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i . ~: _ G' 'w" _ _ it it' -iripiiietrisiitttir".hs, heist WI passed without further comment. , aDiscrimination in Gratuities. i ' The House in Committee of Supply; linseed most of the supplementary es- _ timates. When the item of gratui-I ities was reached. Mr. Allan firtlt,'i: hglme. Labor member for Ham ton, made an unavailing protest against what he characterized as "making . tiah of one and thsqtt of another." He wanted to know why one man. who ', was discharged after twenty-five years ot faithful service and with a commendation from the Superintend- ent of his department. should be T granted no gratuity. while another whose services were dispensed with obtained one. The Premier explainv ed that a person who was discharged was never given a gratuity. Hon. Col. Maihfson referred to the practice of _the ormer Government as the origin of the present system. Hon. Mr. Hanna said that there had been a staTute passed providing that under _no' conditions would persons entering l the civil service after a certain date ', receive gratuities. The Item. which totalled $8,900, was passed. in spite of Mr. Studholme's protest that it was "not a square deal." Railways Under Two Bills. Second reading was given to the bill of Hon. Col. Hendrie. to facilitate. interswitching and exchange of freight between railways which come under ;the jurisdiction of different boards. 'one under the Dominion Board of ' Railway Commissioners and the other! _ under the Ontario Railway and MuniJ cipal Board. Col. Hendrie's attention) ghaving been directed to the need ofI some such enactment because of the) leondition ot affairs at Preston, sug~f grsted to Chairman Leitch of the On.. [thrift Board that he meet Hon. Mr. IMRDPO. Chairman of the Dominion Commission, to arrive at a modus vi- vendi. In the Dominion House a I (similar bill to Col. Hendrie's will be l ' introduced during the present session. 'on which conditions the Ontario bill Will become law. Hon. Mr. Cochrane's bill eonttrrtr. ing an agreement respecting the On- tario & Minnesota Power Company was given its second reading. Wives May Get More. Hon. Mr. Fey explained the Pro- wsions of his bill respecting main- tenance. of wives deserted by their husbands, pointing out that it was intended to provide relief for women 'in circumstances which would pre- l vent them from seeking it in ordinary £courts of law. The allowance to he paid to a deserted wife was suggested , to be not more than " per week, but 'this was amended on the suggestion 'of Mr. Sam Clarke (West Northum- :beriand) to allow a sum not exceed. iing $10 a. week. : 1 Boilers and Engines Exempt. J l Mr. A. A. Mahatty (Muskoka) oh- stained the second reading of his, bill l to amend the assessment act by speci-, giving that boilers and engines. as' ,parts of fixed machinery. are to be exempt from taxation. The act as l worded exempts certain flxed machin. ery, and assessors generally omit boil- ers and engines from their category, 1 though some assess them. but Judges 3 F on appeal sometimes upset the as-! i i seSsors' action. The bill is to remove! i this ambiguity. ( Mr. w. H. Hoyle, member for} North Ontario, introduced a bill to. amend the municipal act. The prin- cipal clause of the bill relates to} bridges. and defines as a country bridge, one of eighty feet or over, in addition! to ten feet at each end for approaches. ; _'""""""""----.---.