CANADA, DOMINION OF. 



101 



ceived but two votes in the Senate. A large 

 number of bills failed to receive the approval of 

 the executive. Many of these were appropria- 

 tions, amounting in the aggregate to over $800,- 

 000. Among the larger appropriations vetoed 

 were $250,000 for the San Francisco exposition, 

 $100,000 for the improvement of San Diego har- 

 bor, $43,000 for buildings for the State University, 

 $25,000 for Lake Tahoe wagon road, $31,000 for 

 improvements at Mendocino Hospital, $30,000 for 

 improvements at Whittier School, $20,000 for cot- 

 tages at the Home for Feeble-minded Children, 

 $25,000 for a macadamized road between Sacra- 

 mento and Folsom, $100,000 for Oakland harbor, 

 and $7,500 for a well on the Capitol grounds. A 

 bill to issue bonds for $1,000,000 to complete the 

 San Francisco sea wall was vetoed; one granting 

 suffrage to women at school elections; one to 

 create a State board of charities; others to create 

 a free employment bureau to regulate the prac- 

 tice of horseshoeing, to regulate the practice of 

 dental surgery, to suppress employment agencies, 

 compelling banks to furnish sworn statements of 

 funds on hand, and fixing the legal rate of inter- 

 est at 6 per cent. 



Earthquake. Early in the morning of Dec. 

 25 a large part of southern California was shaken 

 by an earthquake. The center of the disturbance 

 was at San Jacinto, Riverside County, and the 

 undulations continued about twelve seconds. 

 Many buildings were damaged, and some walls 

 and chimneys fell. It was reported that six 

 squaws were killed on the Sabota reservation. 



CANADA, DOMINION OF, a federated 

 group of British provinces in North America. 



Government and Politics. The House of 

 Commons was opened at Ottawa, March 16, 1899, 

 by the Earl of Minto, Governor General of Can- 

 ada, with the usual formalities. The speech from 

 the throne, outlining the Government policy for 

 the session, contained these passages: 



" The negotiations which were set on foot dur- 

 ing the recess between her Majesty's Govern- 

 ment and that of the United States in reference 

 to the settlement of certain questions in dispute 

 between Canada and the latter country were, I 

 grieve to say, greatly delayed by the illness and 

 subsequent death of two of the most eminent 

 members of the commission appointed for that 

 purpose. Considerable progress has been made 

 on several of the subjects submitted, but a seri- 

 ous disagreement arose between her Majesty's 

 commissioners and the commissioners of the 

 United States on the question of the delimitation 

 of the boundary between Canada and Alaska. 

 The question was referred by the commissioners 

 to their respective governments, the commission 

 being adjourned to the second day of August 

 next, in the hope that in the meantime the diffi- 

 culty might be overcome. 



"I observe with pleasure that the mother 

 country, Canada, and other British possessions 

 have recently adopted a penny-postage letter rate. 

 The satisfaction with which this action has been 

 received by the Canadian people is a further 

 proof of the general desire existing among our 

 people for closer relations with the mother coun- 

 try and the rest of the empire. I am also glad 

 to be able to state that the satisfactory condi- 

 tion of the finances of the country permitted a 

 reduction, on Jan. 1 last, of the Canadian do- 

 mestic letter rate from three to two cents, and, 

 although such reduction involves a temporary 

 loss of revenue, it is, nevertheless, confidently 

 expected that the cheapened rate will prove of 

 such service in the promotion of trade and in 

 the general interchange of correspondence that, 



within a reasonable time, the revenue of the Post- 

 office Department will be restored to its former 

 figure. 



" Much information has been obtained since 

 you last met relative to the extent and value 

 of the deposits of gold and valuable minerals 

 in the Yukon and other parts of Canada. The 

 returns from the Yukon have so far proved suf- 

 ficient to meet the heavy expenditure it was found 

 necessary to incur for the purpose of preserving 

 law and order, and it has been thought expedi- 

 ent in the public interest to authorize the con- 

 struction of a line of telegraph for the purpose 

 of maintaining speedy communication with the 

 people of those distant territories. A measure 

 will be submitted to you for the better arrange- 

 ment of the electoral districts throughout the 

 Dominion, as also several enactments of less im- 

 portance." 



THE EARL OF MINTO, GOVERNOR GENERAL OF CANADA. 



Sir James D. Edgar was re-elected Speaker of 

 the House, and upon his death, later in the ses- 

 sion, Mr. Thomas Bain was chosen to succeed 

 him. The following resolution was introduced 

 by the Government in favor of reforming the con- 

 stitution of the appointive Senate which was 

 largely opposed to them in politics but was sub- 

 sequently withdrawn: 



" That an humble address be presented to her 

 Majesty the Queen setting forth that the pro- 

 visions of the British North America act, 1867, 

 respecting the powers of the Senate of Canada in 

 the making of laws, are unsatisfactory, and 

 should be brought more into harmony with the 

 principle of popular government, and praying 

 that her Majesty may be pleased to recommend 

 to the imperial Parliament a measure for the 

 amendment of the said act, in such terms as will 

 effectually make provision as follows: If the 

 House of Commons passes any bill which the 

 Senate rejects, or fails to pass, or amends in a 

 way not accepted by the House of Commons, 

 then if the House of Commons, at the next fol- 

 lowing session, again passes such bill, and the 

 Senate again rejects or fails to pass it, or amends 

 in a way not accepted by the House of Com- 

 mons, the Governor General may, by proclama- 

 tion, convene one or more joint sittings of the 

 members of the two houses for the further con- 

 sideration of such bill or amendments, and a 



