) PROCEEDINGS OF THE ,...,) I ~ J r/ 3 _, I I I q· 1 D HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY DURING THE SECOND SESSION OF THE WENTY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY • OF NEWfOUNDLAND . • .dVENING HERALD, LIMITED Prescott Street, St. John's, Newfoundland. 1913 - -- / -. o \AL U . ' <" L B ,~ . - ~ Jl...t.1 ---··-.. - . - . - •

• • t

PROCEEDINGS OF THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY OF NEWFOUNDLAND SESSION 1910. OPENING OF THE SESSIO~ WEDNESDAY Jan, 26, 1910 The Gen·eral Assembly having, by several Pro1clamations of His' Excel­ len1cy the Governor hereto prefixed, been prorogu ·ed until this d·ay, the members thereof met in the Assem­ bly Room at a quarter to three of the clock, when Mr. S1p· e·aker took the Chair. At three o'clock i1 n the afternoon a message from His Excellenicy the Governor was deliv ·ered by the Gen­ tleman Usher of the Bla1ck Rod, com­ n1anding the immediate attendan ,c·e of Mr. ·Speaker and the House in the Council Chamber.

Acicordingly, Mr. S1Jeaker and the House attended His Excellency the Gov·ernor in the Coun­ ·cil Chamber, and, having returne . d to the Assembly Room, Mr. Speaker in- . farmed the House that when in at­ tendan ,ce on His EX!cel.lency the Gov­ ernor in the Council C1hamber, His Excellency had 1 b·een ,pleas 'ed to make a gracious speech to both bran,che ' S of t,he Legisla;tu .rie, of ·whic:h,' for greater accura 1cy, he had o b.tained a cop~r, and whidh he read lto the House, as follows : SPEECH F'fROM THE TH RONE l\Ir. President and Honourable Gen­ tlemen of the Legislative 1Coun1cil: :\fr.

S11eaker and Gentlemen of the Honourable Hou.se of Assembly: .As I now, for the first time since assumin : g the offic, e· of Gov~rnor of this Colony, enjoy the privileg · e of meeting its Legislature in session, and as this is also the first occa­ sion on whi·ch I exer 1cis·e this function in a Colony possessing the advanta­ ges of Respons'i 1ble Governm ·ent, I de­ sire to emphasize to you ·my full recog 1nittion of .the re, s1ponsibil 1ities :at­ taching to tJhe position; my purpose to be guide . d 'by a strii.ct adhe ·ren,ce to 1constatutional principles in the discharge of my d utie .s; and my .cor­ dial desire to assist in promoting the best interests of this, the oldes · t ,e- 11endency of the Empire.

Although but a few months r1esi­ den t in lthe Island, I have been able to visit widely-se ·parated sections of the ,country, and lto learn som1e,thin , g of its varied resources an1d 'i1ndus 1trie 1s.

I have been m·ost favourably im­ pressed wit1h the sterling characte · r of the people and .their rem·arkable adaptability to 1the changing 1cond 'i­ tions which t·he evolution of indus­ try an1on ·g·st you has mad1e impera­ tive; and 'it is a p.J:easure for me to have confirmed my personal o bse·rva .. tion the testi 1mony so generously ,con­ tributed by com1petent authori1ties to the capabilities and resourcefulness of the worki ·ng 1classes amon ·gst you. I have also b·een gratified to o·bserve the progress it,ha t has been made in

4 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. the development of your fis1heries, foresa-v·v througl1 the opening forest resol1rc ,es and mineral wealth, and the eviden·ce of enlar :ged agri­ cultural interest which is becoming in1creasingly apparent. The operations of the ind us trial classes of the people during the past :year were fairly remun ,erative. The catch of codfish, on the whole, was about an average one, and the in­ creased pri<ce which was obtained contributed materially to offset the losses sustained in sections where, unfortunately, the ·catch was short.

The realizatio11 in th· e foreign mark­ ets 11as been attended with favourable results, and the outlook for the 1com­ ing season is en·couraging. T.he oth·er fisheries were 11noderately remunera­ tive. The export of min1erals was large, and yielded a substantial re­ turn; whilst the marketing of our 1 umber in .sou.th America promises to becom 1e an in1d ustry of no mean importan ,ce. The formal opening of the Anglo­ N e\vfoundland Development Co's paper mills at Grand Falls, and the • successful manufactl1re of paper of a, superior quality there, mark the dawn of a new era of industrial progress in the Colony.

It must be gratifying to the people of Newfoundland, no less than to the enterprising capitalists who have invested so large an amount in this pioneer undertaking, to realize that the success of this vast enter­ prise has now been demonstrated be­ yond question, and that the inexhaust ible supply of pulp-wood which the Colony's areas afford, makes it cer­ tain that a permanent industry of con­ stantly increasing magnitude is se­ cured to the Colony, which should re­ sult in a highly profitable financial return to investors.

Eve11ts have amply justified the pol­ icy of the statesmen wl10 in the past Newfoundland by rail v;rays the agency to unlock the treasures of t interior. and promote the devol o . men t of our natural resources. tl1e recent general election my Mini . . ters received a mandate from t people to further extend the exist i rail v;-ay systen1, so as to bring to 't la-:-ge a11rl populous sections of t country, no\v v;ritl1out railway conn e ion, the adva11tages hitherto den i tl1e111.

To give effect to tl1e desire the electorate in tl1is respect, a co tract has been entered i11to for the c strLction and operation of cert a brancl1 railvrays \Vhich vv~ill be su mitted at an early date for your a pro val. My Ministers 11a ve had under co sideration a policy by which indust ri corporations in tl1is Colony will be abled to contribl1te a reasonable su a11nually towards the maintenance tl1ose public services which tacilit a the safe and expeditious carrying of their operations.

I am glad to able to announce that an agreem e 11as been concluded with the Mini Cornpanies vvorking at Bell Isla n Conception Bay, under which, for period of ten years, they will pay royalty on the gross output of from tl1e mines. Tl1is agreement w be submitted to you for ratificatio n. My l\1inisters will propose for yo adoption measures looking to a vig o ous developn1ent of agriculture thrll out the country the advantages q whicl1, it is believed, can be brou g~ witl1in tl1e reach of every commun iU in the Island.

Provision will be ma() for tl1e establishment of agricultu ra societies, and grants in aid there ot the distribution of new and relia bD seeds a11d live stock; the holding o agricultural exhibitions; the prep ar ation of a suitable text-book on agrJ

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. J t11re for adoption in our scl1ools; e encouragement of sheep raising; e nian~facture of \\'ollens; the utiliz ior1 of sundried peat and feul; and, ·nerally, for agricultural develop- ..:-\ contract 11as been concluded with Englisl1 capitalists for an exhaustive and scientific examination of our coal areas, wl1ich contract you \Vill be ask­ ed to ratify.

It is the purpose of the 2nt in 3,ll its bra11cl1es. company to begin operations during \Vitl1 a view to preventing tl1e fur- tl1e coming summer. er destr1:.ction oy fire of our wood­ o.d areas, the enl1anced val lle of 1ich is becon1ing more and more ap­ .ren t, my Ministers 11ave arranged r a conference to take place in St. .11n's at an early date, between re­ esentatives of the Governme11t, tl1e 1ilway Company, and various indus­ ial corporations interested in the eservation of our forest wealtl1.

One of my first du ties, after my rival in the cot1n try, \Vas to assist the for1nal inauguration of e Boq,rd of Trade in this city. hen ¥re recognize \Vhat simi- r institutions have accom- 1hed in other cot1ntries, it nlust a n1atter for congratulation to all at an opportunity is no\v afforded e commercial interests of the Col­ _31 to deal intelligently and effect­ rely with st1ch trade problems as ill result in realizing to the best ad­ ,ntage the products of the Colony.

In conjunction with the Board of ·ade, m.y Ministers have initiated a 1licy of es ta blisl1ing agencies in for-­ gn countries to \Vhich our dried cod­ .h is exported, V\rith a \rie\V to an en­ rgement of our trade. It has also :en demonstrated tl1at ot~r fresh cod­ :h can be expeditiously and economi Jly conveyed long distances and in ' 1 temperatt1re without deterior- ion; and that 11erei11 is the prospect a large and profitable industry. By e sympathetic co-operation of His ajesty's Gover11n1ent, it is 11oped tha,t Lr can11ed fresh codfish will find a bstantial consumption in the British ivy.

Each general election since the adop tion of tl1e Ballot Act has shown the necessity of providing some machin­ be in the city at that season, to ex­ ercise the franchise. A measure to fa­ n umber of outport electors, whose business requirements compel them to be in St. John's at that season, to ex­ ercise tl1e franchise. ..c\ measure tofa­ cilaitate tl1is, and also to effect other necessary amendments to the election law, has been prepared for yot1r co11- sideration. My Ministers have deter111ined upo:.1 the payment of poor relief in cash, and a Bill for tl1at purpose \Vill be su ·1 mitted to you.

You will also be in­ ·vited to make _provision for the con­ struction of a Poor Asylum. Fully impressed with the !act tl1at the best interests of the community, as well as of the individual are promised by the spread of education amongst the people, my Ministers propose a further addition to the Education vote, supp­ plementi11g that of the su1n of thirty tl1ousand dollars granted at tl1e la.st session.

Of the sum now proposed, it is intended that a portion shall be se~: apart annually for the cons~ruction C)f new school t.uildings, and the repair of existing ones, so that, among3t otl1er objects, the health of b::>th scholars and teachc.rs n1ay be further safeg11arded. Few will dispute that the time has arrived -vvhen t11e practice of emplo1r·­ ing women on fishing vessels on the Labrador coast should be abolished; I I I I \ /, I ) ,

6 HOUSK OF ASSEMBLY PROC!tSD!NGS . and a measure with view will, I trust, be unanimous suvvort. • in this object accorded you1 I The prime . importance of stimul­ ating the de,relopment of our mineral resources will be readily recognize•l. A measure has been framed by whic~1 the original discoverer of a mineral de posit shall continue to possess an iJ1- terest in it, no matter on whose la11d it may have been located. Provision has also been made for the establish · ment of a smelter at Bay of Islan .ds, the Government undertaking to pay ::.. b·ounty on quantities of ore that may be treated there.

Arrangements hav.~ also been made to encourage those i11- terested in the development of our oil­ producing areas. At the request of the St. John's Municipal Council, legislation will be introduced with a view of dealin~ with the housing problem in the clty; the extension of the water and sewer­ age system; and the acquisition by the Council of the occupied land fronting on Windsor Lake.

Measures are being devised for the settlement of unoccupied lands along the line of railway by the establishing there of farming colonies composed of suitable agricultural immigrants fro1n the British Isles, so that the popt11· ation may be increased and new com­ munities built up to help promote the g-eneral prosperity.

You will be asked to make provis­ ion for the completion of the light­ house service on the coasts of the Island, and its further extension on Labrador; the extension of the wire­ less telegraph service on Labrador, and on the North-east Coast, where the sealing fleet can avail itself of its advantages; and the extension of the telegraph system to the District of St. Barbe. Mr.

Speaker and Gentlemen of th Honourable House of Assembly : I am glad to be able to inform yo that the revenue for the half yea which ended with December was the largest in the history of the Colo nYi for the same period in any fisc a year, and was in excess of the pen di tu re for the same period. The financial condition of the Col­ ony is most encouraging, trade and commerce exhibited marked acti"vity in every branch, and the year upon which we hale just entered giv es promise of exceptional pr·oductiv e­ ness.

Yot1 will be gratified to learn that the estimate of revenue for the fisc al year will probably be exceeded, and that a surplus over expenditure may be anticipated. The Estimates for the com ing year have been prepared, and will be laid before you at an early da te. While due regard has been had to maintaining the efficiency of the pub· lie service, considerations of pruden ce and economy have not been O-"Ver· looked, so that no increased taxati on m.ay be necessary. I am sure that you will readily provide the st1ms required for carrying on the pub lic • service. Mr.

President and Honourable Gen­ tlemen of the Legislative Counci l : Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Honourable House of Assembly : In July last a conference to con· sider measures to promote the de· fence of the Empire was held in London, at which all of the self-g ov· erning colonies were represen ted My Prime Minister was present as the representative of Newfoundla nd Proposals to achieve this loyal and patriotic purpose were consider ed. and are to-day being given effect to

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROC~EDiNGS. 7 b)' the Dominions beyond the Seas. The sympathy and practical support exhibited by the Dominions and Col­ onies towards the Mother Country cl1allenge the respect and command the admiration of the world. Recently this Colony was invited to participate in a Festival of Empire, to be held in Lo11do11 next summer, and preliminary steps have been taken to ensure that the Colony may oe fittingly represented.

The occas­ ion -vvill afford to the Colony an op­ portunity to display to its sister I dependencies a11d to the world at large the record of jts history, and more especially the evidence ·of its n1arked progress and advancement during the last q u a r t er of a century. The question of the use of steam trawlers 011 the Grand Bar1ks has been brought to the notice of the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies, with a view of seeing if s·ome international ar­ rangen1ent cannot be arrived at either to abolish or regulate their use in the fisheries.

