APPORTIONMENT OF DEBATES.
Mr. CONNELL
moved that the distribution of the Debates should be apportioned
according to population of 1861.
Mr. MCMILLAN moved an amendment
that the distribution be as formerly— aÂ
definite number to each member.
Mr. BOYD said that in past years the
distribution of the Debates by giving a
certain number to each member had been
very unequal and unfair. The small
counties had received as many as
those
with a population of 30 or 40 000, and he
thought by carrying the resolution
a better order of things in this respect would
be introduced, and much more general
satisfaction given.
Hon. Mr. SMITH asked if the resolution
contemplated representation by population.
Mr. LINDSAY said of course the Hon.
ex-Surveyor General would go for the
amendment, as'he represented a county
with a population of some 4 or
5,000, and
he would like to get as large a number as
Carleton with its 17 or 18 000.
Mr. MCMILLAN did not know where
the hon. member got his information as to
the population of the county he represented, but he certainly had been
misinformed.
Mr. CAIE asked
if two counties, each
with about the same population, the one having four members in the House and
the other but two, would receive the same
number of copies, or would one get double as many as the other.
Mr. HUTCHISON thought St. John should
not have as many copies according to
population as the rural districts,
as they
were well supplied with papers as
conveyances of intelligence of the doings of the
House. With this exception he was favorable to a distribution apportioned according
to population.
Mr. WILLISTON.— In Northumberland
and Gloucester the people are
engaged in
various employments, and require a larger
diffusion of information than in counties
DEBATES OF THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY FOR 1865. 3
where
the people were generally engaged
in but one pursuit—King's, for example,
where the people were mostly agriculturists?. In St.
John and some other places
there is a larger amount of information
imparted by the papers which cannot be
the case in scattered districts. Then
again, there is often more legislation required for small constituencies than for
larger ones, arising from the varied interests involved. The object of having the
Debates printed is to impart information.
St. John is represented by a number of
reporters of newspapers, who give to the
people a synopsis of every day's proceedings, but in the North four counties had
but one paper between them, from which
to gain any information of what is going
on during the sittings of the Legislature.
I hope the House will fully consider the
question.
Mr BOYD.—Charlotte has a population
of twenty five or thirty thousand, with
very little newspaper influence. The only
way of diffusing information of the proceedings of the House is by making a division
of the Debates according to the
population.
Mr. GILBERT.—
I rise to adopt the
principle of the resolution. If the division is made in any other manner than by
population, then Northumberland will
get about one-tenth of the Debates, while
Carleton county, with a larger population, would get but about one twentieth.
The principle of the resolution is equitable and just, and shall have my support.
Mr. MCMILLAN wished to explain. The
only way to justify the expenditure of
public money for this work was by using
it for the benefit of those that required
information. In St. John such information was not required, as they daily read a
synopsis of the past day's proceedings. If
the debates were to be divided according
to the tenor of the resolution St. John
would get about 1-6th of the whole, while
other parts of the Province which have
not newspaper advantages, will receive
but very few. The resolution was adopted.
Mr.
BOYD moved for leave to bring in
a Bill authorizing the Trustees of Church
in St. Andrews, to provide for the
sale of
certain lands towards payment of the debt
due on the church.
Mr. SCOVIL moved that 2000 copies of
the Journals of the House be printed for
the use of the Members.
Mr. MCCLELLAN asked if the distribution of the Journals was to be on the same
principle as the Debates.
The SPEAKER replied : The resolution
with regard to the Debates has no relation to the Journals.
The SPEAKER informed the House
that His Honor the Chief Justice was present to swear in a member. Whereupon
His Honor administered the oath to John
Glazier, Esq., who took his seat as one of
the representatives of Sunbury.
On motion of
Mr. MCCLELLAN the resolution on the distribution of the copies
of Debates, according to population, came
up for re-consideration.
Mr.
BOYD gave notice that he should
move reconsideration of the question
again to-morrow, if now rescinded.
Mr. CORAM
moved that the House adjourn till 2 o'clock.
Hon. Mr. BOTSFORD was surprised to
hear the motion for adjournment, and
thought the moving of a resolution for reconsideration, after the motion had been
adopted and the House had become thin
by members having left their seats, was
not treating them with that courtesy they
deserved.
Mr. CORAM withdrew his motion of adjournment.
Mr. MCCELLAN
in reply to the remarks of the Hon. Surveyor General said
he was not in the House when the question of the distribution of the Debates by
population came up, and on learning the
result had moved for a reconsideration.
He disclaimed any act of discourtesy to
the members, inasmuch as he waited
whilst a call for the House was made.
Hon. Mr.
BOTSFORD thought when he
spoke that the amendment to have the
Debates distributed as heretofore, by each
member receiving a certain number, had
been carried, and under these circumstances had characterized it as showing
a want of courtesy to those members who
had voted for the original resolution, but
had been called away. He hoped this
explanation would be satisfactory.
Hon. Mr.
Hatheway said these resolutions and the lengthy talk upon them
with regard to the Debates was the annual offering of the House. He thought
when the resolution passed to make the
apportionment by population, as unjust to
those portions of the country which did
not possess the advantages of newspaper
reports. Carleton should not be placed
in a better position than Restigouche or
Gloucester. The people in those Counties possessed little information and therefore
the distribution should be as heretofore.
Mr. CAIE
said there were always two
ways of looking at the same thing. The
County he had the honor to represent had
about the same population as Northumberland. The demand for copies of the
Debates was as large as in that County,
but whereas they had four members in
the House, Kent had but two, and by giving the Debates to the members as had
been done in times past, they would get
just double the number of copies. He
was therefore in favor of distribution by
population.
