

NOVA SCOTIA. 



519 



agriculture can not be too frequently impressed on 

 our people. I commend to the particular attention 

 of our farmers the facilities which are being pro- 

 vided for the conveyance of food products in cold- 

 storage steamers, which bring within their reach 

 distant countries which afford profitable markets. 

 There are classes of this trade for which our prov- 

 ince is well adapted, and I trust that our intelligent 

 and enterprising farmers will avail themselves of 

 the opportunities that are opening to them. While 

 the cold-storage arrangements are regarded as of 

 chief importance in their relation to agriculture, it 

 is hoped that they may be used with advantage in 



ir fishing industry also. 



" The Coast Railway Company, who have con- 

 racted to construct a railway from Yarmouth to 

 Lockport, have prosecuted their .work with vigor, 

 and now have 31 miles of road, extending within a 

 short distance of the Shelburne County line, in reg- 

 ular and successful operation. A contract has been 

 entered into with the Midland Railway Company 

 for the construction of a railway from Windsor to 

 Truro. 



"The subject of certain claims of the province 

 upon the Federal Government has engaged the at- 

 tention of my ministers during the recess, and steps 

 have been taken to bring these claims before the 

 Federal authorities. A delegation has visited Otta- 

 wa recently for that purpose. 



" Nearly thirteen years have elapsed since the 

 last revision of our provincial statutes. It seems to 

 be generally believed that it is in the public interest 

 that a new revision should take place, and you will 

 be invited to consider a measure having that object 

 in view. 



" Among other measures to which your attention 

 will be invited are a bill to effect a reduction of in- 

 terest by the consolidation of the unfunded debt of 

 the province, a bill to amend the law respecting 

 grand juries, and a bill relating to the distribution 

 of insolvent estates." 



The House adjourned on March 11, after passing 

 a number of bills, of which the chief dealt with 

 assignments and preferences by insolvent persons; 

 with the consolidation of county court acts ; with a 

 proposed provincial loan for the funding of $729,- 

 000 of miscellaneous indebtedness ; with" regard to 

 grand juries ; with amendments to the fire insur- 

 ance act ; with legislation to assist creameries, and 

 to amend the municipal assessment act ; with re- 

 gard to certain annuities and the rights of civil 

 engineers ; with respect to the public health ; and 

 with the incorporation of certain railway, coal, iron, 

 and other companies. 



The Lobster Fisheries. This industry is one 

 of the most important in the maritime provinces. 

 The export of canned lobsters from Halifax 75 per 

 cent, of the whole shipment from the province has 

 amounted to $21,000,000 in value during the past 

 twenty-three years. This is half the lobster pack 

 of British America and the world, as no other coun- 

 try cans lobster for export. Since 1884 the price 

 per case has steadily risen from $6, and in 1898 it 

 reached $10. Hence the importance of the busi- 

 ness and of the following table : 



In 1897 the lobster pack shipped from Halifax 

 amounted to 1,500,000 cases, valued at $1,850,000. 

 But then came a partial cessation in the supply. 

 The Dominion Government promptly appointed a 

 Royal Commission of Inquiry, composed of Prof. 

 E. E. Prince, M. H. Nickeison, W. Whitman, and H. 

 C. V. Le Vatte. Statistics and other facts were ob- 

 tained, complaints heard, regulations considered, 

 seasons, fishing year, etc., studied, and recommend- 

 ations made regarding increase of supply. The 

 commission met at different places throughout the 

 province in October, 1898, but the report has not 

 yet been made public. 



Education. In 1897 progress was general. The 

 number of sections without schools was reduced 

 from 171 to 153, and the schools increased from 

 2,312 to 2,346. The number of pupils of all grades 

 increased from 101,032 to 101,158. The average 

 daily attendance increased at a more rapid rate, the 

 54.015 of the previous year having become 54,922, 

 indicating an increased attendance every day of 

 907. The number of teachers increased from 2,312 

 to 2,346 ; but much more promising for the future 

 of education, the Normal-School trained teachers 

 increased at a higher rate, the 690 of last year 

 having become 752. The following extract from 

 the report of the chief superintendent (1897) illus- 

 trates the kind of progress made : 



" The numbers of trained teachers employed in 

 the schools of the province during each of the last 

 five years are as follow : In 1893, 403 ; in 1894, 

 499 ; in 1895, 616 ; in 1896, 690 ; in 1897, 752. This 

 shows that gently but surely we are making steps 

 in the direction of all the leading educational coun- 

 tries of the world which have already made pro- 

 fessional training of a very thorough character 

 necessary for all teachers. Our method of options 

 appears to be we'll enough adapted to our present 

 stage of development. It gives a chance, yet with- 

 out any restrictions, to the impecunious student 

 to earn money for his advancement to some pro- 

 fession ; but it is also giving a chance to the trained 

 teacher to remain in the teaching profession. That 

 this change is going on so gradually and smoothly 

 is the highest praise for the method. This pro- 

 gramme will have to run for many years at this 

 rate, however, before we shall be in this respect in 

 the position of the leading states of Europe and 

 America to-day. 



" Although from the increase in the number and 

 rank of our teachers the fixed provincial grant of 

 $182,500 caused the allowance to each to fall $1.18 

 on each $60, it is gratifying to know that trustees 

 on the average have so much appreciated the im- 

 proved character of the teachers that not only was 

 this deficit made good by the sections, but more 

 than made good. Although teachers' salaries have 

 been falling, as a rule, during the last five years in 

 most of the provinces, under our present arrange- 

 ments they have for the same period been steadily 

 increasing. Notwithstanding the gradual lowering 

 of the provincial grant to each, salaries during the 

 past year actually increased, on the average. The 

 increases were as follow : Class A male teachers, 

 $46.94; female teachers, $29.52. Class B male 

 teachers. $7.85 : female teachers, 84 cents. Class C 

 male teachers, $9.07 ; female teachers, $1.04. Class 

 D male teachers, $2.26; female teachers, $1.53. 

 This increase was the spontaneous offering of the 

 people in their desire to hold or obtain teachers 

 with good records. Without increasing remuner- 

 ation we can not expect the profession to improve 

 much. Our future progress is conditioned by salary 

 and the general cost of living, as well as by the 

 adoption of improved accommodations, apparatus, 

 and methods. 



" That this continued improvement is not due 





