NL GenWebNewspaper Records"The Daily News"Year End 1932 - Historical Facts on LabradorPlace of publication: St. John's.Dates of publication: Feb. 15, 1894 - June 4, 1984. Frequency: Daily (except Sunday). The records were transcribed by JOHN BAIRD and SUE O'NEILL. While we have endeavored to be as correct as humanly possible, there may be typographical errors. |
SATURDAY DECEMBER 31 1932LABRADORLabrador Matters In Brief SurveySome Statics and Details Regarding the Great Northern Dependency of Newfoundland With Reference to Past and Present Titles and a Historical Data in Connection With The Labrador Award. During the last few months of 1932 the Coast of Labrador, has once again been brought prominently before the world, and this time because of the reported discovery by D. S. Bondurant of gold bearing quartz and slate in the vicinity of Lake Wakunich on the headwaters of the Ashuanipi River which empties in Hamilton River. The reported discovery is in 57.5 Lat and 67 Long. On October 5th last Captain Bonduant signed agreement with the Government under certain conditions. Since that date 11 or 12 applications for 100,000 square miles each have been approved by the government on the same terms as granted in the original applicant and it may be presumed that any further areas to be approved will be along the similar lines. In short form the terms are as follows.:- The concessionaire is given for a term of three years the exclusive right to prospect over the area of land included in his agreement. He shall yearly pay to the Crown the sun of $1,000 and expend on actual prospecting the sum of $5,000 yearly expense to use such reasonable water power within his area. He may cut on the land such timber as is actually required for building and mining, and shall pay neither rent or royalties for it. He is permitted to import free of duty during the term of the agreement-three years all mining equipment for prospecting and exploration. At the end of the three years the concessionaire may select such potion of the area held by him, and stake and take up such portion under the provisions of the Crown Lands Act. He shall pay as royalty , on coal, 15 1/2 cents per ton; Copper 4 cents and ____ (unreadable) that is one per cent of copper are smelted, lead 2 cents per unit, figured as above; Iron 5 cents on every ton sold or smelted. A tax on net profits he shall pay a 5 per cent on annual net profits in excess of$10,000 up to $5,000,000; (b) and a 6 per cent on annual net profits in excess of $5,000,000 up to $105,000,000 (c) 7 per cent on annual net profit in excess of $10,000,000 up to $15,000,000; (d) on the excess above $15,000,000 a proportional increase of 1 per cent for each additional $5,000,000. These agreements between the concessionaire and the Government of Newfoundland are subject to ratification at the next session of the Legislature. CONCESSIONS DISCRIMINATORY The question may well be asked, "If we have Crown Lands Act," and that act dose not cover all the conditions in the original agreement, made with Bondurant , why not amend the Act, instead of making special agreements? The answer is that it has become "the custom of the country to give a charter to anyone who seeks, if the concessions required are not met with in existence Acts of the Legislature." In connection with the concessions already granted, there is this point also, which discriminates against any future prospecting parties. Under the agreement signed, all prospecting materials comes into Newfoundland duty free. This applies to the concessionaires only. Prospectors who may enter the Coast of Labrador after January 5th, will pay duty on their equipment. Those entering by means of airplanes, will take off from Seven Islands, Quebec province. There is no Newfoundland Customs there and duty , it is presumed , will have to be collected, after the arrival in Labrador. The Government in November of 1932 after it had issued minerals licences to some 30 or 40 prospectors and whilst they were on their way to St. John's from Labrador Coast, having spent a couple of months prospecting, issued a proclamation reserving from the operation of the Crown Land's Act, all minerals on the Labrador. On November 15th of this year, after certain areas were approved the Government issued a proclamation rescinding the reservation, except in as far as it applied to such areas as are held under any grant, lease or licence, or are reserved by agreement with the Governor in Council. On December 5th, a notice was published that on and after January 5th1932 the staking of mineral areas on the Labrador under the provisions of the Crown lands Act ,shall again be valid. MODE OF GRANTING TITLES UNFAVOURABLE The prolific tinkering with rights and be granted under the Crown Lands Act in the past brought the country into disrepute amongst many reputable mining engineers. They have felt that it is not safe to take prospecting seriously because, overnight the area that they have been examining may be reserved from the operation of the Act. It is presumed, that on and after January 5th next, when the Labrador Coast is thrown open for staking, that the granting of 100 square miles reservations will be abandoned , and that the prospectors who actually dose his work on the ground will be left to prospect and stake, under the provisions of the Crown Land Act as it is. These reservation for the exclusive right to prospect, have not established a precedent however. Chapter 47 of the Consolidated Statutes of of Newfoundland (First Series) passed in 1872, contains amongst other these sections. The Governor in Council may grant an exclusive right of searching for minerals and mines to any person for any period not exceeding three miles, and he shall have the right to grant any quantity not exceeding one square miles, if applied for with the said two years. The Governor in Council may issue grants in fee or leases of one square mile of land, with the mines and minerals therein to any person applying for same. The conditions were that the lessee must expend the sum of $20,000 in and about the working of minerals within a period of eleven years. On expenditure of this sum he was entitled to a grant in fee simple. The cost of the licence not to exceed $50. When section is made or patent issued for part of the land under license the