dimensions of the Province, its extent being some 220,000,000
acres. To illustrate this, I now refer to a map which is before you. It has
been carefully prepared, so as to show at a glance the size of Oreat Britain
compared with British Columbia. This has been done by drawing an out-
line of Great Britain and a similar one of British Columbia superimposed
upon it, both on precisely the same scale. It will be seen that, practically,
British Columbia swallows up Great Britain, and leaves a margin of many
millions of acres of the Province still unfilled, whilst, in addition, the Prov-
ince extends over Vancouver Island and Queen Charlotte and the innumer-
able groups of smaller islands on the Coast.

The Climate and Scenery.

I then spoke of the genial and healthful climate and of the resources of
the Province, such as timber, water-power, mining, agriculture, fisheries, and
so forth. All these subjects were passed over somewhat hurriedly, owing to
the time limit Probably it would be an advantage in such lectures to con-
sider at greater length one or mere only of these subjects, but it is doubtful
if such a plan would be as interesting to the audience as the one then
adopted, my experience, so far, in my ew position, being that all enquirers
about British Columbia — and they are very numerous — desire to be informed
on all these points ; I think, therefore, that to-night I should pursue a some-
what similar plan to that of the former occasion, though, perhaps, consider-
ing somewhat more at length such a subject as mining. In my former
lecture I separated scenery and climate from the resources of the Province.

That, I ain i|uite convinced, wag a niiatake, ai both of theie am rnuat impor-
tant FMOurcea ; not uiily do they induce a lar^ number of travelleni to visit
the Far Went, but they are a material ounaideration in the prosecution of
all the works required to develop the other reaoarcee. How imporUxt it ia,
for instance, to the miner, the lumberman, (isliprraan, farmer or Hportsman,
that they should have not only a pipiuiant but a healthful climate and a
beautiful country in which to live and work. The fact of there being prac-
tically two climates — one east of the Kockiea, cold in winter, warm in Hum-
mer, but very dry and healthful, and the other on the coast and islands, very
similar to that of the south of Knjjland -seems an advantage offering
complete change. In the interior, winters are very rare in which cattle do
not thrive with practically little protection, whilst in the other portion of
the Province dowers and vegetables are growing almoet all through the win-
ter months, and we see in the gardens Kngliah holly with its glistening
leaves, and a greater profusion of its berries than in the old home. There
are, too, the broom and the gurse, laurel, bay, lx>x, hawthorn, all imported
by the early settlers. A very large proportion of these settlerx, however,
having been Scotch, we have, of course, the " thistle." This is said to have
been introduced about I860 by iin enthusiastic son of the " Land o' Cakes,"
who felt lonely before the influx of population. Farmers and gardeners of
the present day, realising the great success of the Scotch Thistle, often
invoke blessing— of a kind — on the head of the introducer, or on his memory,
in the uncertainty of the situation. However, many -.seful and beautiful
shrubs, plants, vegetables and fruit trees were also brought in at the same
time, and show by their luxuriance of growth how well the climate is adapte<l
for them. I said the other night that it was eminently suited for the home
nf the Briton, and 4 %m snre that any stranger visiting the Province must
be impressed with the appearance of the children, their beauty, healthiness,
vigour and splendid intelligence.

Timber Rksourcbs.
Oood «athoriti.'is will agree with me in my view that climate and
scenery have a very important effect in the final development of the race.
No one could look out on the -exquisite landscape of lake, river, stream and
uiaginf cent snow-capped mountains tipped with crimson and gold at sunset,
fading into blue as night advancex, without its glory imperceptibly affecting
l)oth bod" and mind. Then the great forest with its sombre shades and
sunny, fern-bedecked openings, with towering monuments of Douglas pine
and cedar rising to the deep blue sky, some of them 300 feet high by 30,
and even •'lO, feet in circumference, is most impressive, and at the same time
a delight to the senses with its invigorating piny odour. Theee forests are

indeMi a wonderful nU>i« of w««lth U> th«« country. WhiUt il in known thnt
the tiniber nuppljr of >orth Atneric* ii rapidly dimippearing, here in Britixh
(><>lumbi« only the nlgn of it i» yet toufhed. I think I am rixht in Mying
that exp«>riHnre<i lumhernieti lielieve thtrt* i-< nior<« tiinln'r to the iM-m in
Hritiah Columbia than in any other part of tlit- North American Omtinent ;
m much as ri(X),UOO fttet have been cut from one acre, whiUt in the Itff^t
timb«'r i-ountry of FUxtern Canada, 20,0<X) fp«»t to th« aore in i-i>ntidere<l a
){iMid averaj^. l>ominiim n. ^istiuianH put down the Hcreaf{i- of forcMt in
Briti.sli Colunibiii an, at least, i(i(),000,000 acres; but, of course, a consider-
able (Nirt of tliiK is of smaller growth and in not used for timU'r, but almost
all is suitable for paper-pulp making, and this is an industry that is now
IxMng commenced in the Pnivince. Thw (iovernment Year l!is>k reports im
folio WH :

PirLH Wood.

