CANADA, DOMINION OF. 



83 



Queen's assent, or that he reserves the bill 

 for the signification of the Queen's pleasure." 

 When the Governor-General, in the Queen's 

 name, assents to any bill, he sends by the first 

 opportunity an authentic copy of the act to 

 one of the principal Secretaries of State for 

 the Government of Great Britain and Ireland, 

 and if the Queen in Council within two years 

 after the receipt thereof thinks fit to dis- 

 allow the act, such disallowance, being sig- 

 nified by the Governor - General, annuls the 

 act from and after that day. The salary of 

 the Governor - General is 10,000 sterling 

 ($50,000), payable out of the Consolidated 

 Revenue Fund of Canada. The legislative 

 jurisdictions of the Canadian and the Provin- 

 cial legislatures are clearly defined in this, as 

 indeed in the general plan of confederation, 

 much has been modeled after the general 

 Constitution of the United States. The prov- 

 inces stand nearly in the same relation to the 

 Dominion that the individual States do to the 

 Union. But there is one very important dif- 

 ference, that all matters not specifically men- 

 tioned as coming under the exclusive jurisdic- 

 tion of the various provinces, belong exclusive- 

 ly to the Dominion. 



This division of legislative jurisdiction has 

 been the subject of considerable controversy 

 between the province of Ontario and the 

 Dominion. One point of dispute, the control 

 of the liquor -traffic, was finally settled by ap- 

 peal to the Privy Council of Great Britain in 

 the autumn of 1883. The Government of 

 Canada claimed that the powers exercised by 

 the provinces of not only raising a revenue 

 from the sale of liquor- licenses, but also of 

 limiting the hours and modes of such sale, 

 were in excess of their privileges, and conse- 

 quently in the session of 1883 the Dominion 

 Parliament passed a general liquor law. This 

 law did not in itself interfere with the provin- 

 cial laws, but while asserting the right of the 

 federal authority in such matters, imposed 

 double liquor laws on the provinces. A test 

 case was submitted to the Privy Council of 

 Great Britain and Ireland, with the result that 

 Ontario, and hence all the provinces, is con- 

 firmed in the right of Uniting the hours and 

 modes of selling, as well as of levying the 

 revenue on shops, saloons, etc. 



Another subject of contention was in the 

 matter of escheats. The province of Ontario 

 claimed, on the death without heirs of a per- 

 son named Mercer, that his property reverted 

 to the province. The Canadian Government 

 claimed it as reverting to Canada. As in the 

 former case, the Privy Council sustained the 

 province of Ontario. Several questions in- 

 volving disputed jurisdiction are still pending, 

 so that before many years the relative duties 

 and powers of both federal and provincial 

 legislatures will be definitely settled. 



Viscount Monck was Governor General 

 when the Dominion was established. He 

 was succeeded in 1868 by Sir John Young. 



Lord Dufferin was appointed in 1872, and re- 

 tained the office for nearly seven years. The 

 Marquis of Lome was Governor-General from 

 1878 to 1883, when he was succeeded by the 

 Marquis of Lansdowne. The administration of 

 justice is intrusted to judges appointed for 

 life, i. e., during good behavior, but removable 

 by the Governor - General on address of the 

 Senate and House of Commons. The Gov- 

 ernor-General in council appoints the judges 

 of the Superior, District, and County Courts in 

 each province, except those of the Probate 

 Courts in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. 

 These judges must be selected for the prov- 

 inces of Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, 

 Prince Edward Island, British Columbia, and 

 Quebec, from the bars of those provinces. 

 There is a Supreme Court of the Dominion, 

 which is a general Court of Appeal. 



Militia. The militia of Canada are under the 

 control of a Minister of Militia and Defense, 

 who is responsible to Parliament. The militia 

 consists of all male inhabitants of Canada of 

 the age of 18 years and upward to 60, not ex- 

 empted or disqualified by law, and being Brit- 

 ish subjects ; but the Government may require 

 all male inhabitants capable of bearing arms to 

 serve, in case of a levy en masse. The militia- 

 men are divided into four classes, as follow : 

 1. Unmarried men and childless widowers from 

 18 to 30 years of age. 2. Unmarried men and 

 childless widowers from 30 to 45 years of age. 

 3. Widowers with children and married men 

 from 18 to 45 years of age. 4. Those from 45 

 to 60 years of age. These shall serve in order 

 as above. The militia is divided into active 

 and reserve land force, and active and reserve 

 marine force. The active land force is com- 

 posed of corps raised by voluntary enlistment ; 

 corps raised by ballot ; corps composed of men 

 raised by voluntary enlistment and of men bal- 

 loted to serve. The active marine force is 

 similarly raised, and is composed of seamen, 

 sailors, and persons whose usual occupation is 

 upon any vessel navigating Canadian waters. 



Canada is divided into 12 military districts, 

 each under the supervision of a deputy adju- . 

 tant- general assisted by brigade-majors. These 

 districts are subdivided into brigade divisions, 

 and these still further into regimental and com-i 

 pany subdivisions. The militia is to be enrolled 

 each year by the officers of the reserve militia. 



The active militia consists of cavalry, artil- 

 lery, engineers, mounted infantry, infantry and 

 marine corps, a total number (all volunteers) 

 of about 36,000 men. 



The term of service is three years. These 

 turn out annually for twelve days' drill, as a 

 rule, in brigade camps, where they undergo a 

 fairly good training (under canvas) in their 

 duties. The strength of the regiment is usually 

 from 6 to 10 companies of 42 men and 3 offi- 

 cers each. There is an officer commanding 

 the militia, selected from the regular army of 

 Great Britain, and holding rank therein of 

 colonel or a superior rank. He ranks as ma- 



