Toronto

Because of its geographical position, its cheap electric power, and its nearby sources of raw material, Toronto is one of the chief industrial and commercial centres of the dominion. It is also considered the publishing centre. It has eleven miles of water-front and the largest vessels of the lakes can use its har bour, which is under an extensive scheme of improvements, and will eventually be equipped to handle ocean shipping. In 1927 the magnificent new union station was opened, although the raising of the level of the tracks has not yet been completed.

Bank clearings for 1927 were $6,484,985,045, an increase over the previous year of $1,288,556,862. There are approximately 2,000 industries, in which capital to the amount of $448,839,685 is invested, and which employ 85,229 persons.

The population in 1927 was 569,899, predominantly British; and it was 631,207 in 1931. Moreover, over 1oo,000 people reside in suburbs immediately adjacent to the city boundaries. In 1885 the total assessment was $69,000,000; in 1906 it was $167, 861,755; in 1926 it was $886,839,808; and in 1928 it was $926, 027,622. The rate for 1928 was 31.80.

History.

The name Toronto is of Indian origin, and means "a place of meeting," the site being an established rendezvous among the neighbouring Indian tribes long before the coming of the white man. It first appears in history in 1749 as a centre of

trade when the French built a small fort and established a trading post called Fort Rouille. Before long, however, British traders came up from the south and entered into rivalry with the French, and in 1793 the fort was burned by the latter to prevent its occu pation by their foes. A year later John Graves Simcoe, the gover nor of the new province of Upper Canada, transferred the seat of government from the town of Newark at the mouth of the Niag ara river to Toronto, giving the new capital the name of York, in honour of the second son of George III. In 1812, the buildings which housed the legislature were burned and the town pillaged. After the restoration of peace the work of creating a capital for the province of Upper Canada had to be begun anew. In 1834 its population numbered about 10,000; and an act of the provin cial legislature conferred on it a charter of incorporation, with a mayor, aldermen and councilmen. Under this charter it was con stituted a city with the name of Toronto.