PROCEEDINGS OF THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY DURING THE FOURTH SESSION OF THE Twenty-Third General Assembly ; OF ' • •• • • • • • ' .. ' '' • • -"ti • • • • •• lZOBINSON & COMPANY, LTD' PRESS DL1Ck\vortl1 ~treet, St. Jol111's, N'ewfou11dlaµd " . ' ~ I 91 ~-

• •

\ PROCEEDIN6S OF 1'HE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY OF NEWFOUNDLAND SESSl01''11, 1916 'I~I-IURSD~!\ Y, March 16th, 1916. I-lis Excellency having fixed the 11our at \Vhich 11e proposed to open the present sessio11 of the Le,gislature at tl1ree of the clock in the afternoo11 of this Tl1ursday, tl1e sixteenth day of rviarcl1, ii1stant, tl1e members of the f-~ouse of Assembly met in the As­ sein bly I-~oom at a quarter to three of tl1e clock in the after11oon, when l\ilr. Speak er took the Cb.air.

A~ three of the clock a message frctnl I--Iis Excellency the Governor was deli ·ve1·ecl by the Gentlemen Usher of tl1e Black Rod, commanding the im~ inediate attendance of Mr. Speaker and tl1e House in the Cour1cil Cham­ ber. Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, and tl1e J--Iouse attendecl His Excellehcy tl1e (;<Jv-er11or in the Council Chan1- ber, a11c1 having returned to the As­ t)C:11bly Roon1, Mr.

Speaker informed tr.e H<)use t11at His Excellency had been ple:ased to make a gracious ~ peecl1 to both bI'ft:i1ches of the Legi.:;­ la, tt1re, a copy of which for purposes df ~reater accuracy he had obtained a.nd v.rhich 11e then read to the House. ~ 'PEE1 CH FROM THE THRONE. Mr. President and Honorable Gentle­ men of the Legislative Council: Mr.

Speaker and Gentlemen of tr.e rlonourable House of Assembly: Since the last session of the Legis­ lature the terrible struggle between t}le warring nations of Europe has CO·D.- . . . .. ~ ; . tinued to rag·e with unabated violence. ... . , The splendid traditions of the fighting forces of the Empire have been ad­ mirably up·held, and, in conjunction with our Allies, substantial pro,gr·ess has been made to·\vards achieving the result which is inspiring us all, the conclusion of a peace that will pre­ serve the liberties of the world and the advancement o.f the nations along the pathways of enlightened civiliza­ tion.

The contingents from this country for military and naval service have, I am proud to say,. conducted th·emselv­ es \vith such gallantry and devotion to duty as to have won the, highest praise from the resp · o·nsible authori­ ties, and the enthusiastic resp ·onse made during the past year to the ap­ peals for further recruits is, I am glad to say, likely to be continued on a similar scale during the present ye·ar.

At the beginning it was. hoped and expected that the war would be short and the end attained . without excep­ tional demands upon the· manhood or r·esources of the Mother Countr · y and the Oversea Dominions . Instead of that, however, the conflict is proving one \Vhich thr·eatens the very exist­ ence of the British Empire and 01f the nations associated with her in the effort to maintain civil liberty and the rights of free states. Unexampled calls have been made on the Mother Land and the other · portions 0 1f the Empire, and they have been nobly met.

A measure · of comp ·ulsory enlistment has been enforced in the British Isle~. Can:- •

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEBDINGS ada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have undertaken obliga­ tdons pro·portio ·nately great; and I have every confide ·nce in the new invi­ tation now being addressed to the young men 01f the Colony to do their

part in the fighting line, and to the rest of our people to reco ·gnize what is required from those who remain at home that there will be a response that will keep Newfoundland where she was at the o.utset, in the very first rank in p·roportion to her population. In view of the growing seriou .sness of the tonnage pro·blem to the Col­ ony as evidenced by so·me of its p·has­ es at present, measures will be intro- . duced to invest my Ministers with fur­ ther powers to enable them to deal with this matter in the general inter­ ·ests o.f the .Colony.

The industrial o·per.ations of our people during the p1ast year · have · be·en attended with highly satisfactory re­ sults. The high prices obtained for the staple products of the fisheries, for­ ests and mines have enabled the v~r orl{ing .classes to enjoy a high degree of prosperity. This is all the more gratifying when we remember how the economic intere ·sts of every ·coun­ try l1a ve been disturbed by the far­ reac11ing e,ffects of the war, and we have surely cause for thankfulness that here in Newfoundland we. have Sl1ffered so little .

One of the lesso ·ns which this war has taught the p·eoples of the Britis · h Empire is tl1e desirability o.f pron1ot­ ing in ter-im ·perial trade, and we may not unre ·asonably hop· e that one 0 1f the results will be a very great increase in the demands for th· e pro.ducts o,f our fis ·heries , and that the develop­ me11 t of our fa.rest and mineral re­ sources will be even more actively un­ dertaken tha. n heretofore. Bills will be submitted to you fo· r the consolidation of the laws of the Col­ ony, a work last undertaken twenty­ .fi,re years ago; bringing up· to date the Education Law; for bringing the L • .

Measures, into conformity with the law with regard to Weights and standards existing in othe , r countries .; and to provide for the Municipal Gov­ ernment of the town of St. John's, as well as oither me·asures. Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Honourable House of Assembly: The accounts for the pas· t fiscal ~rear, ~\r2d the J~stin1r1te.s for the Cf)Ol­ i11g o·ne, will be submitted to you in due course, and I am sure that you will make s_uitable provision for the requirements o.f the Public Service, \vith special reference to the incre .ased obligations which the war will impose on the Colony.

You will be glad to know that there is a very substantial increase in the re,renue from all sources, encouraging the hop· e that, at the end of the fiscal year in June next, our r·eceipts will s1::ffi:·e to Ii1er~t tl1e f :~penditt1re. on current account.

It is now apparent tl1a t the decr ·ease in rev·enue for the last fiscal year of $720,000 was large­ ly due to the reduction in imports, consequent on the uncertainties as to trade development during the ;fire.t year of the war; but we may reason­ ably assume, se·eing there has been such a marked reco ·very the present year, that there is no longer any rea· son tp fear a return to the conditions of twelve months ago.

On the contrary we may hope, as the mo·nths pass and the outlook .for the Allied c.ause grows brighter, that this co11dition will re­ flect itself in still larger imports and i11ore enhanced prosperity. Mr. President and Honourable Gentle­ men of the Legislative Council: Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of t -he Honourab ,le H ·ouse of Assembly: In accordance with the Act passed at the last session of the Legislature pro ,viding Jor the submission to the, electors of the Colony of the question of tge prqh!bition of the importation, • I l J

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS • manufacture and sale of alcoholic li- quors , an election was held in Novem­ ber las·t resulting in the number of votes polled in the affirmative being a majority of the total number o.f votes cas t and amo u1tti11g to over forty per cent. of the total number of votes on the register, as required under the Statute.

Under these circumstances a Proclamation called for by the Statut\~ will issue at an early date, p·rohibiting the importation, manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors into or in tl1is Colony at any time after the .first day of January, 1917, except as provided for in the said Act. I co·mmend the duties of the ses­ sion to your assiduous care and pray that the guidance of Divine Provid­ ence may attend you.

The sentiments of profound loyalty expresf..ed by t11e Colony, and the practical manifesta­ tions of patriotism which have sup­ po·rted tl1e same since the beginning of the· war will, I feel sure, stimulate you all to the zealous performance o.f the session's tasks. MOTION FOR ADDRESS IN REPLY. tJi R. Vv ALSt-i--Mr. Speaker, I riS-:3 for : .be purpose of moving that a sel­ e ct committee "be appointed to uraft a11 address in reply to tl1e gracious ~pee< ' h with wl1ich His Exc.ellency 11as !,1,·en pleased to open this 4th session of tl1e 23rd General Assemb!y.

And, Sir, I fully appreciate the hon­ our conferred on me an.d through me· on the District I have the honour to represe11t in this House, but, Sir, I mu st e xpress my regret that the tasl\: was not assigned to some abler one, one who could do full justice to His Excellency's most inspiring speech. However, Sir, with your permission and to the best of my ability, I will deal briefly with the various subjects ref erred to in the Speech.

The fi rst paragraph deals with the question which is foremost in the minds of the ' vhole civilized world to- day, r1am ely , t he great European con­ flict, in which we in this ancient and nlost loyal portion of the Empire are playing our par t nobly and well.

No nation or people on the face of God's green earth have a greater horror or disgust for war and its awful conse­ quences, than the members of this great and glorious British Empire, of which it is our proud boast to be a part, but much as we hate war it is by far prefera .ble to national dishon­ our, and dishonour, Sir, would have been our heritage had England remain- e· d neutral as tl1e German war lord hoped, and allowed plucky little 1 Bel · gium to be devastated, her splendid ins ti tu tions ra,zed to the ground, he1- priceless works of art wilfully de­ stroyed, her priests, nu11s and all civil population outraged, and all of this done in clire ct violation of a solemn pledge or treaty to protect her neu­ trality.

And tl1e Great British Empire. through her Sovereign, signed this treaty, and Emperor William, the am­ bition-mad Kaiser, w::i,s a very prom­ inent figure at the ceremony, but as the Imperial German Chancellor put ' • t t ' it, treaties are but "scraps of pape1r," I I j and the success of German arms de- n1and a short cut into France, we wi1 l ,, crush her and then we vrill tur11 our attention to the chief object of our ambition. Your treatie · s mean noth- ing to us, and tl1e word "Honour" has no place in our diplomatic councils, . and has appeared in name only in the German dictionary.

For forty years we have been preparing for this op­ portunity. The only nation 've fear is England, and she is on the verge of internal revolution; our hour has come. You will meet tl1e foe and you will defeat him; take no prisoners> slaughter all before you, and strike terror into the hearts of the people. We must overrun Europe with our military ina chine, and Prussianize its people. I , ,

• ; I / , 6 This, Mr. Speaker, is the sub­ stance of this modern Attila's ad­ dress to his troops before the, y \Vent into action. Thfs, Sir, was his insane ambition, but the grand old John Bull, the exponent of liberty and fair play, the guardian and protector of smaller nations, and, in fact, the sheet-anchor of civilization, was reluctantly obliged, when every other means 01 averting war had failed, to warn Ger­ rnany that her line of conduct was tantamount to a declaration of war. In effect, he said, "Halt, Sir!

Call off your dogs or I'll shoot," and he shot, and that one shot, Sir, shattered to pieces all the German plans, the pro­ duct of forty years of trickery, treach­ ery and duplicity. As soon as the treaty was violated, England was plunged into war; she did not consid­ er that treaty a "Scrap of paper." It possessed the, signature of our Sov­ ereign, and she could never hope · to hold up her head amongst the · nations of the earth if she did not enforce the observance of that solemn agre ·ement. England was-- -if you like-unprepared, but not to the extent of a temporary peace with dishonour.

It is true that she had only a small army in August, 1914, but in March, 1916, what do we find? Kitchener's "conte .mptible lit­ tle army" has grown to millions, muni­ tions are in abundance, our mercan­ tile marine has been largely increas­ ed despite the German submarine cam­ paign, and our Navy, which has fully demonstrated its ability to rule the waves, has grown to the extent of over a million tons.

Our territory has been e,nlarged by hundreds of thou­ sands of square miles, our domestic troubles have all disappeared, and to­ day, Sir, England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Sot1th Africa, India, Canada, and great, big-hearted, little Newfoundland has clasne , d hands ..... in everlasting friendship. The whole Empire is cemented into one immense brotherhood, both in name and spirit .. Now, Sir, let t1s e1xamine the result as regards Germa11y.

Millions of the flower of her manhood have been sac­ rificed, 11er towns and cities are teem­ ing vvitl1 starving widows and orphans, her industries are, demoralized, her commerce has been swept from the seas, her banking institutions are on the brink of bankruptcy, her Navy, which we heard so much about, is a close prisoner in the, Kiel Canal. I submit, Mr. Speaker, that it is no idle b·oast to say that "Britain Rules the Waves," that the Navy which is the glorious boast of every true Briton and the fear and envy of her enemiP.s is doi11g its work well. Joh11 Jellicoe 1s on tl1e job.

"vVe have closed tl1e Gates of Dover Straits, An<i North v1here the tide runs free, Cheek by jowl, our 'vatch dogs prowl Grey hulks in a greyer sea." And '\vell it is so, Sir, not alone for the safety of the British Empire, but for the protection of neutral nations as well. Tl1e Fleet of England is to­ day safeguarding the cities of the United States and preve ·nting devasta­ tion of its fair soil and the enactment thereon of all the crimes which were committed ii1 Belgium, Poland and Serbia, which forever dis,grace the name of Germa ,ny.

The British Fleet to-day is affording the same protec­ tion to the TJnited States as it is to Canada and N evvfoundland, and the sooner hyphe ·nates understand this, the better in tl1e interests of the civ­ ilized world. The second paragraph deals, Sir, with the Naval and Military contin­ gents sent from Newfoundland. As you are aware, Sir, when this war brolce out, this country had no soldi­ ers arld \Ve had rarely ever seen one outside of St. John's, ai1d if by chance a soldier did appear in the outports.

