Artists' paper.-Great Britain is far ahead of other countries in the Canadian market in drawing, water-color, and all artists' papers. The American mills are, however, commencing to make these, and are threatening competition with British goods.

Tissues. The best imported tissue papers come from England. The cheaper goods are from Belgium, and a few from the United States. Crape papers come from American and English makers.

Inks. Imported ink comes from England and the United States, and a little from France. The English inks are the best known and have probably an advantage on the market. The preferential tariff places them on an equality, as far as price goes, with the United States goods. Most of the French inks go to Quebec. Ink powders are growing in popularity, chiefly because importers do not care to pay duty on so much water when the ink is shipped in liquid form. These come from Great Britain and the United States. Mucilage.-Mucilage is imported from England and the United States. The white paste is nearly all American.

Pens.-Steel pens come to Canada mostly from Birmingham. Some large United States manufacturers sell a number to Canada, and the pens made especially for the vertical writing taught in the schools are American.

Sealing wax.-The best sealing wax comes from England. Some is brought from the United States, but it is of a cheap variety and not a great deal is used here.

Rubbers. Imported rubber bands are all from the United States. A cheap quality was formerly made in Canada, and for a long time. those of home manufacture have had this reputation. Those now made here, however, are quite equal to any imported goods.

Pencils. The best lead pencils are, of course, from Germany. All good drawing pencils come from that country, which imports. the pine wood from the United States, makes the pencils, and then is able to lay them down in Canadian markets in better quality and at a lower figure than home-made goods. The United States pencil makers are mostly interested in rubber-tipped and fancy-designed varieties.

Erasers.-The United States makes the best rubber erasers; but in this line Canadian manufacturers are offering keen competition. Fancy goods.-Fancy ink bottles, paper weights, and other goods of the kind come from Austria and France. Many novelties in the stationer's trade, such as fancy trays, match safes, etc., are of American make; but Austria, France, and Germany have the bulk of the novelty trade.

Globes, etc.-Map globes are made in the United States. board brushes, slates, and numeral frames are other school accessories in which American firms do nearly all the trade in Canada.

Silver and gold pencils and other stationers' jewelry are mostly from England, though the United States is rapidly coming to the front. Lanterns, etc.—What we call Chinese lanterns are made in Ger

many. The Japanese lanterns, however, are really from Japan. Wicker waste-paper baskets, slate pencils, artists' brushes, damping brushes, and the cheaper seals and stamps are of German make.

Bags. In school bags, the canvas ones are from England and Germany. All the leather bags are of Canadian make. Other coun

tries have not been able to compete in this line.

Instruments.-Mathematical instruments of the best kind for school and professional use are made in France. Compasses are brought from England and the United States, also, but they are said to be not as good as the French makes.

Cards. All the playing cards imported are of the best class. The duty of 6 cents per pack keeps out the cheap goods. Most of the cards come from the United States. High-class Christmas cards are sent from England; but much of the work on them is done in Germany. The best visiting cards are British.

Games.-Chessmen, checkers, dominoes, cribbage boards, whist markers, etc., are brought from Germany. Some American checkers and dominoes are beginning to take the place of the German goods; but, on the whole, Germany is the origin of the great bulk of these goods.

Miscellaneous.-Germany, England, France, and Italy supply Canada with rubber balls. The best come from England, and the fancy balls mostly from Germany.

Most of the school crayons and chalk come from the United States. Oil crayons are being used more than chalk now, and it is likely they will soon displace it altogether.

Files, bill stickers, stamping pads, and wire watse-paper and desk baskets are American. Paper fasteners come from England. The porcelain sponge cups are made in Great Britain, but the glass ones are made in both that country and the United States.

Ebony and ebonite rulers are mostly from Great Britain; the other rulers from the United States.

Opera glasses and magnifying glasses of the best kind come from France, though some of the latter are of English make.

France and Germany export to this country stamp, photo, and scrap albums. A few are made in Canada.

Cotton flags are all Canadian, but the best bunting and silk flags are imported from England and France.

Fancy photo frames, in brass and other metals, as well as in cardboard and enamel, are mostly of German make.

All celluloid goods come from New York. tion, is English.

A few are American.

Zylonite, an imita

Letter presses are mainly from the United States and letter balances from Great Britain.

Key rings and chains, gold and silver paper, and telescopes are nearly all from France. Penholders are brought from the United

States and Germany.

Leather goods. Most of the leather goods used are manufactured in Canada. The leather is imported already tanned and prepared to be cut up into purses, belts, valises, etc. Germany, England, and the United States are the chief exporters in this line to Canada. Morocco or goatskins, real Russian and seal skins, for purses, wallets, etc., come from Great Britain. Some seal skin is from Germany. Alligator, already tanned and glazed, comes principally from Florida. Russia leather is wholly an English product. The Americans have a close imitation of it, but most of the goods are from the old country. Walrus, monkey skin, sea lion, hippopotamus, etc., are generally made of seal, a different grain on them being their only title to the fancy names. Snake and lizard skins wear out so quickly that very few are used, and they are expensive. They come from England and the United States. Calfskins are brought from the United States, Germany, and England.

