‘foreign manufacturers.

: articles subject to an ad valorem duty only.

ding was so advantageous to the colony, it ought to be

“25x

THE EXAMINER.

cae

RR Bees) wee EET me a a —

—— — —— —— —

Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Committee, 1n consideration of the present destitute state of a large por- tion of the Agricultural’ population of this Island, and of the necessity whicli exists for encouraging the I isheries, there shal| not be any duty imposed on Molasses import: ed into this Island from British or Foreign Plantations, previous to the first day of January next.

Mr. D. McDonald, Hon. Mr. Coles, Mr. D. McLean. and one or two others supported the resolution—the rest of the Committee objecting to iton the ground, that while there are so many demands upon the revenue as this year, the discontinuance of the present duty would be a} serious loss to the Treasury, and could not be very con-| veniently sustained.

The resolution was then put and lost, after which the Speaker took the Chair, the Chairman reported progress and asked leave to sit again.

Saturpay, April 8.

Boundary Biil.—TVie House went into Committee on an engrossed Bill sent down from the Committee, rela- tive to Boundary tines.

A short -debate took place, condemnatory of the Le- gislative Council, for again throwing outa Bill, sent up by the House, to settle the long pending dispute, re- lative to certain lands to the westward of the Island,

Mr. Thornton moved that all excepting the first word of the Bill, be struck out, and a former Bill of the House substituted in lieu thereof, which passed unanimously.

‘WAYS AND MEANS,

Stoves.—On motion of Mr. F. Longworth, the House again went into Committee on Ways and Means. Mr. LeLacheur inthe chair. Onthe last sitting of the Com- mittee some hon. member suggested that imported stoves should be admitted on a lower duty than at pre- s2nt.

Mr. Palmer remarkéd upon the usefulness of the fron Foundry, and the large capital invested in that establish- ment; but notwithstanding this, and the enterprising spirit of the owner, he did not believe it was a very profitable concern, and he therefore did not think it would be prudent to leave it to compete at present with

Finally, on motion of Mr. Fraser, and by the casting vote of the chairman, Stoves were placed amongst the

Pig Iron.—On motion of the hon. Speaker, Pig Iron was placed in the list of exempted articles,

Bar Iron.—Mr. F. Longworth thought as Ship Buil-

encouraged by a reduction of the duty on Bar Tron. He therefore moved that it be reduced one half, upon the quantity used for Ship Building. Motion lost.

Free Trade with New Brunswick.—Dr. Conroy said the duty on boards almost amounted to a prohibiton, and should be repealed or reduced.

Mr. Montgomery understood that in New Brunswick the Legislature had laid heavy duties on our exports to that colony; but had offered totrade free with any of the sister colonies. Ee had given his attention to the subject, and was persuaded it would be to our advantage to accept the offer. Subsequently, the hon. member moved a reciprocity resolution as regarded the trade with New Brunswick, in al] things except Spirits; which resolution was carried.

Live Stock jree.—Mr. Thornton moved that Live Stock imported to improve the breed of the Island, be exempt trom duty, which passed without division.

Insolvent Debtors —On motion of Mr. Rae, the Bill to amend the Insolvent Debtors Act, by appointing addi- tional Commissioners, was read a second time,-—subsnit- ted to a Committee ofthe whole House, reported agreed to, and ordered to be engrossed.

. Fire Engines--Mr. Palmer introduced a Bill to com- pel persons to assist in drawing fire Engines to and from the spot, wherever a fire may break out,—Bijl read a first time,—second reading ordered for Monday next. | Steamer.—Mr. J. Longworth presented a Petition, | from the inhabitants of the South Shore and Weetl River, praying that, in the event of a Steamer being | placed on the Charlottetown Ferry, she should be di-| rected to touch ac the South Shore. Petition read, and| laid on the table.

}

Draining the West end of Charlottetown —Mr. Palmer presented a Petition from the inhabitants of the West. part of Charlottetown praying aid, to assist in draining that part ofthe Town. On motion it be received, the! House divided ayes & nays 9; so it passed in the nega-|

Road Service.—The Scales of appropriation for the |

Read service in the different Districts, were submitted|!™O Opemuen. fF to a Committee of the whole House, with which the re-| paltry bounty offered by the hon. member, nor even le would he consider a shilling per quintal any thing like! p;

‘ a liberal encourage —whi Treasury.—Hon. Mr. Coles moved for an extension’ gement to a branch of Trade—which,

of time to the Committee appointed to investigate the!

mainder of the day was eccupied.

‘Treasury affairs; and also that a Message be sent to H. M. Legislative Conncil requesting them to permit the hon. T. H. Haviland and his Honor the President to be examined before the Committee. Agreed to.

