• PROCEEDINGS . . ... OF THE . HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY During the Seventh Session of the Twenty-Third General Assembly I of Newfoundland 1918. . UNION PUBLISHING COMPANY, ~TD. •

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. Proceedings • OF THE House of Assembly of Newfoundland SESSION 1918 Begun and holden at St. John's in the said Dominion on Tuesday, the twenty-third day of April, Anno Dom­ ini Nineteen Hundred and Eighteen, being in the Eighth Year of the Reign of His Majesty Our Sovereign Lord, George, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great ·Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, · Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India. TUESDAY, April 23rd., 1918.

His Excellency having fixed the hour at which he proposed to open the present Session of the Legislature at twelve of the clock in the fore­ noon of this Tuesday, the twenty­ third day of April instant, the Mem­ bers of the House of Assembly met in the Assembly Room at twelve of the clock in the forenoon. Whereupon the Gentleman of the Black Rod appeared Bar and said:- Usher at the Gentlemen of the House of Assembly: His Excellency the Governor re­ quests your immediate attendance in the Council Chamber.

Accordingly the Members of the Assembly proceeded to the Council Chamber, wher the following Com­ mission was read by the Clerk of the Legislative Council: COMMISSION C. ALEXANDER HARRIS, Governor. [L. S.] W. F. Lloyd, By His Excellency SIR CHARLES ALEXANDER HARRIS, Knight Commander of the Most , Dis­ tinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, Com p a n i o n of the Most Honor­ able Order of the Bath, Com­ mander of the Royal Victo,rian Order, Governor and Commander. in--Chief, in and over the Island of Newfoundland and its Depend . · encies: Attorney General. r:I.10 the Honourable Sir Patrick T. McGrath, K.

B. E., President of the Legislative Council; The Honour­ able Robert K. Bishop, and The . Honourable John Harvey, Members 0f the Legislative Council.

Whereas I have deemed it expedient that the Seventh Session of the •

/ 4 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. Twenty-Third General Assembly should be opened for the dispatch of business on Tuesday, the twenty-third day of this instant month, whereof I have given notice in my Proclamatio11 dated the twelfth day of April instant; and

Whereas it is not convenient that the purposes for which I have called the said General Assemb1y together should be declared on the said day until ·the Members of the House of Assembly have proceeded to the choice of a Speaker, you, the said Honourable Sir Patrick T. McGrath, Honourable Robert K. Bishop, and Honourable John Harvey are hereby authorized and directed to signify to the Members of the said House of Assembly on the twenty-third day of April instant, that it is my pleasure that they should proceed to the choice of some proper person on the said day for my approbation.

Given under my Hand and Seal at the Government House, St. John's, this 22nd day of April, A.D., 1918. By His Excellency's command. W. W. HALFYARD, Acting Colonial Secretary. The Honourable Sir Patrick T.

McGrath, President of the Legislative Council, then said:- Honourable Gentlemen of the Legis­ lative Council: Gentlemen of the I-Ionourable House of Assembly: It is not convenient for His Ex­ cellency the Governor to declare · the reasons of his calling this Gen­ eral Assembly at this time, and It being necessary t hat a Speaker · of the 1House of Asser!bly should be first chosen, you G'entlemen of the House of Assembly will repair to the place wher you j'it and there proceed to the appoi)itment of some proper per- 1: son to bf your · Speaker and present such person wl1om you shall choose here at three of the clock this after­ noon for His Excellency's appro­ bation.

And the Members having returned to the Asembly Room the Honourable the. Prime Minister addressing him­ self to the Clerk, who standing up pointed to him and then sat down, announced the resignation of John R. Goodison, Esquire, Speaker; and then moved that William J. Higgins, Mem­ ber for the District of St. John's East, take the Chair of this House as Speaker; which motion was seconded by John R. Bennett, Esquire, Mem­ ber for the District of St. John's West. No other person being proposed as Speaker, Mr.

Higgins was unani­ mously called to the Chair and was conducted to the Chair by the Mem­ bers, who proposed and seconded him. • Whereupon Mr. Higgins, standing on the steps, addressed the House, expressing his gratitude to the Hon­ ourable Members for the high honour uananimously conferred on him. The House then adjourned until this afternoon, Tuesday, at a quarter to three of the clock. The House met at a quarter to three of the clock in the afternoon pursuant to adjournment.

At three of the clock a message from His Excellency the Governor was delivered by the Gentleman U slier of the Black Rod, commanding the immediate attendance of Mr. Speaker and the House i11 the Council Chamber. Wh-ereupon Mr. Speaker and the House attended His Excellency in the Council Chamber; and being re­ turned to the Assembly Room Mr. Speaker informed the House that when in attendance upon His Ex­ cellency in the Council Chamber, His Excellency had been pleased to

' ~\ HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 5 approve of his election as Speaker of this House, and that in the name and on behalf of the House of Assembly he had by humble petition to His Excellency, laid claim to al1 their ancient rights ,and privileges which His Excellency had confirmed to them in as full and ample a manner as they have been heretofore grant­ ed or allowed by His Excellency or any of his predecessors. Mr. Speaker also expressed his respectful ack- nowledgements for the high honour which the House had unanimously conferred upon him. Mr.

S'peaker further that while in the Council announced Chamber J His Excell~ncy had been pleased to make a speech to both branches of the Legislature, of which speech he had for greater accuracy obtained a copy, which he then read to the House as follows: MR. PRESIDENT AND HONOURABLE GENTLEMEN OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL: MR. SPEAKER AND GENTLEMEN OF THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY : On this, the first occasion of meeting you in session, I believe that you would wish me just to refer to the recent complete recognition of the status of Newfoundland as one of His Majesty's self-governing Dominions.

I on my part am anxious to assure you that the welfare of this oldest and most loyal dependency of the .Crown will be the daily object of my thoughts and solicitude. The fisheries of the country have been conducted with more than the ordinary measure of success during the past year, and, thanks to the exertions of the Tonnage Committee, and to improved markets, the returns for the products exported have shown a marked improve­ ment over past years.

This gratifying improvement has in turn resulted in an increase · of imports so that the value of our total trade has increased from $35,396,829 to $43,700,072 for the twelve months ending June 30th~ 1917. The Seal Fishery, which has just closed, was successful, and has proved especially remunerative to the men engaged therein. The outlook for the coming Codfishery is most encouraging. Every energy will, however, have to be bent to the purpose of secur­ ing sufficient tonnage to market the catch and ensure that . those en­ gaged shall obtain the full fruits of their activities.

The prospect of an insufficient supply of Salt for the fisheries i~ causing my -Ministers serious concern. Both the material and the tonnage to carry it are difficult to obtain, but prospects appear to be improving and it is hoped that the conjoint efforts of the Salt Com­ mittee and the Ministry of Shipping will avert any serious shortage . . • l ' i f I

' • • • 6 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. O!! Sunday, February the twenty-fourth last, the appalling disas­ ter of the loss of the S.S. FLORIZEL brought sorrow and desolation into many homes in the Dominion. Especially did the business .

section of the capital city suffer the loss of s_ome of the most prominent and successful members of the commercial body. The tragedy was ac­ centuated by the helplessness of the onlookers who, on the Sunday, could do nothing in the boiling seas to save life, but the heroic work of the rescuers on the following day formed a record of which New­ foundland can for ever be proud. Of one hundred and thirty-seven passengers and crew only forty-four were rescued.

It is a comfort and consolation to the bereaved relatives that most of the bodies of the lost have been recovered from the sea and restored to their loved ones for C.hristian · burial. The loss of the ship, moreover, in view of the great scarcity qf tonnage, is a serious blow to the trade of the country. My Ministers, without delay, appointed a Marine Court which is instituting a most searching enquiry into the causes of the wreck. - MR.

SPEAKER AND GENTLEMEN OF THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY : The Revenue for the last financial year s.howed a substantial in­ crease over the Expendit .ure, and the Surplus resulting was .largely ap­ plied to the War expenditure of the Dominion. Another large Surplus is anticipated for the fiscal year shortly to terminate.

The Estimates for the several departments of the Public Service . will be laid before you in due course and will, I am sure, receive your most favourable consideration, as they have been framed with due re­ gard to economy and"' the exigencies of the extraordinary si tt1ation with which we are now confronted. Your consideration will also be invited to the question of devising means for the raising of a Loan locally for -War purposes. MR. PRESIDENT AND HONOURABLE GENTLEMEN OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL : MR.

SPEAKER AND GENTLEMEN OF THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY : . - (.Since the last session of the Legislature the titanic struggle rag­ ing in Europe, in which Great Britain and her Allies are engaged, has shown _no sign of diminishing, but on the contrary has. assumed even vaster proportions and · more ·menacing . aspects. The lamentable breakdown of Russia as an effective belligerent in the Entente's cause, which enabled the enemy to release vast armies from the eastern front

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 7 and hurl them against the Allied line in France, has brought about a crisis in the great struggle which cannot but cause the gravest anxiety. In this hour of destiny, fraught with the most momentous issues for the British Empire and the world, Newfoundland is called upon, in common with the Mother Coun~ry and the other Overseas Dominions, to make further sacrifices in order to avert disaster. The Imperial War Council is calling on all portions of the Empire for ad­ ditional men to aid _ip winning the War. ''Men! Men! Men!'' is the cry of the Prime Minister of the Home Land.

This cry is echoed by the members of the Newfoundland Regiment, whose valour has won approbation from His Majesty the King in the bestowal of the hon­ ourable prefix ''ROY AL'' to the Regiment. Confronted with these urgent appeals for assistance, Newfoundland must and will do her full duty. · Your immediate consideration will be asked to the need of en­ rolling men to replenish the ranks of the Royal Newfoundland Regi­ tnent by Selective Conscription, and a measure designed to accomplish t11at object \vill be laid before you without delay.

Varied and perplexing problems having arisen in connection with the social, commercial and industrial activities of the country as a re­ sult of the extraordinary conditions brought about by the operations ,,. of the War, a union of political parties arranged in July last, in order that the undivided strength of the community might be devoted to grappling with these difficulties and carrying on the public affairs. Committees to deal with the matters of procuring Tonnage and Salt were appointed, and also a Board of Food Control.

These problems • are becoming daily more pressing and accentuated and there is urgent need for . united effort, undistracted by political turmoil, in order to cope with them. To ensure this aim a measure to extend the term of the pr~sent General Assembly will be submitted for your considera­ tion. The undying gratitude of the country is due to those who have given their loved ones to the cause of Empire in the great crusade now being waged against the hosts of tyranny and oppression.

Our con­ dolences go out to those whose sons have made the Supreme Sacrifice in defending their Empire and their native land, those ''Martyrs in the cause of Liberty'' who have died that others might live, and the memory of whose deeds will form an imperishable page in the history of this country for all time. To these men we all owe it that they shall not be found to have died in vain. Our Sympathy is also with those who have fought the good fight • /

• a 8 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. valiantly and well and who have returned to their homes unfit for fur"I ther active service, bearing honourable scars sustained in action, mute testimonies to their courage and devotion to duty. The Government recognizes the duty of the community to see that these men are enabled in their future life to overcome as far as possible the disabilities which their bravery and self sacrifice have in­ flicted upon them and they are already actively considering the mat­ ter.

Despite the trials and tribulations engendered by the Great War, Newfoundland has been especially blessed by Divine Providence. To the God of Battles I commend your efforts and sacrifices. I pray that he may inspire you with a high sense of duty in your deliberations, and protect our beloved country and our common Empire through the , perilous ways through which we are now passing, till we arrive at a complete and enduring peace. MR. GRIMES-Mr. Speaker, the i duty has devolved upon me to move for the appointment .of a committee to draft an Address in Re·ply to His Ex­ cellency's Speech from the Throne.

In doing so, I feel, Sir, my own short­ comings in doing justice to this very important occas.ion, for the spe.ech is of such a character that abler minds than mine in this House would be necessary to deal with it as it re­ quires. However, I know the hon­ orable member for Hr. Grace '" .. ill make up for my deficiency. Before dealing with the subject matter of the speech, I would with the permis­ sion of the House ref er to two or three things. Since last we met here Sir Walter Davidson, our former Gov­ ernor, bas left our shores.

