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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clich*, 11 est film* i partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. 12 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 1^ J * e- f \ W" ^OVA scot;4 PROVINCE HOUSE ■ 1 / • i, d d If-tf FOTJE TEAHS 0^ Liberal-Conservative •fe-. .4- V «r "nm^^Ki •♦^ili ht PrQattPation, fe^ i874 t0 ll^ and % similar p^piod of Prod-^ * pepity, itom 1878 to 1^2. . --f *4 i ■5 ■$:■ I psy* i«awi' '" >s -"fT-iBri-niyfffiHnri hi. I - \^ < 1 9. ^ \ A T » t 'lij'.^. arr : ^ iS^^' ' I ) a<5>- !( i:., TO THE INDEPENDENT ELECTORS OF ISroVA SCOTIA. Gentlemen ; The time is at hand when the people of Nova Scotia in common with tho reet of the Doramion, will be called upon to declare by their votes ut the polls, not only by which of the two oppo8in;r parties they denre the country to be gove.ned, 1 at what is of far greater importance, to decide what is to be the policy by which its affairs are to be directed for the next f. ur yeais. It cannot be without interest, therefore, at the pres. nt juncture, to direct public attention to the condition of things wben the Government now in power took the reins in their hands as contrasted with what it is and has been lor the past three or fVur years. FINANClAJi CONDITION OP THE PROVINCE WHFN THE "REFORM" GOVERNMENT CAME INTO POWER. The Opposition, or Liberal party as they term themselves, came into power shortly after Confederat on, and for more than ten years managed the fina' ces and diiected tho affaii-a of this Province. During that long period they had many opportunities of advancing tljo best interests of the country and of guarding Its rights and privileges. How they performed this duty, er rather how by maladministration, by incompetence, corruptioa and partizan jobbery, they brought it to the very edge cf financial bankruptcy and ruin, it will not be difficult to shew. By tho terms of Confe-ieration, in 1867, Nova Scotia was allowed a debt due to her of upwards of nine millions of dollars, but after deducting obligations the amount to her credit at Ottawa stood at «924,455, yielding interest to the amount of f46,_22 yearly. This was increased in 1873, bo that the Debt Account was upwards of two millions of dollarf, aflFordin- an annual return of more than $100,000 in the form of inte'reat. Nor was th.s all; $82,000 a year was given, in addition, to extend 0V8r a period of ten years, so that the whole .mount Jr«« 7ro • r ^^^ i° ^''' ^'•'^™ ^'"'^"^ "*« "«t '«^« than ./. ' '\''"'"^'' altogether of Provincial revenues, which yielded at that time ne.rly $200,000 more. In the year 1874 When the Hill Government came into power, the subsidy alone was at least $100,000 a year greater than was the whole Provncml revenue from all sources wheu that administration was swept away by the verdict of an outraged and indignant people at the general election of 1878. In the year 1874 the Province of Nova Scotia had an income of not less than $758,502, a sum sufficiently large to meet every emergency and sustain every service in an ofHcient manner without incurring one dollar of debt or other obligation But this great sum was far from sufficient to balance accounts at the end of each year. By profligate expenditure, by gross and reckless mismanagement, each succeeding year shewed an increased deficiency and an ever-growing indebtedness to banking and other institutions, so that at the end of 1878 the Debt Account to our credit at Ottawa had shrunk from two millions to about four hundred thousand, while the amount of Provincial indebted- ness to banks and outside parties was $.355,000, not includinrr railway obligations of considerably over half a million more. To state the matter briefly, within the short period of four years the subsidy had dwindled away from $588,763 to $380,240 and the whole Provincial revenue from $750,502 to le s than $500 000 with a direct money indebtedness of $350,000 besides. ' ' THE FINANCIAL CONDITION WHEN "J^EFORM" GOV ERNMENT WAS SWEPT OUT OF OFFICE IN 1878. Such was the state of matters which the new Government had to face when it took office in the autumn of 1878 The debt of^o Jn'! T'T ''^'^ "''"''' '^^'^Weared ; the yearly allowance of $82,000 by the Dominion Treasury had lapsed, with hardly an effort on the part of the then existing Government for its ■^^ reTJewal, while, incredible aa it may appear, the then leading Government organ, the mming aironicle, actually opposed any application for its Continuance. The position of matters at this crisis was truly critical requiring the greatest prudence aad economy on the part of the new Government to maintain the credit of the Province and keep the different Provincial services in a reasonable state of efficiency. The cause of this disastrous state of affairs was, as has been stated, largely due to the gross mismanagement and dissipation of the public funds by the defeated Government How was a revenue which in 1874 was ample for every legitimate purpose dealt with? A million and a half of dollars up tv. 1878 was given away in the form of subventions to new railway undertakings; but notwithstanding the expenditure of this vast sum, not a mile of road was completed or in running order. So iar as results were concerned, this money might as well have been cast into the sea. Everything was in confusion, contractora and sub-contractors were in default, laborers were unpaid- a road upon which the Liberal Governmaat had advanced nearly $800000 was without track or ballast, eighteen miles of it between Digby and Annapolis scarcely begun, while the character of the work done was pronounced to be of the most inferior description. Another road, after having received 895,000 of Provincial money, was abandoned altogether for the time being with laborers unpaid, the right of way unprovided for, and dissatisfaction and disappointment and indignation on every side. But if this mismanagement of the Public Works acted as a blight upon the progress and prosperity of the Province, the administration of its different services was, if possible, still more unsatisfactory. Jobbery and intrigue characterized the working of nearly every department. The management of the Cruwn Lands for some years was especially disgraceful. Land-grabbing, or the disposing of immense tracts of country by the violation of the whole spirit, if not of the letter, of the law, became a bye- word, and the infamous practice was only brought to an end V its thorough exposure on the floors of the House by the party then in opposition. The loss to the Province and to the public through this source alone was immense, and during the last three years of the rule of the Hill Government the income from th,« department d,d little more than meet the outlay. Now and ior he past three year., as veil] be .hewn more in detuH fisher on, th,« department has been «o managed as to yield aft!r iTiazTtb rf ;* rair proportion to fhe ProvinoiTr tent' was' les; than ta;;^ "^i^^r'' r- -'''-' -p-^'^"-' 90VV. in i>i7\) the net revenue from iha aom^ Berv,ce was »13,736 ; in 188,, «,3,363. The sam wasref s/s e« of cxpend.ture characterized the management of every one of th^ Prov.no,al departments, as will be proved by a comparlon of the outlay under these heads in 1878 and 1881 '"P''"'^" °^ In assuming the responMbilities of office in 1878, the Liberal- Conservafve Government lost no time in meeting as they best rood 'Vb'eff^^ f- ^'^ P°^''^" '"^ ^^-^ the^ro^inte wa placed. Ihese d.fficulfes were most formida' le. Besides direct money obhgat.ons to the extent of from 840,000 to 850 000 they found that their predecessors had anticipated the sub.i y oHg:! TherT"^", ';"^''''''''^''*' "^'^'^^^"d all d.slppe Id JlXr^ri ?