Post Ofice—Mr. Thornton moved an Address to His Excellency, requesting, him to Jay before the House

.any correspondence that may be in his possession, endifrom Duty such articles of food and clothing es ¥

SP 5, ent tlt eet pina i Ne nt ste

a ——

that may have passed between the Post Master and the late Governar. Agreed to.

Monpay, April 10th.

Embargo question.—The House met at ten o'clock, when the Joursals having been read, Mr. Mooney rose and presented two petitions, praying the House to place an Emgargo on Grain and Potatoes. The hon. member spoke at soime length on the expediency and necessity of the House adopting the prayer of the Petitioners; 1! every day becoming more and more evident, that great scarcity and want prevail to analarming degree. Pett- tions referred to Committee to report on Destitution.

Subdivision of Road Money.—On motion of Mr. Thorn- ton the House went into Committee on the scales of ap- propriation forthe road sefvice. Mr. Montgomery in the Chair.

Mr. Rae moved that no contract of greater value than two pounds be Jet on the roads by Commissioners ; which was agreed to, as was also another motion offered by the hon. Speaker, that no one person be allowed to take more than two contracts.

When the Scale of Subdivision on ali matters rela- ting to Roads and Bridges was reported to the House, Mr. Fraser moved the Resolution hereinafter inserted ; when it was contended by Messrs. Rae, Montgomery, Clark, and some others, that the Resvlution was inad- missable—it being contrary to the Rules of the House to give reasons asthe Resolution set forth. Mr. Fraser contended that the Resolution was quite in place, and could show precedents from the Journals, if it "as necess- ary, to justify his proceedure ; and mentioned as one the Resolution submitted this Session inthe case of Dr. Hobkirk, which was only a srpposition; whereas the Resolution now submitted related undeniable facts. The Resolution not being seconded, Mr. Fraser then moved that the sum of £40 be deducted from Districts Nos.4 & 5, ind added to District No. 3,and the questien being put, the Honse devided, yeas, Messrs. Fraser and D. Mc- Lean ; Nays, 17.

Resolved, That the money appropriated for Prince County is not fairly divided; and that allowing one half of ihe money given to the whole County to be expended in Districts Nos. 4 & 5, which consist only of 6 1-5 Town- ship is not in just or fair proportion to the remaining 17 Townships,—and it is therefore expedient that the Scale of Subdivision, so far as relates to that County, be alter- ed,—and that the sum of £40, abstracted from District No. 3, and added to the two former Districts, be restored and expended in said District No. 3, where inost indis- penaably required.

Division of Prince County Road Districts Nos. & 2 —Mr. .V: Conroy moved a resolution to divide the above Districts into three, and to appoint an additional Com- missioner. After a short debate,on motion of Mr. Mont- gomery, the rezolution was withdrawn.—The Commit- tee then rose.

Destilition.—House agrin in Committee on the report of the special! Committee appointed to investigate the causes of the existing Destitution in the Island. The failure in the crops was reported to be the principal eanse. Inthe course of debate, some hon. members con- tended, that the leasehold tenure ought to be consider- ed one of the principal causes of destitution,—others ar- gued, that most of the distress amongst the tenantry night be fairly attributed to the short leases given them by their landlords, as they would not bestow any great la- bour or improvement upon farms, of which, ina few years, they would find themselves dispossessed.—The last pa- ragraph of the report recommended the introduction of a Bill next Session, to impose a tax on the estates of the Proprietors,—to be used, when necessity demanded it, in relieving distress amongst the settlers. Mr. T'horn- fon moved to superadd to the report, a paragraph declar- ing that the practise of leasing lynds for short periods of time, contributed to impoverish the holders, inasmuch | as no advances would be made to them by private indi- viduals, on the security ofa short lease. Several amend- ment were offered, but did not pass, and Mr. Thornton’s motion was finaily agreed to.—The Speaker then took the Chair, and the House adjourned.

Turspay, April 11. £LILL TO ENCOURAGE THE COD FISHERY. House in Committee on the above Bill.—Mr. H. Me-

