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~ennaemnenniibinennteimessineineiintnenmenien.~ ~._._.\_._._ state, however, that the Government were | not wedded to any particular age, and it the || feeling o! the House was in favour of sub. stituting 18 yoars for 21, the Government I would have no objections to making the | cobange. (IHear, bhear). As regarded the quantity, they {proposed to fill the biank with 100 acres, He came now to the fourth resolution Under the United Siates home:-- atead law, a settler, on proof of contlioun»us reaildence for five years, got his patent. The ,] Goversment proposed to fill the blavk in | tbis resolution also with five years But it A went further, Io the United States, where the land was chiefly pratis, anrd ready for ounltivation, there was no necessity for any condition as to clearing, In our country it was different, as the land was covered with timber, and he rtopond to provide that, be-- foro the patent iseued, it should be necessary that filteen acres should bo oleared. It wss proposed also that it should be necessary that a cortasin quastity-- not lees than two acres--rhould be cleared arnually. The house would be cf the ordin: ; dimenasions, 18 by 24 feet, The filth resolution congained the ll;om;adtudt proivi- slon, w. was propored er to give groatorl:'g'onnggmt t» parties to take the freo grante, The blank wou!ld be filled with "'twonty" years ; this was the perlcd thay had in view when the &#soluations were drafted, but the Premier thought it beat to leave a blatk and fill it up afterwards ; it was also propssed to moadify the latter || clause of ths resolutlon, so that the locatee || should not have power to allenate, mortgage | | or pledgo the land ust!l five years after the | § gravting of the patant. One honourable | member, who professted to be a supporter of || ] tho Govorpoment, bad candidly expressed bhis opirion that this measure was an abortion, J _ 8IrHGENRY SMITH--I understand, ¥r. g j Spzakor, it is a Parliamsntary rule--[so Mr, Riohards, who stiil conticued standirg, I "Sis down, Sir.")}--L understaad is Is a Parliamentary rule thas a member | is rok _to allsde to a _ previous debate. If the hon. gentlieman wanted to have a tilt at me, he should have spoken when that dabate was in progress. Ron. Mr. RICHARDS--(after consulting zith the Proemier)--aaid he had not the Par MHamentary experlence of the gsllant knight, but he was told he was perfectly in order, as | he had cot named the member to whom he [ referred. Ankon. gentleman had proncunced || this measurs to bas an abortlion. He would ; | not cavil at the language in which that idea n | was expressed--it might comport with the « | tastalot the hon. gentleman who used it. But he was not prepared to admit that the idea conv:y:d{by the exprersion was correcs, For ; | this imearure in point of fact went further r | Shan the United States law, which only | , | exempted the lavod from exeention or lability | , | for Cobt, until the patent was issued. -- This & h | resolution went further ~and protected ' g | it for -- twoenty years, There woere | mary opinions entertained about a ; | Homestesd Law, and _ he believed very faw people in this country under | stcod what was moant by it At the two elections be had gone through the thing was I not ores mentioned. Hs admitted, however, | that in several constituencies the matter was brought prominently forward. He did not | say what the Government might do with it | hercafter ; bu* at present they were dealing |-- merely with free grants, to which they pro | pored to give a homsstead exemption for 20 years. Atthe ond of that pericd these lands | might be worth, as was the case now in the | older townships, $80 an aore, and it would | clearly Be wrong to continue exemption lo3ger for a property worth $8,.000. s Mr. TETU--WiI!l the tworty years craunt 3 | from the date of the looation, or cf the | patent? Hon,. Mr. RICUHARDS--From the dats of tho location. Tho Speaker, at »!x c'clook, left the chair tili baif past soven, Alter rcocar, Hon, Mrzr. RICHARD3 continued his re-- marks, With reference to the 6th resolu-- tlon, he sa'd the object of the Government in thess resolations was to consider the agrloulinral Int:rest, They proposed, there-- fors, that the free grauts ashould be conficed to thoso lsnds which were adapted for sgr:loultural purposes. The timber and § | minerals of the country, they conaldered, shoald be rererved to /urnieh revenue, The | free grants hitherto had only been on the | colonization rords, whish went through dis: tricts, a large proporiion of which was un-- | anited for agriculiural purposes. The result was that, when the valuable timber had been stripped off the lots, they were abandoned. This policy was urjast to the settlér, to the 6 | lumberer, and to the public, and is had not T | yisided to the public any bonetis corresp ind -- PE | lag to the large amourt of $550,000 which 8 | had been expendod on the colonization roads. 9° | In the Murkcka torritory and near Georslan