HOUSE bF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS . he ~r as looked upon as a kind of cur· iosity, but whe· n the call came "You1 King and Country need you," what loyalty and affection we have for the old flag - under which we have en­ joyed liberties tl1at no other people on earth can boast of-cause · d a no bl~ - response from our young manhood, and it is their determination to up­ l1old with their lives, if necessary, the splendid traditions which have been handed down to us by our fore­ fatl1e ·rs, and these traditions are "To keep aloft the grand old Union Jack," wl1ich is the emblem of that liberty, fr eedom, and equality enjoyed by ev­ ery member of tl1is vast Empire.

And no Prussian tyrant shall ever lower that flag one inch "if Britain to her 4 self be true." - The Mother's call was heard in every hamlet of the British Isles.

It reached through the wilds of Africa, tl1rough the jungles of In· dia, the bush of Australia, througl: the prairies of Canada, around the rock-bound coast of Newfoundland and in the many other lands where this em bl em of freedom unfurls itself to the bre.eze, and the manl1ood in each of these climes answered "We are coming, Mother England, and we are millions strong." You know, Sir, we here are small in numbers, but not 4 \Vitl1standing this we have sent con­ tingents both to the Army and Navy­ loyal sons of Terra Nova are to be found in almost every branch of the service , and our men both on land and sea have already experienced the grim r eality of war.

That they have ac­ auitte · d themselves honourably we all kno\v. We have it from the most au­ thentic authority that our men under fire have acted lil{e veterans. Every­ body in Newfoundland is familiar with the bra very of Lieute .nant Donnelly and l1is little band of heroes, ond of whom I am proud to state is a con­ st ituent of mine-Private Matthew Collins , son of James W. Collins, H. M. C. of Placeh tia. These heroes captured that Hill and held it against fearful odds, thus doing credit to themselves and upholding the honour of N e\vfoundland.

This reminds me that Newfoundland has increased its territory, seeing that we own this famous Caribou Hill on the Gallipoli Peninsula. I don't kno-vv whethe · r the Pren1ier intends to make it an addi­ tional district, but I want to tell him that if Captain Carty is a candidate seeking the suffrage of the Caribou­ ites, I don't want to be his opponent. There are· many oth<?r instances, Mr. Speaker, where our soldiers dis­ tinguished themselves, notably at the evacuation of the Gallipoli Peninsula, where the. y occupied the post of , hon­ our.

Our seamen also have discharg­ e ti their duty and gained distinction. rr h ey have been commented upon most favourably by the officials of the· Ad- 1niralty, and at least one of them to­ day is the proud possessor of the n1uch-coveted Distinguished Service Medal. So you see, Sir, already four of our in en have been de1corated. But1 Mr. Speaker, I regret to state that some of our men have made the su­ preme sacrifice.

To the sorrowing re­ latives I extend my heartfelt sym­ pathy, but no word of mine can lessen such grief as theirs, but they have the happy consolation of knowing that their sons nobly died, they gave up their lives in a righteous cause for the protection of others. "And how can ma~ die better ' Than figh ti11g fearful odds ' For the ashes of his fathers For the Temple 1 s of his Gods?" As for the· need of further recruit­ ing, I submit, Mr. Speaker, it is very · great; it is not at all difficult to see how this war must end. England must be victorious if she but to herself be true.

We are fighting a great, un­ scrupulous nation, one with forty years of preparation, and whose sole

8 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEb!NGS ambition is to destroy the British Em­ pire, one "\>Vhose national toast for the past two score years was "Here's to The Day." So, if we are - to succeed, it's men and still more n1e· n we need. If we in this Colony are to measure up to th. e other parts of the Empire and re­ tain the proud position we now hold, our recruiting must be continued and stimulated. England, .to-day, Sir, is fighting for her life, and the quicker we realize it the better, if we are . pre.serve the liberty in which WA were cradled, and now is the time to act, not after a German victory.

"Oh cruel fate, were the night too late To undo the vvork of the mo-rn." · Newfoundland says no Prussian ty­ ra11t sl1all ever rule our soil, and, Mr. Speaker, I am convince · d that as soon as our people fully realize the urgent need for further recruits, sufficient will be forthcoming,-yes, Sir, if we stand by the old Flag as we should, victory vvill soon perch on our ban­ ners, but \>Ve must and shall stand by it.

"England stand you steadfast, Corrie along from Wales, Scotland send Y1our warriors, Ireland never fails, Britons .from beyond · the Seas, Answe · r to the call, To fight for God and Country To conquer for us all. In connection with our Volunteer movement, I must p·ay a well meriled tribute to their Excellencies Sir ~?al­ ter and Lady Dav:idson for the magni­ ficent work they h.ave· done in this behalf.

To His Excellency's untiring zeal the success of the movement is greatly due and his interest does not end when the men are trained and embarked, he follows them to Eng. land and his personal influence has added gre.atly towards their comfort, in fact, his fatherly affection accom­ panied them to far off Egypt where • his brothe · r uses his good offices in their behal.f.

Too much praise ' cannot be given Lady Davidson for the splen­ did work accomplished by the Worn· en's Patriotic Association, which has jn no small way contributed to the con1fort of our Soldiers and Sailors, and in this splendid work she was ably assisted by the good ladies of the Is­ land through the various branches of the W.P.A. to all of whom we extend our sincere thanks.

To the mothers of the volunteers who made such noble sacrifices we say , 'God Bless 'Them" and we sincerely hope and pray that they shall soon have their boys home again, covered with glory, having done honour to themselves and to the land of their birth. The next paragraph in the· speech Mr. Speaker deals with the threaten­ ed tonnage shortage in Newfoundland. Y·ou are well aware Sir, that this con­ dition o.f affairs was brought about by the sale of so many of our local stea­ me·rs to Russia-one of our Allies­ and also by the loss of a number of our sailing vessels w 1 hich have not been replaced.

This Sir, together \Vith our dependence on foreign sl1ips which owing to the war are not avail­ able · I submit as the cause of this apparent embarrassment. But the silver lining of this dark cloud has ap­ peared through the mists, and thank : ; to the untiring efforts o.f the Prime Minister in th,is as in all other mat­ ters where the welfare of our p·eople is concerned this seemingly very dif­ ficult pro bl em has be1en practically so1ve,d. The Premier and his Minis­ ters in conjunction with the Board of Trade and Mr. W. F.

Coaker, repre­ senting the Fishermen's Protective Union, have gone into the matter in a statesman-like manner, and we are already assured that at least no seri· o·us embarrassment that would ma­ terially interfere with our industries nee· d be feared. Through the courtesy and generosi- ..

• liotSE OF .ASSEMBLY PROCitRDINGS 9 ty of Lord Rothermere and our local steamer ,owners we are as·s11red that the all-important

article Salt, without \Vhich our staple industry would have to be abandoned is assured us in su..f­ ficien t quantity to carry on our fish­ ies. I anticipate no serious shortage in pr,ovisions or general merchandize. a11d as long as our stocks are suffi­ ciently large to tide us over another· month or two, I think this present crisis in the tonnage shortage will be passed. But in times of pe,ace pre­ pare for war is a good maxim, and I think this a most opportune time for the whole question to be gone· into earnestly.

Personally I think it a lamentable state of affairs that we in Newfoundland, where we have so many competent builders and abun· dance of the finest class of. building material, are compelled to put our gold into the pockets of Canadian and Am­ erican builders for ·the purchase of our banking and coasting vessels.

I do not know wl1at the laws . of these cot1ntries are, O · r the encouragement, if any, offered by their resp ,ective Governments, but I am convinced be­ yond all shadow o.f doubt that the time has arrived when this important in· dustry which means so much towards our commercial existence sho,uld be fostered. The next subject is the Revenue. Not being a financier, Mr. Speaker, y,ou can easily understand that my reference to this subject will be brief.

It ig ve·ry gr,atifying to know that although the Revenue was sihort last year on June 30th $750,000. it is hoped this · year that the revenue will meet a.II expenditure and in all probabili­ ty will give a small surplus. This de­ ficit in the revenue was brought about by short imports, the imports into this colony for the year 1914-15 hav­ ing been over $3,000,000 short of the previot1s year. This was caused by the fear on the part of some importers as to what mig·ht happen on· accou ·nt o.f the war, ancl by tl1e desire or others to dispose of their old ·stocks.

Anoth­ er reason nhich might be attributed was the difficulty of obtaining many .... li11·es of goods and the many obstacles in the way of p·rocuring freights. Of course all of these conci'tions were brought about by the· war. And, Sir, v1hen we consider that we in New­ foundland are just as inuch in a state of '\var as E11gland, Fra11ce or Ger­ many, we have eivery reason to be thankful fc)r the splendidly prosperous condition we find ourselves in today.

I vvant to offer my congratulations to the Hon. the Finance , Minister on our splendid financial standi11g which · is in no small n1e·asure to be attributed to the judicious manage .ment of his department. The next subject referred to in His Excellency's speech deals with . the re­ cent Prohibition Election. · As you are a ware Sir, at the last session of this Assembly a t1nanimous vote was cast granting the people the power of exp,ressing at the Polls their decision with regard to this very vexed ques­ tion.

Considering the fact that the whole people were divided into two ca1nps we have every reason to be proud of the conduct of our people. It is a pleasure to me to be able to extend to . the· whole people my hear­ ty congratulations on the splendid example shown by the absence of the rowdyism \Vhich too ,often disturbs tl1e quiet and peacefulness which is tl1e glorio ,us he·ritage of the Anglo Sax­ on race. It is most gratify'ing to kno\v that our people can differ on questions o~ policy without allowing their differences to interfere with the splendid harmony which is the bul- . vvark ·of our national existence.

N·o'\v Sir, just a few words in re,fer­ ence to our industries. Thanks to the nrotec ti on. afforded us by England's Navy our Bank fishery for the past year was most successful, our Labra­ dor and Shore fisheries were also a

. ' . . " ' ~ R(lUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. i6 fair average, and owing to most of our keenest competitors in the foreign markets being drawn away .from their usual avocation to enga .ge in the mor ~ profitable employment of munitions. etc., and the great difficulty of other f. in catching and marketing their fish owing to conditions brought about by the war all of which tend to enhance the value of our product .and so in, crease the earning power o;f our p·eople · .

The seal fishery o,f last year Sir, was almost a blank and owing to the sale of most of our steel fleet, this most important branch of our industries is seemingly on the decline, but this may be Sir, a blessing in disguise, for had we gone on indiscriminately kil­ ling o.ff such large numbers of our young seals . and not made provisioil for the ;future, this industry would in time be destroyed, as the whole · fam­ ily or families would be exterminated, hence I say Sir, this is a blessing in Jisguise, and in a few years when the industry is allowed to recuperate I J1op· e to see this Legislature regulate it so as all fear on this score <~an be (. ~ancelled, we hope and trust tha,t the \royage , of 1916 will be fraught with inuch prosperity and the safe retu:·11 of our people.

The lobster fishery has declined to an almost alarming ex·tent, but "hen we examine the cause and care.fully study the possible effect on the future we are not so much disturbed. Now Sir, the first cause was an actual de­ cline in the number of lobsters caught owing to the indiscriminate slaughter of the female lobste · r· which destruc­ tion has. been go,ing on year after year and no attemp , t bein . g made to effect a remedy until the prese ·nt Gov· ernment awoke to the .fact that if something was not done and done quickly this valuable industry would be lost to us.

So a propaganda was launched in charge of Commissioner Dee, a most qualified o·fficial and we have every reason to believe that his work is fast bearing fruit. The se­ cond reas ·on I \Vill advance for its de·· cline in dollars and cents, at least, is the loss of the German market,and ow­ ing to "\var conditions we have not been able to duplicate it.

However, perhaps the same theory can be attributeri to the crustacean as to the se·al and temporary rest may so stimulate this industry that when the clouds that to­ day are hanging over Europ · e l1a ve .. finally passed a way and the huma11 race are once more united and tl1e comme ·rce of the world passes to and fro unmoleste id, then with this rest af­ ter· years of continual toil, our lobster fishe ·rY will again add greatly to our "'-ealth and welfare.

A great improvement is noticeable with re·gard to our Herring fishery , and I think Sir, that with the in­ troduction of rigid laws pr·operly en­ forced to standardize this splendid a,rticle of food much wealth will be added to the pockets of our people. I cannot pass entirely ;from this most important su1bject without saying a word on behalf of the· great need for cold storage for bait purposes, hun· dreds of thousands of dollars are an­ nually lost to the country for the want of bait and I hope that something will soon be done to effect a remedy. Any expenditure in this direction will be a gilt edge investment.

During the past two years, while on the revenue service 011 the South Coast and Pla­ centia Bay, I had an opportunity to study the question by personal obser­ 'ration. During the months of August and Seiptember hundreds of our fish­ erme11 were compelled to lounge about the decks of their vessels in beautiful­ ly fine weather, when fish was plen­ tiful on the Banks and at Cape St. Mary's, but unfortunately no bait was available. Our lumbering industry which gives remunerative employment to so many o.f our people was a good average last •

HOUSE OF ASSitMBL Y PROCBED1N<iS i i year and I look with confidence to the not far distant day when Grand Falls will be one of many paper towns. During the latter part of the . year a great increa~e took place in the output of Iron ore fro , m Bell Is­ land, which is such a great factor in s\velling our revenue , and it is only rea­ sonable to assume that after the war this l\!Iine or Mines will be developed to n1a.ny times its present capacity as metals are bound to be in great de­ mand.