Judging from the many resolutions of regret over his departure passed by various organizations in the city, he occupied a warm place in 1the hearts of man}" of our citizens. fhat Newfoundland has occupied a warm place in his heart has been shown by the deep in­ terest he too / in the Regiment and in. other matte s re la.ting to N ewfouu.d­ land after is arrival in England, and many believe that that interest, wher- ever he may go, will continue. · I also wish at this time to express the plea .sure it affords me ·Of welcoming heartily our new Governor, Sir Char­ les Harris.

He is not a stranger to us, having spent the first ten years of his life in this city, after which he went to England and for a number of years past occupied the very import" ant position of first clerk in the Col · onial Offi.ce, so that he brings wth him a knowledge of Colonial matters that fits him for the very important work of administering the affairs of New­ foundland, and which I have no doubt will be of great benefit to his advisers in the Executive Government.

Demo­ cratic in manners and in thought I have learned from men of all classes who have already come in touch with His Excellency since his arrival here and who esteem h.im highly that we have in Sir Charles a man who v1ill aid in everything that will make for the social, moral and economic bene­ fit of the people. I also wish, l\lr. Speaker, to extend to you my hea1·tiest congratulations on the high honor conferred upon you by the memlJers of this House in choosing you a! Speaker. Your ability and :fitness to

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 9 assume the new responsibilities which have been placed on your shoulders are too well known to hon. members present for me to comment upon them. We trust that you will be spared to occupy that position for many years, and that it may prove a stepping stone to higher honours. Mr ..

Speaker, I am glad to note in the Speech from the Throne, occupy­ ing a prominent place, are the causes which led up to the recent reverse the brave troops of our Allies have met on the French and Flanders front which have necessitated the Pri.me Minister of Gre1at Britain to call on the Overseas Dominions, including Newfoundland, for men, more men; ai1d that the Government in answer to that call has decided to introduce at this session of the Legislature a n1easure caling for Selective C'onscrip­ tion.

I would take this opportunity of congratula tir1g the Prime Minister and his Gov .::rntnent upon the prc;mp­ titude of their action and at the sa1ne time express my deepest apprecia.tioa of the work of the returned soidiArs whose organized efforts are stirr·ing up public opinion in favor of such · a measure.

Up until the time of th-a re­ cent offensive I felt that a referendum was the proper course for the Govern­ ment to adopt in dealing with the co·nscrtption question, but the serious turn of a.ff airs has changed my mi.nd, a.nd I believe, Sir, that many others throughout the country have altered their opinions for .the same reason, and see the necessity like myself for prompt action. This is necessary, ab­ solutely necessary,on our part to save the Regiment; to save the honor of the country, and to retain our reputa­ tion of being Britain's oldest and Most Loyal Colony.

I have heard l·on­ orable gentlemen in this House and prominent men outside this House speaking eloquently upon the patriot- ism and loyalty of Newfoundlanders. I say, Sir, their attitude on the matter of Consription will answer that 'llles­ tion once and for all. I spoke of a re­ f er end um. Will the forces of German despotism and tyranny a wait our re­ ferendum? No, Sir, they will strike their death blow quickly-if they can make it a death blow. What have they done with the referendum in the Provinces of Lithuania and Esthonia.

Their peace plenipotentaries at the Brest-Litovsk Conference agreed with the Russian plenipotentaries on the principle o. f self-determination for these two provinces. In other words they were willing to allow the people of these two provinces ti decide by a referen­ serve, their own, Russia's, or Ger­ many's. Have they kept their pledge? Their forces still remain in the two provinces. They are colonizing tl1€1n with their own followers and are re­ sorting to every device to make the referendum worthless so far as allow­ ing it to be a free expression of th" wishes of the people.

We cannot, Sir, dilly dally with such a treacher:'Jus foe. For the sake of the Liberty and Freedom handed down to us by our forefathers to preserve, for the sake of our Country, for the sake of the Empire, for the sake of our Regiment, for those who have already suffered and died, we must and we will not fail at this crucial moment of the war.

I believe from the many recr11its now coming in that the predominant feeling in this country now may be smumed up (with apologies to Punch) in these few lines: "We did not like to fight, But now there's nothing else to do; We've got the men who've got the grit, To see Old Britain through.'' After all, Mr. Speaker, Conscription is more democratic than the voluntary

• 10 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. system. The voluntary system allows the burdens of war to fall on the shoulders of a comparatively small number of the population, while Con­ scription would equalize the burden and sacrifice, and spread it out among a larger section. It m-eans protecting parents who have three, four, five or six sons from losing them all, as hap­ pened under the voluntary system, and also providi11g against one

section in a district or in the country giving their all while the other sections do nothing. A conscription law calling upon first, all unmarried eligible men from homes that have not contributed a recruit and who are not a sole sup­ port of that home may answer present needs. Whatever the enactment may call for, I believe it is up to us to see that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth. Under the1 British Flag, it is one man, one vote. The poor man's vote is as good as that of the rich man.

In Prussia the poor man's vote is only 1-6, .1-4 or 1-3 as good as that of the wealthy landowner, according to the property qualification. No Govern­ ment of the people there, Sir. No democracy in that. Rather ie it a Government of wealthy by the weallhy and for the wealthy. Fishermen's Union and Labor Unions would exer­ cise very little infi uence on a Govern­ ment of that kind. May I ask what would happen to the fisheries of this country were Germany to win? Wo11ld they be conducted so prosperously as they are now?

It would, Sir, be j·tist as well to kill the whole population as to see the prjce of fish reduced down to three ot four dollars a q uin­ tal or perhaps / less, for no man could live on that. Let us put our every ounce of e ·ergy into this greatest of all fights, oncentrate our minds llllOn the one rpose that democracy muBt , be made safe for the world, and that no political squabble will divert us from the path of duty. It is also pleasing to note that tl1e House is asked to consider the ques­ tion of raising a loan locally for war purposes.

With fifteen millions of dollars in the Savings Banks, I do uot think any better way could be devised for raising the new loan. It will give a greater earning powe1 r to the people, for now they get only three per cent. on their money while und _er the new loan they could get six per cent11m. The saving it would mean to the Do­ minion would also be a great advan­ tage, as I understand that to raise money outside the country we would be obliged to pay at least seven and one-half per cent.

I trust the Finance Minister will see his way clear to let it out in sn1all denominations, so that the men with the small saving will be placed on an equality with those bet­ ter off. Reference is made to the success which has attended the fisheries of the . country, and thanks are given to the exertions of the Tonnage Commit­ tee and to improved markets for this result. Now, Si,r the Tonnage Com 4 mittee has received a good deal of criticism. I think it will be admitted after a fair examination, that they handled the problems which they ha~ to solve in a manner which deserves the highest praise.

The finding or tonn~e and the effecting of insu:rance on our fish cargoes were diflicult problems. They were handled in a. masterly manner. Every unprejudiced mind who is acquainted with th~ work of that Committee will recognize that much of the prosperity which Newfoundland is enjoying today is due to the labors of that committee. Supposing, Sir, that no vessels could have been found to take our fish across to the foreign markets, what

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 11 would have happened? The price of fish would have gone down consider­ ably less than it is today, and e''ery­ body in the Island would have felt the effects.

But instead of this, the earn­ ing power of the fishermen was in­ creased; the price of fish was greater than at any time in the history of thiB country; and not only the fishermen and their families benefited, but every­ one throughout the Colony also, be­ cause the increased earning power of the fishermen enabled them to ape11d much more than they would have "tln­ der ordinary circ11m stances, and as a consequence every manufacture, every shop keeper, and every work­ shop in the country, and eve,ry em­ ployee engaged therein, participated in the general prosperity.

The wheels of industry were kept going at a fast­ er rate than ever before, wages in­ creased and tl1e job was looking for the man instead of the man looking for the job as in the past. Of co11rse, Sir, I am not unmindful of the fact that there were other contributing factors. A beneficent Providen~t.1 smiled upon us during the past year, and the gallant sailors of the British Navy still kept England in the prou<l position of Mistress of the Seas, keep­ ing us in common with the other Brit · ­ ish Dominions in a postion to carry on our commercial enterprises.

The next paragraph that I wou!d deal with is that relating to the Seal Fishery, which has just closed, r..nd whicl1, as the Speech states, has proved especially remunerative to tJ1e men engaged therein. Now, why was that, Sir? Because the Governme;1t dared to interfere in a dispute between the shipowners and the sealers, and fixed the price of fat at a higher figure than the merchants were willing to give at first. As a consequence, $60,- 000 which under ordinary circumstanc­ es would have gone into the pockets of three or four men, has been distri­ buted among two or three thousant"l men.

Now I think that the sealeri:; in this country, and not only the sealers but the wage earners generally, owe a great deal of thanks to the Govern,;,.. ment for the exertions that were put forth in this direction. It is no new thing for a Government to i.nter­ fere in disputes between capital and labour. It happened in this country many years ago, when Justices of the court were allowed to fix the price of fish and other commodities, and also· the rate of wages; and throughout Great Brita.in the same practice was observed.

Since the war began it 11as beco1ne a very common practice for a Government to interfere in i11- dustrial disputes stipulating what shall be the wage, what shall be the price of a commodity, and what shall be the ho-urs of labour. For instance, the Government of Great Britain fixed the price of coal, the wages of the miners, the wages and hours of work­ ers in munition factories and on ship­ building industres. Why? That tl1e producer and the wage earner might be protected.

We can congratulate the Government of this country upon having followed in the footsteps of those eminent statesmen who control the destinies of the Motherland. The Speech also refers to the grati­ fying improvement in the increasG of imports, the value of which has in­ creased from $35,396,829 to $43,700,072 ending June for the twelve months 30th, 1917. That is indeed a ver}­ gratifying outlook for this country, es­ pecially in view of the fact that we know that there is great difficulty in obtaining much of the goods which we imported before the war.

Many things that we got before the war we cannot get today, and in view of that fact it is indeed pleasing to know that the·

• 12 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. value of our imports has increased so substantially. In another paragraph I notice that the Governor refers to the difficulty of securing a sufficient supply of salt for the fisheries and of the tonnage to carry it. However, it is to be hoped that the combined efforts of the Salt Committee and the Minister of Shipping will be sufficient to meet the situation and provide against any serious shortage. I am very glad that this matter is receiving serious attention.

There has been a great deal of discussion recently in the press and other places regarding the poor quality of the fish, and it has been attributed to various causes; but if you go around amongst the fishermen you will find that the consensus of opinion is that the cause, to a great extent, is the lack of salt.

This applies particularly to the Labrador fishermen, and as many of the people of Conception Bay are engaged in that fishery, I trust that the Government will do everything in its power to see that a sufficient quantity of salt is obtained for the people who prosecute the fishery on the Labrador, and at the same time protect them against un­ necessary high prices. The speech also refer$ to the fact that the revenue for the last finan­ cial year showed a substantial in­ crease over the expenditure, and the surplus resulting was largely ap­ plied to the war expenditure of the Dominion.

Another large surplus, it is stated, is anticipated for the fiscal year shortly to terminate. This, Sir, has been du~ largely to the good fisheries, and, iii some measure, to ·the War Profi~s tax, which, I under­ stand, has netted the country $350,- 000. I am lad, Sir, in this connec­ tion, that Conscription of Wealth preceded J Conscription of Person, because it would have been a very strong argument for the anti-con­ scriptionists if conscription of per­ son was being proceeded with with­ out any conscription of wealth. or course, it must be recognized that this Business War Profits tax is a little bit faulty.

There are others be­ sides business men who are earning $3,000.00 a year and over. There are doctors and lawyers and brokers and others who are in that class, and I see no reason whatever why they should be exempt from the provisions · of this Act. I think, Sir, it is only fair that everybody having a similar income should be treated in the same manner; and if the present Act can­ not be made to deal with the matter, then introduce an Income Tax.

An Act of this sort is in operation in Canada, and everybody earning over a certain income has to contribute four per cent of it for war purposes. There is no reason why the same thing should not apply here. I hope that the Finance Minister will see his way clear to deal with this matter in a similar way. Reference is also made in the Speech to the appaling disaster of the S. S. Florizel.

