II. 



>\T\kl< 



Prior t iX)S n.. statutory i. QS h;i<l been made by the 



i >ntario Legislature to .^o\ern the lease or other disposal uf water- 



situated upon lands p 1>\ tin- Cr.\\n. 



:tlu-K---. tlu- \vatcr-p\vr .mtrl wrrr 1>\ no means 



I nun K-j^al n^trict ;< ns. n,,r arc tlu-\ n. >\v. On April 19, 1905, 

 Premier Whitney said: "Tin- \\au-r-p..\vrr at Niagara sh-.nM lu- 

 as i: . and. more than that. I say on behalf of the Govern- 



ment, that the \vater-po\\er- all over thi- country shall not in future 

 be made the >|xrt and prey of capitalists, and shall nut be treated EUI 

 anything else but a valuable asset of the people ..f ( )ntari..." < n 



:nber \ $. KHi. the Hon. Adam Meek said: " Niagara l ; all> has 

 eome back into the possession <f the people of the province and we 

 ran develop electricity at the falls 75 per rent, cheaper than it could 

 be developed by any means known to man t<>-da\." "The pi-, .pie 

 l" the Province \ < Mitario ha\e appropriated for all time to come 

 Miie M|" the ijrcatcM assets, ine of ,ur wealthiest heritages, when 

 tlu-y conserved through this movement the water-]- :lie white 



mines.' ,,f the Province of ( hitario." 