In conclusion, Sir, I hope and trust that wl1o·ever holds the honour­ able position I hold to-day at the op-­ ening of this Ho11se in 1917 that his references will be to the past Euro­ pean conflict which will have ended in a glorious vict 1ory for Briton and her ga.llant Allies, that the lobby of this House will ·"' ~ .cilled with our re­ turned heroes, and that peace and prosperity \Vill reign throughout the whole ernpire. I have much pleasure in moving for tho select Committee. MR. CURRIE-Mr.

Speaker, I be. g to second the motion so ably and elo~ quently proposed by my friend, the hon. member for Placentia a11d St. lVIary's, IVIr. "\Valsh, for the appoint- 1nent of a Committee . to draft an Ad­ dress in Reply to t11e Speecl1 from the Tl1rone. And before going further, I should like to tender my hon . . friend my congratulations on his very excellent speech. I do this not as a me.re matter of form but in all sin­ cerity, for I doubt if we have ever lis­ tened to a more eloquent opening ad­ rlress tha_n that he has just delivered.

As he has so fully and exhaustively co-1ered the several matte 1rs referred to in His Excellency's Speech, it is l111necessary that I should delay the I-louse with any lengthy observations. I-1is Excellency begins his Speech \Vith a refere 1nce to the great 'var no'v raging in Europe, and it was natural 11e sl1ould have done so, for it is al­ vray s uppermost in our thoughts, it is the all-absorbing topic.

The con- flict has now raged for nearly two years, and as \Ve view tl1e situation to­ dq,y we, do so \Vith much more satis­ f3,,ction than we did when last \Ve as­ sen1bled in tl1is House. \Vhen we met here i1early a year ago, one might almost have been for­ given if he had taken a gloomy view of the existing conditions. Our soldiers, with those of our gallant ally, France, . were hard pressed on the Wes tern Front. In the East our Rus­ sian allies, though fighting valiantly, had been driven back and back, until we wondered whether her defences \\-"'ould not break under the terrible punishment she was receiving.

But witl1 a courage and tenacity that evoked the admiration of the world, she held on until with abundant re­ inforcements of men and guns, she ''ras able to check the onslaughts of the e11emy. The cause for this seem­ i11gly desperate situation was, as we all know. primarily dt1e to shortage of n1unitions ·. Conditions of 'varfare had changed. Rifles and bay~nets had ceased to be effective, battles were now won with big guns «Jnd plenty of them.

The pro bl em was to supply them, and this duty the Mother Coun­ try undertook, and tl uring the year . sl1e has not alone kept her own sol­ diers well supplied, but has so organ­ ized her resources as to very largely assist lier Allies also. The year has likevvise witnessed a wonderful de­ velopme11t in our armies, both i11 numbers and efficie11cy, and also in the extent of the battle line. The s1nall expeditionary force which re~ presented the Empire in the begi11ning , of tl1e war, and which played such an heroic

part in the retreat from Mons, and in the subsequent defeat of the enemy at the Marne, has been in­ creased ten fold, and in addition a large army is in trai11ing in the home .land. A year ago we were fighting on the vVestern Front only. To-day 011r soldiers are at 4 grips with

HOUSE OE ASSKM~LY PROCEUbt~ds the enemy, not alone in France and ~..,landers, but in Mesopotamia, in Egypt, on the Serbian frontier, and in East Africa, where . the last of Germany's colonies is now being wrested from her.

The year has seen three other nations-Italy, Bulgaria and Portugal-brought into the con­ flict; it has witnessed the disastrous Balkan campaign, and the overwhelm­ ing defeat of our allies, the Serbs and · the Montenegrins, and the over­ running of their countries by the su­ perior forces of the enemy; also the abandonment of the Galli­ poli enterprise, in which we were so greatly interested because our boys were there. It has also witnessed some severe fighting on the two principal fronts, which, while largely without any definite re­ sult, at least has proved the ability of the Allied troops to hold their own.

During the past few weeks a struggle greater than anything ever known in history, has raged about the forts of Verdun, which, through the ·bravery, endurance and skill of the gallant French troops, has resulted in a severe check to the enemy. While on land we have held our own, on the sea we have been supreme. Our navy has maintained its superiority and won M. victory all the greater because t'he enemy has never dared challenge its supremacy. \Vith the exception of a small area where floating mines or occasional submarines cause som~ loss, our ships sail the seas without fear of molestation or danger.

True we have had some losses, but they are insignificant when compared with the huge number of ships engaged in keeping the trade of the Empire going. Words, Sir, can give no adequate ex­ pression of our indebtedness to the navy; no proper estimate can now be made of what the "freedom of the 'tleas" means, or what Germany has suffered through the loss of hE3r mer­ chant marine and the slow strangling pressure of our fleet.

Suffiri.ent for us to k11ow that the glorious tradi­ tions of the navy have been glorious­ ly upheld; and that we can rejoice in the fact that the sons of dear old Terra Nova are bearing a noble

part in its activities. The year ·has been 011e of trial and tribulation, anxiety and sor.row, but it has brought its compensations ~ also. The Empire has demon- strated its solidarity a11d its strength; it has maintained unimpaired the noble traditions which have been handed down from generation to gen­ eration; it has shown once again its immense recuperative power in the face of difficult)" and danger. If one had suggested less than two years ago that Britain should raise an army of three millions of men he would have been laughed to scorn. We were a naval not a military power, what did we want with soldiers?

But the need came and realizing the danger to the Empire and their individual responsibility in the premises the . loyal sons of the Old Land, and the new lands across the sea, rallied round the flag they loved so well, the flag that for a thousand years has braved the battle and the breeze, until their numbers represent the force I have just named.

In the words of Britain's Prime Minister, H I do not believe there is a more re­ markable achievement in the history of the whole wor'ld." And, Sir, as we view the situation to-day, we do so with tranquility and absolutely witl1out doubt as to the outcome of the struggle. Each day as it passes strengthens the position of our Allies and ourselves, and leaves our enemies in a more crippled condi­ tion. From the day vvhbn tl1e soil of Belgium was violated by Germany and a solemn international treaty treated as a scrap of paper, when, as an Empire called upo11 to redeem our sacred pledge, we plunged into the ( •

HOUSn OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS 13 struggle, there has been no doubt in the minds of Britons the world over as to what the end would be. Fired with a co11viction that we were fight­ ing in a just and righteous cause, only one object has been before us,-to pur­ sue the war to victory with all the s l\:ill, resource and energy of the Em­ pire. Nothing short of that; nothing but a decisive victory will satisfy. Militarism with all its hideousness must be destroyed.

The smaller na­ tior1s must be protected from aggres­ sion,a lasting peace must be assured.To . quote the vvords of the King's sp·eech at tl1e opening of Parliament on Feby. 15th, "We shall not lay down our arms until we have vindicated the ca,use 'vhich carries with it the future of civilization." There can be no in­ conclusive peace; that would mean c11ly a postponement of the struggle. To ni.al{e terms '\vi th Germany now, as Mr.

Ian Macpherson so very clev­ e11ly put it vrhe11 speaking in the Brit­ is l1 Parlian1ent a few weeks ago, would be lil.{e the Report of the Lord Cham­ berlain 011 tl1e Gunpowder Plot, in \vhich he said l1e "discovered 25 bar­ rels of gunpowder in the cellar and 11ad removed 10, hoping the other fif­ tee n \vould do no harm." The only torn1s on which peace could be dis­ eussed were stated by the British Premier as far back as 1914.

Said Mr. /-\ s q11itl1: "We sl1all never sheathe the : v/o rd, which we have not lightly dra .1;vn, till Belgium receives in 'full measure all and more than she has sa,crificed, until France is adequately secured against the menace of aggres­ ~ · i o n, until the rights of the smaller nationalities of Europe are placed up­ on an unassailable foundation, and until the military clomination of Prus­ sia is wholly and finally destroyed." ~ . nd these words not only represent tl1e feeling in Britain, they speak equally as strong the opinion of our • gallap.t allies.

Now for a few moments let me refer to our local interest in the war. As an integral part of the· British Em­ pire,-the . "oldest and most loyal col­ o.ny" as we frequently speak of her, how 11as Newfoundland shared in the \v·ar? How has she fulfilled her obli­ gation _ s to the Empire? Has she done her duty? I would · not care to say that she has done all she might have done, or sl1ould have done. But this much I think may be said, that com­ paratively she has kept 11er place with the· other Colonies.

In discussing our contribution it must be remembered that we had absolutely no active mili­ tary organization to dra\"\. from. (Th6 Boys' Brigades cannot be termed such -they only teach a certain amount of drill to our youths.) Such, however, was not the position of the larger Colonies, all of whom had their militia or other military institutions. So that \Ve started under a serious disability.

When therefore the Government short­ ly after \var · was declared offered . 500 men for the army and further pledged itself to increase the Naval Reserve to 1.000 and keep it at that figure, it was felt that a good beginning \Vas made. There was, I think, much doubt at first as to whetl1er the me11 could be secured, but to the everlasting credit of the young men of the country, and particularly of St. John's, tl1e figure was not only reached. but surpassed, so tl1at in a couple of months we were able to send a full battalion, complete­ ly officere ·d, equipped, and partly train· e.d across to the old country.

Since then recruiting has gone on quietly but steadily, and up to the end of February over 2,000 men had been ac­ cepted and enrolled, or four times the n limber at first offered. Our promise regarding the Na val Reserve has also ~ ' een l{ept, and over 1,000 of our men are no\v serving in His Majesty's Na­ vy. From tl1e viewpoint of our pledge, the11, we 11a ve mor~ t4an q9ne o-q:r

,, HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS rluty. But when the pledge was made . . it was not anticipated the war would ~ontinue so long, or that there would he such a demand for men. But the dernand has come, and it is our bound­ en duty to see that we do our share. So tl1e call has gone forth for even another battalion and the re.sponse so far is so satisfactory as to warrant the !)elief tl1at in a few weeks the battal­ ion with sufficient reserves will be forthcoming.

All 11onour to our young 1nA11 wl10 are thus proving their loy­ ~t! ty to the. flag and showing to the ~.,rorlcl tl1at the rich red blood of their service,-our Na val Reservis ts--who have likewise served their country -vvell, some of whom also have fallen at the post of duty. Tho11gh less con­ spicuous, theirs was none the less dan­ gerous work. Treading the slippery decl{S of their vessel in all weathers, ever alert for sight of the sneaking Bubrnarine, or clearing the ocean paths of the treacherous mine, they have performed a service to the Empire that cannot be measured by words.

To them also, we say all honour. Of them also Newfoundland is proud. And so) Si1:, V{e have no need to be ashamed British sires flows unrestrained in of v~trhat we have done. we. have not their veins. We have reason to be proud of our soldier boys, Sir. New­ foundland may well and proudly hold up her 11ead for the· lads who have gone abroad 11ave done her honour. Their conduct whether in the training C'an1p or facing the foe in the trenclt­ cs 11as v;1on. unstinted praise. They l1a.ve bravely upheld the best tradi­ tions of tl1e British race on tl1e field nf 1)attle, bravely a11d fearlessly done tl1etr duty.

I need not here refer to t11eir exploits in the field, they are well lrno,vn to every member of the House, suffice it to say that the story will be writ large in the annals of this country, and that so long as tin1e shall last the heroic part played by them in the Gallipoli trenches and en Caribou Hill will remain an undy­ ing memory. We look to the list of a ,,rards for evidences of their valor, n n d we find their names inscribed tl1ere; we, lool{ to that greater Roll of Honour, the roll of those who have made the supreme ~acrifice, and there too, are their names to be found. Tl1ey died for us.

And while we weep over their graves, we rejoice in the fY,rea.t11ess of the lives that preferred death to dishonour, that were 1 willing to die that truth and righteousness might prevail. And let us not forget 01;.r lads in tne other branch of the 11eld back our boys, neither do we hes­ itate to a.,ssume those financial bur­ dens vvhich theiir going imposes on us. And that is the least \Ve shoulri. do, if prevented from going ourselv­ es, to loolr after those who have gone, tl1eir relatives and depe11dents.

And 11ere it is gra,tifying to note that the Colony has recovered from her tem­ porary embarrassment, a11d is equal to meeting all her financial obligations "'.rith the possibility of something to spare. This is due, of course, to the recovery of our people from the dread of the -vvar scare, to increase 'd im­ Dortations a11d the additional revenue ~ . '."1/hicl1 con1es through our ad valorem duties frcm higher cost of goods. I do not thinl{ there is any need for us to fear tl1e . fl1ture. Ge11erally speaking, trade conditions throughout the coun­ try are good, and prospects for the coming season are bright.

Nearly all of last Y .ear's fishing voyage . realized very high prices for the fishermen, if not over profitable for the mercl1ant, and the probabilities are the price will not fall off ver)'~ greatly this year. There may be a little trouble \Vith re­ gard to the earlier cargoes of fish ow­ ing to the difficulty of securing trans­ portation, bt1t there are yet some !11011 tl1s to arrange for that, and with a little energy and foresight on th~ \

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS p,art of our mercantile community the7.fy'Jlditions under which the election was "J> .... -ir.; ••• - . ,. .. ' diffi culty should be overcome. ·'._~~ ~,'; ,: held are familiar to members of the So far as the western fishery .is con- House and it is unnecessary to re­ cerned I think we need anticipate no peat them now. Suffice it to say the trouble. The merchants there have a result has been such as to demon- fine class of vessels which are used extensi vely in the trans-atlantic fish trade ; they are not dependent on out­ side tonnage.

