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Date: 1866-07-09
By: Province of Canada (Parliament)
Citation: Province of Canada, Parliament, Scrapbook Debates, 8th Parl, 5th Sess, 1866 at 35-36.
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LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

MONDAY, July 9^th, 1866.

The Speaker took the chair at 3 o’clock.

After routine,

First Readings.

Hon. Mr. Alexander introduced a bill to authorize the Trustees of St. Paul’s Church, Woodstock, to dispose of the Rectory lands of the said Church, &c.

Hon. Mr. Ross bill to place the Wesleyan Methodist Church property in Queen Street, Toronto, under the model deed of the Wesleyan Methodist Church in connection with the English Conference, and to vest the same in Trustees, &c. By-message from the Assembly Bill to amend the Act concerning the erection and division of Parishes, the construction and repair of Churches, &c., &c., in Lower Canada. Second reading to-morrow.

Bill to amend the act respecting Attorneys at Law. Second reading to-morrow.

Bill to amend the Law relating to Crown Criminal prosecutions and the Law of evidence in Upper Canada. Second reading to-morrow.

Winter Port in Lower St. Lawrence.

Hon. Mr. Le Tellier de St. Just moved that Hon. Messrs Ferrier and Ross be added to the Committee, and that the quorum be reduced to five.

St. Lawrence Tow Boat Company.

On motion on Hon. Sir N.F. Belleau the bill to amend the act relating to the St. Lawrence Tow Boat Navigation Company was read a third time and passed.

Canada Landed Credit Company.

Hon. Mr. McMaster moved a second reading of the bill to amend the act relating to the Canada Landed Credit Company, and in doing so said the Company had been in existence six or seven years, and during that period had furnished accommodation to the Agricultural interests of Upper Canada upon much more favorable terms than they could procure it elsewhere. But in consequence of the altered state of the money market in England, and their inability to dispose of their debentures there upon favourable terms it had been thought desirable to obtain from the Legislature the power to receive moneys on deposit in Canada. There were persons with small means who would be glad to invest them nder the security which the Company afforded; then there were others who were indebted thereto who would be willing to anticipate in part the payments they would ultimately have to make by lodging their means with them, while others again were desirous of placing them in deposit merely. To meet the views of different classes, and to extend the usefulness of the insituttion, was the object of the bill which he proposed to refer to the Standing Committee on Banking and COmmerce.

The bill was then read and referred to the said Committee.

Conversion of Peat into Coal.

Hon. Mr. Sanborn moved the second reading of the bill to grant a patent to the Hon. Mr. Moore for the conversion of Peat into Coal by process of steam.

The Hon. Member explained the object of the bill which was to obtaina patent in favor of the party named for the purpose, enabling a company to establish a manufactory for converting Peat into Coal by a process which was now in successful operation in the United States. The patent laws of the Province allowed of patent rights being granted to two classes of persons, viz: to inventors reading in this country or to persons who introduced inventions from other countries excepting the United States. These laws had long been regarded as injurious to the prosperity of the Province, and no better proof that a change was needed could be adduced than the number of applications now before the Legislature for special acts.

In the case now before the House the applicant was willing to have a condition annexed to the bill to guarantee the manufacture in the Province itself, and by that means to secure the introduction of a considerable amount of capital. The hon. member went on to show that in consequence of the barrier to the introduction of useful manufactures by the Patent laws the Province was deprived of many advantages in the way of useful inventions and labor saving machinery, which it otherwise would possess, and then reasoned out that with regard to the invention for which a patent was sought, an immense benefit would follow, since a substance found in great quantities, but useless in its natural condiditon, would be converted into fuel in those sections of the country, where the fuel was becoming so scarce that the inhabitants had to go ten and even twenty miles to procure it.

Hon. Mr. Jones said he had no objection whatever to the passage of the measures; on the contrary was desirous that it should be successful, and he thought that if the manufacture of peat into coal was established in the Province, the effects would be extremely beneficial. He agreed with much that the hon. member had said, but he wished to repeat what he had stated ona  former occasion, viz., that the manufacture of the article should be carried on here, and that a certain time should be limited in the Act within which such manufacture should be established.

He was willing to see patents granted for the production of any article which was sure to promote the general interest, and he hardly agreed with the hon. member that we had been deprived of many useful inventions because of our Patent laws; on the contrary, he believed that we had in Montreal and elsewhere many factories at work making machines patented in the United States which were not used there, and which would be of no use to us. He was willing to go as far as possible in assisting the introduction of useful inventions from any quarter, but upon the conditions he had named.

Hon. Mr. Campbell said he was disposed to concur in what appeared to be the feeling of the House, in regard of this bill, and on a previous occasion had said it would be desirable in future to consider all applications of this kind, upon their own merits. He was still of that opinion, but since it was enunciated a different view had been taken in regard of Patents rights in another place (the Assembly) and he doubted that even if the hon, member should get the bill through in this House, whether it would pass the other this session. However, he belived that so soon as Confederation was established, one of the first acts of the Government would be to revise he Patent laws, so as to secure to the Province all the advantages which could arise from the introduction of new inventions and machines.

Hon. Mr. Ross ciuld not well see why we should wait until Confederation. The fact that there was no general law which admitted of the granting of patents in a case like the present, was, he thought, the best reason why special acts should be granted.

Hon. Mr. Moore begged to assure the House, he had no pecuniary interest whatever in the measure or the enterprize projected, but had simply allowed the use of his name for the purpose of securing to the Province, what he regarded as a great boon. He then went on to describe the objects of the Company, and exhibited a specimen of coal produced from Peat by great pressure. This manufacture was now in successful operation in the United States. It was no longer an experiment, but a well established fact. The coal  would be useful, not only for domestic purposes, but for railways, steamboats and even in lieu of charcoal for smelting purposes. He then took the same ground as Hon. Mr. Sanborn, as to the scarcity of fuel in some parts of Lower Canada, where it was so needful, and where there were extensive deposits of Peat. He was quite willing to insert a proviso in the bill, such as recommended by his hon. friend (Ferrier) and hoped the measure would yet become law.

After some further debate, the bill was read and referred to the Private Bill Committee.

Notre Dame Savings Bank.

Pursuant to order the amendments to the bill to amend the act relating to the Savings Bank of Notre Dame, at Quebec, were taken under consideration and carried.—Third reading to-morrow.

Second Readings.

On motion of Hon. Mr. Bull the bill to change the Trustees of Mrs. Bastrick’s marriage settle was read a second time, and referred to the Private Bill Committee.

• (p. 36)

On motion of Hon. Sir NF Belleau the bill to provide certain facilities for the repression of the vice of intemperance in Lower Canada, was also read a second time, and referred to a special committee of hon. Messrs. Bosse, Le Tellier de St. Just, Ferrier, Sanborn and the mover.

House in Committee.

The House then went into Committee on the Berthier and Isle du Pads Commons Bill—Hon. Mr. Armstrong in the chair.

The Committee rose and reported the same with amendments, which were concurred in—Third reading to-morrow.

The House then adjourned.