" Along the coast line of British Columbia and Vancouver Island prac-
tically inexhaustible areas of pulp woods can l>« found. South of Knights
Inlet, the most abundant is the Douglas lir, which is successfully use<l for
the manufacture of chemical pulp. Its suitability for mechanical pulp is not
so certain. North of Knight's Inlet is the spruce and hemlock lx>lt affording
enormous supplies of excellent pulp wcxxl- the Si'ka spruce, e8pe<'ially, Using
unexcelled by any other wood for pulp purfioses. Thes- woo<ls cover large
tracts immediately contiguous to the sea coast, so that logs can be lande<l at
the mills at very low cost. An im|>ortant ptjiiit in the favour of industries
on the sea coast of BritLsb Columbia is the mildness of the winters, which
ivdmits of operations being carrie<l on throughout the whole year.'

Watku Powkks.
Ho far, four companies are at present in the field for this busi>iess; the
demand for the product is daily increasing in the world, and is likely to
continue doing so, as the use of the innumerable articles, Itesides paper, that
can l)e made from pulp is in its infancy. Pulp mills rei|uire very great
power to run them, in order to grind up the heavy tim)>er, and nature has
provided this power in the numerous mountain torrents and rivers throughout
these regions. At prese-'t only two companies have so far taken up water
claims, one arranging for a supply capable of producing 1S,000 horse-power,
and the other in a different stream for 12,000 liorse-power. Some streams
have, however, already l)een harnessed for supplying electric pf)wer to run
street cars and work compressors and drills in the mines, and light streets
and houses, the result being that already these conveniences and comforts of
motlern life are scattered through the land ; you find them not only in the

large towns but also thrauf^h the country at the smaller towns, even on
mountain and at isolated houses. The 'great future of this power it is
impossible to estimate; it ia evident, however, that for traction and lighting,
sud probably heating also, this resource is practically inexhaustible, and it
must eventually have a wonderful eft'ect on the development of mines and
other industries of the Province.

Mining.

The inineMare probably the most important resource of British Columbia;
they have been even less developed in proportion than the timber. At
present, it is true, there are a number of mines round Rossland and what is
called the Boundary country, or section lying west of that town ; also in
the Slocan Districi, a little to the east, in Lillooet to the north, at Princeton
in the Similkameen, in tne Cariboo District, and on Vancouver Island : but
these places are hundreds of miles apart, and the intervening country, all
throughout the mountain ranges which lie approximately in parallel lines for
some COO miles, is all rich -n minerals. The product from this early work is
already of importance : last year the output was valued at .«20, 700,000,
whilst in l.<98 it was only •* 10,1)06,000. These total.s, as stated by the
Provincial Mineralogist in his report, are taken as follows : -

"The output of a mine for the year is considered that amount of ore for
which the smelter or mill returns have »)een received during the year. In
calculating the values of these products, the average price in the New York
Metal Market has l)een used for a basis. For silver 95 per cent, and for lead
90 per cent, of such market value has been taken : treatment and other
charges have not been (le<lucted."

Since writing this it h:is been brought to my notice that an adverse
crititisni of Mr. Robertson's (the .Mineralogist) report has appeared in the
Miniiof Uof/f/of the l.'ith inst.

The critic considers that Mr. Hol)ert.son has overvalued the output of
1901 by the jjjan adopted, and had he valued it properly the product would \tf
found not to amount to .*L'0,000,000; and, therefore, the increa.se over lUOO
was not L»5 per cent, as stated by him. 1 think, however, that this critic,
quite inadvertently i.o doubt, has not put the ca.se fairly. Admitting, for
the .sake of argument, that the value for 1901 was too high, though I don't
think it was, the same conditicm applies to 1900, as the value was given then
on the same plan ; con.se<iuently, a similar reduction must be made on the
output of that year, and when that is done it will \m found that the increase
for 1901 was really more than i'") per cent.

Lode Mineh.

It must be borne in mind that practically mining for these minerals in
British Columbia has been going on but a very short time, but the result to
the present clearly indicates what an enormous amount of gold, silver and
copper British Columbia will supply to the world as work progresses. We
have now well authenticated reports that very rich quartz has been discovered
in Atlin District, nearly 700 miles to the north, and a strong company is now
being formed to work these depositH.

