16

steers or heifers over one year. Such a herd could not produce a large surplus
above that needed for farm home consumption. This is borne out by the Census
which revealed that in this area the value of all milk produced and cattle sold
or used on the farm amounted to $272 per farm in 1940.

TABLE 8.—LIVESTOCK PER FARM, PRINCE GEORGE-SMITHERS AREA, CENSUS
1931 AND 1941

— 1931 1941
1a Ws has eel tic po OR AO bT G DOT CARON EDU UODAN ao oS Ge woooD Ode vIAA dao PaGbounannoDs 2-3 3-1
(GEN Cen Ope aR Orh 7 ak See A ORa A Hnn IO MERE Geen Riches Boo TORO NEMO ORR HATES aR CTA G 7:3 11-4
1S} IVT) ae aaa Ee ae roto HEED Genta UE OEE Man ATa stn c coo aM NUON ONO Tan mon EEN 3-7 4-7
De Merete an Oat iam tad Ben aa USO SP OEM GEHne Mr rMia Gr Shin Khe NAR Dagn Ge eMC aoe ren 1-5 2-8
Roybal omnia eee en arene INT ey BOR eRe ENG Rules PEN aE Oem eietE Hema ac aeRO OOS 51-1 58-3

Native material used for fencing.

LAND SETTLEMENT
LAND POLICY

Records of the British Columbia Department of Lands reveal that land had
been alienated as homesteads at Prince George as early as 1897. After 1906,
there was a steady flow of applications from potential homesteaders.

Prior to 1915 all land was administered under the Provincial Land Act.
Under the Act title was granted to an individual for a 160-acre parcel of land
when he had lived on it for ten months in the year for two years, had made
improvements to the extent of $2.50 per acre and had paid $1 per acre. After
1913 the $1 per acre was revoked, the residence and improvement. requirements
were raised, respectively, to five years and $5 per acre including five acres of
improved land. Those requirements continue to the present time except the
improvement requirement which has been raised to $10 per acre. Only one parcel
may be alienated at one time but there is no limit to the number of parcels that
one person may acquire successively. The onus of declaring the land suitable for
agriculture formerly rested with the individual seeking the land. In recent
years the Act has been changed and responsibility now rests with the Provincial
Department of Lands.