Hon. Mr. TUPPER doubted whether they had power to revve, and change a clause in an Act repealed by a preceding clause. Mr. MOSS said the clause might be more artistically prepared. important point, and the interests of the | pleted. It was therefore desirable to people were largely concerned in it; and if provide that anything going on should be care were not taken in connection with completed. this Bill people might be prevented ferrying across the river. There was doubt about the matter, but it was proper in such a case for the Local Legislature to pass the Act as well as the Dominion Parliament. He thought there was nothing to prevent that being done; and there The Clause B. was added to the 26th would be no harm done and they would be sure Clause of the Bill as follows:— "It shall to be right. There was another objection be lawful for the company, and they shall and a more material one,-that the Bill have the power to construct and complete passed was promoted by the hon. mem- any work hereinbefore mentioned as ber for Montreal Centre, while this authorized under any of the Acts hereby was promoted by the hon. member for repealed, which work has been constructed Joliette. or completed, and the time for the comHon. Mr. MACKENZIE thanked thepletion whereof was not elapsed before the hon. gentleman for his charitable construc- passing of this Act." tion, and suggested the committee should rise, report progress and ask leave to sit again, and in the meantime he would give his personal attention to the matter. The House went into Committee (Mr. HURTEAU in the chair), took a formal step, then rose, reported and asked leave to sit again. NORTHERN RAILWAY BILL. On motion of Mr. COCKBURN the House went into Committee on the Bill to consolidate the enactments relating to the Northern Railway Company of Canada, and to provide for the consolidation of the Loan capital of the Company, (as amended by Standing Committee on Railways, Canals and Telegraph Lines.) Mr. KIRK PATRICK. Hon. Mr. HOLTON called attention to a new clause, (Clause B.) inserted in the Bill, and which struck him as being a very important one if it were not objectionable in itself, which he did not know, though he considered it was objectionable in its form. The Bill repealed a great number of existing Acts of the old Parliament of Canada and of this Parliament as well as of the Ontario Legislature. In this new clause so much of the powers in the repealed Bills as had been unused were revived. It might be all right but he thought it required explanation from the promoters of the Bill. Mr. MOSS said the object of the clause was to prevent the clauses repealed from effecting any mischief to the company respecting certain things and works that were going on under those Acts and not com Mr. Palmer. The Bill was reported, read a third time and passed. MONTREAL, CHAMBLY AND SOREL RAILWAY. On motion of Mr. JETTE the Housewent into Committee of the Whole on the Bill for granting further powers to Montreal, Chambly and Sorel Railway Company, and to change its name, (as amendəd by Standing Committee on Railways, Canals and Telegraph Lines.) — Mr. YOUNG. The Bill was reported. CANADA CENTRAL RAILWAY. Bill respecting the Canada Central Railway passed through Committee of the Whole, was read a third time and passed. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. Mr. JONES (Halifax) desired to call the attention of the Government to the fact that the Act respecting Weights and Measures was going into operation next July. He had made a great many inquiries of members of this House and business people and found that this Act would cause very great and general inconvenience. It had been enacted without ever being asked for by any representative body of the commercial community or the public at large, and he found also that it would cause the greatest inconvenience in the collection of the revenue. It did not apply to the present tariff and would not suit the business community. community. If the hon. Minister of Finance would make up a calculation reducing the charge on wines and liquors of all kinds to the imperial measure, and apply the present rate, he would find it would give such fractions of duty as would be very inconvenient to the public at large. He asked the Government to seriously consider whether they should not allow this Act to stand over or repeal it for the present until such time as they could take the tariff into consideration and base it on the measure proposed by the Bill he referred to. It must be obvious that this was a retrograde step. Our largest transactions were with the West Indies, and our neighbors alongside us, where the wine measure was in use. We had made every effort to assimilate our trade customs with those of our neighbours across the border. We had assimilated our currency to theirs adopted the continental gauge for our railways, and now we were adopting a system of Weights and Measures which the old country would be glad to get rid of. We might as well return to the system of pounds, shillings and pence, or hundred weights, quarters and pounds. He would once more urge the Government to allow the matter to stand until the tariff was re-adjusted on a basis which would make it so that it could be calculated without the inconvenience of fractions. Hon. Mr. GEOFFRION said the law was passed about three years ago, and