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already had the privilege. The population necessary in forming a village was raised from 50 to 100.

During the Session the debate on Mr. Haultain's Resolution as to Provincial control of its own resources evoked extraordinary scenes and stormy debates. The motion was presented as follows on Feb. 15: "That in the opinion of this House the Government should take immediate steps toward obtaining the control of the un-alienated coal areas and water-powers in the Province with a view to the ultimate establishment of a Provincial system for the development and transmission of power for municipal, manufacturing and other purposes in the Province, and of a cheap fuel supply under the control and operation of the Government." In his speech the Opposition Leader dealt with the alleged enormous coal resources of the Province and quoted geological experts to prove the possession in one small district of 2,000 million tons while, in the constituency of Maple Creek, there were said to be 15,000 million tons: described the water-powers on the North and South Saskatchewan and urged the immense value of these and other resources to the people of the Province and the right of the people to control them. Other speakers followed-especially Mr. Turgeon in an able review of the whole question of public lands, Autonomy terms and Provincial rights from the Liberal point of view which he concluded with a long Amendment. In it the Attorney-General pointed out certain preliminary conditions and concluded as follows:

Therefore, be it resolved, that in the opinion of this House, the Government of Saskatchewan should proceed with negotiations with the Federal authorities for the purpose of having transferred to the Province all that part of the hinterland of Saskatchewan, together with all natural resources of purely local concern contained within the Province, not required for colonization and immigration purposes. And, be it further resolved, that while this House holds the view that negotiations for the purposes mentioned should be proceeded with, yet it desires to place on record and re-affirm its belief in the principle that in the interests of Saskatchewan, as well as in the interests of Canada, as a whole, and of the British Empire, it is desirable that the vacant agricultural lands of Western Canada should remain under the control of the Federal authorities for settlement and colonization purposes.

A. B. Gillis, an Opposition member, followed with another Amendment reviewing the Provincial Right Party's demand of the past six years for control of lands, timber, minerals and waters, declaring the Federal Government's money grants to be unfair and inequitable and urging negotiations "with a view of obtaining from the Dominion (1) the beneficial interest and control of all Crown lands, minerals, timber and waters in the Province; (2) compensation for all lands alienated by the Dominion for purely Federal purposes, including purchased homesteads and pre-emptions; (3) the extension of the northern boundaries of the Province in the same manner as the other Provinces are dealt with." During a prolonged debate on this subject on Mar.

9th the Premier hinted at a Dissolution if the Government's Resolution was not carried unanimously.

For

This annoyed the Opposition to such an extent-in view of an alleged unfair dissolution in 1908 without time to revise the voters' lists—that a deliberate policy of blocking estimates and progress was entered upon when Mr. Scott refused to give any guarantee that he would not dissolve before a Fall Session. 212 days, following, or 61 hours, the debate continued-members on both sides succeeding each other in day and night relays with speeches ranging from long hours down to motions that the salary of the Minister of Education be reduced by 50 cents. The Opposition was determined that there should be no dissolution without a revision of the lists; the Government was equally certain that it was impossible to constitutionally bind the Crown as to the time of dissolution. Sunday, the 12th, saw an enforced adjournment. On the 16th the debate was resumed after an agreement had been arrived at which involved the acceptance by the Opposition of the Government's motion minus the last clause approving Federal control of agricultural lands and the Government's assurance as to dissolution contained in the words used, as follows, during an elaborate six-hour presentation of the whole case, on the 18th, by the Prime Minister:

During all last year I stated repeatedly that I was not contemplating dissolution. Until the Lands question was raised a month ago the idea of a dissolution this year had never occurred to me. The situation which developed out of the Lands motion, the amendment and sub-amendment, did force me to admit to myself the possible expediency of an appeal to the people to give the Government the greatest possible strength of position in the proposed negotiations with the Federal authorities. I am now prepared to make the statement, in view of the unanimous mandate given the Government last evening, that I see nothing in the political situation to call for or justify a dissolution of the present House and a general election, and I say, frankly, that I have not the slightest desire or intention to advise a dissolution at any time during this year. Of course, it must be clearly understood that my statement does not purport to bind the Crown.

