DEBATES AND PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY OF NOVA SCOTIA.
1866.
THURSDAY, Feb. 22.
Shortly before 2 o'clock p. m. the SPEAKER
took the chair of the house, and after a few
minutes the Gentleman Usher of the Black
Rod conveyed the command of His Excellency
for the attendance of the House in the Council
Chamber.
The House of Assembly having attended in
obedience to His Excellency's command, His
Excellency opened the Session with the following Speech:—
Mr. President, and Honorable Gentlemen of the
Legislative Council:
Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the House of
Assembly:
1. It affords me unfeigned satisfaction, in
meeting, for the first time, the Legislature of
this my native Province, to be able to congratulate you upon a condition of prosperity
never
before equalled in the history of the Colony.
2. While we have enjoyed the blessings of
peace and immunity from pestilence, the labors
of the Husbandman and the Fisherman have
been crowned with success: and the sale of
Crown Lands, the development of our Coal and
Gold Mines, the receipts from our Railways,
and the Trade and Revenue of our Provmce,
are greatly in excess of any preceding year.
3. A soldier myself, and intimately connected with the organization of the Volunteer
movement both in Great Britain and in this
Province, you can well understand the deep
gratification it has afforded me to find the
spirited manner in which my countrymen have
responded, by the organization of a Militia
Force so efficient, to the call to prepare for any
emergency which may at any time demand
stout hearts and trained arms for the defence
of the inestimable privileges we enjoy as subjects of the Crown of Britain.
Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the House of
Assembly.
4. The Public Accounts will shortly be
placed before you. The Estimates for the
year will be prepared with as much regard to
economy as due consideration for the interests
of the country will permit.
Mr. President, and Honorable Gentlemen of the
Legislative Council:
Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the House of
Assembly:
5. You will learn with regret that, notwithstanding the united efforts of the British
North
American Colonies, the Government of the
United States have adhered to their determination to abrogate the arrangements for
Reciprocal Trade which have for the past eleven years
contributed so largely to the harmony and
commercial prosperity of both the neighboring
Republic and these Colonies; but I am sanguine that by mutual aid and co-operation
among the Provinces, and under the fostering
care of the Mother Country, the trade of British North America may be so directed
into
new channels, and our valuable fisheries so
protected, as to meet the emergency thus
forced upon us and avoid any material commercial inconvenience. The correspondence
upon this subject will be submitted to you.
6. You will be gratified to be informed that
the efforts to represent the products of this Province at the Dublin Exhibition resulted
very
favorably—a large number of medals having
been awarded to our exhibitors; and from the
necessity which now exists to make known as
widely as possible the great natural resources
of these Provinces, you will, I doubt not. make
suitable provision for the due representation
of Nova Scotia at the great International Exhibition to take place in Paris in 1867.
7. Contracts, based upon the legislation of
last Session, have been entered into during the
recess of Parliament for the extension of the
Railways from Truro to the border of New
Brunswick, and from Windsor to Annapolis.
These documents, and the papers connected
therewith, will be laid before you at an early
day.
8. In accordance with instructions received
from Her Majesty's Government, circulars
were transmitted to the persons in charge of all
2
DEBATES AND PROCEEDINGS
the Prisons in the Province, making enquiries
as to their condition. These documents, with
the answers to the enquiries made, will be submitted for your consideration; and I
will be
glad if some means should be devised for the
due inspection of all places of imprisonment, in
order to promote an improvement in the system
and uniformity of discipline.
9. Your attention will also be invited to the
important question of Immigration, in the hope
that a larger number of those seeking a new
home may be made acquainted with the great
advantages which are here offered to industry,
capital, or skill.
10. I confidently hope that, deeply impressed
with the gratitude due to a beneficent Providence for the blessings so liberally bestowed
during the past year, your united deliberations
will result in promoting the continued prosperity of this highly favored land.
THE LUNENBURG ELECTION.
The SPEAKER, upon the return of the House,
proceeded to read His Excellency's speech.—
The Speaker also announced the demise, during the vacation, of Dr. Slocumb, one of
the
representatives of Lunenburg, and the issue of
a writ to supply the vacancy.
