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The Opposition had secured a. reduc- tion of tive cents in the cost of draw- ing books, and a similar reduction was possible with many other text-boooks, so that $38,000 saved on the drawing books would be a mere drop compared with the possible saving. The one great grievance among the parents of the country was the continued demand for school books. He criticized the ex- penditure on the asylums of the Pro- vince. The Government at Ottawa had i just come into power and were investi- gating, quite broperly,'tlte, doings ot l the late Government. and he believed that if there was a change of Govern- ment in Ontario investigation would ; show such abuses as had never before been revealed in Canada. This remark was made in connection with charges that the administration of the license law was used for partied? purposes. He claimed that tw 7 license- holders in " constituency'had- been refused licenses because they support- him. and could not secure them until thettutreed .to support the - 'w . T - tieirtii%'iG" ',iitii.iiRiih5F,i?,! ey than the ONqettt..rr _ the ten yearn in which he had been in the House there had not been a year tn which some one had 'ttot been foisted on the country.- He charged that many unneces- sary _ hands were employed in the Crown Lands Department. We had, for instance, a park in the north, made a rark because it was totally um. tit for cultivation, and yet the three townships of which it was composed had been surveyed before it was made a park. For years and years these friends of the Government had been living on the country. The Opposition did not i'md fault with the expenditure for colonization roads, hut they object- ed when the money was spent, not for the benefit of the settlers, but went m- to the pockets of road bosses. He Com- plained that the Mimieo asylum, which was established for the accommodation of incura'o1es, and on that basis could he run more economically, was con.. ducted on the same basis as the others, and so the expense of all was_increased. The stationary expenses ot the Pro- vince. Dr. Meacham said, had been steadily increasing tor some years, and to support this statement he went back to 1875, and compared the ttnanoiat statements ot each Parliament, claiming that the Government had spent more than their revenue. It was claimed, they said, that the great expenditures of recent, years were due to the erection of Pub- l [in L..:I.u..._h. u,,,. .. - ,__', V-V'l-.uu UL pun- lic buildings, but the speaker claimed that there was an Increase in the last ten years. over and above the cost of public buildings. The Government said that they admitted the increase. but that it was due to the growing needs of the country. If this was so. there would he a steady increase in expendi- ture. But this was not the case. The Government had cut their coat accord- ing to their cloth and had spent their money whenever they had it. V At this point in of. Meacham's ad- dress an adjournment was made for dinner. Upon the resumption of the debate in the evening Dr. Meacham devoted his attention to the Education Depart- ment. During the term of otnee of the present Minister. he stated, the general expenditure of the Province had in- creased by 47 per cent., while that for education had increased 41 per cent.. which he regarded as a very fair and satisfactory condition of affairs. It bad been said that we had a system of free schools; that was true in one sense, but in another it was not a free system. He complained that the grants for Public. Schools had not increased in the proportion which their importance de- manded. The Opposition had been ac- cused of continually changing. but that was not the case. 'He had himself pointed out a few years ago that the regulations should be so altered as to materially increase the attendance. The attendance in the fifth class had been continually falling off, and he believed that this was due to the fact that the regulations made it the great object of every teacher to pass as many pupils through the entrance examinations as possible. the result being that the teacher's heart was not in the work of the fifth form. What was wanted-was that the regulations should be so ar- ranged that the teacher would have GiG"GcCirterdst in teaching the fifth form as in teaching the fourth. - EVENING SESSION. Mr. Matheson-Inquiry of Ministry: What were the dates of the orders in Council making the follow'ing reduc- tions in drainage assessment :--TiILury (West), $9,520.32: Tilt, ry (East), $12.- 860.00 ; Mersea, $790.69 ; Romney. $249.12. -e - 7H ,, , _.--...n.w, vlvVoVU ' Abulllllgy. 04237.14. Mr. Matheson-Bill to amend the County Councils act of 1896, construction of piers, ivirGVeCifrF-" docks and harbors. m Mr. Davis-nm to amend andS-evise thy. gepgral road companies act. Mr. Magwood complained that Mr. 'Harcourt had shown no new things. he had gone over the old ground. The 1(lovernment were seeking for so means of securing funds to run S' govu'nment. The Opposition had to years been telling the Government to; be careful or they would run aground and have no means to run the trovernr, 1m nt, but they had said "Pooh, pooh"" to these warnings. they had said "Look at the- magnificent timber re- SOUYT'CS of the country." The Agricul- 'iuml College, he declared, should be I run on a more economical plan. In a. l few years they would have to buy an- ,other 100 acres to hold all the heel- : ers who were employed on that farm. I Credit was taken for the work being done by the Farmers' Institutes, but the municipalities had to pay one-half of the expense. The educational system, he: declared, was run as a political machine in the interests ot the sup-1 porters of the Government. Again and again the Opposition had asked f increased grants to the rural sch but little had been done. . w-Ca' tinuatlon classes might be p _ oi? good results. He wr. "F-. that the license law w _ party purposes. The should have fewer so and kindred omcials a - i _ the legitimate setwi e CO Mr. 1intrt"ti-Bitt to amend the registry act of 1gtttc,e' Mr. Crawford-Bill to amend the ass- essment act. M. . _ Mr. Gibson (Hamtttonr---Bi11 to amend and revise the 't t respecting joint stock iiiii'iial'iitiilliidii'ii',1cytj,in)'i cities, towns and vill h gas and water. Bill to amend and revise the act respecting joint stock companies for the erection of exhibition buildings. Bi" to amend and revise the act re- specting joint stock companies for the At 9.30 o'clock Mr. Craig 4illil? adjournment of the debate, motion of the Attorney-General House was adjourned. Mr. Middleton, on rising to adi the House, said that he was in a. so what peculiar position, following two doctors-he was in the tombstone line himself. (Laughter.) He defended the succession dutfes,which were a Just form of taxation and went a long way to support the charities aided by the Government. The, money spe t on the asylums was money well spat. and the farming community realized that the same remark applied to the money Spent for the encouragement of est-b, culture. He predicted for the Hardy Administration a long and Prosperous term of otruee. - _,_--- "no "lUUun 1ii.iked the doctor to furnish him with the names '0! these two applicants, but Dr. Meacham would not do so. Mr. Harcourt then asked him to give him the names confidentially and he would have the matter thoroughly investi- gated, but Dr. Meacham would not agree to,do this. He closed his mr. dress by claiming that the Opposition had done more to mould public opin- ion and to secure good laws than an)" equal number of members on the Gov- ' crnment side of the House. I NOTICES OF MOTION . MIDDLETON. Mr. Marcourt