NEW BRUNSWICK. 



405 



labor in mines, mills, smelters, and other works for 

 reducing or refining ores, and to extend such law 

 to other classes of labor to which it is applicable, 

 after hearing and consulting with the representa- 

 tives of such classes, and to provide by law for 

 adding to the duties of one of the State officers, 

 without additional salary, the duty of a commis- 

 sioner of labor. Further, the resolutions favored 

 water storage for arid lands, to be provided by the 

 Government; demanded protection for all classes 

 from unjust railroad discrimination, and a law 

 limiting trie expenditure of candidates at elections. 



A constitutional convention was declared a ne- 

 cessity. 



Following is the fusion State ticket: For Mem- 

 ber of Congress, Francis G. Newlands; Justice of 

 the Supreme Court, A. L. Fitzgerald; State Uni- 

 versity Regent, long term, J. N. Evans; State Uni- 

 versity Regent, short term, W. W. Booher. 



The vote for presidential electors was: Bryan, 

 6,376; McKinley, 3,860. The fusion ticket was 

 successful, Newlands receiving 5,975 to 4,190 for 

 Farrington. The Legislature will stand on joint 

 ballot: Democrats, 19; Republicans, 13; Silver 

 party, 13; Independents, 3. 



NEW BRUNSWICK, an eastern province of 

 Canada; area, 28,100 square miles; population in 

 1891, 321,263. Capital, Fredericton. 



Government and Politics. There was a good 

 deal of fluctuation in the personnel of the Govern- 

 ment in 1900, but no change in the large majority 

 Possessed by the Liberal ministry in the Assembly, 

 'he 'year opened with the Hon. H. R. Emmerson 

 as Premier, which office he had held since Decem- 

 ber, 1897, and with Hon. L. J. Tweedie, Hon. A. T. 

 Dunn, Hon. A. S. White, Hon. C. H. Labillois, 

 Hon. L. P. Farris, and Hon. A. D. Richard asso- 

 ciated with him. On Jan. 18 Mr. Emmerson ex- 

 chunged his office of Commissioner of Public 

 Works for the attorney-generalship held by Mr. 

 White, and Mr. H. A. McKeown at the same time 

 became a minister without office. On Feb. 15 the 

 Legislature was opened by Lieut.-Gov. A. R. 

 McClellan, with the usual speech from the throne. 

 It made a spirited reference to the New Bruns- 

 wick contingent in South Africa which brought 

 the members to their feet, and a spontaneous out- 

 burst of " God save the Queen " when it was after- 

 ward referred to by a speaker. It outlined the 

 policy of the session as including a grant to the 

 provincial volunteers abroad, a revision and codify- 

 ing of the statutes, and the encouragement of a 

 desirable class of immigration. The session was 

 short, and was prolific neither of legislation nor of 

 excitement. Another transformation in the min- 

 istry took place on Aug. 31, when Mr. Emmerson 

 retired to contest Westmoreland in the coming 

 Dominion elections (in which he was successful), 

 and was replaced by the Hon. L. J. Tweedie, a 

 Conservative until 1890 and since that date a 

 member of the ministry. The new Government 

 was as follows: Hon. L. J. Tweedie, Premier and 

 Provincial Secretary; Hon. William Pugsley, At- 

 torney-General ; Hon. C. H. Labillois, Commission- 

 er of Public Works; Hon. L. P. Farris, Commis- 

 sioner of Agriculture; Hon. A. T. Dunn, Surveyor 

 General; Hon. H. A. McKeown and Hon. G. F. 

 Hill, without portfolio. 



