660 



PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES. 



of $171,000. They issued debentures to the amount 

 of $185,000 to pay off that debt, yet, at present, as a 

 result of mismanagement and indefensible extrava- 

 gance, the public debt of the province is considera- 

 bly more than $500,000, and the Farquharson Gov- 

 ernment have no prospect of reducing it except by 

 vastly increasing direct taxation. The Conserva- 

 tive Government successfully carried on public af- 

 fairs for many years without levying a cent of taxa- 

 tion ; but the Liberal Government levied taxes on 

 lands and buildings, on incomes, on commercial 

 travelers, and on nearly everything that was taxable, 

 and still failed to make ends meet or to keep down 

 the debt, which the ratepayers of the island must 

 ere long face. The Conservatives never interfered 

 with the school act, but the Liberals have laid vio- 

 lent hands upon it, and shorn it of one of its essen- 

 tial features, and thus materially decreased the 

 salaries of teachers and given education a setback 

 from which it will require years to recover. The 

 Conservatives carried on the public works of the 

 province in a careful and economical yet efficient 

 manner. The Liberals have made the Public Works 

 Department a vehicle for extravagance of the most 

 pronounced character, and have scattered contracts 

 and jobs with a lavish hand " where they would do 

 the most good" that is, where they would bring 

 support to the Government. And to-day the roads 

 and bridges in many parts of the province are in a 

 wretched condition. The way the Liberals spent 

 the money on the roads of this province at election 

 times, without receiving value for these expendi- 

 tures, was something shameful, and a scandal to 

 the province. 



Prohibition. The central question of impor- 

 tance in island politics during the year was that of 

 prohibition. It has always been a foremost one, and 

 many public men are in favor of the policy. In 

 December, 1898, the people were asked by the 

 Peters Government whether they favored it or not, 

 and 14,000 electors cast their ballot as follows : 

 Queen's County, 4,226 for, and 1,513 against ; Prince 

 County, 3,579 for, and 1.109 against ; King's County, 

 2,811 for, and 768 against; total, 10,616 for, and 

 3,390 against. After that time nothing definite 

 was done until the Dominion plebiscite took place, 

 Sept. 29, resulting in a vote of 5,617 in favor to 425 

 against. An important point in the general contro- 

 versy was the following extract from a letter dated 

 April 7, 1898, from the Dominion Minister of Jus- 

 tice to Mr. Warburton, then Premier: "The regu- 

 lations to which you refer are all within the juris- 

 diction of the Provincial Legislature, and it is open 

 to the Legislature to legislate in the direction which 

 you indicate, as far as they think it in the public 

 interest to go, to the extent of total prohibition. 

 There is nothing to prevent any province prohibit- 

 ing the sale of intoxicants for consumption as a 

 beverage within the limits of the province, if so 

 disposed." 



Miscellaneous. The Hon. David Laird was ap- 

 pointed to the superintendency of the Northwest 

 Indians. For many years he had been an energetic 

 journalist and citizen of Charlottetown. 



Considerable progress was made in dairying and 

 cheese production during the year, and a public 

 report on the subject presented by Mr. A. W. 

 Woodward. 



Several railway projects were pressed upon public 

 attention, but so far unsuccessfully. 



PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN 

 THE UNITED STATES. A summary of the 

 statistics of Church progress in the year shows the 

 following : The number of dioceses in the United 

 States, 58 ; missionary jurisdictions in the United 

 States, 17; missionary districts in foreign lands, 4; 

 clergy (bishops, 84; priests and deacons, 4,734), 



4,818 ; parishes and missions. 6,458 ; candidates for 

 holy orders, 496 ; ordinations deacons, 161 ; priests, 

 183 ; baptisms, 63,229 ; confirmations, 44,788 ; com- 

 municants, 680,205; marriages. 17,693; burials, 35,- 

 073 ; Sunday-school teachers, 46,397 ; Sunday-school 

 scholars, 434,560 ; total of contributions, $13,816,- 

 669.84. 



The gross receipts for missions for the fiscal year 

 that ended Aug. 31, including those for "specials" 

 and miscellaneous purposes, amounted to $770,- 

 966.99. The contributions for the work undertaken 

 by the board were $402,540.74, and the amount 

 received for legacies for designated uses $92,615.50, 

 making the amount at the disposal of the board 

 $495,156.24, of which $15,708.31 was deposited to 

 protect outstanding liabilities, leaving to be applied 

 to the payment of appropriations $479,447.93. Leg- 

 acies amounting to $57,975 were permanently in- 

 vested. The number of parishes and missions con- 

 tributing was 3,722, or 275 more than during the 

 last fiscal year. The number of contributors and 

 the amount of church offerings were larger than 

 in any previous year. The year was closed without 

 debt. The Lenten offering from Sunday schools, 

 amounting to $81,761.09, was the largest yet made 

 by $5,647.50, and was an increase of $18,599.99 

 over last year's offering. The number of schools 

 contributing was 3,031, a gain of 401 compared with 

 the previous year. 



The gross receipts for domestic mission work 

 (including a balance from 1897 of $36,854.52) were 

 $400,426.57. The expenditure (including $53,959.- 

 71 for Indian and $54.595.50 for colored missions) 

 was $252,845.72 ; specials amounted to $35.674.76; 

 legacy expenses (one half), $145.12 ; one half of 

 cost of administration and collection, $12.342.15; 

 one half of cost of printing reports of the board, 

 "Spirit of Missions," etc., $9,371.70; legacies for 

 investment. $26,437.50 ; one half amount paid to an 

 annuitant, $150 ; returned to Standing Committee 

 on Trust Funds, $32.000; transfers, $50.22; mak- 

 ing the total expenditure for domestic missions 

 $369,017.17, and leaving for domestic missions and 

 specials at the close of the fiscal year a balance of 

 $31,409.40. The salaries of the bishops and the 

 stipends of the missionaries in 19 missionary juris- 

 dictions were paid, and, in addition, assistance was 

 given to 41 dioceses. The whole number of mis- 

 sionaries, clerical and lay, male and female, receiv- 

 ing salaries or stipends was 1,126, an increase since 

 1897 of 120, and the amount appropriated for the 

 whole work (including the sums not directly charge- 

 able to the dioceses) was $281,694. A larger num- 

 ber of parishes (with one exception) contributed for 

 domestic missions than ever before, the number 

 given being 3,505, an excess over 1897 of 264. 



The gross receiptsfor foreign missions (including 

 a balance from 1897 of $25,248.87) were $350.95;. 

 28. The expenditures were : On account of mission 

 work, $186,525.44 ; specials, $42,368.30 ; legacy ex- 

 penses (one half), $145.11 ; one half of cost of ad- 

 ministration and collection, $12,342.14: one half 

 cost of printing reports of the board, "Spirit of 

 Missions," etc., $9,371.70; legacies for investment. 

 $26.437.50; one half amount paid to an annuitant, 

 $150 ; returned to Standing Committee on Trust 

 Funds, $44,689.48; making the total amount <>f 

 payments for foreign missions $322.029.67, ami 

 leaving for foreign missions and specials at tli 1 

 close of the fiscal year $28,927.56. The number of 

 parishes and missions that contributed to fort'igu 

 missions was 3.490, being 282 more than in IS!)" 

 and a few more than any previous year, and tin 1 

 amount given by them was greater than ever before. 



The total number of mission stations reporting 

 to the commission on work among the colored 

 people is 135, and a summary of the approximate 



