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MR. BURPEE (St. John) said that | port of New Campbellton, to a way so far they knew of no correspondence office, and the reduction of the salary whatever with regard to the removal of the postmaster; also a statement of the custom-house, and, before the shewing the amount of postage stamps notice of motion was made, they had disposed of by the several post and no idea that it had been removed. way offices during the year 1876 and They had since telegraphed to the the year 1877, in the county of Collector at Campbellton, who had Victoria, Nova Scotia. He said the replied that no change had taken Government had spoken of the number place. of way offices they had made into post-offices, but in this case they had

MR. CAMPBELL said he held in his hand Government papers, stating dis-reduced the post-office to a way office.

tinctly that it had been removed, but, as they were marked "private," he did not care to lay them before the House. If the custom-house had been removed without the knowledge of the Collector of Customs, perhaps he would have it carried back to its original position.

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MR. DOMVILLE said the hon. the member for Victoria (Mr. Campbell) had the correspondence in his hand, but because it was marked " private he had some delicacy in reading it. If the Government were anxious to have it read it could be read, but perhaps it would not suit their views. He did not know how they could say there was no correspondence on the subject.

MR. MCDONALD (Cape Breton) said he would ask the hon. the Minister of Customs, whether he meant to say that there was no custom-house at Boularderie, and that there was one at Campbellton?

SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD said the motion would have this good effect, that it would give the necessary information to the Minister of Customs, who was not able to answer a question on the paper-and the only one, in fact-respecting his own Depart

ment.

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General of the injustice done to CampHe had complained to the Postmasterbellton by the alteration, and he had admitted that it was a mistake and should be corrected. He found, however, that the postmaster at Campbellton had had his salary reduced from $40 to $22, while from the PostmasterGeneral's returns it appeared that Campbellton post-office stood second in the county in regard to the amount of its revenue. He found, also, that wherever there was a Grit postmaster he received four times as much salary for less work. He thought this should be explained.

SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD:

Everybody understands it.

MR. CAMPBELL said that at the next post-office the postmaster received a salary of $87, and the next $87.53, the next $80 odd, and so on, while Campbellton, which would compare favourably with any of them in point of revenue, only paid its postmaster $22. It was not as if the man had started at that salary, but the very fact of reducing it looked so glaring. Motion agreed to.

MAIL SERVICE IN COUNTIES OF LEVIS

AND DORCHESTER

MOTION FOR RETURN.

MR. ROULEAU moved for copies. of all tenders fyled for the carrying of the mail from the parish of St. Henri, county of Levis, to the parish of St. Isidore, county of Dorchester; of all correspondence in relation to the said tenders and of the contract awarded to Mr. Collet, of the parish of St. Henri, for the carrying of the mail from the said parish of St. Henri to the parish of St. Isidore.

Motion agreed to.

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MR. DECOSMOS moved for a return containing a complete copy of the

IMPORTATIONS OF HORSES, CATTLE, report of the Inspector of Fisheries

AND SHEEP.

MOTION FOR STATEMENT.

MR. HIGINBOTHAM moved for a statement of the number and value of all horses, horned cattle and sheep imported into the Dominion from the first day of February, 1877, to the first day of February, 1878; also number and value exported during same period.

MR. LITTLE said he had understood that the hon. member intended, to embrace in his motion what he himself desired, in addition to the above motion. He wished to include information respecting all the live stock imported into, and exported from, the Dominion of Canada, so far as regarded our trade relations with Great Britain, her other colonies, and the United States, together with the value of the same, and the duties collected on each from the 1st of January, 1877, to the 1st of January, 1878.

for British Columbia for 1877, with a
statement of the expenditure connected
therewith. He said he wished to draw
the attention of the Government to the

fact that, as yet, no report had been
placed before the House respecting
the fisheries of British Columbia,
and more particularly
its salmon
as regarded

fisheries. Last year, according to the returns laid before the House, there was about $70,000 worth of salmon shipped; and this year the increase in the salmon industry had been so great that nearly $400,000 worth of these fish had been exported from this Province. During the year 1878 it was expected that fully $1,000,000 worth of salmon, pickled and canned, but mainly canned would be sent out of the Province; and it was evident that an export of such great value as this was entitled to the consideration of the House and of the Government. He hoped, when the return was brought down,

OBSERVANCE OF THE LORD'S DAY.

RESOLUTION PROPOSED.

MR. CHRISTIE moved :

"That the interests of public morality and the physical well-being of all classes of the community alike, render it desirable and necessary, that there should be a strict and uniform observance of the Lord's Day on all the public works which are under the control of the Dominion Government; that, in the opinion of this House, there should be an entire closing and cessation of labour on all canals, railways and other public works which are under the control of the Dominion Government, during the twenty-four hours comprehending the Lord's Day, save and except only such services as may be of absolute and unavoidable necessity."

