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3 i n m = . e fre -- it : 4 Dm P oh. +NAE ne--" k . en N S o s & '.'. ONTARIO LEGISLATURE. ® P TT O o czmmmal i FOURTH PARLIAMENT--THIRD SES SION. * (By Our Own Reporters.) c3 Te tiriyu en ulateebucial Sss e FRIpAY, Jan. 13. _ _ The Speaker took the chair at three o'clock,. PETITIONS. The following potitions were presented :-- hir. Wells--Pcetition of the Bell Telephone Com. pany of Canada, praying for an Act to amend their Act of incorporation, Mr. Baskervilie--Petition of the Ottawa Ladies College, praying for an Act to amend their Act of incorporation. + Mr. Moredith--Petition of the City Council of London, praying for an Act to incorporalte the London Junction Rail way (,'om|ll'nuy. F Mr. Youug--Potition of the Town Council o f Paris, praying for an Act to enable theim to con-- struct water--works ; also the petition of the Cana-- * da Landed Credit Co., praying for an Act to amend their Act of incorpation, Mr. Forris--Petition of the Toronto and Ottawa * Railway Co. ; also of the Midiand itailway Co. ; nl=o of the Whitby, Port Perry, and Lindsay Ry. Co. ; also of the Toronto & Nipissing IMailway Co.; a'so of the Victoria lailway Co.; aiso of the . Grand Junction Railway Co.. severaliy praying that an Act may pass to coniirm a certain a gree--* ment between the Toroxto and Nipissing and other railways. 9 THE ADDRESS. Mr. IIAY, in moving the Address in reply to the Speech from the Thronc, congratulated the Houso, in the tirst place, upon the prosperous con-- dition of the country, to which relerence is made in the opening paragraph. 'There wore those who professed to entertain the idea that the fiscal policy of the Dominion Government had a great deal to do with this prosperity, ignoring in a large measure the real causes, which wore to be found in the abundant harvests of the past two years, the revival of foreign trade, and the increased de-- mund for the products of the forest and tield. In a dealing with this subjecithe quoted from the Trade and Navigation returns tor the last three years in #1pport of the sell--evident proposition that the comdition of the country is to be _ at-- tributed -- almost entirely to _ these causes. 'The returns showed that in 1879 the exvorts from the Dominion amounted to $30,033.571, in 1339 they hud increased to $70,0%,131, and in 1881 to 831.591.000 During the suame years the exports of roducts of the forest were, in 1873, $13,261,459 ; in hJO. $16.859,507 : und in 1831 they amounied to $25.016.000, -- In agricultural products the folowing were the exports for the years named:--For 1879, $19.623.461 : for 1330, $22.231,338 ; and for 1831 they wore $21.233.00) Of animais and wheir poducts there were exported in 1379 $14,064,000 ; in 1330, $17,007.579; ana in 1881, $21,345.0J1 in exports of r,'mlurls of the forest there was an increase in 831 over those of 1879 of $11,754,54! ; in animals and their producta there was an increase of 37,546,-- 3% ; and in agricultural products the returns showed an increase of $1.619,550, making a grand to al excess in the several branches of export in * 1831 over 1879 of $20,717,473. (Applause.) 'The pro-- duction by the population of the entire Dominion during the same tme showed an increase of $5 25 per head, or $25 per family ; that of the Province of Onturio ulone being $7 per capita and $35 per family. It was absurd to say that the fiscal policy of the Dominion Government had anythin to do with the revival of trade in the t,'ui(efi States, or with the late abundant harves(s, or the increased demand for agricultural products. It was contended, too. by the advocutes of protec-- tion, thut by the adoption of that policy the farmers of Canada had rega@ined possession of their own markets, a condition of things which he believed to be a national calamity instead of a national blessing. _1}y the operation of this policy the volume of traffic on our waterways and canals had larzely decreased, making thein less valuable as a medium oi trunsportetion from the West and North-- West. 'The returas for the port of Montreal indicate a large decrease in exports of grain and four, and the Corn Exchange of that city was at present appeuling to the Government for & repeal of the wheat duty. It was obvious from this that instead of seeking to exclude American products irom our murkets we should rather endeavour to secure as large a share as possible of the export trade of the United States, and thus create » source of national wealth in the employ-- ment given to our railways and canals. He thought no one would deny that had it not been for the revival of the agricultural interest the Province would have been in a worse position to g@ay than it was four years ago.ows):z to the largely diminished purchasing power of the people consequent upon the introduction of a protective rolm,v. Coming to the Ontamo Boundary Award, ie detailed at considerable length the alttempts which had been made from time to time to eifect a settiement of that question. 'The award made in 1878 gave Oniario a little more than double the area which the Dominion Government was will-- | ing to grant to it. or an acreaye of about 128,000.000 acres. He called thoir attention fort a few minutes to the churacter of the disputed territory,. 1i was said that it was a worthless traci of land. Even admitting that, they were still entitled to it as a matier of justice and right. 'The soil, it was true, was rough, yet they found in such localines a large tract of arable land, fit for seitiement, and capable of producing in larzse quantities such crops as wore groduced in Ontario. A country about one hun-- red miles in extent called the Rainy River dis-- trict, situated within the diué&;le«l territory, could aAccomodate a population of 200,0)) people.. 'There was a society lormed in the city represented by the leader oi the OQpposition, for the purpose of ©olonizing that district, but he presumed lgnt the , uncertain state of lulnfs deterred a number from going to that beautiful portion of Ontario. 'The timberresources of that district were immense, being estimated at 26,000,000,000 feet B.M. 'That . A %;" e hy s