In the inonth of August last, His Majesty's Government appointed a Royal Commission to enquire into t11e trade relations between Canada and the West Indies. My Ministers have arranged that a statement of the trade relations of this country \Vi th Canada and the West Indies sl1all be laid before the Commission. In leaving you to your delibera­ tions, I do so in the earnest hope that the blessings of Almighty God, Who has wtched over us in the past, may be with you and guide you in the furtherance of all measures which may conduce to the abiding welfare of this Colony. )10TION FOR ADDRESS IN REPLY. l\!fR.

SQUIRER-I rise, Mr. Speak­ er, to move that a Select Committee be appointed .,o draft an Address in Reply to the gracious Speech with which His Excellency has been pleased to open the :present Session of the Legislature, and in doing so ask the permission of the House to make a few observations upon cer­ tain matters referred to therein.

In the opening paragraph of the Speech His Excellency refers to this being the fir 1 st occasion, not only on which he has met the Legislature of this Colony in session, but also the first occasion on which he has exer­ cised this function in a Colony pos­ sessing a full measure of Responsible Governrnen t.

Sir Ralph Williams does not belong to that class ,of men upon whom his greatness has been thrust undeservedly by ·the ac­ cident of birth or fortune, but rather to that greater class of nobler rninds who, having the advantage of both, have achieved greatness ·by those sterling qualities of 11ead and 11eart, which Brita.in insists upon as an essential qualification of all those upon whose shoulders she places the honourable burden of rulership.

He is an illustration of that class of leaders in the Empire fron1 which His Gracious lVIajesty the King se­ lects his representatives for his Over­ seas Dominions, great physically, great mentally and greater still by the noble achievements of a strenu­ ous life. Born in 1848, educated at one of the typical English schools of that period, he as a young man, jour­ neyed to Australia, where he spent two years travelling, hunting and acquir~ng a knowledge of that vast continent We then find him as an explorer in South America, conquer- ·~ <' •• ... .

8 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. ing its fastnesses, and acquiring val­ uable data of a region at that time almost entirely unknown. In 1876 we follow him into Canada; there he studied the methods of government and formed intimate acquaintance with the plans and ambitions of many of the leading men of the day-men who have since distinguished them­ selves in the commercial, social and political development of that great dependency of Britain. In 1882 he journeyed to South Africa, and there we find him, accomp ,anied by wife and child, treking with waggon and team through the interior.

The jour­ ney to the Victoria Falls, on the Zambesi River, occupied six months; the whole expedition occupied six­ teen months. Lady Williams has, I understand, the :proud distinction of being the first English woman to look upon the mighty Falls of the Zambesi. On this expedition Tdr. Williams so distinguished himself as a leader or men and an explorer of the African wilds that he was admitted to the Colonial Service and chosen as head of the Civil Department of Sir Charles vVarren's expedition to Bech­ uanaland.

As the result of his successes in this expediticn he was subsequently s2lected for the import­ ant post of Diplom ,atic Agent to the South African Republic, which posi­ tion he occupied from 1887 to 1890. In 1890 he was promoted to the Col­ onial Treasurership f Gibraltar, in which post he spent seven years. Thence he was advanced to the Col ... onial Secretaryship of Barbados, where in 1898 he reconstructed the economic conditions i that island after the deva~tations of the hurricane of that year. In 1901 we find him in Bech ua11aland once more, this time a:s its Governor.

During the Boer War his headquarters was Mafeking, and in the period of reconstruction he played no insignficant part. We next find Mr. \Villiams leading a punitive expedition against a rebel­ lious native chief of North Africa. The success of this expedition earn­ ed h'is appointme ·nt as Governor of tihe Windwand Islands in the West - Indies, from when 1ce he 1ca;me ,to New- foundland to assume for tihe first time the G·overnorship of a Colony having a full meas iure of .Responsible Government, and with its ins ti tu tions modelled on those of the Mother Country.

Newfoundland is proud of the class of men selected ·by the Mother Land as Gover 1nors for this Colony, and in welicoming Sir Ralph and Lady Wil­ liams to our shore we do so with tihe whole-hearted admiration and enthu siastic loyalty vvhich such lives <Jf achieveme ·nt naturally inSipire. Sir Ralp 1 h Wi1llia1ms has world-wide ex perience; he has won the honour of the Governorship of Britain's oldest Colony. In 1coming to Newfoun 1dland 1he will find a ;true welcome exte ·nded to him as a man of merit altogether apart from the loyal welcome with which he is greeted as King Edward's honoured Representative.

Although ·but a few months in the Island, he has sho,,rn his nractical interest in our affairs. One of his first pu blirc d1 u ties was to assist at the formal in­ auguration of the Board of Trade. I-Ie opened the A1gri·cultural Exhibi­ tion held under the auspices of the Harbor Grace Agricultural Society: and has availed of every oppor.tuni ty of ,coming into personal tou1oh with our people and our affairs. It is a sourc · e of muah gratification to observe that a conditio · n of pros­ perity of a most satisfructory charac­ ter prevails. The financial condition of the 1country at large in s1ptte o!

:HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROC:B:EDINGS. 9 disastrous Labra 1dor codfishery ,he t . d 5 probably the best a any per10 · the last twenty years, and 1ur1ng . ··he money marke:t 1has been in an 1 condition by reas 'on of the ~asY . acilit y with which the realization of :he cotintry's 1produ .cts has proceeded..

Reference is made in His Excellen­ ~y' s speech to th· e revenue for the If year ende1d De1cem ber 3 lst, 19 0 9. 1a [t will ·be noted with satisfactio · n that the revenue for that period was ;Yreater ,than than for any similar :I period in the 1history of Newfound- land, also .that it was in eX'.cess of the exp·endi.ture for that period. The prosperity which has prevailed thru­ out Newfoundlrun1d during .the latter half of the year, 19 0 9, has 1 been such as to merit sp· e1cial attention, be1cause · Newfoundland has had to face a disastrous Labrador fishery.

The export of codfish from t·he Labrador for the past three years, has been as follows: 1907 289,493 qtls. Valu ·etd at $1,013,227.00. 1908 288,836 qtls. Valued at $779,858.40. 1909 168,692 qtls. Valued at $623,362.25. It will then 'be noted that the Ex­ portation of codfis · h from the Labra­ dor was, in 1909, more than 120,000 qtls. less than the exportation from Labrador for either 1907 or 1908, w1hil e the v a 1 u e for 19 0 9 was, because of the improved · pri·ce, worth but $156,496 less than that of 1908.

The total catch of codfish for 1909 was ap1proximately a million and a half quintals, the estimated value of which is dollars. of fish is seve · n an1 d a 1half million The increase in the price a matter of special gratifi- cation; it means that the fishermen have received on the average over a dollar per quintal more for their fish during 19 0 9 than during the pre­ vious year, and this, in spite of the fact that the Norwe ,gian 1catc1 h was abnorn1ally large and the French ca ~1ch 10 0, 0 0 0 q uin tals mo,re 1th an the previous year.

In referring to these fishing mat­ ters I f ee1 l tha· t I a. m touching the most vital intere ·sts of the Colony, interests which the representative of every outport Constituency should consider his s,pe1cial 1duty to safe guard.

New methods and new mark­ ets have been for many years the desire of every ad111inistration ln Newfoundla ·nd, and we ·believe there is now an administration in power which will go much further than merely .desiring the opening up of such new methods and new marl{ets, one whi,ch will take practical steps to realize these desires, and by earn­ est and 1painstaking effort will de­ velop new outlets for the products of Newfoundland's staple industry, an1 d by the encouragement of new methods • the packing and the ln • will more fully extend the curing markets to whi1ch fish • now our lS being exported.

With these commendable objects in view th· e Government in con­ j unction with the Board of Trade has already ma.de arrangements for the rep res en ta ti on of Newfoundland, in some, at least, of the fish purchasing countries of .South An1erica. . It is estimated that in that large Continent to the South there is a Latin po,pulation which would be a giganti 1c market for Newfoundland codfish, if trade relatio11ships were once onened. It is absurd to expect any individual merchant doing business in the Col­ ony to expend any considerable sum

' 10 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDING -S. of money in opening up a new mar­ ket for his own benefit, because no sooner .would that be opened up than the fruits of his labor would be availed of by all the fish-ex­ porting merchants of the Island.

Consequently, the opening U.I> of a new market is an undertaking which n1ust be inaugurated by the Govern­ n1ent of the Colony, or by some such representative body of merchants as is the Board of Trade, and it must be a matter of extreme satisfaction, riot merely to the merchants of New­ fo11ndland, but also every :fisherman in the Island to feel that already steps have been taken by the Gov­ ernment of Newfoundland, in con­ junction with the Board of Trade, in this direction. Newfoundland, -vve all know, is strangely behind the age in the li1n­ ited number of ways in which it pre­ pares its fish for the market.

Dur­ ing the past summer the Minister of Marine and Fisheries, than whom there is in Newfoundland no more energetic fishermen or more enthusi­ astic believer in the advantages to be derived by new methods in connec­ tion \ivith the putting up of codfish, visited Montreal, Toronto and other cities of the Dominion of Cana .da, \'vith a view of introducing New­ fot1ndland codfish, put up and pre­ served by what is known as the "Selling" method. At these cities he introduced our fish, put up in that manner, and found that it took first rank an1ongst the fish products for sale in these cities.

He nlaced the articles in the hotels and in the fish markets of these cities, and found that it received the highest com­ mendation as a really first class ar­ ticle for food. J\1r. Piccott then visit­ ed the West Coast of Newfoundland, so as to give exact information and instruction to the fish catchers in that locality, and already some of the business men of the Island l1a v availed themselves of the advantag of this new method of putting u and exporting codfish, a.nd ar finding that it is an industry whic holds out every encouragement a~~ most profitable investment.

Gover11ment has done its work. no,~1 for the enterr>rising busines men of the Island to avail themselves of the knowledge at their disposal • and take up this ind us try from whic good financial results is undoubted! expected. I understand that fis packed in this manner can be ship ped fresh and delivered at any por in Canada or the United States, o the nearer ports of Europe, in a per feet condition, without the origina flavor of the

article being in th least impaired. The marketing o very considerable quantities of ou fish in this manner must have mos beneficial effects upon the cod fisher generally. Every quintal of fis exported from Newfoundland, and b this method, means that there is quintal less to be sold in its drie state, and consequently suggest~ that the price of the remaining quan tity of dry cod will of necessity b improved. Not only is a new meth od an advantage in itself in thi way, but it creates a new ma.rke because there are many who woulc consume Newfoundland codfish if i were available fresh in that way, whG would certainly not become cont:um ers of the

article in its hard cure~ state. .At the present time the Ministe of Finance and Customs is in th! West Indies, representing the inter es ts of Newfoundland, in connectio · with a Commission which has bee1 appointed to enquire into trade re lationships with the West Indies The Prime Minister has to be heart ily congratulated upon the fact tha Newfoundl ·and is represented at thi1

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEED:::NGS. 11 conference. It is one of the results of his labors while in London at the Colonial Conference last sum- mer. Manufactures for the I>ast year i1ave been better in quality than in any previous year. The pay roll for our factories is considerably over $1,000,000 a year, and is yearly in­ creasing. It would thus appear that even as a manufacturing centre New­ foundland is developing rapidly.

The opening up of the Grand Falls mills by Lord Northcliffe, the founder and head of the great group of publica­ tion businesses from which the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Co. has sprung, is the beginning of a new industrial era in Newfoundland. Four years ago Grand Falls region 'vas a practical wilderness. To-day it is the site of an industry which will not only be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to the Newfoundland workingman, but will also mean a world-wide advertise- 1nent for our Island and its resources.

N e\vfoundland now possesses one of the finest, if not the finest, paper pulp manufacturing plants of the world, and it is a source of gratifica­ tion to observe that the period of uncertainty which always attends the inauguration of any enterprise has been passed, that within the course of a day we expect to see upon our own streets our own local newspapers printed upon paper man­ ufactured from Newfoundland pulp, at the paper mills of the Anglo­ N ewfoundland Development Company at Grand Falls. Nothing has been left undone by the company to make the town of Grand Falls a truly model town.

An expert medical authority was brought out to devise the most modern means of sanitation. During her visit to Grand Falls, Lady ~orthcliffe donated $10,000 for the construction of a hospital. A "ra,ter supply for the town, taken well above the Falls and purified by the most modern weans of filtration, is being installed. Cottages for work­ ingmen have s.vrung up and are continually in course of erection.

A to-v.rn lit with electricity, with ¥ 1 ide streets, spaces reserved for play­ grot1nds, a modern system of "rater supply and sanitation, churches and halls, society lodges arid places ot amuse1nent, and suitable cottages for workingn1en, it needs no enthu­ siastic prophet to augur that the day is not far distant when the town of Grand Falls will be the second in importance amongst the towns of Newfoundland.