he did not see how the Government could suspend the operation of the law. It was imperative, and as soon as the standards were procured the Government issued the proclamation, six months after which the law was to go into force. Before this Government came into power the department had contracted for the making of the standards, and as soon as they were received, the proclamation was issued. The law would be in force on the 1st of July next. It had passed both branches of Parliament without opposition, and had never been petitioned against. Without an expression of the opinion of Parliament against it he did not see how the Government could repeal the law or suspend its operation. ing into operation. He paid some attention to public matters, and was not aware until a week before he came to Ottawa that there was such a law at all. If the public knew of its existence, they would flood this House with petitions against it. Mr. YOUNG was rather surprised that the hon. member for Cumberland, who was really responsible for the measure, had nothing to say in defence of his bantling. So far as the inspection of weights and measures was concerned, he (Mr. YOUNG) was quite convinced there was a necessity forthe law being enacted. He was quite certain there was a great difference in the weights used by retail dealers in the country. In many cases they were cheating the public inadvertantly, and in other cases cheating themselves. It was absolutely necessary there should be some system of inspection to do justice to both buyers and sellers, and similar inspection was required with regard to measures for liquids. He had not looked into the Bill so far as it related to the adoption of the Imperial gallon,though it seemed to him on the face of it that there were objections to that particular part of the Act. Hon. Mr. TUPPER said if he had not made any remarks on the subject, it was because there was nothing before the House. House. He looked upon such discussions as an abuse of the privilege of drawing attention to these matters when the Orders of the Day were called. When this measure was attacked on a proper occasion he was not at all backward in stating to the House that he held himself entirely responsible, as a member of the late Government for this legislation. No measure had ever been passed by this House upon more indisputable testimony of the strongest character showing its necessity. So strong was the testimony in its favor that. it passed the House unanimously, and he was glad to find that the present Government, in the discharge of the duty devolving upon them, had incurred all the expense of putting it into operation. They should take every means of notifying the public that the Act would go into oper Mr. JONES said the hon. Minister of Inland Revenue could not point to one petition for the Act, and it owed its existence to the fact that one energetic officer wanted to make some business for his de-ation next July. partment. The public were not aware that the law was on the Statute Book. There was not a hundred men outside of Mr. BROUSE brought to the notice of Parliament who knew the Act was com- the Government the following paragraph THE VETERANS OF 1812. Mr. Jones. The Bill was reported, read a third time and passed. RETURNS FROM RAILROAD COMPANIES. which he observed in a newspaper :-"A | cruelty to animals while in transit by shameful case of swindling is reported railway, or other means of conveyance, from Montreal. It seems that unprincip- within the Dominion of Canada. led scoundrels are buying up claims of the Veterans of 1812-15. In Montmorency several poor and ignorant men were induced to sell their claims for sums of from two to eight dollars." He desired that the Government should speak out on this matter and declare that they would not see old and infirm men, who were weak in mind, thus swindled out of their rights. Hon. Mr. VAIL said he had stated very explicitly on a former occasion that it was the intention of the Government, and he was sure it would be carried out, to place this money in the hands of those who were entitled to it and to no one else. He was very glad the hon. member had brought the matter up again, because it gave him an opportunity to repeat that the Government felt it their duty to see that in the distribution of this money it would go to nobody who was not formally authorized to receive it. If hon. members should learn, after returning to their homes, of any attempt being made to cheat the veterans out of their allowances, he hoped they would notify him in order that he might ensure the placing the money in the hands of the right parties. GAMING HOUSES. The Bill to suppress gaming houses and punish the keepers thereof was read a third time and passed. TRIALS OF FELONIES AND MISDEMEANORS IN On motion of Mr. MAC more On motion of Mr. IRVING, the House went into Committee-Mr. CHARLTON in the chair on the Bill to extend and amend the law requiring railroad companies to furnish returns of their capital traffic and working expenditure. The Bill was reported, read the third time and passed. INTEREST AND USURY IN NEW BRUNSWICK. On motion of Mr. PALMER, the House went into into Committee Mr. on the Bill relating BOWELL in the chairto interest and usury in the Province of New Brunswick. The Bill was reported, read a third time and passed. SUITS AGAINST THE CROWN. On motion of