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000 : and refunds, $110,000 and $59,630, or a decrease this year of $50,000, 'The total sum the (Government asked for 1875 was $2,187,657, and tor 1879 $2,287,075, or, as nearly as might be, an increase in the latter year of $100,000, yet that sum, again multi-- plied by tour, would produce the alarming result set forth by the hon. mem-- ber for London in his motion. He thought he had shown by the com-- parisons he had made that the increases that had been made were necessary and unavoidable, and that the total increase had been a mere bagatelle. He asked if the amount that might be takon off salaries in the various departments to the amount of say $50,000, was what was to stand be-- tween the country and direct taxation ? 1f any, decrease at all was to bo made it must boe made in the way he had mentioned,and in a way which would throw upon the people of the country the burden of raaintainirg their public institutions and place upon them other heavy charges which were now paid out of the general expenditure, 1f such was to be the policy of hou. gentlemen opposite, he had no fear in anticipating _ the resuit of an appeal to the country, (Cheers.) Mr. SCOTT did not consider the motion an important one,. He desired to rcfer to the observations of the Commissioner for Public Works. That hon, gentleman had managed to escape the real gist ot the dis=-- cussion which it had been desired to evoke, Ho had called the motion a buncombe one, but it submitted an important fact to the attention ot the House and the country, and this, he thought, was the correct time to bring in the question. It proposed that they l,l_xpul% stop ia the course they woere pursuing. He quoted from the records of the British House of Commons to show that Right Hon. W. E. Gladstqgno had made such a motion in that body. The hon. gentleman was a man of considerable ex-- periance in Parliament,and was the last man who he would have expected to state that it was usual to give notice of such a mo-- tion. He was also wrong in saying that such motions were not gencrally moved | in amondment to the motion to go into Committeee of Supply. He be-- lieved there was not an instance in tho Province, the Dominion, or the Empiro when notico of such a motion had been given, But it was claimed that the figures submitted by tho hon. member for London were not correct, The last speaker had said that thoe expenditure on public works was an ordinary exponditure. It would not be so considered by those who regarded the matter fairly, 'The amounts varied mach. In 1870 it was $425,000; in 1871, $261,000; in 1872, $545,000, and it could bardly be said that these were ordi. nary expenditures, Ho had made up a statemont irrespective of the sums which the hon. Commissionre of Public Works had de-- sived to have left out, and the percentage of expenditure was still within that stated by the member for London, When hon. members opposite chose to put it into the mouth of the Lieutenant.Governor to caution the people to use economy, and when they choso to suggest an amendiment to their own Address--(Opposition cheers) ' ----he thought it was not out of place for the Opposition to submit a resolution in the same direction. His hon. friend nad re-- tused to bring his figures down to. a percentage, but fied from that con-- clusion to another point of discussion . and had made the comparison with 1874, whon the Opposition claimed they were about as wrong then as they were now, It was claimed that they had no right to go back of this, for the people had passed judgment of approval upon them at the goneral election afterwards, This was not & tenabie position, and hon, gentlemen op-- posite had not obsorved it, 'Fhe expenai. _ _ m.kiia Works in 1874 was % vubmury ERCCC CE COCC & posite had not obsorved it, 'Khe expenai. ture upon Public Works in 1874 was $409,000, and in 1878 $298,000,[showing a large increaso. It had been claimed as the reason for increasing salaries that at the time it had been done the cost of living had considerably increased, but it was not now regarded as & grouud for reduction that that expens® had been decreased, though hbhe did not soo why it should | not be. But had the country ratified their | conduct at the last general election ? 