QUEBEC. 



577 



Montreal Power Company. The most wide- 

 ly discussed measure of the session was that in- 

 corporating the Montreal Light, Heat, and Power 

 Company. The promoters of the bill were some 

 of the foremost citizens of Montreal. The capital 

 was to be practically unlimited, and the object 

 was said to be a monopoly of the lighting and 

 heating power in Montreal and its vicinity. The 

 present capital was $1,000,000, but the promoters 

 wanted power to increase it indefinitely, and re- 

 fused to accept five, ten, or twenty millions, which 

 were successively proposed. They would not tell 

 the committee what concerns it was proposed to 

 amalgamate, and finally the clause relating to 

 capital passed, as well as the following: "The 

 company may amalgamate or consolidate with 

 any corporation in the stock or bonds of which 

 it is authorized to invest. . . . The company may, 

 in the city of Montreal, or at any place in the 

 province of Quebec, within a radius of 100 miles 

 from the said city, enter upon and construct un- 

 der or over the streets and public highways all 

 such pipes, lines, conduits, and other construc- 

 tions as may be necessary for the purpose of its 

 business." The measure became law despite va- 

 ried and mighty protests from Montreal and its 

 citizens. 



Public Health. A measure went through the 

 Assembly on March 6, and eventually became 

 law, which amended and consolidated the exist- 

 ing laws as to public health and constituted a 

 permanent sanitary service for the province. By 

 its terms a provincial Board of Health is formed, 

 composed of 7 persons, to be appointed by the 

 Government, and of whom at least 4 men are to 

 be physicians of five years' practise or more. This 

 body has power to appoint an inspector of health, 

 analysts, a sanitary engineer, a statistician, and 

 other necessary officers. Its duties are the special 

 study of medical and vital statistics in the prov- 

 ince, the investigation of sanitary conditions, 

 causes of diseases and death, epidemics, and the 

 effect of employment, habits, and environment 

 upon the people; and it has power to make sani- 

 tary by-laws. Local boards of health were to be 

 organized and particulars registered. 



Agriculture. The annual report of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture; presented to the Legisla- 

 ture in February, 1901, indicated a progressive con- 

 dition of affairs. An investigation had been made, 

 uixder instructions from the department, into the 

 making of cheese in the province, with a view 

 to ascertaining why higher prices should be paid 

 for English Cheddon cheese than for the Canadian 

 article. Two or three cents a pound difference 

 in the price would mean a matter of $2,000,000 

 to the agricultural community. The commission- 

 ers visited the dairy school and some of the 

 cheese factories in the province, and then studied 

 the methods of operation and work in England. 

 The result was an elaborate presentation of the 

 reasons for the existing superiority, and the ex- 

 pression of an opinion that no insuperable obsta- 

 cles existed to an improvement in Quebec manu- 

 facture. Canadian and American cheese were 

 found to bring a lower price in England than 

 English cheese; Quebec a lower price than On- 

 tario cheese. The commissioners advised the ap- 

 pointment of a skilled and scientific cheese-maker 

 to instruct the farmers of the province on certain 

 points. According to the official figures for 1899, 

 there were then in the province 404 creameries, 

 1,192 cheese factories, and 307 creameries and 

 cheese factories combined. During the past few 

 years there had been a steady increase in the 

 production of cheese and butter. 



Fruit-growing was dealt with at some length, 

 VOL. XLI. 37 A 



and Mr. Dc-chene expressed pri<le j,, the excel- 

 lent exhibit made at I'.m ; i, i i n i|,,. ;]\v ;l r<ls 

 carried oil' by Quebec producer*. In- minister 

 also drew attention to the adtniHei] nciliility 

 of Canadian horses for cavalry, .. j; ( et 



that, in spite of this, the Dominion hm] P uu-hcil 

 only 3 per cent, of the hordes n > the 



Imperial Government in South Africa, 

 cultural societies and fanners' club- in t.he p Ev- 

 ince numbered 59(5 in 1900, witli a membership 

 of 59,440. Their receipts were $0.>,42:i foi 

 year ending Dec. 31, 1899. 



Lands, Forests, and Fisheries. The tot.i! 

 revenue of this department for the year wan 

 $1,299,371, exceeding by $234,172 the highest an- 

 nual receipts since confederation. The expendi- 

 tures were $150,500. Out of 222,000,000 acres of 

 Crown lands in the province, only 22,000,000 acres 

 had so far been alienated. Of this latter total, 

 11,240,721 acres had been sold and patented and 

 10,079,000 conceded as seigneuries. During the 

 year 1899-1900 162,740 acres were granted to set- 

 tlers for the total sum of $73,908, while 1,999 

 acres of free grants were given, and 7,500 acres 

 to parents of 12 children. Timber limits were 

 sold during the year by auction for $394,604. The 

 Belgo-Canadian Company, which in 1898 had pur- 

 chased 743 square miles, were now ready to carry 

 on a large pulp business at Shawnigan Falls. 



An important matter that was settled during 

 the year was the dispute between the Government 

 and the Labrador Company, involving the title 

 to some land on the north shore of the St. Law- 

 rence, near the Mingan Islands group. Under the 

 terms of the settlement, $26,000 came into the 

 treasury, together with a yearly rental of $1,000 

 for fishing privileges for fifteen years in certain 

 waters fronting the Seigneury de Mingan. 



Immigration. In the year ending June 30, 

 1900, $124,000 had been expended on the con- 

 struction or repair of 561 miles of roads, includ- 

 ing 16,289 feet of bridges and culverts. While 

 positive figures were impossible to give, the Hon. 

 Mr. Turgeon believed that there was a large and 

 constantly growing element of returned emigrants 

 from the United States, and a consequent in- 

 crease in the formation of new settlements and 

 extension of old ones. The returns of the Fitch- 

 burg Railway and its connecting lines from July 

 1, 1899, to June 30, 1900, showed the return or 

 repatriation of 8,241 persons. The immigration 

 agents' reports indicated a substantial increase 

 in arrivals from Europe generally. In the twelve 

 months, 2,942 immigrants were registered at 

 Montreal. The arrivals at Quebec numbered 

 4,686. 



Education. According to the report for the 

 year ending June 30, 1901, there were 4,147 Roman 

 Catholic elementary schools under the control of 

 the commissioners, and 113 under the control of 

 trustees, and 51 independent; 644 Protestant ele- 

 mentary schools under the control of the commis- 

 sioners, 220 in charge of trustees, and 5 inde- 

 pendent; 398 Roman Catholic model schools and 

 academies under the control of the commissioners, 

 1 in charge of trustees, and 243 independent; 58 

 Protestant model schools and academies under 

 the control of the commissioners, 18 in charge of 

 trustees, and 4 independent academies. There 

 were 19 Roman Catholic classical colleges, similar 

 to the Ontario collegiate institutes. The number 

 of pupils in the Roman Catholic elementary 

 schools was 171,824; the average attendance was 

 118,490; the average salary of male lay teachers 

 with diplomas was $242; of females, $111. The 

 number of pupils in the Protestant elementary 

 schools was 27,598; the average attendance was 



