~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