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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 PORT OF MONTREAL REPORT OF THE CONFERENCE AND OF THE COMMITTEE /JV BE m. HE CHANNEL DEBT. MONTREAL : ■ PRINTED BY THE GAZETTE PRINTING COMPANY. iS88. --♦■ »■-♦ » .» » ^ I » » ♦ » ♦-♦■ ••«—•--♦-•-♦-»-♦■ •-■•• ^—--4 "!W^'^P|^fT^ ^ ^ i , r .c POET OF MONTKEAL. REPORT OF THE CONFERENCE AND OF THE COMMITTEE IJ^ BE THE CHANNEL DEBT. MONTREAL : PRINTED BY THE GAZETTE PRINTING COMPANY. 1888. A H^ jj^-^ 5 hyS 'i/? ^ CONTENTS. PAGB Meeting of Conference 2-32 Remarks by — The Chairman 4,16,24,25 Mr. Abbott 16 " Curran ^ 27 " Desjardins 29 '• Henshaw 12 " Hickson 13, 24 CaptLabelle 30 Mr. McLennan 7, 11, 31 " Munderloh 31 " Alex. Murray 11 " W.W.Ogilvie 19 " Shanly 11,25,30 Sir Donald Smith 26 Mr. R. A. Smith 9. 11, 31 " Reford 12 " VanHorne 15 Aid. White 23 Mr. Watt 21,32 Memorial from the Committee to Sir Hecto?' Langevin 35 General Summary of wharf charges 39 Documents sent to Government. 40 Communications from — Messrs. H. & A. Allan 41, 53 The Canada Shipping Company 46 Messrs. Anderson McKenzie & Co 50 " David Torrance & Co 57 " Munderloh & Co 58 " R. Reford & Co 60 Appendix C Correspondence with the Harbour Board in 1880 60 Interview with Government in May 1887 62 Wharfage charges — In Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia and New York 64 In Montreal 65 The City Council of Montreal — Resolutions by 66 The Hou^e of Commons — Resolutions anent Channel debt 67 Sir Charles Tupper's speech 68 Note on same • 73 3^b50i Acknowledgement from the Shipping Interest. At a meeting of the Shipping Interest held in the Council-room of the Board of Trade, on Friday, June 29th, 1888, the Chairman, Mr. Andrew Allan, inter alia, reported progress from the Free Port Committee, and laid on the table copies of their various printed papers, after which he moved — " That the thanks of the Shipping Interest are due, and are hereby tendered, to the Free Port Committee,— and especially to their Chairman, Mr. Geo. A. Drummond, without whose untiring efforts, disinterested labour and great public influence, the measure of relief that Parliament has granted could scarcely have been secured." The motion was seconded by Mr. Hugh McLennan and carried unanimously, after which the meeting adjourned. Note.— The line at the top of page 3 — "For private CIRCULATION ONLY " — is cancelled. For Private Circulation only. PORT OF MONTREAL m i.n, eo us RKPORT OF CONKERKNCK Held in the Board of Trade Rooms, Wednesday, January 18tii, 1888. re to ng he ,ve ed iTE A private conference was held this afternoon in the rooms of the Board of Trade. The meeting was attended by merchants, manufacturers and representatives of the shipping trade, and was one of the most influential ever held in the city. The object was to consider the present financial condition of the Harbor of Montreal, the lack of facilities for discharging and loading cargo and the heavy wharfage charges on shipping, imports and exports. Mr. Geo. A. Drummond, President of the Board of Trade, occupied the chair. His Worship Mayor Abbott, Mr. Andrew Allan, Mr. Joseph Hickson, General Manager of the Grand Trunk Eaiiway Company, Mr. Van Home, Vice-president and General Manager of the Canadian Pacific Eaiiway Company, Mr. John Torrance, Agent of Dominion Line, Mr. W. C. Munderloh, Gei-man Consul and agent of the White Cross Line, and a very large representation of the mercantile and shipping interests of Montreal testified by their presence to the import- ance of the meeting, and their anxiety to see its object promoted in a manner satisfactory to the Dominion generally. The following were among those present: — Sir Donald A. Smith, M.P., John J. Curran, M.P., A. Desjardins, M.P., Capt. Labelle, M.P., Walter Shanly, M.P. ; and the following members of Council —W. W, Ogilvie, 1st Vice-President, R. Archer, 0. p. Hobort, Ohas. H. Gould, FA^uv Jiulf^o, R. Pnton McLoa, J. M. Kirk, IIoIUh Shoroy; Jlenry Bulmor, Acting- Prosidont Harbor Board, Ilii^h McLoiuuui, Victor Iludoii and Andrew Allan, Harbor Committsioncr« ; JoHopb HickHon, Genoral Manager G.T.K., W. C. Van Horno, Vice-Piosident C.P.K., F. W. ilon- Bhaw, E. K. Greene, R. A. Smith, Alex, Murray, President Canada Shipping C()mj)any, Aid. Kichard White, M. Nolan De- lisle, Austin Cuvillier, J. X. Peiraull, John Kerry, D. A. P. Watt, I{. lieford, Agent Donaldson Line, Wni. Weir, 11. A. Budden and others. The Chairman read the following telegram from Mr. C. J, Coursol, M.P. :— St. Thomas, P.Q. On arrival from Quebec yesterday got invitation. Sorry cannot attend. "Will use best efforts to assist you; also to obtain from Government promise to abandon interest on capital for dredging river, a work which is of great concern to the Dominion. The Chairman said : — Gentlemen, I believe there will be no difference of opinion amongst any intelligent body of citizens as to the fact that we have arrived at a crisis in the history of this port and of the city. I do not desire to have any long speeches if I can help it, and I will not show a bad example myself, but it is necessary that I should define in some degree what the objects of those who called this meeting are. I assume that none of you are satisfied with the present con- dition of affairs, — and if there is any one present who is satis- fied, he had better declare himself at once — but I take it for the time being that there is no such person here. The Harbor Com- mission is a body for which, individually, I have a great respect. If I were called upon to select a similar body, I don't know that I could improve upon the constitution of that body. Be that as it may, it is a fact beyond question that the Harbor Commission is utterly powerless under its present circumstances and conditions to effect any serious remodelling of our Harbor or any addition to the accommodation worth notice. The fact is, that the fur- ther they gc and the deeper they dig into the channel of the river, the deeper they bury themselves under a load of debt from which there is no escape. I don't blame them, but I certainly say that if we sit down and pin our trust on the Comraiasion, as at present constituted and under the conditions tliat now exist, we shall be utterly disappointed and trust to a broken reed. II" it be the case, as has been asserted in my hearing, that the shipping coming to this port cannot bear any further burdens, and that the charges bore are greater than are warranted by the accommodation, the question arises for us, whore are we to turn and what are we to do to accomplish this desired improvement in our Harbor? I would respectfully suggest that the interests concerned should lay their heads together and decide on imme- diate action. The Board of Trade has repeatedly, of late years, gone to Ottawa and urged the question on the mem- bers of the Government. The answoi invariably given to all oui" applications has been that the Government would cive their most serious considei-ation to the representations made. In fact, the answer to us might have been stereotyped. From time to time we have gone to Ottawa and come back with very much the same flattering assurances, from which nothing what- ever has come. I very much fear th^'t it is totally and utterly useless to go on with such deputations in future. Judging from the fact that a popular government must neces- sarily look to the different opinions of the entire country before taking any extraordinaiy measures, I am not disposed to lay too much blame on the Government for their dilatoriness in this matter. But we shall have ourselves to blame if we continue to go to them in the future as we have gone in the past. My opinion is that the time is passed for deputations and complimentary news- paper paiagraphs on this subject. I think that an organized agitation, energetic, and resolved to accomplish its object, should take the place of deputations. The articles in the press and the great system of sending deputations are very well in their way, but they do not go far enough for my fancy. I look round this room and I see prominent business men who are accustomed to deal with their own concerns in a very different spirit from that in which they have heretofore approached this matter. We have now, in ray belief, to deal with this question partly as a political and partly as a commercial one. The Council of the Board of Tiade have not prepared any programme for to-day's proceedings. They have ideas no ! !l doubt, but I think it would be presumption for myself or for the Council "f the Board to convene a meeting such as I see to- day and to come here prepared with cut and dry resolutions, which would be assented to probably as a matter of course, and not giving anyone any particular trouble, would become a dead-letter sooner or latei-. If yon, gentlemen, desire to pursue a successful agitation which I hope to see now commenced, you arc bound to give this question full and earnest considera- tion, to express your opinions fi-ankly and freely, and to put your shoulders to the wheel, and work for yourselves without trusting to anybody. We dont want engineering plans. I think it would bo utterly out of place now to discuss any particular plan for the extension of ihe Harbor or the improvement of the Chan- nel. We have not yet reached that point, and ai-e contending first for the general principle. As far as I take it, the Harbor Commission is in a state of practical bankruptcy ; it has really resolved itself into atfovernment Depai'traent for the collection of dues and the jiayment of interest on the money spent. What are we to do under the circumstances. The question is one which is of interest to all classes of citizens. The general property- holder of the city of Montreal has as deep an interest in this question as the mercantile community and the shipping interest. It is for the benefit of every man in the city who is depending on industry for his bi-ead and butter to have the matter settled once foi* all. I look upon it that the general property-holder repre- sented by the Corporation is as much interested in the question aa any other class of the community. But above all it is the question which affects most closely the producer of exportable products throughout the whole Dominion : for any remission of dues, any reduction of the charges insopai'able from the carrying of his propei'ty to a market, is so much money in his pocket. (Ap- plause.) During the past year, the two great railways, centering in this city, have been enormously developed ; new roads have been opened, and new trade promoted, which will give occupation to shipping and benefit the country immensely. To meet this develo])ment, nothing has been done. The Harbor of Montreal has not, in any sense, been improved woilhy of the developments which are going on around us, and which will demand further accommodation, if we are to avail ourselves of this trade. I 1 would like to hear from Mr. McLennan, if he has anything to say in defence of the Harbor Commifssion, which he represents here, and if he can give us any hope that the Board is in a position to make improvements in the direction I have indicated. There are also present, to-day, representatives of the shipping interest, and I would like to learn from them if the shipping can bear any further burdens. It appears to me that there are two projects open to us. One is to go to the Government, to urge upon tliem that the deepening of the Channel and the maintename of the Harbor is a work in which the Dominion is more interested than we, and to ask them to take it up as a public work, and make this a free port. This is a broad and sweeping step, no doubt. The other is to assume that, if the Government relieve us from the burden of the Channel debt, which it is no more the business of Montreal to bear than the Canals from here to Kingston, we will then take charge of the Harbor and its wharves ourselves. It will be for you to express an opinion on these points, and on your decision to-day will no doubt largely depend the future of this question. I ask Mr. McLennan, if I have misconstrued the position of the Harbor Board, to let us know in a few words in what respect I have erred. Mr. Hugh McLennan, Board of Trade representative on the Harbor Board, said : — Gentlemen, — I must go back some years to explain the position of the Harbor Commission. In 1873, when tlie Commissioners were paying the interest on the Harbor debt, amounting to about $80,000, in view of the steadily increasing business of the port, and of the fixct that the 20-feet Channel which had been secured was not sufficient for the enlarged description of steamers that were then being constructed, the Harbor Commissioners secured legislation au- thoi'izing the ex])enditure of a million and a half ($1,500,000) upon the river improvement, for which they were to pay five per cent, interest. At the same time they secured authority to borrow $1,250,000 for the enlargement of the Harbor. They went on with these works until 1880, when it became ap- parent to the Commissioners that the resources arising from the revenues of the Harbor would not be sufficient for the cav;ying out of both the Harbor and the Channel work that had boen undertaken, and which they were then prosecut- 8 ing. They then urged that the (jovernment should assume the burden of the Channel debt. They were encouraged, time and again, by the Cxovernment of the day, and informed that the question would receive consideration. At that time river improvement seemed to be most essential. In 1882, the work upon the Harbor practically ceased. It was found by the Commissioners that they could no longer carry on the two branches of the work on which they were engaged, and be able to pay the current interest upon the indebtedness that had been authorized. The river work has been prosecuted up to the present time, but without the relief that was necessary to enable the Commisi^ioners to carry forward any work for the improvement of the Harbor. I shall now give you an idea of the revenues expended by the Commissionei-s. The revenue for the past year, and it has been a very good year, and will compare favorably with the best of years in the experience of the Harbor Commissioners. The entire revenue last year was $289,000. The disbursements were $116,000, interest upon the Harbor debt proper; $100,000, paid to the Government for interest upon the debt of the river improvement; about $35,000, expenditure for executive and general expenses, inclusive of the engineer's department; about $50,000, for repairs to the Harbor; and $13,000 lor the buoys and beacons : making a total expenditure which is in excess of the revenue this year. It is, thei-eforo, apparent to all how helpless the Harbor Board is to carry on any additional work. The Government assumed that they were granting relief time and again, but their relief was of such a character that it really did not meet tlie exigencies of the situation. The grant, for instance, of $325,000 last year, for the completion of the Channel, will bo paid back in interest by the time the work is finished, if the Government insists on its present policy. It is equally apparent, from the figures I have given, that if the Government will assume the river indebtedness and relieve the revenues of the Harbor, it will place about one hundred thor.sand dollars ($100,000) at the disposal of the Harbor Commissioners, by which they could cany foiward the work ofHarbor enlargement. As the Chairman has stated, there has been no practical enlargement of the Harbor since the time of the initiation of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which will I I d from present crop, give us several millions of grain, as a forecast of the future development of the country, and which will be far in excess of anything that this Harbor has been called upon to handle hitherto. We have now the Sault Ste. Marie road, open- ing up to us the Western States and the largest milling interests in the world. If we are pi -^ared to receive this business, we can have it in Montreal. The Harbor Commissioners have not neglected their duty during the period I speak of It was futile to consider any plans for the improvement of the Harbor, while there was no possibility of carrying on the work. I may state, however, that in the hope that the present agitation may lead to better results, and that the Government may see the necessity of adopt- ing the right course towards the policy of the country with reference to river expenditure, that the Harbor Commission- ers have now under consideration and will be prepared with a plan for the enlargement of the Harbor. That work is now in process by their engineer, and will be completed as eai-ly as the Harbor Commissioners can deal with this important question. So far as the influence of the Harbor Commissioners could go, they have been unceasing in their efforts to make such representations to the Government as would lead them to give relief by removing the necessity for pacing this |100,000 interest annually and making it a charge upon the i-evenues of the Dominion. As a Harbor Commissioner, 1 believe that if we were relieved of this burden, we might bo able to construct such works, by a reasonable expenditure, as would be commensurate with the growing demands on our Harbor accommodation. This question cannot be postponed indetinitely without injury to the trade of the port. If the Harbor had only the burden of main- taining itself, the Commissioners could do something, but when its revenues are diverted outside, the Commissioners are power- less to carry out their trust in a manner worthy of the growing importance of our city. The Chairman :— That bears out what I stated. I should like to hear from the shipping interest. What do you say, Mr. Smith ? Mr. E. A. Smith, representing