

QUEBEC. 



605 



pal of the debt. In all, the total amount converted 

 to that date was $7,333,297, increasing by $1,715,- 

 427 the principal of the debt. But the annual sav- 

 ing in the interest until the original bonds begin to 

 mature amounted to $34,202. Against this, how- 

 ever, must be put the commutation of the stamp 

 duties on the $9,048,725, amounting to $56,653. 

 The Treasurer further said that the contract exe- 

 cuted between his predecessor and the Bank of 

 Montreal for the conversion of the debt, which 

 \viis entered into in April, 1897, expired on May 

 I. is!)!). An arrangement was concluded, under 

 authority of an order in Council of June 30, 1899, 

 with the bank, to take charge of the conversion 

 for the province at a commission of one half of one 

 per cent, on the nominal value of bonds converted, 

 the province to pay all expenses and brokerages, 

 which would probably be about three eighths of 

 one per cent. The price for the 3-per-cent. in- 

 scribed stock was advanced from 90 to 95 per cent., 

 but owing to the depression that had taken place 

 in the money market there had been no transac- 

 tions so far, and the Government would wait more 

 favorable opportunities to authorize any further 

 conversion. On March 15 the following Opposition 

 motion was presented to the house, but was de- 

 feated by 36 to 18 votes: 



" That this house, while ready to vote the sup- 

 lilies to her Majesty, regrets to see that the party 

 now in power has altogether failed to keep the 

 solemn engagements made by it when in opposi- 

 tion, especially as regards the ordinary expenses 

 of carrying on the Government. In fact, accord- 

 ing to page 212 of the journals of the house, Hon. 

 Mr. Dechene, now Commissioner of Agriculture, in 

 1896 laid before the house a proposition regretting 

 that the expenses of Government, under Conserva- 

 tive administration from 1893 to 1896 inclusive, 

 were as follow: 1893, $3,925,258.75; 1894, $3,876,- 

 990.33; 1895, $4,043,228.43; 1896, $4,041,221.66, 

 making an average of $3,973,424.91 ; and yet, ac- 

 cording to public account for the fiscal year end- 

 ing June 30, 1899, the ordinary expenses under 

 the present Government were $4,201,023, an in- 

 crease of $159,801.55 over 1896, and of $222,598.30 

 over the average above given for the four years of 

 Conservative Government from 1893 to 1896 in- 

 clusive." 



The actual receipts of the province for the year 

 ending June 30, 1900, were $4,539,736, and in- 

 cluded $1,278,991 from Dominion subsidy; $1,299,- 

 o~l from lands, forests, and fisheries; $247,793 

 from law stamps, legal fees, etc.; $580,139 from 

 liquor licenses; $186,598 from taxes on com- 

 mercial corporations; $270,865 from succession 

 duties; $79,713 from insane institutions; $300,- 

 084 from the Quebec and Ontario E ail way. 

 The total actual expenditure was $4,626,472, 

 showing a small deficit and including such items 

 as expenses of public debt, $1.538,059; legislation, 

 $199,563; civil government, $285,872; administra- 

 tion of justice, $526,107 ; education, $438,758 ; pub- 

 lic works and buildings, $97,209; agriculture, 

 $193,759; lands, forests, and fisheries, $149,704; 

 colonization and mines, $184,845; lunatic asylums, 

 $340.400; railway subsidies, $90,276. 



Education. One of the questions of the year 

 was the cutting off of certain Government grants 

 to the universities and their application to ele- 

 mentary education. Early in February Dr. R. W. 

 Heneker, Chancellor of the University of Bishop's 

 College, Lennoxville, resigned the chairmanship of 

 the Protestant Committee of the Council of Public 

 Instruction. In explaining his reasons he referred 

 to the marriage-license fees of Protestants in the 

 province, which for thirty years had been allowed 

 to go toward the support of the two universities 



McGill and Bishop's College as a sort of Govern- 

 ment grant, and spoke of the strong protests of the 

 committee as well as of the universities against 

 the legislation in question. Speaking of his re- 

 tirement, he said : " I have been led to take this 

 course for many reasons, but mainly because I 

 find myself in direct antagonism with the senti- 

 ment now prevailing in the Legislature and now 

 upheld by the Government (which represents the 

 people), that no further grants should be made 

 to the universities of McGill and Bishop's Col- 

 lege. These, the leading educational institutional 

 for the training of the Protestant youth of the 

 province, must henceforth carry on their high-class 

 work without any assistance from the public purse. 

 All who are acquainted with university work know 

 that the arts course is the foundation course of all 

 learning, and can not without difficulty be main- 

 tained with satisfactory results without state aid, 

 and it is in these institutions that the statesman, 

 the professional man, the high-class merchant, and 

 the teacher of high class get a proper preparation 

 for the duties of life." 



The Rev. Dr. W. J. Shaw was elected chairman 

 in Dr. Heneker's place, and a motion of censure 

 upon the Government for its policy in this con- 

 nection was shortly afterward put to the com- 

 mittee and lost. 



The provincial branch of the Dominion Prohibi- 

 tion Alliance, on March 1, declared that: "From 

 information given, we are of opinion that the pro- 

 visions in our school laws and regulations are en- 

 tirely inadequate to give any effective and scien- 

 tific temperance instruction in our elementary and 

 high schools. We have reason to believe that it is 

 now entirely ignored in a large proportion of our 

 schools, and very inadequately taught in many of 

 the others." 



In the House of Assembly, on March 26, on a 

 motion of Hon. E. J. Flynn and Mr. A. W. At- 

 water, the following resolution regarding the Gov- 

 ernment's attitude toward education was pre- 

 sented, but of course w r as defeated by the party 

 vote: 



" That this house finds that in spite of all the 

 self-praises of the Government as regards educa- 

 tion, the acts accomplished and for which they 

 take credit were thus accomplished only for the 

 greater part at least in virtue of an act passed 

 under the previous administration, to wit : 60 Vic- 

 toria, chapter 3, respecting ' elementary schools,' 

 which appropriated the sum of $30,000 to be ap- 

 plied, under the direction of the Lieutenant Gov- 

 ernor in Council, by the Superintendent of Public 

 Instruction in promoting elementary instruction 

 in poor municipalities, aiding schools for benefit 

 of the working classes in cities and towns, improv- 

 ing the condition of elementary and model schools' 

 teachers, supplying schoolbooks gratuitously, and 

 generally providing for the more efficient diffusion 

 of elementary education throughout the province; 

 the whole to such extent as the Lieutenant Gov- 

 ernor in Council may be pleased to order, and 

 under such regulations as he may be pleased to 

 make. And even as regards the application made 

 by the Government of the above statute, this house 

 sees with regret that no general rule or regular 

 system of distribution and payment has been fol- 

 lowed ; in fact, frequently the Government have 

 applied portions of the above grant to purposes 

 which should have been foreseen and specially pro- 

 vided for in the budget or else met by other appro- 

 priations. This house also regrets that during 

 the last fiscal year 1898-'99 the Government ap- 

 plied and expended only $22,729 out of the said 

 $50,000, thereby depriving elementary schools of 

 the aid to which they were entitled, and particu- 