On Howe Hound, 500 miles south of Atlin, near Vancouver, at an
elevation of some 3,000 feet, and at about 3 miles from deep water, there is an
enormous vein of low-grade copper, known as the Britannia Group. The
Provincial Mineralogist reports -" That the situation of this claim is an ideal
one for cheap working. A suitable site for a concentrator has been secured
a short distance l)elow the property ; the claim is traversed by a lode of
schistose silicious ore 300 to fiOO feet wide, averaging i / to 13 /. of copper.
The available tonnage has Ijeen estimated at from 1,800,000 to 3,000,000
tons. This ore body may be worked as an open (juarry for many years, and
the daily output will from the start Ite limited only by the will of the operator
and the capacity of the eiiuipnient provided."

A hundred and lifty miles further south there are the Le Uoi mines,
shipping at the present time some 700 tons a day.

At the Greenwood Camp there is a group of mines wf)rked by the
Afiner-Graves Syndicate. An enormous body of ore is l)eing operated on
here. This is shipped to the (Jranby Smelter, at the Town of Grand Forks,
a few miles from the mines. This .smelter is run on the most improved
modern principles, and is turning out about 800 tons per day. A refinery
plant is now being added to these works. Close by is another highly im-
portant body of ore. known a.s the iSnowshoe, similar in character to that of
the property just referretl to. A great amount of work is l)eing done on this,
and shipments are now being made, but these are only examples of a great
number of mines coming to the front in this district. In the Slocan silver-
lead ilistrict there are the Last Chance, Slocan Star and other great properties,
and similar deposits of ore are gradually being opened up all through the
enormous extent of t';e mineral belt of the Province. If we go further east,
we find the St. Eugene and North Star at East Kootenay, as specimens of
another section of the country. Then, again, on Vancouver Island there is
the Mount Sicker Gmup of copper and gold properties, from one of which 30

to 50 tons of very rich ore is beiiiR shippeil daily, though work was only
commenced about two years since. A smelter is now being erected for the
reduction of the ore from these mines. On the West Coast of Vancouver
Island a similar formation exists, and a number of claims arn in progress of
•levelopraent on it. AH this mining matter, and much more, is fully set forth
in the report of the Minister of Miaen, to be obtained at my office, Salisbury
House.

Hywhaulk" Mines.

I have not touched on the hydraulic mines in the Cariboo District,
though they are of great importance and are now coming into prominence.
In arldition to these, there is another form of mining — river dredging.
•Singularly enough, this ha.s so far not l)een successful, though the river
bottoms are known to be highly auriferous. The cause of this non-success,
it is reported, is due to the ern>rs of construction of the dredgers, but I
understand it will be remedied during the present year by the adoption of
the same kind of dredger as is used so very succes.sfully in New Zealand.
On the coast of Vancouver Island considerable deposits of auriferous black
sand have been found, and a large number of placer miners commencetl to
work on these last year, with very good results to themselves.

TiiK MiNiNc Outlook.

The low price of copper is proving prejudicial to the lower grades of
copper mines, but with improved appliances, cheapening the charges for
reduction, they will be enabled in the near future to Im worked proKtably.
Klectricity may eventually eftect this, and at the present time a new plan
of concentration by the oil process is lieing tested in Ix)ndon. I am informed
it has proved most succe.ssful on the ores of the Le Roi and Britannia
Croups ; the saving ett'ected on the cost is so great as to ensure a profit on
the product. You may indeed feel confident that the ingenuity of the
mining men will eventually devise plans to minimise charges, so that most of
the waste ore Iwdies will be worked profitably. I have not yet mentionetl
iron ; this mineral the Province possesses in abundance, but it has scarcely
l)een considered yet. An American company, however, has contracted for a
large quantity of this ore from the west coast of Vancouver Islantl and from
near Howe Sound, to supply smelters in the State of Wa.shington. All these
facts make me feel confident that the mining industry of British Columbia
is only just beginning to run ; it is in its infancy, but is a very strong and
healthy infant, -a Hercules, in fact, that is even now proving that it can
strangle the serpent of difficnlty.

Coal.
The coal industry I do not propose to enlarge upon to-night, beyond
saying that from Vancouver Island there was shipped in 1900, 1,500,000
tons of coal and coke, and from Crow's Nest Pass, on the Mainland, 262,700
tons, that being the first shipping year of the last-named mine. The output
from these two sections in 1901 amounts to nearly 1,700,000 tons. The
Crow's Nest Mine, it is said, on go<xl authority, will in a few years' time
ship at least 5,000 tons a day, and is capable of much larger output. There
are other bodies of coal, both on the Mainland and Vancouver Island, not
yet worked, and on Queen Charlotte Island, to the north of Vancouver
Island, there is a very large field, reported on by the late Dr. Dawson, the
Dominion Geologist, as of fine quality and very great extent and situated
most favourably for shipping.

