Mr. Alfred von Hamerstein informed the Senate committee in 1907 that from McMurray up in a westerly direction, for about twenty miles, there is very good timber. He had seen trees that would make one thousand feet of lumber. From Athabaska to House river there is timber standing yet. There had been some fires raging, but they had not burned it yet. The timber consists of some patches of spruce of a fairly good size, and the rest is poplar. From House river to McMurray there is no timber left. It is all burned out. There are patches here and there along the river, a couple of trees left standing, and there is some very fine timber in that. There is some timber which Mr. von Hamerstein used for his oil well boring work, and he had taken out strips sixty-four feet long, out of which he had cut his walking beams. There are only patches of this timber; the rest had been burned. A little further east there is some fine timber at Chipewyan. From the mouth of Peace river to about Fort Vermilion there is some good timber. Timber of the same quality ranges north for a considerable distance. There will be a range of timber four or five miles long, and then muskeg. From the Vermilion down there is no timber left; it is all burned up. There is no young timber growing up to speak of—at least Mr. von Hamerstein did not see any, except in a few places where a little young timber is starting to grow. Indeed it is mostly poplar, with patches here and there of spruce, but mostly poplar. [Illustration: Saw Mill near Fort Smith.] Mr. H. A. Conroy of the Indian Department, in his evidence before the Senate committee of 1907, stated that he had been east of Lake Athabaska as far as Fort à la Corne. All along the rivers there is good timber, particularly on Great Slave river. On the lower levels of the Athabaska, through to Athabaska lake, there is heavy timber all the way along. Mr. Conroy did not know what was behind the timber belt, but believed it was pretty muskeggy. That was what the Indians told him. He had been up the river by boat every year for eight years. Taking the country as a whole, there is quite A LOT OF MARKETABLE TIMBER. All the rivers and lakes could produce good timber. There are millions of cords of spruce for pulpwood. Mr. Conroy, in a report to the Superintendent of Forestry, January 17, 1910, wrote:—“That part of Athabaska river north from McMurray to Smith landing is fringed with a heavy growth of spruce and black bark poplar. The spruce is quite large, and from an economical standpoint will be of great value in the future. A considerable part of this country is also excellent for agricultural purposes. From McMurray southwest to Athabaska there is quite a quantity of valuable spruce and poplar which has been saved by the watchfulness of the guardian, William Biggs, who makes his trips up and down that section of the river. He is one of the most useful men in the north.