Mr. MCLENNAN.

There is nothing to prevent these gentlemen from buying postage stamps where they please.

Mr. MCLENNAN.

No, but they go to other offices*

Mr. MCLENNAN.

a municipal census taken last year shows a population of some

3,000. The town is growing very rapidly, it has in fftct much exceeded the population of the shire town of the county of Inverness, or any other of the growing towns in that county. So rapidly indeed has been its growth that in the year 1901 when the last census was taken, the population did not exceed 100, whereas, owing to the development of the coal mines by the Inverness Coal and Railway Company, the population of that locality has increased to 3,000 last year, when a census was taken for the purpose of incorporation. The Postmaster General's return for 1900 or 1901 will show that the revenue from the post office for either of those years would be something like $80 or $85, whereas the postal revenue is now $1,255. The amount of money orders issued was $11,000 and odd during the past year. This abundantly shows the rapid growth of the town even

without reference to census. As an illustration of the rapid development that is going on in mining in that county, I may state that there are two other towns in it which are rapidly developing on similar lines hut not to the same extent as in this instance. There were coal sales from this mine during the past year amounting to 200,000 tons, securing to the government of Nova Scotia $20,000 of revenue and no doubt a proportionate amount to this government The customs revenue at that port will not show much of the amount collected because the goods consumed there by the miners, who are almost absolutely a consuming population, are entered at Halifax and at Montreal. At the same time the customs receipts there would exceed those taken at Canso, and other points where similar buildings are sought. I may say also that although the county of Inverness in population and resources in every particular is one of the most important counties in Nova Scotia, strange to say, it is the only county in that province to-day without a public building within its confines-not one. Its population, according to the last census, is 25,000 in round numbers and from the description I gave of the progress of these mining towns it would not at all he exaggerating to estimate the population of the county to-day at 30,000 ; yet, as I have indicated there is not a public building within its confines.

Mr. MCLENNAN.

In regard to the postal revenue I might further explain that the postal accommodation in that town is so very poor that the company and the bank agent there do their postal business in a great measure with the postal ear, sending

their mail by train direct without any reference to the post office at all, because, there is only a wretched building. There was great difficulty in securing a building at all for the post office for the simple reason that rents are so high in the town that no person would rent the government a building for so low a rent as would be paid for postal accommodation.

Mr. MCLENNAN.

It was incorporated last year.