1
THE LEADER.
REGINA, N.W.T., WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1904.
LEGISLATORS
BEGIN WORK
Third Session of The Fifth
Legislative Assembly Now
in Session.
Thursday, Sept. 22, 1904.
The third session of the Fifth Legislative Assembly of the North-West
Territories was formally opened at
10.30 o'clock this morning by His
Honor
Lieutenant Governor Forget.
His Honor was accompanied by Col.
Macdonell, D. S. O., A. D. C.; Asst.
Comm'r. McIllree, Supt. Wilson and
Insp. Ritchie of the R. N. W. M. P.,
and was escorted by the usual guard
of honor of the R. N. W. M. P., under command of Capt. Worsley. The
force looked particularly well in their
new uniforms, worn for the first
time, with the blue facings worn by
all military honored with the designation "Royal."
Inside the Chamber was a good attendance of Members, among the
number being Premier Haultain, Mr.
Bulyea, Mr. Elliott, Speaker Gillis,
Deputy Speaker Rutherford, Dr. De
Veber, Mr. Brown, Mr. McIntyre,
Capt. Meyers, Mr. MacNutt, Mr.
Young, Mr. Secord, Mr. Wallace, Mr.
Finlay. Mr. Clinkskill, Mr. Lambert,
Mr. Talbot, Mr. Annable, Mr. Hawkes, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Shera, Mr. McKay, Mr. Fisher,
(Banff), Mr. Lake.
The attendance of citizens was smaller than usual, owing to the counter
attraction of the Vice-Regal visit.
Among the few visitors present was
Senator Perley.
SPEECH FROM THE THRONE.
After the preliminary ceremonies
His Honor opened the Session with
the following speech from the throne:
Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the
Legislative Assembly:
It is my agreeable duty to welcome
you to the Third Session of the Fifth
Legislative Assembly of the North West Territories.
We have much cause for thankfulness in the continuation of the prosperity that has
been so marked a
feature of our people for several
years past. Though the season has
not been an ideal one, yet throughout the greater part of these Territories the harvest
is bountiful, and
the advance in prices of all grain
products will do much to compensate
for losses that have been met with in
a few localities.
By a happy coincidence the occasion
of the opening of your Session is also
the occasion of the farewell visit of
Their Excellencies the Governor General and the Countess of Minto to
Regina and the North-West. I am
sure that you will join with me in
offering a hearty welcome to Their
Excellencies as well as in expressing
sincere regret at their approaching
departure from Canada upon the conclusion of His Excellency's official
connection with our Country and also in expressing the confident hope
that when they leave our shores
they will carry with them and ever
retain that generous interest in our
affairs and welfare that has been so
prominent a feature of Their Excellencies' life with us. In the NorthWest particularly,
Her Excellency's
name will long be held in grateful
remembrance, and many hospitals
established or aided during the past
five years will stand as lasting monuments to her womanly sympathy
and kindness of heart.
It is not proposed by my Government to introduce legislation at this
Session dealing with any of those
large public questions that might well
call for your consideration, but a
number of Bills to amend existing
enactments in order to meet changing conditions will be submitted to
you. It is a matter for gratification
to note that some of the private
Bills that are being promoted speak
loudly of the forward march of the
Territories. The creation of new
cities and increased municipal powers
are being asked for; the Higher Education is seeking to effect a footing
upon a permanent basis; and public
enterprise is beginning to look for
avenues in which to employ its energies.
The Public Accounts and Reports
of the work of the several Departments for the past year will be laid
before you for your consideration.
Estimates of the amounts required
to complete the public services for
the current year, as well as those required for next year, have been prepared, all
of which, will, I trust,
meet with your approval. The liberal response on the part of the Government and Parliament
of Canada
to the financial representations of
my Government should enable you
this year to meet in some adequate
measure the more immediately pressing necessities which your restricted
constitutional status permits you to
deal with.
I have to express the regret of my
Government that the movement towards the establishment of the Territories upon a Provincial
basis has
not been materially forwarded during the past year. All correspondence on the subject
will be submitted to you.
Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of
Legislative Assembly:
I leave you to your work in the
firm conviction that your labors
will be in the best interests of our
country and, under Divine Guidance,
result in much good to the commonwealth.
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