^'';'"'" '""'^ '>• '"^^ b-'^^ t« the exten of ril8,OO0, while the Pr vincial Railway account had been drawn upon to the amount of 842,000. To meet these obligations hIS revenue, all told, of more than $460,000. THE POLICY OP THE NEW GOVEK.NMENT. The situation was s.rious, but the new administration did not hesitate as to the duty that lay before them That datv Z n>stant retrenchment, and the stiitest possible ec^X^poir; which has been faUhfully carried out to the present hou . S Province was first of all ascertin^hy =' oT'I 'rhallv: ^nve.t>gat.o,, conducted by a competent and disint.relted 00,:! Upon the baeis of the Report prepared and presented to the Government by these gentlemen, a Memorial was drawn up bv the ProvM.cml Secretary, addressed to Sir John A tuuA^ ,/ setting forth in the strongest and most urge/t malr thf ra'' cja, position, and more especially the financial c a ms of the' ^Provi.ce for increased allowance f.om the Dominion makng ■««■ fPNI I da.ms, wh.ch though not at once acknowledged, were not ignored. He Pleaded tlmt tiie j^nnual grant of $82 OUO should bo nw,ewed and urged with great energy the right of Nova Scotia to a fair' Bhareof the F.sbery Awa4 It'i« true this Memorial did not bear truit .mmodifttely. The apprcheneion of s.milar demands b«ng made by the other Provinces, stayed the h nds c" the Dom,D,on Government for the time being. That Government was Itself not without its financial difflcuIUee. It had just Bttcceeded an. Administration ot deficits, and required to be cautious as well as careful. Nevertheless the Provincial Government wa8 not altogether unsuccessful. It secured interest due on Old btores to the amouatof $32,000, which the former Local Admfn. ialrat4on had not asked for. In consequence of its efforts, and the eoergy wuh which they were urged, old Kailway and Post Office claims made by the XcKenzie Government against Nova Scotia to the amount of about .«37,000, were abandoned, and best and most gratifying of all, in this year of 1882, the rightful claims of the Mant.me Provinces in regard to the Fishery award have been practically and Irankly acknowledged by the Grant, which h to be a yearly one, of 8150,000, as an annual bounty to our fishermew. But ot this more anon. In the meantime, the New Government lost no time in adopting a rigid system of retrenchment and economy. The course to be taken was painful, but inevitable, unless the Province was to be allowed to drift into hopeless bankruptcy. It was a painful but necessary step, that some Scrvi.es should be reduced, and others cut off altogether for the time being. And it is most gratifying to state, that public opinion strongly sustained the new policy Their political opponents, however, crsst-fallen and de^rraded as they felt themselves, -not only lent no helping hand in °he emer- gency, but continued to abuse, misrepresent, and thwart the Government in every way within their power,-to render if they could the efforts made to bring back confidence, and restore a certain measure of strength to the Provincial Finances* unsuccessful. * THE BOAD AND OTHER SERVICES HAD TO BE REDUCED. Tbo Road Service had to be reduced. There was no help for it. The Navigation Securitios were lopped off. The Service named "Special" was abolished altogether, which had been abused to a frightful extent under the former Administration, The Miscellaneous bill was also severely curtailed. A resolute Attempi was at the s-. me time made to save 915,000 a year in the direction of Legislative Expenses, by abolishing the Legislative Council — an attempt, however, 'which has so far failed, by the selfish attitude taken n^ by the so-called Liberal members of that most superfluous body. By these and other means of a similar character, however, the expenditure, even during the first year of the Liberal-Conservative Government, was kept within the in- come of the Province. This was so far satisfactory, but it was felt both by the Admin- istration and throughout the country that the Road and Bridge Service especially was crippled to an injurious and most undesir- able extent. Of this unp'oasant fact none were more cognizant than I he present Opposition. They saw the difficulty and rejoiced in it, hoping thereby that, however much the people throughout the Province might suffer, their ends would be par- tial y served at least by taunting their opponents with reduction in the amount given to services, which their own profligate and reckless expenditure in tne past had rendered unavoidable. THE FUNDING BILL. This, however, was to be expected from such a source, but it neither daunted nor deterred the friends of fair and honest government from grappling manfully and resolutely with the difficulty before them. Hence arose the idea which took prac- tical shape in the form of a proposed bill, known as the Funding Bill. The object of this bill was to find means for meeting the obligations of the Province already incurred, by borrowins^a cer- tain sura at a moderate rate of interest. That there may be no mistake as to the character and objects of this bill, which ha» 9 been grossly misrepresented by the oneinio^ of the Government, we give the words of the bill itself. It reads as follows :— An Act to authorize the Funding of the Public Debt of Nova Scotia. Be it enacted by the Oovemor, Council, and Aisembly, as follow* : 1. From and after the pa88ing of this Act, it ghall b«^ lawful for the Ooyemor, by and with the advice of the Executive Council, to contract a loan on the pledge of the revenues cf this Province, whether arising from the subsidies of the Province, the sale of Crown Lands, or the royalty paid by miners, or in any other manner howsoever, provided that the whole »nm to be borrowed shall not exceed eight hun- dred thoasand dollars. 2. Certificates of debts, to be call debentures, bearing interest not exceeding six per cent., may be icsueii from time to time to those vho may contract for such loan, or who may be employed by the Government of Nova Scotia to sell such debeiiturrs, or negotiate the loan. 3. The debentures shall be in the form to be hereafter decided by the Governor in Council, shall be signed by the Governor, and certified by his seal, and also counter- signed by the Provincial Secretarv ; they shall be numbered sonsecutively, com. meiiHnsr with number one, and shall be issued in such sums, not less than four hundred c'ollars, as may be deemed expedient ; the interest thereon to be paid half yearly in such pWe as maybe named in such debentures ; and the principal of such debentures shall be paid in full at the expiration of twenty-five years from the date of their respective issues, to the then holders thereof. 