I do not intend, Sir, to make any extended remarks on that disaster; it is fresh in the mind of everybody present, but one thing about it is we lost men whom we could ill afford to lose in this country, men who had made a suc­ cess of business and whose relation­ ships with their employees wer.e of such a character that their loss was as deeply felt by these employees as by their relatives. When we see such sorrow shown by the employees it is the very best evidence of the good qualities predominant in the emp oyer and we can ill afford to en of that kind from our com­ munity. We want more of such men ,. • • •

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 13 that will help to make class hatred unknown in Newfoundland. One outstanding feature of that disaster was the bravery shown by those who went to the rescue of the survivors; and in this connection I trust, Sir, that suitable recognition will be awarded these men in the near fut­ ure. Reference is also made, sir, to the Board of Food Control.

As a mem­ ber of that Board, I wish to say that since it has come into existence it has done everything possible to get food into this country, and also to regulate the prices of certain neces­ saries of life and to see that they were distributed as fairly as pos­ sible. Of course, I know there ar'e some who think a great deal more could have been done, particularly in the matter of fixing the prices of cer­ tain commodities; but I do not think that anyone who has studied the sit­ uation carefully can arrive at that conclusion. For instance, take the question of potatoes.

A good ma.ny people in this town to-day are com­ plaining about the price. Well, in · " considering this matter we must not forget that a great many of those engaged in the growing of potatoes met with a big shortage during the past year, while on the other hand certain sections of the Island had their normal growth. It can be eas­ ily understood that these latter men could afford to sell their votatoes much cheaper than the in order to sell, had to the price to that asked others, who, keep down by the more fortunate grower.

Now, supposing that the Board of Food Control had to fix the price of these potatoes, what was it to be governed by? By tl1e man with . the big crop, who could afford to sell at the cheaper price, or by the man with the small crop, who was compelled to ask the· higher price. Would not the man with the small crop have the right to complain of the injustice that was being done him if he were placed on the same level with the man who had the large crop? The only proper course to follow in cases of that kind is to let competition fix the price, and that is the course which was followed.

All these various matters relating to foodstuffs are constantly engaging the attention of the Board which will be governed b, y conditions as they • arise. I am glad, Sir, to note that the • Speech makes reference to the duty - that the community owes to the · re­ turned soldiers and that the Govern­ ment propose to see that they are en­ abled in their future life, as far as possible, to overcome the disabilities which their bravery and self-sacrifice have inflicted upon- them. I think, sir, that it is high time that proper recognition was given to the return­ ed soldiers.

We can never repay the debt we owe to everyone of them for their willingness and readiness to die in our stead. No amount of money we can offer will do it, but let us do the best we can to provide them against "Tant and unnecessary dis­ comfort. In conclusion, Sir, I would expres . s the hope that every member of this House will determine to make this a Win-the-War Session.

That we will leave all petty and party jealousies be like ''sleeping dogs" until our higher duty to the country, ·to the Regiment, to the Empire and to the World has been · faithfully discharg­ ed, the cause of human liberty and freedom vindicated and the world made safe for democracy. MR. PARSONS-Mr. Speaker, in rising to second the motion before the Chair, I wish to say, in the first place, that my positi ·on · is not exact-

• 14 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. l~ as fortunate as I could wish, be­ cause it was not until late yester­ day forenoon that the Hon. the Pre­ mier asked me if I would second this motion. I told him that the time was shor~ and my mind a little distractecl on account of just having arrived in town. However, sir, I felt that a duty devolved upon me to do this, -and I consented. To begin with, I desire to express a warm welcome to His Excellency Governor Harris and his wife and staff to this country.

I hope that they will thoroughly enjoy their · sojourn here, and that when their time comes to leave, they will take away with them the pleasantest re­ collections of the hospitality and loyalty of Britain's Oldest Colony. And also, sir, let me convey to you my congratulations . upon the high honor which has come to you to-day in being elected to occupy the Chair of this House. I hope that you may be long spared to occupy the position which you now hold, and I know that you will fulfill the duties which de­ volve upon you with honour to your­ self and with entire satisfaction to the members of this House.

With regard to the war situation, 1 would like ·to take this opportunity of paying a tribute to the splendid work of the Mercantile Marine. We have no idea of the sufferings and the hardships of those who are engaged in that all-in1portant work; and while we have every reason to be grateful to a kind Providence for His bene­ ficience, and to the British Navy for the support and (rotection which it has given us, w should not lose sight of the glofious work which is being performed by our Mercantile Marine, and I/ wish to take advantage of this oppo unity of paying my tr~b­ ute to the .

Perhaps I may be per­ mitted to l cite one case -which came • under my own notice. It was only a few days ago that I was speaking to one of the crew of the Hilda R., a schooner owned by R. D. McRae & S'ons, "WJhich was torpedoed inf the Mediterranean last year. The name of the man was John Sheehan of Hr. Grace. I asked him: "What about the Hilda R.? Did you suffer much when you were torpedoed?" and I shall give his story in his own words: "We were torpedoed," he said, "in the J day. The captain and boy was taken on board the submarine. The mate, before the ship went down, jumped overboard and was drowned.

A Scotchman, an Irishma:µ and myself were in the water. I saw the jolly­ boat, bottom-up, some hundreds of yards distant from where we were. The Scotchman and myself could swim, and we swam to the boat. The sea was not very heavy, but what they call a long swell. After we had . climbed on the bottom of the boat, I observed a man in the water, hands up and head down, battling for life. We held a consultation on the bottom of the boat and decided to try and save him. When we got to him we found that it was our friend, the Irishman. We got him on the boat.

He was very nearly exhausted when we got to him." Well, I said, what next? ''Well," he said, "we did not exactly hold a consultation of war, but of safety. The Scotchman and myself helped th· e Irishman over on one side of the boat, ap.d explained to him what we were going to do. Then we got on the other side, and on the crest of a wave we righted the boat and pulled the Irishman in." Now, I just mention this case in or­ der to show you what these :rnen have to go through. And this is only one case out of very many. "Well," I said, "What did you do then?" Well," he said, "we were in a rather bad • •

• HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 15 position. We had practically no clothes, but I had on a pair of long boots. I found I could swim with them, and I did not part with ·them, thinking they might be useful. When we got into the boat, I gave one of . the boots to the Scotchman and took . the other · myself and we baled out the boat." Now, in that boat I see a great combination-a Newfound­ lander, a Scotchman and an Irish­ man-the Rose, the Thistle and the Shamrock-making a combined effort to save their lives.

Would to God we had the same combination to-day fighting shoulder to shulder in the interests of the Empire, and there would be no question whatever as to what tr1e outcome would be. With regard to the matters relat­ ing to the fisheries, dealt with in the Speech, these have already been fully covered by my hon. friend, the member for . Port de Grave, and I will not delay the House by further re­ ference to them. Now, Mr.

Speaker, I do not desire to reopen a fresh wound in the hearts of so many in this city and country, but I would like on behalf of my constitutents to tender a word of sympathy to the relatives and friends of those who lost their lives in that terrible disaster in connec- ·tion with the Florizel. Three of those who lost their lives were natives of the town which I represent-Harbor Grace. They were J. S. Munn, Peter Guilfoyle and George Parmiter. With his generosity. With regard to Mr. Guilfoyle, he had come from the States to pay a visit to his father, who was very ill.

The call of Duty had • come to him while here, and he was returning to the States to answer it. Mr. Parmiter was in a similar posi­ tion. He was a young man who had come here from Boston to spend the Christmas season with his father and mother. He went to Boston some time ago, went into the dental business, and made a success of it. He had a very fine position there, and had come back to Harbour Grace merely to spend the Christmas sea­ son with his parents. A day or two before leaving, he called into my store to say "Goodbye." He told me that he had heard the call, and was going to Halifax to join the R.A.M.C.

I said: Goodbye, and God bless you. He was fated never to reach Halifax, but he died while answering the Call of Duty,and is entitled to a place with those who have given up their · lives on the battlefields in defence of right and freedom. With regard to other matters, it is very encouraging indeed to note the substantial increase in the revenue for the last fiscal year. I am also very glad to note that it is the in­ tention of the Government to float a Liberty Loan in this country.

I don't see why, if money is needed, it should not be raised here and our own people get the interest which in the past has been sent to other regard to Mr. Munn, he always took countries. a very deep interest in Harbour Since last session of the Legislature Grace.

I have personal knowledge the titanic struggle raging in Eur­ of many cases in which he, working ope, in which Great Britain and her through the House of Bowring Bros., Allies are engaged, has shown no sign. gave emplo~rment and opportunities of diminishing, but on the contrary of advancement to very many Har- has assumed even vaste . r proportions bour Grace boys, and · his gift of and more menacing aspects. This Shannon Park to the people of Har- makes it all the more important for us bou·r Grace is an outstandin · g p·roof of · . that we should be ready to come in ·

16 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. here and do our part. We know that our boys who have gone over have done theirs. We know what they did i11 Gallipoli and again in Fra.nce, par­ ticularly on the 1st of July and on other occasions when they took t11eir stand against oppression. Now, Si1~ , I think it is only right for me to ex­ plain my pos.ition to the House and to the country. Last year when Sir Ed­ ward Morris resigned his leadership of the Government, if there were any responsibilities resting on members along party lines, they ceased.

I stand here today free from any obligations to any Government, and I stand here today as a fr·ee man, and I come as a representative of a district, viz.: Har­ bor Grace, and I think if I did not give expression to my ideas and views on certain matters in connection with this war, I would have no busirtess here, and I would not be entitled to the confidence of the people who f:!ent me, for the simple r·eason that "·e come here for this purpose, to con­ sider one great subject, and that is tl1e mighty conflict now being waged in Europe, and I see here in the next paragraph of the Speech the follow ing: "Your immediate 1 consideratioi. will be asked to the need of enrolling me· n to replenish the ranks of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment by Selective Conscription, and a rr1easure designed to accomplish that object will be laid before you without delay." Now, Sir, I wish to explain my posi­ tion here, and I perfectly realize tl1e gravity of the situation and realize the necessity for our best efforts, and I came here today to state that I am out and out in favor of Conscription, and I hope tha ~ the Government will bring the Bil~ in this week and get it through this week, and a Bill that will meet t ·' e needs of the situation, and that efore Friday evening that Bill wilL4 e the· law of the country.

If you want an argument in favor of Conscription, go back to Gallipoli anll see our lads there in frost and s110w, where there were s.ix hundred or more casualties, considering weather con.di­ tions and other matter ·s, and go wi.th the three hundred and odd men who were left in Egypt, and then follow that three hundred and odd men (th~ others were casualties at hospital and elsewhere) to Frane and see what ti1ey did there. What about ihe 1st of July and other battles that the boys fought and won more or less.

I say today the nee· d is for Conscr .iption of a Selec­ tive character, that while thanking the Almighty for health and strength and neighbours and friends, yet the great­ est obligations on any of us today is the boys, our children, who have gone forth to fight our battles and t:iave our families from the Germans. Mr. Speaker, I tak:e th.is opportunity of congratulating the soldiers and re­ jected men who have take 1 n sucl1 an effective

part in this matter, and iu my own mind I accuse myself of ha,·­ ing been "too easy in Zion,'' and ..,he Government and the people have been "too easy in zion and these soldiers have shaken up their dry bones. I say, Mr. Speaker, that our boys di1 well. It is a matter of sadness to us when we hear of the death of our children, and we naturally want to know how they died, but we know that even though the· y were far re­ moved from us andt hrown into many dangers and temptations that the promptings of their home training stood to them to the last. I have proof of this in a little book that f have here.

In this little book there is a message from the trenches fron1 Gallipoli. The book was given to one of the Blue Puttee Boys who vlent forth todo his

part in defence of th· e Empire. I find in it here things that must be a consolation to mothers who

• HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 17 have lost their boys. Some times when we see our boys full of life and blood, we are afraid that their wild­ ness may have a bad effect when the}· get away from home, but we should not mind these things. We know that the ideas and training that they im­ bued in early life do not leave tl1em when they went forth from home. In this book there is first a note "La.nded in Gallipoli September 9, 1915, nine hundred and thirty-three strong. Left on January 6, 1916, three hundred and thirty strong." I have already re­ ferred to this on my remarks on Gal­ lipoli.