I n.otice His Excellency deals with the threatened shortage o;f tonnage, and foreshadows legislation. A good de·al has been said and written on this matter recently and the sit­ uation seems to be an awkward one. The pity is it was not foreseen by those gentlemen of the tra.de· whose interests are most affected. In the hurry to get . rich quick they were . p·arties most of them , 'fo the· sale of the splendid fleet of steel ships which has been accumulated during the past few years, and which i.f retained,would have solved all our difficulties.

Pa­ triotism is the reason I have heard advanced for their transfer to our Rus sian Ally; but the owners took good care it was tl1e kind of patriotism tha t paid. And now instead of mak­ ing an effo .rt to get themsel\Tes 011t of the difficulty into which their own lacl{ ·of foresight has plunged them, they are throwing the onus of provid­ ing tonna .ge accomodation on the Gov­ ernn1ent. It was ever thus, Sir. So long as there was a p, aternal Govern­ ment willing to assume the responsi­ bility, 'vhy shot1ld they worry? Seem­ i n g I ~.r tl1ey can't mo re ·1.vithuut Govern ~ ment assistance.

Helpless infants that tl1ey are, , while we are at it, it might be well to provide them with swadd­ ling clothes. As I understa .nd the situation now , largely through Gov­ ernment effort the problem is practi­ cally solved and we nee· d feel no very great anxiety. 'I,he one event of more than ordin­ ary importa .nce in connection with our Colonial li,fe, which occurred since last we met was the· Prohibition elec­ tion h eld in November last . The con-- .. ~ '* .. -- flt strate most clearly the desire of our people to be freed from the traffi~ and its attendant evils.

Tl1e issui11g of the proclamation as announced in His Excellency's speech will settle this issue for many years to come, so far as this country is concerned. In conclusion, Sir, I think as we review the year vve have much rea­ son to be thankful. The Empire has maintained its honoured position. It has assumed the burdens and respon· sibilities, and borne the sacrifices in­ cident to the great war, with that courage · and determination which has been so characteristic of her people in all ages. While the suffering has been great, it has been insignificant when compared witl1 that of our allies or enemies.

Our shores are free of the invader, our trade is unhampered, our ships carry on their business almost with the freedom of peace times, our armies are unbeate11, and our Navy maintains undisputed sovereignty of the seas. As a Colony our life has been · almost normal. Every branch of in­ dustry and trade has prospered, e·m­ ployment has been abundant, and our genera.I position is one which might well be envied. Imperially and locally we look to the future with confide ,nce.

Confident that success will crown our ov;n arms and those of our loyal and gallant allies, confident, as His Ex­ cellency so well says, in "the conclus­ ion of a peace that will preserve the libe rties of the world and the ad­ van cement of the nations along the patl1'\vays of enlightenerl civiliza .tion." MR. KENT-Mr. Speaker: Before proceeding to consider the speech with which it has pleased His Excel ­ le11cy the Governor to open this Leg- ~ ~lature , I shol,lld first like to extend . ,._ ~ ,,. .. ,, .4 - .!. •

• • 16 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS my congratulations to both .the propos­ er a.nd seconder of the motion now be­ fore you. I think every one in the IIouse both on this and on the . other side, will agree with me · wl1en I say that hotl1 these gentlemen are deserv­ ing of tl1e congratulations of the JT011se. I think they both showed a thorough and full appreciation of the great issues ·that are today facing us in this Colony, and which face every country in the vVorld. They have put .their vie\vs before us in language tl1at compares very favorably with an.

Y a,d­ cJ.ress on a similar occasion that has l)een given since I have . been here. Passing now to the Speech from the Throne, one. naturally considers first that 011e vital issue which occupies all · ou· r minds a.nd attention above every otl1er subject ,the struggle that is go­ ing on in Europe. So mu ch depends for us all; .so much d.epends for civil­ izatib11; so mucl1 depends for the Christian spirit amongst the nations upon the result of this titanic strug­ gle.

Nation _ s who are now neutral ma,y 1001, on at tl1at struggle, but these i1ations are just as much concerned in the result as the combatants on the fields of Flanders and :JTrance, an, d on the _other fields all over the world as we ourselves. The issue will affect them as much as it will affect us, and - 110 i1ation can afford to see the cause "•r 'vhich Great Britain ancl her Al­ lies are fighting go down to defeat before tl1e system which Germany re­ nresen ts. The cause is too vital and too great for any neutral sentiment to exist upon the is~ues.

Twelve months -ago at . t_he opening of this Legislat­ ure, I expressed a hope that when we opened on this occasion we would be able to look , back upon a lasting and permanent peace brought about by the victorious efforts of the Allied armie$. This hope · has unfortunately, ~1ot been realized, but we can today ~ee op~p.ing UP bef9re us the bright hope . of ultimate and complete triumph for our forces and a lasting peace which 'vill render safe the principles for which the Allies are fighting.

Looking back over the period of the \Va_r I do not think that any one can regret that Great Britain took the sta11d she did in August, 1914.

We know now that the doctrines preach­ ed by the German professors and by their militarists were not mere tl1eories; we know now that their doctrines and teachings were state­ meri ts of what they intended to carry out in practice ,; we know now that the principles which they laid down were not merely theories for the study-hall but tl1e outrages which they intende · d to inflict upon the human race to sat­ isfy their lust of power; we ·know now that the initial step which the Ger­ mans took by the invasion of Belgi­ um and the tearing up of their trea­ ty, by which they guaranteed her ne11trality, was only the first of a serr ies of acts of a kind which they have been repeating over and over again cluring the past t'vo years.

In every feature of th2 War Germany has shown the same disregard for the rJrinciples and doctrines of interna· t1onal law and human justice which she showed in this preliminary step. Newf ,ou11dland ha. s taken her pa.rt in this War, and Newfoundland will do more. She has already contributed to the military and naval forces of the Empire. Our young men have enlist­ ed in great n um be rs and every day n_o\v \Ve see more of them flocking to the Colors. The sentiment which was at first to a large extent confined to St.

John's, is now spreading all over the Island, and people from the re­ motest hamlets in the country are flocking daily to tl1e Recruiting Of­ fices ,so that the movement is con­ fined not only to St. John's , and 1J1e surrounding neighbourhood, but is being felt all over t}J.e country. This • r •

HOUSE OF ASSEl\1BLY PROCEFDINGS 17 r111estion of recruiting is one which is the most .seri_ous to our peop 1le. We have the same obligation that exists all ov - er the Empire, true though it is that we may i1ot be under a legal obligation as they are in the Mother Country. There a meas11re of compulsory service has be~n i11troduced, but to my mind the obligation resting upon our young men is as great here a.s it is there. We are bound in honour to do our share in this regard, and I am glad to say tl1at we are doing it.

We have sent ful"\.V~~rd a great number of soldiers ar~d sailors, and now a second b1ttal­ ion is in process of .formation. The response is so good that this secor1d l>atcalion will soon be ready to go for\·vard and join their brothers of the first. I tJ1ink, Sir, I have . already said that it is probable that the gre·at isst1es, the [.;reat decisive events of the war, a.re now taking place. The struggle around Verdun is evide ·ntly the be­ gj_nning: of the end. It indicates ho\v sp<-:~ed]ly and quickly the result will be realized.

Now is the time whet1 tl1e '-Vhole mate .rial strength of t11e Empire should be shown. Now is the t;1ne v:hen young men who are wil­ ling a11d able to enlist should offer tl1emselves This is their opportunity t- o show their patriotism, and I 1m quite · sure that when, after the war is over,and the parts done by tl1e various pc.)rtions of the Empire are. examined i11to, it will be found that the people of Newfoundland have done · their full share in this glorious work. No\v, Sir, looking further at the speech, I would consider another feature of the situation.

You will agree that there are other questions which must arise , at a time like this. The question of trade and commerce must be always under vigilant con­ sideration by those responsible for trade and commerce, and by the Gov­ ernment of the Colony, and conse-. ' ' .. .- ' quen .tly provision will 11ave to be made for dealing vvith the shortage of ton- 11age to handle our imports and ex­ ports.

We are dependent so absolute­ ly upon our import and export trade, that this is a question of even more vital importance to us than it would be to a place which is not wholly de­ pendent upon the sale of its P 1 ro·duce, and the purchase of its supplies from sources outside the country. We have recently seen in the public press that this question has caused some anxiety; tl1at a shortage of ton­ nage is likely to occur unless some very drastic measures are taken. The cause of this shortage is not the re­ sult of the war.

I think with foresight and with a true sense of patriotism, a great deal of this trouble might have been a voided. I am inclined to agree with the remarks of the hon. mem­ ber for Burin, Mr. Ct1rrie, that the trade in this matter have not shown the patriotism which we might have expected of men of their standing in the community. I think that it is far from patriotic at a time like this in a country like this dependent so int1ch on tonnage, to export and to sell at a very large profit ships on which the trade · of the Colony is so very large­ ly dependent.

In Canada and in Gre,at Britain I find that measures are tak­ en to prevent this sort of thing, and extra taxation is imposed on all ex­ cessive profits of such a nature aris­ ing out of the war. I think in those countries provision is made to make the former owners pay largely for the provision of tonnage to take , the place of those . sold; and that it is the duty of this legislature to see that a meas­ ure of that kind is taken to protect the people of this country against sim­ ila.r conduct. Most of the ships, the locally owned ships, upon wl1'ich this trade depends, -vvere sold at a large profit.

There have been sold, for instance, the two

I 18 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS ships which went from Port aux Basque 's to North Sydney, the 'Bruce' and the 'Lintrose,' and the 'Bonaven­ ture,' 'Bellaventure' and the other . ships, all at a large profit to the own­ ers, and now after making this great profit, they come to the Government and ask them to make provision to replace the tonnage which they sold'., and it has even been suggested that the Government give them a subsidy to carry on the trade. If the subsidy is needed, let it be provided out of the excessive profits arising out of the sale of these ships. l don't intend, Mr.

Speaker, to go through the Speech paragraph by par­ agraph, but there is one matter which is always regarded with interest in the Speech from the Throne. It is a portion to which we all look forward \Vith i11terest. It is the paragraph re­ ferring to the financial situation. All a,re anxious to know the financial sit­ uation of the country. What has been done, and what the proposals are now. Of this we find but little information in the Speecl1.

We are told that the reve11ue has been a large one and the Minister of Finance hopes at the end of the financial year to be able to show a re··Fe11ue equal to tb .e current expendit11re. That is a matter of · ':\rhicl1 \Ve are certainly pleased, but if \Ve are to consider the situation, the large extent of taxation which exists i11 this country, and the fact that this ta.xation is day by day increasing, I mean by that 've know the prices are going up day by day, and every ad.­ vance in price means \Vhere there is an ad 11alorem duty .an increase in ~he taxation of the people.

In view of that we might expect the Speecl1 to fore­ shadow a large surplus at the end of the financial year; brought about both by large returns from taxation, and · a.lso by careful economy in the con­ duct of our public service. We know tJ:iat there is room in our public ser .. vice for large economies. We know that many items can be reduced, and that much expenditure can be saved. We kno"\v that vvith proper manage­ ment not only could the ordinary ex­ penditure be reduced so as to leave a surplus, but so as to help reduce our indebtedness, whicl1 must necessarily have been increased in carrying on the war.

I am glad to see that there is no in­ tention, as far as I can gather from the .Speech as I heard it read, to dir­ ectly increase the , taxation of our peo­ ple by new taxes. Some people antici­ pated as the result of a proclamation for the enforcement of Prohibition that there would be a falling off of tl1e revenue. I suppose that is a na­ tural effect of such a measure, but I think \vith your increased revenue and automatically increasi11g taxation this deficit should be met without increas­ ing tl1e burden of the people. I notice that it is the intention to submit a me,asure dealing with the Government of St.

John's. This is a matter of very great importance to the citizens of St. Jo,hn's in p,artic11- lar, and I hope when this measure is brought in it will be the realization of the wishes of the people, and that a good measure will be produced. It has been in tl1e course of preparation for two years. A special Government for the city, a special commission was appointed, which undertook the Gov­ ernment of the city during the past two years ,and the duty of drafting legislation to recommend to this leg­ islature was left in their hands.

We expect that meast1re when it comes here to have the result of remedying a11y fa,ults which have come to the notice of the gentlemen 'vho under­ tool-r this work, and will justify the confidence which has been placed in them. Just one matter I would like to re­ fer to: the matter of reporting the

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS 19 last Session; that is, the ma11ner of reporting the debates in this House. I think that the reporting last year has been the worst that I have ever known in connection with this Legis­ lature. The debates have not yet been fully published in the daily pa­ pers, and I presume that as a conse­ quence the Hansard is not yet com­ plete.

Some new system must be init­ iated that will insure satisfactory re­ porting, as the system now in vogue see.ms to fie absolutely useless for the purpose required, and which entails a waste of money whick should not, in the interests of the country, continue. In ordinary years the debates dragged on through the summer, ending some­ where in October or September, al­ though the House closed some time in April. It ought to be a simple matter to inaugurate a system that would en­ tail the speech being type\vri tten and the member having in his posses­ sion a copy tl1ereof, within a day or so.

