Provincial Parliament
House of Assembly
THURSDAY, April 27th.
This day
at 2 o'clock P.M., His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor came
down to the Council Chamber, and having commanded the attendance of the
House of Assembly, directed them to elect
a Speaker. The Members of the Assembly then returned to the Lower House,
when Dr. Vail was nominated for Speaker by
Colonel Boyd, seconded by
Mr.
Kerr ; and Mr. McClellan was nominated
by
Mr. Sutton seconded by
Mr. A. C.
DesBrisay ; upon a division being taken
Dr. Vail was declared elected. He then
in an appropriate Speech thanked the
Members of the House and received their
congratulations. It was then announced
that His Excellency would command the
attendance of the House at 4 o'clock.
Legislative
Council Chamber,
4 o'clock, P. M.
His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor, being seated on the Throne commanded the
attendance of the House of
Assembly who being come, His Excellency was pleased to open the Session
with the following
SPEECH :
" Mr. President, and Honorable Gentlemen of the Legislative Council :
" Mr. Speaker and the Gentlemen of the
House
of Assembly :
" I am directed by the Queen to inform you that Her Majesty has been
pleased to receive very graciously the
Joint Address of the Legislature of this
Province on the occasion of the Birth of
the Son of their Royal Highnesses the
Prince and Princess of Wales.
" The Civil War which has so long
raged in the neighbouring Republic appears to be drawing towards a close. The
restoration of Peace will, no doubt, be
hailed by you with a lively satisfaction,
both as putting an end to the further effusion of blood, and as reopening to commerce
channels which have, since the
commencement of the War, been closed.
" The joy which pervaded the United
States at the prospect of a speedy termination of hostilities has, however, been
clouded by the commission of a foul crime.
I know I speak your sentiments when I
say that we share the feelings of indignant reprobation which the murder of the
President has evoked in every honest and
generous heart, and that we join in the
mourning of a great and kindred people.
" In compliance with the desire expressed by Addresses from both branches
of the Legislature at the last Session, I
appointed Delegates to meet others appointed by the Lieutenant Governors of
Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island,
for the purpose of considering the practicability of effecting a Legislative and
Administrative Union of the Maritime
Provinces of British North America.
The Report of these Delegates will immediately be laid before you.
" At the request of the Governor General of Canada, and with the approbation of the
Queen, I also appointed Delegates to a Conference of
Representatives
of the British North American Colonies,
held in Quebec in the month of October
last, with a view of arranging the terms
of a Federal Union of British North America. The resolutions agreed to by this
Conference appeared to me to be so important in their character, and their adoption
fraught with consequences so materially affecting the future condition and
well-being of British America, that, in
order to enable the people of New Brunswick to give expression to their wishes
on the subject, I determined to dissolve
the then existing House of Assembly. I
now submit these Resolutions to your
judgment.
" You will do well to enquire whether it
is possible to afford further facilities for
the development and improvement of the
Railway system already existing in this
Province. Works for the completion and
extension of the European and North
American Railway, from the frontier of
Nova Scotia to that of the United States,
will be undertaken as soon as practicable ;
but any immediate steps in this direction
appear to be precluded by existing legislation.
" I recommend you to consider whether
it is necessary for the efficient discharge
of the postal service of the Province, that
the Head of that Department should be,
as hitherto, one of the confidential advisers of the Crown
" Your attention will be called, with a
view to their renewal, to several enactments which, owing to my inability to call
you together at an earlier period, have
either expired or are on the point of expiring. Among their number is the Act
establishing the Provincial Militia. A
Bill for the revival of that Force, and to
provide for its increased efficiency, will
immediately be laid before you ; and I
am confident that you will desire, at as
early a period as is compatible with the
due consideration of the provisions of that
measure, to put the Province again into
possession of a Force, of which, for the
last eighty years, it has never until now
been altogether destitute. Active steps
have been taken, and large sums of expended to improve the organization of the Militia
in the neighbouring Provinces of Canada and Nova Scotia. I cannot doubt
that the loyal spirit of the people of New
Brunswick will prompt them to efforts of
a similar character. Some correspondence on this subject has passed between
the Imperial Government and myself. I
have directed this correspondence to be
laid before you.
"The income of the past Fiscal Year
was not only largely in excess of the estimated amount, but is greater than that
ever previously received in any one year ;
and a considerable surplus remained after
all charges on the Treasury had been defrayed. I cannot, however, hold out to
you any hope that the receipts of the present year will be of nearly equal amount.
Trade has been depressed, and the Revenue has suffered from that depression, although
I entertain hopes that some improvement may be experienced before the
year closes.
" Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the
House of Assembly :
" I have
directed the Accounts of the
Income and Expenditure of the past year
to be laid before you.
" Estimates for the current year will
also be submitted to you. They have
been framed with as close a regard to
economy as is consistent with a due provision for the requirements of the public
service.
" Mr.
President, and Honourable Gentlemen of the Legislative Council :
" Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the
House of Assembly :
" Notwithstanding the temporary depression of trade, the condition of the
Province is on the whole satisfactory ; and
a feeling of contentment and of confidence in the Institutions under which we
live generally prevails. It affords me satisfaction to observe that, whatever difference
of opinion may on other subjects
be manifested, there is but one unanimous feeling of loyalty towards the
Crown, and an universal desire to perpetuate the connection of this Province
with Great Britain. I rejoice to perceive
that you are fully sensible of the advantages you derive from that connection,
and I cannot doubt that you will cheerfully meet the corresponding obligations
which it entails."
