would be within the recollection of the members of the House that at last session he had moved for correspondence of the same nature, believing that an important and large class of our people were suffering a grievance at the hands of the American Government, and hoping and expecting that our own Government would do what was proper to have the grievance removed. It would also be within the recollection of members that the Prime Minister at the time asked him to let the motion stand in the meantime, and that he would take steps to have the restrictions removed. There was then the prospect of the Reciprocity Treaty being negotiated, and he supposed that in that the whole difficulty would have been covered. Since the Reciprocity Treaty had not gone into operation, and since, so far, the restrictions complained of had not been removed, but, on the contrary, these troublesome rules had been enforced in regard to our Canadian commerce with all their former strictness, he considered the subject might very properly be brought before the House again. The history of this matter was a very brief but a very important one. In 1867 or 1868 the United States Government sent an officer up to Duncan City on the Straits of Mackinaw and compelled Canadian vessels to call at Duncan City to report, and get a clearance from the officer, before they were allowed to enter into Lake Michigan at all. This created a good deal of trouble and a good deal of expense. They lost from four to five hour's time. They did not care so much for the money they paid in the way of a tax, but they did care for the time, for time was money; and it frequently happened that if a vessel were bound to call at that place at night, in rough weather, they had to lie over until morning. He had known many instances in which they had to lie over for nearly twelve hours. There was no protection to the revenue of the United States given by this law, and he believed that it was enforced simply to keep before our eyes the fact that Lake Michigan was theirs, and that we must have their permission before we could enter. If they could save anything, or gain anything by compelling us to do these things, he would have less objections to them, but it could not possibly protect their revenue in any shape, because they had the same means

Mr. Norris.

He

of protection on Lake Michigan of searching our vessels and seeing that everything was as it ought to be. He did not know whether these obstructions could be removed, or whether the Government had taken any steps for their removal, but it was high time that every means should be taken to that end, and leave our commerce as free as possible. There was another matter of which he would speak. About 1867 the American Government imposed upon all Canadian vessels 30 cents per ton of a war tax, which of course went to swell their own revenue. We did not pay it before the war. did not wish to say anything in retaliation, but if it was proper for them to tax our vessels in this way, he thought it was but fair we should charge them something in retaliation. They collected this tax at every port in the United States where Canadian vessels entered, and on an average each vessel paid the amount of some one hundred dollars. He believed that the whole of the charges made upon our Canadian vessels in this way amounted to $30,000 or $40,000, annually, and yet we charged the Americans nothing for entering our ports, and navigating our canals except the ordinary bills and harbour dues, which were of course levied also upon Canadian vessels in the United States. The Government should communicate, if they had uot already done so, with the Government of the United States to see whether or not these restrictions could be removed. He might be wrong about this and perhaps the Government had done all they could. If they had not done anything no time should be lost. He was speaking now on behalf of a class of men second only in importance to the agriculturalists of the country-men who had done their fair proportion in the work of developing our resources and who should have the assistance of the Government in everything like this where it was necessary to deal with a foreign Government. did not put himself forward as a special representative of this class for he felt that he with his humble capacities could do them but small justice; but he thought it was his bounden duty to bring this matter before the Government and the House, and endeavour to have those restrictions removed as early as possible. hoped the Government had taken the

He

He

necessary steps and if they had not he trusted that not an hour would be lost till they had done so and that our commerce would be as free on Lake Michigan as the commerce of the American people was in Canadian waters.

Hon. Mr. MITCHELL suggested that the motion should be amended so as to include any correspondence which had passed on the subject between HER MAJESTY'S Government and the United States Government, because owing to our position as a colony any correspondence

on

a question of that character would be had between those Governments. The subject was one which had occupied his attention when Minister of Marine and Fisheries, for he felt that to compel vessels to call and report themselves at Duncan City was unparalleled in navigation. We do not require American vessels to call at any particular port to report themselves when they do not go there for the purposes of trade. The hon. member for Lincoln deserved the thanks of the commercial interests of the Lakes for bringing this subject before the House, and he hoped it would receive attention at the hands of the Government.

Mr. NORRIS said he had no objection to amending the motion as suggested.

Hon. Mr. MACKENZIE said the motion would do as it was drawn. It was quite understood that any information in the possession of the Government which it was proper to bring down would be submitted to the House, when a motion of that kind was passed, even if it was not technically correct. There was one point to which he asked the attention of the hon. member for Lincoln, and it was this: He seemed to think it was a hardship to impose tonnage dues of thirty cents on Canadian vessels. per ton But the hon. member must remember that this was a general tax, levied on all vessels trading in United States ports, whether Canadian or American, or belonging to any other country; and we had an undoubted right to impose dues of thirty cents per ton on United States vessels entering Canadian ports, but then we must impose the tax on Our Own vessels as well. There can be no discriminating charge against the United States or any other nation. It was complained that the Canadian trade had to pay this very heavy war tax, for it was levied first as a war tax during Mr. Norris.

the time of the Southern Rebellion : but ; there was no possible remedy except by representing and those representations, he believed, had been made that unequal burdens were imposed on Canadian commerce as compared with those we impose on the commerce of the United States. Everything the Government could do in the matter would be cheerfully done, but. that was a matter wholly beyond the region of complaint so long as they made no discrimination against our vessels.