Then I find in this little book the following notes: "If thy presence go not with me~ carry us not up hence." "Let not the waterfloods overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up." Now, does anybody think that a boy is a coward because he gives expres­ sion to the promptings of his heart in tl1is manner. Trust in God and do the right. Mr.

Speaker, I may say that before I close I would like to pay a tribute to the W.P.A. for the good work they have done, noble work, and if I may be excused for being personal, I · would say that some of my own family have been the recipients of comforts sent forward by the W.P.A. to help our boys in the trenches. Now, there is another matter to which I want to refer. In the next paragraph it is foreshadowed that ~ Bill will be introduced to extend the term of the present Parliament.

I in­ tend to support that Bill and I inte!ld to stand by the National Government until I see some sufficient reason for cl1anging my mind. I subscribed to the Government last July and I feel confident that my district will en­ dorse my support of the National Ad­ ministration. I may say, sir, that the last para­ graph here is almost-is .in fact-a benediction: "Despite the trials and tribulations engendered by the great War, Newfoundland has been especi­ ally blessed by Divine Provide ·nce. To the God of Battles I commend your efforts and sacrifices.

I pray that He may inspire you with a high sense of duty in your deliberations, and pro· tect our beloved country and our com­ mon Empire through the perilous ways through which we are, now pass­ ing, till we arrive at a complete and enduring peace," and I would lik·a to and to that paragraph an expression of hope that when this Conscription Bill comes up that there will be no division and that it will pass unani­ mously and, Sir, in my ears there is sounding today an expression, and the country is· hearing it, and that is tl1at "England expects every man will do his duty." I have much pleasure in seco11ding the motion before the Chair. llIR.

CURRIE-Mr. Speaker, it is with no particular desire to be heard that I rise to offer a remarks upon the speech which His Excellency has been pleased to open this session of the Legislature, but it might seem discourteous if some observations did not come from this side of the House. Before referring to the speech, however, I should like to convey to you, sir, my congratula­ tions-my very sincere congratula­ tions-upon the honour that has been conferred upon you to-day.

So far as fitness and ability are con­ cerned, I think, sir, that if the Gov­ ernment had combed the House it could not found one better qualified to become the First Commoner in the land. My only regret is that one who has taken such a prominent

part in the de bates of the House should now become its most silent member.

\ 18 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. We trust that in the exercise of your authority there will be no discrimin­ ation and that members on this side of the House will receive the same impartial treatment as those on the other. I desire to associate myself also with the welcome that has been extended to His Excellency the Gov­ ernor by the previous speakers.

There was some surprise when It was first learned that a gentleman who had been for so many years as­ sociated with the Colonial Office was coming to us, and I think that in some quarters it was feared that we should have to welcome a represent­ ative who would be the very personi­ fication of red-tape and officialism, but Hi~ Excellency's free and easy manner-which is a characteristic of the free life of the Colonies-has dispelled all these fears and already he has established himself in the hearts of the people.

Sir Alexander Harris brings to his office many years of valuable experience, and I am sure that dring his tenure of office he will maintain those high traditions which have been associated with the Governors of this Island. I ahould also like to take advant­ age of the occasion to perform a duty which the mover and seconder ot the motion for the Address In Reply overlooked, that is to extend congratulations to the Prime Minis­ ter of the Colony. I congratulate him heartily, al though I find myself in opposition to him.

However, I think it would have been much bet­ ter, and l could have congratulated him much · more heartily if the honor had come t~ him in somewhat dif­ ferent manntr. Some of us at least have not ;been particularly struck with the methods by which the Hon­ orable Prime Minister succeeded in obtain! the position, and I think the C ony would have been much better served had the matter been left to the choice of the people, in­ stead of having been worked by trickery and party intrigue.

Never­ theless, I extend my congratulations to the honorable gentleman on the dignity and honour which has been conferred on him, as I 'vould any gen­ tleman who succeeds in reaching such an exalted position. I should like also to extend my congratulations to the gentlemen who have already spol{en to the speech. I am glad to see that the honourable member for Port de Grave has under­ gone conversion on several matters, and I am particularly pleased to know that he has undergone a change of heart with regard to conscription. But we shall deal with these later. It is obviously impossible, Mr.

Speak­ er, having had but a fe1N brief mo­ ments to glance at the speech, to adequately deal with the various matters referred to therein, but I must say that tht Government is to · be complimented on tl1e boldness o! the speech. At least they have placed their cards on the table and let the House and the country know exactly what to . expect.

That I think is gratifying, because it has rather been the custom in later years to make the S'peech from the Throne full of generalities, and it is refresh­ ing to find the Speech actually out­ lining rather tl1an concealing the most important legislation to be in­ troduced. Naturally there are some things in the Speech upon which we don't all agree. That is to be ex­ pected-all people don't think alike < and it would be a sorry world if we did. I find early in the speech one reason for disagreement.

Referring to the fact that the fisheries have been conducted with more than or­ dinary success and that . as a result the total trade of the Dominion had •

. HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 19 shown a large increase for the year ending June 30th., 1917, His Excellen­ cy attributes a large share of the credit to the Tonnage Committee. Remembering that the Tonnage Com­ mittee had not been appointed until after the fiscal year ending June 30th, 1917, had closed, it is difficult to see just how its activities could have affected the trade of the precedin~ year. The reference to the Tonnage Committee, ·of course, is an attempt to justify its existence and to gloss over some of the criticisms that have been directed against it.

I do not agree that .... the Tonnage Committee had· over much to do even with the marketing of our fish during the past Fall. If the merchants had not look­ ed after their interests by going out­ side and purchasing additional ship­ ping I fear the country would have been badly served. This is a matter that will naturally be dealt with as the session progresses, and it is not my intention at the present time to go into details, but one only has to remember the way the mercantile interests were served in the case of the "Rutjenfel' to discover how far the committee assisted the Trade in getting fish to market.

Reference is made to the loss of the Florizel, and I desire to associate my· self with everything that has been said therewith. The disaster has · been a stunning blow to the country. The loss of the ship is very great, but it i! incomvarable with the loss the coun­ try has sustained in the death of tho splendid men who went down in her. We have lost some of our best citizens, a type of man we can ill afford. I join with the previous speakers in giving public expression of our sympathy for the bereaved relatives.

There is one part of the paragraph referring to tl1is disaster that I would like to refer to especially, and that is the reference to the Enq utry. I think that the prompt­ ness with which the Government acted in this matter merits our apprecla­ tion. It was understood, however, that the Government intended to con­ stitute another court with powera o make a complete survey of the rough and rugged coastline between here and Cape Race, known by the unenvi­ able name of the "Graveyard of the Atlantic," in order that something might be done to render less danger­ ous to mariners the approach to tuls port.

Year after year ships go to de­ stuction in the neighbohood of Cap~ Race, and apparently we are content that it should continue, for we have • • made no effort to improve the marine safeguards there. Now that the losu of theFlorizel has brought the matter home to us with such terrible force it is imperative that something should be don _ e and immediately. The coun­ try cannot afford, nor under presf3nt shipping conditions can the Empire or the world afford, a continuance of those losses, and the Government • should give this question the grave!t consideration.

More lights, more · fog alarms, bell buoys, or other metl1ods of warning may be needed. I am not in a position to say what we need, but something must be done, and without delay, to make this coast safer for ' our seamen and the travelling public. As was to be expected, the Speech deals very largely with the war and matters pertaining thereto. The war occupies all our attention, it is in our thoughts day and night. Like the rest of the Empire we have been do­ ing a share, but not as large a share as we might have done. In some things our indifference amounts to crime.

The hon. member for Port de Grave in the course of his remarks referred to the work of the Food Con­ trol Board. As he has admitted, tile work of the Board has not satisfied

20 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. verybody, and it was not expected that it would. In my opinion the Board has not gone as far as it should have gone in controlling the supplies for this country. There has bee11 no limit to our food supply. We have been blessed with abundance of every­ thing. We are the most favoured peo­ ple on tl1e earth today. We have not yet felt the strain of the war in any way, but we have made no effort to help those who are in distress on the other side of the Atlantic.

In my opin­ ion the time has come when the Food Board should consider seriously . the question of rationing our people similarly to other countries. It seems to me to be a poor kind of lo)ralty that will take all while our bretl1ren on the other side are limited to the point of starvation. One has only to follow tl1e English newspapers or in­ deed read the letters from friends to realize the serious condition of affai.ts over there. I have recently seen let­ ters frr m our own lads who left here with the second last draft telling of the privations there.

They had left a land of plenty and are now glad to be careful of every crumb on their plates. It seems to me to be grossly wrong that we should make no sacri­ fices, do nothing to help provide for food for the Motherl~nd in this hour of her extremity. The member for Port de Grave, who is himself a mem­ ber of the Food Control Board, would do well to take this matter up and see if something cannot be done. I notice that my friend avoided in his remarks all reference to that reference to that paragraph of the Speech from the Throne which re­ fers to the ~ xtension of the term of the present assembly.

This is an­ other matter upon which he has un­ dergone ·conversion. It is with a great al of amusement that one how, . when this same question was under debate in this As em bly on another occasion, he re­ ferred to what he terrr1ed the German methods which were being brought to bear in trying to force the extension of the life of Parliament without the consent of the people. But I will not comment extensively on that this afternoon.

My hon. friend, like his prototypes in Germany, has been obedient to the whip and the prin­ ciples which he once so profoundly professed are to-day cast to the winds, and his example is copied by other members on the other side of the House. In view of this change I was am used to hear him dilate on ''Government of the people, by the people and for the people," which he has so often reiterated on other o~­ casions, and which falls on our ears with an entirely different significanee. We are told here to-day by the Speech that it is the intention of the Gov-.. ernment to extend the life of Parlia­ ment.

May I say that as far as I am concerned it is not my purpose to , agree to any such extension. I am aware that when this ques­ tion was brought before the House on another occasion I gave it my sup­ port. I believed then that the best interests of the people would be served by so doing. I believed that we . should cast aside political con­ siderations and devote our sole at­ tention to matters of Empire and par­ ticularly of recruiting.

But I did n·ot think that any man with any self re­ spect can look back and congratulate the country on the result of the amal­ gamation or on the work that has been effected by those now in power. We were told that the a.malgamation was for the benefit of the country, and to promote our war interests but for myself I ha ye not heard of any single attempt being made to in­ crease our war work. Certainly

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 21 nothing was done to help the Regi­ ment. It is true that a Recruiting campaign was conducted here last Fall, but as far · as the Government was concerned, they did nothin 1g whatever to help forward the move- • ment in any way.

The work was done by private citizens and return­ ed soldiers, who \Vere sent out to do recruiting for the Regiment, while the leaders of the Government, who should have gone up and down the country, as everybody anticipated they would do, remained at home and devoted their time to political deals, which were no credit to the country or to them, or anybody as­ sociated therewith. Because of this breach of faitl1, I found myself un­ able at the end of the year to give my support to the reconstructed National Administration.

Further, a change had taken place which the country was not justified in antici­ pating, a change which members of the late Government were assured would not take place a change which was effected without their knowledge or consent. The mem­ bers of this House were not call­ ed upon to decide what they deemed best, but a half dozen men arranged outside this House what can only be called a most iniquitous deal and the National Government that is in pow­ er to-day is not in power by unani­ mous consent of this House.

It is not in power with the consent of the people, because the people have not had the chance to pass their verdict upon it; and we can see by the Speech from the Throne to-day that if the Government can have their way, they will not have it. Perhaps members on the other side of the House will say to me that I was in favour of this measure once and now I am not. Why do I object to it now? Those reasons I have given in another place, and it is not fitting that I should this afternoon delay this House by going into de­ tails.

It will suffice to say that con­ ditions have changed materially since then, the membership of the House has decreased since we last met here; and though we are living in serious times, when the war had never a worse aspect, there is no justification whatever for the exten­ sion of the life of a House whose re­ presentation is incomplete, with only two-thirds of its membership present. The attendance to-day represents only half its membership. How can such a body take upon itself the re- • sponsibility ·of carrying on the af- fairs of this country without re­ ceiving the approbation of the peo­ ple? How dare it?