The Har111sworth industry is esti­ mated to be worth to Newfoundland half a million dollars a year in labor, but while this is a gigantic sum as a result of one industry, it must not be forgotten that there is another ind us try in Newfoundland · \vhich if developed would be worth six Har1nsworth industries, and at the same time be ·of immediate ad­ vantage to every home in the Col­ ony. This ind us try to which I refer is agriculture. Annually there is be­ ing imported into Newfoundland $3,- 000 ,000 worth of foodstuffs, which could be easily produced in this Colony.

The Government believes that the result of the agricultural policy outlined by His Excellency in the Speech from the Throne will be the first practical effort made by any administration to deal with this gi­ g·antic opportunity which Newfound­ land has of enriching its elf-an op­ portunity of practically creating with­ in our midst an industry as valu­ able to the Colony as the paper manufacturing at Grand Falls, and at the sa1ne time one which would mean food and more of the com- forts of modern living for fisherman in the Island. A Very •

12 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS . Practical efforts have been made by the Government to secure a sat­ isfactory exploration of the coal and oil areas. An ag·reement has been entered into with an English com­ pany whereby a sum of not less than $15,000 is to be spent in the developing of our coal areas during the coming year. vVithin the last few months an assay office has been opened in St. John's, and arrange­ ments have been made for the sn1elt­ ing of ores at Bay of Islands.

The Government proposes to pay a bonus for the smelting of ores for those who hold mining properties, and wish to take some steps towards their development. It is proposed that an amendment sl1all be niade in the mining laws, whereby the orig­ inal discoverer of a mining lo ca ti on inay · have some interest in the dis­ covery, no matter on whose property t11e discovery may have been made. The mining companies on Bell Is­ land ha"'re exported during the year 1909, 1,000,000 tons of ore, o! which the Dominion Iron & Steel Company has exported 540,000 tons, and the Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Co. 460,0000 tons.

A new smelter is to be erect­ ed at Sydney, and the Bell Island companies are preparing for a still further development of their magnif­ icent ore properties during the com­ ing year, and a considerably larger output is anticipated. The York Hr. copper properties are being develop­ ed. and it is probable that during the coming year our petroleum and C)il properties will be worked by English capitalists on a much larger scale and by more scientific metho.ds than any local company could pos­ sibly undertake.

In another paragraph of His Ex­ cellency's speech, reference is inade to the railway policy of the Govern­ ment. During the early eighties, when the policy or rail way development \Vas before the country, the party of progress of that day, led by that gifted man, the late Sir William V.

White\vay, than ''rhom Newfou11dland has never produced a more success­ ful statesman, was subject to the scoffs and sneers of the incredulous ' who predicted impending disaster; but subsequent events have not only justified the policy of rail\vay de­ velopn1ent, but have shown that it would have been a crime which the present generation col1ld not paliate or forgive, if Sir William White\vay had allowed the obstacles placed in their way to turn him frorn the path of progress. The developn1ent of the Island of Ne\vfoundland naturally consequent upon railway advantage, has indeed been great.

The interior resources of the Isla11d have been laid open to the investor. The open­ ing of the north and south by the bay steamship service has not only brought Ne\,rfoundland a large tour­ ist traffic, from which we have di­ rect benefits, but it has meant an advertise111ent to the world which year after year has been and will contin11e to be of immense value. But these facts are not alone the jus­ tification of the railway policy of the past.

The railway and steamship service have meant the opening up of new avenues of trade and com­ merce; a literal revolution, economic and social, througho11t the whole of the Island has resulted. In the po­ litical campaign of the fall of 1908 the People's Party laid before the country a rail way policy. The Gov­ ernme11t of that day termed the pol­ icy visionary, one which t11e party had no intention \Vhatever of carry­ ing out, or if it did carry it out, it \Xras a policy which would land the country in bankruptcy or something else, -vvhich they said they considered morse than utter bankruptcy.

The result of the election was the politi-

HOUSE OF i\SSEl\1BLY PROCEEDINGS. 13 cal deadlock, whicl1 n1ade Newfound­ land politics interesti11g discussions for the British-speaki11g world. In the campaign of the Spring of 1909, the matter of the railway policy was again before the country.

During the \\'inter the people had the opportun­ ity of discussing the railway policy of the present Governm .ent, and of considering the facts and figures in connection therewith, and when they spoke at the polls in May last the decision was so emphatic that we 1nust consider that the railway pol­ icy upon which the Government 11as already launched is our answer to the mandate so empl1atically given. Seldom has it happened in the his­ tory of any c·ountry that a stronger command has been given at the polls to any Government to carry out any policy.

Time was when Newfoundland was known and used merely as a fishing station, and considered by its rulers to be nothing more than such, but the economic, social and educational revolution of the last twenty-five years has shown N ev-vfoundland to be infinitely more than a mere fishing station, to be ke.vt as such for the benefit of outside capitalists.

This quarter of a century has shown New­ foundland to possess vast mineral resources, vast agricultural resourc­ es, with all of which His Excellency's present Ministers pro.vose to deal in a practical manner, and the first step is the opening up of the coun­ try by the construction of the addi­ tional rail \\rays referred to in the Manifesto of the People's Party. The railway contract which is to be submitted to the Legislature at an early date is much more advan­ tageous to the Colony, and particu­ larly to the workingmen, than any previous railway contract.

I under­ stand that the line is to be ,I>aid for at the same rate per mile as in the previo11s construction contract, but it has been provided that $1.50 per day should be paid as wages to the laboring men instead of the former ray. This means that the construc­ tion of the line will not cost the Col­ ony one cent more than previously, but that for every $1.00 paid by the contractor to laborers under prev­ ious contracts they will now receive $1.50.

Representing the electoral district of Trinity, which is to be so particularly benefitted by the rail­ way construction policy of the Gov­ ernment, I heartily congratulate the Prime Minister for having so care­ fully safegurded the interests of the \\rorkingmen, and can assure him that every one of the thousands of laborers who will be benefitted by railway work will thank him heartily for having their pay increased by 50 per cent., and that without the Col­ ony being called upon to pay one cent per mile more in the construction of its railway than it did previously.

It is estim~ted that this wages ar­ rangement alone is worth to the lab­ orers of the Colony for the con­ struction of the proposed rail ways more than $850,000. The contract for the subsequent operation of the line is also more favorable than previous operation co11tracts.

The contractor undertakes to operate the line without any cash payn1ent or subsidy from the Gov­ ernment, and accepts unoccupied lands, as was done in the previous operation contract, but with this exception, that instead of his receiv­ ing 5,000 acres per mile, he is, for the operation of these branch lines, to receive only 4,000 acres per mile. In addition to this, it is provided that in the event of any land which the people of the settlement in the immediate vicinity wish to have re,

14 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. served, falling to the contractor, the Governn1ent shall have the option to take back from the con tractor the land wh.ich the residents of the neigh­ borhood wish to have reserved at the rate of twenty-eigl1t cents per acre, and if it is not necessary that the land itself should be reserved, but that the pe.ople are merely interested in the timber upon the area, then it has been arranged that the con­ tractor shall forego his right to cut timber over the areas so reserved, accepting in lieu thereof a right to cut timber over a similar area in some other part of the country.

With these exceptions, the construction and operation contracts are practi­ cally identical with previous rail­ way c·ontracts. There is yet, however, one special feature to be mentioned, and this again shows the special interest which the Premier has taken in the "\Vorkingmen of the country.

It has been arranged between the Govern­ ment and the Reid Newfoundland Co. that in future all engines, pasaenger cars, freight cars and all the equip­ n1ent of the line should so far as practicable be manufactured in our inidst; an ind us try which from the start will be an important and sub­ stantial one, and will continually in­ crease as the development of the Island progresses. The question now arises as to the source from which vvill come the revenue to oav the in.terest on the - . cost of this railway construction.

It vvould be entirely unnecessary for the Government to find any new or special means of securing income to pay the interest, because it will · be remembered that during the last ten years the de·velop1nent of Newfot1nd­ land, as the result largely of rail and steam, has been so great that the revenue has within that period of ten years increased from $1,500,- 000 to $3,000,000.

There is every reason to believe that with this pol­ icy of progress outlined in His Ex­ cellency's speech the increase for the next ten years will be propo.ctionately much greater, but even if the aver­ age increase during the next ten years be not greater, even if it be not as great, yet the increase will be more than sufficient to meet the interest upon the cost of construc­ tion of the line.

But, sir, there are additional sources of revenue in this Colony '~rl1ich, either because of lack of per­ sonal i11terest or lack of effort, have been entirely neglected in the past; I now refer to that part of His Ex­ cellency's speech which calls atten­ tion to· an agreement which has been concluded between the mining com­ panies operating at Bell Island, in Conception Bay, and the Government, under which these companies volun­ tarily agree to pay to the Newfound­ land Government annually a royalty of seven and one-half cents per t.on on the gross output of the Bell Is­ land mines.

The gross output for the year 1909 vvas one million tons of ore. This would represent a pay­ ment to the Newfoundland Govern­ ment of $75,000, and year by year, as the iron industry at Bell Island in­ creases, it will mean an additional source of revenue. It has been esti­ matecl that within a few years the annual payments will range from $100,000 to $120,000. It will be noted partict1larly that this agreement '-'7!th these two companies on Bell Island is not the result of legislation, nejth­ er is it in any way the result of pressure brought to bear by the Gov­ ernment upon them.

The Gove1~n - ment has merely pointed out to th(~111 that large sums of money were spent by the taxnayers of this ony every year for improved Col­ m2.il

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 15 . es improv~d telegraph connec-· serv1c ' . additional lighthouses, for pul-t1ons, . . e protection, and the security ich. 11 the machinery for the adm~~ - \'r lC . tration of justice affords, -=tTJd askecl ~~enl if they co11sidered it fair that tl taxpayers of the Colony should .1e paY it all, and that they should be reaping· such a rich harvest and subscribing nothing towards the up­ keep of these public services and the further development of the Color•)-.

The companies responded and volun­ tarily offered this subscription of seven and one-half cents per ton on the gross annual output. There are otl1er industrial com­ panies in Newfoundland who will doubtedly appreciate the fact that they should bear some of the bur­ dens of the upkeep of the public services from which they benefit so much, and these unod u btedly will follow the examnle of the Bell Island companies and volu11tarily subscribe to\vards the funds of the Colony. · The agricultural policy outlined in the s:peech is a practical and compre­ hensive one.

Instead of dev·oting a large sum of money annually for the operation of a model farm in St. .. Tohn's, it is proposed to devote spec­ ial attention to the development of agriculture throughout the whole Island; and with that end in view agricultural societies will be inaugu­ rated in all the large centres around the Island of Newfoundland. The importation of first class stock and seeds, which will be forwarded to the various agricultural societies as centres for suitable distribution amongst the people is a very import­ ant feature.

In the nast it will be -remembered that stock and seeds have been distributed indiscriminat­ ingly, without a,ny effort being made towards the propagation of the stock or the improvement of the crops generally. The advantages which will accrue from the inauguration of agricultural societies and the import­ ation by the Government and distri­ bution by the societies of first class stock, and new and reliable seeds, will be of specially great value, not merely to the people of St. John's, but particularly to the fishermen around our coasts.

With the excep­ tion of an occasional farm, there are practically no agricultural holdings throughout the Island, and it is ne­ cessary that ster>s be taken at once to increase agricultural knowledge and foster agricultural development in the outnorts. The lack of agricul-- tural knowledge is not surprising, when we realize that up to recent years Newfoundalnd has been prac­ tically a fishing station, and no effort has been made to have agri­ culture taught in the schools, or ag­ ricultural interests stimulated in any \\ray.

In addition to the inauguration of societies and the im nortation of stock and seeds, it is intended that agriculture shall be taught in our schools and colleges, and with that in view a suitable elementary text book on agriculture V\rill be made an essential qualification for all pupil teachers . N ewf.oundland cannot afford to neglect her agricultural opportun­ ities. Annually there is imported in­ to this Colony three million dollars worth of agricultural nroducts, which could easily be produced in New­ foundland.

This means that there is at our doors an industry of as much value to the Colony as six Harms­ worth industries. One of the im­ portant features in the policy is the proposed agricultural show to be held in St. John's each year. The var­ ious agricultural societies through­ out the Island, and also individual farmers, will be given an opportun­ ity of sending to this show, free of

• I6 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. cost of transportation, their best products for exhibition. It is pro­ posed to give annually prizes to the value of three thousand dollars. These prizes ~r ill not be given in cash, but in the fcrm of stock. With agriculture taught in the schools, ag­ ricultural societies and shows stim­ ulating farmers to more intelligent and enthusiastic effort, with the dis­ tribution of good stock and new and reliable seeds, a new era of agricul­ tural development has undoubtedly dawned. The encouraging of sheep raising is another important part of the Government's agricultural uolicy.

It is their in ten ti on to ma,ke an effort to develop this industry by granting a bounty of 5 per cent. on all wool inanufactured in this country. About $500,000 worth of woollen goods, capable of being manufactured in Newfoundland, is imported every year. The present duty on woollens, together with this bounty of five per cent:, should be sufficient encourage­ ment to investors to interest them.:. selves in the manufacture of -v·voollen goods; in this way the money now sent out of the country would be spent within the Colony in giving employment.