the Allan Line, said : — I en- tirely agree with the views which have been expressed as to the r 10 desirability of increasing our Harbor accommodation and tbe necessity of being relieved from the Channel debt. But in my estimation it is essential that our first and greatest efforts should be directed towards relieving shipping and traffic from the taxes which they now bear at this port. During the past season, that share of Harbor i-evenue which is derived from the tax on ships and shipping— ocean-going vessels and their cargoes — amounted to about $240,000. This tax is one which has proved exti-emely burdensome to ship owners. In so far as I am concerned, I would much prefer that any measures looking towaids the improvement of the Harbor and the extension of its accommo- dation, should be contingent upon ships and shipping being first relieved from taxes in their entirety. In other words, that the povt of Montreal should be made a free port. As to the manner whereby the revenue necessary for the purpose of meeting the expenditure required for Harbor improvement pur- poses can be obtained, that, I think, should be matter for sub- sequent determination. But I believe that the prosperity of our port requires that our first and greatest exertions should be directed towards securing relief to our shipping from the burden- some taxes which it has heretofore borne and which at present attaches to it. The Chairman: — Can you add to that a statement of how we stand, so far as regards charges on shipping, with rival ports such as Boston, New York and Portland ? Mr. E. A. Smith : — I may state, in a general way, that taxation at the port of Montreal lai-gely exceeds that of any other port on this continent. I may also say that about one-fifth of the ton- nage of this port last season was represented by vessels of the Allan Line. It is safe to assume that of the revenue of $240,- 000 obtained by the Harbor Commissioners from the taxation on ocean shipping during the same period, about $50,000 or $60,000 was derived from those vessels and their cargoes ; while at all other ports frequented by the steamers of the Allan Line — Phil- adelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, Boston and Portland — they are practically free from such taxation. It can, therefore, be readily understood, that with our climatic disadvantages and short season, with the rates of insurance against us in the spring and fall months, and handicapped as we are by these port charges, it is hopeless to expect either to attract shipping in increasing 11 volume to the St. Lawrence, or that our existing lines can com- pete succeHsfully with their rivals from American ports, until the removal of the burden of our port charges has been secured. Mr. Hugh McLennan : — But the leading Harbors in the United States are largely aided by the Government, sometimes the entire expenditure is by the Government, and their ports are, so to speak, free ports, the onlj' charge being for the use of the wharves, which are private property. Mr. Walter Shanly : — So are the harbours of Canada all con- structed at the cost of the Government, always excepting the Port of Montreal. Mr, Smith: — It is iramatei'ial as to the means by which this accommodation is furnished so long as the steamers frequenting such ports hav^e freedom from taxation. It is essential, it is in fact of paramount importance, that our own first steps should be in the direction of securing freedom of tonnage from taxes, in short, of making Montreal, as far as may be practicable, a free port. The Chairman : — I should be pleased if any other representa- tive of the shipping interest would speak to the question now. Mr. Alexander Murray, President of the Canada Shipping Company, said : — It may be an extraordinary statement to you and to the meeting, Mr. Chairman, but really it is nothing new, that Montreal is the most expensive port on the Continent to bring a whip to. Some years ago, when I was foolish enough to join one of those futile deputations to Ottawa on this question, I showed a statement that we could disburse in New York the same steamer for $800 less than in Montreal. That excited Mr. Eobertson's indignation, but I gave him the figures in black and white, so that he could take no exception to them afterwards. That was perfectly well known then and is now, and I do not think it necessary to take any further evidence from shipping men as to a fact which has been known for years. We have been begging on our knees for years before the Government, and the question now is, what steps shall we take in the interest of Montreal and of the country at large, to have justice done. I believe the present Government is no better or no worse than other Governments in Canada. All of them are more interested in keeping themselves in power, than in il k' 12 curing for the interests of the country at large. I believe m long as you are on your knees to them, it will do very little good. Take a good stick in your hand, and hold it above their head, and you will be more successful. I do not think that the members for Montreal, and from the dis- tricts surrounding Montreal, have in the past done their duty in this matter. The fact is the Government can rely upon them too much. The members from Quebec and its vicinity understand these matters better than we do, and, although they are nearly all in opposition to-day, I believe they can get more from the Govern- ment than our members who sit on the Government side of the house. I would suggest the establishment of a " lobby" in Ottawa next session, and the making of a " combine " of all the members, ai'ound Montreal and between this and Kingston, interested in the trade of Montreal. Let them organize and have a good understanding amongst themselves, and if possible secure " Eoom No. 8 " to hold their meetings in. Mr. EoBT. Eepord, Agent for several lines, said : — I have much pleasure in corroborating all that has been t lid by Mr. Smith and Mr. Murray. One point that has not been touched upon, and which should bo calculated among the taxes we have to pay in Montreal, is the cost of erecting and taking down our sheds. It costs the lines which I represent $3,000 to take down our sheds for the winter and put them up again in the spring. In addition to this expensse, last year, during the month of May, the wharves were covered with water nearly three feet deep. The entire ex- pense of elevating the cargo on platfoi-ms had to be borne by the ships, and our expenses on that occasion represented $2. 000. In no other port on earth where taxes are paid would such a condition of things be allowed. The Harbor Commissioners did not refund the cost, and we had to bear it. I agree with Mr. Murray, that we have got to take strong steps at Ottawa before we can hope for redress, and such action should be taken at once. Mr. F. W. Henshaw, ex-President of the Board of Trade, said : — I think the discussion has drifted away from the main subject which is before the meeting. If I understand the invitation I received to attend this meeting, it was to devise some means, if possible, of increasing the Harbor accommodation of Montreal. 13 You said, Mr, Chairman, in your opening address, that for years we had hopelessly appealed to the Government at Ottawa to relieve the Harbor from the Lake St. Peter debt. I can say that, during my term of office, during the whole time I have had the honor to sit on the Council of the Board of Trade — nearly seven- teen years now, — most of that time we have been engaged in the same operations and with no better results than we see to-day. Although deputation after deputation of the first men in Montreal has laid these questions before the Government, they have politely said that it should be taken under their most serious con- sideration, and from that day to this nothing has been done. The question was started a few years ago of making Montreal a free port. That idea was j-eceived with the joyous shouts of the whole community. Everyone went in for having a free port. The question about taxation on our vessels was bi'ought up and laid before the public as powerfully as Mr. Smith has done to-day. The result was that we got a small measure of relief by taking off some wharfage dues on wheat and flour, which, however, benefited the shipper more than the shipping. The reason why some relief could not be extended to the shipping was on account of this heavy channel debt. Let the Govern- ment relieve us of that incubus and we can assure the ship-owners of Monti-eal that their taxes will be lessened by that amount. It is a favorite theme of pride in Montreal that we have never asked anything for our Harbor. We boasted of that, and very properly so too. But if you are going to ask aid to extend your Harbor, you have to drop, for the present, this boast. But the city of Montreal, in her own interest, ought, in case of need, to stand behind bonds for the pi'oper construction of the Harbor. We shall get no measure of relief from the Government by resting on our oars. If we lie here supinely on our backs and wait for the Government to take action, we shall see the trade which ought to come to Montreal going to the south of us. The Chairman: — Does any other gentleman wish to speak on this question. I differ from Mr. Heushaw, as I think the discus- sion is going on in the lines on which it started. I should like to have the benefit of the experience and wisdom of the gentlemen representing the railway corporations. Let them favor us. Mr. Joseph Hickson, General Manager of the Grand Trunk Eailway, said : — I was very much pleased to hear the statement I 14 made by Mr. Smith. It only corroborated facts within my own knowledge, and what I have been aware of for a consider- able time. The expenses of this port are very onerous, and a very serious drawback to the business passing throufrh it. How it is to be remedied is a question upon which I daresay there will be a great diversity of opinion. Personally, I think that the whole work ought to be undertaken by the Govern- ment. Here we have a fine canal system connecting the Harbor of Montreal with the river, which is really a part of the canal, and why should not the Government extend the canal system right to Quebec ? If that were done, you would have the responsibility, combined with the power, to apply a remedy. I do not think you have the power under the present organiza- tion, and that is the trouble. The Harbor Commissioners, everybody will admit, are as influential and efficient a body of business men as you will find in this community, but they are really powerless to carry out the work necessary in order to develop the port, and I fear very much that if the control of the Harbor were transferred to the city there would not be a very marked improvement. I, for one, do not think that the Muni- cipal Government is calculated to undertake and to carry out efficiently the management of a work like the Harbor of Mon- treal. I do not think that our experience of the city govern- ment should give us confidence that they could do it efficiently. Then what is the other resource — another OommiHsion with extended powers, or the intervention of the Government ? It seems to me that the intervention of the Government would be the most efficient way of obtaining redress, and I also think — looking on what they have done elsewhere, the large amount of money that is being spent in improving the Harbors of other ports — that Montreal is justified in asking the Government to undertake those great works and the management of this har- bour, and to free the city from the debt or liabilities, which if it undertook the management, it would be obliged to incur. I really fail to see in all the discu>(sions which have taken place about the matter, that there is any solid reason why the citizens of Montreal should tax themselves to maintain the Har- bor and to maintain these works. They are really for the benefit of the whole country; for the couimerce of the entire Dominion, more or less, dui-ing one season in the year passes 15 and through this port. Why Montreal should be made an excep- tion as compared with other more favoured places, I have never been able to give myself a sufficient explanation. I believe that if the worK were attached to a government department the necessary enlargement of the Harbor would be obtained, and it would also be efficiently administered. I see no other remedy for the piesent state of things. The Harbor accommodation is universally admitted to be insufficient for our wants and not calculated to develop the trade of the country. Mr. W. 0. Van Horne, Vice-President and General Manager of the Canadian Pacific Eailway, said : — I have not any particular plan to suggest, but I imagine that everyone present is agreed in the opinion that some immediate steps are necessary for the enlargement of the Harbor facilities of Montreal. As to whether this can best be done by the Harbor Commissioners, or the City Government or the Domirion Government, I don't feel competent to express an opinion. Quite a number of plans have been sug- gested, and I have no doubt that the engineers of the Harbor Board will be able to propose a scheme for Harbor improvement that will be sufficient for the purpose. Any one of the three or four, or half-dozen schemes which have been suggested, would be infinitely better than the present state of affairs. I suppose the chief difficulty will be found in providing the necessary money for carrying out the works that may be decided upon. It seems to me that the Dominion Government '"ught at least to assume the Lake St. Peter debt. How long it is going to take to induce the Government to do that, in order to place the Har- bor Board in a position to carry out the work here, it is hard to say. There may be a delay of one, two, three, or even four years, which would be a great loss to the trade of the country generally. Some people, I know, in Western Ontario and elsewhere, are short-sighted enough to think that the City of Montreal ought to provide the necessary funds, not recognizing the fact that the deepening of Lake St. Peter is a work lor the benefit of the whole X)ominion, at least of all the Dominion west of Quebec. I think it extremely important not alone to improve and extend the Har- bor, but also to wipe out as far as possible all of the present port charges and make the port a free port if possible. (Applause). The wisdom of such a course has been made apparent by the TT 16 wondorfiil devclopmont of trade at Antwerp, following the mak- ing a fvoo port of Antwerp and the provision of ample facilities for shipping. Mr. Repord : — Was that a Government vvoi-k ? Mr. Van Hohne : — Voh, the work was done by the Govern- ment and the j)ort has no taxes or charges of any kind. That port has developed wondorfully since the completion of the work and the removal of the charges. Ocean carriers go there with fi-eights for places twice as far inland as fi-om Hamburg and other ports, because they avoid these charges and are able to discharge their cargoes and get away in half the time i-equired at other ports. There are a number of gentlemen pi-esent who are infin- itely more competent to express an opinion as to just how these things should be done than I am. I wish to record my opinion that the work should be done in such a way as to admit of Mon- treal being made a free port; and that it should be a free port is, I think, to the interest of every portion of the Dominion. The Chairman : — We have had some very important expres- sions of opinion, and I think it all points in one direction, that is toward the hint thrown out by Mr. Muri-ay that we should organize a powerful committee and give it powers to the fullest extent to endeavour to carry out our object. That is the key- note of the situation. If we continue sending deputations from Montreal to Ottawa we shall see the samt^ results as in the past. I should like to know from the city authorities whether they fully apprehend what has been put before them — that this matter affects not alone the merchant, shipper and railway man, but that it is one in which every householder and citizen of Montreal is directl}'' concerned. But there is the broader view of the situation, which was touched upon by Mr. Hickson and Mr. Van Home, viz., that the Port of Montreal is the j)Ort of the province of Ontario and all the Dominion west of Quebec. If the western provinces had only a village at this point, instead of a large city like Montreal, they would soon find it to their advantage to develop and improve the port at their own expense. I should like to hear an expression of opinion from our worthy Mayor. Hon. J. J. C. Abbott, Mayor of Montreal, said : — Gentlemen, I am afraid with regard to the civic authorities I should feel bound to agree with Mr. Hickson, and I am sure that other mem- bers of the Corporation, who have experience of the city, will I It coincide in these viowH, that the mantigomont, extension and im- provement of the Harbor are not matters that fall pi'oporly within the jurisdiction of a municipal body. The men who com- pose a municipal body are not generally supposed to be trained in the knowledge which is neces-^ary for such a subject as that. They have the important interests of a particular class to attend to which have hitherto proved quite sufficient for their powers, and I think it would ho a misfortune to see the maritime affairs — if I may so call them — of a port like this, destined to become a great outlet for trade, fall into the hands of a local municipal authority. Especially so, as in reality this is a national port. It is the national port of the Dominion of Canada, and ought not be placed, in my opinion, under the management or control of a local body. (Hear, hear.) So far as that goes, and so far as contribution by the city goes, towards the enlargement of the Harbor, I don't think any move- ment could bo made by the meeting that would be beneficial to that object. There are many objects for which money is re- quired by the city, and which the revenues of the city at present are insufficient to promote effectively, and to impose upon the city burdens beyond those essential to the comfort of the citizens is not, it would seem to me, a businesslike or prudent move. It would be well to consider before making such a move, what practical object we have a chance of gaining at this moment. As to our becoming a free port in the future, most of us may live to see it, but I do not think that at present we are in a position to seriously press it. We have upon us a burden which by universal consent is pronounced to be an unjust one, the burden of the Lake St. Peter debt. When 1 come to this sub- ject I feel myself embarrassed by the fact that I am one of the body whom Mr. Murray proposes to follow up with a sharp stick. (Ap- plause.) I don't wish to say more than is necessary. I have a strong opinion thnt the burden of the Lake St. Peter debt ought not be placed on the Harbor of Montreal, and that is the unanimous opinion of the people of Montreal and vicinity. If we look, on the other hand, to another section of the people, we find, perhaps, a good many strong opinions in an opposite direc- tion. It is attributable to that fact, and not to any unreasonable supineness of the Government, that the burden of the river debt has not been long ago removed from the Harbor of Montreal. 