4. Subject to the payment of any previously existing Provincial liability, the faith and credit of this Province, and the ordinary revenues thereof, shall be, and hereby are, declared pledged to any and every holder of the same, for the payment of interest as it becomes due, and for payment in full of the debentures when the principal of the same becomes due and payable. 5. The principal sums to be raised and borrowed shall be received from time to time, as the same may be required, by the Provincial Secretary, who shall pay and apply the same to the payment of the debts and liabilities of the Province of Nova Scotia, and its obligations under any existing contract', but the purchasers or holders of such debe«tures shall not be bound to gee to the appropriation of the moneys so to be borrowed. It will thus be seen that the amount to be borrowed was not to exceed the amount a'tually due by the Province. It could not be used to meet future but only past obligations, which had been in- curred through the extravagance and folly of their p'edece>8or8. These obligations had to bo met, if the credit of the Province was to be maintaine-l. Although the sum of $8C0,000 was named aa not to be exceeded, no such amount under the bi 1 could be bor- rowed, unless it could be shown that the Province owed it at tha 10 time the Aet became law. The advantage Poug^t to be gained by Its mean-, was f-iniply that the amount obtained in this way would not cost more than five per cent, in the form of interest"; while by borrowing from bunks, the rate to be paid would bo f"om SIX to seven per ^-ent. The advantage was obvious. The method was neither ..ovel nor attended with risk of any kird. It fad been adopted frequently elsewhere, and even in the City of Halifax, and its wisdom or propriety was never even challenged. It was thought, however to present a tempting point for party misreprosctation and falsehood, and full advan- tage was taken of the same. It passed the House of Asf- bly unanimously, both parties supporting it, but almost as a matter of course was defeated in the Upper Hou.c. Much has been attempted to be made of the fact that this bill was o'j osed by two Liberal-Conservative members of the Upper House, the reason of their opposition, however, being carefully kept out of Bight, which was, not that the G vernment was likely to borrow too much, or to misuse what was borrowed, but that there mi-ht be a considerable margin of the 8800,000 laft unborrowed whTch the Opposition party if they ever got into power, would be certain to seize upon and misappropriate. The Bll was thus rejected by the Council, and th^ ..pportunLy lost of being able to meet the Provincial oblig.iions incurred by the very party who opposed it, except by paying a rate of interest for the money borrowed much Ingher than would otherwi,.e have been the case- Ihe Government were thus foiled in their endeavor to save the Provme.al finr.nces, and a principle which is acted upon continu- ally, that of funJin^^ a public debt so as to pay the lowest possible rate of interest, condemned by a mere spirit of faction on the part of the Grit Opposition, and by an apprehension that dis- honest advantage mi-ht be taken of the Act in future by the Grit party on the part of two gentemei. who are Liberal- ConHervati^es. In the House of Assen.bly, representing the public opinion of the Province Uirough its representatives, there was no opposition or division on the subject. What would have been thought, ^hat would have been done, had the House of Lords Ml England or the .Senate al Ottawa, rejerted a measure that had been passed unanimously by the House of Commons •relating to fiscal affairs. MVffMP 11 RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION WEST. The late Government, as has been stated, expended in the form of hubsidies a million and a half of the Debt to the credit of Nova Scotia at Ottawa. The princ pie in itself was sound enough, as it was most desirable to open up as large a portion of the Province, by means of lailway construction, as our resources would reason- ably allow, without crippling the Provincial Services. But the manner in which the mon^'y was expended in this form was in the highe^t degree re( kless, and in its effects most disastrous. What 18 known as the Western Counties Railway is a melancholy illus- tration of the extravagance, wa^tc and incompetence which distinguished th • whole railway management of the late Govern- ment. The length of this line was to be about 85 miles, and was to receive a subvention of 38,0 )0 a mile from Government, or 86S0O0O on all, to be paid as the work went on in proportion of one-ihird by the Government, and two-thirds by the Company v^ttheendol 1878, the amoiwu of subsidy advance.l was not 8680 000, but $1395.197, while a very large portion of the work re- mained to be done, and 18 miles of the proposed road, and that the most difficult and expensive, between Digby an I Annapolis was scarcely touched. Nor was this all, for it was pronounced on all hands that much of the work that was done was of an inferior description, so much so that this road, which had cost the Province 80 large a sum of money, was practically abandoned, and regarded as a dead loss and useless sacrifice of the Provincial resources Such was its condition when the present government came into power. In the public interest they at once directed their atten- tion to the s.iving of this wreck, if possible, and preventing the absolute loss of some $700,000 of the public money. They accord, ingly entered into negotiations with the Dominion Government" and obtained from them a i)romise that they would consider the Province entitled to the Windsor Branch, if we would secure the completion of the road. To effect this desirable object, the Gov- ernment guaranteed $250,000 of bonds, and to save the Provineo from possible loss, secured a transfer of the greater part of the Company's property, and obtained the power to take or dispose of the whole work as security for the amount advanced. By this means 70 miles of road were opened, and up to the present hou? 12 have been kept open, and in running order, to the great conveni ence and benefil of the people of the counties of Yarmouth DJcrby and Shelburne, and of the Province gonerallj. In this'way a valuable public work has been rescued from abandonment and destruction, while means have been dovi^-ed to secure the early construction of the gap of 18 miles between Digby and Annapolis, and thus accomplish railway connection to the people of the Western Counties with the Windsor and Annapolis Road, the Intercolonial, and the whole railway system of the Dominion and the United States. The benefit thus secured has been of vast advantage to the western portion of the Province, and for such a result they are largely indebted to the prudence, energy, and foresight of the present Local Government. The so called" Liberal Government managed to serve the purpose of a set of selfish and unprincipled speculators, resulting in apparently hopeless loss and ruin. The Liberal-Conservative Government' have rescued the road from destruction, so that there is every prospect of its becoming not only