As a people, we irr:­ port too many articles which mig·ht be manufactured at home, and at the same time \Ve send our own pro­ ducts out of the country in a crude state. The utilization of sun-dried peat for fuel deserves the serious consid­ era~tion of the Government. Proces­ ses will undoubtedly be perfected before many years have passed, but without scientific methods of n1anu­ facture the ordinary sun-dried peat n1ay be used to very great advantage in Newfoundland. At the present time some of the farmers in the vicinity of St. John's use peat for fuel. At St.

Lawrence it is use the year round, and at Carbone is used exclusively by one or g·entlemen as fuel for furnaces. ery year makes it n1ore difficult fishermen to secure fuel, wood becoming scarcer and the clim changes of the last few years been making it more difficult t formerly to secure wood during months of December and Janu Peat is to be found in the neigh hood of nearly all the outport se~ ments, a11d it would be a great b to tl1e fishermen if these areas c be availed of for fuel purposes. almost prohibitive price of coal the increasing scarcity of wood ma it imperative tl1at some substi should be provided at an early d The settlement of unoccui>ied 1 by suitable agricultural immigra forms another important item of policy of agricultural developm While attending the Colonial C fere·nce, the Prime Minister disc sed this matter with interested p ties in London, and I underst that the Salvation Army is also ing considerable attention to pr pective immigration to agricultu settlements in Newfoundland, in c junction with the vast colonizat· schemes upon which its leaders h been \Vorking for so many years. agricultural specialist who this Coolny recently in connecti with the affairs of the Anglo-Ne foundland Development Company bl expressed the opinion that both t soil and climate of Newfoundland well suited to malre it an agricultu country of no mean importance.

The Government has arranged f a conference to take place in John's at an earlv date between t • representatives of the Governme the rail vvay company and the vario industrial corporations interested

I-IOUSE OF .,.\SSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 17 tlie preservation of our forest wealth. Tliis conference is along the lines of the conference for the conservation cf natural resources, held within re­ cent years in Canada and the United states. l\1r. Lewis Miller, the found­ er of l\1illerto,vn, is reported to have said that v1ithin the last generation $40,000,000 worth of growing timber i1as been destroyed by forest fires.

It is certainly time that some united effort should be made for the pro­ tection of our forest V'lreal th. 'l,he ina ugura ti on of the Board of Trade and its subsequent activities 11ave been watched with deep inter­ est by our outport merchants.

In other countries similar institutions have been most potent factors in the development of trade, and we believe that in the executive council of the Board we 11ave earnest men who are prepared to give their time and sa,crifice their personal interests in a united effort to deal with these economic problems, the satisfactory solution of which 'vill be of inculcul­ able benefit to the fishermen.

New­ foundland is vvatching the efforts of these men who have banded them­ selves together in the interests of trade and commerce; the fishermen particularly are looking to them to sa.feguard their interest and to se­ cure for the porducts of their ef­ forts every cent possible. The independent fishing class, so n1any of whom have in the past been disfranchised because of their inability to get from St. John's to their homes to vote, will note par­ ticularly a proposed change in the Ballot Act, whereby booths for the various districts will be opened in St.

John's, so th,at t_._ e large number of schooner holders nd fishermen \Vhose business brings ·them to St. John's will be able to vote for the candidates of their choice, just as conveniently as if they were at homes. It is estimated that tl1an two thousand men who thei1 morf would otherwise be disfranchised will, · ii tl1is amendment be made, be enabled to avail of their privilege as elect­ ors. The payment of poor relief in cash and the erection of a new Poor Asylu111 are measures which must receive the indorsation of the Legis­ lature.

In very many instances cash i11 the 11and of the poor person is ¥.rorth twenty i>er cent. more than the present poor order. For years the conditions of the poor at their retreat in St.

John's 11as been a dis­ grace; some two hundred are crowd­ ed into accomn1odation suited for eighty; year after year grand juries have been reporting on the unfor­ tunate condition of the poor in this institution, and it is a feature of special gratification that an effort is about to be made for the improve­ ment of the housing of these unfor­ tunate ones-these shipwrecks of for­ tune-vvho in so many instances are st1ffering because of the wrong of others. The cause of education is to be further encouraged by an additional grant.

Including the additions of the Session of 1909, the grant now reaches a total of nearly $300,000 annually. It is to be hoped that the teaching of agriculture, hygiene and particularly navigation will re­ ceive much more attention at the hands of the school boards than in the past. The effort which is to be mad,e to complete the lig1h thouse service is one well worth the time of the prae­ tical fisherman who is now the Min­ ister of Marine and Fis,heries. As a representative of a northern fis1hing constituency it affords me special

• 18 HOUSE OF ASSltMBLY PROCEEDINGS. pleasure to note the suggestions made by the Minister, and the earn­ est attention which they have receiv­ ed at the .hands of the Executive Government. Plans for the extension of wireless telegraphy are also receiving careful consideration and I am convinced that the proposals to be laid before you in that connection will give proof of the practical abil­ ity and painstaking effort of the ~1inister. The extension of telegraph service to the district of St. Barbe is re­ ferred to in His Excellency's Speec ,h.

This northern peninsula of Ne1w­ f oundland has year after year been treate · d with disdain. The coast from the botto 'm of White Bay to Cape Norman, the·nce to Bonne Bay, re­ presents a vast stretch without one teleg·raph station, except only the l\1arconi wireless Riche. And yet station at Point this district of St. Barbe has not been without its claim to consideration at the ·hands of past governments. Through the courtesy of Mr. H. Y. Mott I have before me a statement of the e1sti­ n1ated annual values of the ag.ricul­ tural and fishing ind us tries of the district.

I shall not on this occasion delay the House by referring to these estimates in detail, but a conserva­ tive estimate places the total annual value of a.griculture at $50,000 and the fisheries at nearly a quarter of a million dollars. The extension of this and telegraph and also the wireless system will be a a special boon to the district of St. Barbe whicl1 is at the present time ~ veritable Siberia.

I would like to have an opportunity of referring to the herring and minor fisheries; the proposed amendn1ent to the law, with respect to the con­ veyance and employment of won1en connection with the Labrador fishery; the developn1ent of our mineral sources; and the proposed Act give to the original discoverer a mine an interest therein, no matt on \Vhose land it may be ~ituate the ir1defatigable efforts of the Pri Min1ster, on behalf of Newfoundlan \Vhile he was i11 London attending t Conference on Imperial Defenc but I feel that I have already undu trespassed upon the patience of t House.

I ca11not resume my seat, ho,veve ~rithout referring to the intere '''l1ich N ev'.rfoundland took in the r cent Conference in London on I1npe ial Defence, and the interest no inanifest in the approaching Festiv of Empire.

LoyaJty to Great Britain has eve been the vvatch word of Newfoundlan and her sons.We are proud of rank as Britain's oldest Colony; are glad to tax ourselves for training and upkeep of a naval re serve, and prouder still of the recor of our boys who fought for flag and honour on the veldt; but we mt1st re­ n1em ber that, v'.rithout the fostering of commercial interests with the Old Ho111e Land, the noble sentiment of patriotic loyalty cannot be strength­ ened and protected in this age of in­ sistent busin.ess interests, when every sentiment is strained by conflicting commercial activities.

Just as the living wire by which our thoughts are conveyed by dot and dash across the waters is sheathed in baser mat­ erial, to protect it from abrasion, so the sentiments towards the homeland most be protected. lVf ere commercial interests, mere pounds, shillings and pence, can never form a bond be­ tween our Colony and the Mother Land, which would take the place of that thi11 red cord of bloo ·d, by vvl1ich the Colonies are bound to Britain, the heart of the E.rnuire; but ~uch inter-

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 19 es ts are essential as a protection for tl1at vital cord of pulsating sentiment ,v11ich makes many of the strongest iiihabitants of tl1e earth ot1r brethren. 1 shall never forget the brilliant ora­ tor)T of the Right Honourable Leader cf the Opr>osition when, as Prime l\'Iii1ister, he had the distinguished i10110r of intr ·oducing a Bill to set apart one day in the year as Empire Day, in memory of the Great Vic­ toria, but unless the representatives ,v110n1 Newfoundland send from time to ti1ne to represent her at London use every effort not merely to foster the sentiment of loyalty, but to de­ velop economic interests, we are not doing our best for the ca use of Britain and the unity of the Empire.

I move, Mr Speaker, that a Select Comn1ittee be annoinJ.ed to draft an Address in Reply to the gracious Speech with which His Excellency 11as been pleased to open this ses­ sion of the Legislature. MR. DEVEREUX-I have very much pleasure in seconding the mo­ tion to appoint a Committee to draft '1 reply to the Speech which His Ex­ cellency has been pleased to deliver to us to-day. Before I go into the various paragraphs of the speech, I should like to refer to His Excellency and his advent amongst us.

England has been ever careful since the ear­ liest dawn of her history to send abroad as her representatives to for- • • e1gn countries and courts her most eminent men. We ,in Newfoundland, the Oldest Colony, have reason to know this, and it is, therefore, very pleasing that in our present Gov­ ernor, England has followed the same course as in the pa·st.

The hon. member who has just spoken has re­ ferred to His Excellency in very eloque11t language, and I endorse every thing he has said, for I be­ lieve His Excellency to be a 1nan eminently fitted to hold the high office of Governor of the Colony, and capable of performing with justice and ability the inany duties connect­ ed with it. He is a man of interna­ tional reputation, of a clear and ex­ pansive mind and varied experi­ ence, and comes to this Island with hig·h honors as the representative of the Crown.

In Sir Ralph Williams vve have one whose advice and abil­ ity will be of great practical benefit in the carrying out of the develop­ n1ent of the country, and there is good reason for hope that his suc­ cess here will be even greater than that which followed him in his work of E111pire building in other colonies.

The Speech from the Throne out­ lines an immense policy-a policy that could only emanate from a strong Government of the people and by the people, a policy that I hope and trust will make it impossible for our staple industry to suffer, as it ha.s in the past, from the undue pres­ sure of combines and other causes, whereby the price has been cut fro111 seven dollars per quintal to three dollars and a half per quintal. I af­ firm that no Government should ever permit such a thing to happen again, that no corporation should be able to raise or lower the price of fish at their sweet will.

The practice of so doing has been the vogue for the past fifty years, and perhaps cor- porations n.ot combined are to blame, but that evil system has been an in cu bus and a burden on the country for so many years. The great statesman, Sir William White­ vvay, saw the necessity for a change twenty-five years ago. He saw that to compete witP our rivals we had to change our old ways, to seek other avenues of work, and not to put all our eggs in one basket-not to re­ main ploughing always in the same

• 20 I-I01}SE OF i\SSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. old furrow. These magic words of a great statesman, spoken a quarter of a century ago, and followed by the institution of his blessed policy of progress and development, awoke · tl1e people from the lethargy into wl1ich they had fallen. During his term of office 600 miles of railway 11ad been built, the land was opened up, developed and occupied, and it is this same policy of progress which Sir William White,vay inaugt1rated 25 years ago, which is to be carried ot1t by our present Premier, Sir Ed­ \vard l\:1orris.

It is an important fact, and one which cannot have escaped notice, if tl1e fishery catch is twenty thousand or twenty-five thousand quintals over the a,{erag·e, the fish declines in price in the foreign marl{ets. It drops son1e tirnes to less than half the usual price. During the past few years this has reneatedly occurred, and it 11as brought rt1in and distress to our people. This should be rem­ edied, as I belie"'le it will, under the auspices of the present administra­ tion.

The distress arising out of this could have been alleviated by the last Government, for if during the eigl1t years they were in power they had but eighteen or twenty miles or railway annually, they would have do11e an incalculable amount of good, and it would have been almost im­ possible to oust them from power. The policy of the present Prime I\lfinister is to build branch rail"'rays, a.11d this spells prosperity for our country. The men of Bonavista Bay, -rvho "''anted to come here during the 'vinter months, for business or some personal reason, had to suffer incred­ ible hardships.

But now, with the a,dvent of the railway, they will be able to travel in comfort, and we thank God that that part of our coast will have a fair The sealers of Bona 'rista show Bay nO\V. and Trinity Ba)r, who \Vc111ted berths the ice, had to tramp all the wa to St. John 's and suffer great hard sl1ips on the ro2 d. Now all this wi be changed. Branch railways wil extend a.11 over the country, and th i1orth as \vell as the south will soo experience their be1.1.efits. In m opinion, ou.r cross-country line is lik a ri\1 er.

As a river is of no grea l1eenfit to a country without tribu .. taries, so 011r main trunk line is o very· little use until it is connected v ·;ith branch lines from all parts of; the country. Tl1e people may not experie11ce the benefits of it all at once, but in time, in from six to ten yea.rs, they "'rill come to realize 1.vhat tl1ey mea.n. People will settle along those lines, will raise cattle and sheep, as the case may be. Im­ r11igrants will con1e and settle there, and with our oV\rn people help to improve the t_ ading facilities of the country .

