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Date: 1865-08-30
By: Province of Canada (Parliament), The Quebec Daily Mercury
Citation: “Provincial “Parliament. Legislative Council. The Quebec Daily Mercury (31 August 1865).
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PROVINCIAL PARLIAMENT.

(Reported for the Mercury.)

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

WEDNESDAY, 30th Aug. 1865.

The SPEAKER took the Chair at three o’clock.

After routine—

PRESERVATION OF STANDING TIMBER.

Hon. Mr. ALEXANDER from the Select Committee on Agriculture reported several amendments to the Bill to provide, in certain cases, for the preservation of standing timber—Report adopted.

THIRD READING.

Hon. Mr. POULX, from Select Committee, reported the Bill to amend the law of Lower Canada relating to the erection of towns and villages without any amendments.
The Bill was read a third time and passed.

DISORDERS AMONG THE CATTLE.

Hon. Mr. CHRISTIE introduced a Bill to provide against the spreading or promotion of disorders among certain animals.

The Bill having been read a first time the hon. gentleman moved the suspension of the 44th rule in so far as it related to the Bill—Carried.

He then moved the second reading, and explained that the Bill was a mere transcript of portions of two Imperial Acts relating to this subject of infectious diseases among cattle. Consing the urgency of the case, and the necessity that existed for this measure, and the prospects of the session soon drawing to a close, he proposed as soon as the Bill had been read a second time, to submit it with the consent of the House, to a Committee of the Whole.

The Bill was then read a second time.

Hon. Sir N. F. BELLEAU said the Government intended to offer no opposition to the progress of the measure.
On motion of Hon. Mr. CHRISTIE, the House then went into Committee—Hon. Mr. PANET in the Chair.

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd clauses of the Bill severally have powers to the Governor in Council to prohibit from time to time and from such places as might be mentioned, the importation of cattle into the Province, to make regulations for the destruction of any infected cattle, sheep, swine, hay or fodder, and to inflict penalties on any persons contravening or attempting to contravene the provisions of the Act.

The Committee, after going through the Bill, rose and reported it without any amendments.
It was then read a third time and passed.

LINCOLN COUNTY BY-LAWS.

Hon. Mr. CURRIE moved the suspension of the 62nd rule in so far as it regarded the Bill to legalize certain by-laws of the County of Lincoln.

Hon. Mr. DIXON opposed the motion.
After some discussion, the mover allowed the motion to stand as a notice of motion for Friday.

THIRD READINGS.

Bill relating to the estate of the late John Lorn McDougall.

Bill to provide for the obtaining of statistical returns from insurance companies.

HARBOR OF MONTREAL.

Hon. Mr. LACOSTE introduced a Bill to explain the Act to provide for the administration and improvement of the Harbor of Montreal.

BOARD OF AGRICULTURE.

Hon. Mr. CHRISTIE moved, “That an humble Address be presented to His Excellency the Governor General, praying that His Excellency will be pleased to raise to be laid before this House, a return of all the votes given by the various County and Electoral Division Agricultural Societies, at the recent election of members of the Board of Agriculture, in Upper and Lower Canada; and also copies of all correspondence between the Bureau of Agriculture and the Secretaries of the said Boards of Agriculture, and the County and Electoral Division Agricultural Societies, with reference to the said elections.” In support of this motion the hon. member stated he had brought it forward in consequence of certain remarks made in another place (meaning, we believe, the remarks of Mr. Cowan, member of the Assembly for the South Riding of Waterloo), embodying serious charges against both the Government and the Board of Agriculture in both Upper and Lower Canada. The remarks to which he alluded had found their way into the newspapers and were as follows:—[The hon. member then read from the Daily News a position of Mr. Cowan’s speech as under.] “It was bad enough that the farmers of Upper Canada—and he believed those of Lower Canada too were in the same position —it was too bad that they were marked, he might almost say by insult by having to go through with the farce of is well known that it is next to impossible to effect any change int hat institution. But it was incomparably worse when after calling a convention and taking this trouble, we were cheated out of our choice by some irregularity—to call it by no harder name. He hoped the Hon. Minister of Agriculture, who he saw in his place in the House, would explain the matter to the satisfaction fo the House and to the country.” Of course the Government could take care of their own reputation, and would no doubt do so, but so far as the Boards of Agriculture are concerned he would say the allegations were wholly untrue, and the returns he had moved for would prove that they were. The Government too had acted in the premises in the fairest manner and just precisely as they ought to have done. The morion was then put and carried.

THE FISHERIES ACT.

Hon. Mr. CAMPBELL said that when the Session closed last year the Fisheries Bill which he had the honor to introduce was left in Committee of the Whole, to be taken up at the same vantage point this Session. It had then been thought that as it was a very important matter, it would be better to postpone the final action until this Session, and to disseminate copies of the Bill as widely as possible throughout the Province and particularly among persons who carried on the business of fishing and who made a living by it. This had been faithfully done and he presumed the country was now thoroughly conversant with the provisions of the measure. It was thought that by following this course valuable suggestions might be contributed which might yet assist in making the Bill […] perfect than it was. And he had to state that various suggestions had been made to him, but chiefly by amateur fishermen and not so much by persons who fished for a living. The amateur fishermen contend that the Bill does not go far enough in its prohibitions, and that all stake nets and wires should be abolished. But he was still of opinion that the answers he had made last session to these demands were quite conclusive. From Upper Canada objections of another character, in fact in quite an opposite direction, and by totally different class of people, that is by persons pursuing fishing for a living, had been made. They objected altogether to the close season provided by the bill, but he (Mr. Campbell) could not consent to revoke this clause for if there was no close season in which the fish could depart their spawn in safety there might just as well be no fishery law at all. The season provided for was from 1st November to the middle of December and surely that short period could well be spared. Some objection had also come from Detroit as to the extent of the nets used, and this probably required attention, but that to the close season he thought it would be necessary to resist. It was probable that hon. members had come prepared to offer suggestions too and as experience proved that it was difficult to give a matter like this the close attention it required in committee of the whole, he would now move that the order for going into committee of the whole be discharged and that the bill be sent yo a select committee composed of hon. Messrs. McPherson, McCrea, Price, Le Tellier de St. Just, Reed, Bull, Ryan. Bossé Vidal, Sanborn and the mover himself. In the hands of these gentlemen he believed the bill would be perfectly safe and as he had no other desire than to make it as perfect a possible he hoped the committee would succeed in making if such.

Hon. PRICE said he had come prepared to offer some remarks upon the measure but would reserve them for another stage of the proceedings.

The order was then discharged and the motion for committee carried.

THE TADOUSAC HOTEL.

On motion of Hon. Mr. Price, the Bill specially to incorporate the Tadousac Hotel and Sea Bathing Company, was read a second time and referred to the Private Bill’s Committee.

UPPER CANADA BANK.

Hon. Mr. ALLAN moved the second reading of the Bill to amend the Act incorporating the Bank of Upper Canada. The hon. gentleman explained that the amendments contemplated by the Bill were asked for by all the interested parties.

The Bill was read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Banking and Commerce.

GOLD MINING ACT.

Pursuant to order, the House then went into Committee own the Bill to amend the Gold Mining Act.—Hon. Mr. McMASTER in the Chair.

The Bill was reported without amendment.

Hon. Mr. CAMPBELL moved that it be read a third time.—carried.

The House then adjourned at half-past four.