We are told the war may continue for a very long time yet. I think that that is quite probable, but it is the opinion of others whose utterances command attention that we are in the last stages of the war, that within the next five or six months a decision will be reached and the situation cleared up. A prominent French General declared only a day or two ago that it is impossible for the ene­ my to continue for a much longer period an offensive so intense and costly.

In a few months the serious­ ness of the situation may be past, and so far as the Allies are concerned at any rate there will be no doubt whatever as to the outcome. But this is not a time when we should alto­ gether neglect our local interests. Since we last . met elections have been held in Australia and Canada. Their internal affairs have not inter­ rupted their war work in any way, and I cannot possibly think what evil affect an election here coulC. have on the progress of the war. I cannot, therefore, conscientiously support

,. 22 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. a.ny bill for further extension . . There is another matter in the Speech from the Throne to which I should like to make reference. That is the paragraph ref erring to Selec­ tive Conscription. I should like to congratulate the Government t1pon bold stand that they have taken upon this question, and to give my assur­ ances that I shall not, personally, op­ pose this policy. Of course, we have not the details of the measure before us, and of those I cannot speak. But I would like to say that I am in thorough accord with the principle underlying Selective Conscription.

As a final word, I shou·ld like to as­ sure the Government that everything that has for its aim the helping of the Regiment and the returned soldiers will meet with my most cordial sup· port. There will be no oppos.ition or carping criticism from this side of the House. In all matters I hope that we shall be able to conduct our differenc­ es without disturbing our personal re­ lationship. As far as my own position here in this House is concerned, I would like to state that it is my own will and choice. It is a matter of principle that has placed me on the opposite side of the House to where I sat last session.

I was unable to agree with the deals that were being made 1&8L year and I felt that I could not asso­ cia.te myself with the responsibility that they necessitated. I am willing· to take my seat on this side, where a.t least one feels more comfortable. On this side of the House one is . not bound to the system of party policy which is so / destructive to liberty of thought or1 action. In taking my seat. Mr.

Speaker, let we again congratulate you on the honour which has been conferr d upon you; and , while I hope that ur tenure of office will be happ , I cannot hope that it will be long, but that when the House again is called to meet 've shall see a new face in the place where we now see yours. H-ON. PRIME MINISTER-Before proceedin~ to deal with the main topics of the Speech with His Ex­ cellency the Governor has b·een pleased to open the session of the Legislature, I shall spend a little time in replying to the political pin pricks of the member for Burin, who has just taken his seat.

The Hon­ ourable Member tellR us that he feels -more comfortable in the cold shades of Opposition than he did on the Government side of the House. The satisfaction is mutual. We do not mourn his loss, for we also feel more comfortable and satisfied now that he has left us. Whilst expressing his complacency at his own change of views, he gibes at what he calls the change of heart of the Honourable Member for Port de Grave. Last year, both in this House and in the newspaper which he edits, he was vehemently outspoken against a general election, and claimed that war time was no time for politics.

Now, however, he is all for politics and has no consideration for the war crisis or the National Government. He intimates to us that he is satisfied on the highest authority that the war will be over in time for a general election next fall. I question his authority. Everything that I have learned in the course of my official duties points directly to the contrary. I cannot conceive that either the Kqi~~ · ­ er or the Allies will be so obliging to the honourable member as to stop the war in order that he may go to Burin for a contest next fall.

He complains that the Government party were lacking in duty in regard to the participation of this Colony in the war last fall and that he made uo

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 23 his mind, at the end of the year, to leave our ranks. It is somewhat strange, however, that the honourable gentleman has only just awakened up to this alleged dereliction of duty on the part of others, and that he him­ self, while charging the Government with delayed and tardy action, has neither visited his constituency nor any other constituency in order to appeal for recruits, and that he, of all men, has the least justification for charging others with remissness ot duty. He went on also to hint at something wrong in connection with the Government's action concerning the S.

S. Rutjenfell. I am not aware of there having been any wrong­ doing in relation to this matter. I ha,re nothing whatever to be ashamed of in this respect. Scandal mongers have endeavoured to excite suspicion, bt1t I emphatically assert that nothing was done except with the fullest knowledge of those presiding over the Government. MR. CURRIE-Mr Hickman does • not say that .. HON. PRIME MINISTER - Mr. Hickman is satisfied that no wrong­ doing is attributable to the Govern­ ment in this connection.

The hon. member for Burin is jumping to conclusions before he knows any­ thing about the matter to wl1ich he l'le!ers, just as he jumped last Christmas before knowing where he was going to land. The honourable gentleman also states that he will not oppose conscription. MR. CURRIE-I did not say that : HON. PRIME lIINISTER - That honourable gentleman said he was not going to oppose conscription. Is that 1 he spirit with which he approaches the question of this crisis? What is \vanted now is not a negative, colou1·­ less, indifferent spirit.

We want m1.;n ""'ho are going to ·support it whole- • l1eartedly, not men who are not goin~ to oppose it unless they can fi1ld fault with some part of the measura. \Ve need men to-day determined to take off their coats and put the . measure through, and pres . s of public opinion, in order that the measure may be so enforced that Newfouncl­ land · will do her full duty in providing men for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. I tell )-ou, Mr. Speaker, we are going to put through con.scrip­ tion. I tell you, sir, we do not care whether the honouable gentleman ls with it or not the measure will go through.

This measure has been given the fullest consideration, and the Bill has been carefully prepared, and is now printed and ready to be brought before this House. The re­ turned soldiers and rejected men are joining hand in hand in arousing the public conscience and forming public opinion that will not only atd · in putting through conscription, but see that it is enforced without trouble . I am informed b, y the honourable gentleman that he would have liked to congratulate me as a Prime Min­ ister who had come back from the country by the will of the people.

Last year before the present crisis arose, we were willing to go to the country, but the honourable gentle­ man was one of those who prevented any such appeal being made to the Electorate. We were willing to go to the country as a National Govern­ ment, and obtain the endorse ·ment of the people. He taunts me with ob­ taining my present office by ''deals." I tell him there was no "dealing" or no "trade," but that I stand here to­ day, supported by an overwhelming majority of the members of this House, as you will observe, sir, if you look at the number of members sup­ porting me, and compare it witl1 the

- 24 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. two solitary member . s on the opposi­ tion side of this Chamber. I would like to know where the trickery came in, and who were the tricksters. Are the members on this side of the House the tricksters? MR. CURRIE-Certainly, some of them. HON. PRIME MINISTER-Tell us their names. Why tJa ve not the rest gone over with you'! MR. CURRIE-We will discuss that later on. HON. PRIME MINISTER-You can have all the discussion you like. 'I"'he will of the country is represented by the majority on this side of the House, and not by the few who elected to go into opposition. Now, Mr.

Speak­ er, I have done with the political aspects of the matter. So far· as I am concerned, I do not intend to spend much time in political bicker­ ings this session. This will be a "Win the Wffir" policy. We have now reached the gravest crisis of the war. We need men and money and we in­ tend to get both. --. We do not intend to have a Ge·neral Election this year.

We want the Conscription Bill put through and made the law of the land and we want the fullest opportunity to carry it into effect so that our Regiment may not be short of men, and that we may supply our full share of the reinforcements required so urgently on the other side. Con­ scription and e~tension of Parlia­ ment are two measures which are in­ timately bound together. We do not intend to fall into the trap the hon­ ourable gentlemen thinks we will be decoyed jnto.

He congratulates us on our b~ldness in intimating that we shall b:ving in a Conscription Bill, but he insists on an election this faJl so that ,-f>olitical strife and partizan bit­ ter e.ss may be created at the very ti e that the men who return from f the codfishery will be called up un­ der the Conscription measure. There, sir, is the trickster. There, sir, is the trickery. We are to be bold in bringing in the measure, but he and his associates want to be11efit by the unpopularity they hope this measure will bring upon the Government in order to obtain power and control of our affairs.

Who, sir, are his associ­ ates? What have they done for Con­ scription? What have they done for Recruiting? Amongst them are men notoriously opposed to Conscription, men who have been noted for taking no part whatever in the work of Re­ cruiting from the very start of the war. Are these the men one would expect to enforce Conscription? Are they the men to see that the ranks of the Regiment are kept filled? Are they the men to see that Ne\vfound­ land shall do her duty to the Mother Country in supplying men to the fields of France and Flanders? No, sir. We do not intend to fall into the trap?

We intend to ask this Legislature to pass a Conscription measure and to extend Parliament In order that we may carry out the pro­ visions of the Bill. The Bill is already printed and ready for intro­ duction. Before I leave the House to-day I shall give notice of it, and I hope it will be r 2ad a first time to-morrow, that we shall be able to read ~t a seDond time on Thursday, and, if all goes well, that it may be passed on to the Legislative Council early next week. It is the intention of the Government to send up both .

Bills to the Legislative Council and appeal to them to aid us by the one measure to make Conscription the law of the land, and by the other to enable us to carry it out as it should be carried out. As to the Conscrip­ tion Bill, I may say that the Bill pur­ poses to call up unmarried men be- •

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 25 tween the ages of 19 and 40.. These men will be divided into four classes. The term unmarried men will also include widowers without children and all men who have married after the 10th April 1918, the time when the Government, under the War Measures Act, gave notice that no unmarried men of military age should be · allowed to leave the country. The f.irst class to be called up includes those wl10 have attained the age of nineteen years and who were not - born earlier than the year 1894. The second class includes those born in the year 1889 to 1893 both inclusive.

The third clas3 includes those 'born in the years 1884 to 1888 both in­ clusive, and the fourth class those who were born in the years 1879 to 1883 both inclusive. The Bill pro­ vides that the Governor in Council may subdivide these classes if it ap­ pears to be so desirable and the men of the younger class will be called up first. The ca.11 will be made by Proclamation and from the date fixed in the Proclamation, without any other formal act;, all th1 e members of the class called up vvill become soldiers of the King and subject to the provisions of military law under the Army Act.

Another important provision of the Act deals with those who claim exemption. The exemp­ tions proposed are comparatively few. They are as follows:

(1) Claim may be made for ex­ emptions in the national in­ terest. .

(2) Claim may be made on the ground that claimant has one or two brothers and that one of them is serving or has served in His Majesty's Nav­ al or Military forces during the present 'var, or a claim­ ant may show that he has three or four brothers and that two of them are serving or have served in His Majes­ ty's Naval or Military forces during the present war.

(3) Unmarried men may also claim exemption on the ground that they have main­ ly dependent on them for support parents, brothers or sisters. ( 4) A claimant may also show that his health is such or his infirmity so great that his services would be of no military value. But no certificate of exemption may be granted by the Court unless a claimant establishes to the satisfac­ tion of the '1,ribunal that his claim is well grounded. llIR. CURRIE-May I interrupt the Prime Minister for a moment. In con­ nection with applicants for exemp­ tion, must all single applicants come to St.

J ol1n's to make their applica­ tion, or can it be done by letter? HON. PRIME MINISTER-That will be a matter of regulation to be framed by the Governor in Council under the powers conferred by tne Act. MR. CURRIE-It has not been de­ cided? HON. PRI!IE MINISTER-No, it will not be provided in the Act This • matter will be provided for by regu- lations. · Men who are crippled: for instance, those who have lost an arm or leg or are otherwise obviously un­ fit for military service will not oe called upon to come to St. John's.

As to the Tribunal, the Government has been fortunate in securing the co-operation of the Judges of the Supreme Court. These gentlemen have consented to act as members of the Tribunal. They will not sit in their capacity as Judges, nor as a Supreme Court. They can sit sep-

• , 26 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. arately or together, so that there may be three Tribunals at times working separately, and they may come together in order to review the findings of any single member; but no appeal from their decision will be allowed to the Supreme Court. I commend this feature of the Bill to the consideration of the House. I think we have been particularly hap­ py in having been able to offer to the House a Tribunal of the nature I have outlined. Using the phrasing of my friend the Honourable Member for Port de Grave I repeat that we are conscripting both men and mon­ ey.

