~The Omineca Miner —

PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY AT HAZBLTON, THE CENTER OF THE
Great Omineca District oF British COLUMBIA.

Macdonald & Rauk, Publishers and Proprietors,

SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada and British Possessions, Two Dollars a
year; Foreign, Three Dollars a year,

ADVERTISING RATES: Display, $1.50 per inch por month; Reading
Notices, 15 cents per line for firat insertion, 10 cents per line for eachsubsequent
insertion, Legal notices inserted at B, C. Gazette rates.

Vou. I. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1911. Na. 8

For a Road to Groundhog

The exclusive despatch descriptive of the immense coal measures
of the Groundhog district, which appeared in our last issue,
' attracted much attention, being the first adequate presentation of
the facts regarding the northern coalfield. Our readers must
have been convinced of the great importance to Omineeca district
and the province of the vast deposits which are being proved by the
various companies interested in the field, and* will watch with
interest the progress of development. The opening up of these
coal measures, which will proceed rapidly in the immediate future,
means a great deal to Hazelton and to the town whieh will take its
place on the map when the Grand Trunk Pacific reaches this point.
In the exploitation of these immense deposits of high-grade fuel
hundreds of thousands will be spent annually, and until railways

penetrate to the field Hazelton shouid be the supply point and head-|.

quarters for the companies and men engaged in prospecting and
developing the field. That is the present condition, and for its
continuance nothing more is required than a little foresight and
energy on the part of busiriess men and residents generally.

Those interested in the development of the field are asking for
the construction of a road from Hazelton to Groundhog, to enable
them to take in the necessary supplies and machinery for the
opening up of the coal measures which have been proved ‘by their
work of the last three years. To ensure the building of the road
it is most necessary that the people of Hazelton should mark their
belief in its necessity by making representations to the provincial
government,

While consideration for the general advancement of the district
should lead us to lend assistance to-‘the.coal men in their efforts to
secure the construction of a road to Groundhog, the added induce-
ment of a material increase in the business of the town, following
the opening up of the coal fields, should prove a sufficient incentive
to evoke enthusiastic support of the. request made ‘by the coal
operators, The present trail, which hardly deserves the name, is
practicable for pack horses only during the drier months of sum-
mer, rendering the cost of transporting supplies almost prohibitive,
while it is impossible to take in machinery of any great bulk or
weight. The provincial government has always shown a readiness
to provide roads where conditions justified their construction and if
the requirements of the Groundhog district are properly placed
before the ministry there is every reason to believe a substantial
sum for the necessary road will be included in the appropiations for
- next season, ;

The distance from Hazelton to Big Skeena Flats, five miles
beyond Groundhog mountain, is 140 miles. The Kispiox wagon
road, in process of construction, covers the first 23 miles of the
route, From the end of the road to the coalfield there are no
serious obstacles to the construction of a good wagon road at
moderate expense,

If the people of this district give unayimous support to the plan
it will be earried out, and Hazelton will remain the gateway to
what is destined to be the greatest coalfield in Western America,
Failing action on our part, it is not impossible that the Groundhog
traffic will be diverted into another channel, to build up another
town.

One Year's Business In Hazelton

The figures showing the amount of freight brought into
Hazelton during the season of navigation are interesting, as
denoting the immense volume of business transacted in Omineca
district. Exclusive of the thousands of tons distributed among the
construction camps in this vicinity, the local. merchants and those
of the Bulkley have received over five thousand tons of freight, of
a total value exceeding one and a half million dollars. . Freight
charges alone amounted to over three hundred thousand dollars,
the major portion of this amount being accounted for by the high
rates charged on the river boats. That an immense amount of
business is transacted in Hazelton will be evident from the figures
given, and we doubt if there is another town of its sizein the west
that can’ compare with it in volume of trade. = Being a
distributing point for an immense district, of great possibilities,
Hazelton should continue to prosper, and next season will undoubt-

“ edly see an increase in trade even greater than the fifty per cent
which is to be noted this year.

British Columbia’s Gain hh Population

‘While the census returns for the Dominion show a slightly
smaller increase than was expected, there is good reason for
- satisfaction, the growth in the country's population during the ten
years that have elapsed since the last census having been nearly
thirty-five percent. | The new additions to Canada’s population
. -have been, generally speaking, of the best class, and an encourag-
ing feature is the fact that the growth of the agricultural’ districts
throughout the Dominion has kept pace with that of the’ cities,
British Columbia has more than doubled its population in . the last
‘ decade, while Vancouver has taken a long step forward, being 1 now
ranked | a8. the fourth city in Canada, of, .

