Daniel Duncan McKenzie (Leader of the Official Opposition)
Laurier Liberal
Mr. McKENZIE:
The ships that enter
the harbour complain very bitterly about there being any fees at all. They believe that they should be exempt from any fees of this kind. I think that if you pay the harbour master $3,000 he will be satisfied. He only used to get $1,800 and, while that was small, he was evidently satisfied to stand by. I am not complaining about the fees being raised sufficiently high to secure $3,000 but immediately anything of this kind is done the ship masters complain that you are reducing their meagre earnings. I do not think the harbour master of the port of Halifax is required to devote all his time to the duties of his office. We have a very capable harbour master in my town and we have a very good harbour. I do not know of anything particular that this harbour master does except to see that ships arrange themselves in proper shape and that they do not unnecessarily get in each other's way. *1 think that is all he does. He has not to decide anything excepting that, if there is any complaint about a ship being unseaworthy, he may have something to say about it.
Subtopic: HALIFAX HARBOUR MASTER.