0 
NATURAL RESOURCES OF QUEBEC 
The asbestos mines and mills of the three producing fields of Thetford, 
Danville and East Broughton require. for their operation about 18,000 
horse-power which is practically all supplied from Shawinigan Falls being 
transmitted by a line of 110 miles carried over the St. Lawrence river by 
means of twp steel towers 350 feet high, erected on opposite banks 5,000 
leet apart. 
Asbestos holds the first place among minerals in point of value in 
NDuebec. In 1927 the production amounted to 274,778 tons, valued at 
Snecimen of asbestos from Thetford district. Quebec 
$10,621,013, of which 263,290 tons valued at $10,735,311 were exported. 
The quantity of ore mined to secure this amount of asbestos was 4,834,761 
tons. The average value of asbestos produced in 1926 was $38.65 per ton. 
The province of Quebec produces about 80 per cent of the world’s 
output of asbestos. The chief competitor is at present South Rhodesia. 
Russian shipments are being renewed, though no official figures are avail- 
able. The United States is the largest buyer of Canadian asbestos, 
taking in 1927, 196,308 tons valued at $6,536,975. Shipments were made 
0 other countries amounting to 66,982 tons valued at $4,198,336. Gener- 
ally speaking, both the Rhodesian and the Russian products which are 
marketed are of longer fibre, but of lower textile quality than the Canadian; 
the blue asbestos of South Africa is inferior to that produced in Quebec. 
Of the Canadian production 80 per cent is low grade, being made up 
of short and medium length fibres worth only about 5 per cent of the