I mention tl1fs early in the Ses­ sion so that steps may be taken by the Internal Economy Committee to ha\re improvements made so that we can 11a ve a system that will work more satisfactorily than that which hereto­ fore has been in use.

The system that we have been following as far as the debates are concerned, is one that was in vogue when the speeches of this Assembly \\re,re rep1orted in longhand. but no\v when all the reports are taJ\:en down in sl1ortl1and, and we have at our disposal such devices as type­ \vriting macl1ines, surely some othe: r method of reporti11g that would be more satisfying can be evolved.

In conclusion, I would like to repeat what I said last session on the occasion of opening the House that when we meet here on this occasion next year, that we will reassemble with the sha­ dows of \Var dispelled, and that we then may prepare to face the prob­ lems which a per~ a nep t pe&ce will • bring to the world, and that we will be able to say that the principles and truths represented by Great Britain and her Allies shall have sunk in the past conditions and circumstances , that never more will show their in­ fluence amongst mankind. RT. HON. PRIME MIN ISTER-1\Ir.

Speal{er, I would like to say just one or two words in reply to the hon. member, the Leader of the Opposition who has just sat down.

And first I ,v·oulc1 lil~ e to reJnark th8.t I entirely eoncl1r ¥.ritrL him in the sentiments of l1ope expres serl at tl1e te:-rnination of i1is spee ch, namely, that when we meet here again a year from now on the occasio11 of our i1ext session that \Ve \vill be able to co11gratulate our­ sel·ves one and all, the British Empire ::t11d the world at large, on the ter­ mination of the titanic struggl'°3 tl'1rough which we are now passing, a11cl tl1e establjshm _ent of a permanent and lasting peace.

"\Vith him I de­ sire to congratulate the members on this side of the House who so dis­ ti11guished themselvec;- . here this after­ noo· n by their able and brilliant speech­ es. Both ge,ntleme n have already . shown great aptitude fo, r public speak· ing but I think that you will all agree that here this afternon, not alone the matter, but the form and structure was everythi11g that such an occasion as this might desire.

I think I might also go a little further and congratu­ late my friend tl1e leader of the Op­ position on the lack of anything of an acrimonious nature from him or his side and the total absence of any·· thing that might dispel the harmor1y which I am pleased to note exists on this opening day. In fact I think · I inight say, speaking for the Govern· ment, that the Opposition whilst giv· ing full ffigh t to their well-known im· aginations occasionally, have, in mat­ ters affecting the serious legislation o.f the colony as representatives of this House, aided th~ Government in •

, 20 Hous--n OF ASSE'1BLY PROCEEDINGS . every fair and reasonable way since the outbreak of the war. We have passed through troublot1s and diffi­ cult times during the last two years. Indeed from the outbreak of the ·war right up through that period when we· beheld dark clouds ahead of us, and when we were confronted by the prospect of a shortage of revenue, with important obligations staring us in the face. We now are· confrontPtl with still another, the tonnage que~ tion in this Colony. I think the time has arrived when we ought to endeav­ our to fix the cause really to blame for this state of affairs.

All we know for certain is that dt1ring the last 40 or 50 years the whole control of the freighting of this Colony has passed out of the hands of the local merchant. No purpose can be served by blaming any particular firm in this matter. Formerly, m ~Y sailing ships took our produce to arket and returned with salt, flour, JB and oth­ er articles of merchandise hich en­ abled the trade to maintain the busi­ ness of the Colony. Now, these ships 11a ve practically disappeared and steamers largely take their place. We 11a ve the Allan Line, the Furness Line and others instead.

If you talk to the ordinary importer and exporter, he , will probably tell you that you live in different times under changed conditions and that tl1e trade of the Colony cannot be carried on by sail­ i11g vessels, but only by steamers. If that, then, is so, we ought to own and control the necessary steamer~ a11d and not find ourselves entirely at mercy of nlen who may desire to take adva.J1tage of war conditions and charge exorbitant rates and who owing to lack of patriotism part with their steamers for a large price regardless of the necessities of the trade. It is a time for us to work together in sympathy.

Not alone have we been tl1reatened with a coal shortage but also a salt and flour famine~ I am .. J" 6 . ... ~· '" ~ 'I. ~ • ... pleased to be able to say that nearly all tl1ese difficulties are fast disap­ pearing. vVe 11a ve nearly all the ton­ nage in sight to bring the quantity of coal required, which is, as you know, a very important factor in the prosperity of this Colony. I need not dwell 011 the importance of a suffi­ cien.cy of salt, as that is a matter vital to the requirements of our trade.

But I think from what I know and can learn in con11ection with this commodity that we will be able to obtain all the salt we require. The same thing I am glad to announce applies to flour and general merchan­ dise. Now my friend the leader o: the Opposition referred to several matters upon wl1ich I should like to bestow some attention. I note \iV.h.at the hon, Gentleman states with regard to the reporting.

I regret that I have to admit that the reporting o.f last session was far from satisfactory, and notwithstanding every attempt made by the I11ternal Economy Committee, and the St1pervisor of Debates there are still one or two portions of last session's Reports which have · not as yet fou11d a place in the Permane11t Hans­ ard.

The Committee have, however, given the matter every consideratio11 the last two or three weeks, and we now 11a, \T~ "\.Vithout any increased ex­ pe11diture made arrangements by which the reporting of this House 'vill be taken down and type-writte11, by tl1e Reporte ·rs and handed to the Su­ P1ervisor before they leave the build­ ~ng so that l\i1embers may obtain a copy type-writte11 of their Speeches tl1e day after they are delivered. There is one other matter referred to l,y the Hon. leader of the Opposition, name­ ly the alterations to be made to the proposed City Bill.

I would like to say to this House tl1at as far as this is concerned the Government is not as yet in possession of the proposed legislatio ·n, although we are aware that cons~d~rable progr~ss has been ..

• iIOU&E bF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS ~I made in the matter. We hope to 11ave it be.fore us in a week or so. vVhe11 that Bill is brought dow11 to this House for consideration I propose asking the House to appoint a joint select Com­ mit t ee in order that we may give the measure as full consideration as pos­ sible.

The first City Bill was i11tro­ duced in 1888 and since that time we 11ave considerably adva11ced and ex­ panded in several Mu11icipal Depart­ n1E:pnts, a11d now that we are making new departures it is important in the interests of all co11cerned, so to ar­ range matters that every considera­ tion and attention possible will be given to the proposed alterations, perhaps many suggestions in the new bill will not be required. s .ome may not be workable or practicable. Oth­ ers can be suggested but I think it will be found that a good portion of the proposals of this bill will be of use.

By adopting the course which I propose it may be possible to have some valuable suggestions from those Members of the Joint Committee who have had considerable experience in Municipal matters. Now in relation to the important matter of colonial taxation I would like at the very outset to inform my friends on the other side that there is no desire whatever and no inten­ tion whatever at the present time to in any way increase taxatio11.

The Finance Minister, after carefully con­ sidering our financial position is sat­ isfied now, after ne·arly nine months of the fiscal year is past tl1at unless something extraordinary and unusual happens that he will have sufficient revenue to meet th·; e whole public an11ual expenditure, and it may be that there will be a small surplus. That, of course, will dep·end upon our abil­ ity to obtain the necessary tonnage to facilitate importations between now and the end of June.

As to the question of the taxation that may be required following the i11troduction of prohibition, that is a I question that is being enquired into to-day by the Finance Minister and by Mr. LeMessurier, the Sub-Collec­ tor. Some persons are of the opinion, a11d I have heard it stated and read it in the press, particularly during tl1e prohibition campaign, that the introductio11 of prohibition into this country will not mean increased tax~ ation.

It may not mean increased taxation, but it certainly will mean a tra11sfer of taxation from the few who in the past have paid all the taxes 011 spirits to the general public, who under this head contribute nothing. I i1e·ver agreed \'Vl~ 11 that principle arLd l do not tl1ink it a so1111ci princ11)le) a. 1! ~ l I t11ink wl1211 vv~<~ 11a,\· t.~ t11e fi~ ­ urt-~; before us it vvill be seen t11at it \v ~ll be neces ·: ;1,r v to find i1e\v re\'-• enue to meet the· loss of taxes that have been in recent years collected c r1 tl1e impoi·t1tio11:., of spirits.

I do !Jot mean to ::::.a.:,r for a inom:11t that that is a reason why prohibition sl1ould i1ot be adopted; but I am only pointing it out to those who expect tJ1at prohibition will not lead to ne".\.,. taxation. Now, in the first place, our drink bill last year was something lilre one million dollars, somewhere in the neighbourhood of one million dollars. On this point we have not exact figures.

You will find some who will be able to m· a.ke out a strong argument to show that it exceeded that amount; but for the purpose of my argument it is sufficient to say that our drink bill was something like one million dollars. Well now the whole of that sum will not be spent next year on dutiable goods. You will ha v, e that million dollari8 and if the whole amount were spent on ' dutiable goods at thirty-five per cent. it would mean a revenue of $350,- 000, and you would not need any more taxation and there would not be any loss of revenue by reason of the in­ troduction of prohibition.

But we have got to ask ourselves this question, will the people who last year spent

22 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS that million dollars on wine, whiskey, rum, and beer, buy dutiable goods with that million dollars next year, if they did there would be no lo·ss. A very small proportion will be spent in dutiable goods. Take the ordin­ ary man that last year had two glass­ es of liquor a day, costing him say twenty cents a day, for three hundred days, that is about $60.00. That will be the saving of the · ordinary man~ the labouring man that last year took two glasses of rum a day. But will he spend all that $60 on food and on clothes and 011 other dutiable goods.

If he does then tl1ere will be no shortage in revenue, we will collect as much as if spirits had been im­ ported. ~;ut he will not spend the whole L it on dutiable goods. He will . .'obably spend some of it on repairing his house; he "\Vill buy more local vegetables; he will go oftener to the Nicl{el; he may go out on an oc­ casional train excursion; and he may give a little more to his church. He 'vill probably spend the $60, but he n1ay not spend one third of it on dutiable gods.

He may spend some of it on imported goods that ar· e not dutiable at all or on which there is very little duty; with the result that out of that million dollars one third of it may not be spent on dutiable goods, or if it is it may be spent on goods that bear a very small duty with the consequent loss of revenue. As I said, Mr. Speaker, I am not point­ ing this out as a reason why we should not have prohibition; but I am pointing it out to serve notice on those who say that we can have prohibition without any consequent and immediate loss of revenue.

Now there is another class in the com­ munity-the well-to-do-"\vho have been usi11g cl1ampagne and whiskey a11d wine and bottled beer and bot­ tled ale, or what may be called the more expensive kinds of liquors. These people are not going to buy more flour or more provisions or n1ore clothes, or more tobacco, or more furniture, by reason of their saving on the cutting off of their liquor supply, because they had all tl1ese things last year. They will probably invest their savings in C. P. R.

Stock or some other valuable or attractive or remunerative ·invest­ rr1e11t, so that when we analyse the whole question we will arrive at the irresisti~)·::.~ conclusion that we will have to Li ".l?l a little more revenue to inake up f1 'J r the loss of revenue 011 spirits. What that amount is I do not at present know. I only know the . amot1nt we collected last year was betwee11 tl1ree hundred a.l ... d fifty and four hundred thousand dollars. I think that would be the outside figure for our largest year, and no matter how you look at it we will have a loss of revenue.

But you will find on the other side that a very strong case can be made ~ut for the advantages; and increase j Bfficiency in every depart­ ment. Th.. will be the answer to the criticis1n. I think I can say here this eveni11g that no steps will be take11 in relation to this till we have gJ] the facts and figures before us to show to the House what the actual loss is. MR. COAKER-Tell us whether you voted for it or not. RT. HON. PRIME MINISTER-I do not know that I can give you that information. It will improve with keeping. Anyway, I voted. I went to the polls. MR. COAKER-We know that. RT. HON.

PRIME MINISTER-I am ~lad the ho11oura.ble member takes tl1at ntuch in:~ erest in me. 1~/ R. LLOVD-L\J.1 v I ask if )TOll pro- 11rosc fur11ishi11g tho figt1res this ses- C' •( l ' ....:: • .J A • RT. HON. PRIME MINISTER­ Yes. MR. LLOYD-And dealing witl1 tl1is queRtion. •

' HOUSE OF ASSEivIBL Y PROCEEDINGS RT. HON. PRIME MINISTER-It may transpire that the Receiver Gen­ eral will have a sutficient surplus to obviate the necessity of dealing with it this year. I may say that it i~ not proposed to increase taxatio11 this session unless it is shown that tl1ere is going to be a large loss by reason of the introduction of prohibition. ~rhere certainly will not be in relatio , n to the general public service of the Colony.

Now as regards this year there can11ot be a very great loss by reason of prohibition, because there 1vill be six nlonths, from June, 1916 to Jany. 1917 when a certain amount of liquor will be imported, and there is some now in bond that will be taken out and consumed in the Col· ony between June and January 1917 v1hich will bring in some revenue, and so there will only be the difference between what will be collected in the first half year and what would have bee11 collected if 've did not have prohibition. ·That will not be a very great loss.

That may be so small that it may be covered by the surplus that the Minister of Finance will have. The 1\1inister of Finance may not require to increase it this year. MR. LLOYD-But he may require. RT. HON. PRIME MINISTER-That will appear from the Report, Mr. Le Messurier has been on now for nearly two months. Now, Mr. Speaker, I do not propose . to longer delay the . House except to say in conclusion that I endorse entirely everything that has been said to-day in relation to the titanic strug­ gle in which the British Empire with its Allies is engaged.

