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

%flafl Carscallen, Stratton and Pat-- l0 also explained that they had not opposed the torlz scheme merely, but the general powefs that were asked for. Mr. Foy thought a mistake had been made in dealtng only with the pre-- amble of the bill and refusing to dis-- cuss the matter further after deciding that portion. The motion carried. No Junior Judge. Mr. Hoyle continued his remarks on the motion for the second reading of the bill to prohibit the appointment of a@a junior Judge in the County of On-- tario. _ _ He declared that he alone was responsible for the bill, and his col-- ]leagues in the Opposition were not in any way identified with it. The press of Ontario County, irrespective of po-- litiecs, were against the appointment of a second Judge, and many members of the Law Reform Society thought as the speaker did. * _ Mr. Dryden said the necessity for a "Juntor Judge lay* in the fact that the gkenior Judge was often away in the 'northern part of the county, and ow-- Ing to poor railway facilities could not travel quickly, and it was absolutely necessary that someone should be in the county town, Whitby, to conduct business in his absence. Hon. Mr. Hardy pointed out that Mr. Hoyle proposed to amend a general law by singling out one special county. That was a rather exceptional proceed-- ing. '"My hon. friend is a great law reformer," observed Mr. Hardy ; "but there is the important question of fun-- eral reform in this country. _ Why does he not turn his attention to that ? He knows more about it than he does about law reform. _ We would trust his op-- inrions, if they were broad--minded, a good deal quicker upon funeral reform than upon law reform." (Laughter.) Proceeding, Mr. Hardy said the power of appointing Judges was not vested in this Government but in the Ottawa Executive. It might, therefore, be properly left to the latter to decide whethe there should be a second Judge in a particular county or not. The Premier produced a petition signed by practicaily the whole bar of Ontario County, advancing reasons why the ap-- pointment of a second Judge was neces-- sary. . . At the head of the list of names appeared that of Mr. Dow of Whitby, who belonged to the same political party as Mr. Hoyle. Under the cir-- | cumstances the Government could not | help attaching considerable weight to . the recommendation. -- Mr. Hardy com-- l plained of unfairness of Mr. Whitney in seeking while on the stump to create the impression that the former had reverted to the law as it formerly was before Sir Oliver Mowat introduced his bill, restricting _ the appointment of junior Judges to counties with over $0,-- 000 population. . He gave facts showing that such an impression was erroncous, Mr. Whitney said the Premier was ut-- terly at sea as to his (Mr. Whitney's) gtand on the question of junior Judges. He had never said, and no one had ever heard him say, that Mr. Hardy had put back the law just as it stood before. What ke did say, and what he saiqd now, was. that when his hon. friend introduced the present law he made a mistake. The hon. the Attor-- noy--General said now that he was will-- Workmen's Compensgation. Mr. Crawford in moving the second reading of his workmen's compensation bill said the measure had been pro-- nounced drastic and revolutionary, The bill was not so dnnggmus as might ap-- pear at first, 'The principle was one that had been endorsed in every country in Europe. Ontario was in the rear of this social procession. In Eng'!'and, that great stronghold of individualism, and France as well, the prineiple had been adopted. 'The great statesmen of En-- rope had after studying the question arrived at the concluston that compul-- sory insurance or compensation was the keynote to legislation for the good of the greatest numbér. If, then, it had been found to work satisfactorily in Britain and other countries, it was fit-- ting that it should be considered by the Legislature of Ontario. It was reason-- able to expect that the placing of re-- sponsibility on the employers would meet with ocbjection from them. But it had been shown that no legislation of this character had worked satisfac-- torily unless the responsilbility was go placed. Under the proposed bill, he contended, litigation in accident cases would be reduced to a minimum, and the cost to both workman and employer would be less than at the present time. Continuing, he said that personally and through letters a number of employers had "endorsed the bill. Some changes had been made, and . these, thougzh slight, perhaps made it stronger, and he was glad to say that these changes had been made at the suggestion onf employers. Speaking of the success of the principle in Germany, he said that In discussing the matter in the Brit'sh Parliament in 1897, Mr. Strauss, the Cornwall representative, had quoted from German official documents fAgures showing that in 1888 the deaths from accidents among German workmen were seventeen per cent., but from that year down to 1897, with the compensa-- tion act in force, they were reduced to 9 per cent. _It had also reduced the ing to leave the matter to the appoint-- ing power &t Ottawa, and he (Mr. Whitney) wanted to know why he should do that when he had taken the. opposite ground during a previous Ad-- ministration at Ottawa. For his part, he was willing to accept the word of the Judge of, Ontario Coun-- ty on the special case under digscussion. The bill was declared lost omm division. percentage of deaths from accident in Britain, because of the greater care taken by employers and employees alike. In conclusion he read a letter from the Page Wire Company of Walk-- erville, Ontario, in which the company expressed themselves strongly in favor of the bill. Hon. Mr. Davis said the hon. gentle-- man had truly called the bill an import-- ant one. There was, perhaps, no fea-- ture of labor legislation so important t} rugbstined e tite td o s ns c db ic ad & as that contained in the hon. gentle-- man's bill. It was far--reaching in its nature, and affected workmen and ar-- tisans and also the great manufactur-- ing industries, and therefore it could not be too carefully considered. The labor laws on the statute book of On-- tario had been pronounced by compe-- tent judges to be the equal of any in 139