MlNIX(i .\s A\ Inve-stmevt.
It is fre<|uently stated here that the mines of British Columbia have
not proved ifinunerutive, and, conset|uentIy, are not likely to be sought for
by British investors; but similar statements were originally made about the
Afi can mines, and also, notably, about the great mining districts in the
I cetl Stiites to the south of British Columbia. How many years these
we.e in a sort of chrysalis state, giving liardly any return to the investors in
them. But Vmericans are somewhat more venturesome than British mining
men ; they take lioUl of mining properties in an early stage, and though
many of them may not prove profitable on development, still, if one of a
dozen turns out to be good, it pays a large profit on the cost of all the
ventures, because it was bought in the early stage at a low price. Ameri-
cans may be said, in fact, to work on the insurance principal of average in
these matters, and the result is often seen by the fact that, after developing
the good mine to a certain extent and taking out probably a large amount
of wealth, it is sold at a very high price to some Rlnglish company, that will
buy only developed mines, the consequence being that, the English company
having put an excessive capital into the undertaking, good dividends become
very difficult to reali.se.

AliKICL'LTL'K.\L AkKA.

A very important resource of the Province is its agricultural and graz-
ing lands, at one time considered to be practically useless for these purposes,
but now proved to be suitable for cattle and horse-raising, fruit-growing,
mixed farming and dairying. There is no fruit in the world better than
thai grown in British Columbia, and though this branch of industry has

only been started a few years, it is proving eminently successful, and a con-
siderable quantity of fruit is being exported to the North-West and Mani-
toba, or is being sold in the mining districts of the Province, which are always
such large consumers of fruit, at mast profitable prices. Small f "t- such
as raspberries, strawberries, currants and tomatoes, are produt d /ery
abundantly and of superior quality. Dairying is also making good progress,
owing to the more scientific methods recently adopted. Creameries have
been erected in various parts, and their product is greatly appreciated by
consumers, it being of excellent quality; but the wanteof the Province are
not half supplied yet by these, and heavy imports continue. Cattle-raising
has proved remunerative, and the Province practically supplies iU own wante
and is beginning to export. On the other hand, sheep, pigs and poultry,
though they can be raised most profitably, are still brought into the Province
in large numbers ; but as settlement on the farm lands increases, this will
be remedied.

For Tourists.
The great wants of the country are capital and population. The
) ■ nense resources are, however, gradually providing this with respect to
■ . ulation, it having nearly doubled in the last ten years : and when, by
application of capital, its timber, minerals and other resources are being
more developed, population is certain to flow rapidly. The tourist travel alone,
I believe, will be very large in a few years, though the wealthy classes in
Europe who travel do not yet seem to know of the grandeur of the scenery
of Hritish Columbia. Many thousands are spent yearly by the British people
anioii-st foreigners, in visiting the Continent, or Egypt, or Palestine, and
still further off countries, the journey costing just as much or more than a
round trip to the Pacific and back, which can be done now in the most
luxurious manner, the Atlantic »K)ats being as perfect in their appointments
as tiie best London hotel, and the trains across the great Continent not
l)ein« behind in this respect. A'^d what a journey it is I from interesting
(Quebec, that old French tow . through the cities and agricultural lands

of Ontario: westward aci rolling prairies; then through oceans of

wheat to the Hocky Mountains, climbing amongst the glorious peaks and
glaciers and past rivers, waterfalls and forest to the finest Province of Canada,
and still winding on through the canyons and crossing mountain passes
whose grandeur I cannot describe: then by the majestic Fraser River to the
Pacific Ocean, all the time journeying in utmost comfort, not only well
supplied for the wants of life, hut with all the luxurie.s, and arriving at
Vancouver there is foun.l a l)»aiitiful inoden. ,ity with excellent hotels, a

♦

charming park, and fine scenery; then crossing in a comfortable steamer,
winding amongst the innumerable islands of the Straits, to the Queen City,
Victoria, on Vancouver Island, surrounded by lovely scenery, with innumer-
able drives, any one of which can show no view but what is beautiful. The
traveller can from British Columbia enjoy a charming voyage in still water
up the coast among the islands and visit the remarkable fiords and inlets of
the Mainland, which are so striking a feature of the coast, running, as they
do, many miles into the land, in some places a few yards wide, or extending
again into great lakes, under wild mountains, which are at some points
clothed with dense forests, at others bare, with great rocky escarpments.
This is indeed a journey well worth Uking, and it would be all the time
on British soil, and amongst the people whos . sons volunteered to fight
England's battles, side by side with Imperial troops, who may well be proud of
their record. The volunUry offering of their lives was not cau.sed by
the military excitement of the moment, for after a full knowledge of the
privations and suffering that they must be subject to in an African campaign,
they are still as ready to come forward and fight for the Motherland.