beneficial, but profitable. « By their fruits ye shall know them." RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION EAST. The same blundering incompetence characterized railway construction n the east as was exhibited in the western part of the Province. A subsidy of $7,945 a mile, with other concessions was granted by the " Reform " Government to build a road from New Glasgow to the Strait of Canso, a distance of about !rO miles. Here the confusion was even more conf unded than in the other case. It was found that the company was not validly or -anized ; It had been transferred and re-t-ansferred, with the result that the title was disputed and altogether bad, the proprietors at sixeb and sevens among themselves, the Government, so-called, looking helplessly on, and the counties unable to make a legal ass sspiont for dam.nges. The policy of the we.t was repeated in the east A contract was made, subsidy advanced, work done by fits and starts, no adequate security obtained, and at the time when the late Gov,.rnment wen- out of office it was found that they had not only paid $456,542 in subsidy, but had given two certificates to bind their successors, one that the corrpany was entitled al onco to 879,000 more, and another tha they were entitled to thie Pictou Branch. All this waa done, notwUhstanding that the invalidity of the organization of the company hed been proved to a committee of the House in the early part of 1878. Had theae certificitos been implemented by the present Govornraent, if this company had got the Piciou Branch, all practical security would have vanished, either for the completion of the road or its continued operation after it had been completed. When the present Government came into power thoy lost no time in pulfng these disjointed matters upon a firm and solid basis. Thoy decided that the Branch should bo held until the road was completed to the satinfaction of the Provincial Government, and after completion, the who e road, including the Branch, should be forfeitable for failure of completion or non-operation; and further that a large part of the sub.iidy should be withheld for the protection of laborers, and that the whole road, including the Branch, might within two years after completion become tlie property of the Provincial Government, upon their paying to the Company the amount of their actual outlay upon its construction and equipment. This policy of firmness and foresight in the interests of the Province stands out in striking contrast to th eblunderingt, ign'irance, incapacity and weakness which distinguished the whole conduct of the former Government in this direction. By the means just explained the pubiie interests were secured, the large amounts given in subsidy guarded, ' and the power of assuming poi-session of the roads in future, should it be con- sidered necessary to do «o in the public interest, secured. THE RAILWAY SYNDICATE. This brings us to the subject of the Railway Syndicate, whose f rime object was to facilitate and extend traffic by the policy of Consolidation ; to increase railway efficiency throughout the whole provincial system ; to regulate the passenger and freight tariff by extended facilities and lessened rates; to recoup the Province for its large outlay in the form of subsidies ; to complete railways already undertaken, and to construct a line of road of sev nty or eighty miles through the Island of Cape Breton, with- out further expense to the Provincial Treasury. reJdtedTM **'": ''^ ?' P"""* Government, as ahove stated. Th«r ,/k k""' ""'^ P"''*'"''^' ^"^ comparatively easy.- sary to exp am che terms of this arrangement in great detail as Lei r ''''',V' "^^'^ -'dely known by difcussions i 'the Leg^Iature and the press, and especially throngh the medium of the able speeches delivered during the past session in both Hous^ on the subject, which have been widely circulated. The Syndica^ under ake to complete, equip, and work the whole system"^ of pro vincal railways from Yarmouth to Canso, exoludin/of course the Intercolonial ; to bui d a road from Pictou ,o join on t the nter olo„,al ; to construct a road from Dartmouth to Windso W t,on and to extend the lino from New Glasgow to Canso ac oss he Stra,t to some Atlantic port in Cape Breton, for a distance of Beventy or eighty miles. A- security that this work will be "o 'e w.thou drawing an additional dollar from the public chest ths great Company has already paid in £52,000 sterlLg to t e Tr a cary, to be forfeited in case of failure on their part and hey further engage to deposit $5,500,000 with the Gov.^Lent" o oon asall preliminary legislation and necessary arrangements ha" been completed and besides, to lodge with the Govefnment.sum which will produce fifty-six thousand dollars a year, and whichTs to be set apart as a sinking fund to pay off the amount guara teed by the Province, or to meet any deficiency in payment of in e re«t IZ'1:T'T''' ''' ""'"' «^ r.n.ajln be taken ter or ba.lt by this Company. Kailway communication will be ecured to nearly every important point in the Province, T ,e a ^67^00 "T' '° ^'^ ^'■^^■"'^■^' «-«"»e. nam y 167 500 per annum, being the interest on $1,350,000, t^ be pafd by the company to the Province, exclusive of the purchase at the rate fixed upon, of the various railways now operated bvL panies. The Province thus gets back ^he larger portfon of t^' «u sidies paid out, railway communication is improvL a " 1 ! extended, and Provincial Revenue sec.rod which will enable the Government not only to increase the Grant for the roai al bridge Service to its former volume but to fn«f„ ^^^ '^^d and Other services which have sufr:::::^^" rx^: rcfi^d" .ncompetence of the former Government. For thL -boon 'h^ people of Nova Scotia are indebted to the present Loal Govern i< u ment, and especially to the perseverance and firmness displayed by the Pi-ovincial Secretary in bringing it to a successful issue. The ground lost through the imbeciJity of the old Grit Govern- meni has been thus more than regained, and it is not likely that success will be imperilled by entrusting to a broken faction which failed eo disastrously four years ago, the power or oppor- tunity of repeating that failure in a more intensified form, by again giving them control of the Provincial Finances. CAPE BRETOif RAILWAY EXTENSION". Railways east and west were promoted and subsidized by the Grit Governments during their ten years of power, from 1868 to 1878, but the Island of Cape Breton, though contribut ng its fair share to both the Dominion and Provincial revenues, received no such consideration. A million and a half was spent in railway subsidies for the mainland ; $27,000 for the Bead Service in liea of extension of the general railway system through the Island was all that the former Gov rnment could aflbrd to give or offer, a sum not suflScient to construct one mile of road. This state of things was all along folt to be both unjust and injurious to the people of that portion of the Province They contributed their share and more than their share to the Provincial revenu.