2 18 Gentlemen who live here in Montreal, knowing veiy well the current of opinion about them, Hhould look with a littio indul- gence upon gontlomon who have to consider not only the ])ublic opinion of Montreal, but of a vast territory 3000 miles across. That is precisely the position of the Govornmont. I have no right to speak for the Government. I am not authoi-ized or pro- pared to do so, but I think I may state, us a matter of fact, that I know the opinions of many members of the Government to be just as I have stated my opinions to bo — that this burden of the Lake St. Peter debt is not one which should rest upon the Har- bor of Montreal. I have no doubt that steps will be taken before long to remove this burden from the Harbor. 1 do not think the Harbor Commissioners are to be blamed for spending money on deepening Lake St. Peter ; but on the contrary they should be applauded for having cai-ried on a work which has helped largely to make Montreal what it is, and I do not believe that any one in Montreal thinks differently. And, on the other hand, I don't think they ought to be censured for not, under present circumstances, ex- pending money on the enlargement of the Haibor, for the simple reason that they have neither the money nor the means to get it. It is not that they are disinclined to make progress, but that the resources they derive from the port of Montreal must pay the interest on the debt incurred to bring trade to Canada. A part of that debt should be taken off their shoulders, and it will leave them a large margin of revenue; a portion of which may be usefully expended on the payment of interest on the capital required to enlarge and improve the Harbor. That, I under- stand, the Harbor Commissioners are perfectly willing to do. I have been a Harbor Commissioner for a short period, and I know that the Commissioners are looking towards measures to enable them to raise money to improve the Har- bor in proportion to the increasing demands upon it. At this moment their position is identical with the majority of citizens. They are imploring the Government to take oft this port the burden of the Lake St. Peter debt, and they intend, with the means this will place at their disposal, to carry on those improvements and enlargements of the harbor which they are just as anxious about as any citizen in Montreal. That is, I think, the position of the Harbor Commissioners and the position 19 /oil the io indul- e ])ublic I acrosH. httvo no I or pro- let, that lit to be n of the the Har- m before ot think pending :;ontrary a work t it is, thinks ak they nces, ex- e simple to get it. that the pay the ada. A d it will ich may 6 capital I under- io do. I and I neasures le Har- pon it. jority of oft this nd, with on those they are hat is, I position wiiich Mr. McLennan stated. This i;: about all T have to say and I trust I have not trespassed too long on your patience. (Cries tf « No " and " Go on.") It in practical, it seems to mo now, perhaps by modified action similar to that which Mr. Murray suggests, to get this river debt taken off the harboi' of Montreal. That will give us the means to improve the Harbor and give to the Harbor Commissioners the power of raising money f(jr the enlai'gement of the Harbor. All that Is practical, and it is in the near future, in my opinion, and might probably be carried out during next session of Par- liament, if there were a concerted effort made by all those interested in this port, and the maiitime affairs of the Domicion, to have such an object attained. Might I suggest to you, and to the Committee you propose to appoint, to press for a practical object — the assumption of the Lake St. Peter debt by the Gov- ernment. But I think the attempt to make Montreal a free port at the present time would be a fruitless one. Probably in pressing for more than wo can got, we may not obtain th..' which I think we really can got, and which would be an important step towards the result we all wish for. (Applause.) Mr. W. W. OaiLViE said : — One point has been lost sight of, and that is that the majority of the Harbor Commissionerti are appointed by the Government. The Government have main- tained such a close supervision over the affairs of the Board, that during the time of the negotiations for making a land survey, the then Minister of Public Works came down to the meeting, took a seat, and nominated one of the engineers. I may say that at that time, the members of the Harbor Commission were not in favor of this. At that time, and during the whole term of its existence, the Harbor Commission has been under the con- trol of the Government. The deepening of Lake St. Peter was first started, and the money first spent by the Government. The then Haibor Commissioners endorsed the bonds, assumed the work for the Government, and have virtually boon running it for the Government ever since. Wo speak of the Harbor Commis- sioners, and a stranger here might go away with the idea that they wore an independent board elected in Montreal, and not that a majority of them were named and nominated by the Government in Ottawa, with the Government controlling the expenditure of the money. m ■ItB 20 I should not like to have a partner having the solo control of the expenditure of the establishment, who could make me assume the whole liability and entire cost, yet that is exactly the posi- tion the Harbor Commissioners are in with respect to the Gov- ernment. I think we are now going in a i-ight direction, and that we are nearer to the assumption of the debt by the Government than ever we were before. We had their assurance last session, and I feel they will cai-ry out their promises. It has been stated that, with the exception perhaps of Quebec, Montreal stands alone in thh matter, and that all other ports in the Dominion were built by the Government. I am interested in Goderich, where we have a mill, and if I want some improvement there, I don't go to any Harbor Commissioner, or to the town of Goderich, or to anyone else. I go to Ottawa. The Government has already spent $500,000 there. Why is it that Montreal should be so differently treated as compared with other ports ? Last year, when we went to Ottawa, the case was so ably put before the Minister by our worthy Mayoi', that we were led to under- stand something would be done during the Session, and there never was a more favorable opportunity of doing it. The Minis- ter of Public Works could not be blind as to the position he stood in with regard to Quebec. Quebec then owed the Government $133,000 of interest, and had only $30,000 to pay it. Sir Hector must have known this, yet another $1,200,000 was advanced, making a total interest-charge of over $200,000, with only the $30,000 to meet it. Although Quebec is quite welcome to all she can get, and the rest of the Dominion the same, I don't see why Montreal is treated so badly by the Govern men i. Perhaps they look upon the other as the prodigal son, and give him the fatted calf, whereas we, like the good boys, get nothing. I have been asked in Ottawa, *' Why don't you do like Quebec, go back and don't pay your interest ?" but I am happy to say that Montreal has paid its debt and acted honorably. I am glad we have such a representative meeting here, and that we have the representatives of the two great railways, who are a little stronger than the rest of the Dominion outside. (Laughter.) If we can get them to act with us, there is nothing to prevent Sir Hector Langevin bringing the matter before the House this year, and relieving us of our burdena. (Applause.) 21 ntrol of assume he posi- he Gov- ; we are nt than n, and I ed that, alone in I'o built lere we ion't go oderich, already )uld be ? Last b before ) under- id there e Minis- e stood 3rnment Hector vanced, )nly the to all I don't rnmeni. md give othing. ebec, go ay that glad we ave the a little ighter.) prevent ISO this Ml'. I). A. Watt said : — Tt would be no more than reasonable that this meeting should coincide with Mr. McLennan in deprecat- ing any undue criticism on the part of the public towards the Harbor Hoard. The Commissioners are simply the administrators of a public trust, taking in and paying out so much money, and thereby arranging to extend and maintain the Harbor as their moans will permit. If they are expected to go on enlarging theii- works, it is for the public in general to put them in a position to do so, and I think the Commissioners deserve the thanks of the community in that they have not weighted the Harbor with a load of debt. Our Hai-bor works presently represent three millions of expenditure ($3,000,000), as against only two millions ($2,000,000) of debt. It has been said that a majority of the Commissioners are appointed by Govern- ment ; that they are in truth a branch of the Government, and in fact good Conservative office-holders. I think the time may come when these gentlemen may have to say to the Government in Ottawa : " If you don't do justice to Montreal, we won't serve you any more and we will resign." I doubt whether there is a self-respecting Conservative merchant in Mont- real who, under these circumstances, would accept office under a Government which should continue to leave Montreal in the lurch as she has hitherto been. Mr. Abbott seems to think that all we can get is relief from the Lake St. Peter debt. I think we ought to get more. We have already paid upwards of $800,000 of interest, and before the work is finished we shall have paid $1,000,000. That is to say, the Government has exacted from the port of Montreal interest during construction and while the works were only in progress. This refund would give a million dollars for improvements, but what can one do with a million dollars on a Harbor like Montreal ? You will find it go a vevy short way indeed in that direction. One thing has become certain, namely, that interest cannot continue to be paid by taxa- tion on shipping, because taxation will drive away trade. What- ever is done for the Harbor, nothing should be done to add to the existing burdens on traffic ; but, on the contrary, the existing bur- dens should be largely lessened or removed. How, then, are they tc be lessoned ? tSome people think the Government should lessen them, while others think that all the Government can do is to take from us the burden of the Lake St. Peter debt. Millions of 22 dollars had been spent on navigable waters find harbors all over the Dominion, and the Government does not exact interest from the works. The Goderich Harbor is not taxed by the Ottawa people. Quebec has been given five million dollars, and the bills weie supported by the Government and passed by Par- liament, while they knew the position of the Quebec Harbor to be, about $50,000 income and $20,000 expens^es, leaving but $30,000 net profits to pay interest on $5,000,000. Notwithstanding this state of affairs, the bills were passed by Parliament with scarcely a question from either side of the House. Yet we are very care- fully told that Montieal need not ask i.ny thing. All the favor is to be shown to ports that have comparatively no business, and even-handed justice withheld from a port that does the largest business in the Dominion. The port of Montreal should be encouraged and aided by the city as well as by the countiy generally. I don't think we need look for much from the Quebec Government, as I daresay consti- tutional objections would apply theie, but any objection to the city of Montreal undertaking some of this work is untenable. So far as my experience goes, I think that the majority of the Harbors in the United Kingdom aie to a considerable extent civic Harbors. In view of the benefit which our Harbor confers on the city, and of the increased value which it brings to property as well as to business, I think that the city should give liberal assistance to the work. We should lemember that Montreal gave one million dol- lai'S to the North Shore Eailway, and three quarters of a million, if I remember aright, to the Giand Trunk, and the improvement of the Harbor is a work of greater civic importance than either. In event of the City Council voting to the Harbor a similar sum, it would not be necessary that they should manage it. They did not seek to manage the North Shore or the Grand Trunk. One of the best investments the city of Montreal could make would be the grant of a sufficient sum to let it go forth to the world that Montreal was a free port. I do not think we should run away with the idea that nothing more is required than getting rid of this Lake St. Peter debt. Mr. Murray furnished a statement which I read in Ottawa, and which was afterwards published, regarding port charges. One of his ships went in and out of Montreal and, in respect to these charges, the expense was about $1200, while the same ship 23 all over interest L by the lars, and by Par- )or to be, t $30,000 ling this Barcely a ery care- ;he favor less, and e largest d by the we need .y consti- ) the city So far as irbors in Harbors, city, and ell as to ce to the llion dol- i million, ovement m either, ilar sum, rhey did ik. One le would orld that ; nothing ter debt, tawa, and One of ; to these ime ship went in and out of New Yoi'k, and the expense was but $400. One of the items in Montreal was $269 for pilotage. The Govern- ment is so interested in this hardy class of marinei'S below Que- bec, thao it secures to them a minimum salary. These pilots are legally oi'ganized into a kind of a commune, so that they, each and all, do draw an uniform and minimum salary for life, whether the business warrants it or not. Public services such as theirs should be a pension-charge on the public revenue, and not tax on shipping. In New York the pilotage fees would have been only ^18-t. The charge for wharfages in Montreal on the cargo inwards and outwards, and on the ship, was $800 ; in New York the charge was but $40 a day on one occasion, and on another $50. The main thing, above all others, in the interests of the whole Dominion, is to get those excessive charges reduced, or better still abolished. The Government should undoubtedly help in the work of Harbor enlargement; the city should also help; but there is no reason why the railways dhould not also aid in the work. In Portland the Grand Trunk Railway Company has spent large sums in building wharves. In Boston, New York, Phila- delphia and Baltimore, the great railways have opent millions of dollars on wharf accommodations, which they freely offer to ocean vessels free of charge. Here, the railway companies have found a wharf prepared for them, and have been admitted to its use. If any large scheme of improvement is undertaken, and if the railway companies are to be facilitated and accom- modated, they, too, by a yearly subvention or otherwise, should contribute half a million each. The Chairman asked Alderman White if he could give the meeting any information as to the position the city stood in, with regard to this project. Aid. Richard White said : — Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, I think our tirst object ought to be to induce the Government to assume the Lake St. Peter debt and we may afterwards consider some plan by which the charges can be reduced in the Harbor. As to how far the city would go in the matter, or how far the railways would go, or how far the Government would go, I can not say. I do not think it would be possible to make anything like a positive assertion as to what action the city would take, as i 24 the matter has never been discussed by the Council. There are, however, some expenses in connection with the wharves borne now by the Harbor Commissioners which the city might assume, the police and care of the revetment wall, for instance. Probably in a re-arrangeraent there are duties of this kind which the city could and would assume. I quite agree with the Mayor that at the moment our efforts should be directed to have this Lake St. Peter debt removed as a charge on the port. That is the most prac- tical thing we can do, and it will give us plenty of work to accomplish it during the next two months. From what I know of public opinion, both here and in Ottawa, on the question, I am sanguine that if we keep at this object we shall achieve it. If we