Canadian manufacturers use their own sheepskins much more than imported goods. Those that do come in are from Germany, England, and the United States. The rough sheepskin used for blank books is nearly all Canadian.

The metal fittings and frames for stationers' leather goods are all imported from England, France, and Germany.

MONTREAL, October 27, 1902.

JOHN L. BITTINGER,

Consul-General.

CANADIAN PEAT-FUEL OPERATIONS.

Recognizing that a good and cheap substitute for anthracite coal would prove a great boon to the people of many States of the Union, and having learned that the efforts in Canada to produce dense fuel blocks from peat have within the last few months been brought to a successful issue, I have made careful inquiry with a view to reporting whatever has been definitely accomplished; and I find that practical experiments, which have been perseveringly continued for some years, have now resulted in the economical production of a salable peat fuel, highly satisfactory for domestic purposes.

Manufacturing operations on a commercial scale have been reported upon by engineers of high standing, and all agree in the opinion that methods and appliances are now available whereby peat

briquettes may be produced, ready for shipment, for a maximum. manufacturing cost of $1.50 per ton, and probably for considerably less in plants of large capacity.

A number of experienced business men and Government officials concur in the engineers' conclusion, and I find that the large majority of customers are much pleased with the fuel, which, if burned with proper regard to the few simple precautions necessary to insure best results in combustion, can not fail to meet the most exacting requirements heretofore expected of anthracite coal. There is, however, some difference of opinion as to the length of time a given weight of peat briquettes will burn, as compared with the same weight of anthracite. Theoretically, the heat units in peat being fewer, it may be argued, it must burn out faster; but with effective control of drafts, it is surprising how nearly its lasting quality approaches that of hard coal, due doubtless to the fact that more perfect combustion is usually had in the burning of peat under ordinary conditions, the waste in burning coal certainly being greater than in peat briquettes, both fuels being fired by methods in common use.

Preeminently to two individuals (Jos. M. Shuttleworth, of Brantford, Ontario, and Alex. Dobson, of Beaverton, Ontario), in association with the Peat Machinery Supply Company, Limited, of Toronto, and the Peat Development Syndicate, Limited, of Brantford, is due the success of this new industry; and it is satisfactory to note that conclusions do not rest on mere laboratory experiments, but on results demonstrated at practical plants, turning out fuel in commercial quantities.

The machinery in operation at Beaverton is reported by the secretary of the Ontario bureau of mines as "withstanding the test of steady usage, producing sufficient fuel for the town, with some over for shipment;" and this official says, further: "With this plant in successful operation, very substantial evidence is furnished of the advance of the industry to a commercial basis."

Peat fuel has been made at the property of the Peat Industries, Limited, near Welland, and at the Brunner bog, by the Stratford Peat Company; but in both cases the permanent equipment of the plants has been wisely deferred until, by sufficiently long usage, selection can be made among the several appliances available. This end has been served by the operations of the past few months, and the coming spring, it appears, will witness very general activity in peat-fuel manufacturing in Canada.

I

A word of caution to intending operators may be timely. notice many references in the public press-especially in papers published in the Western States-in regard to the formation of companies. proposing to utilize peat beds. I think it would be well to give

publicity to the following Canadian experiences: Fully $400,000 has in the course of seven or eight years been practically wasted in futile attempts made in this line by many persons and corporations. It would appear advisable for all intending operators to confer with these in Canada, who have the advantage of thorough acquaintance with peat in its practical manipulation, before adopting untried methods or appliances. European practice, I am told, although successful in many instances environed by special circumstances-notably cheap manual labor-can not be profitably followed on this side of the Atlantic; and the opinion of Mr. J. G. Thaulow, the Norwegian Government's peat master, sustains this conclusion. He says: "The fuel [in Canada] is undoubtedly made at a manufacturing cost within $1.25 per ton, and the machinery and methods employed I regard as highly satisfactory." He could suggest nothing known in Europe as preferable, but, on the contrary, admitted the gain secured by use of the ingenious mechanical appliances used here, making unnecessary, to a very great extent, the employment of hand labor.

Another source of danger of which those approaching this new industry should be apprised lies in the unsuitability of many peat deposits for practical use; only bogs of an average depth of 4 feet and upward and of considerable area (at least 100 acres) should be selected on account of the expense of the plant. Fully as serious a danger lies in the selection of lands without regard to quality of the peat, feasibility of drainage, and accessibility to some means of transportation. All these points should be carefully considered. Mr. E. J. Checkley, of Toronto, who has been intimately connected for years with peat development in Canada, is investigating peat properties in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. He reports that the grass peats of Wisconsin appear to carry so great an admixture of alluvial substances as to make the percentage of ash too high to admit of the satisfactory use of the peat for commercial purposes; the moss peats of northern Wisconsin are much superior in quality, although further removed from large centers affording the best markets.

Feasibility of drainage is essential, as no appliances appear to have been perfected as yet by which a submerged bog can be profitably worked. Satisfactory transportation facilities should also be treated as a potent factor in the problem.

The Canadian industry has profited by the cooperation existing among the organizations and individuals I have mentioned as interested in peat development, obviating one source of weakness arising out of attempts made by individual patentees, whose achievements usually embrace only one appliance, leaving many important steps wholly unprovided for. Every one of the many links required