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English Act-a law which has wisely been very closely followed by all the Provinces of Canada, by Australia and by the several States of the American Union where coal mining is an important industry. . . . With regard to the rules, themselves, we notice a great many alterations in the Bill, most of them of a seemingly insignificant character. You will find that they are all designed to meet special conditions with which we have to cope in British Columbia. The principal opposition will be in connection with the appointment of the Inspector or Inspectors by the Govern

ment.

Details were changed as a result of the discussion and, on Feb. 21, Mr. Hawthornthwaite (Soc.) described the measure as a model piece of practical and beneficial legislation. The Attorney-General (Mr. Bowser) introduced an Act assuming Provincial control of Fire Insurance and described the facts and causes in Feb. 10. It had been principally brought about by agents engaged in the Insurance business of the Province who were paying the taxation of 1 per cent. on the premiums collected and who claimed to be placed at a disadvantage by large insurers going outside the Province; which statement the insurers met by replying that there was no reason why they should not do so if they could get better rates. The Insurance men replied that these outside companies brought very little capital into the Province and paid no taxation and it was unfair to allow them to compete. The Government had appointed a Royal Commission-R. C. Lennie, A. B. Erskine and another-upon whose Report the new Act was based. Thereafter Companies wishing to do business in the Province were required to satisfy the Superintendent of Insurance to be appointed under the Act as to their standing, to deposit $20,000 in the Provincial treasury to protect the public as to the payment of losses, and they were also to pay $250 for a license. The Bill also placed on the Superintendent of Insurance the responsibility for the investigation of all fire losses of a suspicious nature and he could institute a Judicial investigation and use the resources of the Government in order to prove whether there was a case of arson or not.

A Government measure changed the old-time designation of Chief Commissioner of Lands to that of Minister; another Bill validated certain acts of the Municipal Council of Victoria and authorized the Mayor and Council to carry on business until a new Mayor could be elected after certain legal proceedings; Mr. Bowser had a Bill providing for the maintenance of deserted wives and improving the enforcement of the machinery of the law and also a measure ratifying certain important agreements respecting False Creek, Vancouver-between the Great Northern Railway and the City; Hon. T. Taylor carried a measure simplifying the taking possession of lands required for highway purposes; the Attorney-General (Mr. Bowser) also amended the

Companies Act which had been so much criticized in other Provinces and had realized $13,000 a year in fees as to certain minor and technical points. He vigorously defended the measure. "We say that local people who are living here and have invested all that they have in their particular business in this Province, who purchase everything here, and who are also paying taxes on their stock and income and who pay municipal taxes besides as well as license fees, should not be placed at a disadvantage against outside people who are in a position to compete with them on account of cheaper labour in the East, the lower cost of coal, and other incidentals."

Mr. Bowser's Municipal Clauses Act amendment gave municipalities power to abolish saloon licenses and to, in future, license only hotels. In connection with Dr. Young's Act providing for a grant of land at Point Grey as a site for the new University the Minister of Education referred at length to his plans in that connection. When the time came to call for competitive plans the architect would be instructed to provide for 20 or 30 buildings in addition to those which would be erected by the various Theological institutions. One of the most important of these would be devoted to the liberal Arts and Science, with provisions for Schools of Music, Art and Commerce. The next would be the Agricultural College with a School of Forestry, of Domestic Science and of Veterinary Science. There would also be a College of Education and Teaching, a Law School and a College for the Higher Education of Women. There would be a physics building, a chemistry building, a museum, a gymnasium, a convocation hall, an observatory, an electric power-house and all other necessary buildings. In 1912 $1,000,000 would be appropriated as a beginning and a President would be selected. Of other Acts passed the most important were Ernest Miller's Bill to check the sale of Habit-forming drugs and the Premier's act respecting Health regulations for lumber camps, railway camps, mining camps, saw-mills and other places in which labour was employed.

Mr.