I can say noth­ tn_ g here that ha, s not been better said elsewhere. What has been said here this evening is but what has been said on other occasions all over the Empire and all over the world. AlJ we can do now is to follow and imi· tate what has been done and what has been set for us as a11 example. As men1bers of the British Empire everyone of us would have hung our heads i11 shame if anything else had been done by the Motherland tha11 what was do11e. There v1as no other way out.

If we '\Vere to continue to live as the greatest Empire the world has ever see11, there was na other l:JOlicy that could 11ave been pursued than to show our effective resent­ men of the violations of International obligations which were committed by Gern1any. Anyo11e who has read both sides must see that every effort was made by us to keep out of the war without sacrificing our honour and obligations. We were not prepared for it. We are not a military nation in the sense of Germany or France or Russia. We have merely kept a Navy for the defence of our Empire and the security of. our subjects on the sea.

We have been 011ly pre­ paring for the last year or so for "' the conflict we are now engaged in. When the war started we did not have one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers. I speak now of the standing army.

To-day we have probably over three million; and while the first year of the war was merely a year of resistance and a year of preparation more than anything else, the second year of the war promises to be a year not alone of continued preparation and resistance; it must be realized that as we have our men and our muni­ tions and are prepared to defend our­ selves against Germany it will be seen that the British Empire 'vill be able to do as effective offensive work as it has ever done. I endorse all that has been said this evening about the splendid work of our own men.

They have already made a 11ame for themselves and for their country. I agree with what has been said by my learned friend the Leader of the Opposition, that if there appears to be any lack of desire to join the colours on the part of some of our young men in some of t.he districts it is due largely to lack

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS of knowledge and appreciation on their part of the responsibility of citizenship in the British Empire. We here in St. J ol1n's, and in other dis· tricts of the Colony opened up by railways and steamsl1ip communica­ tion, with newspapers and travellers go,ing · to and fro· , more readily under~ stand what is going on in the world and appreciate our responsibilities and more readily respond to the call of King and Country.

But there are people in this country so remote from these centres where knowledge is eas­ ily obtainable that so far they have not responded in a way we could de­ sire. Here in St. John's, I am proud to say, and in other districts of the country, nearly treble those which v1e at one time hoped to get have come forward; and I am quite certain, lVl:r.

Speaker, that the new invitation \\rhich has been issued to the young men of the country will be gladly responded to and that Newfoundland, which in the early days of the war held a ' prominent place in the great Imperial war procession, will lreep in l_ine with Nova Scotia, N e-vv Brunswick, and the other Provinces of the Do­ minion of Canada, which have done so splendidly in 11elping to keep the Old Flag flying, and that she will continue to be not Oldest Colony, but alone Engla11d's England's most loyal Colony. COMMIT 'TE· E ON ADD·RE'SS REPLY.

IN The following Committe · e was ap­ pointed to draft an Address in Reply to tl1e 8 /ech from the Throne, name­ ly, Mr Naish, Mr. Currie, Hon Mr. Emerf .. 1, Mr. Clapp, Mr. Winsor. MOTiION OF CONDOLENCE. RT. HON. PRIME MINISTER-Mr. Speaker, I don't think we would be doing justice to our feelings if we adjourned on this, the first day of tl1e session, without recording our syrr1- pathy to the fa.milies and friends of the three g·entlemen who have so . . recently passed a way, and · who for 1nany years were associated 'vith this Legislature in its various departments. I refer to the death of the Hon.

John I-Iarris, the late President of the Leg­ islative Council; Martin W. Furlong, J{.C., Clerk of this House and at one ti:r11e a 111em ber of this branch; and the Hon. Mr. Justice Emerson, Judge of the Supreme Court, who for mar1y years was a memb(h' of this House and S1)eaker of this Chamber, a11<1 for over t\venty years a Judge of tl1e 3upreme Court. IVIr.

Harris was never a member of tl1is branch, but for ove r a quarter of a century was a member of the Up­ per Cha ber, and for three or four years the President of that body; an~" the Hansards and Journals of that Chamber afford eloquent testimony to his good wo1~k, and the zeal and i11- dustry displa .yed by him in relation to every measure that came before that body.

He was one of the heads of a large commercial business, but his ac­ tivities were not confined merely to commercial pursuits, in spite of his being busily e.ngaged in that \Vork, lte was able to fill a very large place in the public life of the Colony.

He was a member of the Municipal Council -one of tl1e first Government repre .s­ entatives, I think that were appointed to the Board when the measu.re was passed in 1888; afterwards he \Vas an elected member of the Council, and at the date of his death he was a member of the present Commission; in fact, he took a more thar1 deep interest in relation to all the public services of the city. As a business man, in all his commercial relations 11e set an exa1nple of probity, honour and prin­ ciple that have rarely been equalled ir1 this community.

I-Ie also found time to devote to public sport, to church matters, and to all the other claims on citizenship, a great deal of his time- and a contribution from his purse. For •

ttOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEET>INGS these reasons, and many others, his loss has caused profound regret in the whole community, as evidenced by the resolutions of grief passed by all the various bodies with which he was con­ ne.cted. The same may be said of the late Martin W. Furlong. He wa~ an unus· ual and an exceptional man, a ma11 known intimately only to a fe\v, be­ cause although possessed of rare gifts and a high intelligence, he \Vas yet of a retiring character, and disposition.

A stranger, seeing him engaged in connection with his work . in this Chamber, would hardly recognise in tl1e humble clerk of the House, the mari \Vho occupied the first place at the Newfoundland Bar, and ~nho was not alone a great scholar, but prob­ ably as well-read a man as there was in this con1munity; because what he read he read to great advantage and to great value. He did not read mere­ ly for tl1e sake of reading, but read for the purpose of imbibing the know­ ledge that the writer intended to con­ vey. Personally, I was connected with him closely for nearly thirty years.

The only time he came into this Cham­ ber as a member, and for the fev1 days that he. sat here, in the repres­ entation of St.

John's West, he sat as a colleagl1e of mine, and I 11a ve the pleasantest recollections of the couple of months association during which \Ve vvent through that political cam­ paign in 1893; and I can here testify that wha,t he may have lacl{ed in those wa,ys of the politician for win­ ning votes, which can only be acqt1i:red by long years of experience. he more than made up in the irresistible logic of his arguments at the public meet­ ings that he addressed, and the con­ vincing way in which he brought horn~ the truth to those \Vho constituted his audience.

His premature dea~h has left a void in the community that it is not easy to fill. I don't kno\v anyone that can take his place at thP. Newfound­ land Bar; I don't know a,nyone tl1at 1 could tal{e his place in this Cham~ ber, if he were here as a debater and a public speaker. From every stand­ point from which he may be viewed he is a national loss, and the only bit of consolation and compensation that we have is that we have known hin1, and have in some sense benefit­ ted. by the high ideals which he set in the practice of his profession and his conduct as a citizen.

There was notl1- ing of the bounder, of the self-adver ­ tiser about him-quiet and unassum­ ing-more than repaid by the know­ ledge that he was doing his duty. I have been with him and against him in importa .nt legal suits in the Courts, arid I know something of his wonder­ ful ability, his marvellous n1emory, ai1d tl1e exactness with which he could lay his finger on the important point in a case ..

I know the opinion that the Judges of the Court before wl1om he practised held of him, and I know also the opinions held of him by men like the late Alfred Lyttleton, a Barrister of the Inner Temple, London, and the late Mr. Blal{e, who for many years \Va.s lVIinister of Justice of Canada, both of whom came here as the arbi­ trators for the Newfoundland Govern­ ment, and who told me after\vards of the very high opinion they carried a -vvay of the manner in which Mr. Fur­ long conducted that work. I might go on for hours, if it served any purpose, extolling his praises. The late Mr.

Justice Emerson was a.lso a type by himself. He was con­ n.ected ·v;,rith the public life of the Col- 011y and \vith the Bar for thirty or tl1irty-five years. He came into this Tiouse thirty years ago this very Ses­ sion .. I came in the same year, and of al l tl1ose who were in this Chan1ber :J "}f} in the Upper House at that time, T l1ap pen to be the solitary remnant; and naturally I feel this evening a lit-

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS I tle reminiscent, when I remember that fore, Mr. Speaker, propose \.Vitl1 tl1e with two or three exceptions, all who were here thirty years ago have pass­ ed away. I remember the election of Mr. Justice Emerson to the Chair of tl1e Speaker of the House. I know something of the fearless way in which he stood up for what he regard­ ed as the rights of the public, when he was in this Chamber, and what is true of him here, is true of him at the Bar and on the Bench.

He had many fine characteristics, a fine jud­ icial mind, by which he was easily able to reduce everything to a logical judicial proposition, getting back to fixed judicial principles, and in that way more easily discovering what was the law and wl1at ought to be the law. E"\rery client that came before the Court could always expect the most careful consideration at his hands. I had, as I say, a ve.ry intimate connec­ tion with him, both in this House and at the Bar, and in a thousand and one "\Vays had an opportunity of knowing him.

I remember he was a member of the delegation to Ottawa in 1895, with the present Chief Justice, Sir Robert Bond and myself. I saw a good deal of him then, and I can testify to the part which he took in those delibera­ tions, and his strong advocacy in favor of getting everything that it was pos· sible to obtain in the interests of the Colony; and I also know of the part that he took in connection with the delegation to England in relation to the French Shore Question.

For these reasons and with that knowledge we· all mus. t de·plore the g·reat affliction that led to his death, and which shrouded in darkness the last years of his life. We can bring none of these estimable citizens back here. We have no jurisdiction over them now; all we can do is to show to the relatives our sympathy, and place on record the respect, love and es­ teem in which we held them.

I the.re- consent of tl1is House, the following resolution: "RESOLVED:-That this House de· sires to place on Record an expression of its sorrow at the decease of Hon­ ourable John Harris, late President of the Legislative Council; Martin W. Furlong, Esquire, King's Counsel; and Honourable George Henry Emerson, Judge of the Supreme Court. .. Mr·. Harris had been for over a quarter of a century a member of the Legislative Council, and for some time its President. ·'Mr. Furlong had been at one time a member of this Branch of the Leg­ islature and for many years its able and trusted Law Clerk. ·'Mr.

Emerson had been f.o· r many years one of the members of this Branch of the Legislature and for four years its Speaker. "Their high attainmen~s were a valued acquisition to the important duties with which . they were associ­ ated when connected wi , 1 the Legis­ lature. "Whilst mourning their loss, Mem­ bers of this House desire to convey to their relatives deep sympathy in their bereavement." MR. KENT-Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion which has been made by the Rt. Hon. tlie Prime Min­ ister.

I think, Sir, that the death of the three ge.ntlernen named in the re­ solution is an appropriate occasior1 'vhen this House should express its sympathy to their friends in the great sorrow whicl1 has overtaken them. It is seldom that the community mourns at the one time, three men of such prominence as the three na~ed in this resolution, Hon. John Harris, Mr. M. W. Furlong, and Mr. Justice Emer­ son; and it is most fitting that the House should be asked to place on re­ cord an expression of its appreciatio11 for their worl{. Mr. Harris has never

.. HOUSE OF' ASSEMBLY T>ROCEEDINGS. been here in this House as a mem­ ber. Mr. Furlong occupied a seat here for a very short time. Mr. Justice Em­ erson was here for several years. All three were men of strong personality. Every one of them had his own dis­ tinct personality. Mr. Harris was, I tl1ink, an ideai business man. A man ,,of foresight and absolute integrity, one for whom I always had the highest re­ gard. Mr. Harris will be remembered not only as a business man, but also as a philanthropist and for his interest in the Colony. Mr.

Furlong, to my mind, is one of the greatest men that Newfoundland had produced for a long time. As the Prime Minister has said, he was not a man to know unlese you knew him tl1oroughly. You had to kno\v Mr. Furlong well before you l\:new his real worth. No person, l think, had a better opportunity of knowing Mr. Furlong than had I. I spent some years with him as partner; I remember him as a law student in my father's offi ce, and I remember him right dov-vn through the years, during all of which time I had the greatest respect and admiratio11 for h.is character.

Martin Furlong's name v;rill go do-vvn in the traditions of the Bar as being one of the brightest law­ yers that the Bar has had; arld his name will rank with those of Judge . Hoyles , Boone and others of similar celebri ty wl1om we look back on but in the future no11e will be better esteem ed tl1an that of Martin W. Fiurlong. Mr. Justice Emerson was anothe:r person of remarkable ability; he was a man of great character and will· power. As a lawye1, before he \Vent on the Supreme Col1rt Bench, he was one of the foremost at the bar. He had a large mtnd, with strong legal bearing.

On the Bench , the members of the Bar who are members of this House will bear me out wl1en I say that he treated his cases with impar · tiality, and tl1at his decisions will ever have the respect of the bar. All will be a great loss. They \Vere men who cannot be replaced _ . Others will take up the work, but none ca11 • take the place of these. The three gentlemen Hon. John Harris, Mr. M. W. Furlong, and Mr. Justice Eme1 son are men of striking personality , whose places it \Vill be hard to fill. l therefore, Mr.