They go in their thousands to Can­ ada every year, settle along the rail­ -vvay lines, in direct communication with them. It is ihr·ough their ef­ forts that Canada has become one of the greatest wheat growing coun­ tries in the world. They have n1ade Canada a nation. It is said that Canada in one season can gro'v suffi­ cient wheat to supply England, and even the Continent, for nearly two years. Tl1is Government has come back with a mandate from the people to inaugurate a nev1 epoch. Would it not be a gra11d tl1ing if it were car­ ried out?

The people are only too ready and willing to do their share, and if we do ours, abundant pros­ perity is ahead of us . . A few words in reference to the Board of Trade. It has a great deal of work befor~ it, ~n.d ~lthough l ~m - ~

HOVSE OF ASSEMBL \r PROCEEDINGS. 21 t a n1en1ber of it, yet I have no . \\'ll tclied very keenly I ts growtl1, es- cl. r.11y during· the last few months, pc a .L aiid the stand it has taken on the freig'lit questions, the culling . of fish arid ether matters. It has, through its able and courteous Secretary, co11 tributed largely to the advance- 111ent of trade in general all over tlie country. I \Vould like to say liere, just now, ho"rever, that the Legislature is the place for dealing \Vith certain rneasures, especiall}r those affecting or regulating tl1e fate of our staple industry.

Last :rear one of the most vital questions witl1 \Yhich this countr)' had to deal "\Va.s the cull of the fish. As the stand­ ardization of fish is able to n1ake a difference of many thousands of 1ol· lars to the trade, it should i1ot ·he delegated to any board or corp0ra­ tior1, but the Leg·islature itself, which is responsible to the people, sh011ld alo11e formulate reg11lations for the proper grading of our stat)le. I t:::us: that, in a few years from novv, thro11gh the efficac)r and by the ef­ forts of the Board of Trade, it "'yill be impossible for any friction to arise effecting our great industry in future.

Another very necessary thin;~ is an agent in every country V'rit11 -vvhich we deal. If we follow in the footsteps of Nor\\ray, we will l1a ve an agent in every port, \Vorking up new markets, seeing that the cargoes are up to the standard, and tl1at tl1e markets are not glutted. In order to get a high price for our fish i11 tl1e r,Iediterranean ports "\Ve must have, at least, a wide a wake agent in every port, and we must also bear in mind that our fish should be stand­ ardized. Cannot vv-e standardize our fish? It is not as difficult to stand­ ardize as wheat.

Canada has stand­ ardized her -vvheat and her apples and inany otl1er commodities, and as a result has built un enormous mar- kets thereby. 1..,wenty-five years ago fiour in Canada was not standardized, and if 10,000 barrels came here no­ body v..rould know if it was high grade or low grade flour. To-day, if yot1 ordered ~ quantity of any par­ ticular standard of flour, you vvere as sure to get it as if you were on the spot to see it put up and shipped. Standardizing has done that, and the confidence which it- ittSpires has been a large factor in the development of the Canadian wheat products.

I arn further glad to note that the Government is going to do avvay with the paying of poor relief in poor orders, a11d to pay in cash. It is tun1e to do away \Vith the nale white -note, tl1e symbol of pauperism, the e1n bl em of degradation. Last year, while around visiting my district, I came across some pathetic incidents. vVl1y should the vvidows, the orphans, the aged and the infir1n be discrim­ inated against?

In connection \Vi th this there is another n1atter vvhich should l1ave immediate attention, and \Vhich sl1ot1ld at 011ce be discontin­ t1er, and that is the permitting of shopkeepers and business men to hold tl1e position of Relieving Offi­ cers. If a poor person goes into one of these business peoule for his order, one dollar or ten dollars, as the case rr1ay be, he or she will not be able to get out without having to buy something, perhaps an

article vvhich is not needed at all. It is time to do a'vay with t~ mode of i)ayment. The widow the orphan, sl1ould be paid in cash, so that they could get the same full valu.e for their dollar as we do. I am also pleased to see that the Government has not been content v1ith the increase which "ras made in the educational grant last year, but are prepared to go further this year. \¥ e need more money for the poorer ,,

' 22 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. districts, and I congratulate the Government on this increase. 1..,he colleges here in tl1e city are uo to the first class London or continental schools, but if we go but twenty miles from St. J ol1n's, what do we find? '\Ve find that the children in the small coves and minor settle- 1nents are unprovided with even ele­ mentary educatio11al facilities, owing to the educational boards not having sufficient funds.

Th·ose "rho have charge of the education of the child­ ren do all they can, but the insuffi­ ciency of the grants precludes any improvement in many places, where education is so much desired. I hope that the Government will see that every settlement in the Colony will have at least a teacher for six months of the year. There is another important ter, namely, the .Placing of lighthouses around the coast. go up or do,vn the coast of nlat­ more If we Nov· a Scoti 1a, which represents an immense line, we find first class lighthouses situated every ten or fifteen miles.

Here in our own country we have very few to protect our hardy fisher- 1nen, who have to spend six or eight months on the ocean, from rocks, shoals and breakers. In the Dist­ rict of Placentia and St. Mary's they number not more than six, and dou b­ le that number are required. D.:rv:11 on the Labrador, where hundreds of thousands of our fish are ca11ght, there are only two lighthouses, 011 a coast-line of immense length.

If \Ve want to keep our people in the country, if we W 1 ant to save them from the hungry sea, if we want to keep them fron1 going to Sydney, Ontario or the extreme North-west, -vve must guard our shores by first class lig·hthouses, so as to ensure them some safety in their precarious calling, so as to contribute to the comfort and safety of our fishermen, on whom the whole commercial prosperity of this country depends. As regards steam trawling on the Banks, I believe this matter rectify itself. '"fhose trawlers very expensive. '"fhey are too pensive to make the industry pay, In St.

Nlalo they have merged, it is said, three steam tra \Vilng concerns, so as to economise in their expendi­ ture. It is s1aid that some firms sold out last year, and the consequence is, I believe, tl1at it will cure itself. It has resolved itself into an inter­ national affair, and we have France, Canad 1 a, United States and England deliberating on what is best to be done. The result of their delibera­ tions \Vill be looked to with interest. I notice that a Royal Commission has bee11 sent to the West Indies. Our representative has proceeded there, and I hooe that so1nething will be done in this matter.

Our trade with the West Indies, since 1840, 11as declined some\vhat, or at least there has been no i111provement. If we are to regain that trade, if we are to make up that lost ground, we must build steamers or else subsi­ dize then1. v\Tith regard to the Election Act, i10 man kno .. ~vs v'vhat this n1eans to the outport man. Thousands o! out­ port men "rere disfranchised last year because v1hen the vote vvas tak­ en they were a way from h·ome. I have known schooners to stay at home in order that their crews might be able to vote, and so lost a week's work.

I hope, sir, the country vvill endorse what the lVfinistry is doing in this respect. \¥ith regard to pulp-making at Grand Falls, n· o one here can realize the greatness of that industry. To­ morrow when we take up our papers -vve will be able to appreciate -vvhat

. HOUSE OF _ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 23 C' been done. I hope the ti1ne will llao M. · t ·11 . ccn1e v\'l1en any in1s ry \VI J} e\•eJ I .. pe-1~n1it pt1lp \Vood to be export­cvei ed. If yotl go to Bonavista Bay you v vil l see tl1ousands of logs which ,,·ere cut some years ago to be ex­ ported to England. I hope that no ;\li.!.listry will allow nulp to be ex­ ported from this Colony. The ad­ rantag es to the Colony's manufactur­ ing· the pro ducts is too great. To sbo"'~v the difference between the val- 118 of pt1lp wood and pulp, I \Vill read a11 extract fro1n a speech by J.

R. stratto11, l\Iember of Parliament in Canada, i11 a recent debate at Ot- tavva : · v al11e of P11l1} ''T ood. "A cord of pulp wood, whether in tl1e tree or on the wharf, is worth fro1n $2 to $7 a cord. In low grade rap er it is worth from $28 to $45 a cord, and \Vhen it is n1ade into high g·rade paper it is "North $50 to $100 per ton. The quantity of pulp wood ex1)orted last year was 794,896 cords, or a value of $4,356,391, or about $5.75 a cord.

If that were made into paper, at $50 oer ton, it \vould an1ot1nt to $37,743,300, a difference of $33,000,000 ii1 favor of 11aving it n1anufactured into paper in this cou11tr). Tl1at would be a ninefold jncrease. If in the next ten years \Ve exported 10,000,000 cords at $5.75 _ , that would be $57 ,500,000. Takin5 tl1e same quantity of paper at $50 a ton, it would realize $500, 750,000, a differ­ ence in favor of Canada of $462,250,- 000.

That represents the gain that Canada would have in the employ- 1nent of labor in the process of manufacture, a ninefold increase, in addition to the employment given to mechanics. "If we take 1,000 feet board meas­ ure of pine lumber and have it cut, it "rould have a valt1e of abot1t $18 to $20 per thousand feet. The labor in that would represent $7 or $8. Converted into paper, its value would be about $31.50, the labor be­ ing about $12.

The proportion of investment would be about $5 i1~ a saw mill to $41 in a pulp mill, so that fron1 tl1e point of view of in­ vestment of capital there is an ad­ vantag·e in favor of the pulp mill of about $36. This \vill demonstrate to tl1e people of this country that if v1e adopt a policy of having our pulp \Vood n1anufactured into paiper, we \Vill greatly benefit our national in­ dustries, \Vhereas in allowing the pulp wood to be exported to other coun­ tries we are sacrificing the great ad­ vantage it "rould be to Canada to have it manufactured here.

If we purst1ed such a Dolicy we would have 11ere, instead of a small sum of $57,500,000 in the next ten years, $462,250,000 more, an advantage that I am sure the people of this cottntry desire to see Canada receive." This \Vill show the value of pulp over pulp -vvood and, of course, it \vould be better if we could get the paper manufactured here, but I hope tl1at in the near future it will be possible for some company to go there . and conduct the -vvhole process, for it is tl1e greatest industry the cot1n try has ever had. I (lcn't propose to detain the Hot1ee any longer, as I fear I have already been tediot1s.

I hope and trust the Address in Reply \Vill be carried t1nanimously. RT. HON. SIR ROBERT BOND- 1\'Ir. Speaker, it would be exceedingly ungracious on my

part if at this early stage of our proceedings I \\rere to say anything to disturb the felicity which appears to prevail in the ranks of ir1y oppor1ents. An ancient philos­ opher once declared that "a unity of discords is the sweetest of har-

24 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. monies." How abundantly is this verified to-day. I trust, sir, that nothing I may say will ditsurb that harmony. I shall be exceedingly brief because, sir, there will be an1- ple time before the Legislature closes to deal with the various matters that will demand our attention and, fur­ ther, it is not in accordance 'vith modern parliamentary pr·ocedure to deal at length with the matters re­ ferred to in the Speech from the Throne, which must subsequently come before the House in the form of Bills and Resolutions.

No matter 1ow much I may differ from the con­ ~lusion and deductions expressed by .l1e honourable r11embers who have just taken their seats, I shall not at this time criticise their remarks be­ cause, sir, I have too much respect and sympathy for jt1nior members in their maiden efforts. Sir, I have had a seat on the floors of this House for thirty years and I, therefore, speak fron1 long experience "\Vhen I say that it is not an easy matter for even the oldest parliamentarian tc> stand up and express himself as iny friends opposite have done to-day. To be a fluent and graceful spealrer is a great accomplishment.

The man "\Vho can think upon his feet and express himself with tact and en­ ergy possesses a double power for good or for evil in the community in "\Vhich he resides.

I, therefore, con­ vey to the mover and seconder of the _Address in Reply my sincerest congratulations upon the manner in which they have discharged their duty, and I would go a little further tnd, in the language that Shakespeare )uts into the mouth of Wolsey, I .vould say, "Let all the ends you aim .tt be your country's, your God's and Truth's," and then, no matter on which side of the House you may hereafter sit, you will not be with­ out influence for good upon the fu- ture of your country. And now, Mr. tu re of your cot1n try. A11d now, Mr.

Speaker, I will un­ dertake to briefly review the speech which the Ministry has put into the mouth of His Excellency the Gov­ ernor. It looms up before us like a balloon. Its proportions are at­ tributable to the gas it contains, and bye and bye, when we prick it with the needle of truth and common sense and good judg1nent, we shall find that it will collapse. Let me say at once that this soeech is more re­ markable for what it does not con­ tain than for "\Vl1at it does contain. Its principal contents are endorse­ ments of the policies which I have been advocating for thirty years.

We have had tl1e ho11orable members dilating most eloquently uoon the rail 11Ja.y policy. I an1 one of the fathers of railway develoon1ent in this country. In the year 1878 I went to the country to advocate the principles of rail"\vay extension. This railway policy "rould have done much more than it has if it had not been marred by the acts of those who for a brief period occupied seats on the floor of tl1is House.