most generally used by fisherman,—France gave her trade in fish an impetus by bounties, which he believed was without example; and he hoped that the Legis- lature of this colony—- small as its resources were— would give that just consideration to the measure to which its grest importance entitled it. One clause in the Bill provided that a bounty be given to persons who would export not less than 500 quintals each to the West Indies, orto any foreign country; and he (Mr. W.) thought that a bounty of four shillings would not be an extravagant appropriation of the public money, and only such a one as would be sufficient to stimulate merch- ants to prosecute the trade with zeal and enterprise; because it is not to be supposed that they would com- mence such a yrade upon a small capital—attended by risk aad delay—without some fair prospect of success: for every guintal he exported, the merchant would be compelled to pay about five shillings as a freight charge; and if the Government of the Colony allowed him four, he would still have many heavy expenses to bear. Itis idle, he said, to suppose that the country would sustain any loss by the granting of such a bounty: on the con- trary, a direct gain would ensue, for exporters would lay out the money whichthey would receive for their fish, in the purchase of West Indian produce, the duties upon which would more than counterbalance the amounts gi- ven as bounties. It might be said, that few persons could prc cure full cargoes of fish; but the smaller mer- chants, would, no doubt, be ready to put their ventures together, as to do so would not be contiary to the mean- ing or spirit ofthe act, and the bounty could be claimed by one of the party. If(he continued’ it would not st all times be convenient to procure full cargoes of fish, [sland agricultural produce, lathwood and shingles, would always find a ready market in the West Indies ; and many persons, who could not give to the merchants potatoes or grain in payment of their debts, could supply ihem with the other articles mentioned, and which were often shipped by Halifax and other merchants to the West Indies. He concluded by moving that four shil- lings per quintal be inserted in the clause.

Mr. Thornton was convinced of the importance of es- tablishing atrade with the West Indies; and if a bounty were to be given at all, he thought itshould be one ca!- culated to effect that object, aud enable the fishermen to share init. He was opposed to a sinaJjl bounty, which hitherto had gone into the pocket of the merchant, and not to the person who caught the fish: and if a bounty was at al] admissable, it ought to be to such an extent as to encourage a trade with the West Indies or other parts. He would therefore support Mr. Whelan’s mo- tion.

Mr. F. Longworth thought two shillings would bea fair bounty, and observed that 20 yeers ago, it was one shilling and sixpence, leaving to the exporter che pri- vilege of shipping it wherever he pleased.

Mr. Whelan agreed with the hon. member from Mur- ray Harbour (Mr. Thornton) that the fishermen ought to derive some benefit from the bounty; and if the House agreed to aliberal bounty,the Merchant would thereby be enabled to give the catcher a better price for his fish. This the merchant could not do, unless, a bounty of four or five shillings were given.

Mr. McIntosh would support the Bill. Had its opera- tion, however, not been deferred till next year, he wonld have felt himself compelled to oppose it, because there were so many other demands upon the revenue. Be- sides, it being deferred until next year, merchants would be better able to complete their preparations to enter extensively upon the trade which the Bill was calcu- lated to encourage.

Mr. Rae was of opinion that unless a bounty he given upon the catch, a sure and profitable trade could never be established, He questioned the propriety of restriet- ing the merchant to the West Indies. He did not des- pair of a trade being established: for it required no ex- traordinary ingenuity ; and one of the great advantages which would result from its establishment, would be the increase of food for the inhabitants of the Island. It could not be supposed that this Island was ina position to compete with the fishermen of Newfoundland or Nova Scotia; but, notwithstanding all our disadvantages —the absence of capital, and the want of men adapted, by long practice, to the trade—still he thought that something might be done; and it was therefore expedi- entand wise to encourage the trade. He considered

Donald in the Chair. The clause which provides for a Bounty having been read—

Mr Clark, who was opposed to the Bill and intended |

to vote against it in all its stages—moved that the Boun- ty be sixpence per quinta).

Mr. Whelan said that ifthe House would not legis- late in a more liberal spirit on the subject of a Bounty, than the hon. member from Princetown was disposed to do, it would be better that the Bill should never go Ne(Mr. W.) would never vote for the

if once established, ona good footing, would, to a cer- tainty, become the means of adding tothe wealth, and

giving an impetus to the prosperity. of the country. He ‘trusted the House would bear in mind the very fair in-

ducements held ovt to speculators in this trade by the Governments of other Countries—the British Govern-

ment, in the infancy of the trade, in any of the colo-

‘nies, gave bounties, and encouraged it by relieving ere

thet ifa bounty were given to the fisherman who caught '20 or 30 quintals, the fishery would be more extensively \carried on, than if the bounty were given to the export- ‘er. He suggested that it ought to be compulsory on the |eXporter whe would claim the bounty to bring a return ,curgo.—for unless he did, no essential benefit would re- sult to the Island from his exportation. | Mr. Whelan replied at some length. With reference to his hon. friend’s suggestion, that a bounty be given 'to the catcher, he was not unfavourable to it; but havin arned that a majority of the House did not agree wit him in this respect, he, therefore, thought it useless to am a clause into the Bill providing for such a / bounty. | Mr. LeLacheur would not agree toa higher bounty than 1s. 6d. per quintal, and he was certain that the reve- inne this year was too small to give more. He was sor- ry for this; but still hethougit the bounty last proposed would be an enceuragement, and he had no doubt that merchants would readily avail themselves of it. | The hon. Speaker did not think that all the bounties ever given forthe fishery trade, were worth ane farthing