Speaker, beg to second. the motion made by the Prin1e Minis­ ter ,that this House record a11d ex­ press its sympathy to the friends of t he deceased. Tl1e motion was carried unanimot1s­ ly. Mr. Coaker gave Notice of Ques­ tion. Mr. Halfyard gave Notice of Ques­ tion. HON. COLONIAL SECRETARY tabled: Report of the Commission ap­ pointed by the Governor in Council to Consolidate the Statute Law of the Colony; Report of the Examinations conducted by the Cou11cil of Higher Education for 1915; Financial State- 1nent of the Cour1cil of Higher Edu­ cation for 1915. NOTICE OF BILLS. The Hon.

Colonial Secretary gave ~1otice that 11e would on Monday nex;: <-1., slr leave to introduce a BIJl to a,nt· E~ n<l 1.l1e J_Jaw relating ~o "\1\Teights arid l'vJ eas11res. Rt. Ho11. the Prime Minister gave notice that he "'ould on Monday next a sl{ leave to introduce a Bill to re·vise aP_cl consolidate the general public Statute Laws of the Colony, and for tb.e Pt1blication of the same. Rt. Hon. the Prime Minister ga \re i1c1tice that he would on Monday 11ext ask leave to introduce a Bill to grant extension tr) the Charter of the Ca.i1ac1- inn North Atlantic Corporation for th£~ period of the ·\Var. Rt.

Hon. tl1e Prime Minister gav~ IJ. otice that he would on Monday next asl{ leave to i11 troduce a Bill entitled:

HOUSE O~ ASSEM~LV PROCB~DIN~S .. "An Act to amend the War Measures Act." Rt. Hon. the Prime Minister gave notice that he would op Monday next ask leave to introduce a Bill to in­ corporate the Salvation Army in New­ foundland. Rt. Hon. the Prime Minister gave notice that he. would on Monday next ask leave to introduce a Bill to en­ able the Governor in Council during the existence of a state of war to take possession of commerce unreasonably withheld. Rt.

Hon. the Prime Minister gave notice that he would on Monday next ask leave to introduce a Bill to am­ end the Law relating to the prosecu­ tion of the seal fishery. Rt. Hon. the Prime Minister gave no­ tice that he would on Monday next ask leave to introduce a Bill to amend and consolidate the Education Law of · the Colony. It was moved and seconded that 'vhen the House rises it adjourn until Monday next, March 20th, at three of the clock in the afternoon. rrhe House then adjourned accord­ ingly. MONDAY, March 20th, 1916. The House met at three of the clock in the afternoon, pursuant to adjourn­ ment.

PE;TITIONS. ' MR. KE NT-Mr. Speaker: I ask leave to present a petition from Pat­ rick Power and other residents of the. North Side of Torbay. The petition re­ lates to the road between St. John's and Pouch Cove, and the petitioners ask that in view of the com­ mencement of motor traffi-c on the road, the road be either widened, or some regulations be enforced whereby tl1e people in that vicinity may use the road with safety. Some very heavy trucks go over the road during the spring, summer and fall months, and the road is not wide enough for traf~ fie of this lrind.

The petitioners ask that the road be widened su.fficien tly to enable this traffic to go on in ad· dition to the ordlnary traffic in these settlements, or that some regulations be made whereby they may be safely carried on together. I would ask that thi ~ matter be taken irl to considera­ tior1 by the Board of Works Depart­ ment , and, if possible, that the wishes of tl1e petitioners be met. It is very impo~·ta11t in the interests of these people that this matter should be at­ tende<l to as the traffic there is dan­ gerous while these heavy trucks are on the :r-oad.

It would require a con­ siderabl€1 amount of mone · y to widen tl1is ro91J in certain parts, but there are oth'1r parts, such as along by Gal­ lows Co \'e, where the road is very nar­ ro'v and might be widened at little ex­ pense. I would ask that this petition be referr·ed to the Public Works De-, partment. MR.- DWYER-Mr. Speaker: I have much plAasure in supporting the pray­ er of tho petition. MR. HIGGINS-Mr. Speaker: l join with my colleagues, the Leader of the Opposition and Mr. Dwyer, in support­ i11g this petition. Owing to the freight­ ing of fish to St.

John's by motor truclfs-a practice which has grown up recently-and the ordinary use of the road by motorists driving for pleas­ ure , there is, as the Le.ad er of the Opposition has said, very great reason why special attention sho·uld be given to the wishes of these pet:iti0ners. l have very much pleasure in giviµg this petition my support. On motion, the petition was receiv­ ed and referred to the Department of Public Works. MR. COAKER-Mr.

Speaker: I ask leave to present a petition from the inhabitants of Lush's Bight, in the district of Twillinga .te, upon a matter that vvas considered at the recent con­ vention of the F. P. U., in connec-

I HOUSE OF ASSBMBLY PROCEEDINGS tion witl1 fishery affairs. The petition­ ers ask, among other things, that steamers exceeding 500 tons net, be prohibited from prosecuting the seal­ fishery; that auxiliary motor vessels, over 25 tons, be prohibited from en­ gaging in the Labrador fishery; that the G -oveTnment bonus for encourage­ ment of shipbuilding be increased fifty per cent; that a guaranteed dividentl c;f 10 per cent. be paid to all com­ panies or individuals engaged in ship­ building for ten years. The petition is largely signed by tl1e inhabitants of Lush's Bight.

I also have petitions on the sa1ne subject from the inhabitants of Birchy Bay, Little Harbour. Ex­ ploits, Pilley's Island, Com~ort Cove . Lewisporte, Nipper's Harbor, New · Ba.y, Spring 1dale, Stanhope · , Boyd's Cove, Botwood, Summerpol't, Twillin­ gate and Salt Pond. The various mat:­ ters referred to in these petitions will be dealt with as we proceed with the business of the House, and in all pro ba bili ty will be taken up by us in connection with the Address in Re­ l)ly, so that I will not now delay the l!ouse by referring to the severa.l mat­ ters dealt with.

On motion, the petition "\Vas receiv­ ed and ref erred to the Department of Marine and Fisheries. WE:JGHTS AND ME.ASURES BILL. Pursuant to Order and leave grant­ ed, a11d on m·otion of the Hon. Colon­ ial Secretary, the Bill, "An Act to amend the Act relating to Weights and Measures" was introduced and" read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on to-morrow. ST A TUES CONSOLIDATION BILL. ~ursuant to order and leave granted, and on · motion of the Rt.

Hon. the Pr ime Minister, the Bill, "An ... t\ct to re-vise and consolidate the General Public Statute Lavv~ of the Colony, and for publication of the same" ·was in­ troduced and read,. a first tin1e, and • • ~ ' I ~· . - _.:;, i ¥ -- "* - J ordered to be read a second time on to-morrow. ' CANADIAN NO·RTH ATLANTIC CORPORATION BILL. Pursuant to order and leave grant­ ed, and on motion of the Rt.

Hon. thB Prime Minister the Bill, "An Act to gra11t extension to the charter of the Canadian North Atlantic Corporation for the period of the war'' was intro­ duced and read a first time, and or­ dered to be read a second time on to­ morrow. \IV AR MEA.SURES BILL. Pursuant to order and leave grant­ ed, and on motion of Rt Hon. the Prime Minister, the Bill. "An Act to amend tl1e War Measures Act, 1914" was introduced and read a first tin1e, and ordered to be read a second time on to-morrow. SALVATION ARMY INCO ·RPORA­ TION BILL. Pursuant to order and leave grant­ ed, and on motion of. Rt.

Hon. the Prime Minister, the Bill, "An Act to ir1corporate the Salvation Army i11 Newfoundland" was introduced, and read a first time, and ordered to be read a se.cond time on to-morrow. AR'T'ICL . E· S OF COMMERCE POS­ SESSION BILL. Pursuant to order and leave grant­ ed, and on motion of Rt. Hon. the Prime Minister, the Bill, "An Act to enable the Governor in Council, dur­ ing the existence of a state of war, to take possession of articles of com- 1nerce unreasonably withheld'' was in­ troduced and read a first time, and ordered to be read a second tj_me 011 to-morrow. SE.ALING BILL.

Pursuant to order and Ier,ive grant­ ed, and on motion of Rt. Hon. ·the Prime Minister, the Bil], "An Act to an1end the law regulat:ing the prose­ cution of the sealfish .ery," \Vas intro­ ~uced and r~q,d ~ ·first time and or- • .. .. ) <;; 'J I ~ )

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS dered to be read a second time on to­ morrow. EDUCATION BILL. Pursuant to order and leave g ra,nt­ ed, and on motion of Rt. Hon. the Prin1e Minister th.e Bill, "An Act to amend and consolidate the Education Laws of the Colo11y'' was intr ·oduced and read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on to-morrow. QUESTIONS. MR.

COAKER asked the Minister of lVIarine and Fisheries whether the F:.shery Board has conside .red the pr·o­ posal o.f the Fishermen's Union Con­ ·vention regarding inspection of her­ ring· and halibut, if so, what conclus- operated this year, but so far h1as made no demand. The Government will be glad to see this $5,000 paid out l:o any individual or company that will avail of this subsidy. That is what it is voted for. MR. COAKER asked the Rt. Hon. the Prime Minister who is Inspector of Logging Camps?

If any reports have been received by the Department of Agriculture and Mines from th· 3 In·· spector, if so, to lay same upon the table of the Ho·use. RT. HON. PRIME MINISTER­ Mr. Speaker, I beg to table this in­ formation. MR. COAKER asked the Rt. Hon. io11s were arrived at, if not con$ider- tl1e Prime Minister whether the Gov- ed, when will consider .ation be given? MINISTER MARINE AND FISH­ ERIES-M!". Speaker, I beg to tablb the reply to the question asked. IVI R. COAKER a.sked the Rt.

Hon . the Premier whether the Governme11t i11tends to take any action during the coming year reg.ar1ing the establish- 1nent of B·ait Depots, to provide · a bait s11pply for fishern1en. RT. HON. PRIME MINISTER­ Mr. Speaker, I may say that no spec~ ial actio · n has been · taken up to· the present beyond the contracts that have been made from time to time of v1hich the hon. member is a"'rare, and from which unfortunately nothing of any particular value has sprung, ex­ cept in the ca.se of Harvey & Co. vvho ha ·ve erected a large plant at Rose Blanche.

I may say that although up to Jast year it had not paid so far , it looked to ine when I went over tl1e plant at that time as if it were goi11g to pay some day. There is a vote of $5,000 passed every year for this service, but it is not availed of. This year the whole amount will be a droJ> balance. There were two establish­ ments, one owned by Mr. Hodge and one by l\fr. Earle who received small ainounts, but Mr. Earle has dropped out of the business. I think Mr.

Rodge ernment will introduce Legislation at ' this Session providing a gus,ran tee ot dvidend for moneys invested in sl1ip building yards in this Colony, an. d whe­ ther the Government will increa.se- the b1011us for to re-establish RT. HON. ship building in order this ind us try . PRIME MINISTEf{- Mr. Sp,eaker, in reply to the hon. n1ember I may say that at the IJre· sent time there is on the Statute Book a11 act relating to the encourage­ ment of shipbuilding. Under tl1at act there are various grades of hon11~es or boun tie· S · , the highest oif which is $J ~ 000 on a 100 ton schooner.

In a.ddi· ti on to that, everything ;for thJ co11- strt~etion and equipment of a ·ved;;el comes in duty free, but the Gove".'11, n1 e 11 t ''.{1 ould be prepared to enter1nJi)1. a ·n~r r.roposal from a reputable cc>111- pa11 }' or individual along the lines of gi v r!1~_;; a guarantee for an esta,hli511- ment of a shipbuilding enterprise in the Colony, provided the proper safe · guards in the· interest of the p 1 ublic are given, more particularly with re· gard to continuous operation.

I shoula not suppose that there would be an~ objection to that; it vvould only be a qt1estion of the amount of the· guaran­ tee. 0.f course, there would have to be a clause gua,,ranteeing continuous op .. '

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. eration. It would not do to give a guarante . e for the establishment of such an industry, and find that after a couple of years the company had stopped building, and yet the Govern­ ment remained liable for an annual guarantee on the capital. Any reaso ·n­ able pr·oposal made by any company or individual the Government will be glad to c·ons'ider, and to enact leg­ islation this session ·.

I may say that l 11a·ve already discusse · d this mattei­ \rery fully with the Minister of Marine and Fisheries, who has considerable lrnowledge of the matter, a.nd it may be possible that something s.atisfact­ ory may be put on the Statute Book during the coming session. MR. CO·AKER asked the Rt. Hon. Prime l\/Iinister whethe · r the Govern­ ment propos .ed to provide a suitable tug .for rescuing life· and property driven to sea by galesf as recommend­ ed by the recent F. P. U. Conven­ tion. RT. HON. PRIME MINISTER­ Mr. Speaker, that is a matter that l1as already bee· n before the Govern­ ment.

At present it 'vould be diffi­ cult to do anything in the way of hav­ in.g any suitable ship constructed or purchase · d on account of the extraor­ dinarily high rates now .P·revailing, 11ut I can assure the hon. member that the matter is under the con­ sideration of the Government. The matter was very fully discussed last year, at a ti1ne when three or four o.f Olir ·vessels were driven to sea, but up to the present the Government ha. s not considered it easy to get a suit­ able vessel. I have no doubt that · v vhen things become normal the mat­ ter "\Vill be taken up again by the Government. MR.

