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the close ot the year, When these documents were kept back so loug members lost interes in them,. 'This custom had nothiug bu. age to »commend it, ard though some _ :gut claim it would be u constitutional £o change it, he did not ses why the House sghou!d forego its priviiege Mr. SINCLALR thought the House should | be satistied with the declaration of the Go-- vernment that efforts would be made to bring down thesa reports and statements at the carliest possible morm:« as no doubt it was desiraide they +!~ + be brought down. HMe moved in «. ment to the motion :-- That all the words of the resolution after the word @'the late"' be etruck out, and the following in« serted in lieu thereof:--*That the pracuice has been that the Departmental reports other than the BEduca-- gional Report and the Public Accounts in detail for every year are brought down, printed, and dis-- tributed at the first session thereatter, aud that this Hiouse is glad to loarn irom the Government that such arraugements havo been é*vised as will per-- wit horeaiter the Public Accouns« of each year in Hotail being laid before this Ltoxs. at the first gession noxt after the close of the yes. «w which such Ac-- <ounts relate," go on ana compliete the Pnblic Accounts in wletail in such a short tume. 'The work of making out the accounts was not one of copying, but one of cellection, and could ounily be done under very caretul supervis sion. The CGovernment, however, bed a system under consideration by which, pither by increased assistance or otherwise, the Public Accounts of the preceding year would be brought dowu at the yearly ses-- gion of the Honse. Mr. WOOD admitted that 't was desirable go have the Pablic Accounts brought down as early as possible after the ond of the year or the beginning of the session,. But C uil 540 ta + it was impossible with the presgul stafl to go on and cowi»lot_,c Ufl« I'ubfi?: iccoa'uts in Mr, LAUDER had always been in favour ef a change in the direction indicated, and congratulated the Hon. 'Treasurer upon meeting the wishes of the HMouse. He might say indeed tLat that hon. gentle. man generally showed a desire to comply in matters of detail with the wishes of the minority . 3+ Mr, MERRICK said that the amendment did not cover the sam> ground as the motion, as the Governm at did not pro-- gose to bring down during the session the accounts of the year preceding the one in which the session was held. He pointed put that the difficulties which had stood in the way of bringing down the Public Ac-- counts at an early date had apparently boen got rid of, because the totals were given in zhe statement of receipts and expenditure Jaiq before members during each session, Mr, WILLS agreed with the mover of the motion, that the presont system was a faulty one. it was absurd to say that the Public Accounrts Committee could now thoroughly investigate the accounts of the year, and he was glad to hear that the Gov. ernment intended to alter their system to bring about the desired improvement. Mr., CREIGHTON asked the Hon. Trea. Hurer i( the arrangements made by the Gov. ernment included the bringing down of the Public Accounts of 1878 during the present pcuion. $ Mr, WOOD said that he bad pointed out that the dilliculties in the way were such as to prevent that being done,. 'The inten-- gion of the Government was that in the future they would provide meaus for bring-- ing down the Public Accounts in the way his hon. friend had indicated. relly Aprmiiitd ~atnnent Etantintrliaishs. uds 1101 + by the hon. member (for North Grey was that the Accounts should bo distributed to mermbers of the House when tho House Mr, CREIGITON said that the Hon. Trea. gurer's answer was an unsatisfactory one. He conutianued at some length to show the de-- sirability of having the reports brought down in the way his motton indicated, +_Mr. MEREDITH asked if the Govern. yacnt propoged to place the Public Accounts for 18;8 in the hands of the poople before the unext general elections,. P""- FRASER sgid tat all ( y the hon. member far K That a'l the words in tho proposed amendment after the word "tucrcof,"" where it first occurs, be struck out, and the following sub:tituted therefor :-- "That in the opinion of th.s House it is desirable that the Public Accounts in detail for the year 1873 sghou!d be in the hands of the peuple before the en-- quing goneral clections.'* Mic. WOOD had already pointed out the impossibility of bringing them down this session . Mr MEREDITIL moved North Grey was iu ameadment, rat was askeq | _ Mr. DEACON thought it strange that the . | Treasurer should not have risen to oppose | the resolution ot the hon, member for Lon-- don and that the Attorney.--Gieneral should , have remained silent also, Ho believed the | motion could not bear the construction put | upon it by the Commissionerot Public Works when he said that it meant that a copy of the Public Accounts was to be put in the hands of each citizen in the Province. If the Accounts were kept back until after the | general election, and the Government se~ | cured another lease of power,they would do | so by reserving from the people information | which they were entitled to have, I was not in session, and that Wws Fesisted by | the (iovernment on the constitutional | ground that the reports must be first 1 brought betore the people's Parliament as-- / gembled. It was only when the Parliament | was so assembled that members had any | guthoritative character at all. Tho amend. | sment proposed by the hon,. member for | London went a great ceal further than that . proposed by his hov. friend from Norflxf Grey. 'The hon, member for London said that it was desirable that the reports, al-- 'though not printed and distributed to the House, should be distributed to the whole -penp{e of the country--that cvery persen esident in Qutariq sh(;l';ld hlzwe a cop)l'] of 'ublic Accounts, -- low else were they fi: 11>e laid before the people"? Aiter the present Legislature was dissolved there would be no Parliament befors whom tho Public Accounts could be laid, Everything in the nature of a safcguard was proposed to be swept away by the amend.~ mont of the hon, member fo: l.ondon, 'The Government had always n "cl\; that it was desirable to place the iublic Accounts before members in, the session next after the past year, _ Some of the reports, such Mr, MOWAT said the Opposition had al-- ways failed in making a case against the Government,even when they had the Public Accounts in their hands to quote from, aund anything they had attempted to establisn could have been proven quite as well from the statement of receipts and expenditure. Very good use could always be made of the Public Accounts by the friends of the Gor. ernment in justitying the course which they had adopted. 'The Governmeunt could have no possible interest in keeping back the Public Accounts, because the only effect of such delay was to injure themselves. He had been somewbhat surprised at the state-- ment made by an hon, memberopposite that the Attorney--General should have spoken upon this question when it came up. He did not see that the question of the Public Accounts was one articularly calliu{; for the attention of thi Attorney.Gencéral, ~---- that of the Education Department, could hot by any possibility be brought down at tbhat time, e did not think that tho House had so little reverence for old -- constitutional landmarks as _ to do away with a practice that was one of long standing, when a remedy for the tefeot was provided by the amendment proposod by the member for North Brucoe,. Mr, CREI[GHTON charactcrized the statemant of the fimx. Commitssioner for Public Works, that the people were not on-- : titled to know what had bocy done with | their money except when Parliament was | in session, as rubbish, it was absurd to . suppose that any hartu would result from ; the Public Accounts' reports being distrib» | uted before they were laid betoro the House. Unless the Government intended to keep the people in ignorance as to the way in which the public expenditure had »sen mads, he could sea nothing to hinder the accounts for 1878 being brought down before the end of the present session. Mr., CURRIE was surprisod at the length to which the discussion Lbad reached. He did not ste why the original 1motion should not pass, as uo harm could resuit from the distribution ot these reports before they were laid unon the table, HMe did not understand why it was not possible to bring down these accounts before the close of the session, for it was merely a question ot printing, and the members of the House really needed them.~ Mo agreed with the mover of the original motion that when brought down so late the accounts had lost their interest, not only to members of the House, but to the country as well. Mr. MORRIS--Except as Premier. w PA