492 



NEW BRUNSWICK. 



tices, advances of public money, leases or grants of 

 lands, and generally the patronage of the Government 

 or of the departments have been retained, granted, or 

 paid from the 3d day of March, A. D. 1883, to the 3d 

 day of March, A. D. 1892." 



It appears to the Lieutenant-Goyernor that the 

 granting of the request of the memorialists, including 

 the general reference asked for, would be not only at 

 variance with the well-established usages of Parlia- 

 ment, but with the principles of British j ustice. The 

 humblest subject of Her Majesty can only be tried 

 upon the counts in his indictment, and is thus en- 

 abled to prepare his defense. While the Lieutenant- 

 Governor is most anxious to guard the public inter- 

 ests in every way possible consistent with and with- 

 in his constitutional authority, he desires to guard 

 against the breaking down of the parliamentary bul- 

 warks, erected after great experience, with which 

 members of Parliament ond governments are wisely 

 surrounded. Under these circumstances the Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor does not feel warranted in granting 

 the request of the memorialists. He has arrived at 

 this conclusion the more readily, as he has the assur- 

 ance of his Government that they will afford every 

 facility for the fullest investigation of any charges 

 which may be preferred in the usual manner against 

 them before the Legislature, and have already, as 

 they inform him, invited members who in the House 

 referred to some of the matters contained in the me- 

 morial to formulate their charges and call for a com- 

 mittee of investigation in the usual way. 



(Signed) S. L. TILLEY. 

 A. A. STOCKTON, Esq., M. P. P., and Leader of the 



Opposition. 



The Attorney-General moved the following 

 resolution : 



Whereas, It appears by papers laid upon the table 

 of this House by the authority of His Honor the Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor, that Messrs. Stockton, M'Keown,and 

 10 other members of this House did, on Thursday, the 

 31st day of March last, forward a memorial to His 

 Honor containing certain charges and allegations re- 

 flecting upon the conduct of his Government and cer- 

 tain menibers thereof, which charges are numbered 

 from 1 to 18 inclusive, and asking that His Honor 

 would cause a commission to be appointed consisting 

 of one or more judges of the Supreme Court of this 

 province to investigate the said charges ; 



And whereas, It further appears by the said papers 

 that His Honor has declined to accede to the applica- 

 tion of the memorialists, and has indicated that if the 

 said members have any charges against the Govern- 

 ment which they believe they can establish, the prop- 

 er course is to prefer such charges before this House, 

 and call for an investigation by and before a commit- 

 tee thereof in the usual manner ; 



Therefore Resolved, That in the opinion of this 

 House it is the duty of those members who have sub- 

 scribed the said memorial, and thereby impeached the 

 integrity and official conduct of the Executive Gov- 

 ernment and its members, to forthwith demand that 

 a committee of this House be at once appointed for 

 the purpose of an investigation into the charges 

 made, and notwithstanding that the business of the 

 present session is about concluded and the memorial- 

 ists have not availed themselves of the abundant op- 

 portunity open to them during the session of taking 

 action in respect to these charges in the usual man- 

 ner: 



This House hereby declares and affirms its willing- 

 ness to continue the present session for such length 

 of time as may be necessary for a full, proper, and 

 sufficient inquiry into each ar.d all of the said charges. 



The resolution was carried yeas 22, nays 7. 

 The memorialists did not move for the ap- 

 pointment of a, committee of the Legislature, 

 and consideration of the charges was here 

 dropped. 



The Legislature passed 64 laws, the most im- 

 portant being : 



To impose taxes on certain incorporated companies 

 and associations. 



To impose taxes on certain life-insurance agents. 



To provide for the payment of succession duties in 

 certain cases. 



Under the provisions of these laws all fire-in- 

 surance companies doing business in New Bruns- 

 wick are required to pay a tax of 1 per cent, of 

 the net premiums annually received, and where 

 the principal office or organization is not within 

 the province an additional sum of $100 per an- 

 num. Accident and guarantee companies are 

 required to pay a tax of one half of 1 per cent. 

 of the premiums annually received, with an ad- 

 ditional tax of $25 per annum. All companies 

 or associations doing the business of endowment 

 or life insurance are required to pay annually 

 $250, except where the company or association 

 has its principal office within the province, in 

 which case the tax is $100. All agents travel- 

 ing for and soliciting risks for either life or en- 

 dowment assurance, not being residents of the 

 province, are required to pay a tax or license 

 fee of $100 a year. Express companies operat- 

 ing over a railway mileage of 500 miles and up- 

 ward within the province will pay a tax of $250 

 per annum. Similar companies operating over 

 a mileage of 250 and less than 500 miles will 

 pay $125, and where the mileage is not less than 

 100 nor greater than 250 miles, $50. Telephone 

 companies are required to pay a tax equivalent to 

 25 cents on each telephone under rental ; passen- 

 ger or street railway companies, $50 to $100 on 

 each mile in operation, at the discretion of the 

 Lieutenant-Governor in Council ; budding, trust, 

 or loan societies not exceeding $250, at discre- 

 tion of the Lieutenant-Governor in Council ; tele- 

 graph companies operating 100 miles or more of 

 wire, $500; operating less than 100 miles, $100. 

 Upon all banks doing business in the city of St. 

 John, having their organization within the prov- 

 ince and head office in that city, with a capital 

 of $500.000 and upward, a tax of $1,000, and an 

 additional tax of $100 for each agency, includ- 

 ing the principal office, not exceeding 4 ; upon 

 banks having their organization without the 

 province and having an office in the city of St. 

 John, with a capital of $1,000,000 and upward, 

 a tax of $1,000, and an additional tax of $100 

 for each agency, not exceeding 4 : upon all banks 

 having their organization without the province 

 and an office in St. John, with a capital of $500,- 

 000 and less than $1,000,000, a tax of $750, and an 

 additional tax for each agency not exceeding 4, 

 $100; upon all banks having their organization 

 without the province and not having an agency 

 in St. John, with a capital of $500,000 and less 

 than $1,000,000, a tax of $500, and an additional 

 tax of $100 for each agency not exceeding 4; 

 upon all banks having their organization within 

 the province and not having an agency in St. 

 John, with a capital not exceeding $250,000, a 

 tax of $200, and an additional tax of $100 for 

 each agency not exceeding 4. 



The " succession duties," or taxes imposed upon 

 estates of deceased persons, were revised by the 

 new law. 



Education. The total cost of education un- 

 der the free-school system (not including build- 



