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Hon. A. 8. HARDY said the return would be found in sessional paper No. 81 of 1885. GAS AND WaATER COMPANIES. Mr. CARNEGIE moved the second reading of the Bill to amend the Act respecting joint stock companies for supplying cities, towns, and villages with gas and water. The Bill provides that $100,000 may be borrowed for gas or water--works in cities and towns, and $40,000 in villages. The Bill was read a second thre, and referred to the Municipal Committee. The Speaker took the chair at three o'clock. PRESENTATION OF REPORTS. Mr. Gibson presented the third report of the Committee on Private Bills. Hon. 'F. B. Pardee presented the fourth re-- port of the Comumittee on Railways. FIRST READINGS. The following Bills were read a first time :-- Mr. Wood--To prevent minotrs frequenting billiard, bagateile, and pool rooms. Mr. Freeman--Respecting gas and water companies, Mr. Balfour--To incorporate the Don Tram-- way Company. fir. Clancy--To anend the Municipal Act. s Iion.yg).il\{;)wat----Respecting the estates of deteaged persons. o ~ C i7 c C=0ly _ ._; LEAMINGTON AND ST. CLAIR RAIL WAY,. On motion of Mr. BALFOUR, the Bill re-- specting the Leamington & St. Clair Rail-- way was read a third time. JOINT STOCK COS'. RETURXNS. Mr. LEES asked whether the Government hbave received from the different Joint Stock Road Companies the Returns retiuired by Bections six and sevan of Chapter 24, 47 Vic., as asked for last Session. Fifth Parliament ------ Third Session. TOLLS ON ROADS AND BRIDGES. Mr. BAXTER moved the second reading of a Bill to amend the Municipal Act. The section which he mpoqed to amend allowed inunicipalities to become lessees of a bridge or road. -- The present Bill was intended (to authorize the municipalities to au&g'lrc the ri%ht to collect tolls. _ There was at Dunville a bridge maintained by the Dominion Gov-- ernment, for the use of which tolls were paid. The municipality wished to become the lessces of the bridge, and make it free to the public. _ _ y SUPPLY. The House, in Committee of Supply, pass-- ed the following estimates under the head of Civil Government for salaries and con-- ting&lcies :~---- Lieutenant--Governor's Office, $3.0980 ; Executive and Attorney--General's Office ,$15,630. Hon. 0. MOWAT said he could not gat him for less. HMe knew that the gentleman from his private practice was obtaining more than the salary he was appointed at. _ There was no man available for the place with the necessary qualifications who could have been got for less money, and he could not do bet-- ter for the country than had been done. Department of Education, $21,000. Department of Crown Lands, 338,660. Rg?rding the increase of $3,350 in the lat-- ter Department, t Hon. T. B. PARDEE explained that the in-- crease was due to various increases in salary af from $100 down to $50 : then there ware three new apglointmeuts of clerks who had been in the office for several years, who had 'been put on the permanent list, Mr. Drury--Respecting the Midland June: tion Railway Co. Mr. MEREDITH, on the latter item, point-- ed out that the new Deputy Attorney--Gener-- al had been appointed at the same salary as Mr,. Scott had at the time of his leaving. _ Mr. MERRICK charged that in taking a votefor contingencies in a lump sum the House had been 'deceived as to the number of employees. _ Masaid a few years ago the Commissioner of Crown Lands had stated By Out Own Reporters.) n# Frinpaxy, Feb. 19. that he had reduced his staff, while at the same time there were officers paid out of contimiem-ies. He asked if there were any »ther clerks paid in the same manner, _ _ Hon. T. B, PARDEE said the hon. gentle-- man had not dealt fairly with the fi:mse. For the last two or three years he had in-- formed the House of these clerks being in the Service. It was impossible to do the work of a Department such as his without a certain amount of extra clerks. _ The cases had been mentioned in the House repeatedly, and it was well known that they were in the service of the House. 'There was no attempt at deception, and no deception. -- The names were all in the Public Accounts, and to be seen by any, 'The work of the Department was increasging, as while formerly they could let blocks of land for limits, now they had to be specified by lots, owing to the increase in settlement. Mry, MEREDITH asked where the Provin-- cial Secretary's Civil Service Bill was, Hon,. A, S. HARDY--He might say as the member from (¢irey said about railways, " It Was still there." 'About the only point in the Act they did not carry out was that reélating to the increases in the salaries. If they had turried out the Act the House would have found that clerks now getting $800, $900, and $1,000 would have been getting the ' full $1,400. In that sense they had not been able to carry out the Act as fast as it wasintended. The items were passed. ~ -- ~ --__ _ _ _=--~ Department of Public Works.........$18,130 Treasury Department................. 17,975 Department of Agriculture............ 1,300 Secretary and Registrar's Department 30,650 Hon, A. 8. HARDY, explaining the increase of $1,450 in the estimate for Secrétary and Registrar's office, said that it was partly caused by the employment of an engrossing elerk, an official -- who should have been em-- };I;R'ed long ago. A fireat many.new branches [ been undertaken by the Department from year to year, and the amount of work had very largely increased, The items passed. lnnnl'fiution #$1,600. Mr. ERMATINGER thought that it was a question for Government to consider whether the expenditure for immigration might not cease or be reduced'to a nominal figure, stringent rules were laid down last P'ea.r. All the agencies outside of Toronto which had power to give money were closed, and the agents withdrawn except at Hamilton. Even at Toronto the most stringent rules were laid down as to the aid that should be given. The only persons entitled to be sent to various parts of the Province were agricultural _ labourers and domestic servants, and no assistance was given to _ these when they were in _ a position to pay their own expenses--the hon. gentleman could see how simall was the amount expended--only $2,000 or $3,000 for provisicns, and a similar amount for railway expenses. The I)e'parmnem, however, had dune a great deal of work IN OBTATINING SITUATIONS forimmigrants. Thestaff wasemployed during the past summer in this way, -- During that siummer the demand for agricultural labour-- ers was vety great, more than the Depart-- ment could squlv. The stringency of the ruies adopted by the Department would be geen when it was stated that the Dominion immigration agent had sometimes granted {msses to pesons who had been refused by heOntario repartment, although the Domin-- ion Go\'ernme?t. had refused toundertake this whole work. 'The working of the Degarum-m had been veduced to the minimuimn, but there must always be a staff for the purpose of settling and finding employment for immi-- grants on their arrival here, 5 _ Mr. MEREDITH said there appeared to him to be very few reasons why the Province should maintain an immigration system. ' The Dominion Government must always keep bp an immigration system, and its agents in | | Englaud could do all that the agents appoint-- Mon. A. 8. HARDY said that the entive English staft' consisted of an agent and one clerk. The cgopcnditnrc in immigration in 1884 was $44,000 ; it was reduced in 1885 to $19,000, and the estimate was $18,000, a very small sum. -- The only money paid for travel-- ling expenses was fordistribution for Toronto as a centre. The item passed. Public Institutions, f9,274. Provincial Board of Health, $8,400. HMHon. A. M. ROSS, in Egglainingthe incréase of $1,750, stated that ? of it was due tothe increase of salary to the Secretary. This was needed by the increased time which the See-- retary had to give to his duties. There was also an increase in printing, and one of $1,000 for sanitary investi%ntiéns and health con-- ferences. The officials of the branch had at-- tained notice outside of the Province, and were often asked to attend conferences. . ed by Ontario could do. on, A. 8. HARDY said that the most Mr. MEREDITH pointed out that there