The New York herald., 1921-02-06

and trading places OF the company are
scattered at intervals of $50 to 200 miles
along the principal lakes and rivers of
the north. There had been rivals, of
course. and later years have seen other
trading companies competing for a share
OF the business of obtaining furs from
the trappers and Indians who people
the country so sparsely.
owing to the breaks in navigation.
caused py rapids. 1t is necessary to build
steamers locally, and the speed with
which the stern wheelers on the Mac
henzie are put together from timber
grown on the premises, as II were, would
astonish the easy going shipbuilders OF
some older regions. There is abundance
oI stout spruce timber. and those who
nave peen In the country say that the
ultimate opening up of the Mackenzie
river valley viii mean another North
west TO Canada in population and wealth.
freighting COSTS however. are vet ex-
eeeongiy high. il being said that charges
run from to Is cents per pound on
pachases from the nearest railway point
TO Fort Norman.
tne region Is remote In distance and
oioiuoing In winter climate 1t at least
nas certain remarkable advantages in
summer. The rapid growth which is
SAID to have carried potatoes from the
planning stage to the table In forty-nine
Gays last summer comes from the con-
tlhuous daylight For sixty DAYS of the
sumner they do not require artificial
hsht at any hour of the day or night
at Fort Norman, and that will mean
much to the hard working prospectors in
the next few months
The Mackenzie River at Fort Norman
Is three miles wide. with low banks
sloping up somewhat from the shore
~ ALREADY bears the stamp of the oil
rush, for prospectors followed or pre-
ceded the Imperial Oil crews to that re-
mote spot in 1920. AS a consequences
the leases recorded by other prospectors
run UP to about 10000 acres at Fort
Norman. or practically the same as the
area held by Imperial Oil itself For
thirty miles the land Is taken on the
right bank, and for twenty miles on the
lett bank, with several large islands in
between also staked. The Imperial. un-
less its policy Is changed, proposes to
drill three or four more wells this year
at Norman, while the British American
OIL Company and other companies hold
ing leases probably viii begin operations.
Outlook for Prospectors.
This leads to the question as to what
Is the outlook for the ordinary pros
pector who goes to Fort Norman At
present the Imperial has got the only
results and is the only company as
yet on the scene which is believed to
havs sufficient resources to carry on
the work to finish. Officials of the
Imperial are frank to say that even
their we'll, rich as 1t may prove to be,
is as yet of no commercial value, owing
to its remoteness from any refinery or
market. They say that it would cost
hfty million dollars to construct a pipe
line to carry the oil to, say. Edmonton.
alternatives may be had in the use
or tanlSers down the Mackenzie River
and out to the Pacific to the west of
Alaska, but the season for navigation
In that region would be notoriousy
short Another plan is to lbufld a pipe
line some 700 miles to tide-water on
one of the Pacific ocean inlets. but a
height Of land lying athwart the course
would make an expensive obstacle.
1t has been suggested that, In view
OF the strong interest of the Canadian
and British governments in the matter,
nationalized pipeline should be con-
structed for the use Of all OIL producers
This. however. would surely be con-
tingent on the field being proved to be
of enormous value and Immediately
necessary as a source of a supply. I'm
perial Oil officials frankly say that they
will continue drilling at points nearer
home. and If they find commercial
oil at less distant point than Fort
Norman. their policy win be to let Fort
Norman wait
In these conditions the prospector
hurrying to Fort Norman will face the
hazard of future market as well as
the dangers of his present experience
He will be led on. however. by the
knowledge that the necessity for oil is
very great, as Canada pro-
duces only small fraction of Its total
requirements, and that any good flow
of oil. even on the lower waters of the
Mackenzie River. is bound to find
market sooner OF later.