The Hazelton Fire Brigade.

‘The Hazelton fire brigade, a volunteer organization ‘which . ‘has

— service to the wn and which has been well‘ and|

is now teorganizing’ for the winter

Batkley’'s Fatute Sure.

A Valtable opinion a3 to the
future of the Omineea district a8
an agricultural country ‘is given
by James MeAvoy, formerly of
the Dominion Geological Survey |;
and.now interested in the Ground-
hog coalfield. Mr. McAvoy, who
is known to be most conservative
and a careful observer, returned
the other day from a trip through
the Bulkley valley, and in conver-
sation with the Miner expressed
himself as being perfectly satis-
fied thet the agricultural pros-
pects of the valley were of the|
brightest. The summer frosts,
which were at first the bugbear
et the settlers will, he said, be
forgotten in a few years, their
disappearance inevitably follow-
ing the clearing and cultivation
of the land, as has been the cage
in all similar districts. The
farmers and ranchers in the val-
ley have done a a great deal of
work and are now reaping the
reward of their labors, having
this season gathered very large
crops, for which they have a con-
venient and profitable market.

‘Speaking of the roads in the
valley, Mr. McAvoy said the pro-
vincial government. was entitled
to great credit’ for the excellent
work of the last few years.. While
a great deal of work remains to
he done before the roads may be
considered permanent, he thinks
the residents of the district have
every reason to be satisfied with |;
the progress which has been
made. He expressed the hope
that the government’s roadbuild-
ing policy would be extended to
make provision for better means
of access to the Groundhog dist-
riet, where much freight will
have to be shipped in the future,
as a consequence of the develop-
ment of the coal measures,

’ Nationalist Policy
Henri Bourassa has sent the
following message to the préss:

“The Canadian Nationalists
will continue the fight for the

been struggling. They will main-
tain an attitude of complete in-
dependence, They are always,
as part of the empire, loyal to the
British crown, but will continue
to demand the safeguarding of
Canadian autonomy and equal
justice to all minorities. If any
government despises the rights
of the people we shall fight it as
we did the Laurier Government.
We are as. completely independ-
ent of the Conservative govern-
ment as we were of the Liberal

just’.as we shall oppose it as
strongly as we did the Laurier
government if it fails in its en-|§

gagements, Independent we

pendent we shall-remain.””

Coal Resources Increasing

: In 1865 the publication of. "The Coal
Question” first attracted the attention
of alarmists to -
haustion of the world’s ‘coal suppliea,
says the

world’s leading commercial fuel. Oil
and gas, hydro-electric power, ete.,
were not even conceived of among the
power userid ‘of. those days. nor did
practical minds consider aught but the
best grades of coal as minabla and ‘sal
able,
the question of coal exhaustion ‘and

siderable anxiety: But modern conger-
yation does not date from this begin-
ning. With. the. increased use of the
so-called lower graded” of: coal of those
days in gas works, in electric power

died out: this, too, i in spite, of a ‘vast;
mushroom-like expansion id: coal “Cone
sumption. the. world over. 5-3

. Cal Exhaustion

The ‘gigantic growth in: the conauni
thn: of coal. ‘taused Professor ‘Patz

paper’ ‘'When. Will: ‘Our Coal Dep
Be Exhausted?” publistied in- Bel

Shad From - this. ‘atinulus * da

principles for which they have’

the conceivable ex-| J

Mining and Engineering q
World.. Coal at that time was the/

Iti ip easy to Bee, therefore, how |

conservation should have aroused con-}

plants, vessels, ete,; with the discovery |
-of new coal fields: with the increasing . eet
we of. hydro-clectric power, gaa ‘and |B... =

crude oj], the coal exhaustion searesdon |: -

phosphate rack: aitd Potabliy to
ote,

The dol conservation worka of i888
and of 1900 attempted to sum up. the,
resources of the nations in-grades “of
coal “available”? under the conditions
existing in those days; then, by divid-

ing the tomagesa by the annual con-]|.
sumption, direful results were obteined ||| °

as to the number of years the world’s

coal supplies would laat, Frech com-
puted not only the annual consumption
prevailing; but, taking cognizance of
the atendily i increasing rate of coal con-
sumption in recent years he computed
a future rate and based his exhauation

computations on such a rate of future]