succeed, we have as a certainty $100,000 a year more than we had before, to be expended on the Harbor, and that will be one point gained. The question as to how far this will be supplemented by the city or by railroads and other bodies inter- ested will then be moi-e intelligently discussed than it can be to-day. The discussion has led us to see that we must vigorously press on the Government their duty in this matter, and that we should enlist the active assistance and sympathy of all favorably disposed towards our object. One noticeable want in the past has been that the merchants of Montreal have not sufficiently ap- preciated the value of the influence of members from surrounding constituencies. If the Board of Trade took a little more pains to make themselves and their wants known to neighbouring members it would be better for them and the city's interests. In the meantime, if we get the Lake St. Peter debt removed, I think that other advantages will follow to the Harboi-, and follow very rapidly. The Chairman said : — Undo ibtedly the most practical step to be taken at pi-eseut is to >'ppoint a strong Committee, with ample powers, to carry on a vigorous agitation. Mr. HicKSON : — I should like to know for what the Committee is to agitate. The Chairman : — It would be impossible to define very closely thd functions of the Committee, but, as I stated, they should be charged with very full powers, and authorized for as much as they can obtain, in justice to the port of Montreal and the development of the trade of the Dominion, But I would not lay down a hard and fast line. If they cannot get the Government to assume the r- here are, ^es borne t assume, Probably the city hat at the St. Peter est prac- work to t I know uestion, I ive it. If ore than ; will be will be ies inter- t can be tgorously that we 'avorably the past ently ap- rounding ore pains hbouring interests, moved, I boi', and il step to ee, with •mmittee y closely hould be h. as they ilopraent 1 a hard ume the 25 debt and make the Harbor of Montreal a free port at one sweep, I should say they ought take as much as they can get, on the prin- ciple that a hall' loaf is better than no bread. Mr. HicKsoiN said that it might be a long time before they would have such a representative meeting again. He gathered from the addresses that the great majority of those present were in favor of making Montreal a free port. For that reason he wished to have an expression of the meeting as to the functions of the Committee. Mr. Walter Shanly, M.E\, said: — If I understand this thing right, for what object is it ? There is very considerable probability that we will be relieved of the river debt, and if I understand the discussion here to-day, the money represented by the interest on that debt may be spent upon the Harbor, so that, as far as I can see, there would be no relief for shij)- ping. My belief is that unless you make this a free port there is very little use enlarging the Hai-bor and spending money on it. Last session, when Sir Charles Tapper brought down his loan resolutions, I had occasion to say that 1 did not see what good the enlargement of the canals would be, so long as you enlarged them only to bring down freight to a port to which it would not come. I believe now, as I told the House of Commons then, that the Government will never gain the fruition from the immense ex- penditure on the canals above, until the Harbor of Montreal below is practicall}^ made a free port. Do I understand the intention is, if the Government assume this burden, to expend a similar sum on the Harbor, and still maintain the tax on shipping ? The Chairman : — I can hardly categorically reply to that enquiry. The Committee will be guided by the expression of opinion here to-day, and the Eesolution I have to propose is to look after making Montreal a free port. It will be for the Committee to tind out the best way of doing that. I will now read the Eesolution. Resolved— Thai tlie following gentlemen be a Committae to organize at once a vigorous effort in favor of making Montreal a free port, and extend- ing and improving the harbor : — (.Jity : — The Mayor of the city and the Chairman of the Finance Com- mittee. Railways :— The General Manager of the Grand Trunk Railway, and the Vice-President of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Board of Trade :— The President of the Board of Trade ; one member of 26 the Board of Trade representing the export trade, and one member of the Board of Trade representing the import trade. Shipping : — Two representatives of the shipping interests. The President of Le Chambre du Commerce, Montreal. I desire fuithor to say that more than once last year the Board of Ti'ade found it necessary to return thanks to the local mem- bers, Sir Donald Smith, Mr. Curran, anri Mr. Coui-sol. We never went to Ottawa without having the services and assistance of the local members readily and heartily given to us. 1 will add that it will be the first duty of this committee to enlist the sympathy of all the members, especially to the westward of Montreal, in this question. In the meantime, I would wish Sir Donald Smith, Mr. Curran, Mi'. Desjardins, and Capt. Labelle, members whom I see present, to say a few words on this question. Sir Donald A. Smith : — I should have preferred to have spoken after Mr. Curran, but the expressions of opinion given at thie meeting leave me little to say. It appears to me to be the unani- mous view of this meeting that prompt action is required in this mattei'. I say unanimous, because, although Mr. Henshaw ap- peared to dissent to some little extent, it was only in appearance, and 1 think that much that he said is the best argument possible for prompt and vigorous action. We should not look forward to the Goveinment keeping us in suspense for three, foui-, or five years, but we should go to woi'k ourselves and try to have our object obtained immediately. (Hear, hear.) By combining among ourselves, by understanding each othei", by getting those who have the greatest interest in the community to come together determined to work heartily, by bringing every possible in- fluence to bear on the Government, we must succeed. Every member who sees that his constituency is interested in having Montreal made a free port, should follow the example of my friend Mr. Desjardins, and act in whatever way is best calculated to further our interests. We all agree that the Harbor accommo- dation is far from being sufficient even for the present greatly increased traffic coming over the old lines. If that is the case now, what can be expected when the enormous increase of traffic, over the Canadian Pacific Eailway and the other new lines in the northwest, comes to Montreal ? Last year there was a surplus of twelve to fourteen million bushels of wheat ulone in Manitoba and the Northwest Tei-ritories. Judging from the additional ^^^ % iber of the le Board al mem- Ve never e of the itld that mpathy 1, in this lith, Mr. om I see spolcen at thip e unani- 1 in this law ap- sarance, possible ward to or five ave our nbining 5 those ogether ible in- Every having of my culated !ommo- greatly he case traflSc, in the surplus initoba itional 21 quantity of land broken up last autumn, we shall have nearly twice as much grain next year, if, as we hope, the harvest is favorable. Considering further, the opening of the i"oads leading to to the great milling centres of the northwestern States, the road from Minneapolis, the road from Duluth, and the road from Montreal to Sault Sto. Marie, with, nodoubt, other lines to Sault Ste. Marie in good time, we in Montreal must be prepared to accommodate the enormous volume of freight which will come to us over these lines, the construction of which is of so much importance to the northwestern States and to Canada. Those interested in the lines already built to the Sault control an output of some 30,000 bai-rels of flour per day. Minneapolis gets to its mills more than 40,000,000 bushels of wheat in a year. If we consider this, and if we consider also the vai-ious products that are to be brought from the northwest, and the goods that will be required to be sent there in return, we may well feel that it is our duty to make every eifoi-t to bring as much of that trade as we can to the port of Montreal. That the trade will come from the northwest is certain, and we should not permit it to be diverted from the Harbor of Montreal. If we cannot all at once make Montreal a free port, we ought to aim at making it as near so as possible. (Applause.) Let us go to the Government with as strong a force as possible, with the members interested in the making of Montieal a free port supporting us, and I for one, cannot doubt that we shall have success. (Applause.) Mr. J. J. CuRRAN, Q.C., M.P., said : — After all that has been said, it would be unbecoming on my part to detain you for many minutes. I think there is a great deal in the remarks that have fallen from the Hon. ]VIi'. Abbott, Mayor of the city. In the first place, we are unanimous hero that the more strongly we urge this matter upon the Government, and the more positively we speak, the likelier we are to succeed. I should like very much that the gentlemen pi-esent, especially those who think that the city members and their associates from neighboring constituencies have not done all that could be done, to remember that we are only a small body among two hundred and fifteen members, a large number of whom entertain different views from those entertained by the entire meeting here; and that we have had to fight all along a vast amount of sectional jealousy, prejudice ■7^ 28 and indifference, which has not been confined to one side or other of the House. Even last session, when the question of obtaining a loan was on the tapis^ to complete the work of deep- ening the Channel, two prominent gentlemen — Mr. Jones of Halifax and Mr. Mills of Bothwell— on the other side of the House, made furious attacks on Montreal in regard to its pre- tensions in reference to the Channel. It appears clear to my mint! that we have made considerable pj-ogrens, although not so much as some people imagine, to get the Government to assume this Lake St. Peter debt. I firmly believe we have reached the point that next session we shall have that debt assumed. We may possibly achieve that. (Applause.) Itwas only by educat- ing public opinion and the unceasing efforts made by our Board of Trade, Corn Exchange, and other similar bodies in this city, and through the favorable advocacy of the press, on both sides of politics, in different parts of the Dominion, whose utterances could be laid befoie the Government at any time, that this result could be brought about. Some reference has been made to the City of Montreal, thi'ough its Corporation, giving some aid in the matter of a free port, which I take to be quite a distinct question from that of the assumption of this Channel debt by the Govejnment. (Hear, hear.) Most of those pj'esent will remember that at the excursion of the Corn Exchange down the river, last summer. Alderman Grenier, Chairman of the Finance Committee, was present, and met, to some extent, the reproach against the City Council. He said that if the C'hannel debt were assumed by the Govei-nment, the charge which now falls on shipping for the pi'otection of the Harbor by a body of police, would bo assumed by the city. That was reasonable, and would be a great relief to the shipping interest, because whilst the Dominion Govern- ment, through the Marine and Fisheries Department, paid that police force, there was u tax levied on the shipping of the port to meet the expense. (Applause.) I have always endeavored to carry out the views of our Board of Trade and Corn Exchange, believing that they represent the commercial and manufactuiing interests of the city of Montreal, and 1 intend to follow the same line of action in the future. (Applause.) In this great meeting to-day we have achieved something. I am satisfied that everyone here is willing to do his utmost -^ e side ov I est ion of c of deep- Jones of de of the o its pre- ar to my t^h not 80 to aHsurae ) reached assumed. )y educat- >ur Board this city, )0th sides utterances that this len made ing some a distinct bt by the em ember lie river, Finance ient, the : if the e charge of the by the relief to Govern- nt, paid g of the deavored xchange, iictuiing the same nething. utmost ■wit- w towards obtaining the object wo have in view. Let us first work to have the Harbor Commission relieved of the River debt. At a futrro period, if wo can go to the Government and show them two siK'h powerful institutions as the Grand Trunk and the Canadian Pacific railways, running through every constituency in the country, endorsing our application, the time may come, and come soon, when Montreal will be made a free port. At all events, I presume that the Committee named now will go to work at once, and prepare a plan to carry out our object. The Channel debt being assumed, and the prejudices which have existed heretofore overcome, we shall be enabled to go ahead and free our port from this taxation on shipping. Let us bend all our energies for the present towards the one object of inducing the Government to assume the Lake St, Peter debt. A powerful leverage can be brought to bear through the combined action of members directly interested. Above all things, let us present the case in its true position not as a Montreal question, which will excite jealousies, but as one affecting the in- terests of the Dominion. Those who desire to paralyze our efforts seek to make it a local question ; we must not play into their hands. I deem it but fair to say that we have always had the good will and concurrence of the members of the adjoining counties, and if we adopt a course calculated to awaken the peo- ple generally to the importance of the issue now before us, we may safely reckon upon the Government of the Dominion doing us justice. (Applause.) Mr. Desjardins, M.P., Hochelaga, said : — I have not much to add, but I am glad to be present to answei- the accusation brought against neighboring members of Parliament, that weaie indifferent to the interests of the city of Montreal. That is not precisely the case. For one, I have often complained that the citizens, representing large interests of the city of Montreal, do not avail themselves more than they ha^e of the services of members representing the outlying counties. The first news I often get of a deputation going to Ottawa to urge an important question on the Government, is when I see it in the papers the next morning. The fact is that, in my opinion, the citizens of Montj-eal have been too self-reliant; while they have seen the people of other centres of commerce looking to the Government for the public works required 80 ■^1 m in their own localities, the citizens of Montreal were depend- ing on themselves alone. We may be proud of this, but we ought to take a loaf out of our neighbours' books when they are moving in the right direction. They have received largo sums of money from the Government from year to year, while wo have been paying our own way. [ am very glad to see that the citizens of Monti-eal now believe that they ought do the same as the people of Quebec. Why has the city of Quebec obtained $5,000,000 for improving the Harbor, when there was no possi- bility of paying the interest ? because the city of Quebec has been doing all along what we are thinking of doing now. You see now that not only in the vicinity of Montreal, but from Kingston down, you can bring forty representatives who will accompany you to the Grovornment and obtain from them the assistance you are entitled to. By agitation as has been sug- gested, by interesting the news|)apei's and furnishing them with figures, and by influencing public opinion, you will succeed in mak- ing Montreal what it ought to bo, the great port of the Dominion. Not only will Montreal but the entire Dominion benefit by the improvements in our poit. Our canals are worthless unless you can bring to Montreal a large shipping business. I beg to f-ay that I am at one with the object of this meeting, and that you can depend on my support in carrying it out. (Applause.) Mr. Shanly, M.P., said : — I have nothing to add to what has been already said. The important part of the business of the meeting has been reached. I will say this in reference to what my friend, Mr. Desjardins, has said about certain members between here and Kingston. I am neither a Montreal merchant nor a shipper. I am here as a representative of an Ontario con- stituency, and I believe that my constituents in Ontario are largely interested in the improvement of the port of Montreal. I repeat what Mr. Desjardins has said, that I am entirely one with the object of this meeting, and I will help your efforts in any way I can, either in Parliament or out of it. (Applause.) Capt. Labelle, M.P., said : — I agree with what has been stated at this meeting. As one of the members i"epresenting a con- stituency below Montreal, I will be in the lobby of the House to meet you gentlemen and to vote in favor of exempting Montreal from the Harbor debt and improving the Harbor of Montreal. The Chairman : — Any other practical suggestions are in order now before we bring the meeting to a close. depond- , but wo they are u'go sums while wo 3 that the the same ! obtained no possi- uebec has ing now. but from who will them the jeen sug- hem with sd in mak- -)ominion. t by the mless you Bg to f-ay .t you can ) what has )ss of the 5 to what members merchant tario con- tario are Montreal. ;irely one efforts in Diause.) 3on stated ig a con- House to Montreal utreal. 3 in order 81 Mr. MuNDERLOH :— T wish to state that the city of Antwerp paid one-half of the 100,000,000 francs, required to improve its Harbor, and Ihe country of Belgium, which is a very small country, the other 60,000,000. 