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Mr, MULHOLLAND moved fora return of copies of any correspondence between the Minister of Education or any other member of the Government and the authorities of any of the Universities or Colleges of the Pro-- vince, respecting a proposed Federation of «Colleges, referred to by Illis Honour the Lieutenant--Governor in his Speech at the opening of the Legislature, on the 28th of January, 1885. Carried GRANTS TO AGRICULTURAL SsO-- CIET@ES. Mr, WOOD moved for a return giving a statement of the expenditure of the sum set aside for (fram-s to Agricultural Societies in outlying districts for the years 1884 and 1885, with a copy of the Departmental Order regu-- lating the distribution of the same. He said that on looking at the ?ublic accounts he observed that the ex[wm iture amounted to only about one--half of the sum appropriated. The distribution, so far as he had learneod, had done much good. In two or three places in the northern parts of his county it had been the _ means of -- creating _ inter-- est _ in the matter, and of _ encour-- aging the people to form _ societies w hich otherwise would not have beenformed. But the existence of the fund was not very well known, and still less was known of %he regulations which governed the distri-- AUCTLOD. they may desire in that direction to the effect that the appointment shall only be as long as the Scort Act may be in force in the county ; and that on tile request of the County Council at the expiration of the three years the appointment wi l be cancelled. HOLDING OF INQUESTS. ,_ Mr. ERMATINGERasked whether it is the intention of the $Government to introduce legislation during the present session having for its object the removal or partial removal of the restrictions imposed upon coroners in cespect to the ordering ofinquests to be held. Mr. MEREDITH--Not even under sideration. Hon. 0. MOWAT--It is not the intention lsf the Government to introduce such legis-- ation. Hon. A. M. ROSS agreed with the hon. member that the fund was likely to DO A GREAT DEAL oF® GooP in the outlying districts, and he would like to see more advantage taken of it, There were no departmental regulations governing it. The fund was for the purpose of assist-- ing societies in outlying districis which had no connection with the regularly organized electoral district societies. | The amount of aid was to a large _ extent proportionate to the amount su{:scrib d 10 cally, but there was no general rule. The amounts would be found in the Public Ac counts of 1884 ard 1885, hut he supposad the hon. member's object was to make it more generally known that there was a fund for the assistance of the Poorer societies, and with that object he fully sympathized. HMe trusted that the fund would in future be drawn upon to _ a Iari.gcr extent. _ It was desirable that aid should not be given except where the people themselves mani-- fested a disposition to further the object in view. 'The motion was withdrawn. ORDERS FOR RETU:NS. Mr. CARNEGIE moved for a return giving Information with regard to all lots or parts of lots in the Townships of Aslj)llodel, Douro, and Otonabee, in the County of Peterborough. \rseiEbinact . o ) c iO c oi) c ol 6n TT t lb ind _.C SURROGATE COURTsS. Mr. FRENCH moved the second reading of the Bill to amend the Surrogate Courts'® Act, pnd reagectluu the estates of deceased per-- sons and -- minors. He said the principle of the Bill is to provide a remedy in the county instead of going to the High Court of Justice. For instance a surety for a trustee caunut take any action now in the --coumty, huat must #o tecthes Hish Court of Justice. _ He nropas-- ed atso to give a widow, whore there were no children, a larger intoroest in an estate if she became poor. Hon. Q. MOWAT asked th should stand for a day or two, The Bill was allowed to stand, Mr. ERMATINGER moved tae second reading of the Bill to extond the hours of polling in legislative and municipal elections. Te proposed the Bill solely in the interests (,n{w, working classes, lHe proposed that the hours should be from 6 a.m,. to 7:30 p.m. He also proposed to extend the hour of poll-- ing at ui_tlu-'r (:l'n'lj_':( "_h'c'tla'\'. ¥ Hon. A. 8. 1IMARDY --I suppose if it were pretty well understood that a large section of the community of any class had reasons far desiving a change in the present law the House wonuld be only too glad to grant the requisite privilege,. 