

BRITISH COLUMBIA, PROVINCE OF. 



63 



he must expect no help from him in the contest 

 at the polls, and thus practically .withdrew the 

 Liberal party from a fight in which Martin, as a 

 life-long Liberal, might have expected a measure 

 of party support. Meanwhile, although the Con- 

 servatives of British Columbia were in a greatly 

 mixed-up condition and divided into supporters 

 of Mr. J. H. Turner, Mr. C. A. Semlin, and Mr. 

 F. Carter-Cotton, respectively and separately, they 

 had proclaimed a platform for the province as 

 follows : 



" To revise the voters' lists. 



" To aid actively in the construction of trails 

 throughout the undeveloped portion of the prov- 

 ince and the building of provincial trunk roads 

 of public necessity. 



" To provide for official inspection of elevators 

 and hoisting gear. 



" To improve the administration of justice and 

 secure speedy disposition of legal disputes. 



" To provide an effective system for settlement 

 of disputes between capital and labor. 



" To adopt the principle of government owner- 

 ship of railways in so far as the circumstances of 

 the province will admit, and the adoption of the 

 principle that no bonus should be granted to any 

 railway company which does not give the Govern- 

 ment of the province control of rates over lines 

 bonused, together with the option of purchase. 



" To assume control and administration of the 

 fisheries within the boundaries of the province. 



" To assist actively by state aid in the devel- 

 opment of the agricultural resources of the prov- 

 ince. 



" To make the London agency of British Colum- 

 bia effective in proclaiming the natural wealth of 

 the province and as a place for profitable invest- 

 ment of capital. 



" In the interests of labor, the Conservative 

 party sympathizes with and indorses the principle 

 of an eight-hour law. 



" To provide an improved system of education. 



" To recognize and reform the system of pro- 

 vincial aid to medical men and hospitals in out- 

 lying parts of the province. 



" To support actively the advancement of the 

 mining interests of British Columbia. 



" To aid in the immigration of female domestic 

 servants." 



For some months Mr. Martin fought hard to 

 establish an organized party in support of his 

 defined policy. But his personality was so pecul- 

 iar, his abuse of opponents so violent, his energy 

 so neutralized by mistakes, that in the elections, 

 June 10, he was politically buried. Out of 38 

 members, only 7 Government supporters were re- 

 turned, the rest being divided among the straight 

 Conservative wing, the independent element, the 

 Labor party, and those classed merely as opposi- 

 tionists. Shortly afterward the Government re- 

 'signed, and Lieut.-Gov. Mclnnes, in practical pur- 

 suance of the announced Dominion policy in the 

 matter, received his dismissal from Ottawa. In 

 the meantime he had called on Mr. James Duns- 

 muir, a millionaire mine owner, to form a ministry, 

 and this was completed on June 21 as follows: 

 Hon. James Dunsmuir, Premier and President of 

 the Council ; Hon. D. M. Eberts, Attorney-Gen- 

 eral; Hon. J. H. Turner, Minister of Finance; 

 Hon. J. D. Prentice, Provincial Secretary; Hon. 

 R. McBride, Commissioner of Lands and Public 

 Works; Hon. A. C. Wells, Minister of Mines. 



Three members of the Government were Lib- 

 erals, 3 Conservatives, and with its formation and 

 the retirement of Mr. Mclnnes came a period of 

 comparative political peace. Sir Henri Joly de 

 Lotbiniere, Minister of Inland Revenue at Ottawa, 



was appointed Lieutenant Governor, and became 

 immediately popular with all classes of the com- 

 munity. The dismissal of the Lieutenant Gov- 

 ernor by the Dominion Government had been a 

 serious action, and of course was much discussed. 

 Important correspondence between Mr. Mclnnes 

 and the Dominion authorities was made public, 

 and on July 12 the Hon. David Mills, Minister of 

 Justice, made a speech in the Senate, describing 

 the constitutional mistakes and misdeeds for which 

 the Lieutenant Governor had suffered. 



On July 19 the first session of the Ninth Legis- 

 lature was opened in state by Sir Henri Joly de 

 Lotbiniere. Mr. J. P. Booth was elected Speaker, 

 and the Lieutenant Governor then read his speech 

 from the throne, which, after certain personal ref- 

 erences and loyal expressions in connection with 

 the South African war, continued as follows: 



" The industries of the province are in a fairly 

 prosperous condition, notwithstanding a temporary 

 Avave of depression. The metalliferous mining, 

 which was more particularly affected, is resuming 

 a more normal condition of activity, and I antici- 

 pate a largely increased output during the present 

 year. 



" Coal mining in East Kootenay and on Van- 

 couver island is on a prosperous basis, the output 

 for the past year exceeding that of any other year. 

 The lumbering district is likewise in a prosperous 

 condition, and the foreign demand continues to be 

 active. 



" Agriculture, including fruit growing, dairying, 

 stock raising and kindred branches, is making 

 steady progress, with prospects of ultimate great 

 development. 



" The fisheries last year were successfully prose- 

 cuted. It is too early in the season to indicate 

 the results of the present year's operations. 



" I observe that since the correspondence be- 

 tween the Government of British Columbia and 

 the Federal and Imperial Governments, relative to 

 Asiatic immigration, has been published a large 

 influx of Japanese has taken place. The intention 

 of my Government is to make strong representa- 

 tions to the authorities at Ottawa and Great 

 Britain, with the view of protecting the interests 

 of the laboring classes against consequences which 

 threaten to come with an alarming increase in our 

 Japanese population. 



" The extensive requirements of the province 

 with respect to public work for its development 

 will involve the carrying out of a vigorous policy 

 in road building, and my Government intends to 

 provide for surveys and a report concerning the 

 various sections requiring attention. 



" I am impressed with the opportunities for the 

 profitable carrying on of the manufacture of pulp 

 in British Columbia, and note with pleasure that 

 preparations are being made and sites arranged for 

 extensive prosecution of this industry. 



" My Government will ask for an appropriation 

 for defraying the expenses of a commission to in- 

 quire into the working of the mining acts, with 

 a view of introducing legislation for the purpose 

 of amending them next session, and into the vari- 

 ous conditions affecting the question of water 

 rights. The intention of my Government is to im- 

 pose a tonnage tax on the output of coal and coke 

 in this province, and introduce other measures to 

 be considered for the purpose of increasing the 

 revenue. 



" The intention of my Government is to provide 

 in the estimates a sunTto place the office of Agent 

 General on a more satisfactory basis. 



" Owing to the fact that the present extra ses- 

 sion is for the purpose mainly of voting supplies, 

 and that the regular session is to be held at an 



