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The Committee on Standing Orders met this morning and extended the time for receiving petitions and for in-- troducing bills from the 14th :ill the 21st. A number of petitions were also reported. Another Pulpwood Concession. The agreement between the Govern-- ment and the Spanish River Pulp & Paper Company made on September 21 last has been tabled. The company is !granted the right for 21 years, from 'the date of agreement, to cut spruce, poplar and jack pine from Crown \lands, unoccupied, unlocated or un-- sold, along the Spanish, Vermillion and | Onaping Rivers. Algoma, and their ex-- tensions and tributaries, excepting the Sauble branch of the Spanish River, for a distance extending back five miles from the shores. The company agrees in return for this concession to erect on the Spanish River, in the Township of Merritt, Algoma, where there is a valuable water--power,and to thorough-- ly equip a pulp and paper mill, to cost $300,000, and to operate the same so that the annual output of the mills in pulp and paper will amount to at least 20,000 tons,and at least 250 hands on an average will be continuously employed. Of the expenditure for the mills not less than $100,000 must be expended within eighteen months, not less than $250,000 within two years, and the bal-- ance within three years. Mr. Latchford announced that he in-- tended to introduce a bill providing compulsory arbitration between em-- ployers and employees in all cases where a publie right or franchise was involved, and. said he would like to learn the views of labor men in regard to this legislation. (Loud applause.) Want the River Straightened. A deputation from the Townships of Cornwall and Osnabruck was intro-- duced by Mr. McLaughlin. They asked assistance in straightening the bed of the Aux Raisin River to make easier the drainage of the two townships. Some Bills Reported. A half--hour session of the Private Bills Committee yesterday advanced two bills a stage and laid one over for further information. The first one con-- #idered was Mr. Hill's bill to permit the removal of the Davenport Metho-- dist Church burying ground. Mr. J. J; Maclaren, _Q.C., appeared for the church, and pointed out that the pres-- ent position of the cemetery was very unsatisfactory. The bill was reported, with a very slight change in the wording. The bill confirining a bonus of $4,500 by the Town of Preston to the Mineral Springs Furniture Com-- pany was reported, after Mr. Kribs bad satisfied the committee that it complied with the laws respecting bon-- using. much attention to labor matters and in the latter's own district was looked upon as a labor reformer. He should ask Mr. Latchford to give his attention to this matter in order to see what view they might take when the matter came up for final consideration. An important deputation represent-- ing a large number of life insurance companies waited upon the Government 'vesterday to protest 1 forms of taxation wmmi bear under Provincial laws. The prin-- cipal objection was that the life insur-- ance companies were taxed unfairly, compared with other corporations, while {he deputation also asked that the com-- panies be freed from a munjcipal tax on personal property and income. Among those present were:--Messrs. J. K. Macdonald, Confederation Life; Alex. Bruce, Q.C., Hamilton, counsel for the Canada Life; _ Henry Sutherland, Temperance and General Life; J. L. Blaikie, North American Life; Thomas Hilliard. Dominion Life; Alex. Cromar, Royal Victoria Life; R. H. Matson, Na-- tional; E. Marsball, Exceisior; Alfred Hoskin, Ontario Mutual,; J. F. Junkin, Manufacturers'; Charles Hunter,Stand-- ard: David Dexter, Federal;John Milne, Northern; B. Hal Brown, London & Lancashire; J. G. Richter, London. 'l Mr. J. K. Macdonald, who introduc-- |ed the deputation, protested against | the charge of one per cent. on life prem-- liums, while fire companies were taxed !nnly 2--3 of one per cent. He also ob-- jected to assessment or co--operative | ecompanies going scot--free. t £00000 m We it 414# Ne PR RRRICMT B CSHE COs Mr. J. G. Richter pointed out that the tax on banks was 1--10 of one per cent. on their capital; that on loan companies to about 1 per cent., where-- as in the Canada Life, for instance, ibe itax amounted to 44 per cent. on their dividends. Premier Ross drew attention to the fact that the Canada Life had very little capital stock, but immense Aas-- sets, to which Mr. Macdonald replied that the assets belonged to the policy-- holders. Mr. -- Bruce said the life com-- panies should be free from municipal assessment in respect to per-- sonal property and income. They had understood from Mr. HMHardy a year ago that this would be provided for, but the then Premier had taken a middle course. Mr. J. HMal. Brown, speaking on be-- half of British companies, complained that the tax discriminated against them and in favor of other large companies in other businesses. quence of the tax. Mr. Macdonald replied that the premiums had been increased this year. On being informed that that resulted from Dominion legislation, Mr. Mac-- donald said the tax had fallen on the people in that the companies in cal-- culating the profits on the policies this year had deducted the amount of the tax. The companies were already starting out to justify themselves by this reduction. _ Premier Ross asked if the price of life insurance stock had fallen as a conse-- quence of the tax. s i ° Explanations of and Comments Upou Some of the Measures Before the Legislatnure. Mr. Eilber's bill is to amend the municipal act. The first clause repeals ;sec. T42 of the act, and substitutes a new section in lieu thereof. Whoever | drafted the act could hardly have read lover the sections of the act appertain-- YVARIOUS BILL®S. 8 J