The members of the Assembly having
returned to the Lower House, His Honor
the Speaker read the opening Speech.
Col. BOYD brought in a Bill to provide
for the expenses of the Legislature. Bill
received and ordered to be read ? first
time.
Mr. OTTY moved the following Address
in answer to His Excellency's speech.
To His Excellency The Honorable ARTHUR
HAMILTON GORDON, C. M. G., Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief
of the Province of New Brunswick, &c.,
&c., &c.
May it please Your Excellency,—
1. We, the faithful Commons of New
2 DEBATES OF THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY FOR 1865.
Brunswick, thank Your Excellency for
your Speech at the opening of the Session.
2. We are gratified to learn that Her
Majesty was graciously pleased to receive
our congratulations on the occasion of
the birth of the Son of their Royal High-
nesses the Prince and Princess of Wales.
3 We share with Your Excellency the
feelings of satisfaction at the prospect
of
the speedy restoration of peace
in the
neighboring Republic ; and we assure
Your Excellency that you truly express
our sentiments, when you say that we
fully share the feelings of
indignant reprobation which the murder of
the President has excited in every honest and
generous heart, and participate in the
grief of a great and kindred people.
We thank Your Excellency for the assurance that the Report of the Delegates
appointed for the purpose of considering
the practicability of effecting a
Legislative and Administrative Union of
the
Maritime Provinces of British North
America, will be laid before us. We also
thank Your Excellency for the information that the Resolutions adopted at a
Conference of Representatives of the
British North American Colonies, held at
Quebec in October last, relative to a
Union of British North America, will be
laid before us.
5. We
will consider whether further
facilities can be afforded for the extension of Railways in this Province.We are pleased
to learn that the
completion and extension of the European and
North American Railway, from the
frontier of Nova Scotia to the
boundary of
the United States, will be undertaken as
soon as practicable : and we
regret that
existing laws preclude immediate
action
for the accomplishment of this work.
6. We will
give our attentive consideration to any measure that may be submitted relating to
the Postal Service
of
the Province.
7. We will give
our attention to such
enactments as have recently expired,
or
are about to expire. Any measure submitted for the revival of the
Provincial
Militia, and for increasing its
efficiency,
will receive our most prompt and careful
consideration. We thank Your Excellency for the assurance that the Correspondence
between the Imperial Government and Your Excellency, relating to
this subject,
will be laid before us.
8. We are gratified
to learn that the
Revenue of the past Fiscal Year
was
largely in excess of the
Estimate, and that
a surplus remained after all
charges on
the Treasury had been defrayed. We
regret, however, that the depression in
trade has caused so large a
falling off in
the Revenue of the present year, but we
trust that the hopes of improvement expressed by Your Excellency may be
realized.
9. We thank Your Excellency for the
assurance that the Accounts of the Income and Expenditure of the past year,
and the Estimates for the present
year
will be laid before us.
10. We agree with Your Excellency
that notwithstanding the present depression of Trade, the condition of
the Province is, on the whole, satisfactory, and
that a feeling of contentment
and confidence in the institutions under which we
live prevails ; and we assure
Your Excellency, that whatever differences of
opinion may exist on other subjects, the
feeling of loyalty to the Crown, for which
the people of this Province have always
been distinguished, animates them still.
11. We are fully sensible of the advantages we derive from our connection with
Great
Britain, and will cheerfully meet
the obligations it entails upon us.
On motion of
Mr. OTTY, Saturday next
at 11 o'clock was the time fixed for the
discussion. of the Reply.
On
motion of
Mr. KERR, a Committee
was appointed to confer with a
Committee
of the Legislative Council, with regards to
the Legislative Library.
On motion of
Mr. WILLISTON,
a Committee was appointed to take into consideration the contingencies of the
House.
On motion of
Mr. MCCLELLAN, a Committee was appointed to whom shall be
referred all matters relating to the Mining
interests of the Province.
On motion of
Mr. NEEDHAM, a Standing
Committee was appointed to whom
shall
be referred all matters concerning
the
privileges of the House.
Mr. GILBERT moved a Resolution that
the Rules in force in the late House be
adopted in the present, until altered,
amended, or repealed.
After some discussion this Resolution
was adopted. .
On motion of
Mr. BEVERIDGE a Committee was appointed to take
into consideration all matters relating to the Lumbering interests of the Province.
On motion
of
Mr. L. P. W. DESBRISAY,
a Committee was appointed to take into
consideration all matters connected with
the Trade of the Province.
Mr. GILBERT brought
in a Bill to simplify the practice of Law in this Province,
and to abolish special bail.
Hon. ATTORNEY GENERAL brought in
a Bill to alter the division line between the
Parishes Queensbury and Southampton,
in the County of York.
On motion of
Mr. WILLISTON, a Committee was appointed to whom shall be
referred all matters relating to the Fisheries of this Province.
Hon. COMMISSIONER
OF THE BOARD OF
WORKS, called the attention
of the House
to the fact of the Reporters' seats
being so
situated and occupied that it will be very
difficult for the official Reporters to give
satisfaction, unless they have a position
assigned them in corner of the Ladies'
Gallery, that being the most suitable place
in the House. This created some discussion, and the matter was finally dropped.
On motion
of
Mr. GILBERT, a Committee
was appointed to whom shall be referred
all matters relating to Public accounts,
with power to bring before them persons
and papers.
On motion of
Dr. THOMPSON, a Committee was appointed to take into consideration all matters relating to Agriculture.
On motion, the House was adjourned
until to-morrow at. 10 o'clock.
T. P. D.
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