-, and yet their rightful claims had been neglected. One of the main objects of the Syndicate Scheme, therefore, was to secure the construction of a line of railway through at least a portion of Cape Breton, and a-cordingly the building of 80 miles of road from the Strait of Canso forms a part of the arrangement. By this means the peop e of that part of the Province will no longer be comparatively isolated, but brought into rapid and easy com- munication with all points in the Dominion during all seasons of the year. The great natural resouices of that part of the country will be developed, a remunerative market will be opened for its products, traffic and travel will be greatly facilitated, and the wealth and comfort of the people vastly increased. This result has been brought about in the face of persistent opposition from the so-called Liberal party, who have done and are doing every thing in their power to render nugatory its successful acconi- plishment. The present Government are pledge-^ to see this and every portion of the Syndicate Scheme carried out in their 16 iBte^ty Their opponentB are equally determined to brin^ tbem t6 nought, should tbey have the opportunity. Which party tmgti to receive the support of the pedple of Cape Breton ? THB NICTAUX AND ATLANTIC. This road, the construction of which wag intended to benefit the Counties of Lunenburg, Annapolis and Queens, and ,.pen ud the resources of that portion of the Province, affords a still more striking illustration of the imbecility and recklessness of the Grit Government than either of the two railways already noticed Had even ordinary care or capacity been manifested on the part Of the then Administration, much of the loss suffered alike bv the promoters, the contractor, laborers and people generally of that part of the Province might have been avoided. It is a story of hopeless bungling and disaster from first to last, and the 895 000 paid out of the Provincial chest in the form of subsidy was worse than squandered, f.r it only tempted others to embark in a work under auspices from which nothing but 1 ss could result. There was absolutely no security either given or taken for completing much less of operating the road. The finances of the Province at the time did not justify the undertaking of the road without * ««fflcient guarantee that its proprietors had means enough behind the subsidy to carry it through. With caution and prudence exe cised at the outset, the work m ght have been constructed at least in part, and carried to completion with increased Pro. in^ial and other resources in course of time But instead of observing the dictates of common sense or of the Act which required the company to expend «2 for every |1 paid in subsidy dollar for dJlar was the practice. It is not neJ^^ssary to dwell upon this melancholy exhibition of administrative incapacity. The new Government stepped in and paid laborers' waijes to the extent of 820,0W. The work was abandoned and need not have been abandoned had ordinary precautions been adopted at first. It ,8, however, gratifying to know that this railway, after all, will be completed. The Syndicate terms enable the Govern ment once more to take hold and to carry Jt through without embarrassing the Provincial resources. The undortakinff how- ever, will be carried out with full security and guarantee that it ,,-«5^'- ■ 5f •.V 17 will be completed and the ,oad operated, ai.d, a. the Provincial finances improve, railway extension will doubtless branch BtiH farther westward, taking in Queena and a part of Shelbnrne. Of the natural resource* and capabilities of that part of the Province there can be no doubt whatever, and as the National Policy develops and extends home industries, our revenues will keep pace with them and enable the Government to make the NicUux and Atlantic an accomplished fact. To make this possible the past pol.cy of the Liberal-Conservative party, both Dominion and Provmcial, must continue in the ascendant. The triumph of the Gnt combination at the approaching election would mean the blues of blue ruin to east and west alike, but of that there is but the slenderest of prospects. The patriotism, intelligence and self-interest of the electors of every county in the Province will be on guard to prevent such a calamity. THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Public opinion all over the Province has been all but unanimous in favor of the abolition of this body. The present Government on acceding to power, lost no time in giving practical expression to this desire. The Imperial Government was memor alsed on the subject. Steps were taken to bring about this result by exacting from all new appointees a pledge to vote for its extinction. This has been out of no disrespect to that venerable institution. Its former usefulness and the high character of its members as a body in the past are cheerfully admitted; but it has long been felt that its services could be dispensed with and that the financial exigencies of the Province demand that the 113,000 a year necessary for its maintenance could be put to much better purpose by being expended on our roads and bridges. Even our Grit opponents do not venture to question this fact, but with characteristic inconsistency and want of principle they have done every thing in their power to thw.irt the efforts of the Government in this direction, and were the loudest in their taunts and rejoicings at every indication of want of success or discouragement from outside quarters in accomplishing the wished-for object. This is another of the planks of tl.« („.Kserva- tive platform which wiU be certain to be cast aside should their opponents b ;ve the administration ot public affairs. The people have -vj;^-- 18 not forgoiten that when Hon. Mr. Butler, in a fit of passion and pettiHhness, introduced a bill last session for the abolition of the Council, not one of his so-called Liberal colleagues supported him. Every man of them gave an emphatic No, proving beyond all doubt that the extinction of this body and the consequent saving of $13,000 a year thereby must take place under the auspices of a Liberal- Conservative GovernmMit. Under an Oppotdtion combination such a consummation is utterly hopeless. This then is an additional reason why every friend of economical government should rally round and triumphantly sustain Liberal-Conservative candidates at the approach- ing election. COUNTY INCORPORATION ACT. The mode of expending the Road Money through the members of their respective counties had long been felt to be a crying evil, a source of temptation, jobbery, and not seldom of corruption, with the natural result of inefficiency and waste in the management of this very mportant Service. It had long been a bye-word that the Road Service was largely used in demoralising constituencies by purchasing political support in the manner of distributing it. The Road Service conse- quently suffered. This could not be denied by the Liberal party, yet during the eleven years they were in power they made no attempt to reform the evil. The present Government during their very first session took hold of the subject in earnest and introduced and passed the above measure. It was bitterly opposed by those who call them- selves Liberals for obvious reasons. The Liberal-Conservative party were