'The, hours of voting at FEDERATION OF COLLEGKES. HOURHS OF POLLINXG, that the Bil | e«perience that the great bulk of the vote is | polled before two or at the furthest three | a clock, and, except a very rare voter, after | that houris past it is only the hanger--on who waits till the last moment for the reason | that he perhaps requires more substantial | reasons than the . public concern in order to | induce him to vote. You will find that the | _ FRAUDS WHICH COULD NOT BE DETECTED. Ie would have from one to two hours when the poll might be broken into and the poll |desl royed all under cover of darkness, and he is not able to give us any good reason for I the change he asks to be made in the laws. ' As to whether the hours of voting have been 'found to be too long or too short must be decided -- by the _ consensus of _ opin-- , ion of all --concerned. Usually it will |be found -- that the working _ classes 'have at least an hour and sometimes | an hour and a half qiven by the manufactur-- | ers at mid--day at which they may vote, and very many give the opportunity at nearly any hour the workman finds most conveni-- ent. I think Iam safe in saying that there is no manufacturer who does not allow his workmen an hour at noon, and if he does not there certainly would be no objection to a man leaving his work a little before the usual time in the evening for this purpose. It would be very rare indeed that he found the time of his absence stopped out of his wages, and even if there was a rare case of individual hardship from this, it seems to be better that it -- should hbe borne than that a well--settled law should be changed,. -- Then again, therewould be no way of settling or announcing the result that evening. _ I believe it is better that the con-- | tests should be short and sharp, and that the | people should know whom they have elected, | should celebrate the victory, or condole with | the defeated on the evening of the contest. | We have always thought that in these mat-- ters there should be no waste of time. As it 'is now, the men are carrying the boxes in | open day, and we can well understand that in | (',{ose contests, or in turbulent parts of a con-- | stituency, there might be an attack. Again, if a man had to take the ballot--boxes home, there was a temptation to do things not under the present practice. _ The law as it now stands, in havingeverythingdone in open | daylight, does away with much inducement to | wrong--doing, and much temptation is re-- | moved. _ For the reasons that no grievance l has been established, that no petitions have been sent in for it, that there is no demand the present time are wl understood, and are the hours chosen as best for the conveni-- ence of the general publicand for all classes of it ; they are convenient for the candidates, the Returning--officers, and the scrutineers, and I think that my hon. friend before mov. ing for a change in the well--established law, and one affecting so universally the people, should have been able to make out a strong case,. _ HMe should have shown hardship, in thr first place, in the operation of the pre-- sent law ; or, in the second place, a desire on the part of the <-unnnunilly. or some large classes of it, that there should be a (ehzu!gu in the direction in which his Bill points. Now, Sir, I have not seen that a petition has been presented to this House on this point. 1 don't say that that is a conclusive argument against the Bill, but neithor doI see that either the general public or the labourer are now under any great inconvenience, and I have always been of the opinion that the hours are reasonable hours, both suited to the people at large, the candidates, and the officers. -- It is well known that our POLLING PLACES ARE S0O ARRANGED that only 200 voters are called upon to cast their votes in any one place, _ These can do so in two and a--half hours, but it is also well known that not nearly the maximum votes are recorded at any one polling place, and _ therefore the time I have given is ample. Further, it is the general only class who generally hold off is the very doubtful class f have mentioned. Nor do I think, Mr. Speaker, that he strikes at any grievance by his Bill, I do not know that the hours have been complained of by any set of persons. lt secems to be the vory popular thing just now for persons to sail in under the flag of the workingman, but 1 don't think that the workingimen recognize as their champions self--appointed advocates. They are quite competent to make their views known to representatives in this House. The Bill suggests that the polling_ hour commence at 6 o'clock. I would like to see what set of men are anx-- ious to drag themselves out of bed in order to vote at 6 o'clock in the morning. That is not the hour the workingnman chooses to vote. At 6 o'clock in the morning it would be dark in the winter time, Now the hours at the opening and closing of the }})oll are the oc-- casions when it is essential there should be the light of day for the utmost scrutiny. I submit that to extend the hours of voting to the times that the hon. member nentions would be to open the doors to grave