1 think the city of Montreal should Buroly do something.* Our position in the past reminds mo of the story of the Irishman who fired at a bird, and the recoil of the gun knocked him down. When he got up again, he saw the bird chirping on a tree, and he said to him : " Ah ! my boy, if you wore at the other end of the gun, you would not chirp that way." (Laughter.) We have been firing blank cartridges hitherto, hut I am glad to see now that wo intend to look after our rights in the proper way. Mr. Henshaw : — I think we should not forget the extension of the Harbor, which was the object of this meeting. Mr. E. A. Smith said : — Tiie object we have in view is the at- traction of tonnage to the port of Montreal. If we are relieved of the Lake St. Peter debt, and the money theieby saved is ajv propriated to Harbor improvements, without relief being extend- ed to shipping, I for one do not believe that the desired result will be attained. I think I fairly represent the views of the shipping interest generally when I say that there cannot be any very material increase in tonnage unless taxation is removed. It is essential that vessels should find Montreal a cheap port. If wo are relieved from the Lake St, Peter debt and the taxes on tonnage are not reduced thereby, we shall, I am convinced, fail in the attainment of the great object we have in view. (Applause.) Mr. Hugh McLennan : — I take it that the improvement of the Harbor and, as far as practical, the reduction of the expenses upon shipping, will be the objects of this Committee. * With a view to secure accuracy on this point, Mr. Munderloh, after the meeting, telegraphed to Antwerp, and received in reply the following cable, which materially modifies the statement made above: — " Munderloh, Montreal. From Anvers, Jan. 24, 1888. New harbor constructions cost sixty-eight million francs, whereof nine-tenths paid by Government, one-tenth by city. Steinman." ill i 32 Mr. Watt: — Tt Hhould bo put invoisoly, aw in Iho Resolution ; Hi-Ht, tho lenioval of tuxiition on Hihippin^^, and tlion the iniprovo- ment of the llui-lior. The CiiAiiiMAN again roud tlio KoHoliition, which was unani- mously adojjtod by tho mooting. On tho motion of Mr. Ooilvie, Sir Donald Smith convoyed to Mr. Drummond the cordial thanks of tho meeting for the interest ho took in tho matter and for his conduct in presiding over tho important conference. The proceedings then terminated. uimiu- APPBNDIX A. MEMORANDUM RELATING TO THE ST. LAWRENCE ROUTE SUBMITTED TO SIR HECTOR L LSNGEYIN, K.C.M.G., C.B. FEB^UA^l 1888. THE ST. LAWRENCE ROUTE. Hon. Sir Hector Langevin, K.C.M.G., C.B., Minister of Public Works, etc., Ottawa. Sir, It is no doubt within your recollection that for many years past the condition of the harbor of Montreal, and the burdens levied on the trade via the St. Lawrence Eiver have been frequently brought before the Government. In the year 1880 you yourself brought the matter to the atten- tion of the Montreal Harbor Commission and the Board of Trade in a letter requesting information, and covering all essential points, such as the cost of transport tolls on the Erie and St. Lawrence Canals ; the harbor dues in Montreal, New York, and other United States ports ; the cost of pilotage, police, etc. The Harbor Commissioners and Board of Trade furnished the desired information, appai-ently after careful enquiry, and our intention in the following memorandum, is to supplement the statements then made, and to bring down the information to the present date.* In that year (1880) the Harbor Commissioners were so confi- dent that the Government intended at once to deal with the question and assume the Channel Debt that they communi- cated the gratifying intelligence to the Board of Trade and the publicf It is much to be regretted that no steps have yet been taken to remove these burdens, and as a necessary consequence the Har- bor Commission has since been powerless to effect any improve- ment of consequence, or to do more than continue its routine work, the burdens on shipping remaining much the same as they were, or without material reduction. We desire on behalf of the railways centering in Montreal to say that seeinj^ no effort of any kind has been made to keep pace with the enormous railway development of late years, their traffic has suffered, and the managers have constantly had to ' fctee iiaifos 04-5. t Sej pace 61. w 36 deplore the absence of reasonable facilities for the conduct ot their business in this port. The shipping interests maintain that the burders in the shape of dues on ship and cargo, drive from this port much business which would otherwise come to the St. Lawrence, and the fact that these dues are very much greater than in United States ports, notably New STork, is established by the actual disbursement accounts appended hereto. The facts presented in the appendix are so startling that the mere statement of them must, we think, demonstrate the urgent need of a prompt and sufficient measure of relief Seeing that vessels have the option of coming to this or going to United States ports.it seems perfectly plain that the trade of the port, and not the ships, must bear the burden of these dues. It is quite impossible that tonnage and other dues should affect the trade otherwise than in adding to the cost of imports, and leaving a smaller net return on all grain and pioduce exported. The City of Montreal is beyond question interested, but not by any means to the extent it was under former systems of business. Formerly few articles were imported O)* exported without yield- ing some tribute to the city, now much of trade simply passes through, without being owned or controlled in Montreal at all. This being so, the bui-dens we complain of are laid, not on the trade of the city alone, but directly also on ther business of the West, and the question affects every portion of the Dominion, either importing or seeking the cheapest road to the sea-board, and a market for its produce via the St. Lawrence canals and river. Other interests are concerned, such aa the carrying business on the lakes and canals. These are not permitted to share the business with United States po-ts, and have been reduced to a very low ebb by the entire abolition of dues on the Erie Canal, so that our magnificent and costly canal system is not doing more than a fraction of the business it is capable of The question whether the construction of the ship channel from here eastward is a government duty and ought in fairness, and in accordance with the general policy in force as regards other localities, to be made a public charge, we do not desire to discuss at any length as you and the Government must be familai' with all that can be said on the question, we would however i.^- 3T adduce the example of the United States, the Federal (jovernmerit there assuming all such duties, even the channels into the wealthy port of New York being made and maintained without any charge coEnected with the work being laid as dues on the commerce of that port. "We desire, however, unanimously to record our opinion that the interest on the ship channel debt ought not fairly to be levied on the trade of this port, and that its effect has been to deprive the St. Lawrence route of a great deal of the business which might otherwise have been done over it. We believe that a truly national policy is to free the St. Law- rence route entirely, so that the enormous expenditure on canals and railways may be utilized to the utmost in the develop- ment of Canadian trade It cannot be too clearly insisted on that, of late yearH, the manner of conducting trade has materially changed. When a ship is chartered to come here with an inward cargo, the out- wild cargo is a necessity, and is promptly looked after. The very fact of her coming here ensures that both her inward and her outward cargoes are diverted fi-om some rival port in the United States, and carried to a market at figures which are in favor of the shipper of the goods. It is not the case that any reduction of dues would benefit the shipping interest exclusively; the increased tonnage attracted to the port would inevitably entail cheaper freights, and transfer the benefit to the cargo. But it is manifest that the ad- vantages of the National Policy, can only be fully attained by making our own ports cheaper (or as cheap) places to come to than any American rival. It is notorious that the capital invested in Canadian Ocean Steamship lines, has not, of recent years, yielded even interest. The full advantages of the St. Lawrence route cannot be obtained till it is put at least on a par with New York, which implies that a bushel of grain can be sent from the Great Lakes to the Ocean, absolutely free from dues or charges of any kind, other thun the cost of carriage. Briefly, we urge that the channel is a Government work. That the position of the city of Montreal towards the trade of the St. Lawrence is materially changed of recent years, the interest in that trade being not so much local as Dominion. That the competition of United States ports is every year keener ; — what 38 with free canals, competing railways, and ports dredged and lighted by the Federal Government. That our canal system is not employed, and our inland carrying trade nearly extinct, in consequence of our neglect of the advantages Nature has afforded us, and the disabilities we have imposed on what is the shortest route to the ocean. We have proved that the charges on com- merce via the St. Lawrence are much more onerous than similar charges in United States pojts. The first step, in remedial measures, we conceive to be the immediate assumption of the cost of the ship channel by the Dominion Government, and that the total sum levied as interest on that expenditure, should be re-appropriated for the extension and improvement of the harbour. In our opinion, the St. Lawrence Canals should ultimately be enlarged to the capacity of the Welland, so as to permif of the passage of lake craft with unbroken cargoes from all points in the West to meet the ocean carrier. That the whole route from the Lakes to the Ocean should be, at the earliest possible date, freed from dues or tolls of any kind we firmly believe to be a wise and enlightened policy and in the interest of the whole Dominion. We have the honour to be. Sir, Your obedient servants, (Signed,") Geo. A. Drummond, Chairman. J. J. C. Abbott, Mayor, J. GutNiER, Chairman Finance Committee, Representing the City. W. C. Van Horne, Vice President C. P. E. Joseph Hickson, General Manager G. T. E. Representing the Railways. Andrew Allan, Allan Line, Alexander Murray, Beaver Line, Representing the Shipping Interest. W. W. OaiLviE, Exporter, C. P. Hebert, Importer, Representing the Board of Trade. Jos. M. Dupresne, President, La Chambre de Commerce, Montreal, February 25th, 1888, 39 GENERAL SUMMARY. A Comparative Statement of the wharfage charges in the Porta of Montreal and New York respectively: — Regular Lines. In Montreal— Ptr Annum. Allan Line, for six months, $86,586 (See p. 43) . . $173,172.00 In New York — Cunard Line (one pier) 22,500.00 Anchor Line (two piers) 21,000.00 White Star Line (two piers— one of which they sublet) 45,500.00 Inman Line (unknown) .... (private arrangement with the Penn. RR.) An Occasional Liner. In Montreal— Per Voyage. The Canada Shipping Co.'s SS. LAKii Superior, Sept. 29, Oct. 6th, 1887; total charge in Montreal on ship and cargo, the Harbor Board providing wharf room only (See p. 46). $ 1010.99 In New York — Same vessel, New York, Jan. 21st to 28th, 1888 ; total charge on ship and cargo for use of wharf, with shed, closed and lighted 240.00 Excess iri Montreal on one voyage., $ 770.99 The charge in Montreal is four times as great as in New York. A Transient Steamer- In Montreal — The SS. Katie, at Montreal, with a cargo of sugar inwards, and outwards on ballast, paid to Harbor Board (See p. 52) $ In New York — The charge for the same cargo and accommoda- tion would have been — say five days at $13.58 939.66 67.90 Excess in Montreal $ 871.76 In the foregoing no account is taken of the other Port Charges complained of by Messrs Anderson, McKenzie & Co., this enquiry having been limited to wharfage charges alone. J 40 List op Documents Accompanyinq this Communication. 1. An official map of the piers and docks of the Harbor of New York. 2. The annual report of the Department of Docks for ISSB-ST City of New York. ' 3. Rules and regulations and rates of wharfage, Department of Docks, City of New York, 1888. 4 Annual report of the Harbor Commissionere of Montreal lor 1880. 5. Board of Trade report on " Harbor Dues and Transit Charges at Montreal and Atlantic Ports," 1880. 6. Communications from the various Montreal steamship agents with respect to the Montreal harbor charges on merchan dise and tonnage. (Page 41.) noLVrr^f '/t*'"""^* ^^ *^" ^^*^^^g« «^«rges in the ports of Montreal and New York. (Page 39.) APPENDIX B. The following communications have been sent in by the Steamship Agents in Montreal. Allan Line op Royal Mail Steamships, Montreal, February 10, 1888. George A. Drummond, Esq., Clmirman of Conference, etc., etc. Dear Sir, i " Replying to your request that we should furnish " the exact amount of wharfage tolls levied at this port on our ships and their cargoes during the past season of navigation," together with a statement of the equivalent charges in the port of New York, we beg to say that we can furnish a closely approxi- mate estimate of these Montreal tolU, together with the other charges applicable to our wharf accommodation, wrhich will pro- bably be sufficient for your purpose. In regard to wharfage charges and pier rents in New York, we will see that the information you seek is forthcoming. Mean- while, observe that navigation there lasts the year rouad, and ordinary steamers make twelve or thirteen trips in the year of fifty-two weeks ; whereas to this port six voyages is the maximum, ill 42 and five rather more than the avcrago number possible during the St. Lawrence season. The aggregate amount of wharfage, tolls, etc., collected from our ships and their cargoes in Montreal, must, therefore, be at least doubled when making a comparison with similar annual charges in the port of New York. In some Atlantic ports, notably New York, wharfage is levied only on the ship, the cargoes going free. In others, wharf- age is charged only on the cargoes(or on certain portions thereof), the ship going free. But hero these tolls are imposed on both ship and cargo, and on bunker-coals, barges, etc., as well. The wharfage chai'ges on the tonnage of the ship we can give exactly. On the 72 voyages of the over-sea steamers of the Allan Line during the navigation season of ISSt, the aggregate of these tolls paid at the Cnstom House (on 172,637 tons net register) was $12,345.69. To reach the aggregate wharfage on cargoes, we have taken an average voyage of one London, one Liverpool, and one Glasgow steamer, the details of which you will find on the accompanying sheets, and the average of the three voyages is — For the inward (imported) cargoes. For the outward (exporteil) do $435.22 per voyage. 380.63 do do The dismantling in the autumn, warehousing during winter, and re-erection in spring of our wharf sheds costs us $8500, without reference to interest, tear and wear, or insurance ; and the insufiiciency of this shed accommodation involves us in a further annual expense of $1000 for tarpaulins which we have not included here. We also own four iron barges (measuring 1077 tons) for use as supplementary wharf room. These cost about $4000 to main- tain in commission for the season, and a further sum of $3000 represents interest on capital and depreciation, making an annual outlay, with respect to this item, about $7000. "Wharf dues are payable on the property handled upon the barges whether the wharves are used or not used. Also on the craft themselves, on which we formerly paid so much as $230 per 43 barge per annum, but the Board has lately reduced the rate to $75 each, or $300 per annum for the four. We are also subject to an annual charge of about $225 for the space occupied by our wharf huts. Our ships do not coal in Montreal. Wharf-room here has always been scarce and wharfage dues high. For these and other reasons, we long ago found it necessary to acquire exten- sion wharf property in Quebec, where we warehouse our stock of coals, but we have not estimated the expense of this, nor of our wintering establishment at Sorel, in the following statement of expenditure. The case, therefore, stands thus : — Wharfage dues on steamers $12,345.69 Do do on their cargoes, namely : — 72 voyages inwards @ $435. 22 31,335.84 72 do outwards @ $380.63 27,405.36 Add — Sheds, annual expense without rent $8500.00 Barges, annual cost of 7000.00 15,500.00 Total for a season of six months $86,586 . 89 The wharfage taxation of the St Lawrence route, in so far as it is borne by the traffic carried by the steamers of the Allan Line trading with this port, is therefore represented by a sum exceed- ing one hundred and seventy thousand dollars a year. At intervals throughout every seazon, and more particularly during some weeks in autumn, the limited wharf accommodation allotted to our steamships is taxed to the utmost of its capacity, and our work is done at very considerable extra cost to ourselves and inconvenience to our customers and the public. We do not, however, complain of this inconvenience nor calculate its cost to us at the present time. Much of it would be removed by reme- dial measures, especially by a more prompt handling of their goods by the consignees. In our opinion, the one measure of relief, presently essential, is the abatement of this excessive taxation. We are, Yours truly, H. & A Allan. 