Hon. PROV. SEC, by command of His Excellency, laid on the table of the House, the return
to the writ for the election of a member for the
county of Lunenburg, which was then read,
announcing. the election of Abraham Hebb,
Esq.
Hon. J. H. ANDERSON and HON. A. KEITH,
the Commissioners for administering the oaths,
then took their places, and Mr. Hebb being
introduced by Messrs. Annand and Ray, advanced and was sworn in.
The SPEAKER announced that the usual
order for the franking privilege had been
made.
BILL PRO FORMA.
Mr. S. MACDONNELL then asked leave to
introduce
pro forma a bill entitled " An act for
the patenting of useful inventions." The bill
was read a first time, and ordered' to be read a
second time on a future day.
ANSWER TO THE ADDRESS MOVED.
Dr. HAMILTON said—I rise, Mr. Speaker, for
the purpose of moving the answer to the
speech with which his Excellency the Lieut.
Governor was pleased to open the third session
of the twenty-fourth Parliament of Nova
Scotia.
Every Novascotian, and especially the members of this House, must feel gratified that
Her Majesty has thought proper to select and
appoint as her representative in this colony,
one of Nova Scotia's sons, whose talents and
bravery have won him so distinguished a
name in the British Empire, not only as the
heroic defender of Kars, but in other important positions. As our Governor, we must
feel
confident that in the exercise of his great
abilities and practical knowledge, Nova Scotia
has been placed under the most favorable
circumstances at this time.
It must be gratifying, too, for His Excellency
to meet the Legislature of this his native
Province under such favorable circumstances,
for I believe never before, in the history of
Nova Scotia, was every branch of productive
industry in so healthy and flourishing a
condition as at present.
The returns from the various sources of
revenue, which have been made public, enable
the Government to meet the House with no
demands against the treasury, but, on the
contrary, with a large surplus.
If there is one thing more than another
which should inspire confidence in a Government in the management of the public affairs,
it is the fact that the productive industry and
the various sources of wealth are steadily on
the increase.
A full treasury not only enables the Government to meet all the existing and necessary
appropriations, but it does more—it enables
them to make provisions for the extension of
the public works and other improvements
which from time to time are required by the
people.
Now, I do not feel disposed, in making these
statements and exhibiting the figures which
will follow, to attribute all the increase in the
trade, commerce, navigation, agricultural produce, fisheries, mines and minerals,
&c., to the
management of the gentlemen who compose
the present government, but this much I may
say, that just in so far as the people have confidence in the integrity, practical
ability and
good intentions ot' those gentlemen. so far do
people feel security in entering into the
prosecution of those various sources of industry
and trade, which result in the enjoyment not
only of all the luxuries of life, but in the increase and extension of the productive
sources
of wealth.
I believe in every department from which returns are collected, the increase over
previous
years is remarkable, and as far as the productive resources of our Province are concerned,
viz., the fisheries, agriculture, mines, minerals,
and other departments they are all equally in
a healthy and flourishing condition.
A few facts and comparisons might not be
amiss, and while I do not feel disposed to make
any invidious comparison with former governments under different parties, I must be
permitted to refer to a few figures to illustrate
the progress which has been made and first let.
us take the exports of Nova Scotia—
In 1860, under the management of our predecessors,
| the whole exports amounted to |
$6,619,534 |
| While, in 1865, they were no less than |
8,830,633 |
| Being an increase of no less than |
$2,211,099 |
If there can be any doubt about the state of
our country in this respect, a reference to her
exports will prove her prosperity, and the great
increase for the last six years shows pretty
plainly that Nova Scotia is progressing in her
productive capabilities most rapidly, and we
must certainly hope it may long continue. I
might mention that during the years 1861-62-63;
the exports of the Province fell off no less than
$1,242,169. so that the increase has been most
rapid. amounting, since 1862, to no less a sum
than $3,153,672.
These very large exports and imports produce a trade from which a large revenue is
collected, and as far as the Government and the representatives of the people are
concerned, nothing is more gratifying than to have a large surplus revenue to return
to the people in the
shape of grants for roads and bridges, schools
and navigation securities, and which also en [...]
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