42. MINERALS. From a country so vast and of such varied geological structure as Canada one expects a wide range of mineral deposits, and the expectation is not disappointed, for already most of the minerals known to-exist elsewhere have been found in the Dominion, and often in important deposits, though only its southern fringe has been explored. How ever, up to the present, Canada's mineral pro duction must be looked on as at the stage of promise rather than performance, except in a few substances where nature has given her the lead. For example, the world's supply of as bestos comes from the province of Quebec, and more than three-quarters of its supply of nickel is obtained from mines in Ontario, while rich placer mines have produced largely in the Yukon, and Cobalt supplies the needs of the world for that metal and has attained a great place in silver production. Canada is back ward in the production of iron and steel, basic factors in the development of a country, and stands relatively low as a Producer of coal, though the fact that the only deposits of good coal on tide-water in America, both on the At lantic and Pacific, are Canadian, is a fact of much importance which has produced great metallurgical industries in Nova Scotia.
Until recently the exploitation of Canadian mineral resources has been largely due to for eigners,. especially Americans; but Canadian and British capital are now turning in this di rection.
In 1913, the year of greatest output, the total value of the mineral products of Canada was $145,634,812, about $18.75 for each inhabit
ant, as compared with $24.50 per capita in the United States, where the total reached $2,445, 805,017 in the same year. The area of Canada is about equal to that of the United States and in the parts best explored its mineral re sources give promise of equalling in value those of corresponding States of the Union; so that an immense expansion in mining is to be looked for in the next generation.
The mineral production of Canada is very 'unequally distributed among the provinces, On tario coming first with nearly 45 per cent of the whole, followed by British Columbia with 21 per cent and Nova Scotia with 13 per cent and the other provinces with smaller percent ages. It is interesting to note that Ontario, one of the oldest and presumably best known of the provinces, has had important mineral dis coveries in recent years increasing its output threefold in the last decade. Of the Maritime provinces of eastern Canada only Nova Scotia can be described as a mining region, gold and coal having been produced there for nearly half a century. Quebec is not of great import ance except for its asbestos mines. Ontario produces a variety of minerals, nickel, silver and gold being foremost, while British Colum bia provides gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc and coal, and the Yukon gold.
Following the usual classification, the min erals of Canada may be taken up under three heads, metals, non-metallic minerals and struc tural materials.