44 A JHEKIORAIVDIJIII of the Montreal wharfage charges levied by the Harbor Board on the cargoes of three steamships of the Allan Line during the season of navigation, 1887 :— POMERANIAN, London, September voyage. iNWARnS. Measur't 859 tons ® 25c $214 . 75 Weight 342 " @ 20c. 68.40 1140 " @ 25c 285.00 $568.15 Outwards- Weight 1289 tons ® 7Jc $96.67 799 " @ 15fi 119.85 557 " @ 25c 139.26 Ideals 27.95 Cattle 24.52 403.24 CARTHAGINIAN, Glasgow, October voyage. Inwards. Measur't 58 tons @ 25c $ 14.50 65 " @15c 9.75 Weight 412 " @25c 103.00 859 " @7^c 64.42 448 " @20c 89.60 m " @10c 1.25 10 " @15c 1.50 284.02 Outwards. Weight 1441 tons @ 7ic $ 108.08 794 " @l5c 119.10 507 " @25c 126.75 Measur't 23 " @ 25c 5.75 ^eals 12.88 Cattle 30.45 403.01 SARDINIAN, Liverpool, October voyage. Inwards. Measur't 379 tons © 25c $ 94.75 ,„ . ^, 84 " @20c 16.90 Weight 1229 « @25c 307.25 106 " @20c 21.20 134 « @iOc 13.40 453.50 46 Outwards. Weight 1165 tons @ 7Jc $ 87-38 358 " @15c 53.70 670 " @25c..-. 142.50 Measur't 106 " @ 25c 26.50 Deals 20.55 330.63 Total $ 2447.55 Inwards :— Average, $435 . 22 ; total $1305 .67 Outwards :— Average, $380 . 63 ; total 1141 . 88 2447.55 The WharfaKes on our SS. Parisian tire usually much greater than the foregoing. The following is the num paid to the Harbor Commissionners on one voyage last season. Our other outlay for sheds, bai'ges, light, etc., etc., will amount to about $250 more. Inwards. Weight 2221 tons ® 25c $555.25 Measur't 581 " @ 25c 145.25 Do. 47 " @15c 7.05 $707.55 Outwards. Weight 1482 tons @ 25c $358.00 Do 10 " @20c 2.00 Do 270 " @15c 40.50 Do 988 " @7Jc 74.10 I/eals 3.95 Cattle 115 479.70 Ship: — Ten days in port 344.50 Total for one voyage ■ — $1531 . 75 And for a year of 52 voyages of such vessel, equal to. • .. $70,651.00 NoTH.— The wharfage ton is 2000 lbs. weight, and 40 cubic feet of measurement. 46 Canada Shippino Company. Beaver Line of Steamships, No. 1 Custom He ise Square, Montreal, Feb'y 10, 1888. To George A. Drummond, Esq., President of the Conference, etc., etc. Dear Sir, In answer to your request I have to say that the steamers of tho Beaver Line having for some years been trading between Liverpool and New York during the winter months, I am able to furnish accurate and detailed information regard- ing the harbor charges of the two ports — Montreal and New York. In Montreal Harbour the charges aie three-fold : — 1. There is a charge of one. cent per ton per day, exacted during the whole time the steamer remains within tho Harbor limits, whether occupying a berth, or waiting until a suitable berth becomes vacant. 2. There is a charge per head of livestock and per ton of cargo imported, whether discharged on to the wharf or transferred to craft alongside. 3. There is a charge on all exnort cargo and live stock loaded on the vessel, whether the wharves be used or not used. And in addition to these direct charges we. in common with the other regular lines, have to erect and maintain our own sheds. I have summed up this taxation on one voyage of our SS.Lake Superior last season as follows: — The vessel arrived 29th September, departed 6th October, 7 days in Harbor, 2960 tons @ Ic. per day $207. 20 On the cargo inwards — The wharfage dues were 649.30 On the cargo outwards— The wharfage dues were 254.49 Total Harbour tax for one voyage on ship and cargo. . .$1010.99 ■'■"^smmmmammammmmmL 47 In Now York thore aro threo options opon to a steamship agent : — Ist — His ship may havo tlu; use of one of tiio public piers, allotted by the Dock Muster, the daily chur<^'e for which is tixod by statiito at " two cents per ton for each of the tlrst 200 tons bui'den, and one-half of one cent per ton for every additional ton." Wo have not used these berths ; thoy are without sheds and similui- to the open public wharves in Montreal. See pamphlet — " Dock Ilegulations " — herewith ; Or, 2nd- The exclusive continuous use of a pier, with sheds, storehouses and other structures, may be leased at an annual rental either for a single year or for a term of years. This is the arrangement under which many of the regular ocean lines hold their pier.s. The rents vary from $8,000 to $15,000 for the smaller piers, up to from $20,000 to $30,000 for the large new piers in choice positions for the city tratiic ; Or, 3rd— A pier or berth may be hired by the day for the ship's exclusive use during her stay in port. This is the arrangement we have heretofore made, and ( >i'this service we have paid sums varying from $40 to $50 per di' u while the ship occupied the berth. In New York there is no wharfage charge on cargo, livestock, or passengers ; the foregoing payment, made by the vessel, covers and includes everything. Our ships now use a pier on the East Eiver, near Wall street ; it is covered by a substantial shed, protected by gates and doors, and lighted for us at night. While in occupation we have the exclusive use of the entire pier, one side being used to berth the ship, the other side being available to load and uidoad her lighters or for other purposes. Our Lake Superior arrived there 21st January, and sailed thence 28th January, and the entire wharfage charge on ship and cargo, inwards and outwards, was : — Six days wharfage at $49 per day $240.00. 48 The general result, therefore, is as follows : — Wharfage on one voyage of ship and cargo in Montreal. $1010. 99 Add an allowance for the use of shed and cost of Gas- light 150.00 Total in Montreal $ 1,160.99 Do. in New-York 240.00 Difference against Montreal for one voyage . . $ 920 . 99 And for one year's business of 52 weekly voyages. $47,891.48 In New York the Federal authorities have provided elaborate and costly arrungements to receive foreign passengers from ocean steamers, and to transfer them to inland carriers, without delay or expense to the Ship.* No such facilities are provided in the harboui' of Montreal. Any further information you may require of us we will cheer- fully furnish. Tours truly, H, E. IVTURRAT, General Manager. 1EXTR4CTS FROM the pamphlet sent in by Mr. Murray, entitled : — City of New York : Board of the Department of Docks : Eules and Eegulations and Kates of Wharfage. 1888. § 798. It shall be lawful to chai'go and receive within the city of New York, wharfage and dockage at the following rates, namely : From every vessel, that uses or makes fast to any pier, wharf or bulkhe .a within the said city, or makes fast to any vessel lying at such pier, wharf or bulkhead, or to any vessel lying outside such vessel for every day or part of a day, except as hereinafter provided, as follows : From every vessel of two * Unless the United States customs duty (of six cents per ton per voyage, not exceeding thirty cents in any one year) levied on all foreign shipping entering any sea-port, be deemed an equivalent. 49 hundred tons burden and under, two cents per ton; and for every vessel over two hundred tons burden, two cents per ton for each of the first two hundred tons, and one-half of one cent per ton foi' every additional ton ; and every vessel that shall leave a pier, wharf, bulkhead, slip or basin without first paying the wharfage or (lockage dues thereon, shall be liable to pay double the rates due by this section. § 801. It shall be lawful for the owners or lessees of any pier, wharf or bulkhead whithin the City of Now York, to charge and collect the sum of five cents per ton on all goods, merchandise and materials remaining on the pier, wharf or bulkhead owned or leased by him, for every day after the expiration of twenty- four hours from the time such goods, merchandise and materials shall have been left or deposited on such pier, wharf or bulkhead, and the same shall be a lien thereon.* § 802. " It shall be the duty of every person owning or having " charge of any pier, wharf, bulkhead or slip in the City of N"ew " York, to cause to be printed on the back of all bills presented " by them for wharfage, section seven hundred and ninety-eight " of this act,"t and the owner, consignee or person in charge of any vessel shall not be required to pay the wharfage or dockage due on such vessel, unless upon his demand, the bill pi-inted in conformity with this section is presented to him. Any person owning or having charge of any pier, wharf, bulkhead or slip as aforesaid, who shall receive for wharfage any rates in excess of those now authorized by law, shall forfeit to the party aggrieved treble the amount so charged, as damages, to be sued for and recovered by the party aggrieved. * Twenty-four hours is also the time allowed l)y the by-laws of the Harbour Board of Montreal, t So printed in the book of Regulations. 2 50 Letter prom Messrs. Anderson, McKenzie & Co., Agents OP THE Furness Line, and op Transient Steamships. Geo. a. Drummond, Esq. Dear Sir, Montreal, February 13tli, 1888. Board of Trade. You have asked us to inform you how those transient steamships, known as " tramps," are accommodated in Montreal when compared with other places, and in reply we have to give it as our opinion, that the facilities here are the poorest, and, as to cost, by far the dearest, of any port on this continent. Transient tonnage of this character is very useful to a shipping community. The vessels can commonly shift ports on thoir water- ballast. When here, they are ready to carry a cargo for a Cana- dian exporter to any destination ; and when abroad, they are ready to go to any port where a Canadian merchant may own a cargo, and bring it to Montreal. In Boston and I^ew York covered piers or wharf storehouses, into which cargo can be discharged, are freely open to transient vessels, but nothing of the sort is furnished here. Such ships have therefore to find wharf-dunnage, hire tarpaulins, and protect the property as best they can. But it is in respect of its charges that chis port transcends all others, in proof of which we give you details of the disbursements of the SS. Katie during some voyages last season. This vessel came to Montreal in the end of May in ballast seek- ing a cargo ; she made two midsummer voyages carrying cargo both ways ; and late in autumn she bi-ought to Montreal a cargo of sugar and other merchandise, but, the season being about to close, had to leave hurriedly in ballast without cargo. In the latter case, the inward cargo being perishable and the weather inclement, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, for the work to have been got through had not the Messrs. Allans placed their shedw at our dispoi^ d for the protection of the sugar while in transit. For purposes of comparison we have assumed the expoi t cargo and the import cargo of the first and last voyages to be equal to 51 one round trip, inasmuoh as the ship's earnings from ballast were nil ; and we submit the following figures, which show the exac- tions of the Harbor Commissioners for wharf charges alone : — Wharfage on the Import of sugar and other cargo $ 860-88 Do. on the Ship, 2116 tons, say 5 days, at Ic. . . 105 . 80 Do. on the Export cargo of prod uce 229 . 29 Total $1195.97 Being an average of $239.20 for each of the five days. In New York, an open berth, such as the Harbor Master has to offer us here, would have cost $13,58 per day ; and a berth at a pier provided with ample shed or warehouse accommodation $30 or $35, or at most $40, per day, for a vessel of this tonnage and class. Were it not for the better rates of freight generally obtainable here, and for the cheaper cost of laboi and provisioning in Can- ada, these wharf charges woald of themselves suffice to drive vessels from the St. Lawrence. We append a detail of the Montreal port-charges, governmental and otherwise, that you may see how excessive they are. Our Pilotage dues are higher than in New York, Boston or Port- land. Hospital and Police dues we liave never heard of else- where in America. If we have to woi-k at night, or if merchants are slow to bring in theii* permits or to take away their goods, the Government exacts from us payments for so-called " extra services " of Custom House officers. The Port Warden fees, which in other ports are optional and for services rendered, are here a legal tax on ships and expoi-t cai-go. The Harbor currents are so strong and bei-thing so difficult, that tugs and boats have to be employed to assist in bringing the ship to her wharf. And when the cargo is taken from oi* brought to the ship by lighters, the same dues are exacted on the goods, and also on the lighters, as if wharves had been used in the usual way. Altogether, we think it will be difficult to find a port in America where the charges are so excessive and the facilities so indifferent as in the Port of Montreal. We are. Your obedient servants, Andekson, McKenzie & Co. N 52 A MEMORAUfDUM of certain Port Charges levied on throe voyages of the 88. Katie (2116 tons) in and out of Montreal during the season of 1887 : — No. I being inwards on ballast and outwards with full cargo , No. 2 inwards with full cai'go and outwards on ballast ; and No. 3 inwards with partial cargo and outwards with full cargo. Time in port on the three voyages, seventeen days in all, Sundays included. Governmental CnARGEs. 1. Pilotage and Trinity dues§ extra at Father Point on this voyage- 2. Hospital and Police dues* § 3. Wharfage on ship and cargo? Tarpaulin hire 4. Port Warden duesf .... 5. Custom House OflicersJ . Other Charges. 6. Shipping Master 7. Harbour Tugs, etc No. 1. 221.90 105.80 3S3.09 8.25 1.50 2:^.00 $695.54 No. 2. 266.16 39.00 939.66 4.25 35.00 2.00 22.00 $1308.07 No. 3. 244.04 105.80 895.22 65.85 11.25 42.00 2.50 22.00 $1388.66 * Payable on tho first, second and third voyages made by a steamship during the calender yoar ; subsequent voyages being free, t Compulsory on export cargo; for services rendered on import cargo. J Compulsory for services " after hours." ? Con.pulsory always. Unmarked. Optional but necessary. 53 Allan Line of Royal Mail Steamships. Montreal, February 13, 1888. George A. Drummond, Esq., Chairman of Conjerence, etc. etc. Dear Sir, You have asked us for a detailed statement of the wharfage- tolls levied on European steamships and their cargoes at the various seaports of the Atlantic coast which are in competition with the St. Lawrence route. As regards the railway porta — Boston, Philadelphia and Bal- timore, and to which Portland may now be joined— the statement made by the Chairman of the Harbor Board in his Report for 1880, at page 28, that "Steamers are free at railway wharves" ^".8 become the universal rule. In all four ports there is now no wharfage-toll levied either on the ship or on her through cargo, and, in so far as these ports are in competition with the St. Law- rence, they are absolutely free ports. The same is true also of Halifax, whei o the Dominion Grovernment has provided extensive wharf accommodation, which is freely offered to all sea-going shipping, free of charge.-^ In New York, with its great water feeder the Erie Canal,t its four trunk lines of railway, and its vast trade— local, domestic and foreign — the conditions are somewhat more complicated, and to elucidate these we transmit a ma]) of the entire harbor, with the wharves and piers shown on a scale large enough to be distinct. On the west side of the North River all the water-front is owned in fee-simple by Ferry, Railway and Steamship compan- ies. The North German Lloyd and the Hamburg lines own their extensive wharves at Hoboken, where the Thingvallia, the White * We understand that the Government collects some trifling wharfage dues on such Halifax merchandise as may pass over this wharf, probably for the protection of the owners of the private w hurves in that city. t Last season the Erie Canal deliverBd in New York 46,000,000 bushels heavy grain, while the Canal deliveries in Montreal were but 8,000,000 bushels. 54 Cross, and the Wilson lines are also berthed ; while the Inman, the Eed Star, and some other lines have accommodation a short distance to the south, at the piers of the Pennsylvania Eailway in Jersey City. On the Brooklyn tide of the East River the wat3r-front is also owned in fee-simple by Berry, Steamship, Eailway, Warehouse, and Dock companies. The East Indian, South American, West Indian and Mediterranean trades centre here, and the v harf and warehouses owners compete with each other, and with the pier lessees of New York, for steamship custom. In the city proper the wharves are for the most part civic property, and are either: — (A) leased for a term of years not exceeding ten ; three-fourths or more of the whole area it thus disposed of, yielding an annual rental of $1,024,696 :— or (B) rented from year to year ; these rents amount to $8'7,530 : — or (C) left open for the use of transient tonnage ; the wharfage dues from these amount to |14'7,810. The accompanying Annual Report of the Department of Docks for 1886-87, gives details of all the rented piers, with the name of the lessee, the conditions of the lease, and the annual rental. Some extracts from this Eeport ave given below (see page 56). The enormus local traffic of the city in passengers and goods, coupled with the competition among the Eailway and Ferry companies has given an extreme value to certain convenient water frontages, and the regular lines of Pluropean steamships have suffered somewhat in consequence. We have not ourselves had as much experience of New York as ( tf the other ports named above, but we are aware that the railway companies compete with private whai-f owners and with each other for the patronage of Steamships, even to the extent of offering free wharfage. One of our vessels, the SS. Corean, was there in March, 1887. She was berthed by her consignees at Prentice's Stores, pier No. 1, Brooklyn, at a charge of $50 per day, equal to $350 for seven days ; while the wharfage dues, if in Montreal, would have amounted to $1256.23, as by the following details : 65 Inwards : — Measur't — 486 tons. @ 250 $121 .50 Weight —1222 " @ 25c 305 .50 Do. — 421 " @20c 84.20 $511.20 Outwards : — Weight —1882 tons. @ 2oc $470.50 Da —689 " @ 15c 103.35 Do. _ 16 " ® 7iG 1.20 Measur't - 119} M @ 10c 11.92 586.97 Ship : — 2258 tons., 7 days @ Ic ^^^-0^ Total for the voyage $1256.23 In the month of February, our SS. ^estorian, was also in and out of New York, with a partial cargo inwards ard a full cargo outwards. The wharfage charges on this voyage at the Montreal tariff rates would have been as follows : — On the inward cargo $377.55 On the outward cargo 499.96 On the ship — 1748 tons, 7 days $122.36 Bunker-Coal 500 tons 41.80 ' 164. 