Meanwhile, Mr. Gillis' Amendment had been defeated by a party vote of 24 to 12 and Mr. Turgeon's Amendment, having been presented, less the closing paragraph, was accepted unanimously. On Mch. 21 Hon. J. A. Calder presented his annual Budget to the House. After pointing out the condition of general prosperity in the Province, and the large necessary expenditures of a Government in a new country over a period of years, he claimed the Provincial finances to be in excellent shape. "Anyone who knows anything about the subject at all must recognize that the credit of the Province in the money markets of the world is first-class. Our securities are generally recognized as being gilt-edged. We have no difficulty whatever in borrowing money." In London in the previous year he had succeeded in securing money at a rate of 31 per cent. Saskatchewan was paying for Education more, par

head of the population, than any other Canadian Province and the adjustments of grants for that purpose and for Agriculture had not actually lessened the total given. Ever since 1906, with the exception of one year, there had been a surplus and the estimated surplus for the past year was $150,000. The latter figure had been given to the House in January but later returns showed that the surplus would be somewhere in the neighbourhood of $230,000. The surplus for 1909 was $193,001 and the average surplus for the four years, 1906-1909, was $236,538.

The Government in the past few years had grappled with many vital and expensive problems-Prohibition, Buildings, Education and a Provincial University, Agriculture and the Elevator question, Railways and Telephone ownership. Mr. Calder gave the House some figures in respect to the progress on lines of the C.N.R. and G.T.P.-the bonds of which were guaranteed by the Legislature. The guarantees were for a total mileage of 1,650. The two Companies had graded on these lines 736 miles and had laid tracks on 400 miles. All told, assistance had been provided for some 24 branch lines and on 18 of these work had begun. Five others had been surveyed and located and were ready for grading; out of the 1,650 miles, the bonds of which had been guaranteed, grading work had still to be commenced on 914 miles. In five years school districts had grown from 942 to 1,324, organized townships had increased from 882 to 2,348, the area under wheat from 1,130,000 acres to 4,664,000 or 300 per cent. He pointed out that Saskatchewan's total general revenue was only one-third that of Ontario, one-half that of Quebec or British Columbia, and less than that of Manitoba. The Public Debt he placed at $5,757,670 compared with 20 millions in Ontario, 24 millions in Quebec, 10 millions in Nova Scotia, and 13 millions in British Columbia. The Expenditure on capital account for the fiscal year, 1910-11, was $1,948,864 which included $968,774 on Buildings, $633,535 on Telephones, and $346,554 on the Provincial University. The total capital expenditure from Sept. 1, 1905, to Feb. 28, 1911, was $6,238,657 or $500,000 more than the net Public Debt and of the total $2,726,182 had gone on buildings which included $1,635,785 for construction of the splendid new Legislative halls and $1,612,275, also, for Telephone purchases. The Public Debt totalled $7,266,379 of Loans arranged in 1909 and 1910 with Assets available of $1,508,709.

The estimated Revenue for the year ending Feb. 28, 1911, was $2,754,600 of which $1,276,850 came from Dominion Subsidies, $300,000 from Supplementary Revenue Fund, $216,000 from Land Titles fees, $98,000 from Liquor licenses, $145,000 from taxes on companies, railways, corporations, etc., $135,000 from Agriculture and in connection with advances re Dairying work, $175,000 from Telephone operation. The Expenditures were estimated at $2,742,455 including $131,200 on Public Debt,

$292,567 on Civil Government, $83,537 on maintenance of Public buildings, $465,000 on public improvements, surveys, etc., $743,600 on Education, $232,350 on Agriculture, Dairying, etc., $120,000 on Telephones, $73,500 on Public Health Bureau. The Capital expenditure was expected to be $2,262,253 of which $1,355,253 would go to construction of public buildings and $660,000 to Telephone extension. Mr. Haultain made no elaborate criticism of the Budget. He claimed that it was absurd to compare a new country in respect to Debt with old-established communities and alleged that the net Debt was really about $8,000,000 if the main and supplementary estimates were included. During the Session the following Resolutions were considered and dealt with as stated:

Feb. 3.

Feb.

Feb.

