CANADA. DOMINION" OF. 



95 



Political. Intimately connected with these 

 changes in Government were t lie political issues of the 



year." The cause of Conservative differences and 

 weakness in the House of Commons, where the Con- 

 servatives had a large majority at the beginning of 

 the year, was l>ad management, individual ambi- 

 tions, and a carelessness born of seventeen years of 

 power. Mixed up with these difficulties was the 

 Manitoba school question, which had assumed the 

 form of a problem acutely unpleasant to both Cath- 

 olics and Protestants. Mr. Greenway. the Liberal 

 Premier of Manitoba, had abolished Catholic sepa- 

 rate schools in 1890. After a long process of con- 

 stitutional and legal controversy. Sir M. Bowell, 

 a Protestant and an Orangeman. Conservative 

 Premier of Canada, introduced in 1896 a bill that 



E ractically proposed to restore these schools. Mr. 

 aurier, the Liberal leader at Ottawa a French 

 Canadian and a Catholicopposed the measure as 

 an interference with provincial rights, and declared 

 that if he were in office it could be arranged with- 

 out coercion. The bill was blocked, and in the end 

 Sir C. Tupper found himself at the polls respon- 

 sible for a measure which the more fiery Protes- 

 tants utterly repudiated and the Roman Catholics 

 of Quebec did not want. 



Tupper's announced policy was protection to na- 

 tive industries, preferential duties in favor of Great 

 Britain, a 20-knot Atlantic service, a Pacific cable 

 to Australia, the admission of Newfoundland to 

 the Dominion, and justice to the Manitoba Cath- 

 olic minority. Mr. Laurier's policy was concilia- 

 tion of Manitoba rather than coercion, gradual 

 abolition of protection, economy in administration 

 and restriction of expenditure, denunciation of 

 alleged scandals and corruption, development of 

 Manitoba and the Northwest, and a fair reciprocity 

 treaty with the United States. The result of the 

 election was. by provinces, as follows : 



A- most of those called Independent were to all in- 

 tents Liberals, this gives the present Government a 

 normal majority of about 30, the first division 

 showing 34. 



Finances. Referring to the public debt, the 

 minister announced that it had increased by $6,- 

 861.897 in the preceding year, the average increase 

 between l^lio and 1895 being 2,290,214 per annum. 

 ''During that period." he continued, "there had 

 been spent on capital account, on canals, the Inter- 

 colonial Railway, and the Canadian Pacific $16,- 

 992.301. and adding to that the railway subsidies, 

 amounting to s5.*65.74*. ) 10 thought the addition 

 to the debt was fully justified. In 1894-'95 the 

 // / capita amount of interest paid on the debt was 

 sl.s:{. and in lss:_'sx j, was $1.90, so that, despite 

 the increase in the debt, the burden was less heavy 

 than five years before." For the current fiscal 

 year, 1895-'96. he estimated an equality between 

 revenue and expenditure. There had been a fall- 

 ing off in the revenue of $2.396.000, due in part 

 to the unusual fact of the exports exceeding the 

 imports by s2.857.000 for the second time since 

 confederation in 1867. The chief items upon 

 which the duties had decreased were iron and steel, 

 spirits and wines, wool, and wood and manufac- 



thereof. An increased revenue had been de- 

 rived from Migars. cotton manufactures, ariou 

 biscuits, and grain. The excise duties showed a 

 general decrease, with the exception of cigarettes. 



The total revenue was the smallest since l^t!, 

 and the customs revenue the smallest since ls?!. 

 when protection was introduced. The per m/iifn 

 customs rate wa- s:;..v_>. compared with $3.95 in 

 1 S T4. The excise rate, on the other hand, was 

 nearly double, indicating a large taxation of a 

 practically voluntary nature. The total revenue 

 wa> $33,978.129. and the total expenditure was 

 $38.132.005, leaving a deficit of over s4.tMKi.OOO in 

 1895, compared with an income of $30.374.693. and 

 an expenditure of $37.585,026 in 1894. The defi- 

 cit of over $5,000,000 in two years had its natural 

 effect in the ensuing elections." The chief items of 

 revenue for 1895 were: Customs. $17.585.000: ex- 

 cise. $7.805.000: railways. $3.127.00H: and post 

 office. $2.792.000. The expenditure showed increases 

 under the heads of legislation, militia, post office, 

 canals, and debt charges. 



Agriculture. During 1895 low prices for farm 

 products made Canada share the depression of 

 other agricultural communities, but there was an 

 increase of $700.000 in the total export of agricul- 

 tural products, the bulk of which go to Great 

 Britain. The chief items sent the mother country 

 in the year were: Bacon, valued at $3.544.015; 

 beef. $418.440 : canned meats. $314.841 : cheese, 

 $14.220.505: wheat. $5.339.085; peas. $1.184.883; 

 flour. $420.983; hay. $492.683; clover and grass 

 seeds. $625.996 : ripe apples. $1.169.441. The total 

 was S31i.-2s2.4sl. against $7.011.256 sent the United 

 States, including the chief items of hides. $945.- 

 699; wool. $1.046.726 ; barley, $706,586 : hay, $970.- 

 914: peas. $357.937: and beans. $422.521. Two 

 processes are noticeable in the recent development 

 of Canadian agriculture. One is the decrease in ex- 

 ports of farm produce, such as eggs and barley, to 

 the United States since the McKinley bill of 1890, 

 and the other is the steady increase of export in 

 various lines to England. The experimental farms 

 did valuable service during the year, and the ex- 

 port of stock, chiefly to Great Britain, was $1.547.- 

 867 in horses, $7,121,148 in cattle, and $1,627.089 in 

 sheep. Efforts were continued, not very success- 

 fully, to send Canadian barley to England, and also 

 turkeys, geese, and other poultry. Farmers had 

 during the year to accept the final exclusion of 

 their live cattle from British ports, and a movement 

 has been begun for the consequent removal of re- 

 strictions upon the import of live American cattle 

 into Canada. 



Indian Affairs. Canada prides itself upon the 

 treatment of its Indians, and during 1895 there was 

 a slight increase in their population. In round 

 numbers there are now 18.000 in Ontario. 12.000 in 

 Quebec. 42.000 in Manitoba and the Northwest, and 

 25.HOO in British Columbia. They had 291 schools, 

 with 8.175 pupils, on the rolls in 1895. and a better 

 average daily attendance than the white schools. 

 The efforts of the Government have been unremit- 

 ting, and civilization as well as the inclination to 

 work is progressing favorably among these wards 

 of the nation. Last year they cultivated 120.000 

 acres, broke in 2.663 acres of new land, owned 53.- 

 073 implements and 65.746 cattle, horses, sheep, etc., 

 raised 539.228 bushels of grain. 57.271 tons of hay, 

 ~V2 bushels of potatoes and roots, and obtained 

 $1.621.388 worth of fish. furs. game. etc. There is 

 now $3.539.943 to the credit of the Indian fund, of 

 which only the interest, amounting to $284,000. is 

 expended, the remainder of the money required, 

 $90s.5<'>3. being appropriated by Parliament from 

 current revenue. To this fund is yearly added the 

 proceeds of sales of Indian surplus lands. 



