402 



NOVA SCOTIA. 



our people are employed labor was rewarded by 

 a good return. The development of our coal- 

 mines continues to afford much satisfaction. In 

 connection therewith we can not fail to observe 

 with gratification the progress that has been made 

 in the creation in the island of Cape Breton of 

 great industries for the manufacture of iron and 

 steel. 



" Gratifying progress was made during the year 

 in the work of railway extension. The Inverness 

 and Richmond Railway is approaching comple- 

 tion, and the same may be said of the Midland 

 Railway between Windsor and Truro. The proj- 

 ects for the construction of a railway from Halifax 

 to Yarmouth through the south shore counties of 

 the province have not made desirable progress. 



" The desirability of larger provision for the 

 promotion of agricultural education will be gen- 

 erally recognized. .My Government, regarding 

 this 'as a movement in which the three maritime 

 provinces might properly cooperate, invited a con- 

 ference with the governments of the sister prov- 

 inces of New Brunswick and Prince Edward 

 Island. The representatives of the three govern- 

 ments have agreed on a scheme for the establish- 

 ing of an agricultural college, subject to the ap- 

 proval of their respective legislatures. 



" With the growth of the province comes the 

 need of increased accommodation in those hu- 

 mane institutions which always enlist the inter- 

 est and sympathy of our people. You will be 

 invited to consider the expediency of enlarging 

 the Victoria General Hospital and the Nova Sco- 

 tia Hospital. 



" The work of preparing and issuing the sixth 

 series of the Revised Statutes of Nova Scotia has 

 been completed, and the volume is now available 

 to the public. 



" I am pleased to be able to inform you that 

 the finances of the province are in a very satis- 

 factory condition. 



" Measures will be submitted for the protection 

 of the interests of the settlers in future leases of 

 Crown lands, for the further encouragement of 

 dairying, and for the inspection of public offices." 



The following were the principal acts passed 

 at this session: 



Respecting aid to a railway between Halifax 

 and Yarmouth. 



For the protection of persons employed in fac- 

 tories. 



To amend chapter Ixxiv, Revised Statutes, 1900, 

 " Of the encouragement of manufacturing and 

 shipbuilding by exemptions from taxation." 



To amend chapter Iviii, Revised Statutes, 1900, 

 " Of the encouragement of agricultural and tech- 

 nical education." 



To encourage horticulture. 



To amend chapter Hi, Revised Statutes, 1900, 

 " Of public instruction." 



To amend chapter Hi, Revised Statutes, 1900, 

 " The education act." 



To amend chapter xxi, Revised Statutes, 1900, 

 " The mines arbitration act." 



To amend the coal-mines regulation act. 



To amend chapter xxiii, Revised Statutes, 1900, 

 " Of miners' relief societies." 



To amend the succession duty act. 



To encourage the building of cold-storage ware- 

 houses and plant therein. 



To amend chapter cxix of the Revised Statutes, 

 1900, entitled " Prevention of the use of tobacco 

 and opium by minors." 



To encourage the building of steel and iron 

 ships in the city of Halifax. 



Several acts concerning the charters of coal, 

 iron, electric, and railway companies. 



Finances. On March 5 the Premier and Pro- 

 vincial Treasurer made his annual financial state- 

 ment for the year ending Sept. 30, 1900. He re- 

 ferred to the almost stationary condition of the- 

 revenue that had prevailed for many years in the 

 province, but was now, happily, a thing of the 

 past, During the past three years there had been 

 a substantial balance on the right side, and the 

 Government had been able to deal liberally with 

 the great services of the province, such as educa- 

 tion, charities, roads and bridges. Yet they had 

 not been compelled to do as the other provinces 

 had done resort to direct taxation to make ends 

 meet. Not a dollar was collected from the liquor 

 traffic, nor was there any taxation of home or 

 foreign corporations. In this respect the only 

 change since confederation had been the imposi- 

 tion of succession duties. Wise legislation in 

 dealing with the mineral development of the prov- 

 ince was, he believed, the cause of this stability 

 of position. The revenues in 1896 were $841,159; 

 in 1897, $832,240; in 1898, $855,960; in 1899,. 

 $876,827; in 1900, $1,014,123, in place of the esti- 

 mated income of $948,906. The largest item in 

 this amount was the allowance from Ottawa, 

 which last year was $432,806, and included the- 

 federal subsidy and the interest on $1,056,128 still 

 held by the federal athorities to the credit of the 

 province. During the year under consideration 

 the royalties on mines and minerals had amount- 

 ed to $413,874. The average yearly production of 

 coal had increased from 906,268 tons in 1874-'84 

 and 1,587,959 tons in 1885-'91, to 2,078,065 tons in- 

 1892-1900. The average royalty had grown from 

 $66,698 in 1874-'84 and $121,304 in 1885-'91, to 

 $224,112 in 1892-1900. 



Another important source of revenue was the 

 succession duties. The estimate for the year had 

 been $25,000; the amount received was $29,688. 

 The estimate from hospitals had been $47,000; 

 the returns were $48,574. The other items were 

 small. The total expenditure was $937,261, leav- 

 ing a stated surplus of $76,861. The chief items, 

 of expense were as follow: Agriculture, $39,018; 

 debenture interest, $147,413; education, $250,365; 

 public charities, $128,180; road grants, $90,850; 

 Legislature expenses, $50,775; steamboats, pack- 

 ets, and ferries, $40,864; provincial engineers' of- 

 fice, $10,909; mines office, $23,975; Public Work* 

 Department, $24,436; miscellaneous, $68,028. These 

 amounts, with other items, made up a total of 

 $937,261. 



The expenditure on capital account for the year 

 was $292,368, including $77,667 on bridges; $6,864 

 on the construction of smaller bridges; $205,000 

 for railway subsidies; and $2,831 on road-making 

 machinery. The total liabilities of the province 

 on Sept. 30, 1900, were $4,059,517, and against 

 this amount the chief asset was $1,056,128 held 

 in trust at Ottawa. " This asset, together with 

 some of doubtful value, would make the net debt 

 of the province to the end of the fiscal year 

 $2,713,301." The Dominion supplementary esti- 

 mates in April gave $443,400 to improvements * 

 upon the Intercolonial Railway, which is so inti- 

 mately associated with Nova Scotia affairs. 

 Afterward the province received an award upon 

 its claims regarding the Eastern Extension Rail- 

 way from the Dominion Government, and the Pre- 

 mier said this sum of $671,000 would be placed 

 to the credit of the public debt account. 



On April 1 the Premier and Provincial Treas- 

 urer submitted the estimates of receipts and ex- 

 penditures for the year ending Sept. 30, 1901. 

 He expected to receive $1,034,906 from all sources. 

 The principal expenditures which he proposed in- 

 cluded $35,500 on agriculture, $258,000 on educa- 