I am not goi11g to deal at any length with this matter, because another oppor­ tunity for criticism will be offered when the contracts come before the House, and then, perchance, we will deal vvith it in a manner which will be acceptable to the people, if not to the r11ajority of this H·ouse. Again, sir, I see in the speech an endorsa­ tion of my poilcy. We have a paragraph in tl1is speech referring to the opening of tl1e paper mills at Grand Falls.

Let yot1r me.1.uories go back a few years and you vvill remember that down yonder a public meeting was held to denounce me because of the intro­ ductio11 of a bill which has brought

- HOUSE OF 1\.SSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 25 t a aew era of progress. Is it ab OU - t a fact-turn up the fyles of the 110 ne"rspapers and see-that the very behind the present Government 1nen and part and parcel of it were the Who stepped upon the platform n1en and in most undignified language cteiiounced me because of the intro­ ductioll of a charter that has madG tliis great era possible.

It is tile . nnv of fate that these men should lfv J come and admit the wisdon1 of the part that I took as leader of the late Government in introducing it. 1 -vvould go further and say that I \Vas personally instrumental in ir1- ducing· l\tlr. Harmsworth to come to this country. I am exceedingl)­ grateful for the expressions of ai1- proval which have dropped from t11e lins of my friends opposite, and from the lips of the Governor, wno is bnt tlie mo1Jthpiece of his honorable ministers. Again, sir, I will take the speech once more, and I firiCL a p-;ira­ graph devoted to agriculture.

I find that ministers will propose th·e adop­ tion of measures towards the vigor­ ous development of agriculture. Pro­ vision will be made for the establish- 1nent of agricultural societies, and new and reliable seeds and stock \Vill be introduced and distributed throughout the country. The agricul­ tural policy is peculiarly one which the late Gove 1rnment took in hand. \Vill the House forget can it forget -that only a brief two years ago I introduced into this House a bill which had for its object the estab­ lishment of a mode·l farm.

That bill was endorsed by the g·r1e·at majority of this House, in fact I think by the whole House I don't think there was any division. It was stated when th· e bill was introduced that the Government intended to get place him in charge of the model farn1, and for the purpose of giving object lessons and instructing the vouths in this science. It was also ~ stated that this expert would lec- ture before the schools and colle 1ges and be a teacher of teache.rs, so that the knowledge he would im1part might go to the outports and be conveyed to the rising generation.

T·he late Govern ·ment having passed the ·bill proceeded to invite to this country one of the greatest experts Canada has produced, Professor Zavitz, who only stands second to Professor Robertson, if he does so. By the kind pern1ission of the Government of Ot­ tawa, and through the advocacy of Professor Cre·elman of Guelp ·h, we succeeded in getting Professo , r Zavitz do\vn here. And how was he treated? \Ve have only to take up the news­ papers of that day to see that he was abused in every mood and tense as a. blackguard or worse.

And yet I am told that the present Government i• going to invite Professor Robert­ son to give us of his time and atten­ tion upon the question of agricul­ ture. I hope he hasn't seen the re·cord of the attack made U ·pon ·his colleague, Zavitz. Again, what inconsistencies we have. We are told that the Government is going to introduce good stock into this cou11try for the purpose of distribut­ ing it throughout the, outrports. I know a litle about their acts in that direction also.

My government suc­ ceeded i11 getting a young Truro graduate to come and take charge of the inode1 farm, but he was persecu­ ted out of his position by the present Government, w·ho got hold of a young man with no experience and virtually put him over his head. They sent that young man to Canada down an expert from Canada and to select cattle and horses with the

26 JIOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. result that he brought in cattle e\rery one of which was diseased. I n1ake this statement upon a copy of a certificate of a veterinary surgeon, who gave it to the gentleman in charge of the farm. This certi 1 ficate I now hold in my possession, and it shows that the cattle imported by the Government · were all disease·d, with­ out one single exception. So much for the new agricultural policy.

There is a gre·at temptation to deal with each paragraph in turn of the Speech from the Throne, but as I have to catch my train, having made no arrangements to stay the night in town I cannot delay too long. But allow me to quote again from this Speech. ''It has also been demon­ strated that our fres · h codfish can be ex·peditiously and economically ,con­ veyed long distanc ·es and in all te·mperatures without d·eterioration." To what does this refer? Does this refer to the Solling process? Is this the process that is going to revolu­ tionize the whole fish industry of this country?

I have read a little about the Solling process. I hav· e read all that has been published about it. But that is ve1rY little, 1)ractically nothing. All I have read is the literature that has be·en printed or the information furnish ·e1d b~r the Ho11. the Leader of the Govern ·ment. I have read in the ''Standard of Empire'' that a method has been discovere 1d, called the Solling Process, a method 1by ·which fish can be put in an e·nvelope w,hich can be sealed. I have read in the G ·overnn1ent organs that fish can be 1)acked in nonporous paper and after­ vvards placed with broken u• p ice and kept fresl1.

I do not for one mo- · 1nen t doubt that codfis : h can be put up in that way and remain perfectly fresh and in good ~ondition. I think it may prove of very great value to those who have a few friends abroad to whom they desire to send a pres­ ent of some fresh fish or to some poor women in the ou thar •bours who n1ay wish to send a small parcel of fish to the groce ·r. Bt1t this is not reol t1 tionizing the fish in· d us try. To do this it would be necessary to dis­ place some 011e hundred and fifty thousand q uin tals of dried fish.

Dare any rational being tell this delibera­ tive assembly that we are going to have 150,000 quintals of fish packed in se1Jarate papers. If the process is the same as has been described, will any commercial man state there is even a posstbility of displacing this huge quantity of fish in this way. I am afraid, ,Sir, that this proposition, like others, v1ill fade a way as many others and notably that memorable and historical Makinson cod.

I notice in the Speech from the Throne there is a statement that the financial con di ti on of the country for the half year ending with Decen1ber was bette 1 r than it has ever been in the history of the Colony. Well, Sir, if this be so, who has to be thanked for it? Surely not the present Gov­ ernment, who have only •be·en in power six months. If, Mr. Speaker, that increase of revenue is from the customs duties, then, it was colle·cted un·der a tariff received from their predecessors.

If the increase of revenue is from that source, then, Sir, it is the result of the work or the late Governme11t which, since the year 19 0 0, directed th·eir e·nergies to the advancement of trade and com­ merce, and the fostering of the industries of the Colony. It is the result of the energetic action of the • Government of which I had the hon- our of being the leader. I say, Sir, that no members on the other side of

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 27 the House can challenge the state- t t hat t.he present financial state n1en .Jf the country is no way attributable to the present Government, and they l·n no way to be congratulated are upon it as their act and deed. Not eve11 their most ardent admirers, if the)' have any admirers (they have followers and supporters, but I do not think they have any admirers) \Vill seriously contend that they have in any way contributed during their six n1onths in office towards the aug­ nientation of the revenue.

Sir, I commenced by stating that this Speech from the T·hrone · wa~ re- 111arkable more· for what it does not contain than for what it does con­ tai11. And in this respect I may men­ tion the conference which was held in England last year in ·which we were re·presented, on the question of Imperial Defence. By taking .part in that conference we admitted our resr:,onsibility in the premise ·s. The Speech from the Thone is silent as to what the Government of this coun­ try has determined to be the mea­ sure of that responsibility.

We are told that ''the sympathy and practi­ cal support exhibited by the sister nations towards the Mother Country challenge the respect and comm ,and the admiration of the world," ·but it does not contain any intimation as to what this Colony is going to do in the matter of Imperial Defence. Within the past few months we have joined with our siste · r Colonies and His Majesty's Government in a Conference on the subject of the Defence of the· Empire. By attending that Conference we admitted our share of responsibility in the premi­ ses.

What has the Gove ·rnment decided to be the measure of ou:r . res 1 ponsiblli ty? What are we going to contri·bute towards our own protection? That is the question. I read an

article in the London press which I afterwards saw copied in the two local Government nespapers, at­ tributing to the Pre'mier of this Colony the statement that Newfound­ ia11d possessed fishermen capable of manning all the battleships in the British navy. Is it possible that was put forward in lieu of other contri­ butions? I am very loathe to believe that a responsible Minister of the Crown, and a special delegate too on the question of Imperial Defence, gave utterance to such a statement, for it was not only a very silly statement but an absolutely incor­ rect one.

It is not difficult to imagine what His Majesty's Government, the · na· v ·al authorities and all the in- tellig·e11t people who read the alleged statements must have thought of it. These t\vo great le·ading au­ thorities on nava matters, Admiral Sir John Fisher and Lord Charles Beresford, while they ·disagree in some naval matters entirely agree on this that no man is fit to serve on ·board of a batteshi ) p in time . of war unless he has had six years of special training for the service.

Apart fron1 the few young fis·hermen who are undergoing a course of instruction on board of the Calypso, th·ere is not a fishermen in the island who could qualify for immediate naval service. In the days of old, when the Drakes and Hawkins, Gil­ berts and Raleighs, Grenvilles and Oxenhams, th· e Nelsons and Colling­ woods so splendidly upheld the ma­ jesty of Great Britain upon the seas the Newfoundland fisheries formed the nursery for the navies of Britain, France and Portugal. It was tl1e sail­ ing· period which bega11 abot1t 15 71 and ended about the midO.le of the

- - 28 II OUSE OF ASSEl\IBLY PROCEEbIN(;~. ninete ,enth century. Then the n1a­ gic wand of science waved over the face 10f the waters, transforming all that moved thereon into new and rnore po\verful shapes. Navies ¥vere changed from wood to steel; from llll armoured to arm,0ured, the motive power from sails to steam, and the gu11s from muzzle loading to breech loading. The tactics and methods would observe tl1a t in Isles the,re are to be tl1e Britis found fiv tin1es as many fishermer1 as \Ve have and in Canada they have 87,000 fish ermen to ,our 20,000. Bl1t to retur to the main point.

It was only reas onable to an1ticipate that son1e de ... finite information would have been given in the Speech from the Thro11 • ·On this all-important question of de- ui. naval warfare changed totally and fence. As soon as the delegates to the raw fisherman as a naval recruit became as extinct as tl1e D,0do. To­ day naval warfare means battle ::tt long range fire to even twer1ty-five miles and navy c.re"\vs have to be experts in the manipulatio11 of mod ern gunnery, of torpedoes and float­ ing mines.

The idea then that fisher men ma. y be take11 from their boats untrained and undisciplined tv man the battleships · of to-day is en tirely fallacious .. In this very same connection I n1ight also observe that I saw in the Canadian press a statement al­ leged to have been made before the Board 01 f Trade of Monteal an1 d Tor­ onto by the 1VIinister of Fisheries, \fr. Piccott, that the Cana ·dian Gov­ ernment would have to man their p L·oposed navy fr10m tl1e ranks of I~uwfoundland fishermen.

If the Minister of Fisheries made such a stal:ement then 11e evidently toolr his cue from that which was attributed to the Premier. Now, if these state- 111e,nts were made, and seriousl)T n1ade, what ab1out the fisheries and trade of the c10lony? But, of course, the}r could not have been seriously considered.

It was what Ollr Ameri­ can cousins would term ''fiapdoodle," and ot1r British Brether11 mere ''brag and bluff." If fishermen are the God-app10inted cla.ss from v1hich the navie 1 s of Great Britai11 and Greater Britain must be manned, then, sir, I the Imperial C·onference retur11ed to their respective governments a pt1b­ lic an11ouncemen t "'as n1ade con­ cerning the obligations that had been entered into with His l\Iajesty's Gov­ ernn1ent, and immediatel}r up8n the opening of Pa.rliament a progra111111e was outlined. Canadct has under­ taken tu provide ten million dollars towards defence.

New Zealand has undertaken to make special provisio11 f, o, r the payn1ent of one r11illion, t\vo hundred thousand dollars ann uall)~ until the cost of a Dreadnought js defrayed, and after tl1at for an an­ nual payment of seven h t1ndred arid fifty thousa11d dollars for the n1air1- tenance and upkeep of the ship. What are we going to do? Is our part to end i11 brag and bluff? Are we going to wrap the flattering unc­ tion around our souls that \Ve havp, done the wh,ole 10f our d tl ty by the payment of five thousand pounds &. year, towards deifraying the cost of the training of a few fisher lads?

I subn1it, sir, that if we can afford to thr1ow away four or five million dol­ lars on wild-cat railway scl1emes we can at least afford to do our duty i11 this conection. If we do nothing, can we expect the protection of the British fle·et w· hren war with all i,ts horrors is upon the nation of whicl1 've form a part? A recent able and dispassionate writer on the q uestio11 . of Imperial Defence has declared that

• HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 29 W rld Po,vers are arranging the '0 • . . t themselves in four div1s1ons, the firs, and second of which are led by Great Britain and Germany, respective 1ly; that Gern1any is rapidly developing her navy while Great Britain is ar­ ra11ging all her plans in view ·of a \vorld storm which may be expected to burst withi11 the next t"\vo years. The wh10le of our food supply, tl1e ,vhole ·Of our trade is ocean borne. When the storm comes where shall ~re find ourselves?