prepared to shew that they trusted the people, and accordingly extended to them a measure of a truly liberal character, giving the management of the local affairs of the county to the people of the coujity, reforming the mode of expending the road and bridge money, by placing it directly in the hands of a Council elected by the popular voice, so that every district was represented and its rights and require- ments guarded by a representative selected for that purpose, with the result that the same amount of work has been done as before at one-half the cost. As might have been expected, difficulties have been exjieri- enced affecting the popularity of the Act, arising from the necessary reduction in the Road Grant, caused by the reckless extravagance of the former Government. There is, however, a remedy for this in the near distance. Already the increased and increasing Provincial revenue -?c-= %W» . '.f«"^'"T ' 19 f«o,500. In 18^2 U was nearly douWe the amount, being «150,000 the t "'"'^ *'' ""' "'" '^"'^ P'^'^«°* H'^y -»>-»>'- talked certainty, that next year will find the vote at lenst $200,000 and that Had the present Government only thought of strengthening them- «» ve« ,n the counties by the old corrupt meat*, they would like the" poh .ca. opponent, have sought to keep up the old order 'of hn^ Their des-re however, was the efficiency of the Road Service, and to bnng th.s about they decided that it would be be.t to give over the distnbution of the money to each County Council, who would 1 in the generality of ca.e, that it was spent to the best advantge i^: measure, from its newness, has not in evm-y instance run smoofhly, but the principle l>eing sound and true, the nectary remedies can W time to time be appl.ed till it gives perfect satisfaction. A Cirit Government would not have introduced such a measure till ,be c.^k of doom. For years they had seen it in beneficial operation in the o^her Provinces, but could never call up cou.ge enoigh. or hones , enough, to part with a source of support which, however vicious in it^ charBctor, might be found useful on a political emergency. THE J5RIDUE RILL. str!!r °'^* f '^^u'^^ "'' *^ ''''''' "'^^'^^ ^°'- *•>« P^TOse of con- st ucting the larger bridges throughout the Province oTpermanent matorial. It was a most carefully diawn, judicious, and necessary measure. It Would have remedied a grievance justly complained of. bv adjusting the obligations of the different counties, in proportion to the advances made to them by the Government, placing all upon an equal and equitable footing. It would have secured the construction o bridges of stone or iron across large streams, the want of which or the dangerous condition of existing structures, was the cause of vasi incon vemence and oss in many of the counties. The measure would have imposed no risk whatever upon the Province, as the counties were to pay the interest at five per cent, on the debentures, to be deducted from the Road Grant. If any county objectod to this, it need not draw the money allotted to it for bridge construction, and would receive in lien .r^'3!^- ■m ^^^Ti _ jt^/f*'_ its full road ffrant. A more just or more equitable measure was never pretiented to Parliament. It had the supjwrt of every member of the AaaemUy, and yet by a majority of one was thrown out in the Upper House. The money borrowed would not have been a |)ermanent debt on the Province, as the principal was to be redeemed iu tw. uty yeai-s by a sum set apart annually for that purpose, and which might be consid- ered a j>ortion of the grant for the Road and Bridge Service. The life of a wooden bridge is from eigiit to ten years, that of an iron structure from fifty to sixty, while the cost of the latter is not more than double that of the former. In an economical point of view, the saving would have been great, and the efficiency still greater, the cost would have been orimeiit rjkI land the Province in the same calamity. They know well that whoever may lose, they at any rate wUl be sm-e to gain, as they itM»diture was $750,000 in round nutultera. To enable them to spend this great sum. what did they do i They took from the regular revenue every dollar they could. That revenue, in reality, inclu.iing the subsidy kdonging to the year was only $472,000. That was all they had any right to ex- pend, but besides this, the subsidy of 1870, was drawn uik)u to the tuae oflllOU.OOO. The Debt Account was drawn upon to the extent of gaii.OOO. In addition to this $42,117 was beal to the country for a renewal of public confidence. The history of these four years as regards national progress is, beyond all doubt, the most gratifying and the most remarkable in the annals of our common country. As regards the Province cf Nova Scotia, it is found during the McKenzie rlffime that every concession asked for by this Province, no matter how neeessary or how reasonable, was rudely and peremptorily refused. Within the past foui years, and eBpeciaily during the last se.ssion, a different state of things has been exi)erienced. Our coal industry has been largely developed by a moderate and judicious protection. The Pictou and Windsor Branch Railways have been surrendered to the Province to aid in further railway extension. The Intercolonial, at great exi.ense, has been extended to what is called the Deep Water Terminus An Elevator is being built at Halifax at the cost of the Domin- ion Government. A large subsidy has been offered towards the construc- tion of a Dry Dock at Halifax. $150,000 a year, for twenty-five years, is to l)e given for what is known as the Chignecto Ship Railway. A subsidy of $224,000 has been granted to the Gulf Shore Railway ; and $150,000 a year for all time to come in aid of the Fishery interest of the Maritime Provinces. Again, the Provincial Government within three jcath, by judicioua and careful management, have rescued the Province financially from ■a^MM U the condition of virtual bankruptcy in which they found it, and placed it on a sound and satisfactory basis. Under their rule the revenue from the Mines Department has more thiin doubled. The revenue from the Crown Land Department has almost quadrupled. The expense of running the different Services has been very greatly reduced. The extortionate charges connected with Public Printing, which were a scandal to tiie Province, have been put an end to. The Service called " Sf)ecial," which was a nest of jobbery and corruption, they liave extinguished. Under their management the revenue year by year has increased and is increasing. Their legislation during the past four sessions has been marked by wisdom, j)rudence and energy. The counties, by the County Incor- poration Act, now manage their local business. Acts for the better regiilation of Mines, for the management of our Railways, of Crown Lands, for the encouragement of Agriculture, the improvement of Education, and many other departments and subjects too numerous to mention, have been carried into effect. Their past record speaks for itself. It is a record of steady ])rogress and improvement in every Service of which tliey have had the control. They have redeemed the Province from the verge of bankruptcy — have brought expenditure