The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Mr. MOWAT said it was extremely desirable something should be done for the better detection of crime in the rural parts of the country. Many crimes wont unpunished through want of an efficient police force in the locality. Me had re: ceived a groat many replies to the circular al'uded to from various oKich.ls conuected with the ad-- ministration of justice. © 'The answers had been copied and bound and the suggestions mentioned in them might prove of service, but at present he had no dofinite suggestion to offer Mr. Ml'lRl']l)lTh retersed to the conduct of frequent a few years ago, and he thought & siini-- ]"'q'y satem miglft be u'fu;)t.ed in other parts of the Province, especially in his section of the country, on the Detroit River, o which criminals, came from the other side and committed depredations with more er less impunity. T y 'y 3 some magistrates, who, instead of settling dis putes, were hot--beds of strife in their neighbour-- hood. _ It might be well to have stipendiary magistrates appointod in certain districts to deal with crime, instead of leaving it to ordinary magistrates, -- The motion carried. It being one o'clock the Speaker left the chair. After recess, HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICTS. Mr. FRENCH moved that it is desirable that the attention of the Govearnment be drawn to the discriminating legislation passed by this HMouse against High and Model Schools in municipalities separated from counties for municipal purposes, And that it is unjust where such schools are made free to the public i'uemlly that they sho@ld not be assisted by the county councils, Mr, MULHOLLAND supported the motion. The High Schools in tewns could be assisted by the Government giving a grant. A lump sum might be given by the County Council, or a sum in proportion to the number of students from the counties, Mr. METCALFE supported the motion. Mr. PRESTON considered it would be very unfair to ask counties to contribute to High Schools in the teowns when they had their High Schools to support. Mr. FERRIS said it must be remembered that tho towns withdrew from the counties volun-- tarily to escape general taxation in the counties, Mr. BRERETON opposed the imotiou, , Mr. ROBILLARD suggesteq the remedy was in the hands of the towns, as they could charge a foe. Mr. BALFOUR couid not agree with the mo-- tion,. -- This matter was generally a imatter of agreement when the municipalities separated. It was not fair that the whole county should be taxed for the sake of the towns when a portion only of the county was benefitted by the school. Acain, the townships immediately surrounding could assist if they chose. d Mr. ROSS (Middlesex) said in towns not separated from the counties the county was oblig-- ed to contribute an amount equivalent to the Governiment grant, but otherwise the counties were not obliged to contribute. 'The counties, however, looked upon the imatter with more liberality than the law compelled them, that of Eigin being much more than the amount of the Government grant, -- There was some force in the arcaument of the member for Leeds and Gren:-- ville, as a high school did more than local work. It had been suggested that the counties should be divided into high school districts, and this could e done even now. Mr. FRENCH--Could we compel the separat-- ed towns to contribute ? -- F N: Mr. RKOSS said he did not see why they could not put certain portions of a county to a town just us well as make a whole county a J"ut.rict. The only question was whether they should make the formation of Hig'a School districts obligatory. He suggested that the motion should not be pressed at present and he would consider the maiter. Mr, CARNEGIE asked if a county could, ac-- cording to the claw as it now stood, leave a part of the county out of a High School district alto-- gokhet. _ lss L. UA . k. @9 Mr. ROSS said his impression was, as the law stood, County Councils were compelled to divide the whole of the county if they did anything in the matter, It was obvious that if it were other-- wise they would make the town in which the High School was situated the High School dis-- trict and nothing more, Mr. FRENCH then withdrew the motion, THE BANK DEPOSIT. Mr. MEREDITH moved in the absence of Mr. Kerrfor a return showing the amount of Provincial money in banks on the 1st day of January, February, March, 1884, and the inter-- est it bears. The motion was carried. + THE SPECIAL DEPOSITS. Mr. ROSS (Huron), in ro}vly to Mr. Carnecie, said that since the lst of January $716,784 71 had been deposited in banks on special deposit. On January 4th there was deposited in the Bank of Commerce $100,000 ; the Imperial Bank, $150,000 ; Federal Bank, $150,000 ; Dominion Bank, $150,000 ; Ontario Bank, $116,784 71 ; and on the 5th Feb., in the Bank of Commerce, $50,000, ?_a!:'i'n'g't'i:?'tou'xl gf 3'7_16:784 TL spngonne C e EmmAE _ 422 d ic d c h in hk Mr. MEREDITH asked whether the d maup stt thare oc had boen Withdraity, t ---- . _ Mr. ROSS stated that 'at the present time the amount on special deposit at interest was $889,410. PITCHES AND WATERCOURSES, The House in Committee of the Whole re-- Trontier, which were ported the bill to amend the Act respecting ditches and watercourses -- The bill provides for the carrying of a drain to a proper outlet, and it was amended so that if the owner of land through which the drain passes does not wish to go to the expense of the drain he may consent to the drain stopping on his land. _ EXTENSION OF _COUNTY COURT JURISUICTION. Mr. MEREDITH moved the second reading of his bill to amend the County Courts Act. The object of the bill, he explained, was to restore to the County Courts the e(}ultable jurisdiction they formerly possessed, and also to enlarge their present common law jurisdiction,. 