Mr. IRVING the House went into Committee-Mr.MACLENNAN in the chair the chair—on the Bill to provide for the institution of suits agrainst the Crown, by petition of right and respecting procedure in Crown suits. procedure in Crown suits. The Bill was reported as amended. CRIMINAL LAW AMENDMENT ACT. Mr. IRVING in moving the second reading of the Bill to repeal an Act to amend the Criminal Law relating to violence, threats and molestation, hoped the measure would receive the approbation of the Government. The Bill was one of great interest to a very large class of persons throughout the Dominion. The Act which the Bill proposed to repeal was generally known as the Criminal Law In 1872 that Act was Amendment Act. passed at a period of time when it was supposed very great benefits were conferred on working men by shielding them from those penalties, which it was supposed they might suffer by reason of entering into the combinations known as Trades' Unions. Trades' Unions were legalised in this country by the passing of an Act, copied from ANIMALS IN copied from the Imperial Parliament, which had legalised them in England. When that Act was passed in England legalising Trades' Unions, the Act now proposed to be repealed laid on working The amendments were read a second time, and the Bill was then read a third time and passed. PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS IN TRANSIT. On motion of Mr. CHARLTON, the House. went in Committee-Mr. IRVING in the chair on the Bill to prevent Mr. Brouse. men heavy liabilities, against which they hadsince had ground for serious complaint. In the last session of this Parliament a special committee was appointed for the consideration of that law. The committee reported, and, referring to the Act which the present Bill proposed to repeal, said: "It is nevertheless felt both in England "and Canada that the judicial construc“tion which has been placed upon the pro"visions of the Act differs from the impression which had been generally "formed of them, and such construction "has not operated as fairly to the working classes as the respective Legis"latures of the two countries intended in enacting them. And this committee is "of opinion that further and more remedial "legislation is required." The report further went on to say that as there was a Royal Commission pending in England to inquire into that subject, it recommended that at some future session a perfect measure should be framed, giving relief in that particular direction. The Royal Commission had reported in England, but no report had yet arrived in this country whereby its purport could be; but the report, as was plain from the public prints, was wholly unsatisfactory to the working classes, against whom special legislation, of which complaint had been made. Throughout Ontario, (he would confine his remarks to that Province, because he was not aware of what had been done in the other Provinces), in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton and St. Catharines public meetings had been held by working men in favor of his pro posed legislation, and praying for the repeal of the present Act. The law at present on the Statute Book provided that "whoever in pursuance of any unlawful combination or conspiracy to raise the rate of wages, or of any unlawful combination or conspiracy respecting any trade, business or manufacture, or respecting any person concerned or employed therein, unlawfully assaults any person, he shall be guilty of misdemeanor, and shall be liable to be imprisoned." When the objectionable Criminal Law Amendment Act was introduced into England, the clause he had read, which was also part of the English Law, was repealed, but when this Parliament introduced the Act three years ago, it did not repeal that law. Further, there was an enactment which applied in the Dominion but which did not Mr. Irving. apply in England at that period, viz, that "whoever in pursuance of any such com"bination or conspiracy uses any violence or threat of violence to any person, with a view to hinder him from working and "being employed at such trade, business, or manufacture is guilty of a misde"meanor." The working classes urge, and he thought correctly urge, that the Statute Law as it stood in 1872, and as it stands now, with the additional and offensive Act which was passed and known as the Criminal Law Amendment Act, was sufficient to punish and correct them for all conceivable offences in respect of which they might be guilty, as working men. He agreed with them, and thought it was unfair to working men that they should be specially legislated upon. The effect had been found to be very odious to them. For instance, if under the law, as it is now found to exist, any workman or any servant chose to unlawfully leave his employment the offence was punishable summarily before a magistrate; but if two men agreed to leave the same employment then under that odious Criminal Law Amendment Act, it became a conspiracy, and the offence for which a man was liable under the original law to one or two months' imprisonment, by reason of two men taking offence at the employment they became liable to be imprisoned two years in the penitentiary. The question had engaged the attention of the Imperial Parliament, but all the efforts that had been made on behalf of the working men had, hitherto, been futile. The