BRITISH COLUMBIA. 



81 



" That the Legislature and the Government of 

 the province should persevere in an effort to se- 

 cure the exclusion of Asiatic labor. 



" That the matter of better terms in the way 

 of subsidy and appropriation for the province 

 should be vigorously pressed upon the Dominion 

 Government. 



" That the silver and lead industries of the 

 province be further encouraged by the imposition 

 of increased customs duties on lead and lead 

 products imported into Canada, and the Conser- 

 vative members of the Dominion House be urged 

 to support any motion introduced for such a 

 purpose. 



" That as industrial disputes almost invariably 

 result in great loss and injury both to the par- 

 ties directly concerned and to the public, legisla- 

 tion should be passed to provide means for an 

 amicable adjustment of such disputes between 

 employers and employees." 



ent elected G. R. Maxwell, M. P., as his successor, 

 chose Mr. Martin the party leader by a substan- 

 tial majority, and passed resolutions in favor of 

 the adoption of party politics in provincial af- 

 fairs and of fealty to Sir Wilfrid Laurier as the 

 Dominion leader. 



Labor Party and Questions. On April 11- 

 13 a convention of labor representatives was held 

 at Kamloops, and Christopher Foley, of Rossland, 

 was elected president of a newly organized pro- 

 vincial Progressive party, with the following 

 platform : 



" 1. That we gradually abolish all taxes on the 

 producer and the products of the producer, shift- 

 ing them on land values. 



" 2. Government ownership of railways and 

 means of communication. 



" 3. That the Government establish and operate 

 smelters and refineries to treat all kinds of min- 

 erals. 



TELEGRAPH CABLHS BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND HER COLONIES. 



Meeting of Liberals. On Feb. 6 a provincial 

 Convention of Liberals opened in Vancouver, with 

 Senator Templeman, chairman of the provincial 

 Executive of the party, in the chair. The object 

 was to discuss the question of introducing party 

 lines into provincial politics and to select a 

 leader or discuss the advisability of doing so. 

 The whole matter soon settled into a struggle on 

 the question whether Mr. Martin should be 

 chosen by the convention or the subject be post- 

 poned to another occasion. The chairman found 

 the meeting hard to control from the beginning, 

 and the first important issue raised was the right 

 of the provincial Executive to appoint its mem- 

 bers as members of the convention. Disputes as 

 to credentials, therefore, occupied the attention of 

 the 110 delegates present for hours, and the 

 -] iccches were interspersed with opinions for and 

 against the adoption of party lines. Finally a 

 vote of 69 to 41 declared that the provincial Ex- 

 ecutive and the editors of Liberal newspapers ap- 

 pointed by that body were not entitled to mem- 

 bership in the convention. Senator Templeman 

 and his friends then left the hall, and those pres- 

 VOL. XLTI. 6 A 



" 4. That the franchise be extended to women. 



" 5. The abolition of property qualifications for 

 all public offices. 



" 6. Farms, improvements, implements, and 

 stock not to be taxed, and wild lands to be as- 

 sessed at the price asked for them by specula- 

 tive holders. 



" 7. No land or cash subsidies. Lands to be 

 held by the actual settlers. 



" 8. Ten per cent, of all public lands to be im- 

 mediately set aside for educational purposes, and 

 the education of all children, up to the age of 

 sixteen years, to be free, secular, and compulsory. 

 Text-books, meals, and clothing to be supplied 

 out of the public funds when necessary. 



" 9. Compulsory arbitration of labor disputes. 



" 10. Restriction of Oriental immigration by a 

 law on the lines of the Natal act; and if said 

 law be disallowed it be repeatedly reenacted until 

 the end sought is obtained. 



" 11. That to protect us from Asiatics already 

 in the province the Government insert a clause 

 in all private acts to this effect: 'This act shall 

 be null and void if the company fails to enter 