But to give a true idea of British Columbia, I cannot do better than
quote a recently published work entitled "With the Royal Tour," by i;. V.
Knight, who travelled with the Royal Party some 40,000 miles. He says:
Bkitisii Columdia .\s a Home.

" Elxtremes of heat and cold are unknown on this boautiful coast, and
the climate of Victoria has been compared with that of our South Devon
health re-sorts.

" Vancouver, standing as it does, on an undulating wooded peninsula,
lia.s a splendid situation. As one wanders through its thoroughfares, one
finds oneself fretjuently brought to a pause at street corners and in open
places to admire the wonderful views that suddenly burst on one, extending
far over blue waters, pine clad shores and distant peaks, and the Sunley Park
is surely the fairest pleasure-ground possessed by any city on the continent."

Of Victoria he says:—" Victoria has l)een de.scribed is being the most
Kiiglish city in Canada, and visitors soon realise this. We had two full
days there; one woul 1 fain have staye<l longer for of all the cities in the
course of this long royal progress, the fair capital of British Columbia seems
to me the one which the Englishman would most gladly make his home.
Victoria is not only a busy place, a great emporium of trade, the distributing
centre for British Columbia, but it is also a favourite place of residence for
well-to-do people. Some drives and walks I took in the neighbourhood of

the city gave me » fall eipUiMtion of why this place is ao beloved of the
British. The country outside the town is singuUrly beautiful, the undu-
lating promontory being covered with woods of fir, spruce and a lovely wild
jungle of arbutus, roees, flowering bushes and English broora. The carefully
laid out gardens surrounding most of the mansions and cottages astonish one
by their profusion of flowers. Never in the environ-s of any city have I seen
such a glory of flowers at surround these lovely homes. Then how mag-
niticent a.e the landscapes, embracing the mighty ranges of the Mainland
with their summits of eternal snow."

But this admirable writer was not probably aware of the important fact
that the houses of Vancouver and Victoria and of the other towns in
British Columbia are almost all owned by the people residing in them, the
mechanics, merchants, lawyers and others being their own landlords, and
this in a measure accounts for the beautiful appearance of the surrounding
gardens.

The photographic slides which I am about to show you will, I trust,
dnable you to appreciate some of the greot resources of this favoured
Province.

British Columbia, indeed, has all the natural beauty and latent wealth
to make it a great country : it wants, however, development. The Govern-
ment has to face great ditticulties; the Province is so vast, distances are so
great, that enormous expenditure is required for making roads, trails and
bridges and surveys, and building schools and court-houses; but by such
works only can the country be fairly opened up. A great deal is being done
every year toward.* the development of the Province by these means;
thousands of miles of roads and trails have been built ; laws have been
pasised to Iwnus railways : about a thousand miles of new lines have so far
been provided for, and if these are constructed they will greatly increase the
prosperity of the Province.

rlAiLWAv Development.
It is very gratifying to learn from the King's Speech delivered by the
Lieutenant-Governor of the Province at the opening of the Provincial Parlia-
ment on the 20th instant— which speech, by the way, appeared in the London

papers on the same day and several hours before it was actually delivered

that the Government of British Columbia intend to bring in a measure
during the present seasion to subsidise a line of railway from the Yellowhead
Pass, on the eastern boundary of the Province, to the Coast, and then on
to connect with the present system of railway on Vancouver Island, through
Nanainio and Ladysmith to Victoria.

This is, indebd, a most important piece of work for Biitiah Columbia
and the Dominion ; there is already a line being constructed from the East
to Yellowhead Pass, so tha. the continuation across the Province will give
two overland routes, the last one opening up very valualiie lands some 150
to 200 miles north of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and also the lands on
Vancouver Island. This line, it appears to me, should commend itself to
the Imperial Government, an it will give a second route for the transporta-
tion "f troops and supplies to the headquarters of the fleet on Vancouver
Island.

VICTORIA, B C.

Printed by Kiciiard WoLrK.vu>x, Printer to the Kinif'n Mo«t Exuellent Majeaty.

190S.