The PRIME MINISTER (Rt. Hon. Sir Wilfrid Laurier) moved that Orders No. 30, Bill (No. 28) respecting Telegraph and Telephone Companies-Mr. Fitzpatrick ; No. 31, Bill (No. 120) to amend the Dominion Lands Act-Mr. Sifton ; No. 36, Bill (No. 104) to amend and consolidate the law respecting railways-Mr. Blair ; and No. 37, Bill (No. 146) for the settlement of railway labour disputes-Mr. Mulock, be discharged. He said : I may say in reference to these two Bills, to amend and consolidate the law respecting railways and for the settlement of railway disputes, that they will be taken up again next session. The government, in introducing these Bills, did not intend to follow them up at the present session, but rather to give notice to the public, so that their features might be carefully considered, and perchance be ready to deal with them at the next session. I may also take advantage of this opportunity to give an answer to numerous applications which have been made for assistance in railway construction. The government has determined not to ask parliament this year for any appropriations for that object. At the same time, we are not unmindful of the fact that railway development is
more than ever a pressing necessity. This is specially true of railway construction in those fertile lands of the North-west Territories in the valley of the North Saskatchewan river, towards which immigrants and settlers are now rapidly and numerously flocking. It is due to those people-that they should be assured that their wants in that respect are engrossing the attention of the government, and it is hoped that next session assistance will be given to the construction of a railway by as rapid stages as possible from some point in the western boundary of Manitoba, through the Saskatchewan valley towards Edmonton.
Mr. BORDEN (Halifax).
What is the Bill respecting Dominion lands ? I thought that some measure of that kind had already been passed.
It did pass, but the amendments of the Senate have been such as to make the Bill nugatory. Therefore, we do not intend to proceed with it this session.
Mr. BORDEN (Halifax).
I understand that Orders No. 30, respecting telegraph and telephone companies, No. 36, to amend and consolidate the law respecting railways, and No. 37, for the settlement of railway labour disputes, will be presented and pressed next session ?
Yes.
Mr. BORDEN (Halifax).
I think we were promised the second reading of the Railway Commission Bill, but I suppose the time has not been found available for that purpose.
That is it.
Motion agreed to.
House proceeded to the consideration of amendments made by the Senate to Bill (No. 134) respecting representation of the Yukon Territory in the House of Commons.-The Minister of the Interior.
Mr. BORDEN (Halifax).
What are the amendments ?
The amendments are not of an important character. There is an amendment to section 22, which is purely clerical, by which the words ' two candidates where two members are to be elected' are struck out. It does not alter the meaning of the Bill, and it is a better way of expressing it.
Section 23 in the Bill as passed reads as follows :
If at the time fixed for receiving nominations there remain more than two candidates in nomi-Sir WILFRID LAURIEK.
nation where two members are to be elected, or one candidate where one member is to be elected at the election then pending, the said officer shall grant a poll, &c.
This section has been amended so as to read :
If at the time fixed for receiving nominations there remain more than one candidate, the returning officer shall grant a poll, &c.
The draughtsman in drafting the Bill provided for a case in which there was more than one candidate, but it is unnecessary, as the Bill provides at the present time for only one member, so that this amendment is quite in accord with the rest of the Bill. Section 28 is amended by the Senate in accordance with a suggestion made by the Minister of Justice (Hon. Mr. Fitzpatrick). The hon. Minister of Justice suggested that it might be possible that the chief justice or the senior judge might be away from the territory when an election was to be held, and that it would be better to provide that the senior judge who should happen to be there should act. I see no objection to the amendment, and I move that it be concurred in.
Amendments read the second time, and agreed to.
The MINISTER OP FINANCE (Hon. W. S. Fielding) moved that the House go into Committee of Ways and Means.
Hon. JOHN HAGGART (South Lanark).
Before you leave the Chair, Mr. Speaker, I wish to ask a question of the right hon. premier. He said that the government did not intend to bring down any subsidies for railroads this session, but I understood him to say that at no time was it more desirable that assistance should be given to railroads in particular parts of the country, and he intimated that in the opinion of the government there should be some assistance given to certain railroads next session.
To one railway.
Hon. Mr. HAGGART.
Has the right hon. gentleman supplemented the opinion of the government by Order in Council in that direction, or does he intend to do so between now and next session ? He is pledging the government to introduce a Bill next session for the purpose of giving assistance to that particular road.
There has been no order passed, and no order shall be passed either.