The Budget Speech of the Hon. Price Ellison, Minister of Finance, was delivered on Feb. 13 and presented the remarkable statement of cash assets in hand almost sufficient to pay off the Funded Debt of the Province which stood at $9,616,800. Ellison gave an elaborate analysis of the progress, production, and general conditions of British Columbia. For the year ending Mch. 31, 1910, the Receipts had been $8,818,596 and the Expenditures $6,382,993. The net Funded Debt on Mch. 31, 1910, was $9,616,800. From 1904 to 1910 the Government's surpluses had totalled $7,100,000. The estimated Receipts for 1910-11 were $7,026,000 and the actual Revenue $10,481,419, with estimated Expenditures of $7,738,257; the estimated Receipts for 1911-12 were $8,192,101 and the Expenditures. $11,035,390. Of the 1909-10 Receipts the chief items were

Dominion subsidies $522,076; Land sales $2,618,188; Timber royalty and licenses $2,234,099; Registry fees $408,826; Succession duties $108,495; Revenue, real property, personal property, and wild-land taxes $1,009,022; Income tax $190,984; Mineral tax and coal royalty $325,330; Chinese Restriction Act, $356,200; Interest $157,493. The chief items of Expenditure were $546,940 for Interest; $389,700 for Government and Salaries; $365,171 for Justice administration; $114,486 for Legislation; $257,688 for maintenance of Public institutions; $209,442 for hospitals and charities; $587,935 for Education; $3,403,835 for Public Works. The Opposition criticism by Mr. Brewster was chiefly directed against the inclusion of Land sales in Revenue and the claim that an Auditor-General was needed.

INCIDENTS IN THE YUKON.

Mch. 8.-The Dawson Board of Trade passes Resolutions supporting Reciprocity; asking the Federal Government to install a wireless telegraph system for the Yukon similar to that used in Alaska; suggesting a trunk road from Whitehorse to Dawson, the opening of public tenders in public, and the establishment of a poll-tax.

Mch. 31.-The Dominion statistics as to Yukon production show a total of $4,089,571 or $494,687 more than in 1910.

Mch. 31.-The Report of the Yukon Commissioner (Alex. Henderson) states that the Yukon Gold Company continued its hydraulic and dredging operations during the summer and was preparing to renew these operations at the opening of the season with increased activity; the Canadian Klondike Mining Co. was to operate two dredges during the coming season at the Boyle Concession on the Klondike River. One of these was erected in the summer and was said to be the largest and most powerful dredge in the world. For purpose of generating electric power, to be furnished for dredging and other mining operations, the Northern Light Coal and Power Co. had erected a large and splendid plant at Coal Creek about 35 miles from Dawson, and was now furnishing power to the City of Dawson and vicinity. This Company had extensive coal areas from which power for the plant and coal for commercial purposes generally was obtained. At the north fork of the Klondike River a large power plant was being installed.

Mch. 31. The total Railway facilities of the Territory are stated as 101 miles, the coal production as $12,780 in value, the Exports as $221,476 and the imports $1,076,918.

Nov. 30. The appointment is announced of George Black, an active Conservative politician in the Yukon, as Commissioner in succession to Mr. Henderson and to Arthur Wilson, Acting-Commissioner for some time.

Dec. 31.-The Census returns state the population at 8,512-a decrease from 27,219 in 1901.

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X.-RELATIONS WITH THE EMPIRE.

The Corona

George the
Fifth

To Canada as to other parts of the Empire this tion of King important event was made of real Imperial significance through representation in many and varied forms, at the solemn ceremonies and splendid functions in London, and by participation in celebrations of a general and enthusiastically loyal character at home. The significant and impressive Empire-wide display was brought clearly before Canadians in press descriptions and in a multitude of succeeding speeches. Little can be said here of the events themselves— including the visit of the German Emperor and Empress, the opening by the King, on May 12, of the Festival of Empire, the unveiling by His Majesty on the 16th of an Imperial Memorial to the late Queen Victoria, the Royal banquet at Buckingham Palace on June 20th, the Coronation itself on the 22nd amidst conditions of stately splendour which impressed the world, the Royal Progress through London on the 23rd, the Review by the King of 167 British battleships at Spithead on the 24th, the Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on the 27th, the King's fête to 100,000 children at the Crystal Palace on the 30th, the Royal visit to Ireland on June 8-12, the Investiture of the Prince of Wales at Carnarvon Castle on the 13th.