Last year we started with the conscription of money. Now we are making provision for the conscriptio11 of men and we shall make further provision for the conscription of money. It is the intention of the Government to introduce a war in- . . come tax on the lines of the Canadian Act so that those who do . not pay anything in the way of war· taxation under the Business Profits Tax will . have an opportunity of doing so un- der this measure.

I may tell you, sir, that I, and those associated with me, are not over anxious about the popularity or unpopularity of these measures, except in so far as it affects the enforcement of the la,v. We need public opinion _ strongly be­ hind us in order .that the measures may be carried out, but we are not much concerned as to how our politi­ cal future may be affected by this measure. I have nailed my colours to the mast, _and if I am to go down to politica] defeat because of my action in connection with this Con­ scription ~easure, I am prepare~ to accept ~Y doom.

In the meantime, however: whilst I am leading the p.ove fuent, I am determined that thes measures shall go through and sh . I be carried out faithfully, be- cause I am convinced of their ur­ gent and pressing necessity. . As a member of the Imperial War Cabinet I know how serious is the crisis through which we are now passing. I know the need of men. I know that the call which is being made on us is one to which we cannot fall to respond. The soldiers in the trenches are calling on us to go over and help them. We need more and more men. We need more and more money. I have no doubt what­ eve· r we shall get both.

When the - time comes for an appeal to the country, and those who sent me here are dissatisfied with what I have done in this connection, I am pre­ pared to accept their verdict uncom­ plainingly, and I shall deem the sac- . rifice as small indeed compared to the sufferings and sacrifices made by the brave men who have given thetr Jives in the cause which we are bat­ tling for to-day. This session, sir, I hope will be a business session. I trust that matters will be dealt with promptly and that the session may be short.

I have been invited to attend the Imperial War Council and the Imperial War Conference in or­ der that I may have a better oppor­ tunity of proving things as they really are, but I know sufficient now to realize the urgency of the call for men. Both men and money are crying needs. We need men to win the victory; we need money to achieve victory. To-day is S't. Geor­ ge,'s Day. It is a most auspicious occasion on which to open a War Parliament in England's oldest Col­ ony. We are in the fight for St. George and England. As St.

George valiantly fought a!ld slew the dragon which then oppressed the world so are the men of Newfoundland to­ day called upon to assist in exterm­ inating the modern dragon of German

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. tyranny and despotism. This day shall be a memorable one in J our his­ tory. It is in this hope and in this . belief that we here and now resolve to do our part to tlie fullest extent to uphold the glorious record which our soldiers and sailors have achiev­ ed for us on land and sea, to see that those who have died in the common cause have not yet yielded their lives in vain and to ensure that since we have entered the war we intend to be in it to a finish. The motion theri passing, it was or­ dered accordingly and that the fol­ lowing gentlemen be such Committe_e: Messrs.

Grimes, Parsons, Currie, Moore, Winsor. The Prime Minister gave notice that he would on tomorrow ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled ''An Act Respecting Military Service." The Prime Minister gave notice that he would on tomorrow ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled "An Act to further Extend the Term of the Pre­ sent Legislature.'' The Minister of Marine and Fisher­ ies gave notice that he would on to­ morrok ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled "An Act to Amend the Act 6, George V.

(1915) Chapter 17, en­ titled 'An Act respecting the Estab­ lishment of a Permanent Marine Dis­ asters Fund.' " The Minister of Marine and Fisher­ ie~ gave notice that he would on to­ morrow ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled "An Act Respecting the Re­ porting of Missing Schooners.' The Prime Minister gave notice that he would on to-morrow ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled "An Act to Amend the Education Act.

The Prime Minister gave notice that he would on to-morrow ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled "An Act to Amend the Inflammable Sub­ stances Act, 1916.' The Prime Minister gave notice that he would on to-morro'v ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled "An Act to Apply to this Dominion the Pro­ visions of the Imperial Act, The Ma:rine Con·ventions Act, 1911." The Prime Minister gave notice that he would on to-morrow ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled "An Act to Amend

Chapter One Hundred an· d Nine of the Consolidated Statues of Newfoundland, Second Series, en­ titled "Of Patents." The Prime Minister gave notice that he would on to-morrow ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled ''An Act Further to Amend the Act 3, Edward VII

(1903) Chapter 6 entitled "An Act respecting Crown Lands, Timber, Mines and Minerals. The Prime Minister gave notice that he would on to-morrow ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled "An Act respecting the Publication of the Consolidated Statutes, Third Series." The Prime Minister gave notice · that he would 011 to-ll!orrow ask leave to intro ·duce a Bill entitled "An Act re­ specting the Department of Ship­ ping." The Prime Minister gave notice that he would on · to-morrow ask leave to - introduce a Bill entitled "An Act to further Amend

Chapter 141 of the Consolidated Statutes of Newfound­ land Second Series, entitled "Of the Keeping of Dogs." Hon. the Colonial Secretary tabled the following reports:__:_ Annual Report of Government Sav­ ings Bank. Report of St. Johns General Hos­ pital (1917). Report of Public Schools, ·under Church of Enigland Boards (1917). Mr. Currie gave notice of question. It was moved and seconded that when the House rises it adjourn un­ til to-morrow, Wednesday, April 24th ' 0

28 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. at three of the clerk in the after­ noon. The House then adjourned accord- • ingly. WEDNESDAY, April 24, 1918. The House met at three of the clock in the afternoon, pursuant to adjourn­ ment. HON. PRI~IE MINISTER - Mr. Speaker, I ask leave to present a num­ erously signed petition from the in­ habitants of Rocky Harbor, asking for telegraph extension. Also a petition from Scilly Cove, Brownsdale o.nd neighborhood, in the district of Trin­ ity, in reference to, the mail servtce. Also a petition from John French and others of Carbon ear, in relation to fishery matters.

I ask that these sev­ eral petitions be received and referred to the Departments to which they relate. HON. PRIME MINISTER - Mr. Speaker, with your permission, antl the indulgence of the House, I woulcl ask that the House meet in Secret Session on tomorrow afternoon at 3 o'clock, in order that I may lay before the House a despatch which I hr.,ve received frolll the Secretary of State for the Colonies in relation to war conditions.

Pursuant to notice and leave grant­ ed and on motion of Hon. the Prime Minister, the Bill entitled "An Act respecting Military Service" was iu­ troduced and read a first time and or­ dered to be read a second time on to­ morrow.

Pursua11t to notice and leave grant­ ed and on/ motion of I-Ion. the Prime Minister, fhe Bill entitled "An Act to further .Extend the terlll of the pre­ sent Legislature" was introduced and _. read · first time and ordered to be a second time on tolllorrow. ursuant ~o notice and leave grant· ed and on motion of the Minister of Marine and Fisheries, the Bill enti­ tled "An Act to Amend the Act 6 Geo. V.

(1915) Chapter 17, entitled "An Act respecting the Establishlllent of a Per .. manent Marine Disasters Fund,'' 1Nas introduced and read a first time and ordered to be read a second tin1e on tomorrow.

Pursuant to notice and leave grant­ ed and on motion of the Minister of Marine and Fisheries, the Bill entitled "An Act Respecting the Reporting of Missing Schooners" was introduced and read a first time and ordered to be read a second time on tomorrow Pursuant to notice and leave grar1t­ ed and on lll.otion of ·Hon. the Prime -Minister the Bill entitled "An Act to Amend the Education Act, 1916," was introduced and read a first time and ordered to be read a second time 011 tomorrow.

Pursuant to notice and leave grant-, ed and on motion of Hon. the Prime Minister the Bill entitled "An Act to Amend the Inftalll.mable Substances Act, 1916," was introduced and read a first time and ordered to be read a second time on tomorrow. Pursuant to notice and leave grant­ ed and on motion of Hon. the Prime Minister, the Bill entitled "An Act to .i\.pply to this Dolllinion the Provisions of the Imperial Act, The Maritime Conventions Act, 1911," was intro­ duced and read a first time and 0r­ dered to be read a second time on to­ morrow.

Pursuant to notice and leave gra11t~ ed and on lll.otion of Hon. the Prime Minister, the Bill entitled "An Act to Amend

Chapter One Hundred a.i1d Nine of the Consolidated Statutes of Newfoundland, Second Series, entitled "Of Patents," was introduced and read a first time and ordered to be read a . second time on tomorrow. Pursuant to notice and leave grant­ ed and on lllotion of Hon. the Pri iile •

• HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS . 29 • Minister, the BiJl entitled "An Act re­ specting Crown Lands, Timber, lVIines and Minerals," was intr·oduced and read a first time and ordered to be read a second time on tomorrow. Pursuant to notice and leave grant­ ed and on motion of Hon. the Pr.ime Minister, the Bill entitled "An Act re­ specting the Publication of the Con­ solidated Statutes, Third Series," was i11troduced and read a first time and ordered to be read a second time on tomorrow.

Pursuant to notice and ·leave grant- . ed and on motion of Hon. the Prime Minister, the Bill entitled '''An Act respecting a Department of Shipping'' was introduced and read a first tim-a an1d ordered to be read a second time on tomorrow. Pursuant to notice and lea,re grant­ ed and or1 motion of Hon. the Prime Minister, the Bill entitled "An Act to further Amend

Chapter 141 of the Consolidated Statutes of Newfound­ land; Second Series, entitled "Of the Keeping of Dogs,'' was .introduced and read a first time and or·dered to be read a second time on tomorrow. Mr. Currie asked the Hon. Minister of Finance and Customs to lay on the table of the House a statement show­ ing the amount of the loan raised by him during his recent visit to Canada and the terrs on which the loan -was raised. HON. }llNISTER OF FINANCE-I have no statement to lay on the table, Mr. Speaker, as no loan was raised by me during my visit to Canada and the United States. Mr. Currie asked the Hon.

Acting Minister of Shipping to lay on the table of the Hoose a statement show­ ing the receipts, if any, and the ex­ penditures of the Shipping Committee HON. ACTING MINISTER OF SHIPPING-I beg to say, in reply to tl1at question, Mr. Speaker, that tho answer is being prepared and will be tabled in a few days. Hon. the Prime Minister moved tl1at when the House rises, it adjourn un­ til thr·ee of the clock tomorrow, Tht1rsday, then to meet in secret ses­ sion, and that '.Members of the Legis­ lative Council be invited througl1 lVIr. Speaker to be present. The HousA then adjourned accord­ ingly.

THURSDAY, April 25h., 1918 . 1-'11e House met at three of ".,lie clock in the afternoon pursuant to afl · · jour11ment. Mr. Speaker directed the Sergeant 2t Arms to invite Mr. President a11d Tu.lem bers of the Legislative Council to attend. The Prime Minister read a de­ spatch from the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Right Hon. Waltei'" Long, setting out the grave nature of the military situation on the wester11 front and the urgent need of increas­ ed man power. The situation in re­ gard to submarine warfare and short­ age of tonnage was also dealt with. ' Mr. Speaker directed that strangers be admitted.

Mr. Grimes on behalf of the Select Committee appointed to draft a Re­ ply to His Excellency's Speech pre­ sented the Report of the Select Com­ mittee as follows: To His Excellency Sir Charles Alex­ ander Harris, K.C.M.G., C.B., C.V.O., Governor and Commander in Chief in and over the Dominion of New­ foundland and its Dependencies. May it Please Your Excellecy: We, the Commons of Newfoundland in Legislative Session assembled beg to thank Your Excellency for the Gracious Speech which Your Excel­ lency has address;e . d to both Houses of the Legislature. George F. G -rimes, Edward Parsons, '

30 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. R. G. Winsor, P. F. Moore, J. S. Currie. Assembly Room, April 25th., 1918. On motion this report was re­ ceived. MR. WALSH-Mr. Speaker, I desire to say a few words on the matter that is now before the House. Before doing so, however, I will take this opportunity of extending to you m)'T hearty congratulations on your ele­ vation to the highest position in the gift ,of this House, and I feel sure, sir, that the high traditions of the office will be well sustained by you, and that the same spirit of fair play in debate will be given by you as was extended by your predecessors.