"That

Moved by A. S. Smith and George Langley (Liberals): in the opinion of this House the growth and development of the Province has been such as to warrant the organization of every territorial unit as a rural municipality, after it has been in existence one year as a local improvement district or, in the alternative, the time has arrived when all local improvement districts should be abolished and rural municipalities established in their stead." Defeated by a non-party vote of 30 to 3. 3. Moved by J. A. Sheppard and A. S. Smith (Liberals): "That this House is of opinion that the time has come when the lands set apart by the Parliament of Canada as an endowment for school purposes, together with all moneys which have accrued from the sale of such lands, should be under the control and administration of the Provincial authorities, and that the Government of Saskatchewan should continue its negotiations with the Government of Canada for the purpose of having the said endowment transferred to the Province." Passed unanimously. 6. Moved by F. W. G. Haultain and W. Elliott (Opposition): That in the opinion of this House the special burden imposed upon the Province by the exemption granted to the Canadian Pacific Railway should be removed and borne by the Dominion at large." Moved, in amendment, by G. A. Bell and G. A. Scott (Liberals): "That in the opinion of this House the provision in the C.P.R. contract granting to the Company exemption from taxation on its lands for an uncertain period of years, and on its railway property for ever, were and are flagrantly unjust to Canada as a whole, and unjust and unfair to Western Canada in particular, and should not have been enacted by the Parliament of Canada; and these provisions should be speedily abrogated and forever abolished." Amendment carried by 21 to 11. Feb. 13.-Moved by G. M. Atkinson and J. W. MacNeil (Liberals): "That in the opinion of this House the Government of Canada should forthwith bring about the winding up of the contract so as to release the lands in question (Qu'Appelle, Long Lake & Saskatchewan Railway), and thus remove their exemption from taxation." Passed unanimously.

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Mar. 9.-Moved by G. B. Johnson and A. W. Riddell (Opposition): "That for the proper holding of Elections of Members of this House regular voters' lists should be prepared, and it is highly undesirable that a general election should be held until such voters' lists are completed. Defeated by 17 votes to 7.

There were other lengthy Resolutions of which one dealt, on Mch. 23rd, with the evils of war, the statements of President Taft

and Sir Edward Grey in favour of international arbitration, the influence of the proposed reciprocal trade agreement in helping "to draw all the English-speaking nations into more friendly relationship," and denounced all efforts to provoke ill-feeling between Canada and the United States while urging support to a general movement for the "judicial settlement of all international disputes." This was passed unanimously as was another expressing loyal congratulations to King George V. On Mch. 8th occurred the discussion of the Resolution in favour of Reciprocity, which is dealt elsewhere in these pages, and which evoked the remarkable unanimous acceptance of that policy by both sides of the House-a position which Mr. Haultain and other Opposition members did not maintain in the ensuing Elections. The Legislative Assembly Act was amended to increase the number of representatives to 54 in accord with the increasing population. The House was prorogued on Mch. 23rd. A measure had passed the House without opposition establishing a Provincial Bureau of Labour and this was at once organized with T. M. Molloy as Secretary.

Two matters occurred at the end of the year which were important. One was a clear and distinct attitude by the Scott Government in continued support of Reciprocity. At a Moosomin Provincial nomination meeting on Dec. 14 a Resolution was passed urging that this policy be maintained as "one of the principal planks in the Liberal platform," while Hon. W. R. Motherwell, Minister of Agriculture, devoted a long speech to the subject with a declaration that "we in the West are now living directly under the Eastern manufacturers and corporate rule." He expressed assured confidence in the ultimate success of Reciprocity and regretted "the cleavage now existing between East and West." Another incident was the renewed effort of Mr. Premier Scott to get a share in the Boundary changes of the period. On Nov. 8th he wrote Mr. Borden pointing to preceding recognition by the Laurier Government of Saskatchewan's right to at least claim a share in the settlement. The succeeding correspondence, as published in 1912, showed that time could not then be found by the new Government at Ottawa for a discussion of the subject.

Opposition
Policy:

Telephones
& Education

in Saskatche-
wan.

The Legislative proceedings give a general view of Opposition policy at this time but it was put in more specific terms before the people by a Conservative Convention held at Moose Jaw on July 7-8. The occasion was important for an attendance of 170 delegates from Prince Albert, Saskatoon, Wadena, Yorkton, Melville, Qu'Appelle, Oxbow, Weyburn, Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Regina and other points and was marked, also, by a practical combination of the old-time Provincial Rights organization and the Conservative party. The Convention was

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