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Canada's part in the programme and incidents was nominally limited. Yet, in reality, the desire of the Imperial authorities to meet the loyalty of the Colonial States made them generous in the extreme both as to invitations to Westminster Abbey and as to the place of representative Canadians in every kind of function and ceremony. The same statement is true of India and Australia and South Africa and New Zealand and Newfoundland and the Crown Colonies which all sent of their best; but Canada's proximity to the heart of Empire naturally made its share greater. On July 1st Lord Strathcona, for instance, was able to telegraph His Majesty that 3,000 Canadians were present at the Dominion Day Dinner who had visited England to share in the Coronation celebrations. The official List of Canadians invited to Westminster Abbey included over 100 persons of whom the only Royal guest was the Prime Minister of Canada-Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Then came Lord Strathcona, the Ministers attending the Imperial Conference and their wives, the Provincial Premiers of Canada who were all present with the exception of Hon. H. J. Palmer of Prince Edward Island and Hon. G. H. Murray of Nova Scotia. The Canadian Members of Parliament who were in London as

guests of the Imperial Parliament were also invited to the Abbey as follows:

Sir Mackenzie Bowell,

Hon. Lawrence G. Power,
Hon. Robert Watson,
Hon. George E. Foster,
John H. Sinclair,

Dr. Henri S. Béland,

George E. McCraney,
Ralph Smith,

Charles A. Magrath,

Hon. J. A. Lougheed,
Hon. J. P. B. Casgrain,
Hon. John G. Haggart,
A. B. Warburton,
Frank B. Carvell,
Hugh Guthrie, K.C.
Dr. Michael Clark,
Herbert B. Ames,
Dr. John W. Daniel.

Others present were the Lieut.-Governors of Ontario and Saskatchewan and Senators J. K. Kerr, William Gibson, John Yeo, F. P. Thompson, J. N. Kirchoffer, N. A. Belcourt, L. Melvin Jones, A. A. Thibaudeau and J. H. Ross. Members of Provincial Governments included the Hon. J. S. Duff, Hon. C. H. Campbell, Hon. W. J. Bowser, Hon. Adam Beck, Hon. W. F. A. Turgeon, Hon. J. Richards and Hon. W. R. Motherwell; the Mayors of Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg were invited as were Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Sifton, Colonel S. Hughes, M.P., W. O. Sealey, M.P., A. C. Rutherford, ex-Premier of Alberta, Sir Edmund Walker, Sir Henry and Lady Pellatt, Hon. W. H. Montague, Sir William Mackenzie, Sir Donald and Lady Mann, Dr. William Peterson, Dean Williams of Quebec and Chancellor A. C. McKay; Mrs. S. Nordheimer, President Daughters of the Empire, and F. B. Fetherstonhaugh, President of the Empire Club of Canada; W. J. Gage, Justices Davidson and Archer, J. H. Turner and W. Thoburn, M.P.; E. L. Newcombe, F. C. T. O'Hara, G. J. Desbarats, Deputy Ministers at Ottawa; Rear-Admiral C. E. Kingsmill, Colonel G. T. Denison, Lieut.-Colonel J. H. Burland, etc. Charles Tupper and Sir Richard Cartwright were unable to attend.

Sir

The Royal Procession of June 23rd was seen by thousands of Canadians from beautifully decorated stands arranged by the Canadian Emigration Office, the Ontario Government, C.P.R., the Grand Trunk, and the Nova Scotia Offices. In the Procession itself the Colonial troops, numbering 1,378 men, were led by General Sir Ian Hamilton. Directly following the Canadian Contingent of 807 mounted and foot soldiers under Colonel H. H. McLean, A.D.C., M.P., came Royal carriages containing (1) Sir Wilfrid Laurier and Rt. Hon. Andrew Fisher, (2) Sir J. G. Ward and Rt. Hon. Louis Botha and (3) Sir E. P. Morris and others. The Canadian Contingent of troops was the largest of the Empire contributions and its chief officers besides Colonel McLean were Lieut.-Colonel V. A. S. Williams, in command of the Mounted Troops, Major R. A. Carman of the Cavalry, Lieut.Col. E. M. Renouf of the Artillery, Colonel A. Roy of the Dismounted troops and Major T. A. Vien of the Garrison Artillery.

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