COAKER asked the Minister of l\llarine and Fisheries whether any enquiry was instituted respecting the alleged neglect of Light-keepers at \ i\T est~r11 Bay a11d Cape Spear respect- i11g the schoo11er "Bla11che M. Rose," if so to table the sa·me. MINISTER OF MARINE & FISH­ ERIES---iM•. Speaker, that question has already be1en answered. MR. COAKER asked the Minister of Public Works to lay upon the table of the House a statement showing "\\rbat settlements sending in returns ' of elected Road Boards have not been gazetted, and why? MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS­ Mr .Speaker, I beg to table the infor­ mation asked for.

MR. COAK ER asked the Rt. Hon. the Prime Minister to lay upon the table of the House copies of all cor­ respondence re pit p·rop cutting o.f green timber issued or received by his office, and copies of circulars sent out respecting this matter. RT. HON PRIME MINISTER-Mr. Speaker, I am having that. correspon­ dence looked up, and w ·1 table it next sitting. MR. COAKER asked the Rt. Hon. the Prime Minister whether the Gov­ ernment intend to introduce the Sealing Bill turned down by the Leg­ islative Council last Session. RT. HON. PRIME MINISTER-Mr.

Speaker, it is the intention of the Gov­ ernment to re-introduce this Bill. MR. COAKER asked the Rt. Ho11. the Prime Minister whether the Gov­ er11ment intend to introduce legisla­ tion dealing with the surveying and measurments of pit props. RT. HON. PRIME MINISTER-Mr. Speaker, in relation to that question I "\Vould like the hon. member to elaborate what he means. Up to the present time i10 representations have come to the Government that any injury has bee11 done to our peo­ ple by reason of the present mode of dealing with the pit prop industry.

It may be that some real grievance and somethi11g wrong may be occur­ ing of which we know nothing, but the Governm~µt Jlaf? 11flid po repres~11-

HOTJSE OF ASSEJ\IBLY PROCEE:DINGS , tations wl1atever from any parties dealing with pit prop ·s. MR. COAKER-Mr. Speaker, I may say that it is a question betwee11 the buyers and sellers of pit props. The nlen contracting for the pit props take various amounts for a cord. Some sa.y 135 cubic feet, some 140, some 145, and some as high as 150. Now a cord as a rule is 128 cubic feet, and the fishermen want to know what is a cord? They want a cord decided by Statute. Why should 011e man take a cord of 130 feet and another of 150 feet.

They are all in the h.ands of the buyers and they have to take wh3't t11e various buyers give. Another matter is the question of the shipping. Last year in shipping pit props shippers lost as much as 200 cords on a ship load. It is not al­ ways measured on the banks. There is no recognized method of measur­ ing pit props. Some of the survey­ ors representing foreign buyers in­ sist upo11 having it measured whe11 011 board ship, and there is no reas­ on wl1y it sl1ould not be measured 011 tl1e bank.

I know last year we lost 200 cords on 011e steamer.- It was i1ot measured 011 the bank be cause the Surveyor representing those comp3Jn­ ies would not measure on the bank. If there is to be any fair l)lay the Government will have to take some steps in the matter to pTotect cutters a.nd sl1ippers. The Department of Agriculture a11d Mines ought to take tip the matter and some inspector or inspectors be appointed to measure pit props. You could authorize the In-· spectors of lumber to do this. You will have to protect the cutters and 3ellers.

There is quite a lot of dissat­ isfaction over these matters and con­ siderable loss to the advantage of for­ eign buyers. RI. HON. PRIME MINISTER-1V£r. ··vvill be defined in the measure 4 X 4 X 8 or ·whatever it is. It may be but I am not quite sure of it tl1at it is al :::·eady defined in the Crown Lands Act, however I think that is a matter that will easily be got over. Now as to tl1e other matter it strikes me that is iii the hands of the seller himself. I-Ie could get a receipt for the num­ ber of cords tl1at he has there.

As to tl1e measuring 011 the banks that will be easily handled by legislation, making it illegal for the Customs to clear any vessel until the quantity on board has been agreed to by the ovvners of the property, however I shall take a note of both these points and they will be considered by the Go"'vernm.ent. MR.

HAL FY P.RD asked tl1e Ho11. the Colonial Secretary to lay on the table of the House a copy of the report of the telegraph operator of Cl1a11ge lsla11ds or of a,ny other Gov­ ernn1 ent official re the interruption of communication by telegraph during the r11onth of Noverr1ber, 1915, showi11g the following particulars :-(1) when co~.r11.v~.:r1ic atio11 v1as stopped; (2) when communicati on was re-established; ( 3) \;11l1en the repairer reached Change Islands; ( .:

i) what vvas the cause and B.ature cf the trouble; ( 5) how 1011g did it ta17.:e to effect repairs. HON. COLONIAL SECRETARY­ Mr. Speaker, I have given instructions to the Post Master General to prepare tl1e informatio11 asked for and I am expe eti11g it dow11 this afternoon if i1ot I -vvill table it at tl.1e i1ext sessio11. The Minister of Fi11ance gave notice that on to-morrow he would move that Supply be granted to His Majes.ty. Tl1e Hon. lVIinister o~f F'inance gave notice that he would on Thurs ·day next n1o,-e the House · into Committee of the Wl1ole on Supply. Mr.

Coaker gave Notice of Ques- S1)eaker, this question is a matter tion · that will be dealt with probably in Mr. Winsor gave Notice of Ques- Fhe yveights and - Mea~ur.es Act. It tion.

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEF.DINGS 33 It was moved and seconded that when the House rises it adjourn un­ til to-morrow, Tues 1 day, March 21st, at three of the clock in the after­ noon. The House then adjourned accord­ ingly. TUESDAY, March 21st. 1916 .. The House met at three of the clock in the afternoon, pursuant to adjourn­ ment. PETITIONS. MR. DOWNEY-Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to present this afternoo , n a petition of more than ordinary im­ portance; and, in order to enable the members to m·ore thoroughly grasp its import and to give its prayer due consideration, I ask that it be read to the House.

The Clerk then re,ad the petition, as follows: To the Honourable the Members of the House of Assembly of New­ foundland, in Legislative Session Convened: "The petition Qf the undersigned fishermen of St. George's District between Highlands on the West and to, Kippen's River on the North, which boundaries will cover nearly all our Spring herring fishermen, viz:­ Crabbe's West, Crabbe's East, Middle B·arachoix, Robinson's He,ad, Bank Head, Ficl1ells, Flat Bay, Shallou Cove· , St.

George's, Seal R·ocks, San, dy Point, Mai~ River, Stephenville ,Crossing, Stephenville and Kipp ·en's East, which settlers of these , places are most intere ·sted. 'These fishermen and many others of St. George's Dis­ trict ask that Your Honourable House in its wis·dom make such enactment as will in their opinion save to them and their children the valuable her­ ring fisl1ery which is p1rosecuted every spring in St. George's . Bay.

We, the ' ' fishermen signing the petition, claim: "First: That the use of motor or ~team boats · should be prohibited en- tirely during the fishing season fr·om· Crabbe's West River Bro,ok on the West, and Kipp ,en's .

River on the North Side, this to include all coves and harbors between, for the· reason that in the experience of us signers of this petition these bo·ats have ! ev­ erywhere when used amongst the herring schools, in the past fright­ ened and banished the herring shoals, and their noise tends to k~ep the fis: h · fro· m nlaking in on the sp·awning grounds as they usually did in former years before the use o;f these motor boats.

"Second: These boa:ts w·orking by their engines at all times, especially t at night, and running over amongst and through the set herring nets, not alone scare off the herrings, but have already cut, torn and destroyed a large lot of their neighbours' nets, and as t:1ese parties cannot be by any means detected , as people even if they stay­ ed up nights would have to be on their nets continuously, a position Your Honourable House will know irr1p·ossible for the fishermen to main­ tain, should impress on your Hon­ ourable Body the need for such leg­ islation to be enacted for the fishing o.f year 1916, in order that no recur­ rence of last and previous years can again take place.

"Thirdly: It is the opinion of all your petitioners that were it not for these boats and their constant and careless use during the he·rring fish~ ing of 1915, there w.ould have been a full and successft1l herring voyage l{illed in locality named, in place of the very short one had, (not more than half the catch being had1) as owners of these motor boats chased tl1e herrings .from place to place with these boats, and this action and noise principally caused the shortage. "Ample evidence and testimony of this can be had by Your Honourable Body when needed. "Again your petitioners respectful·

34 1IOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS ly ask that the owners of fish traps and salmon traps in Bay St. George, within the proscribed limits, may be re~i:ricted fr.om setting any leader of such cod or salmon traps nearer than five hundred yards from high-water 1nark, and that owners of same should be made to have a large floating buoy on such end o.f leader-"the end"-s · o that net fishermen shore could see same, and so a void . setting their nets foul of such leader.

Your peti­ tioners do not in any way inte ·rfere with the method or law of salmon nets, only c·od traps and salmon traps who now put the ends of their lead­ ers almost ashore, and by such means prevent the herring from running in the shoal water-on to the sp1awning beds-as formerly, and as is in O ·Ur opinion necessary for their spawning time.

"Your petitioners, all fishermen, are only anxious that Your Honourable House will do this in theirs and in the interests o.f all our people, as al­ ready we see th1at fr·om above causes our herring fishery is about to be ruined, and so we ask you to help , us and make the law, so that a violation of same can be punishable, as are such other laws of our fisheries-and Y·our Ho·nourable Body by so doing vvill confer on your petitioners a boon for which as in duty bound they will ever pray." MR.

DOWNEY-The purport and prayer of the petition are so clearly set forth in the phraseology, that I do not think I need say anything further to emphasize the necessity for the House giv'ing very careful considera­ tion to the petition. I ask that it be referred to the Dep·artment of Marine and Fisheries, where I hope it will be given that . careful consideration and attention to which it is entitled. MR.

PICCOTT-We ha.ve had one o : t\vo petitions bearing on this mat­ ter of Motor Boats operating in Bo11ne :Bay a11d Bay of Islands and tl1e com- plai11t 1112,,;1.e bJr - these people \•.ras as io t11e n1ufflers of tl1e rr1otor boa,ts . .:;ome . lr the1n \Vere 11ot muffled , and some had only one m11ffler in. t) ·) the Fishery Board took the matter i11to co11sideration two years ago and inserted in the Fishery Rules (at the back of the book) a clause asking fishermen to muffle the motor boat eng·i11es a11d to be careful of noise ·when getting on the fishing grounds .

You can hardly tell where this peti­ tion originates. I have no doubt that in a few days more a counter peti­ tion will come in. 011e lot of people wa11ts motor boats and is getting tl1em, another lot does not see the use of the motor boat and claims they frighten the fish. A good many fish­ ermen vvhom I sa\\T on the Labrador, said motor boats frighten the fish out of the traps and that is why more fish was not trapped last year.

Whilst I was in Gloucester a short while ago I made enquiries as to what they thought of motor power and found. tl1at quite a number of scl1ooners go­ i11g out of Gloucester 11ave motor pow­ er, and I talked with some of the prominent skippers in that place and asked them if they considered the use of motor power by the schooners was harmful to the mackerel fishing­ if in their opinion the noise of the mot­ ors frightened the mackerel away from the coast.

Their reply was that they considered the introduction of motor boats a great improvement on the old method a11d they did i1ot consider that they frightened the macl{erel a way and thought that tl1e fishery was not suffering througl1 this. Schooners vvitl1 motor power have been sailing over the regions where mackerel schooleti, and as a matter of fact for half a century steam boat8 have been going bacl{ and forth aroun<i tl1ese localities, and some ·of the fin­ est hauls tl1at have ever been made have been captured off Cape Cod- a11d in that neighbourhood where al- •

• HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS 35 • most every hour steamers ha_ve been. plyi11g and making noise. This peti­ tio11 from St. Georges has, I have no doubt, been signed by people up there. They believe tl1e motor boat is an injury to the herring · .fis·hery but we f~nd some more i1eople living in that vicinity who say that the motor boat is an improveme11t. So it is very 11ard to arrive at a conclusion; but tl1e matter \Vill be given every con­ sideration wl1en it com.es down to my department and we will do the best we ca11 with it. MR. JENNINGS-Mr.

Speaker, I beg leave to present petitions from the following places :-Summerford, Boyd's Cove, Birchy Bay, and Comfort Cove upon rather an unusual matter. They ask for the protection of the native seal found in that neighborhood . 'fhat seal is not of much commercial value at the present time, but unless it is protected it will be completely exterminated. Those seals on the south side of Notre Dame Bay have their breedi11g grour1ds in the neigh· 11ood of Dildo, and the people up there 11unt the young ones a few days after tl1ey are bori1.

These people ask for some rule to be made to protect the seal from May 1st to August 1st. I have talked this matter over with them and I understand the habits of tl1e seal, and I ca11 realize the necessity for some measures to thus effect this rule. I would ask that tl1e petition be received and referred to the De­ partment to whicl1 it relates. MR. COAKER-Mr. Speaker, tl1e matter refered to in this petition has been already brought before this House withi11 the last year or two. I presented some petitions on this mat­ ter some two years ago. These seals ha.ppen to breed very i1ear Coaker­ "Tlille.

This Dildo referred to by Mr. Jennings is a place r1ear where Coaker­ ville is situated. Ho11. members may i1ot be a ware that there is an archipel­ ago in tp.~s neighbourhood containing abo11t 365 islands, and upon this ar