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a + result, that the erection of new Provincial _ . that °:i'°' "'::::: : :ll'g:':s"l:":c?":gle":' ::;; buildings would have this tendency, he l that contempiated by Mr, Sandileld Muc thought the money would be welt expend. f ;l:)n:'t.:::n C 'l?hoy had -- based . thoiv ut | od, even if it should cost the whole otf the culation upon the cuble sprose of | h;lt million of doliars, (Applause and 6 --% the building to be erested, and they enoers.} ~ had placed the cost per toot of this Mr, MEREDITH regretted tbhat the < cubic space at 15 cents per foot. 'The Government had not brought the matter buildings that were projected in 1853 were before the House at an carlier stage of the estimated at about throo ponce one farth. session. When the subject was brourht 3 ing per foot, but in 1856--7, when that before the House in 1873 by the then k came to be revised by architects of the member for West Elgin, it was found that Public Works Department, the estimate \ a number of gentlemen, including the 3 was doubled and made cqu"l to 'bout 13 : At'orney_aouorl". were opposed to any M . conte, In placing m% ggg;gg_t\g »t 15 | action at that time, _ He believed that if ' j cents they 13? ma. compatison with the | the Government had told the country in the % cost of séteral public buildings, which had | last election of their purpose in reference 5 lately been erected in the city, He had to the now buildings they would not haye ; taken the trouble to ascertain the cost of recoived the support of the country. As some of those buildings, and while gy%y | to the finaucial position of the country, he | were much more ornate and coftly claimed that almost the whole amount ' than the style of building proposed to be which was claimed as surplus was pledged erected tor the Provinoe, they were found on account of railways. For the past % in almost every case to have cost less than three yoars thore had been annual deficits, the Government estimated. 'The building and the deficit this year over the expendi. lately erected on the corner of Toronto ture asked for public buildings cannot be l and Court streets cost only 13 cents per less than $125,000, In view of these facts, #; f foot, 'The new building on the corner | in view of the large sum to be taken out of ' of Scott and Front streets had two fronts | the surplus for the purpose of satistying its of cut stone, and it only cost 104 conts ' liabitity to rallways, and the fact that ' per foot, 'The Dominton Bank Msz, with < grants would bhavre to be given to other all its qrnamentation, only cost 104 cents. railways, ho contended that the financial ' 2 The building on the Sbrner of Wellingtion position of the Province was not such as R and Scott strects, supposed to be the to warrant the expenditure asked for f i handsomest in the city, only cost, with unless it was absolutely nec?mry and in t 9 its brown stone front, 16 cents, The the public interest. In reference to the Uamilton Court House, a new building arguments adduced by the Commissioner % recently put up, and a building much of Public Works he was glad that they had i more expcnsivo than the one proposod' not Ileard thO arKument that tb. hcaltll of cost only 14 cents, apd the Afail building the members absolutely required the erec-- ouly cost 6 cents,. _ Tho Government did tion of the buildings, 'The hon. gen. d not intond to exceed to any appreciable ex. tleman's statements as to the expenditures % tent the exponditure 0f$500,000, and if they for repairs on the Government buildings ° found that the buildings would cost any. last year was ontirely misleading. In thing like $50,000 more they did not in. the Accounts it would be seen that the tend to go beyond the sanciion of the House expenditures for repairs in 1876 amounted ' K and make the additional outlay without '°'$3-343 21. In 1877, $3,139 11; 1879, ~ authority, Te Government proposed to $22,536 01, or three times l'n.the last year e erect the new buildings without requiring what it actually was. _ 'Then with the | that the Province would have one doillat Government House, It was a well--built ~< | more investea in Provincial buildings house, but the expenditure for repairs . | than it had at prosent. As to the value had been in 1876 $7,44416; ia 1877, f of the block ot land upon which the A | §3830 095 ; in 1878, $2,77785; and in % f buildings are at present situated, the Pub. \_..,.._| 1879, $3,841 33. . Now, any argument at« $ | lic Works Department in 1873 valued the tempted to be drawn from such a com. : ; |land at $800,000. 