MANITOBA. 



369 



" The abundant harvest vouchsafed by Provi- 

 dence has been a source of great prosperity to 

 the province. The Canadian Northern Railway 

 Company have completed their line to Port 

 Arthur. The much-needed consolidation of the 

 statutes is being proceeded with by the commis- 

 sioners, and will, it is expected, be completed 

 within the year. 



" I regret to say that the Federal Government 

 has, notwithstanding the strenuous exertions 

 of my Government, as yet failed to pay over to 

 the province the accumulated interest upon the 

 school moneys and the interest derived from the 

 sales of school lands. You will be asked to take 

 measures to convince the Federal authorities that 

 the just demands of Manitoba in this respect 

 should not be any longer disregarded. In con- 

 sequence of the existing situation, it may be 

 necessary to introduce legislation dealing with 

 the moneys now paid to schools and to amend 

 the school act. The Federal Government has, 

 to the surprise and regret of my advisers, disal- 

 lowed the real property act passed by this As- 

 sembly. This act was so obviously beneficial that 

 it has been decided to reintroduce it, in the ex- 

 pectation that a measure purely provincial, and 

 urgently called for, will not again be disallowed." 



The House was prorogued on March 1 by the 

 Lieutenant-Governor, who assented to several en- 

 actments, in the King's name, of which the fol- 

 lowing were the most important: 



Respecting real property in the province of 

 nitoba. 



Respecting Mennonite village agreements. 



To amend the game protection act. 



To amend the bills of sale and chattel mort- 

 gage act. 



To provide for a charter for the city of Winni- 

 peg- 



To amend the assessment act. 



To amend the corporations taxation act. 



Respecting certain guaranteed bonds of the Ca- 



Ldian Northern Railway Company. 



To amend the Manitoba interpretation act. 



To amend the Manitoba trustee act. 



To amend the public schools act. 



Finances. The budget speech of the Hon. Mr. 

 Davidson was delivered on Feb. 4, 1902. He 

 first dealt with the assets of the province, inclu- 

 ding $3,578,941 in Dominion Government capital 

 account, and $314,853 in the same account, which 

 the Federal authorities had not yet admitted as 

 due by them to the province; $99,259 advances 

 by the province to municipalities; $850,104, the 

 value of public buildings owned by the province; 

 7,700,000 acres of provincial lands at $3 an acre, 

 $23,100,000; $41,065 drainage districts interest ac- 

 count; and $145,903 cash on hand. The liabilities 

 consisted of provincial debentures valued at 

 $4,040,013, and, deducting this from the total 

 assets of $28,130,128, left a surplus of direct as- 

 sets over direct liabilities of $24,090,115. He 

 pointed out that there were also indirect assets 

 and liabilities that balanced each other and were 

 made up of guarantees on bonds of the South- 

 western Colonization and Canadian Northern 

 Railways and drainage district debentures. The 

 ordinary receipts of the year were $371,196, and 

 the expenditure for matters over which the Gov- 

 ernment had control was placed at $380,571. 



He explained the use to which the $500,000 loan 

 of the preceding year had been put. The expend- 

 itures in this connection included $238,146 upon 

 the Greenway Government deficit; $54,812 on 

 public buildings; $14,472 on the foundation of the 

 Parliament buildings; $17.772 on railway bonus- 

 $7,775 given to Souris Branch Railway; 

 VOL. XLII. 24 A 



$1,996 land refunds; $7,417 interest on Emerson 

 and Minnidosa loans; $32,420 on drainage de- 

 benture interest; $4,592 on half-breed mort- 

 gages; $31,276 on seed-grain loans; and $21,636 

 on land surveys a total of $442,310. " This," he 

 explained, " is decreased by receipts on ledger ac- 

 counts such as school debentures, seed-grain 

 loans, creamery loans, and other items to the 

 amount of $27,717.91, leaving a total expenditure 

 of $414,592.97. This leaves $85,407.03 of the loan 

 unaccounted for. The surplus last year was $11,- 

 051.34; this year, $49,444.73. The total of these 

 three items is $145,903.10, which is the cash on 

 hand." According to the public accounts the 

 total expenditure of the province for the year 

 ending Dec. 31, 1901 less certain items in open 

 ledger and trust accounts was $988,250. 



The estimates for 1902 were presented to the 

 Assembly by Mr. Davidson on Feb. 4. The total 

 proposed expenditures were $1,288,868, and the 

 total revenue was placed at $1,534,613. The esti- 

 mated revenue included a Dominion subsidy of 

 $557,513; interest on school lands' fund, $350,- 

 000; fees from land titles of $90,000; interest, 

 $38,000; from provincial lands, $20,000; from 

 lunatic asylums, $48,000; succession duties, $10,- 

 000; insurance act fees, $14,600; corporation tax, 

 $32,000; railway tax, $100,000. 



Prohibition. This question went through a 

 new and important phase in 1902. The liquor 

 act passed by the Macdonald Government in 

 1900, as a result of strong pressure at the polls 

 and of a plebiscite in favor of prohibition two 

 years before, which had recorded 12,270 votes 

 for and 2,974 against, was now submitted to an- 

 other referendum. The act, which practically 

 prohibited the sale of liquor in the province, had 

 been declared constitutional by the Judicial 

 Committee in London; but instead of putting 

 it in force by proclamation, the Government de- 

 cided that conditions had changed, and that the 

 49,304 votes on the rolls which had not been 

 polled for or against the policy should be con- 

 sidered. It was therefore decided to refer to the 

 people the whole question of putting the law into 

 force. The conditions of the vote were compli- 

 cated. If 45 per cent, of the registered electors 

 vote " Yea," then the law should take effect. 

 Again, if 60 per cent, of those on the lists voted, 

 and if 60 per cent, of those voting declared them- 

 selves in the affirmative, the act should become 

 effective. But if fewer than 60 per cent, of the 

 entire electorate voted, then the proportion re- 

 quired might be raised to 66 per cent, of those 

 voting, according as the total fell below 60 per 

 cent. 



By this arrangement, 36 per cent, of the regis- 

 tered votes would be entitled to enact prohibi- 

 tion. The result of this policy was a species of 

 chaos in the temperance ranks. The Manitoba 

 branch of the Dominion Alliance met on June 

 16 and passed resolutions, by a nominally unani- 

 mous vote, expressing non-confidence in the sin- 

 cerity of the Government and its desire to en- 

 force the liquor act, and advising Prohibitionists 

 not to vote. 



W. Redford Mulock, K. C., took a prominent 

 part in arguing the unconstitutionally of the 

 referendum. The resolutions were promptly pre- 

 sented to the Government, and in reply the Pre- 

 mier woiild only promise careful consideration. 

 In the Legislature the Government policy was 

 discussed at length, chiefly in connection with the 

 second reading of the referendum bill on Feb. 25. 

 The Attorney-General, in moving the measure, 

 had explained its nature, its limitations, and the 

 reasons for its enactment. Mr. Greenway, the 