'The Superior Courts were now practically one, and they had jurisdiction in equitab e and common law cases indiscriminately, and he favoured bringing the County Court" inito hm'mon{) with the system. Since the extension of the Division Court the business of the County Caurts had greatly do-- creased, while there was a groat block in the Court of Appeal, and for this reason it fol-- lowed there shouid be an extension of the lowed there shouid be an extension of the county courts' jurisdiction, 'There was, besides, a strong fesling in favour of decentralizing the administration of justice, that as far as possible the transaction of all legal business should be brought home to the locality, It was, therefore, the object of the bill to make a very considqerahle extension of the jurisdiction of the County Court. i It was propoased to increase its jurisdiction in | personal actions for debt from $200 to $500, In | causes relating to debt, covenant and contract, where the amount is liquidated or ascertained by tlhe signature of the defondant, it was proposed to increase the purisdiction from $400 to $1,000. Actions of replevin were to be raised to $500. Thnen it was proposed to restore to the court its old equitable jurisdiction, _such as relating -- to partnershnip, accounts, creditors in the estate of deceased persons, legatees, and equitable relief 'gengrally when under the sum of $1,000. The .Cuunty Court Judges were becoming more quali-- fed to deal with these cases, and they had imuch leisure on their hands. The fourth section pro--' vided for injunctions to restrain, waste, or trespass, somewhat similar to the old Act. An-- other provision provided for the framing ot rules by the Chancery Judges. In term instead ofi' there being a single judge to hear cases it wias proposed to have both senior and junior judge to sit together when practicable. The next provision was one in force in England, permitting parties . to allow the county courts to have jurisdiction in any matter by mutual consent, and to perimit any jurisdiction to lie when the defendant did not dispute it, These provisigns in the Enpglish Act had worked very satisfactorily. The bil!, in the speaker's opinion, would tend to the decentralization of the legal business, to cheapen litigation, and relieve the judges of the Migh Court. the reasons urged by his hon, friend in favour of the bill was that it would remove the block of cases now before the Court of Appeni. The fact was the bill would tend sto increase that block, becauso the appeals from the County Court wore to the Court of Appeal. There was, no doubt, a block of cases before the Appeal Court now, but he expected a few months would remove it all, or at most another year, His hon. friend suggosted the object he had in view was to have litigation transacted in the locality, To a large extout suits brought in the High Court were disposed of in the locality. The pavers were rll filed there, and the County Couci judges had ,jurindiction in OGhamBer motions, Mostly all Chamber applications were made before the «County Court judge, thou'zh the suit was nomin-- 'ally in the High Court. 'This argument of his hon, friend, that cases would be tried in tho locality, had more of the appearance of foree than it had of the reality of force. What additional burden the proposed changes would impose on the County Court judges was a matter that must be considered before any change be \mado in the laws. -- His hon. friend had not col-- lectod information of that kind, nor how much business it would be prudent to add to the pre-- \ sent duties of county judges. Mr. MOWAT sard he didn't suppose his hon, friend expected them to deal with so imnor%-mt x matter during the present session. Consider-- ing the late stage it was brought down, it was almost impossible to do it. _ He had no feeling against extending the jur:sdiction of the County Court, _ Numerous representations had reached him as to the desirability of amending the law, but so far as he knew no practical grievance had arisen from the present state of !.hl'ugs.' One UE Mr: MEREDITH said it was patent the County Court judges had nothing at all to do at present. P~°_--V OB Mr. MOWAT said they had been complaining too much was being given them to do. _ He had several times had it represented to him that by reason of recent lequslation of this House a great _ amount of _ work _ had ~fallen -- on them, so that they bai now more duties to perform than they had some years ago. He didn't say but that they had time to attend to more business, and if they had not enough to do it was the duty of the Government to employ their time more if practicable. The equitable jurisdiction formerly given to County Courts had hever beon exeraised, because thore was not a familiarity on the part of county judges of equitable matters, which was, however, gradually being acquired by thein sinco; there was not a familiarity with the procaodure in equity suits. He didn't know of half a dozen suits being brought in the Province under the equitable juris« m