Hon. J. D. HAZEN (Minister of Marine and Fisheries) moved for leave to introduce Bill No. 128, to amend an Act to incorporate the Vancouver Harbour Commissioners. He said: This Bill is to amend a Bill that was introduced and enacted into legislation at the last session of the House in regard to the harbour of Vancouver. The amendment is being made at the request of the harbour commissioners. Under the provisions of that Bill the rental derived from the leases of the foreshore of the harbour were paid over to the harbour commissioners and authority was given to the harbour commissioners to deal with the foreshore in the future. But their powers were limited to making leases for a period of twenty-one years with renewals for further periods of twenty-one years each. It has been found by the harbour commissioners that this provision is not altogether workable, that there are certain cases in which they feel it is more in the interest of the harbour that, instead of leasing the foreshares, there should be power to make grants of them. Therefore, it is proposed to revest the power of dealing with these foreshores in the Governor in Council under a provision that before the Governor in Council deals with any of them he shall first of all get a report from the harbour commissioners embodying their views and recommendations in regard to the matter. This is in order to make the Act workable and it is done at the suggestion of the harbour commissioners who found that the Act in this respect was not as elastic and workable as they would have liked to have it. Motion agreed to, and Bill read the first time.
Mr. CARROLL moved for leave to introduce Bill No. 129, respecting hours of service of railway employees. He said: The chief provision of this Bill limits the number of hours of service which a railway corporation shall demand of its officials to fourteen a day, and specifies the period that must be allowed the employees for rest betweeen the working hours. Clause 3 of the Bill states the hours of service that cannot be exceeded by order of 1381 any railway company and fully sets forth the hours of duty and off duty that shall be required or permitted. It is careful to make exception in eases of accidental obstruction over which the company, or its agents, has no control. It sets these forth in detail. The main purpose of this clause is to provide a law that can be invoked in case the regulations set forth therein are violated in any way, which law must be interpreted by a judicial tribunal, from whose judgment there is this appeal, thus giving thereto that elasticity which the changes of condition from time to time may demand. The fixing of the hours of service by any body, such as the Board of Railway Commissioners for Canada, for example, would mean cast iron rules lacking that elasticity and from which no appeal is obtainable. It is quite obvious that this protection is in the interest not only of the employees affected thereby but also of the rail-way companies and of the general public. The clause which provides for the offence on the part of the railway company and the penalty attached thereto ; it also provides for the prosecution of a suit in civil courts in case of violation. The general intention of the Bill is to protect railway employees, and to protect the companies from accidents and the general public from suffering injury and damage by these accidents which frequently occut. Motion agreed to, and Bill read the first time.
Bill No. 125, for the relief of Walter James Liscombe.-Mr. Douglas. Bill No. 126, for the relief of Ethel Cora Robinson.-Mr. German. Bill No. 127, for the relief of George Fullerton Forsythe.-Mr. Schaffner.
Further consideration in Committee of Bill No. 91, respecting the Northern Territorial Railway Company.-Mr. McKay. Mr. Blondin in the Chair. On section 1-extension of time.
Mr. OLIVER:
Would the hon. member in whose name the Bill stands tell Us where this railway is located?
Mr. McKAY:
I cannot tell exactly, but
I can do so generally. At the time the railway was incorporated, the wording was that it would start from either Fort Churchill
or Port Nelson. As it is now definitely settled that the harbour will be at Port Nelson, I presume that the road will start from there. Then it goes across country to lake Wollaston, crosses the Athabaska river and goes from there on to the Pacific coast.
Mr. OLIVER:
Where does it cross the
Athabaska river?
Mr. McKAY:
I cannot give the exact
place. It is not stated in the Act of Incorporation, but it passes on the south side of lake Athabaska on towards what is known as the Peace river block.
Mr. OLIVER:
Where does it cross Peace river?
Mr, McKAY: That is not stated either.
Mr. OLIVER:
Where does it touch the
Pacific coast?
Mr. McKAYT:
At Port Essington or the
Portland canal. From the point where the railway crosses the Athabaska river, a branch line will be built to the city of Edmonton by way of Fort McMurray and lac LaBiche.
Section agreed to. Bill reported, read the third time and passed.
Bill No. 27, respecting the South Ontario Pacific Railway Company.-Mr. William Smith. Bill No. 79, to incorporate the Bruce Peninsula Railway Company.-Mr. Middlebro. Bill No. 87, to incorporate the Erie and Ontario Railway Company.-Mr. Lalor.