The sun., 1919-06-03
AIRPLANE SERVICE
TO MINING CAMP
West Shining Tree Region So
Wild Ordinary Transporta-
ton Is Difficult.
NEAR SUDBURY, ONTARIO
Speculative Interest in North
ern District Revives, Though
Production Falls Slightly.
Special Correspondence 10 rHr sux.

oPedd' correspondence 10 TIE Sun
TORONTO, June 2.--Ail winter and
spring there has been an increas,nf
interest In the mining fields of northern
ohtar'o' which have become the mos
important In Canada. During the wa,
production remained high at several q,
the more important mines, but specula.
tive interest languished. That has re.
vived of late. and there is prospect OF
several new properties being developed
with good results this year.
Interest has been increasing in tn,
West Shining Tree Camp, a new region
adjacent to Sudbury. but in a wilderness
SO difhcult OF access that an aeroplans
service from the railway to the camr
was arranged recently. So far, the only
mines OF this camp on which devotion.
ment work has been done are wasapika
ana Herrick; and although there is a
promising showing, II Is too soon 10
predict the actual future OF these prop
critics. II 10 enough to say that this
camp Is at this stage one for speculat ton
rather than Investment but its friends
maintain that the promise 10 great and
that tho same indifference toward IL as
Is felt by the public now was manifested
toward Porcupins ten years ago
kirkland Lake Is another camp with
increasing activity. but at the present
moment there Is some fear of a labor
strike. At Porcupine and Cobalt the
labor situation apparently is not menac-
ing.
For the first quarter Of 1919, the
mineral production in Ontario shows a
slight reduction compared with last
year The situation is complicated for
comparison by the fact that some min
erals, like copper, are lower. while silver
Is higher. and because several mills,
which were closed last yeae, have re-
opened this spring.
There Is every reason to believe that
this years mineral output from the
north Will be a heavy one, and will
compare favorably with last year. when
the production of nickel in Ontario was
s26,S00,0o0, copper S9,0OO.OOO, silver
Sl6,e0o,ooo, gold 100000. CaIcu-
latlons for the future however, must take
Into consideration the increasing cost Of
production. which is making gold mining
impossible in a number OF low grade
properties. To meet this, the interesting
suggestion has been made here that the
nations should all agree to raise the
price OF gold to (say) $40 per ounce, in
order to conform more nearly TO pricss
or other things. II Is claimed that gold
In the world will become increasingly
scarce, as the great production has been
from low grade mines. The result, It is
asserted. would enable belligerent coun-
tries TO meet their war debts much
easier.
At any rate. the suggestion has been
forwarded to the Canadian representa-
tiVes at the Peace Conference, though
there Is nothing TO show that the matter
has been considered there. The sugges-
ton is so radical that nothing may come
or II, and in any case 1t would require
long discussion, and. there may be suftf-
Gent objections from standpatters to
give II even a decent hearing.
The following is a summary o. the
mineral production in Ontario 10. the
three months ended March 81. 1919,
compared with the same period in the
previous year, and given acce rdlag to
value: