PACIFIC RAILWAY
INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE
Hon. Mr. HOLTON
desired to call the attention of the House to
a matter of some importance. The House had ordered a Committee
of investigation into certain matters connected with the
Pacific
Railway. That Committee had adjourned until the 2nd July. It was
empowered to summon witnesses, and to adjourn, not only from
time to time, but from place to place. Under the ordinary procedure
of the House, committees had no authority to incur any expenditure
whatever connected with the summoning of witnesses until those
witnesses had appeared. The Committee would undoubtedly require
to incur expenses of various kinds and of a contingent nature. It was
quite possible that witnesses might decline to travel considerable
distance until their travelling expenses were furnished.
It appeared to him,
therefore, that it was essentially necessary in
some way to place the Chairman in a position to defray the
necessary expense of prosecuting the inquiry, whether it was by the
vote of the House or by action of Government. It was quite clear
something ought to be
done in order to carry out the express will of
the House in the matter.
Hon. Sir JOHN A.
MACDONALD said he quite agreed with
the hon. gentleman, and he suggested that the necessary sums
should be advanced by Mr. Speaker from the Contingencies, on the
demand of the chairman of the Committee.
The suggestion was
agreed to.
***
ADMISSION OF PRINCE
EDWARD ISLAND
Hon. Mr. TILLEY
moved, "That
the House will on Monday
next resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole to consider
certain resolutions with reference to the proposed admission of
Prince Edward Island into the Dominion of Canada, and the
message of His Excellency the Governor General on that
subject."
He said it was pretty
well known what was the nature of the
proposition made to the Island Government in 1869 under the
authority of this House by resolutions authorizing the Government
to enter into negotiations and in those negotiations to provide for
the purchase of lands owned by absentee proprietors. The
Government then undertook on behalf of the Parliament of Canada
to give the Island a sum of $800,000 in lieu of crown lands, to
enable the Government of the Island to purchase the lands owned
by absentee proprietors. Hon. members generally were aware that
the proposition of 1869 varied very little from that made to the
other Provinces except in this particular, and also in the fact that
the
Government undertook to maintain steam communication between
the Island and the Dominion.
He would state the
changes which had been made in subsequent
negotiations. In the proposition of 1869 the Island was to come in
with a debt of $27.77 per head according to populations, and, of
course, was to receive eighty cents per head, to be increased every
ten years afier the taking of the census. One of the changes
consisted in increasing the debt to $50 per head. That was arrived at
in this manner. The expenditure on the Intercolonial Railway had
not been made in 1869, neither had the money been voted for the
Pacific Railway, neither had the canal policy, involving a
large
expenditure of money, been settled by the Parliament of Canada;
neither had the Island constructed any public works of consequence.
Hon. Mr. TILLEY said
the extent of it had not been settled. The
Commission had been appointed since then, and it was upon that
604 COMMONS DEBATES May 17, 1873
report that the
nature and extent of the canal works were decided
upon. Since that date, the Island Government had entered into
contracts for the construction of railways nearly 200 miles in length
at a cost of $3,250,000, including the purchase of lands and other
matters. These public works would become the property of the
Dominion. Some of the railway was under construction, and a
portion about ninety miles long would be completed by
midsummer.
From the fact that
the Dominion Government and Parliament had
undertaken the construction of the lntercolonial Railway at a cost of
$20,000,000, that the Pacific Railway was to be built with a
contribution on the part of the Dominion of $30,000,000, that
$20,000,000 or $25,000,000 was to be expended on canals, that it
was contemplated to readjust the debts of the Dominion by
assuming the Surplus of Ontario and Quebec and giving sums in
proportion to the other Provinces, and that the Island would not
have public works constructed afier it came into the Dominion
at all
in proportion to the other Provinces, it was agreed to extend the
Island debt to be assumed to $50 a head. At the negotiations in
January last the sum was fixed at $45 a head. That had been
submitted to the people of the Island and the result was that the
newly elected Legislature had rejected the terms and authorised
another deputation to come to Ottawa, with power to enter into
negotiations with the Government for the extension of the amount
to $50.
Hon. Mr. HOLTON: Does
that increase extinguish the
$800,000 to be paid for the purchase ofthe land?
Hon. Mr. TILLEY said
no, that still remained. The only other
change from the proposition of 1869 was that, as the Island had
constructed a building used as a post office and court house,
which
would be used partly for Dominion purposes, the Government
should take that building on paying the Island $69,000. The Island
had also entered into a contract for the construction of a dredge at a
cost of$22,000 and the Dominion took that off their hands, and also
undertook to assume a liability of $2,000 a year, payable to a
Company to keep up the telegraphic communication by cable
between the Island and the Dominion. These were the changes
made in the propositions of 1869, and those in the terms agreed on
in January were only to increase the debt from $45 to $50 per head,
and to undertake to pay the $2,000 a year for the telegraphic
communication. The papers would be printed this afternoon, and
would be in the hands of hon. gentlemen a sufficient time to
enable
them to consider them.
Hon. Mr. ANGLlN asked
if the provision for steam
communication was in the original arrangement.
Mr. CARTWRIGHT asked
if the Crown Lands would become
the property of the Dominion.
Hon. Mr. TILLEY said
they would be the property of the
Island. The Province was in a different position to that of any other
Province in the Dominion. What passed to the other Provinces as
Crown Lands had, in the case of Prince Edward Island, been sold to
parties in England by the Imperial Government, so that they had no
Crown Lands, and derived no revenue from such a source for local
purposes as every other Province did. These lands being held by
absentee proprietors, the only persons living on them were tenants,
and this was a very unsatisfactory state of things, and had prevented
the Island from taking the position it would otherwise have taken. It
was in consequence of this that the Legislature, in 1869, authorised
the Government to make arrangements for the admission of the
Island including the purchase of the Crown Lands. The Island had
since then purchased some small portion, but a very large portion
remained in the hands of absentee proprietors. The quantity yet to
be purchased was between 400,000 and 500,000 acres.
Hon. Mr. TILLEY said
no, the Island altogether with the small
Islands adjacent to it had only about a million and a quarter, and
there were yet about 400,000 or 500,000 acres which had not been
purchased. The construction of the railway required the payment of
a larger sum now than in 1869, but the lands would be also more
valuable.
Hon. Mr. MACKENZIE
asked if the papers contained any
statement of the present revenue and expenditure of the Island.
Hon. Mr. TILLEY
thought not. The Government had it before
them, but it did not enter into the correspondence. They could,
however, send it to be printed.
Hon. Mr. MACKENZIE
said it was evident that all these
financial statements should go with the other papers. Of
course they
were all very glad at the prospect of the Island joining the
Confederation-(
hear, hear)-and no
member of the House,
especially amongst those who were the originators of the
Confederation project, would be disposed to treat the matter
otherwise than in an amicable way. (
Hear, hear.) Still it was
necessary to have the fullest information. The Islanders had very
properly manifested a careful survey of their own particular
position and interest and while the smaller party might be supposed
to have very strong views on that subject more than the stronger
party, still it was necessary to have such data as would enable the
House to discuss the matter intelligibly.
The motion was then
carried.
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