16 Total for the voyage $1041.67 Generally we may say that our experience agrees with Mr. Murray's statement to the effect that commodious and convenient wharf room for steamships of large si/e can be procured at covered piers and at warehouse piers for $40 up to $50 per diem. We need scarcely add that in New York, daily wharfage on steamships is chargeable only for the time the vessel remains in occupation ; while au anchor awaiting a berth she is free. Or that the one payment made by the vessel includes cargo as well as ship ; indeed there is a statute, quoted below (see p. 49, § 802), which forbids a wharfinger from exacting dues on goods unless his wharf has been used as a warehouse. We remain, Yours faithfully, H. & A. Allan. 56 NEW YOEK PIEE RENTS. Annual rentals of certain piers in the City of New York, taken from Annual Report of the Department of Docks for 1886-87. NORTH RIVER. The Anchoi! Link — Pier 20 and bulkhead $ 9,000 Pier 21 and bulkhead 12,000 The Morgan Line — Pier 36 15^000 The National Line — Pier38 30,000 The Guion Line — Pier 39 30,000 The Cunard Line — Pier 40 (with $7500 add. for a water privilege; . . 22,500 The French Line — Pier 42 30,250 The White Star Line — Pier 44 i Pier 45 jandbulkheads 45,500 (Sublets one pier to other lines.) Mediterranean Lines— Pier54 20,000 PiM Bros. Lines — PierSS .' 20,000 The Arrow and Bristol Lines — Pier 56 25.000 EAST RIVER. RAILWAY Companies — 5!er4 5, 6 29,000 PierS 8,000 The Mallory Line — Piers 20 et 21 17 000 The Clyde Line, etc — Pier 25 And half the bulkhead 8000 Piers 38 et 40 20 000 NEW JERSEY. The North German Lloyd — The Hamburg Line, and The Wilson Line — Are at Hoboken, on the west side of the East River. IHE iNMAN Line — The Red Star Line — And otiier lines are at the Pennsylvania RR. wharves at Jersey City. Note.— The piers are generally aVout 600 feet long and afford ample accommodation for two large steamships, one on each side of the pier. The wharf sheds are the property of the leasees. Dominion Steamship Company, Montreal, Februaiy 24th, 1888. Geo. a. Drummond, Esq., Chairman of Conference, etc. Dear Sir: In response to your enquiry, we are now in a position to fur- nish a recent illustration of the relatively light wharfage taxation levied in the port of New York, as compared with similar charges in the port of Montreal. The SS. Quebec, of our Bi-istol Line, arrived at New York on the 6th January last, and cleared fully laden only oi\ the 16th January. She was thus delayed ten days in port, and the entire wharfage charges and Port- Warden's fees were as follows : 1 day at Pier 44.. North River, at |25 $ 25 00 9 «< " * " " "$40 360 00 Port-Warden's Fees il_00 Total in New York • $-^96^ The same vessel was here last June, and cleared for Avonmouth Dock, and we give you her wharfage charges at this port. Inward Cargo : — .. ,„„ ^. Weight, 1630 tons at 25c $407 50 415 " " 20c 83 00 Measurement, 18 " "25c - * ^^ e-. nrnr^ Outward Cargo : — . ^„ „. Weight, 1248 tons at 7^0 $ 93 60 4 " " 15c 60 34 " " 20c 6 80 772 " "25c 193 00 Measurement, 16 " "25c 4 00 Deals 990 Livestock ^^^' g^g 72 Ship:— i?-:? in Ten days m port no iv Port Warden's Fees:— „ OnShip ^ ' -^ OnCargo _J1^ 61 08 Total in Montreal $1058 JjO ^This is one of the piers mentioned as under leafle to the White Star I^ine Ivido pnge 56.) 'W 68 It will thus be seen that while the charges at New York were only $896.00 ; for the 8ame steamer and in port for the same time at Montreal they amounted to $1058.00 — almoHt three times greater, — a most convincing proof that the citizens of Montreal are not moving a moment too sor n in the direction of insit-ting upon F^edoral authorities assuming the Lake St. Peter debt, and of making their port free. We are, etc., David Torrance & Co. General Apenta for Hansa Steamship Company and White Cross Line. (Imperial German Consulate) Montreal, 29th February, 1888. Geo. a. Drummond, Esq., Chairman of Conference, etc., Dear Sir : In compliance with your request, we now beg to hand you enclosed memorandum showing the wharfage charges and ton- nage dues which were levied here by the Harbour Board on two of our steamers; — vi;4., on SS. Grasbrook, of the White Cross Line, and SS. Kehrwieder, of the Hansa Steamship Company, arriving hei-e in May and July last respectively. You will observe that the amount of those wharf charges on the (iRASBROOK is $942.12, and on the Kehrwieder $1102.92. This does not include Port- Warden fees, nor expenses for t^hed accommodation, nor tug charges, which together amount to at least $200 for each steamer at this port. We are not in a position to give you our experience in regard to United States ports, as all goods intended for Canada carried by our steamers are invariably landed at a Canadian port, and all homo cargoes during the present winter season have also been shipped from Canada. Still we are aware that, in consequence of their much lower charges. United States ports handle a very large portion of ocean traffic, which would be diverted to Montreal if the port charges were as moderate here, —always provided that 59 our harbour facilitieH are Huch as to enable us to handle sucli additional traffic with the nocoHsaiy despatch. Eeduction of charges and harbour improvements should go hand in hand, — both are essential. Yours respectfully. MlJNDEftLOll & Co., HAN8A LINE, SS. KEHRWIEDER, JULY, 1887. Inwards : — Weight, 1007 tone at 25c $251 75 420 " " 10c 42 00 Measurem't, 1620 " "25c 405 00 122 •• " 15c 18 30 $717 Outwards : — Weight, 2243 tons at 7Jc $168 22 17 " "10c 1 70 44 " " 15o 6 60 4 " " 20c 80 Measurement, 14 " "25c 3 50 Feed, 26 " 6 5C Hay, 39 •' 7 80 Cattle, 235headat5c 1175 Sheep,l421 " " Ic 14 21 ^ 224 08 Ship : — Nine days in port 164 79 Total $1 102 92 WHITE CROSS LINE SS. GRASBROOK, MAY, 1887. Inwards : — Weight, 1896 tons at 25c $474 00 Measurem't, 734 « "25c 183 50 110 " " 15c 16 50 $674 00 Outwards : — Weight, 22 tons at 10c $ 2 20 15 " " 20c 3 00 1744 " " 7^c 130 80 35 " " 20c 7 00 20 " "22c 5 00 Measurement, 3 " "25c 75 Live Stock, 349 head at 5c 17 45 Smp : — „„ Nine days in port 101 ^^ Total i9ill? 60 AORNOY OP THB Donaldson Link ok Steamships to (Ii.asoow, 'I'kmpkulky Htkamshm' FiiNicTO London. TllOMHON StKAMSIIIT LiNK TO LoNDON AND NKWOASTLK. 23 and 25, St. Saciamont Street, Montreal, February 24th, 1888. George A. Drijmmond, Kaq. Chairman of Conference, etc., etc. Dear Sib, Having taken communication of the letters addressed you by Mos.srH. n. & A. Allan and Mr. H. E. Murray, with figures relating to the charges of this port on shipping, as compared with those of Jtoston, New York and Baltimore, wo beg to say, that Huoh information as wc possess fully establishes the very serious relative disadvantage under which the trade of this port labours as compared with others,— a fact which British ship- owners are becoming increasingly alive to, as evidenced by their refusal to accept chsirters for Montreal, except at an appreciable advance over rates current to other much less expensive ports. Yours respectfully, ROBT. REt'ORD & Co. HI APPKNDIX C. Tbe statement relatiiiK to the Harbour Oominissioners made on page 35 has reference to the following correspondence : — Office of the Board of Tkade, Montreal, April 29, 1880. Andrew Eobertson, Esq., Chairman Harbour Board, Montreal. Sir: By direction of the President and Council of this Board I have the honour to hand you herewith a copy of a resolution passed at the public meeting of the Board held yesterday, and to request, on behalf of the Council, that you will, at the earliest possible moment, summon a meeting of the Commissioners to decide as to what extent they are prepared to go in recommend- ing to the Government relief to the shipping interests of this port. The Council, while refraining from offering any suggestions after the universal expression of public opinion on the subject in question has so freely been given, would earnestly request an intimation of the course your Board intends to pursue, it being of the greatest importance that whatever action may be taken should be made known to the Trade at once. I am, etc., etc., Wm. J. Patterson, Secretary. Resolved, that the Council of the Board of Trade be instructed to continue its efforts for securing the reduction, if not abolition, of 62 tonnage dues in the harbour of Monti*eal, and for the assumption by (xovernment of the whole charge connected with the ship- channel improvements between Montreal and Quebec, — and that the co-operation of the Senators and Representatives in Parlia- ment, the [[arbour Commissioners, the Corn Exchange and the Corporation of Montreal be specially asked for; and further, that memorials on the question be pi-epared, retui'ns forwarded, and such other steps taken as well tend to secure prompt and effective action towards accomplishing the objects in view. The reply of the Harbour Commissioners was as follows: — ilARBouR Commissioners of Montreal, Secretary's Office, Montreal, May 6, 1880. Sir: [ am instructed by the Harbour Commissioners of Montreal to state in reply to your letter of the 29th ultimo, addressed to the Chairman, that the subject-matter of the resolution, of which a copy wuH enclosed, has been under the consideration of the Com- missioners for a considerable time with the view of attaining pre- cisely the same objects as those which are therein contemplated. Since the commencement of the Session thf Board have had rep(?uted interviews with the Government on the subject, and they are noiv assured by the Honourable the Minister of Public Works that the Government will be prepared to submit to Parliament at its next session a scheme for the relief of the Trade by the St. Lawrence route, which Will include the removal of the Lake and River debt now resting on the Harbour Trust. * * * * * * * The Commissioners congi-atulate themselves on the results thus obtained, and when the proposed measure is carried into effect they will be enabled to reduce the Tonnage and Harbour dues accordingly. I am, etc., etc.. Wm. J. Patterson, hlsQ., Board of Trade, Montreal. H. D. Whitney, Secretary. 63 In May of las* year a delegation of citizens of Montreal, in- cluding representatives of various public bodies, viz., the Mont- real City Corporation, the Montreal Board of Trade, the Harbour Commissioners of Montreal, the Shipping Interest, and the Citi- zens' Committee vaited on the Honorable the Minister of Public Works, to make representations respecting flood prevention and reduced transit taxes, from whose proceedings, the following paragraphs are extracted : — 13. That the ship channel from Montreal through Lake St. Peter is essentially a Dominion work, as much so as the St. Law- rence canals, benefiting not Montreal alone, but affecting the cost of all movements of goods from Ontario and westward to and from the ocean. 14. That in view of the settled policy of the Dominion and Provincial legislatures to aid, with grants of money, commeicial companies which build and operate railways, there is no reason why monies advanced to construct this canal under water should b*^ a burden on the trade passing through it. 15. That the benefit of the remission of interest prayed foi- should be adjusted in lessening the dues now exacted on ships and goods passing throtigh the ship channel, and should in no sense be considered a concession to Montreal. 16. That the accommodation in the harbour of Montreal is now insufficient for the trade, but the fact that the dues now levied are admittedly heavier than the competing ports, such as New York, has stopped improvement, prevented all extension and adversely affected the entire trade of the St. Lawrence route. Vi. That this subject has been brought again and again before the Government in recent years, and the justice of the claim that it should assume the channel debt admitted, but for one reason or another, no action had been taken, and it was strongly urged that the promises so often made should now be redeemed and a Government measure dealing with it introduced in the present session of Parliament. In replying, the Minister (Hon. Sir Hector Langovin), pro- mised careful consideration, and expressed a hope that the Gov- ernment would not be long in taking up the matter and dealing with it. Ob > 1- ® ^ f— 1 CD -tj d CO o n CD C3 O O . Si a ? a •s ® o -^ o 05 O o c ^ -^ OS +^ o S o 5CPR O EH z H » E-i t o 00 GO O C3 03 >; o tA O H 1^ o s o o t, eSTS Ota o ij IM a .2 «* ^ .5 fcjii *8pooJ( uoaJtajJuifM ojs a o u «T3 •s •SpOOS UO »S«|J«l[ili OJ£ O OT •2 " ^ be b[ fc.i tao -, sj S '^ y, o S a o 13 O ■90JJ 'SJO^BAOja 11! pOpitOJ lllUJlt) •0(1 Si 01 Odes JO "HmooEip 01 loafqns sa^iu asssqx •■jqSioM uo^ jad -oof '-oy 'uoaj ■"^HSioM uo; J9d -008 jo ^ooj oiqno Jad 'of .tug — 'esipttuqo -aani ptjouo^ joj sajnj juuitno^ > C £ • -s S' CM '5-*' = 13 o ID a c 5 bo • •■a5 o M ♦. ^o£ . .£ « C OTS >- C X ^1 'S o. caca e.o.a'^ft <=> P. iri ^ ;h oj oiQC«5>QcoiOi— ic-Hcoo i-H i-l (M T4 (^^ !-l r-l .s IS ■ Sj3 P5gg o S O s-&^1^-l P3 •Cft^w 6 « 73 -a .2 u o > •a A) o 60 I I -a 13 M U _^ "a 13 t« -a a> > o o 0) u It-I •FH o • £ o "tS -4-) -3 fl m n © ■4-> >1 'i 1^ a Cm o ■3 e a .2 1 V be Ed a> O o t^ s * Wi M H 65 THE MONTEEAL TARIFF. For purposes of comparison, the " Tariff of Rates and Dues to be levied in theHarbourof Montreal, under and by virtue of the Acts 40 Vic, Cap. 53, and 42 Vic, Cap. 28, on and after the First day of April, 1881," is appended. Tonnaipe Ones To he levied on all Vessels in the Harbour. On Steamboats, for each day of twenty-four hours, or part of a day, they remain in the Harbour, reckoned from the hour of their arrival to tliat of their departure,. . Ic. per Ton Register. On all other vessels, per day, as aforesaid ^c. " " " Wharfaire Dues To he levied on all Merchandise, Animals and Things whatsoever Landed or shipped in the Harbour. 25c. per Ton — All Goods, Wares and Merchandise not elsewhere specified. 20c. " " — Hay, Straw, Pig and Scrap Iron, Pot and Peurl Ashes. 15c. " " — Apples, Crates and their contents, Flottr and Meals, B'ish, Meats, Pitch, Potatoes, Tar, Horses, Neat Cattle, Sheep, Swine. 10c. « " — Ballast, Clay, Fire-Bricks, Gypsum, Lime, Marble, Phosphates, Sand, Salt. 7^c. " " — Coal and Coke, Grain and Seeds of all kinds. Special Bricks, 10c. per 1,000 ; Cordwood, 5c. per cord ; Lumber, 10c. per 1,000 feet, board measure. Free Bullion, Specie. On all Goods, Wares and Merchandise whatsoever, the quantity of whion by weight, measurement or other mode of estimate provided for in this Tarill', cannot be conveniently ascertained, it shall be lawful for the Harbour Commissioners to levy a rate of \ oi I per cent, on the value thereof. Each entry shall pay not less than 5 cents. All property landed on the wharves for re-shipment, sliall only pay one wharfage. The Ton mentioned in the Tariff of Wharfage diies shall he 2,000 Ibx. weight, or 40 cubic feet measurement, according to the Bill of Lading. STANDARD FOR ESTIMATING WEIGHTS. Ashes, Pot or Pearl .3 brls. to one Ton. | Horses 2 to one Ton. Apples,Flour,Meal,Potatoe8 9 " " | Neat Cattle 3 " " Fish, Meats, Pitch, Tar. . . . 7 « " | Sheep 15 " " I Swine 10 " « Certified, H D. WHITNEY, Harbour Commissioners Opkicb, \ Secretary. Montreal, 26tli March, 1881. j Phivy CooNPn, r Otta , 1881. I hereby certify that the foregoing Tariff lias lieen appr j His Excel- lency the Governor-General in Council on this 1st day of ,ipril, 1881. 6 J. 0. C0T15, Clerk, Privy Council. 