1t would | be remembered they had been sent back | with a dedreased majority, _ In the budget | speech of 1874 the then 'Freasurer, now Minister of Education, left out the expendi. cure upon public works and public build«. ings, and treated it as extraordinary expenditure. He also said that the ordinary expenditure could be kept within $1,800,000, and perhaps it was because the country had believed him that they returned his party to power,. Betwoen that year and the presont tho expenditure had. increased $264,000. ve da d iL 4 Pu PILLLLEIC Sir0%® sdoue ut es WEPC CE OO ds 3 o 4 oA Pb i vi 1 The ho':;. gentleman also stated that they might calculate upon & revenue of about tws and a halt million of dollars, but it had fallen away to $2,254,000, a variation al. together of about half a million of dollars. ETL Oe n en A c OO e kc se If | the people had known this they would have hesttated long before again returning. theso hon. gentlcmen to power,. --The statement of the Treasurer claimed a sur= plus of more than $4,000,000, --_It was not fair to attempt a comparison between this and the ampuut of surpilus held by the Sandfield Macdonald administration, By the iate award betWeen Quebed and Ontario the amount of $876,000 was collected by the Dominion : iovernment which the Pro. virce could not touch, and which should not be counted as part of the surplus. It was claimed by the Government that they had distributed over seventcen mil-- lion dollars among the poople of the country. -- There had never been a faw | statemont made of the moneys sared by tne two Governments, 'The present Adminis» tration had large advantages in the way of gecuring revenue. The amount of surplus credited to the Sandfield Macdonald Ad-- ministration by 'I'xx Guosse was $3,810,000, which that journal stated was a nice sum to begin housekceping with, The accruals under this Ad:ainistration from this fund were $1,463,000,. _ Furtner, $111,000 was claimed for the rise in the value of funds held. Under the Tilley Act of 1874 there was an aggregato reccipt of $1,614,000, which was rot the result of any policy on the part of the Govern. ment. The Government also sold $600,000 | worth of tho timber limits,-- which . should be taken as abnormal revenue, be-- cause the ordinary receipts from Woods and Forests ware about $566,000. Taking all these additional sums, it was found that the surplus should have reached the enormous sum of $8,000,000. But it was necessary to see what they had spent beyond ordinary expenditure. There was $2,115,000 of the surplus distribution, $247,000 upon the Railway bubsidy Fund, and other sums, | which, taken together, would leave a balance | of $1,151,000, and they had between | $50,000 -- or $60,000 more than this, | 'The conclusion to be drawn _ was that if they had had the same sources of revenue that their predecessors had, they | would have been utterly unable to meet the exponditure which they incurred. 'This | increaged expenditure: was of gradual . | growth, and he claimed if it continued to | | grow in this mauner the people would have | | to face a startling result uniess some radi. cal change were entered jnute, If the cx. | penditure increased at its present rate it would be $3,509,000 in 1885. 1f'| the revenue remained as at present the deficiency in the same year would be $1,255,000, and the deficienciesfup to that time would havo aggregated $4,460,000, | This involved mearlygtho current expendi-- | ture, considering no spendings upon capi-- |\ tal account, It behoved the people of this | Province to see that this state of things ! should not bo brought about. Under the | previous Government the amount "given " | to the people was $5,000,000, or one and a | quarter millions per year,. The $17,000,000 }| claimed by the present Government they | | were not entitled to altogether, The ex. penditure of $2,046,000 for railways follow. ed out a policy inaugurated by the Macdonald Administration,. Other amounts of a like kind would reduce the amount to $12,000,000. It was very unlikely that the ! present revenue would hold out, Many of | the itoms credited to revenue could not | with propricty be so credited, for they wore ' merely the change of capital from one | form to another. --It had been claimed that | the Opposition were in favour of doing ; away with the present system of Govern« | ment, but he was proud to say that pothing | | in the speeches of members from his side | | of the House could be adduced to prove | | that such was the caso, (Opposition cheers.) Mr. CURRIE congratulated the Opposi-- tion upon the very mild attack they had mado upon thoe Government. He also con. gratulated the Consorvative party on hay. ing made the first record for years of being in favour otf Confederation. Mr. MEREDITH--Theoy mado it. Mr. CURRIE continued that the records