Since this Assembly last met ror .. discussion of business, a great many changes have taken place in the per­ sonnel. The old familiar figure of the late Prime Minister no longer addresses the Speaker's chair. The manly voice that echoed in this cham­ ber for nearly thirty years is now still, at least so far as the debates of this Assembly are concerned. And right here, Mr.

Speaker, I would like to pay what is to my mind a · well earned tribute to the splendid indus­ try and ability of Sir Edwar.Q.. iWor­ ris; because, alhough we may ques­ tion the means ~mployed by him in his advancement or elevation to the peerage, still, none of us ca11 or would wish to deny that during his thirty years of service to . this coun­ try, by his energy, ability and hard work he accomplished much for this country, more, I think, than will ev­ er be accomplished by any one man again in [ this country. His achieve­ ment 1¥ay be equalled, but it will never be surpassed.

The pity is that the c•losing hours of such a brilliant I car r were not employed in a dif- fe nt direction, and that the gen­ who now occupy the seats of Government should owe their posi­ tions to double dealing, duplicity and deceit. When this Assembly was last in session, I ocupied a seat opposite to the one I now occupy. There is a reason why I am not over there to­ day, and it is my intention to explain to this House in a few brief words, the reason why I occupy a seat tn the Opposition to-day.

I came into his House in 1913 as a follower of Sir Ed\vard· Morris and a believer in his policy, and it is now ancient history how well this policy, as In­ auguraed by him in 1907-8, was re­ ceived by the people. On the oc­ casion of three general elections his policy was endorsed, and a strong following was sent into his Assem­ bly, of whom I l}appened to be one.

Last year, before Sir Edward Morris's temporary retiren1ent,as I understood it to be, took place, I remember one afternoon attending a meeting of this Assembly 'vhen an allusion was made by one of the honourable members now present regarding a report that was being ·circulated in different parts of the country to the effect that there was a possibility that Sir Edward Morris would not return to this country to continue the leadership of this House. That matter was brought to the attention of the Prime Minister, and he abso- 1 utely denied the truth of the state­ ment.

He said that neither by writ­ ing nor verbally had he made any statement of suggestion to any party or .parties, with reference to his re­ tirement, and that no party or part­ ies had ever, verbally or by writi11g , int~mated such a thing to him; a110. i1e went further and said that if any overtures should be made to him, he " ,. ot1ld absolutely refuse to have any­ thing to do with tl1em, as he had not thP slightest intention of retiring un-

• HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 31 til the party or the country had first made that decision. But events have happened since which prove con:clusively, to me at least, th'l.t when he was giving this statement, he was even then in negotiation with parties, with a view to bidding adieu to this country and handing over its affairs to men who were then his opponents, and w;;_...... had not been sent here by the peu_:lle of the country. Personally, I have no de­ sire to criticiz~ any individual who had made up his mind that he wa· s doing the right thing.

If Sir Edward Morris wished to elect a new leader, • that was his own business, but I for one, do not agree with and cannot support the leadership of the Hon. the Prime Minister. So, Mr. Speaker, I wisl1 to convey to the House and the country the reason I am to-day sitting in opposition. The Speech from the Throne is a fairly lengthy one, and I have not had the time I would wish to give to its perusal, so I will content myself with making very short reference to one or two of what I consider the more important paragraphs.

On the question of Conscription, I under­ stand from the announcement of the leader of the House that the Govern­ ment intends to bring down a bill to enact conscription.

I think it is a pity that this country, with its splendid record, a record that any country may well be proud of, should have to resort to such a measure; and if some of the leaders who are now . so anxious to pass conscription had talren a different attitude in 1914 and 1915, when the call came forth just as. strongly and urgently as to­ day for help, and if · they had then done what they sho~ld ·have done, there would not now be any necessity to come into this House and intro­ duce a measure whereby the manhood .. of the country is to be conscripted, Vvhen Sir Edward Morris saw the need in 1914, and I take it he was well :informe . d from the other side as to how serious the situation was then, an appeal went forth to form the Regiment, and men who should have taken an active

part in doing ·this work, thought that a sufficient - contribution from this country would have been a few cases of lobsters and • a few quintals of fish. Now they are prepared to come in here and pass a measure to conscript all the manhood of the country, without any reserv­ ation. I agree, Mr. Speaker, that if the case is .so serious as we are led to believe, everything that lies in our power to do should be done in defence of the Empire. My attitude ever · since the declaration . of war is one that I am not ashamed of.

When war was declared I had the honor of being the · president of one of the old­ est societies in the country. Our total membership was less than 200 men, and when I resigned from that society a year ago, I am proud · to say that out of tl1is membership we had an honor roll of 115 men, and on that honour roll, I am sorry to say, were twenty-two men whose bones are to-day bleaching in France and Belgium, who went there and died in defence of the principles of freedom and justice. So I submit, Mr.

Speaker, although I do not want to claim any personal credit, that as the President of this society, my at­ titude towards this question has not been one to be ashamed of, and there has never been a call for financial help for anything patriotic, to which · I have not subscribed as liberally as I could, and mor~ liberally, perhaps, than my means would allow. And I will continue to do so. The point I wish to emphasize, Mr. Speaker, in connection with this measure, is that, •

• 32 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. if it had been introdt1ced by an as­ sembly representative of the people, who had been sent here by the people and 'vould have to go back to the people, it would be a different matter.

Th.is measure is being introduced by men. who have not the slightest in­ tention of ever offering themselves for re-election, men who have com· e here with their commissions in their · pockets, men who have been taken out of one office, because there was not su~cient work there and put in­ to another office, so that they might be retained to give the appearance of a representative assembly to pass his measure or any other measure. I say, sir, it is unconstitutional, un­ British, unfair, and the country will not have it.

When the people of this country are aroused and find out the tactics of this administration there ts going to be trouble. It is not for love of the British Empire that this bill is being put through, and it is not for the good of the country that these gentlemen are now roused to this pitch of patriotism. When our re­ turned soldiers came home, some of them maimed for life, having lost an arm, or a leg, what did the Govern­ ment do for them? If there was a position in the gift of the Govern­ ment, who got it? Not any of these men.

On the contrary, if it was whispered around that there was any . likelihood of a returned soldier mak- ing application for a position, it was the signal for some heeler to get 'busy and worm his way into- this position. I say, sir, that if the Government had looked after these men when they came hpme, and had made an occas­ ional v!cancy to give a living to some maim~d soldier, it would have been a different story, as to recruiting. No , ri/ht thinking man would object to l./a,ving an office created in such a I ·case.

I know a man, a personal friend of mine, and one of the hun­ dred and twenty I spoke about, who came home with a bullet in his lung, and no more good for anything, who · was paid off with $50.00. Is that the kind of treatment to hand out to these men who have offered their all to fight for their country? If these tactics had not been the order · of the day, we would not now have to pass a conscription measure. What fur­ ther proof do you want than the at­ titude of the returned soldiers, who have taken up the matter recently.

The response to tl1e appeal made by the soldiers is sufficient proof to me that there is no necessity for any such measure. There are hearts beating in Newfoundland to-day that are just as loyal as those -in France, and the men of Newfoudland would not need to have been conscripted if the matter had been put to them squarely, and if the Government had done its duty by those who came back after having lost their health and strength in defence of their country. The conversation that usually took place between the returned men and their friends was something like this: "Well, Jack, welcome home, how are you feeling.

Would you ad­ vise me to have a try at it?" "Well,, if you don't get any better treat­ ment than I have got, I would advise you to stay as far a way from it as you can." If the returned men had been properly treated it would have encouraged others to take their places, but such did not happen. And I . say that if the Government had taken no open

part in the recruiting campaign, but had let it be done by those who could make the most ef­ fective appeal, they would have had more recruits than they would know what to do with. As soon as the Gov­ ernment identified itself with the campaign, good night to it. When

, HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 33 the bill comes down I will have a better opportunity of discussing it. I haven't yet seen the bill, and until I see it I reserve to myself the right to oppose it or support it. . The other sections of the Speech to which I would like to make a short reference here, is that which deals with the attempt that is going to be made to bring down a bill to prolong the life of Parliament.

Well, it is I amusing, when one comes to thi11k of it, to hear these gentlemen gtving reasons why the life of Parliament should be prolonged, in view of some of the speeches that were made .in this Chamber last Session. I propose~ when the measure comes down, to bring down some of these speecl1es arJ.d read them, if I can get the time of the House, so that we can compare notes.

We are asked to prolong the life of Parliament, so that these gen­ tlemen may retain their seats i11 the House for a while longer, and t~1en when the Assembly closes go into p·er­ manent positions for life so that tl1ey need never worry if there is ever an election again or not. Has this coun­ try fallen so low that the life of I-'ar­ liament is to be prolonged just for , the sake of letting these gentleme11 retain their grasp on the spoils of office. And the price is the blood of our soldiers.

The young men of the country are asked to go over and sac­ rifice their 1 iv es in defence of the principles of democracy, but t11is House of Assembly as constituted is more typical of the iron heel and tl1e mailed fist. Is this the spirit of tl1e British Constitution. I don't believe Yet_ that the honorable leader is really serious. I think it must be a l1uge oke, this announcement that he In­ tends to further prolong the life of Parliament. I ·1 wi 1 defer any further comments until the Bill comes in.

I want to a~. sure the Government that I am pre­ pared to stay here for six weeks (and I am able to talk for a few hours, es­ pecially if l am armed with a bundle of 'Advocates') before I will submit tc.' let this measure go through just t'} gratify a few people who want to hang on to the spoils of office, and who have no interest .in the affairs of Empire. We have heard a lot about picnics during the last few years, and it seems rather inconsistent that one of the , first actions of the present Go·vern­ ment should be to provide a picnic .for the Pr.ime Minister.

The House ls tc• be closed early so that the Prime Minister may get across to the other side. Now, I think, with all due re­ spect to the importance of the Prime Minister's being over near the seat of war, that his work would be better done if he remained in this country. If we are going to have the serious condition of affairs that has been out­ lined in the speech, I think he would be a great acquisition to the Tonnage Committee. His work would be better done if he remained at home to see that there is no lack of salt for the fishery and that our products will be safely marketed and everything on a firm basis.

Then during the winter months hecan be better done without and a little trip over to England n.nd his own home would be satisfactory to all concerned. It is a long time since he has been home, and it would undoubtedly be nice if he could return as the Prime Minister of one of His Majesty's Dominions. On motion the report was adopted. Mr. Currie gave notice of question. Mr. Walsh gave notice of question. Hon. the Prime Minister gave notice that he would on tomorrow ask lea.ve to introduce a bill entitled ''An Act respecting the Ministry of Shippl11g.

Hon. the Prime Minister gave notice that lie would on tomorrow ask leave

34 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. to introduce a Bill entitled "An Act to Amend the Act 8, Edward VII

(1908) Chapter five, entitled ''An Act - with respect to Compensation to Workmen for Injur.ies Suffered in the Course of their Employment.'' Pursuant to order and on motion of Hon. the Prime Minister, the Bill en­ titled · "An Act respecting Military Service" was read a second time. HON11 PRIME MINISTER - In rising to move the second reading of this Bill in reference to Military Ser­ vce, I wish tosay that I have not any intention of making a lengthy speech.

On the opening day of the session I gave in a general way my views in reference to the crisis in the military situation (and those who read the newspapers know that the gra.vest crisis of the war is facing us). rrhe gentlemen who ~ were present this af­ ternoon have also learned that -~he situation in authoritative quarters is regarded as extremely serious, and tl1ere is no need for me to go into great detail. I wish to make no more than a plain statement that we are facing a serious crisis and that "\Ve in Newfoundland are called upon to do our

part in meeting that eris .is and to do our duty. It is very easy for any of us to point the finger of blame at others and say we think they have :.iot done what they should have done. I have had something to do with re­ -cruiting committees. I undertook the work of Secretary of a Recruiting Com m.ittee and I can well appreciate from the kno,vledge I acquired in that cap­ acity the splendid and noble respo :..1se made b~ the Star of the . Sea Societ~· of whic1t my hon. friend across is Presid~nt.