66 CITY COUNCIL OF MONTEBAL. Resolutions passed March 20th, 1888. Whereas the trade of the St. Lawrence has heretofore been and continues to be seriously interfered with by excessive tolls and charges which are not levied on traffic by competing routes ; and Whereas, the opportunity of securing increased trade from the newly-opened territory in the Nortwest and that reached via the Sault Ste. Marie now presents itself; and Whereas, it is alike the duty and the policy of the Dominion Parliament to foster and encourage all enterprises tending to the development of the country, and especially to put the carrying- trade of tlie Dominion on at least as good a footing as via com- peting routes in the United States, and Whereas, Parliament has now and in the past recognized this duty in various ways and more especially by freely voting grants of public money, as well to railways and canals, as to harbours, rivers and water-ways generally throughout the Dominion — practically as free gifts to commerce; Therefoi-e, be it resolved, That the Mayor, by petition orothci-- wise on behalf of the city, be respectfully requested to urge upon Parliament the important duty which now developes upon it, in the interests of the Dominion, to free the trade of the St. Lawrence from the exceptionnal burdens now resting upon it with respect to the deep-water channel between Quebec and Montreal, and its expenditure in . irryirg that burden for several yeai's; and further to adopt such legislation as will secure to the St. Lawrence route and its most important harbour a fair opportunity of competing with the Erie and other United States routes and ports for a share of the traffic between the west and Europe. The Shipping Interest of Montreal, at a recent meeting, passed the following resolution! and communicatod the same to their chairman and representative at the Harbour Board for com- munication \ ' the latter body. Eesolved: — That improved harbour facilities are required and will be a valuable aid to the shipping trade of the port, never- theless the one essential condition to be at all times urged is a prompt and substantial reduction in harbour taxation coupled with a continuous effort towards making Montreal a free port. THE MONTEBAL HAEBOUR COmilSSIOIT. Speech by the Hon. Sir Cuarles Tupphr. House of Commons, May 8', , ^888. {From Hansard.) Sir Charles Tupper moved that the House resolve itself into Committee of the Whole to consider the following resolution: — That it is expedient to provide ; — (a.) That the Government of the Dominion of Canada may release and discharge the Corporation of the Harbour Commissioners of Montreal from all liability to repay to the said Government the whole or any part of the advances made to the said Corporation to enable them to widen and deepen the channel in Lake St. Peter and the River St. Law- rence from Montreal to Quebec, or any interest thereon beyond the amount of interest already paid by them to the Goverraent (it being understood that no portion of the amount heretofore paid for interest is to be refunded); (b.) That the Government may pay to the said Corporation of the Har- bour Commissioners of Montreal a sum not exceeding the sum of $37,405 which they represent as being the excess of their expenditure (apart from the expenditure on capital account) over their net revenue during the cal- endar year 1887 ; (c.) That the Government may, in addition to the said payment last mentioned, expend, through the medium of the said Corporation or other- 68 wise, in the work of completing the said channel, the amount now remain- ing unexpended of the suras authorized by any Acts heretofore passed to be advanced to the said Harbour Commissioners of Montreal for the pur- pose of completing the said channel ; (d.) That no tonnage dues shall be hereafter levied on, or collected from, any sailing vessel or steamer at the port of Montreal ; (f.) That the dredging plant and appliances heretofore used by the said Harbour Commissioners, in connection with the saidchannel works, shall hereafter belong to the Government of Canada. Ho said : — In rising to move the resolution to provide for the asBumption by the Government of what is familiarly known as the Lake St. Peter debt, I will detain the House but a short time, as this question has been so frequently before the House, that it is familiar to hon. gentlemen on both sides. The Eiver St. Law- rence, a few years ago, would admit vessels drawing only nine feet of water to the harbour of Montreal. It was then determined to endeavor to deepen Lake St. Peter and remove obstructions, so as to improve the navigation of the river, and, from time to time, money has been appropriated by this House for that pur- pose and advanced to the Harbour Commissioners, who recouped themselves for the interest by tolls or tonnage dues levied upon ships and by wharfage dues on goods. The efforts that have been made, I need not toll the Iloiise, have been successful, and the entire amount appropriated for that purpose by the Parliament of Canada has reached the sum of $3,005,000. Mr. Jones (Halifax). Do I understand the hon. gentleman to say that he proposes to abolish the wharf dues ? Sir Charles Tupper. No, I have not come to that part of the subject at all. I said that, the Harbour Commissioners had recouped themselves for the interest payable on the money ad- vanced by Ihe Parliament of Canada to deepen Lake St. Peter and the Eiver St. Lawrence, by tonnage dues on vessels and by wharfage dues. The Commission have been discharging, I need not tell the House, two duties — as Harbour Commissioners and as Commissioners for the deepening of Lake St. Peter and the Eiver St. Lawrence. I say that the amount of money, altogether, au- thorized by the Parliament of Canada for the latter purpose has been $3,005,000, of which there remains unexpended $279,475. It 69 is estimated, — and I may here say that I believe no public body in this country have ever discharged a duty imposed upon them with greater ability or greatersucce ss than the Harbour Commis- sioners of Montreal, and I believe they have been singularly for- tunate in being able to command the services of so eminent and able an engineer as Mr. Kennedy, undei* whom these important works have been carried out — that with an amountof only $20,000 over and above the estimate and appropriation of Parliament, the entire work of deepening the St. Lawrence so as to allow the pas- sage of vessels drawing 27A feet of water will be completed. To widen the channel which has been thus constructed, so as to fur- nish the most complete fa(!ilities for navigation, it is estimated that $195,000, or, in round numbers, some 0200,000 more will be required so as to perfectly complete the work. Now, the Govern- ment feel that the time has come when the question of that liability should be fairly considered. They feel that the time has come when it is in the interest of the whole of this country that this frreat water-way should be made free so far as tonnage dues on vessels are concerned, whether inland or ocean ; they feel that the time has come when the great port of Montreal, the great commercial centre of the country, should be made practically a free port, so far as tonnage dues upon ocean or inland vessels are concerned, and the Government have arrived at the conclusion that if there is one public work in this country that may fairly be assumed by the Government and Parliament as chargeable upon the public revenue, it is the deepening of Lake St. Peter and the Eiver St. Lawrence, thus furnishing a means of bringing ships drawing 27^ feet of water up to the city of Montreal. They believe it is not a question of the city of Montreal alone. They believe it is a question in which the whole tonnage of this country is more or less interested. They believe it is a question of impor- tance to the whole trade of Montreal and to the whole trade of the country lying to the west of it, which will be greatly facili- tated by taking this course. The}^ believe it is a question that intimately touches this great water-way which lies between the Strait of Belle Isle and Port Arthur, giving facilities for the ex- pansion of the trade and commerce of this country. They believe it is in the interests of the Dominion that this port, in the groat commercial centre of the country, should be placed in such a posi- TO tion as to be able to compete with the Atlantic ports in the neigh- boring Republic where there is great and sharp competition in ocean-borne traffic and in inland traffic from the great lakes down to the ocean. Under these circumstances, it is not necessary that I should detain the House, familiar as it is with the circum- stances, at any length, in showing that it is desirable that this great public work should be assumed by the Parliament of Canada as a public work, in view of the objects to be attained. Therefore, we propose that the advances which have been made should be made a charge on the consolidated debt of this country, but we couple with the proposal to assume this indebtedness, the entire removal of all tonnage dues, so that Montreal shall be made in that respect a free port. We ask by these resolutions that Par- liament shall assume all the advances that have been made to the Harbour Commission for deepening Lake St. Peter and the River St. Lawrence. We ask that Parliament should agree to cover the amount of interest, which has been punctually paid by the Har- bour Commissioners out of the revenues collected from the ship- ping at the port of Montreal. We ask that the deficit of $37,000 which occurred in consequence of their having *o pay the last instalment of interest, should be assumed by us so as to take that altogether off the harbour pioper of Montreal. Mr. Charlton. What will be the entire amount assumed ? Sir Charles Tuppbr. The amount appropriated is $3,005,000. In addition to that there is the amount of $220,000 for widening the channel which has been deepened ; and $37,000 of interest, which is a deficit caused by the last payment of interest. In that way the Harbour Commissioners are relieved from any obligation or burden imposed upon them in that way. Mr. Mitchell. Does the Government undertake the responsi- bility of going on with improvements ? Sir Charles Tupper. Under the resolutions the work can be completed by the Harbour Commissioners themselves, or directly by che Government under the management of my hon. friend the Minister of Public Works. Mr. Mitchell. But, if you take away their revenues, they will have no money to go on with. 71 Sir Charles Tupper, "We have provided the money to carry the work to its entire completion, and all we propose to take away from them is the tonnage dues. Mr. Weldon (St. John.) What about maintenance ? Sir Charles Tupper. There has been an expense of $600,000 for new plant which becomes the propei'ty of the Government, and will cover the $220,000 additional to what Parliament has already appropriated. Mr. Mitchell. But who is to improve the harbor and the wharves and matters of that kind ? I Sir Charles Tupper. That will remain with the Harbour Com- missioners. Mr. Mitchell. Where will they get the money ? Sir Charles Tupper. The Harbour of Montreal has never been chargeable to the extent of a dollar on the revenues of the country. The interest on the money we have advanced has been obtained from the tonnage dues on vessels and the wharf dues on goods. We do not propose to touch the wharf dues, which will not only leave in the hands of the commissioners the money re- quired to maintain the harbour, but will give them a considerable margin to improve the Harbour of Montreal or to make^ a large reduction in the wharf dues. Do I make myself understood ? Mr. Mitchell. Yes, the hon. gentleman makes himself under- stood, but I would like to know if the tonnage dues are abolished and there are still to be wharf dues, how it can be called a free port; but, if all are abolished, the commissioners will not be in a position to go (m with the improvements ? Sir Charles Tupper. If my hon. friend looks at their repoi-t, he will find that the commissioners will not be in the least degree embarrassed in relation to that matter. He will see that the ex- penditure of the Harbour Commissioners for the calendar year 1887, apart from the amount chargeable to capital account, was $327,000, and that their net revenue was $289,885. If you relieve them, as you do, they only hud a deficit of $37,000, and that was only caused by their paying nearly $100,000 of interest. Conse- 12 quently, being relieved from any charge for interest, they have a large revenue left, which will enable them, from the charges of wharfage on goods at the port, either to make a large reduction in the wharfage dues, or to carry on the improvements in the harbour. The effect of making this a free port, as far as the ton- nage dues are concerned, will make Montreal more attractive, and will enable the St. Lawrence, as a great route of intercom- munication, to compete much more successfully with other ports and in that way will greatly increase the revenues of the harbour. Now, Sir, I do not intend to take up the time of the House longer, as at thin stage of the Session I know how impatient the House is to proceed with public business. As this subject is so familiar to the House, I do not think it necessary to say more upon it than to make the brief statement I have to the House. The resolutions were carried, and a bill founded on them was subsequently introduced by Sir Chai'les, passed by Parliament, and sanctioned by His Excellen v, on Tuesday, May 22nd, 1888. IB Note on Sir Charles Topper's Speech by the Secretary to THE Committee. Sir Charles Tapper is absolutely correct in saying (p. Tl), that " the Harbour of Montreal has never been chargeable to the "extent of a dollar on the revenues of the country." On the contrary, the Government, while making grants of money to harbours all over the Dominion, has foisted on the Harbour of Montreal expenditures which did not belong to it. To show these conditions more cleai-ly, I have prepared a condensed analysis of the Board's published accounts, foi- the yeais ISSl-S?, fi-om which the receipts and payments belonging to capital have been eliminated, leaving those only that properly pertain to income. The Government has thought fit to oftset the tonnage dues on craft against the interest-charge on the channel debt. Leaving out these items, the absolute solvency of the harbour proper is demonstrated from the following aggi-egates of its ordinary receipts and expenditures during these seven years, which were as follows : — INCOME FKOM Imports $746,887 Exports 40.5;532 Local traffic 288,006 Total $1,440,425 BXPBNmruRB FOH Management §236,453 Repairs, etc 346,762 Interest on Harbour debt 809,447 1 ,392,662 Leaving a surplus of , . $47,763 But Si I' Charles is in error, in stating that the Harbour Commissioners had " recouped themselves for the interest " [on the Channel Debt] by tolls or tonnage dues levied upon "ships, and by wharfage dues on goods." So far from such being the case, the Commissioners have had for ihe past seven years or longer, an average annual deficit almost as large as that for the year 1887, for which Sir Charles makes provision by his second resolution (vide c. p. 67). The payments to the Government during these seven years, as for interest on the money supplied by them to carry on the Channel works, aggregate $538,219 ; and the deficits during those years aggregate $226,4*71, which latter sum has gone to swell the Harboui's indebtedness to money- 1 74 lenders, other than the Dominion Government, This increase in the harbour debt is not the only resultant evil. During the years that these deficits occurred, harbour extension and improve- ment were alike impossible, and these if undertaken now on bori-owed money, involving a larger intei-est-charge and increased taxation to meet the same, would involve the Board in as great difficulties as before. The petition of the Committee (p. 38) " that the total sum levied as interest on that expenditure should " be re-appropriated for the extension and improvement of the " harbour," is as exigent now as it was a year ago when made. The moneys exacted by the Government, as tor interest on channel expenditure, are detailed in the following — STATEMENT Giving date and amounts paid to Dominion Government for Interest in re 27^ feet Channel. 1876 February 12th $38,572 27 Octolier4th 17,099 46 55,671 72 1877 December 15th ^ • • • ^9.754 79 1878 July 25th t5'?o| ?f, 1879 July 10th tl'SoJi 1880 JuneSOth ^^SHn 1881 August 8th 52,240 00 1882 Juneieth 9,446 13 „„„„,„, July nth 61,275 72 70,721 85 1883 September 24th 2?''*2J ^! 1884 July 16th If'^I^ ?1 1885 Octoberl7th ^J'^2f i2 1886 August 26th ^^'?„; 15 1887 September 16tb •>9,187 22 Total for twelve years $794.027 95 There are two other items of indebtedness by the Dominion Government to the Harbour Board which should not be lost sight of. At the taking over of the twenty-feet channel in 1865, the expenditure by the Harbour Board was found to exceed the amount, for which the Government had procured an appropriation from Parliament by the tura of $295,471. This amount has not yet been recouped to the Board by the Government.* • " The appropriations, however, proved insufiSoient, and, besides the loss of interest and payments out of surplus revenue previous to 1860, the Harbour of Montreal has con- tributed a sum now exceeding $300,000 to these worlis, beyond the payments assumed by Government." Vid4 " General Report of Dominion Public Works " p. 459. 1 76 There is also the Buoy Service hetween Montreal and Quebec, which was given over to the Harbour Commissioners while the Channel woi'ks were in progress, the Engineers in charge of the works being of necessity well-informed in that regard, and the plant necessaiy to the Hervlco being in the poHsession of the CommiHsioners. The actual cost of that worvico up to the end of 1887 was 8103,472.35, while the huuih appropriated by Parliament amounted to only 842,000.00, leaving a balance duo by the Marine Department of the Government to the Ifarbour Board of 861,472.35. The Harbour Debt amounts to about two million doUai-s, chiefiy in the form of debentures held by the public, the average annual interest upon which would seem to be nearly six per cent. The amount by which this debt has been enhanced, in conse- quence of the foregoing exactions from Harbour revenues for Dominion purposes, as at 31st Decemltei*, 1887, witiiout reckoning interest, stood as follows : — Balance of Expenditure by the Harbour Commissioners of Montreal on the 20 feet Channel, over and above the amount assumed l)y the Dominion Government. $295,471 10 Balance of Expenditure by the same on Buoys and Beacons in the Ship Channel, since 1873, over and above the amount allowed by the Department of Marine and Fisheries 01 ,472 ;i5 Total payments, as for interest on Channel expenditure, as above 794,027 95 $1,150,971 40 Less the amount provided, as representing the deficit for the year 1887 37,405 00 Balance due the Harbour revenues by the Dominion Government $1,113,566 40 This sum, if properly applied, would have reduced the debt burdening the harbour to about a million dollars, and, if Govern- ment had treated Montreal as they have treated Quebec and loaned the money at four per cent., the interest-charge paid by the public on the harbour traffic would have been only about ),000 per annum, whereas, it is nearly three times as much. 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