While a large part of the province is unsuitable for farming, there are fertile valleys and plains, and in the north a considerable area of prairie east of the Rocky Mountains. The Okanagan Valley, the Thomp son Valley and much of the coast country is suitable for fruit growing, and British Co lumbia fruit has acquired a considerable reputa tion abroad. The delta of the Fraser is ex ceedingly rich, producing phenomenal crops of fruits, hay and cereals. It is no uncommon thing to harvest over 100 bushels of oats to the acre on these lands, while 20 tons of pota toes is not regarded as an extraordinary crop. The valleys are well adapted to dairy farming, and the Ashcroft district is renowned for the quality of its potatoes. The Peace River dis trict, which is yet mostly unsettled awaiting railway extension, is a prairie country suitable for wheat growing. The total value of farm products in 1916 was computed to be $32,000,000.
British Columbia cannot be considered as yet a manufacturing province ex cept in special industries such as lumbering, mentioned above, fish canning, the smelting of metals, the manufacture of pulp and paper, and of late, shipbuilding. In 1917 there were under construction or contract at Vancouver, Victoria and their neighborhoods 10 or 12 steel ships and at least 20 wooden ships. The latter are mostly auxiliary sail andpower vessels.
Commerce and For the year ending March 1914, the imports through the ports of British Columbia were valued at $58, 000,000; exports $34,000,000. The trade fell off during 1915 by reason of the war and other causes to $36,000,000 imports and $34,000,000 exports. For the fiscal year 1916 it is consider ably larger, but the returns are not available. In proportion to population, British Columbia has in existence and under construction more railway mileage than any other province, and perhaps more than any other country in the world. This is partly due to the fact that it is on the transcontinental highway, and partly also to the, perhaps excessive, ambition of its people and government to open up the country for settlement as rapidly as possible. Three transcontinental lines, the Canadian Pa cific, the Canadian Northern and the Grand Trunk Pacific, pass through the province, the latter with its terminal at Prince Rupert in the north, the other two reaching the ocean at Vancouver, and the Canadian Northern having extensions on Vancouver Island. The Cana dian Pacific has branches along several of the valleys, a second main ling through the Rocky Mountains, into the Kootenay country, a system of Railways on Vancouver Island, extensions into the United States, lines of boats on the Okanagan lakes, the Kootenay lakes and on the coast, as well as between Vancouver and Vic toria, with ocean lines to Asia. These main
lines of course run east and west. Another important railway, the Pacific Great Eastern, under construction and near completion, runs north and south connecting the port of Van couver with the Grand Trunk Pacific and is expected to extend into the Peace River country, farther north and east. The Great Northern Railway of the United States has extensions to Vancouver, where in 1917 extensive terminals were in preparation. In 1907 the railway mile age in the province was 1,686. In 1915 it was 3,100, in 1917, about 3,600, with at least 500 miles under construction. The province has guaranteed the principal and interest of bonds to the extent of some $50,000,000 for the Ca nadian Northern and Pacific Great Eastern railways. The British Columbia Electric Rail way system includes street lines in Vancouver and Victoria with suburban extensions and a line from Vancouver through to New West minister, to Chilliwack on the Fraser River, the whole including 225 miles of track.
The estimated provincial rev enue for the year 1917-18 is $9,86,8,325; and the estimated expenditure $10,M0,804, including in the latter case $2,032,225, charged to capital. The chief sources of revenue are Dominion sub sidies $623,000; timber licenses, royalty and leases $2,300,000; taxes on real and personal prop erty $3,000,000; income tax $1,090,000; succes sion duty $400,000; with numerous fees, etc. The real estate income and property tax was largely increased in the budget of 1917, and the expenditures reduced. In the previous two years there were large deficits. The expendi tures include interest on the debt, the cost of civil government, administration of justice, with an expenditure of $150,000 for agriculture, and $1,800,000 for public works. The debt of the province in 1916 was computed to be $15,000,000, which is largely represented by roads and bridges constructed through this mountainous country. There were certain assessments in the form of uncollected royalties, taxes and amounts due for lands. Besides the above in debtedness there was a contingent liability on railway guarantees.