'Then he had the MR parison woulc'l certainly fail to have any f opinion of the Assessment Commission o RY effect,. _ Such a statement should not @ ofthe city, a gentleman whose largo ex-- V bave been aliowed in the Public Ac-- perlence would entitle his opinion to great counts, In 1867, the system of the Pro. ' weight. Mr. Maughan valued the 957 vyincial Government under Mr. Sandfield L feet on Front--«treet, running back to the 'Macdonnhl had be&n O6fe of etonomy, , C middle of the block, at $150° per foot, and { k They had expended large sums in repairs, the same frontage on Wellington--stroet at ' and cerlainly the parallel was not a fair $100 per foot, making in all $239,250 as one, Io 1873 the House had come to the ~ its value, and ho said in his letter * this conclusion that the buildings were not § is a moderateo valuation.'" He had the| \\~ unfit for the keeping of the public docu» ha opinion of another gentleman, whoso l | % ments; $125,000 had been asked for in ~% nameo h° was not pormit'ed to givo (0 the _-/ 1873 for the bullding Of & "inz. Th's :' | effect that if the Government cared'to hold es P"d been reduced to $25,000 for the build. © ,to the land they would realize not less ing of a fire--proof vault, The position f: | than _ $500,006 for it. (Aplifiusa ) taken then favoured the position taken by ' | His hon. friend would probably not dl.S- the _()ppositlon. The sum was t'uougu'c | pute the opinion of Ald. Close, one of the , sufficiont to build a fire--proof wing in the largest speculators in the c"',: He placed ; westernu town lines limits, and he was | the prosqut ralue of the front at $175 per t p e poca is #hAF t . whas suficient | foot, &ud that on ellington--street at now, 'Jhe hon. qffl"?man seemed to thirk $125, makiog in all 3387.000 for tfa!e block that t!" T C0en bmldlng. wore entire!y and he said, ** Of course, if laid out h; unfit for the use of the legislators, He ' small lof¢ it wou!d realize much iore," vontured to say that the electors, if they | 3 The opinion of Mr, McMurray bad al;o had an opportunity to exbress an opinion, | I been obtained, to tip effect that the land would not °nd?"? that. They might | | § would bring 'at preseit $263,175. . The say that if the buildings were needed, and l , opinions of these three indopen'dcni gc": coulq ve erected for a reasovable sum, @ i < tliemen of the city, all of them gentlem on | that it would not be a disadvantage, The | of experience and judgment, were entitled | j posibioh taken by the hon. gentleman that ' to be believed by the House, Supposing | | the presont buildings were not convenient that theo present value of the land were | to one another, and that they were 1solntqd, ] placed at $200,000, then add to that the ! | would go to the country and would mis-- ' valuc of the eighty acres in the Weaicrh | lead. _ 'The buildings were just as | part of the city at $2,000 per acre, there @convenicnt As thos'e now in use in | \ would be $360,000, and the position Would p | Oitawa, _ (Cheers.) 'The argument had 2 ? be that the Province would only be asked been used _ that it . was . necessary to pay out of its exchequer the sum of to erect new builnings ~to protect $140,000 for theso uow Departmental the documents of the Crown Lands De. ® buildings, (Appla.uso.) In view of ;thes Aord that there Beracind ¥ArbrOY oo lacts, the Government 'might well ask the tend that there were no valuable docu. House--when it had become Tievesy x'f ments, but he did contend that there were that one of two things had to be done n;' a large number of documents in the yvaults assent to a proposition that would inv;I_vo which were rubbish, and that much more at the very worst a no larger expcnduo had been made of the argument than there ture than that, It had been said 5y .'; was really in it, (Cheers.) Under the . eminent writer that this action would tond position taken by the (_}ovornmgnt, there « to perpetuate in this country Fedcral was either one of two things, Either they | union as against legislative union, . Ifs were magnifying the daugole Stenily. of had only to add that if that were to be the tup Goversment bad"\ been gullsy of | doing that for seven . long _ years & omm 2222 s e t n