There may be a few teachers who know the native Indian language, but it is not required. They are taught in English.

Mr. TAYLOR.

Then, .we are to understand that the hon. member for Inverness (Mr. McLennan) is responsible for the extra medical attendance down there ?

Mr. TAYLOR.

Mr. MCLENNAN.

I do not hear the hon. gentleman.

Mr. SPROULE.

The hon. minister tells us that the children are making satisfactory progress. I hope they are. He says that these schools meet with his approval and on looking over his report I do not doubt but that they do. Looking over the report, I take up the Ellthorn school, and I see that one of the principal items in connection with that school is as follows :

The event of the year was the visit of the Hon. Mr. Sifton, with regard to which the Manitoba 'Free Press' of October 29, says : 'Mr. Sifton visited the industrial school ini Elkhorn on Saturday, and after receiving a most cordial reception from the staff and pupils, he was presented with a kindly worded address, accompanied by a bouquet.

He should have had the hon. Postmaster General (Mr. Mulock) there. I wonder if he paid for the bouquet himself.

I do not know whether it was paid'for out of the Indian vote or not.

Mr. SPROULE.

Or was it paid for out of the Indian vote ?

The hon. gentleman spoke nicely to the children in reply, thanking them for their tokens of esteem and encouraging them to prosecute their studies diligently.

Did the hon. gentleman speak in Indian or in English ?

He was highly pleased with the work being accomplished there.

I suppose he would be, as that address was presented to him there.

Mr. and Mrs. Wilson entertained him at lunch after the inspection was completed. The school is an admirably equipped institution.

This was the event of the year at this Indian school, and of course, the hon. gentleman is highly pleased with the ptogress which is being made. I do not wonder he would be, as he got that bouquet. Will he present it to the House and lay it on the Table V

Grant for the agricultural society-Munceys of the Thames, $90.

Mr. ROBINSON (Elgin).

Is that all that is granted to the Muncey Indians ?

We give them a little medical attendance and I think they share in some other grants, but not much more. These Indians are highly advanced as the hon. gentleman knows, and this is merely a gratuity to their agricultural society.

Mr. ROBINSON (Elgin).

The Muncey Indians have an excellent institution on the Thames. They have a splendid school presided over by a very able gentleman, and to meet the Indian children on the roads you would see that they are as well dressed and fully as refined and cultured as most of our

farmer's sons in that neighbourhood. The institution is a credit.

To assist in the suppression of the liquor traffic among Indians belonging to bands in the older provinces, which have no funds of their own, $500.

Mr. SPROULE. Where is this money

spent ?

The MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR.

When reports come in that liquor is being sold to the Indians in any particular place, we send out special instructions and sometimes we send down a special detective.

Mr. SPROULE.

Do you require this in Ontario, where they have license inspectors, whose duty it is to see that the law is enforced ?

The MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR.

They do not consider it their business to do anything special in connection with the Indians.

Mr. SPROULE.

They don't consider it their business to prevent liquor being illegally sold. That is a sad reflection on the license inspector in the province of Ontario.

The MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR.

If the provincial officers find an Indian drunk of course they will lock him up as they would any other man, but they will not make any special exertion to ascertain who sold the liquor. The sale of liquor to an Indian is in contravention of Dominion legislation, and none of the provincial authorities consider it their business to look specially after the violations of the Indian Act. In one case, I sent a special detective three times to the same place and he entirely failed to find evidence to secure a conviction.

Mr. SPROULE.

I always understood that liquor could not be sold to an Indian under a penalty of $200. Surely it is the duty of the provincial inspector to see that punishment is meted out when the law is broken. Would the provincial inspectors not consider it their duty to prosecute if they were informed that liquor had been sold in contravention of the law, to the Indians ?

There is a great difficulty in this case, because the men who sell liquor to the Indians are very unscrupulous and they are well posted in all the tricks to avoid detection. Sometimes they corrupt a member of the band of Indians, and as a rule the Indians are extremely loath to give evidence. We find it necessary to have a special officer to look after this work occasionally.

Mr. LANCASTER.

I see that $194.30 of this vote last year went to Mr. J. D. Leduc for legal services. Who is this Mr. Leduc, and what does he do ?

I have not that information, but I will get it at the evening sitting.

Mr. INGRAM.

Where did these prosecutions take place ?

Principally at Restigouche and Bersimis. The details are on page 10.

Mr. INGRAM.

There is no detail there as to whether these things occurred in Quebec or in Ontario. It is important for us to know that, because the license laws in Ontario are supposed to be enforced by the inspectors.

I will give the hon. gentleman the exact information to-night.