Mr. SUTTON
said that although he remarks of the hon. member for Kent were
correct, yet as the people he represented
were mostly French, they would no require as large a number as Northumberland.
Mr. LANDRY
said that the French were
desirous to know what was being done
and though they could not all read the
debates yet some could, and these would
read and explain them to others.
Mr.
MCCLELLAN moved that the distribution of debates be made by allowing
an equal number to each member. This
motion was not sustaine by the House.
Mr.
MCMILLAN moved that St. John be
exempt in making up the estimate on the
population of 1861.
Hon. Mr. Hatheway begged the
House to remember the position of the
North. St. John boasted of a population
of over 40,000, and she would get about
one fifth of all the debates. The passing
of the resolution would tend to lessen the
number in the rural districts rather than
increase them, and if it were pressed, he
should vote for Mr. McMillan's motion
Mr.
WETMORE said the people of Saint
John, if better informed, paid for the information they got through the newspapers,
and the people in the country
could obtain it in the same way if they
saw fit to do so. He should certainly oppose the motion to exempt Saint John
from participating in the receipt of the
debates.
Mr. NEEDHAM moved a reconsideration
of the question. On being requested by
the Speaker to put his resolution in writing he stated that as the House had not
yet supplied him with stationary, he
couldn't do it.
Mr. CORAM again moved that the House
adjourn till 2 o'clock.
Mr ALLEN said he had never heard of
a motion of adjournment at that time of
day ; if they wished to separate, the
Speaker usually left the chair, and that
ended the matter.
Other Honorable members rose to
speak, when the Speaker left the Chair,
and the House separated at 12 o'clock.
AFTERNOON
SESSION—2 P. M.
Mr. WILLISTON moved the adoption
of the Report of Contingent Committee, which provides six dollars to each
member for stationery, this being considered, on account of the presumed shortness
of the Session, as sufficient. The
Clerk of the House is also allowed to obtain all the stationery he requires from
the office of the Board of Works, and
anything obtained from other sources
cannot be sanctioned. They also beg
leave to bring in a further report.
Hon. Mr. HATHEWAY moved for leave
to
bring in a Bill relating to the Great
Roads and Bridges.
Mr. CAIE moved for leave to bring in
a Bill to encourage the destruction of
Bears in this Province.
Mr. WETMORE moved for leave to present a Petition from the Bishop of Fredericton and others respecting
certificates
of marriage.
Mr. TROOP presented a Petition from
the President, Directors and Company of
the Commercial Bank for leave to amend
their charter. He also moved for leave
to bring in a Bill to amend their charter.
Mr. SCOVIL presented a petition from
S. Foster and others praying that the Act
to remove the Shire Town of King's
County be repealed.
Mr. WILLISTON presented a Petition
from the Rev. E. Hickson and others of
Northumberland County praying of certain alterations in the publication of
Marriage Banns, the reduction of Marriage Fees, and the Registration of Births,
Marriages and Deaths within this Province. Ordered to be read and laid on
the table.
Hon.
Mr. ALLAN moved for leave to
bring in a Bill to amend the Act relating
to the Naturalization of Aliens?
Mr. L. P. W. DESBRISAY moved for
leave to bring in a Bill to establish an
additional Circuit Court in the County of
Kent.
The SPEAKER called the attention of
the members to the motion before the
House for the reconsideration of the Resolution providing for the distribution of
the Debates according to the population
of 1861. On division of the House the
original Resolution was sustained.
Mr. CONNELL presented a Petition
from George Milligan and others of
Carleton County, praying that the publication of Marriage Banns be reduced to
two Sundays, and that License Fees be
in keeping with the same.
As a number of Petitions had been re-
ceived on this subject he moved that
Committee be appointed to whom they
shall be referred.
Mr. OTTY presented a Petition from
W. H. Perkins and others, praying that
the Act authorizing the taxing of the inhabitants of King's for the removal of
the Shire Town of Sussex be repealed.
HIRE OF COACHES
Mr. SUTTON asked the Speaker for information as to the number of coaches
6 DEBATES OF THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY FOR 1865.
might be so arranged now. The use of
one coach was enough
Mr. A. C. DESBRISAY moved an amendment to the Resolution, that the Contingent Committee be authorised
to employ
one coach for the use of the House.Adopted.
Mr. NEEDHAM moved that every member of the House fold and address his own
Debates and Journals, and post them
without the employment of a messenger.
Hon. Mr. ALLEN hoped his honorable
colleague would withdraw his motion.
He thought he would do it if he gave the
matter a few moments' consideration.
Hon. Mr.
HUTCHINSON was surprised at
such a resolution being laid before the
House. It looked like a burlesque.
Mr. LINDSAY said that for years members had folded and addressed their own
Journals, and he thought they could do it
again.
Mr. SUTTON said the resolution was
foolish and uncalled for, inasmuch as, if
adopted,
it would be compulsory on members to fold and address their own Journals.
Hon. Mr. ALLEN again hoped the hon.
member would withdraw his motion. He
thought that he would not like to see it
inserted in the Journals of the House.
Mr. NEEDHAM
would not withdraw his
motion, unless the House consented to the
adoption of another. It was this, that
the offices of Sergeant at Arms, Messenger, and Door-keeper be abolished. If
the House would carry that, he would
withdraw his first resolution.
Hon. Mr. ALLEN.—Conditions could
not be imposed on the House to influence
the hon. member to withdraw his motion
On motion of Mr. BOYD, the House here
adjourned till to-morrow morning, at 10
o'clock.
J. M.
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