All

Mr. McCALLUM said the present motion had become an annual one. those engaged in the Western carrying trade by the inland waters considered it an obnoxious regulation that the Americans should levy an embargo on our vessels before they enter Lake Michigan. This war tax of thirty cents per ton was very objectionable, and it had to be paid by a Canadian vessel if it made only one trip to an American port. When vessels went to American ports a charge of $2.50 for clearance, but when American vessels entered our ports the Government did nothing of that kind. In many places along the frontier our Custom House Officers had become so Americanized that the tug and vessel owners coming over from the United States would scarcely take the trouble of reporting and clearing. By this means, the Americans were enabled to deprive our vessel owners of some of the coasting trade which properly belonged to them. He trusted the Government, would give instructions to their Custom House Officers to enfore the present regulations in regard to reporting and clearing, and that the fees collected from American vessels for reporting and clearing should be increased.

Mr. WOOD said the subject had been brought before the National Board of Trade on two occasions, at New York and Chicago. When he brought the subject before the Board, when in session at Chicago, he was informed by American gentlemen from different parts of the Union that this complaint in regard to Canadian vessels being compelled to stop at Duncan City had only to be represented to the American Government and the cause of complaint would be removed. The matter had been brought before the attention of the Government by the member for Lincoln at the last session of Parliament, and therefore, if the Govern- ·

ment had not brought the subject before the attention of the United States authorities, they had not been attending to their duties. If the Government had brought it before the notice of the American Government, the evil would no doubt have been removed.

The motion was adopted.

THE GEORGIAN BAY BRANCH RAILROAD.

Hon. Mr. TUPPER moved an address to HIS EXCELLENCY the GOVERNOR GENERAL for a return of all tenders for the construction of the Georgian Bay Branch of the Canadian Pacific Railway, with Orders in Council, correspondence and all papers relating thereto. In making this motion he said he had intended to address the House upon this very important question on this motion, but after the statement made by the hon. leader of the Gov- | ernment that it was their intention to bring down these papers without delay, (and, he hoped, quite as fully as this motion covered) and as he desired to economise as much as possible the time of the House, he thought it would be better to defer his remarks until the House was in possession of the documents for which he moved.

The motion was carried.

THE LOAN OF 1874.

Hon. Mr. TUPPER moved an address to HIS EXCELLENCY the GOVERNOR GENERAL for copy of the prospectus and terms of the loan of 1874; the number and names of the parties or firms tendering; the names of the persons or firms to whom the loan was allotted, with the sums to each respectively.

Hon. Mr. CARTWRIGHT said he had do objection to the motion, but he might mention for the information of his hon. friend that though he gave verbal orders to some agents to furnish these particulars, he was afraid that the information desired had not yet arrived, but he hoped to be able to bring it down later in the session. The motion was carried.

THE CANADIAN FISHERIES.

Mr. MILLS moved for an address to HIS EXCELLENCY the GOVERNOR GENERAL for copies of all correspondence between the Government of Canada and the Government of Great Britain in reference to the monetary compensation to be paid

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by the United States to Canada, under the Treaty of Washington, for the liberty of fishing in Canadian waters; also, for any correspondence on the same subject between the Government of Great Britain and the United States, communicated to His ExCELLENCY for the information of the Canadian Government. He said this motion had reference to the fulfilment of certain conditions of the Washington Treaty. He had on former occasions expressed his opinion with regard to this provision, the time for the fulfilment of which had for some time past gone by. He did not regret that this delay had occurred in the fulfilment of those conditions relating to our fisheries. It was well known that before the Washington Treaty was negotiated, the Government of Canada sent one of its members to England for the purpose of discussing this matter with the Imperial Government, and having steps taken with a view to a settlement of the differences between this country and the United States, in reference to the limitary line which should be drawn around our coast. was well known that we had always contended that upon our maritime coasts, we have the same rights that belong to other countries under the well recognized principles of international law-that the limitary line of our coasts should not follow the sinuosities of the shore at a distance of three miles from it, but should be drawn across the bays and inlets from headland to headland. This view had been disputed by the Government of the United States and when the Government of Canada sought for negotiations between Great Britain and the United States in reference to this matter, it was for the purpose of settling this limitary line. It was rather remarkable that when the Washington Treaty came to be negotiated the protocols contained no reference whatever to the only dispute with regard to our fisheries that existed between the people of the United States and ourselves. Within that treaty there were certain provisions made that we should receive certain compensation for our fisheries in so far as they were of greater value than those of the United States, but there was no statement made in the treaty as to what were the fisheries for which we were to receive compensation, and it was impossible to look at the provisions of that treaty without coming to the conclusion that we were only to be