On Sept. 2 a Provincial Conservative Conven- 

 tion met at St. John, to prepare for the Dominion 

 elections. Josiah Wood, ex-M. P., was chairman, 

 and resolutions were passed expressing gratitude 

 ! for the success in South Africa and the prospects 

 I of a united British country there; placing on rec- 

 ord appreciation and admiration of the conduct of 

 | Canadian troops in the war; and expressing re- 

 newed confidence in the party leaders, Sir Charles 



Tupper and Hon. George E. Foster. The conven- 

 tion announced its strong support of the policy 

 of preferential trade and tariffs within the em- 

 pire; its adherence to the principle of adequate 

 protection to home industries; its belief that pro- 

 vincial politics should be run upon Dominion party 

 lines; its faith in Mr. J. D. Hazen's leadership in 

 the Assembly, and its disapproval of " the gross 

 extravagance and mismanagement ;> in the pro- 

 vincial Department of Public Works. It de- 

 nounced the Laurier Government at Ottawa for its 

 violation of pledges, for its reckless and excessive 

 taxation, for its Yukon corrupt railway contracts, 

 and for its deceit in the matter of the prohibition 

 plebiscite. 



Finances.- The receipts for the year ending 

 Oct. 31, 1899, were $764,239 and the expenses 

 $749,644. The revenue included Dominion subsi- 

 dies of $483,501 ; timber licenses, fishing leases, 

 hunting licenses, etc., of $184,984; fees from the 

 Provincial Secretary's office, $10,292; taxes on in- 

 corporated companies, $25,064; succession duties, 

 $30,233 ; and liquor licenses, $20,743. The expendi- 

 tures included $15,909 upon the administration of 

 justice; $34,831 upon agriculture; $16,831 upon 

 contingencies; $202,705 upon education, salaries, 

 etc.; $20,106 upon legislation; $42,000 upon luna- 

 tic asylum maintenance; and $197,883 upon public 

 works. In his budget speech, Feb. 28, Mr. Tweedie 

 said : " The interest items charged in the public 

 accounts include those on debentures, $117,866.85; 

 on bank accounts, $5,764.11; Independent Order 

 of Foresters, $900; Equity Court deposits, $5.62; 

 a total of $124,436.58. ' The above amount, how- 

 ever, does not include the interest upon debentures 

 issued for permanent bridges, and which, under 

 the law, is chargeable to the board of works. This 

 amounts to $9,760. Therefore the total amount 

 of interest paid in 1898 was $13,196.58. He might 

 state that the balance of outstanding coupons was 

 very much reduced during the year, being only 

 $4,437.50, as compared with $8,735 in 1897 and 

 $6,908.75 in 1898. The substitution of 3-per-cent. 

 debentures accounted for this lessening of the in- 

 terest burden, but the full extent of decrease of 

 interest consequent upon the reduction of rate 

 upon the $873,500 of 4-per-cent. debentures called 

 in could not be realized in 1899, since a large 

 amount of the 4-per-cent. debentures called for 

 payment of one half year's interest during that 

 year. In the present year the full saving to the 

 province on the conversion of $873,500 of 4-per- 

 cent, debentures will amount to $7,638, which will 

 continue annually hereafter, and if used as a sink- 

 ing fund would redeem two thirds of the 3-per- 

 cent, sterling loan at the expiration of forty years, 

 or at maturity of the loan. There were now 

 $200,000 of permanent bridge debentures to be 

 issued ; but in the present state of the money mar- 

 ket he could not expect to realize as good a price 

 as was realized for the last loan, and he would 

 not offer them. He intended to ask the Legis- 

 lature to change the act so that if they thought 

 advisable he might be in a position to issue 4-per- 

 cent, short-term bonds, and await a favorable con- 

 dition of the market to issue the 3-per-cent. bonds. 

 The 4-per-cent. short-term bonds would probably 

 bring a premium. The average rate of interest 

 paid upon the provincial bonded debt is 4.10 per 

 cent. At the end of 1897 the average rate stood 

 at 4.47 per cent. The 3-per-cent. transactions of 

 the province during the past two years have there- 

 fore reduced the average rate of interest ffi of 

 1 per cent. Last year the legislative expenses 

 amounted to $20,105, or $221.60 below the esti- 

 mate." 



The gross debt of the province on Oct. 31, 1899, 