If we do not bear our proper proporti ·on of the cost of defence, can we reasonably expect the protection of the British fleet when the days of adversity come? Self-interest as well as self-res 1pect should lead us to do our duty. There ciun be no real materia1 progress without security, for capital is timid. So far as we are concerned our secur ity .must be bound up with the power and sufficiency 1of the British Navy.

I am not spea .king upon this sub­ ject f1or the purpose of raising ala,rm I ar.o. speaking for the purpose of showing we participated in the Con­ ference on Imperial Defence, and that having participated and so ad­ mitted our resp 1011sibility, it is no\v for us to do our duty. Again I re1gr.et to observe that we are left e,ntirely in the dark as to the part the G·overnmen t is to take in the great Imperial Exhibition to be opened in L10ndon in Mav next.

A ~ few weeks ago I was honored by re- ceiving from His Excellency the Gov­ ern:or, who is one of the Vice-Presi­ dents, a letter asking for my views on this matter, and I had pleasure in promptly and candidly expressing them. I took the position first tl1at the Colony should certainly partici­ pate, but it sh;ould i10t be a mean part; an· d secondly that the G·overn­ men t should assume the whole res- ponsibility in the premises, and that it was not a mat·ter that should be relegated to a committee of the citizens of St. John's. These opin­ i1ons "\Vere not expressed in any n1ere party spirit.

They were not intended to be embarassing but helpful, and the elaboration of these vie\\rs at this time will, I trust, be received in the spirit in which they are i11tended. \Vhy should the Coliony take

part in this Festival of Empire? Not be~a u so an opportt1nity 1offers to join in an un1)recedented and elaborate page­ ant, but because it is going to afford a uniqu·e opportunity for the adver­ tising of the Colony's natural re­ sources. I have read a report of the proceedings at a recent meeting of a con1n1ittee appointed by citizens to deal with this matter, and the idea appeared to be a rnere "At Home to all the dependencies of the Cro\\"n." I think tl1is was rather a cramped view to take of tl1e matter.

The Yastness of the preparations that are being n1ade indicate that the Festival of Empire is to be no ordinary event. The beautiful grounds of the Crys­ tal Palace, at Sydenl1am, are to be converted into a vast amphitheatre, v1here fifteen thousand perfor1r.1ers will tell the story of old London. Tl1is story \vill be the magnet to dra \V together not only the sons and daughters of the Empire, but people from all ends of the earth, for in this story of tl1e greatest city of the great­ est En1pire the vvorld has ever kno,vn tl1e d\vellers in all narts of the world - are deeply interested.

London, vvhose origin is hidden in the inists of an­ tiquity, but whose comn1ercial great­ ness dates back to the time of the Roma11 occupation of Britain, shortly after the da vvn of the Christian era, occupied a pre-e1ninent position, not only in shaping and making of Great Britain and its Colonial Em-

30 IIOUSE OF i\SSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. pire, but also in turning the scale in favor of tl1ose liberties of which the \'?hole civilized world is proud to-day. 1lvhat a story will be unfolded! It \·vas London that \Vre·sted fror11 King John our great Charter of Liberties; it -vvas London tl1at gave to Great Britain her Empire of India and to our Sovereign 11is Imperial Crown. In its corporate capacity it is the mother of local self-government thru­ out the Emoire-looking back over an unbroken history o.f seven hundred years.

It was London that laid the foundation of that Greater Britain of which we form a part, of which we are the foundation stone. The story could not be complete without the inclusion of Newfoundland. The link between this Colony and the city of London is of ancient date. It goes back to the year 1610, wl1er1 a charter was granted under tl1e Great Seal of the Real1n to that il­ l us trio us philosopher, Lord Bac011, Alderman John Guy, of Bristol, and forty merchants of the City of Lor1- don, to colonize in Newfoundland. That was the beginning of our Col­ onial Empire, which is now worl.l wide.

But it is not in the senti­ ments of the picturesque that we find a jurisdiction for our participa­ tion in this movernent; it is rather in the great possibility of commer­ cial adva .ntage. While the pageant and the story it is to tell will be the means of dra.\ving together peo­ ple from all the ends of the earth, the courts in the Crystal Palace as­ signed to the exhibits of the states of the Empire will furnish an ad­ vertising medium never presented to us before, and that possibly may never be presented again. This is the reason that presents itself to my mind why this Colony should take

part in the Festival of Empire. Why should the Government assume the responsibility in the premises? Be- cal1se it is noi t a inatter concerning alone the citizens of St. John's. Be­ cause it is a matter that affects the \i\rhole people of the Colony, and the G over11r11en t are the lawful trustees for the "'rhole people. Because, to tt1rn this n1oven1ent into a com­ n1ercial success for the people of the Colony, ample funds must be forth­ co111ing, and the Government are alone responsible for the expendi­ ture of public money.

If V\re are convinced that good is likely to re­ sult to the people of this country from its participation in this exhibition, then the whole country should con­ tribute, and this they would do if tl1e necessary funds are provided from the Exchequer; the Government cannot properly delegate this matter to a committee of citizens. Again, by the Government taking hold and as­ suming responsibility, an importance and value will attach to our exhibit that it otherwise will r~ot possess, and, further, the Government of the cot1ntry should be in a position to acquire exb_ibits where private citi­ zens will fail.

The Newfoundland Government in the past has made ot1r participations in exhibitions a grand success, and invariably the Government of the Colony has as­ surrLed the whole responsibility. It was so in 1887 at the Fishery Ex­ hibition in London, where we won four or five gold medals and as many silver and bronze. It was so in 1907, at the Earl's Court Exhibi­ tion, when -vve received the highest enconiums and diplomas, and it will be so now if the Government do their whole duty. Whatever is done, whoever does it, I hone that fishery exhibits will be kept in the back­ ground.

The whole civilized \.Vorld l{nows that -vve are a fishing country, but tl1e worst of it is they do not re­ gard the country in any other light. \Ve should show the world by large

HOUSE OF ASSE1vl:BLY PROCEEDINGS. 31 alld cl1oice exhibits of minerals, soil, 11 uilding stones, ti111 ber and agricul­ tural products, that we 11ave son1e­ tlling inore than fish a \.Vaiting enter­ prise and capital. Tliere are other matters omitted from the Speech from the Throne, on ,vhicl1 we might reaso11ably . have ex­ pected mention to be m~de. There is no word about old age pensions. It n1ight have been exnected that some mention would l1ave been made of that rnatter, as a pledge on that st1bject was given to the electorate in the manifesto of tl1e Government.

We might have expected some rnention to be made of the subject of direct steam comrnu11ication bet\veen this country and tl1e British West Indies, but there is not a word. This ,vas another pledge. We have waited a long time for the fulfilment of these • promises. THE HON. THE PREMIER-Not as long as for smelting of ore on Bell Island. SIR ROBERT BOND-vVhat does the hon. member mean? That there are no smelting works at Bell Is­ land cannot be attributed to tl1e late Government. All that was possible to be done to induce t11e companies to come in was done.

A statute was passed, offering a bounty in order to encourage the establisl1ment of smelting in the country. What more could I do? I co11ld not take the companies by the throat and say­ Your money or your life. I could not compel them to co1ne. I held out the inducement, but I had to "rait till they found it vvas to their advantage to do their smelting here. \~Te n1igh1t also l1ave expected some reference in the Speech to the lum­ bering industry. Appa .rently there is a di"vision of opinio11 in the Govern- i11e11t ranks on the question of the export duty 011 pulp \Vood. THE HON.

THE PREMIER-Tl1ere is not and never was a division. SIR ROBERT BOND-I am glad to hear it. I was about to say that the late Government .vlaced it beyond peradventure that no pulp vvood shouJd 11e exported. I say, sir, the late Go,rernment are on record as having done so. THE HON. THE PREMIER-They are on record as havi11g done it, but for another purpose. SIR ROBERT BOND-There is a general impression among the pub­ lic that there is a division of opinion in the Governn1ent ranks on this subject. THE HON. THE PRE1\1IER-There js no s11cl1 impression, .

SIR ROBERT BOt~D-Sir, I received letters from several sons lately which go to show tl1ere is such an impression. have per­ that THE HON. THE PREMIER-Can y~ou name one? SIR ROBERT BOND-This inter­ ruptio11 is most unseen1ly. I have received letters and have been inter­ viewed on the subject. There is an in1pression abroad t11at there is a division in the Government party on tl1e subject ·of the export of pulp wood. I hope that legislation will be taken to prevent the possibility of such an occurrence, as I regard it of the utmost importance that the pulp wood of t11is country be manu­ factured in the cou11try.

I do n·ot say this for any party purpose, but be­ cause I V\rish to intima ,te that I sl1all stand shoulder to shoulder with the Government in support of any meas­ ure with this object in view. Pos­ sibly such support niay not be need- •

32 I-IOCSE OF ASSE11BLY PROCEEDINGS. ed, but percl1ance it may be that the Pre1nier will find that I a1n right that there is a differe11ce of opinion. I regard it as of vital importance that "\Ve should prevent the export of pulp wood from this country. We have the pulp industry at Grand Falls as an object lesson of this. \iVhether the pulp wood be on Lab­ rador or within the confines of this Island, we should insist that the "rood by manufactured in the coun­ try. ~,..\gain, I re1nem ber there was a pledge given as regards the reduc­ tion of taxation. I see no intimation of this in the Speech from the Throne.

There is rather an intima­ tion that there will be an increase; the productio11 of minerals is to be taxed. Is it not an increase of taxation? It is an increase which may prove to be a very serious one. I do not now, indeed, say defi11itely that I am opposed to that tax. But for the sal{e of argument I say that it may be a serious matter.

If the in1pres­ sion gets abroad that the Govern- 111ent intend to pounce on invested capital by the imposition of taxation on minerals, etc., it may prevent for­ eign capital from seeking investn1ent jn this country and would thus be seriously injuring a large number of the operatives of this col1ntry. The mine on Bell Island has been a great success. Im1nense wealth has been taken from it.

I suppose nine men out of ten would say, unthink­ ingly, that we ought to have taxed it years ago, considering the advan­ tages it possesses and the facility with \Vhich the mineral can be ex­ tracted, and the unique character of the workings. The matter was thought of and discussed by the late Government, and the decision 'vas arrived at that it was not wise to tax t11e ore at that tin1e, because the fJossibilit)T of the promoters fin ing g·ood ore elsewhere, or using substitute as flux for it.

But think it nossible that the positio i11ay have cl1anged to-da .y; may no-vv be good and sufficient rea son for such taxation. I arr1 sorry to 11a ve detained I-louse so long; I had fully intende to speak only for son1e ten or fif"' teen minutes, and had meant to be by t11is time on board the train. I shall reserve any further comment I 11a ·ve to offer on the various matters until they come before us in the forn1 of bills or resolutions. There 'vill tl1en be ample time for debating on then1 fully. THE HON. THE PRI11E MINIS­ TER (SIR E. P.

MORRIS)-Although it is past the hour of adjournment, and as it is i1ot the intention to meet after tea, I would crave the per- 1nissi ,on of tl1e Hou,se to say a few vv-ords in relation to the matters die­ c11ssed here this evening, and shall reserve myself till an·other occasion to renly in detail to the various st1b­ jects to wl1ich the Rt. Honourable the Leader of the Op.Position referred.

I a111 sure that everybody in this House, and even the general public ·outside, \v·hen they read the speec .h delivered by him, v.rill agree "\vith ine that we are all under a debt of gratitude to him for breaking his original resolution of speaking only for a few minutes, and for en­ tertaining us ,·vith the very interest­ i11g and unique speech which tie has j11st delivered. On behalf of the Govern1nent and of those associated •,;vith me on this side of the House, I v;relcome baclr to active work and duty the Right Hon·ourable member.

I aln glad to see him here to-day, f111d I am glad, not alone personally, not alone in the interests of the

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 33 couiitry, but in the interests of the Go,rern1nent, because what we crave as a Gover11ment is the closet scrut­ i113~ and exa1ni nation in detail into 8,rer}r matter that may con1e before this House.

I say that I welcome llini back 11ere into this House for t11ese reasons and because I want hiin to bring to tl1e consideraition of all public matters that care and at­ tention and experience of public af­ fairs \Vhich probably few other men in this country would be able to bring; and I am, therefore, willing to concede consider ,able latitude to the Right Honourable member in his strictures and criticisms of the Gov­ ernment. I am not going to take anvthing he said ill-naturedly.

I ~ kno\v it is the ·business of the Op- position to criticize and make every possible point when dealing with the policy of the Government, and I find no fault with the honourable member for his vigorous and very strong criticism this .evening; but I am very sorry that such an able and interesting speech s.hould have been marred by statements and express sions and insinuations unworthy of the honourable member.