increase in consumption. —
"| One Side of the Question

‘Such computations ‘aa to the. ex-
haustion of our conl supplies would be
quite legitimate were it‘not for.aeveral:
factors which have uniformly been dis-
regarded by -. mast “conservationisis,
They see only one side of the question
—namely, present resources and present
or ‘future consumption, They persist-
ently refuse to allow for past," present
and future increaseor probable increase
in the coal resources. Increases in coal
resources may take place in various
ways; by the. discovery of new fields;
by developments in existing fielda rend-
ering available coal which had previously
been too thin or too deeply buried to be
minable; by improvements in boilers,

gas-producers or other burners render-| ©
‘ling utilizable the previously inferior |

and worthless grades of. fuel; the devel-
opment of other sources “of fuel and
and energy, viz., oi] and gas, hydro-
electric pawer, wave and tidal power,
ete.; the use of central power stations
at. the mine mouth; and in other ways
may our awn measures be increased.

What: is more, they have been, are|. |

being, and will cuntinue to be, ao in-

créaging: and what is still morc, the]:

rate of increase of the coalresources
in its bearing on the future exceeds the
rate of inerease in coal consumption.
The Real Need ©

What the world really needs on the
conservation: question is reliable and
official statisties, compiled, let us aay,
every twenty years or oftener. Such
statistics would show the rate of in-
crease in our ‘coal resources ‘or fuel
reserves, in the world’s iron ore sup-
plies, etc., and would not leave such
statistics to the personal vagaries of the
different authors,

Mei is, therefore, of special significance

to the coal conservation question thatin |

1922 the congress of the world's geolo-
gists, to be held in Toronto, Canada,
will assemble statistics of the nation's

coal. resources as submitted by the )-(°

various geological surveya and others.

Jt will be.ramembered that the last
‘Anternational Geological Congress, held |:

in Stockholm in 1910, compiled similar
figures forthe iron ore resourees of the
world. That congress laid ‘to rest. the
bugaboo of possible. exhaustion of tron
ore supplies in the discernible future.

The congress at Toronto will apparently
do the same for coal.

will lie in their enabling future genera-
tions to authoritatively settle the con-
aervation question by precise figures of
past, present and future increases in
our coal and fuel supplies, as well as in
our coal and fuel consumption, _

But the greatest |.
service of such statistical compilations |-

* cama For a good saa

Book or
Magazine.

aaa go bi ——;
Adams’ Drug Store

‘The - Choicest ‘Stationery,
Chocolates arid Imported.”
Cigars.

You may. get. a $20 Suit
1 for. $2. or $3

Dense Takes Place. ‘Eva
" Saturday Night *: w

|): Mason: Adams
-DRUGGIST :

-Hezelton _

Loe

Royal —
Soft Drinks

are’ rads here —- "Nove better}
made anywhere! Ws

Lemon Seda
‘On Sale Everywhere:

Hazelton, B. Cc,

[Te Coffee
~ House:

q Where everthing i is. val
‘cooked and appetizing. -

“Our ‘Pies, "Cakes, cookies:
Doughnuts, Bread and Buns, gre are
the beat, : oe

: Try a pound cau of o our Special 7
Blend Coffee. | ‘There is noné bet-
ter anywhere, ,

Opposite | Hazelton Hotel .

L

Try our ” Gee aid” a

Royal Bottling Works |

‘Hazelton Bakery {{f |

—— Solid Comfort
mo. Clean’ Beds,. ‘Clean Bunks,
. Tobacco, Cigars; Candies,
"Nuts; ‘Soft, Dai F Fraits:

- Season, ete, ete, a

, Cream Soda —

A Chisholm Soh

General Hardware

~ Builders’. -Material
’ . Miners’ * Supplies

: Head BG

ics Buy a Reidy-Made Mack:

naw Suit when you can buy a:

{'Tailor-Made_

Mackinaw
Suit at.

The best Mackinaw .
"| manufactured ” os

government, -We shall support ; Quality Right
the Borden government when ‘we| |

consider its measures beneficial,

were; independent we are; inde-|[f :

~ Atitomobile

Scarf we baie

ust phcel 0 “C

“Bee and varied assortment, im which, Fou: wil “od |
to suit you. —

Mackinaw Suits

For the cold weather which will soot be

Suits. are’ the proper thing. Ours: are of the best material
cand manufacture, os

Wagon Covers |

oS The Tainy
oie dl ae
: all

= oe] have

season on call for:

useful, ‘being. convertibl ton iy. vo
sizes. a ae