residue shall, before being granted, be put up to public auction in lots , as the governor in Council may direct after three months notice in the Royal Gazette, and the highest bidder, being qualified as by law required, shall on payment of the purchase money, be entitled to a grant, subject, however, to the provisions of this chapter. Another blanket reservation of indeterminate boundaries was made in favour of Charles Fox Bennett, in the years 1851, 1852 and 1853. He was given by the government, mining rights over 1,000,000 acres on the West die of Placentia bay, the Burin Peninsula, and extending West to Bay D'Espoir, with no boundary inland. In 1904 by arrangement with the executor of the Estate, fee simple mining grants for 50 square miles were issued because of the question of validity of the former title. PROVIDE FOR INTENSIVE PROSPECTING the method of dealing with such portions of the 100 square miles reservations on the Coast of Labrador, as may not be taken up under the Crown Lands Act., as the expiration of three years might well be the same as that under Chapter 47 quoted. It will be impossible to thoroughly prospect the whole 100 square miles in the time set. Then at the expiration of the three years, the area not staked should be advertised in the Newfoundland Gazette and sold to the highest bidder, and a title issued under the Crown Lands Act. This would make for intensive prospecting on the part of the concessionaires. All or any portion of any 100 squares miles , which may be selected and staked under the Act, will carry the timber and water claims, (if any) which may be included within the boundaries of the mining claims. The Crown Lands Act of 1930, is based on the Ontario Act. In the Ontario Act a special section is inserted, providing that any water power, that may be capable of developing 100 horse power and upwards, shall be reserved from the mining claims. The Newfoundland Act dose not carry this reservation. Where the timber rights are in the Crown , the mining lease will also carry the right to this timber, and both water power and timber, without renter royalty. Hesketh Prichard F F. R. G. S. published in 1911 "Through Trackless Labrador." In the preface he sums up in a few sentences just what Labrador has been, and is ; and goes further and suggests the only remedy. He writes "The life of the Labrador is entirely predatory. it never has been anything else north of latitude 54, and unless mineral discoveries are made new can be. The bear, the caribou, the birds, the seals, the salmon, the trout, and the cod form the capital of the country and the problems is solved by successful destruction." A. P. Low, of the Canadian Geological Department, in his reports of 1883 , 94 and 95 makes the reference to the result of his exploration of the Hamilton River. ECONOMIC MINERALS Gold. This metal was not observed in any of the rocks, along the routes followed, but it may occur the numerous small quartz vain that cut the Huronian rocks, carrying iron and copper pyrites. The most promising localities for future investigation are along Koksoak River, especially in the vicinity of the Manitou Gorge a few miles above Stillwater River. Copper pyrites was met with in quartz veins. Iron. The immense deposits of magnetite, hematite and siderite in the Cambrian formation, and their widespread distribution may at some future date be of economic importance especially those containing a large percentage of manganese. The ore are always associated with cherry limestone, and this carbonate of lime is very wide-spread, being met with at Lake Mistassini and along the Koksoak River and Hamilton River. REPORT OF J. P. HOWLEY FOR 1832 Tin-1.20 per cent of oxide of tin was found to be contained in a specimen of Columbite, from Labrador. Molybdenite- Good specimens have been exhibited from Hamilton Inlet, Labrador. LORD STRATHCONA AND MINERALS Mr. Smith afterwards Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal, was for a number of years chief factor at Labrador for the Hudson's Bay Company , and Beckles Wilson in his published work on this great man says. "On August 1st 1866, Mr. Smith left on the Company's (Hudson's bay Company) steamer Ripple for Esquimaux Bay, and on August 8th arrived at Rigolet . After the labour incidental to loading of the homeward bound steamer, and packing of salmon had been disposed of the Chief Factor left for North West River. He returned to find that in on sequence of his many representations, a competent mineralogist, Mr. Bauerman had arrived in the company's new ship, the Labrador, and was now spending the summer in surveying all that part of the coast supposed to contain minerals. The expedition was of value, but some of the shareholders expressed themselves as disappointed because no gold mines had been found." The first forest fire proclamation that we have a record of was put up along the Coast of Labrador in 1767 and reads as follow:- ORDER AGAINST FIRING THE WOODS ON THE COAST OF LABRADOR By His Excellency Hugh Palliser Whereas the woods are frequently set on fire upon this coast by the crews of whaling vessels from the plantations and the same in an offence against the Statute of the 10th and 11th of William III, and is equally prejudicial to the public whether done wilfully, maliciously or negligently. Notice is hereby given that if any person by any ways or means whatever, shall set on fire any of the woods within my Government they will be apprehended and sent to me at St. John's to be tried for such offence against the Statute. N. B. Copies of this Order are put up along this coast where whaling vessels resort. N.B. No fires must be made on shore where there is a possibility of its communicating fire to the adjoining woods. By Order of His Excellency, Sgd. John Horsnall. Given at Pitts Harbour, Labrador, July 23rd, 1767. HISTORY OF LABRADOR In reply to a communication from the Governor General of Canada when the question of Newfoundland's right to the Coast of Labrador was first questioned by Canada, the Government of the drafted a minute of Council. It was signed by R. Bond, Colonial Secretary , and approved by Cavendish Boyle, Governor, and dated July 24th 1903. It gives briefly and clearly the history of the Coast of Labrador as follows :
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