working men of Canada thought they should not be placed in an analogous position to the working men in England. They believed they should not be legislated against by any tyranical class, and they trusted to the good sense of this Legislature not to allow this session to pass without extending to them a remedial measure. He sincerely hoped that a Reform Government would not disregard so reasonable and proper an application. He therefore moved that the Bill be read a second time. Mr. MOSS seconded the motion, and in doing so said his hon. friend from Hamilton had, he thought, fairly and temperately stated the case the case on behalf of the working men. The working men felt that they had a grievance which must be removed in some manner. The history of the case could be briefly stated. As the bered that this Act was passed contemporlaw stood before 1872, working men who aneously with the Trades' Union Act, engaged in a combination for the purpose and with the ostensible purpose of preof exercising an influence upon the rate of venting that Act from being worked miswages were liable to be indicted for con- chievously. This was the object which spiracy. Various prosecutions of extreme the powerful employers in England hardship had taken place while that state had in their view when they inof the law existed. The working men re- duced the Legislature to pass the Act. monstrated vigorously against this injus- While they were compelled, in obedience tice, and so manifest was the injustice of to the will of the people, to accede to the their case, that the Government of the legalising of Trades' Unions-while they day, in England, introduced a Bill which were compelled to permit working men removed the obnoxious obnoxious interpretation to unite in a peaceful manner for the prowhich had been placed upon the law regard- motion of their own interests-they sucing conspiracy, and enabled the working ceeded in passing this severe measure, men to combine lawfully for certain pur- with the purpose and the knowledge that poses beneficial to themselves, and not its presence on the Statute Book would injurious to society. But to that law was prevent the Trades' Union Act from being annexed an Act of which that on our of any benefit to the working men. The Statute Book was a transcript, and now practical result had been that the Criminal formed that part of our law which his Law Amendment Act had never been inhon. friend desired to repeal. The Trades vokedexcept when a difficulty occurred beUnion Act undoubtedly conferred a great | tween employer and employed. Whenever boon upon working men. It liberated working men believed that they were not them from the operation of the severe receiving justice at the hands of their emconstruction which the courts had placed ployers, and when they took the steps upon the law of conspiracy; but the which they considered necessary to remedy Criminal Law Amendment Act subjected that injustice and assert their rights, them to provisions of an extremely string- when they brought into action the maent character. In one breath the Legisla- chinery which the Trades' Union Act perture gave them rights and struck a blow mitted them lawfully to create, and which at their liberties. It might be said in a it was intended to enable them to employ, general way that the statute under con- the provisions of this harsh and stringent sideration dealt with three classes of offen- Criminal Law Amendment Act were inces-assaults, threats, and a nondescript voked againt them. It was true that the species, which the Legislature had not de- report of the Committee of this House, to fined, and which he would not attempt to which his hon. friend had referred, stated define. He preferred that hon. members that no serious case of hardship was found should hear the very words of the statute in this country under the Act. That was in order to understand what the clause in accounted for by the fact that employers question actually involved. The statute in this country had not been, generally, enacted that every person who used vio- willing to enforce its harsh and stringent lence to any person or property; who provisions against those whom they emthreatened or intimidated any person in ployed; nevertheless the Act stood upon such a manner as would justify a Justice our Statute Book, and it continued to stand of the Peace on complaint made, to bind there with all its odious provisions, so unover the person threatening or intimidat- just to the working men, and so calculated ing to keep the peace; or who molested to destroy the rights they had been led to or obstructed any person with a view to expect under the Trades' Union Act. It coerce in certain directions, left exceeding was naturally viewed by them as a standly indefinite, would be liable to imprison- ing menace and insult. He asked the ment, with or without hard labor, for House to consider the exceptional nature three months. It then proceeded to de- of its provisions. The first part of the scribe, still as he thought too indefinitely, statute provided for cases of mere assault what conduct on the part of those to and injury to property. It further penalwhom the statute was intended to apply |ized in a special way unknown to the should be deemed as constituting molesta-general tions or obstructions. It must be remem-violence, Mr. Moss. law. The úse of any used |