I can also recall an en­ deavour with which he was connect­ ed, t6 form a recruiting campaign for re uiting in his district, when a 1no·· t boat was hired and expenses se· ­ red and everything was ready, but my hon. friend failed at the last mo­ ment and never undertook the trip. It was at the very last moment that he came to th at decision. When my hon. f-riend failed Mr. Fitzpatrick was asked to go. llIR. WALSH-I did not go because I believed it was better to keep polit­ ics out of tl1e matter; and because I did not believe that a member of a d.istrict was the right one to go there recruiting.

Why did you not gu to your district? HON. PRI~IE JlIINISTER-I did go. I spoke i11 I-Iarbor Main District also. JlIR. WJ\LSH-Did you go to Trin­ ity D.istrict? HON. PRIJlIE MINISTER-Yes. I have addressed meetings there. MR. WALSH-I did not hear any­ thing about it. HON. PRIME MINISTER. - But I am not blaming the hon. member. The explanation that 11e has given was sat­ isfactory in itself. The real explana­ tion however is this. Out of the good·· ness of his heart he thought it better not togo recruiting himself n.nd stayed away.

However, the blame he has been trying to throw on men1 be rs of this side of the House against the party with which he was previous!)" associated and against the opposition in the past is that if they had done their duty there would be no need for this measure. MR. WALSH-I merely said that I thought it a m.istake for any member to go to his o'vn district. HON. PRIME MINISTER-I will leave it to the House whether or not the hon. member was blaming us. I think he said that if every member of the Government had done his duty there would be no need for this Bill.

And .in reference to the matter of re­ turned soldiers I may say that I had the opportunity of creating a job for a constituent of my friend. But he hae

.. HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 35 forgotten tliat. He will find out that we have trled to do something. I would lil{e to remind my hon. friend that we are all of the same blood a11d of the same spirit as far as matters of Empire are concerned, and that -Ne are as anxious todo our duty as he is. I may congratulate my friend that he represents a capital of a district that has done extremely well as regards recruiting. Indeed if all parts of the island had done as well as Placentia as regards recruiting there would be no need for the measure under dis~ cussion today. It is unfortunate tl1at some places have not.

Some settle­ ments like Chance Cove in Trinity Bay where every young man almost has been in the Navy since the be­ ginning of the war stand out, compare strongly against those who are going free and doing nothing. That is the reason that we are bringing in this Conscription Bill. Great honor is due the returr1ed soldiers in connection 'vitl1 tl1e sple11d.id work that they have done in aiding recruiting and it is a noteworthy fact that they are the 011es who insist on this measure.

These are the very men who a.re calling for it,and are doing good work at the present time in Newfoundland in creating public opinion which will enable this Act to be carried into practice. Sir, I am proposing the sec­ ond reading of tl1is measure because first, right by principle; secondly, called for and demanded by the r·e­ turned soldiers themselves; and thirdly and lastly, because it is abso­ lutely esse11tial to keep up the Regi­ ment and to keep it in the field until the finish.

I say, Sir, it is a gratify­ ing situation that the soldiers who have returned l1ave put their baclr to the proposition; and are exerting their fullest to make it possible to carry out this bill. On an occasion ' Sir, a month or more ago, I was asked what the Government intended t<> do I declined to answer. I said I was not prepared to state what the Gov­ ernment was prepared to do. At il1at time I had Conscription Acts in my possession that I was studying and getting ready for this Legislature.

I was not prepared to make a pro­ nouncement because for one reason it was ecessary to have public opinion stirred on the matter, and by t.he greatest good fortune during the inter­ val we have had public opinion stirred up by those who are best able to do it, and those 'vere the returne·d soldiers. I said on that occasion I believe, hat I wasted public opinion in this matter. I was not prompted by those who wanted to make political pinpricks out of any statement I might make; who were anxious about the future of themselves and thetr party.

I was not then concerned, and am not to-day concerned about my political future. I have a hope for a future in political life, but I am pre­ pared to let that future pass. It will not weigh with me one bit. vVhat I wanted then was public opinion to let the Act be carried out in the spirit i:n which it was _enacted; and I believe to-day that public opinion has been stirred up arid is being stirred up, and that the future is au­ spicious for the carrying out of this measure. Now, sir, on Tuesday last I gave a brief resume of the features of this act.

I wish now to draw further at­ tention to the principal features of this Act. I may say first of all that the measure is largely drafted along the Canadian enactment; not entire-. ly of course, but so along its prin- cipal features. I would draw atention first of all to paragraph 2 on page 2. That sec­ tion deals with the scope of the Bill, that is those subject to Conscription.

36 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. The principal feature is that it is not the intention to conscript the whole man-hood as has been suggested here this afternoon. That has never been considered by the Government. Im­ mediately the Home Government called attention to the serious situa­ tion at present, the Government put forward regulations under the War Measures Act, forbidding unmarried men of military age to leave the country; and that was an indication of the intention of the Government and the scope of the measure. That is borne out in the main by

Section 2, which says that: "Every unmarried male British subject who comes with­ in one of the classes described in

section 3 of this Act, and who (

A) is ordinarily resident in Newfoundland, or (

b) has been at any time since the fourth day _of August, 1914 resi­ dent in Newfoundland, shall be liable to be called out as hereinafter provided on active service in the Reg­ iment, either in or beyond New­ foundland, unless he:-(

a) comes within the exemptions set out in the schedule, or (

b) reached tl;le age of forty before the class to which he belongs, as de. ~cribed in

section three is called out. If one becomes forty before his class is called out, he will not have to respond. Now, with reference to the exemp­ tions. You 'vill notice that there are exemptions to those men who are or­ dinarily resident or who have resided in Newfoundland since August 4th., • 1914. These will be found on page 10. It is merely necessary to set the1n out in order that the law on the subject ~ay be fairly clear. The .:first

section deals with men who hold a certificate granted under this ct; wl1ich means men who have before a tribunal and have re­ ce ed a certificate of exemption w ich stands good; for certificates may be temporary or permanent as the circumstances of the case may re­ quire. The second exemption is ob­ vious, and includes members of His Majesty's Army. The third includes members of the military forces rais­ ed by the Governments of any of His • Majesty's other Dominions, or by the Government of India. These three it will be seen cover men who may be described as men at present serv­ ing His Majesty's Government in ·either the Army or the Navy.

Section 5 exempts those who have served and are honorably discharged therefrom, while

Section 6 exempts the clergy. With the exception of these six classes men who hold ex­ emption certificates, all other unmar­ ried men of military age come under this Act.

Section 3 of page 2 shows how the men who come under the Act have been classified. The first class ' includes those who have attained tl1e age of 19 years and were born not earlier than 1894. The second class includes those who were bor, n i11 the years 1889 to 1893 both .inclusive. T11e third class includes those who were born in the years 1884 to 1888, both inclusive. Class four includes th0se wl10 were born in the years 1879 to 1883, both inclusive.

The object is this: that when the proclamation is­ sues it will set forth which class ~s to respond; class one will be called first; class two before class three; and class three before class four. If ne­ cessary the Governor in Council will have power under the Act to subdi­ vide these classes, and call up the ear­ lier class first. I would then call attention to page 5. I am taking merely the salient fea­ tures of this Act because these bring out its general principles The exen1p- · tion clauses are exceedingly important for the·se exemptions and the spirit in which the exemptions are handled by

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 37 the tribunal will largely govern t.he success of this measure. With y.::J1r permission I will read

Section 8 : At any time before a date to be fixed in the proclamation mentioned in

section 4-Section 4 states that the Governor in Council may from · time to time by Proclamation call out on active service either in Newfound.land or beyond Newfoundland, any cla,ss sub-class of men described in

section three, and all men within th class or sub-class so called out sha.11 from the date of this proclamation, be deemed to be soldiers enlisted in the mili­ tary forces of Newfoundland and subject to military law for the dur­ ation of the war-or within further time, if any, as may be permitted by the tribunal, an application may b~ made by or in respect of any man in the class or sub-class called out by Ru.ch proclan1ation, to tl1e Tri­ bunal for a certificate of exemption, on any of the following grounds: (

a) Tl1at it is expedient in the na­ tional interest that the man shoulc1, instead of being employed in military service, be engaged otherwise. (

b) Tl1at he has one or two bro­ thers, and one of them is serving, or has served in His Majesty's Naval or Military forces during the present war. (

c) That he has three or more brothers, and two of them are serv­ ing or have served in His Majesty's Naval or Military forces during the present war. (

d) That he has persons mainly dependent upon him for support, such as brothers, parents or sisters. (

e) Ill health or infirmity. And if any of the grounds of such application be established, a certifi­ cate of exemptio11 shall be granted to such man.

Section four provides that im­ mediately the proclan1ation becomes law all men of that class from the date set forth, become soldiers of the King and subject to the Army Act and the Kings Regulations although not , enrolled or under pay. And any man who has good ground for being ex­ empted from military law must make appeal to the tribunal to obtain certi­ ficate of exemption. That certificate may be a certificate granted either absolutely or it may be conditional ai» to time or otherwise.

For instance suppose a man is called up and it is found that some public interest wa~ suffering; there would be sufficient grounds for claiming exemption, for a time or otherwise, as tb.e tribunal oan determine. On tl1e impartiality, fairness and public spirit of that Tribunal will depend the succe.ss of the Act; and it .is because of that fact that we feel gratified that the Judges of the Supreme Court, tn whom we have the fullest confidence, have undertaken this onerous and -dif­ ficult work.

The second class of exemptions ap­ plies to those who have one or two brotl1ers and one of them is serving or 4as served in His Majesty's naval or military forces during the present war. If there are three or more brothers in a family, and two of them are serving, or has served, than the others can claim a certificate of exemption. The next · class refers to unmarried men who are, for all domestic pur­ poses, in the p_osition of married men; who have aged or sick par­ ents or younger brothers or sisters to support; and these . will be able to claim exemption.

But all tl1ose claiming exemptions will have to es­ tablish their claims to the satisfac­ tion of the tribunal before certifi­ cates will be issued to them. Of course in addition to this there will be cases of men in ill-health and infirmity,

- 38 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. the blind and the maim, unfit for military service. These men are, of course, clearly unfit for service, and provision will have to be · made so that they will not be unduly disturb­ ed in following their avocations in life. Coming now to the Tribunal, I don't think it is necessary to say more than this, that upon its im­ partiality depends the honest carry­ ing out of the measure.

Because of that fact, the Judges of the S'upreme Court were selected, and I feel as­ sured, and everybody may feel as­ sured, that they will see that ex­ emptions are ·· granted on fair grounds, and only on proper grounds. Now, sir, I have indicated roughly the principal features of this meas­ ure, and I ask that the Bill be read a second time. The need for it is unmistakable; the call has come from those responsible for the mili-, tary situation on the other side.

There ' . is no question, sir, that the military situation is critical, and will remain critical for an extended period; and unless there is absolute assurance that for a considerable time reserves and reinforcemnts will be coming in in good measure, those responsible for the conduct of the war may have to be very sparing of .men, and - that sparing may make all the difference between winning and losing this ter­ rible war.

Newfoundland has been called upon to do its du_ty; and be­ cause I feel that the measure is ne­ cessary-absolutely necessary - and that this Legislature will do its duty; and because I feel that the measure will f be received in the spir­ it in which lt is enacted, that it will be enforced impartially, and that the people a~ large will recognize the I necessit of it, I, . Mr. Speaker, move that t bill be now read . a second time. MR. C. URRIE~Mr. Speaker, I fully appreciate all that the Prime Minis­ ter has said with regard to putting this Bill through this House · as quickly as possible.

Nevertheless, I would be very glad if he would hold the second reading over until tomf>r­ row, so that I may have an opportun­ ity of examining the Bill carefully. Then, if ne·cessary, I. would be pre­ pared to agree to a suspension of the Rules of the House in relation to this measure, so that its passage would not be in any way delayed a mome11t longer than is necessary. I may say that I admit the pr.inciple of the Bill.

I agree entirely with Conscription; but I would lilce to have an opportun~ ity of reading through the Bill and getting a thorough grasp of its con­ tents before making any remarks in reference to .it. I have only one or two remarks to make today. In the first place, I would be glad if the Nlin­ ister of Militia