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THE LEQISLATUREK 'Members Re--Assembled and > Ready for Business. THE WORK 80 FAR DONE. Speeches by Messrs. White, Bal--| four and Others. , Bills Introduced--Night Sessions and Hard' Work Hereafter--Business Should be | Finished This Month, | ToroNTo, 31st March. The Provincial Legislature re--assembled to-- | day after the Easter recess, which began on | Thursday last. This has been a long session ' already, judging by the time when the House opened, but circumstances have been against the members settling down to business, and consequently comparatively little has yet been done. The House was called to assemble on 11th February, but between the issue of the proclamation and the time of meeting the Do-- minion electios were announced, and it was known in advance that even if the attempt were made no real progress could be made with the work of the session. 'The House therefore.did no more than meet, elect the new Speaker, Hon. Thomas Ballantyne, and listen to the speech of his Honor the Lieutenant--Gov-- ernor before taking a holiday to the 10th March. Meantime the groat national contest took place and most of the members of the House made doughty fight for their respective sides. It was natural, therefore, that on assembling five days after election day there should be a cor-- tain disinclination to take up the work active-- ly. The delays necessary under the rules of the House were rather welcomed by a major-- ity of the members, and the House was just getting into good working swing when the Faster holidays loomed up and modified the ardor of even the most energetic. A good many bills were introduced and still others given notice of, some questions were asked, a good many notices of motion put on the paper and some of theimn moved, but on the whole the work was not pushed as it would have | been had there not been the certainty of a | break in the session. It is but fair to say that, ' so far as the Governmint is concern-- ed, there was no unnccessary delay, There are ample proofs of this in the fact that the «public accounts were on the table on Monday, ?(ut,h March, less than a week after resuming business after the first adjournment. To--day there are two Government bills standing for third reading, and these are the only bills that have reached that st.u.%u. Moreover the esti-- mates were ready on the £3rd March, and theo 'Treasurer delivered his budget speech on the following day. The budget debate is the principal feature of the session thus far. It was attended with sopgcial interest, because the new Treasurer, Hion. Richard Harcourt, whom all admire and who as much as any other member has the good--will of the representatives on both sides of the House, was to make his first budget speech,. That he acquitted himself well goes without saying in the minds of those who have watched his career and have heard him speak. : The financial conditionof the Province wasnever more clearly presented to the House and the people. Pleasant things are being said in their speeches by members on both sides of the House, and no compliment that has yet been Yaid him is more thin is jnst,l{ due the new 'reasurer. 'The chief financial critic of the Dpposition is Mr. H. E. Clarke of Toronto. g.lr. Clarke suffers under the disadvantage of aving little to criticisa, but his speeches are always mt,ereat'i':g. On this, as on former occa-- sions, he presented some compilations of figures which were not casy to follow, thereby get-- t.naa& a disadvantage those who were ox-- pec to answer him. Mr. Clarko is always good--humored even in his strongest criticism, and thus his critics are led to treat with re-- '}peot every opinion that he advances. Mr. ai% who made so favorable an impression by | his first speech in the Housec (that made on | mov'l.':f the address), foilowed Mr. Clarke, and , replied to that gentloman fully and ably. Mr. Tait rather sufferel for lack of ma-- terial, Mr. Clarke having said so little that even the most ardent admirer of the