I am sorry, I say, that such a speech-which is n .ot the best I have heard him de­ Ji1ler, but which is most interesting from many points-should have been marred by statements which he must 11ave known were not at all correct. In speaking, he referred 'to me as a Tory. I cannot see that even if I i.vere a Tory that I need be ashan1ed of that. However, I am n1ot nor have I ever been a Tory; bl1t when I came into this House twenty-five years ago he (Sir Robert Bon.

d) was a Tory ·dyed-in-the-wool, a Tory of the v. .. orst type and a member of a· Tory Gov- ernment, while I sat on the side of the Houes where he is sitting 11ow, amongst fourteen Liberals. If. in·­ deed, there is any Liberalism about him or those with whom he is now sitting, I helped to liberalize them. In 1885, Sir William Whiteway tem­ porarily left public life, the Tory Party having taken office and the honourable member opposite went to the country and was elected as a member of the Tory Party for For­ tune Bay, led by Sir Robert Thor­ burn.

In 1889, Sir William White­ vvay went to the country as Leader of the Liberal Party, which contain­ ed myself and Judge Emerson and all the other Liberals of that day, and everyone in this House listening to me mu,st know that the only claim the honourable member and other members of the Tory Party of that day can have ti o the name of Liberals is beca11se we inoculated and liber­ alized them. He referred to the fact that thirty years ago, in 1882, he went t, o the country under Sir William Whiteway and was elec ·ted on a policy of rail­ way development.

This I admit, but the only legacy left behind as a result of that policy was a small bit of road to Harbor Grace and a brok­ en down, bankrupt company. But in 1890, the policy ·Of railway devel­ opment outlined by Sir William Whiteway and his party, of which the Rt. Hon. member and myself v;rere members, was adopted, and I think even he himself will admit that in the adoption and carrying out of that policy I had as much to do as any other member of the party. He can claim no credit friom that policy without giving me my share.

Those who know me will, I think, admit that I genera1ly do my share in rowing the boat, and had I the power to summon back to-night the illustrious dead who have passed from our halls, they w,ould testify that in those days I always did my part, and that many who afterwards went out from our Councils and

• 34 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINc;s. claimed the J)Olicy as their ow11 i11erely sat there picking the brains of others who were indifferent enotigh to permit it. And then the h:on. member, after claiming that the policy which realJ\ 1 was Sir William Whiteway's was his, \Vent ,on to state that the only thi11g \Vhich had marred the railway 901 - icy was the 1898 Contract, which he says I was a party to. But does he not know that Mr Shea, who i10 .\1 sits behind him, \Vas a party to tl1at contract, an, d that Hon. Mr. Pitts and others with whom he has si11ce assiociated actually ma.de that c0c­ tract?

By what right does he thro-vv his insinuati 1ons at me and exempt those on his side of the House frorr1 blame, if blame there be? I care not, Mr. Speaker, by what name I am called, be it Liberal or T,ory, Unionist or Nationalist. Whilst I am here in the House, placed here as the result of votes 10f the people of the country, I shall use my best efforts in their interests and for their advancement, and I shall allow no man, either in this House or out­ side of it, to do my thinking.

I am prepared to listen to every sugges­ tion and opinion and every reason put f,orward in this House or out­ side, but of the final decision as to what is right or wrong I must and shall myself be the ultimate judge. I abdicate my mind to no living man. I shall allow no mal,l to run me. Later in his observations the h,on. member refererd to the speech de­ livered to-day, outlining the policy of the Government as a balloon loom­ ing up largely in the distance, but which would collapse like a bubble on being pricked with the needle of truth and reason. I can quite un­ derstand that it must have struck the Rt.

Hron. member as something very large and looming up like a balloon; a.nd v111en it comes down to the op eration of pricking the bubble I am prepared ,to a ward him the palm in that connection, as he has had m or to do with bubbles than any othe mar1 we know of) in this country or outside of it. <" He has called our railway policy \ a \Vildca · t railway scl1eme.

Is it a vvildcat scheme to open up and de­ velop the country and give emp loy ... men t to thousands of men all over the country, who would otherwise be \· ~n want, because of the failure ~he Labrador fishery? l\1y hon. friend thinks that we as a Gover11ment w·ould be better em­ ployed if we vo1ted the five mill ion dollars for a navy.

He wants a navy, I suppose, in order that he may h ave a Dreadnought to go electioneer ing in Green Bay J? ur years from n ow. \\T e will look after the navy, and we will look after the contribu 1tion to the defence of the Emoire at the right time and in the right pl1ace, bu· t at the present time we are en­ gaged in the very interesting ope ra­ tion of finding mon~y to pay the debts the Rt. Hon. member left be­ hind him.

Last session we had to l)ring in a Loan Bill to pay $325, 000 lef.t behind as a debt in the Bank of Montreal, and there are other debts still outstanding, and before we un­ dertake to build Dreadnoughts battleships or torpedos we have pay our debts; we have to be just before we are patriotic. No man is prepared to do more than I am in defe11ce of the Empire, but we h ave got to defend Newfoundland fina nc­ ially and tc Jef end the people of Newfoundland before starting to b11ild navies. Further, I want to say, Mr.

Speaker, in order that it may go forth as an answer side by side with the honourable gentleman's stri ct- 11res, that we are doing all in this

I-IOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS. 35 country that we are at present ex- ected to do in connection with Im­ ~erial defence, and the Imperial Gov­ ;rnment and high ministers of State ,vho control the army and navy have assured rne that for years the British Government and public have more than appreciated what the poor fish­ ermen of Newfoundland have done aiid are doing in taxing themselves for the Royal Naval Reserve. ~iy Rt.

Hon. friend also attempted to score a point in relation to the Festival of Empire, and anyone lis­ tening to him and uninformed would probably think that the Government \rere opposed to the project or neg­ lecting their duty in some possible \vay. Now, as a matter of fact, this Festival of Empire is entirely a pri­ vate undertaking, al though in one sense it is of a public nature. The Government of England or this Gov­ ernment have nothing to do with it.

This Government has stated through me publicly on two or three occas­ ions that the Government are :pre­ pared to give a substantial subscrip­ tion or donation tov:rards the funds that will be necessary to aid us in doing our :part, but I am not pre­ pared to say to that committee or to any other committee that the Gov­ ernment are prepared to pay all their bills till I know what the ex­ tent of the expenditure is. I am not prepared to give a blank cheque, even for the Festival of Empire.

I made the statement down in the Court House that the Festival of Empire \Vas to be a grand At H...,me and ex­ plained and pointed out that it was not an ordinary industrial exhibition of food products, etc., as many thought. It was an At Home of the Empire, under the Presidency of Lord Plymouth, and I am quite satis­ fied that if the honourable member ad been present he would not have allowed himself to- fall into his errors of this evening. He also reftrred to the numb~ of promises contained in my manifesto, and concerning which there is no mention in the Speech from the Throne.

On that point I have this to say to him, that if he will remain long enough in this Legislature as Leader of the Opposition he will see every one of those promises carried out. That manifesto contained 29 pledges in relation to 29 public mat­ ters, and over 20 have been carried out up to to-day, without any extra taxation; over twenty out of twenty­ nine, and we only require time in order to carry out every one of the pledges given. There is an entirely false conception and misunderstand­ ing as regards the province of the Government and the Opposition on the part of my Rt.

Hon. friend and those associated with him. He has got to think he owns the Government, and he has the right to put his name up over the shop to-morrow and keep it there forever. That is not the true conception of Government. We have been placed here, Mr. Speak­ er, by the people of the country, by the owners of the country, the share­ holders and property owners, as di­ rectors for four years only. The old directors have gone out an. d we are in their place. If we are faithless in the discharge of the duties placed on us, then other directors will be put in our places.

But what is the duty of members on th. e opposite side of the House? Is it their duty to tear up and throw out everything we propose, or is it not their duty to endeavor to assist in the administra­ tion of the public affairs of the Col­ ony? All sorts of statements appear from time to time in the Opposition organs, made for the purpose of

• 36 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS • shaking the faith of our supporter~ outside the House, and my Rt. Hon. friend has n1ade a statement as to some difference of opinion in the Gover11ment as to the exportation of pulp wood. No-vv I want to say to him a11d to the country that no such difference ever existed. The ques­ tion never arose. It never was before the Government directly or indirect­ ly. It has ne,rer been suggested at a n1eeting of the Executive or at. a party meeting or at any other meet­ ing, and outside the n1ere state1nent that appeared in the newspapers of 1ny Rt.

Hon. friend there never was any justification for any such state­ n1ent. Then he has referred to the policy of his Governme11t in relation to this matter. I want to remind him that his Government never had any policy in relation to that matter. Though the la \V \Vas amended by him to prevent the exportation of wood, it -vvas for an entirely differ­ ent reason, and he himself is on record for the reason of that amend­ n1en t. Now, Mr. SDeaker, I did not intend to have replied at all at any length to my honourable friend.

His speech deserves more careful thoug·ht and examintion than I havP been able to give it in th. e few min­ utes that I have been allowed by the House. My only regret is that he did not close a little earlier for my sa.ke, for his own sake, and for those '''ho 'vere listening to him. I think I may conclude by joining hin1 in complimenting the proposer and seconder of the Address in Re­ P tY on what he called their maiden efforts. In listening, I saw nothing "maiden" about them.

It seemed to 111e tl1at both showed an acquaint­ ance with parliar11entury discussion 'vorthy of the oldest member of the House, and I heartily welcome to the debating power of the House both Mr. Devereux and Mr. Squires, and I hope that both of after day, when any public questi comes before the House, take a ve special

part in it and give the Hou the advantage of their opinions . RT. HON. SIR ROBERT BOND \vould not have taken the floor ag this evening were it n.ot that I su;·prised that tl1e Leader of the G ernment should deliberately try mislead this House and mislead mo\rer and seconder of the Addr in reference to n1y remarks. I u the ter111 "maiden efforts" advise and it 'Nas critically correct, and is perfectly astonishing to ine tha man \vho has been twenty-five ye in public life does not know n1eani11g of the term.

It is a te universally applied to the first speech of a member of the Ho and, so far as I am a ware, this the first time J\1r. Devereux or Squires has addressed this Ho in that form. If they have spo at any other time~ I have not he them, and "rhen I applied the t "maiden effort" I was critically rect, as far as I lrnow. No one co 11a ve been more kind in the observations of the members. There is anotl1er matter that I so desire to put right. Tl1e state \\las made that I had delibera misled the House in stating tha had alv·vays been a member of Liberal Party. The statement absolutely true.

The party I to the country \Vith in 1882 was I.Jiberal Party and not the Tory P or Thorburn Party he referred It contained st1ch Liberals is Sir \T. vVhite"raJ'- Sir Ambrose Shea Hon. l\1r. Kent, and those who well known as Liberals for y previous. It was well known in country as the Liberal Party, an have never cl1anged my allegiance

• HOl}SI<: OJ:i~ ~-\.SSElVII~LY PROCEED:NGS. 37 tllat !)arty from first to last. The llleJ nber states that he crossed }}011. - the 1-Iouse in 1886 as a Liberal. \\That are the facts? In 1885 an issue brou 2·ht into the House that \YaS 0 s )lit tl1e Liberal Party in twain. It b~ca 111 e a religious a11d sectarian is- e an d all the Roman Cathoilc s ll ' " ine111bers crossed the floor. It was the Ron1a11 Catholic Party, as kno\Vn at that time, that my honourable frieiid became a member of in 1886. If i1e \vants to know more about tliat part)r I can inforrn him. I l1ave ever been a member of the Liberal 1=>art)r.

I have fought for Liberalism ill tl1is House for years, and when its fortunes were at the lowest in 1885, I fought in this House aln1ost si11g·le-handed for four years, and reYived it until it again becan1e act­ ive and a power in the land. I thought it right that I should put this rr1atter ·straight, because it • • is not the first time that such an accusation has been made. THE I-ION. THE PRIME l\1INIS- 1.1ER-l\1r. Speaker, what I said was t11at \Vhen I can1e into this \\Tith the Liberal Party, led House by Sir A111brose Shea, iny honourable friend \1ras 011 the other side with the Tory Party.

He \Vent to Fortune Bay in 1S85, and ''rhen he came back he sat \Yith tl1e Tory Party, and we were on tl1e other side. Aftervvards he left \Yith Mr. Mackay and came over to us. I can bring in the Journal 0f tl1e House to prove this. R1."'. I-ION. SIR ROBERT BOND­ Tl1e Journal of the House will show no such thing. Party matters do i1ot appear in the Journals; only di,·isions on questions before · the }louse appear. THE HON. THE PRI1\1E MINIS­ TER-I will ask for the Journal of the Hot1se to shovv that you sat on • this side of the House after the election of 1885. RT. HOX.

SIR ROBERT BOND~ '"fhere \·vas no Tory Party in 1885, and I did not sit on the Government side of tl1e House. I sat in opposition to that party. THE HON. THE PRIME MINIS­ TER-It merely means that you were a Tory. RT. HON. SIR ROBERT BOND­ The statements of the honourable gentleman are absolutely incorrect and misleading. The Journals of the House will shoV\r i1othing of that kind I did not sit in the House as a mem­ ber of the Tory party. I sat seperate and distinct from the Roman Catho­ lic party of that day, and distinct from tl1e Reform Party which was then in power, and kept alive