within income, while maintaining eihciency in every department. They may ap[)eal, therefore, with just confidence to the constituencies of the Province for a renewal of that support which was so generously extended to them in 1878. It will be their object to continue to advance the best interests of the Province, to protect its rights, and promote its various industries to their best ability. Their opponents have nothing to present or promise, but taunts and sneers. Their past history is their strongest condemnation, while the present Government base their claims upon the support and confidence of the jiublic, not upon what they i)romise, so nnich as upon what they liave done, and point to the present condition of the Province and its kx>al revenues as contrasted with what it was in 1878, as their stronge.st claim to a sup- port and confidence which they are convinced will be as warmly and fully extended as it was when they were placed in power four yeai*3 ago. Supi)ose for a moment that the so-called Liberal Local Government had succeeileil in obtaining a renewal of ])ower for an additional four years in 18.8 — that the wasteful exj)enditure of the preceding four 15 years had been continued, as it probably would, what position, as regards credit or solvency, would this Province occupy to-day 1 The revenue in four years had fallen away from |758,502 in 1874, to less than $500,000 in 1878. In the Financial Returns of 1878, it is true, the income for that year is given as $775,275 ; but to make up this sum the $100,000 of overdrawn subsidy is included — the Windsor and Annapolis Indemnity Account, the Normal School S[)ecial Account, the money for Old Stores, the money taken from the Debt Account for Cape Breton Roads, Railway Advances, and other sums, which were not revenue at all — amounting altogether to nearly $300,000 — so that the actual income was, as has been stated, less than |5U0,000. There would thus have been an annual deficiency of some $250,000 per annum for four years, so that the Provincial indebtedness, irrespective of railway liabilities, would have been to-day, in all likelihood, in the neighbourhood of a million and a half of dollars. By the Treasurer's account at the end of 1881 the amount due by the Province, exclusive of unpaid Railway Subsidies, (a legacy of the preceding Government) was only $300,275, and $242,901 of that liability is due to Debt Account at Ottawa, which is in reality the Province's own money. Such is the record which the Liberal-Conservative Government has to place before the people of this Province. By the exercise of care and skill and prudence, they have recovered in four years nearly all the ground lost by their opponents. They have maintained efficiently the Services of the country. They have placed the Crown Land Department on a sound and profitable basis. They have more than doubled the income, while they have greatly reduced the expenditure, connected with the Mines Department. They have given self-govern- ment to the Municipalities. By their railway policy they have completed an agreement with a Syndicate Company which will give nearly 200 additional miles of railway accommodation to tlie Province, not only without any charge upon the Provincial che.st, but on terms which will add to the annual revenue $67,500, which will be a great boon to the Road and Bridge Service. By means of the Funding Bill, had they succeeded in carrying it they would have been in a position to meet all the liabilities of the Province as they existed at the end of 1878, including unpaid railway subsidies, at an annual saving in interest of about $8,000, as under the provisions of the jiroposed Bill the money when needed could have been obtained at 5 per cent , as compared to 7 per cent, in the form of mm>m 26 temporary loans from Banks, while if not needed it could not be bor. rowed or taken for any other purpose. In 1878 the direct indebtedness of the Province was $350,000, for tnbney borrowed or debts incurred. The unpaid subsidies on the Nictaux & Atlantic and the Eastern Ex- itension Railways amounted, at the same period, to $538,362, making a total of §8^3 362, for which by legal enactment the Piovince was liable, and from which it could not and cannot escape. Prudence and patriotism said, " Let these engagements made by our opponents disastrous as they are, be me' t least at as small a cost to the Province as possible ;" but the spirit of faction cried out, " No matter what the cost, let us thwart the Govemment," and, with the Legislative Council as its instrument, it unfortunately succeeded ! This latter body, inde- pendent of the loss and inconvenience it has caused the Pi-ovince by its obstructive ])olicy, has cost, during the i>ast four years, for its iin. necessary maintenance, sonic $60,001). This large amount the present Liberal-Conservative Govemment made strenuous and repeated efforts to save, so that it might be applied to our road knd bridge service, but ■were thwarted and defeated in their object by the organized opposition of that party, by which they are now and have all along )>een opposed. Carrying such credentials as the above in their hands, they can appeal for a continuance of the confidence and support of their country- men, with a lull conviction that in the best interests of the country their past conduct and policy will be endorsed by the electors of this Province sustaining them at the polls with the same triumphant results as distinguished the appeal made to them in September, 1878, when their verdict swept out of political existence a policy and a Government that had brought this Province and tlie whole Dominion to the verge of bankruptcy, and had paralysed every industry througliout the length and breadth of it. Let every elector, thereibre, who remembers the stagnation and depression which pervaded every department of industry during the dark period of 1874-78, as contrasted with the progress and prosperity which have charactei ized tlie past four years of Lil)eral-Conservative rule, give his sui>port, his energy, and influence in favor of a party whose continu- ance in power means a continuous and progressive increase of the present prosperity of the country. i a Bii i i i .r iiiiii mHmf wm. ■i""n 27 APPEISTDIX. An Act Respecting Bridges. ■ v'^^/T" '' '" ^'"''"'^'^'> ^^"^ ^^^ ^"g" Bridges on the Highways of Nova Scoti» should be constructed of permanent material, as far as possible ; but the funds which are annually appropriated by the Legislature for the Road and Bndge Service are foun: to be inadequate for the reconstruction of such Bridges, or even for their efficient repair from time to time, Be it enacted by the Governor, Council, and Awembly as follows :_ 1. The Lieutenant-Govemor-in-Council is hereby authorised, at any time after the passing of this Act, or from time to time as may appear best, to issue debentures in such form a^ he may approve, bearing interest at a rate not exceeding six per centum i^er annum, and expressed to be for the Bridge Service of Nova Scotia The said debentures shaU not exceed the total amount in the Schedule hereto annexed. 