NEWFOUNDLAND. 



385 



and sea. The herring fishery on the coast of this 

 island was one of the smallest on record. 



" Agricultural operations resulted satisfacto- 

 rily, and the crops were well above the aver- 

 age. 



" Owing to the strike at Bell island in the sum- 

 mer of last year the quantity of iron ore exported 

 from that place fell much short of the export of 

 the previous year. The products of our mines 

 generally, however, while not equal in value to 

 those of the year immediately preceding, were in 

 advance of those of previous years, and yielded 

 handsome returns. 



" The exports of lumber last year showed a 

 marked increase, and during the present year lum- 

 bering operations are being carried on on a much 

 extended scale. 



" The customs revenue for the year ending June 

 30 last was in excess of the estimate. I have 

 directed the estimates for the year to be prepared 

 and forwarded to you without delay. You will 

 be asked to make suitable provision for the re- 

 ception of their Royal Highnesses the Duke and 

 Duchess of Cornwall and York when they visit 

 the colony in October next. 



" The movement for the establishment of a 

 naval reserve among our fishermen has met with 

 a promising measure of success. During the past 

 year 51 of our naval reservists went into training 

 for six months on board H. M. S. Charybdis, on 

 the West Indian station, and their services and 

 conduct won the appreciation of their command- 

 ing officers. In a communication received by me 

 from the commodore, he says : ' We all consider 

 them to be now- a useful and efficient body of 

 men, who would be a formidable addition to our 

 personnel. So well have they done that I have 

 been able to advance 40 to the higher rating of 

 qualified seamen.' 



" In response to an application made by my 

 ministers, his Majesty's Government has offered 

 to send H. M. S. Calypso, to be permanently 

 stationed here for use as a training-ship for New- 

 foundlanders who enlist in the Royal Navy Re- 

 serve, and arrangements have been made whereby 

 fishermen entering the service can take the pre- 

 scribed four weeks' period of training during the 

 winter months, so as not to interfere with the 

 pursuit of their ordinary vocations. My Govern- 

 ment has dutifully acknowledged the liberality 

 of his Majesty's Government in this matter, and 

 has undertaken to instal a system of steam- 

 heating and to make other necessary internal al- 

 terations in the ship required for the accommoda- 

 tion and comfort of our royal reservists. 



" My ministers have had under their consider- 

 ation the question of revising the tariff, with a 

 view to effect such changes as will remove its 

 present inequalities and secure a more equitable 

 distribution of taxation. They hope to be able 

 to submit proposals for such a reduction of the 

 taxes at present imposed on several of the neces- 

 saries of life as can be made consistently with 

 providing a sufficient revenue for the maintenance 

 of the public service. 



" A matter calling for the serious consideration 

 of the Legislature is the increasing scarcity of 

 coal and its consequent advance in price, placing 

 it beyond the means of many of our people. It 

 is highly important that steps should be taken 

 without delay to ascertain as fully as possible 

 the extent and value of our own coal areas, and 

 to this end I trust due provision will be made 

 in the estimates during the present session. 



"The question of reciprocity between this col- 

 ony and the United States of America is receiv- 

 ing the attention of my ministers. At the re- 

 VOL. XLI. 25 A 



quest of his Majesty's Government, the Premier 

 of this colony visited Ottawa to di^cu^s with the 

 Government of the Dominion ot r.inji.ila th<: 

 grounds of objections that were rui-c<l l,v the 

 latter to separate and distinct negotiation.-!/' 



The legislation of the ensuing 'session, winch 

 lasted until Aug. 2, included a revenue aei, ;( . 

 Crown lands act, a marine court of inquiry ,x-t, 

 a quarter-sessions act, the important raiU\;iv 

 amendment measure, a judicature (amendment) 

 act, a measure relating to education, a convention 

 act relating to property owned by. deceased for- 

 eigners, an oaths act, a measure relating to life 

 insurance companies, an election (amendment) 

 act, a measure fixing the salaries of district court 

 judges, an inflammable oils act, an intoxicating 

 liquors (amendment) act, and measures relating 

 to the preservation of beavers, the organization 

 of fire brigades, and to customs, pensions, and 

 public finances. 



Visit of the Heir Apparent. The Duke and 

 Duchess of Cornwall and York arrived, on Oct. 

 23, at St. Johns, the last stopping-place in an 

 empire tour of 50,000 miles by sea and land. 

 The royal yacht Ophir had been convoyed from 

 Halifax by 4 British men-of-war, and St. Johns 

 was found to be profusely decorated, while the 

 harbor was filled with GOO fishing vessels manned 

 by 30,000 fishermen, and all gay with flags and 

 bunting. The first function was a dinner given on 

 board the yacht by his Royal Highness in the 

 evening, at which Gov. Sir Cavendish Boyle, the 

 Premier, and other dignitaries were present. Dur- 

 ing and after this function the town fairly blazed 

 with illuminations and fireworks, while the war- 

 ships in the harbor were electrically lighted, 15 

 sealing steamers moored in a long line glowed 

 with festoons of marine lanterns, and a myriad 

 of other fishing vessels were bright with varied 

 lights. In St. Johns a thousand torch-bearers 

 paraded the streets, while bonfires flamed out 

 from the surrounding hills. The formal recep- 

 tion began on the succeeding day. The Govern- 

 ment had obtained a grant of $15,000, and private 

 citizens had made up a fund with contributions 

 ranging from $2 to $2,000. Five arches had been 

 erected in the capital, including a very fine one 

 by Mr. R. G. Reid. At eleven o'clock on the 

 morning of Oct. 24 the royal couple landed, and 

 the procession to Government House took place 

 through streets lined with sailors and marines 

 from the fleet. There an address was presented 

 by Sir W. V. Whiteway, Chairman of the Citizens' 

 Committee, and replied to .by the duke. The 

 Governor then presented the people's gift, con- 

 sisting of two splendid caribou heads, mounted, 

 for his Royal Highness, and two albums con- 

 taining photographs of natural scenery for the 

 duchess. Lady White\vay, for the women of the 

 colony, also presented the latter with a handsome 

 mink carriage rug. At the new court-house the 

 duke laid a commemorative stone, and at the 

 Princess Rink the royal couple listened to songs 

 of welcome from 4,300 children and accepted a 

 Newfoundland dog-harness and cart for their 

 own children at home. In the afternoon a recep- 

 tion was held at Government House and 500 citi- 

 zens were presented, and in the evening Sir Cav- 

 endish Boyle entertained the royal visitors at a 

 state banquet. At dawn on the following morn- 

 ing the Ophir steamed away for England. 



The Reid Contract. The central event of 

 1901 in the colony was the settlement of the re- 

 lations existing between the Government and Mr. 

 R. G. Reid in connection with the latter's railway 

 contract and practical monopoly of island trans- 

 portation interests. For several years the rail- 