2. The interest on the debentures so to be issued shall be payable half-yearly and the principal thereof shall be payable by such annual instalments as shall enable the whole to be paid within twenty years 'rom the date of issue of the said debentures. 3. The moneys to be realized from the sale of said debentures shall be placed to the credit of the several counties of the Province, according to Schedule A to this Act, and an account shall be kept with each county of the amounts which may from time to time be paid out of such fund for such county • and each county shall be credited half-yearly with the interest at five per centum on the amounts in said Schedule remaining undrawn, excepting as to the County of Invem. ss, which, by reason of past advances, shall be entitled to receive no allowance of interest ; and except, also, as to the County of Cape Breton, which shall not be allowed any interest in respect of Two Thousand Dollars of the amount set opposite to the name of the county in the said Schedule. 4. The moneys anpropriated to the several counties in Schedule A, together with the interest which shall accrue thereon until the same shall be drawn, shall be applied exclusively to the construction of such bridges within the said counties respectively, as cost for their construction in permanent material (such a.s stone and uon) upwards of one thousand dollars, and to such repairs as are lH;reby hereinafter fcuthorized. 28 5. Each and every of the requisites hereinafter mentioned shall be compliej with before any of the moneys borrowed under the authority of this Act shall be drawn ftom the Provincial Treasury. (a. ) There shall be a report from the Provincial Engineer, recommending thg construction of the bridge, and showing whether the public interests will be best conserved by the structure being erected in whole or in part of stone, concrete, iron or wood. (b.) Such report shall be approved by the Govemor-in-Council. (c.) The b-.idge shall have been constructed according to plans and specifications approved by the Provincial Engineer, and by the Lieutenant-Governor-in-Council. (d. ) The due completion, in whole or in part, of the work, and the fact that the contractor is entitled to the payment sought, shall be certified by the Warden of the Municipality, and by the Provincial Engineer. (e.) All the payment sought shall have the sanction of the Lieutenant-Governor- in-Council. 6. All works undertaken under the authority of this Act, or for which payment is sought, shall be constructed and performed under tender or contract, unless a dififcrent mode is lecommended by the Warden of the Municipality in which the work is to be done, and by the Provincial Engineer, and such recommendation is approved by the Lieutenant-Goveruor-in-Council. 7. No part of the moneys borrowed under the authority of this Act shall be expended in repairs unless, in the opinion of the Warden and the Provincial Engineer, such repairs would be more advantageous to the public interests than the rebuilding of the bridge, and such expenditure to be subjtet to the approval of the Governor-in-Council. No repairs or renewals of the wooden stringers and planking of roadway shall be paid for under the provisions of this Act ; and no repairs shall be undertaken under the provisions of this Act unless the expense of such repairs will probably exceed seven hundred dollars, as ascertained by tender and contract, or by the estimate of the Provincial Engineer. 8. All works carried on under the authority of this Act shall be performed urder the supervision of a competent inspector, who shall be appointed by the Provincial Engineer, but the wages of such inspector shall be paid by tiie contractor at a rate to be fixed in the contract, and such inspector may be removed from time to time by the Provincial Engineer, and another inspector or other inspector* may be appointed in place of the one so removed. All ap^wiutraents of Inspectors shall l)e subject to the approval of the Lieuteuant-Goveinor-in-Council. 9. Wlien the plans and specifications of any works to be performed under the authority of tliis Act have been prepared and approved, the advertising for tenders and awarding of contrncts shall be in the hands of the Municipal Councils and their officers, but tjie tenders shall be received by the I'roviucial Engineer, and all warn 29 contracts shall be subject to the approval of the Provincial Engineer before any works sliall be psrfomicd thereunder. 11. The interest which shall be payable by each of the several counties of this Province shall be deducted from the Road and Bridge Service Grant, made to such county by the Legislature, and theie shall annaally be paid out of the general revenues of the Province such suras as may be necessary to discharge and redeem the principal sum represented by the debentures which may be issued under thia Act, according to the provisions of section second of this Act. 12. The amounts borrowed shall not be a charge on the counties when the debentures are i)aid, and each county shall be credited with its share of the sinking fund from year to yeir. 13. When there are two Municipalities in the same county, the proportion of money and interest to be received an 1 paid by each shall, in case of disagreement between the Councils of such Muaicipalities, be ascertained by two arbitrators, on« to be appointed by each Council ; and in case of disagreement between the arbitra- tors, by an umpire to be appointed by the Govemor-in-Council, and in case of failure of either Council to appoint an arbitrator, the Governor-in-Council shall make the appointment. SCHEDULE A. Annapolis | 20,588.26 Antigonish 18,419.74 Cape Breton 12,460.08 Colchester 24,000.00 Cumberland , 21,723.77 Digby 17,349.16 Guysborough 15,972.29 Halifax 18,331.11 Hants 21,542.17 Inverness ■ 12,000.00 Kings 19,338.38 Lunenburg 22,926.93 Pictou 28,030.80 Queens 19,400.00 Richmond -O.IUO.OO Shelburne 20, 100.00 Victoria 18,719,04 Yarmouth 20, 100 oo $-346, 101. r6 so THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The following extract from the Toronto Globe — the leading Grit joiirnal of tli Eominion — is a complete endorsation of the course which has bttn followed by the present Government in their endeavors to bring about the abolition or extinction of the above body. This mode has beeij adopted by them as a dernier resort irrespective of the direct effoi-ts which have been persistently made by Memorial and otherwise to the Impeiittl md Dominion Governments, efforts, however which, instead o( being supported by the Grit party, have been opposed and thwai-tej in every possible way : — The best method for abolishing the Legislative Council. Toronto Globe, March 28, 1891. "The Bill to abolish the Legislative Council was thrown out by " that body, though it was a government measure. The Government, " if it is sincere in its wish to effect the projwsed change, can set about " the accomplishment of that end by nominating to the Upper House, " as vacancies occur, only members who are favoi-able to its abolition. " It may take time to bring about the desired retrenchment in this " way, but, supplemented by awakening public opinion, the plan has " the merit of being a sure one." «>»|^i*wiw*-'-»n»m-v^r-=»--w«sr>%-^fr-'' I l> - -— I 'V" < . . I i|