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the members for British Columbia | Argenteuil, that I lay my last, my would be able to offer to the hon. the dying request upon him to place my resolutions Minister of Marine and Fisheries usesabbath observance ful suggestions with regard to pro- before the House of Commons during viding certain rules and regulations the last Session of the present ParHe need not state that he which were absolutely necessary, in liament.” order to promote this industry, as well considered this very solemn and very as preserve the fish. And when the re- touching message a solemn legacy of port came down, all those who were duty which he hoped the House would interested in this fishery, and in that now aid him in carrying out to a sucwestern Province, would have an oppor- cessful issue. In moving these resotunity of reading what the Inspector lutions, he did not ask for the introhad been doing in this particular. duction of any new principle in our legislation, but simply for the extension of one which was now recognized and acted upon. They all knew that it was the avowed policy of the present Administration to secure the observance of the sabbath, and to reduce the amount of service performed on that day in all departments to a minimum; but, notwithstanding all that had been done in this regard, it was still a painful fact that there still existed a very considerable amount of Sunday labor on the canals and railways, and in other department. On our canals, they found that great diversity of practice existed as regarded their closing on Sunday. Our largest and most important ones, the Welland, Lachine and Cornwall Canals, were closed during the whole day, whereas the series of canal locks, known as the Carillon and Grenville locks, were only closed during a portion of the day, from seven in the morning to seven in the evening, while the St. Anne's and St. Ours locks were open during the whole day. Many of his constituents had long complained of the desecration of the sabbath which took place in this connection, and they had repeatedly petitioned the House to close these canals on Sunday; but, despite all these remonstrances, the evil complained of was still continued, and still exercised a most demoralizing effect, familiarizing the mind of the public with Sunday labour and disturbing the peace and quiet of the inhabitants along this great highway of navigation. Now, he thought it could not be urged that any real necessity existed why these canals should be kept open during any portion of the Lord's day. The goods that passed through them then were not generally of a perishable nature; and not the slightest dif

He said that he did not intend to occupy the time of the House at any length; that the resolutions spoke for themselves. For many years he had taken a deep interest in the question of sabbath observance. He believed it was very closely connected with the prosperity and the well-being of the country; and he felt it his duty not to allow the present Session to pass without bringing this question up to the consideration of the House. He, perhaps, ought to state that these resolutions were first submitted two years ago by the late Mr. Gordon, then member for North Ontario. It would be remembered how ably and how earnestly that gentleman had advocated the cause of sabbath observance on that occasion; and a few weeks later, when he felt that his work was done, and that the hand of death was laid upon him, on the very morning he died, he called his daughter to his bedside, and sent him (Mr. Christie) this message: "Tell Dr. Christie, the member for

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ficulty would be experienced in passing all goods and the crafts through them during the six days of the week. And the experience which they had already had on the canals that had been so closed, he thought, had abundantly established the fact that the adoption of this course would not involve any serious inconvenience to the public or any loss to the trade and commerce of the country; but, on the contrary, that it would have the most most beneficial result, both as regarded the prosperity and the morality of the people. He was aware it was urged in this House two years ago, when these resolutions were up before the House of Commons, that this would be inconvenient and that it would afford boatmen an opportunity of visiting taverns along the shore; but he was convinced that this view was entirely fallacious, and that these fears were quite groundless. To his mind, this pretension was not borne out by the experience of those who had resided in the vicinity of the canals that had been closed, and, in his opinion, it was perfectly monstrous to suppose that the temperance and morality of the boatmen could ever be promoted by robbing them of their sabbath and depriving them of all the benefits of religious instruction, or that the interests of morality would ever be advanced by the open and unnecessary violation of any of God's commands. His contention was this: that, as our largest and most important canals had been so closed with most beneficial results, the regulations should be more uniform and he extended to every canal and lock throughout the Dominion. Perhaps he might remind the House that, ten years ago, in May, 1868, a resolution of this House was adopted ordering these very canals to be closed on Sunday; but, in order to meet the views of some of the forwarders, the Administration of the day appeared to have compromised the matter and closed them only during a portion of the day. He trusted that the House would not go back on its own record, and would see to it that this resolution was carried out, and that these canals and every canal and lock throughout the Dominion was closed. There was some diversity of practice too,

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in this respect, in the Post-Office Department. In the Province of Ontario, and thoughout the whole Dominion, the Province of Quebec excepted, the postmasters were permitted to close their offices to the public during the Lord's day, but, in the Province of Quebec, the postmasters were required to keep their offices open, at least during one hour on that day, either before or after divine service, as might be most convenient to the public. He knew, as a matter of fact, that, in some sections of the Province of Quebec, the post-offices were then closed, because the public sentiment would not tolerate any other course ; but, in other places, where the public sentiment was divided on this point, the postmasters were kept in a state of anxiety lest they should be compelled, under this regulation, to open their offices, and be forced to do violence to their consciences, or to resign their postmasterships in consequence of such order. They looked to the House for relief, and requested that the regulations should be made uniform, and that they should have the privilege of the whole sabbath, as well as the rest of the Dominion. If no inconvenience had been felt in Ontario, none should be felt in the Province of Quebec, and he ventured to express the hope that hon. gentlemen from that Province would aid him in this matter. It was not a party question, but was one on which all parties and creeds might unite to secure the better observance of the sabbath, and the great boon of the whole sabbath to the postmasters in the Province of Quebec. He was happy to congratulate the Administration on having stopped the running of mail trains on the Intercolonial railway on Sundays. That was a step in the right direction, and would meet the approval of the country. He would not now speak of the desecration of the sabbath which took place in connection with our railways. The hon. gentle

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SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD :

Special trains?

out that a great deal of sabbath labour | subject, and he was glad to know that was carried on in this Chamber and in the Government had listened to the these buildings, and that, if they expressions of opinion which had favoured sabbath reform on canals and been presented to them and had given public works, they should look nearer an order, so far as the management of home. He (Mr. Christie) quite agreed the Intercolonial Railway was conwith that hon. gentleman. He did not cerned-the only one in the Province speak from personal knowledge or over which they had any control-that from his own observation, for he had the sabbath traffic should be reduced not had occasion to visit this Chamber to a minimum. He read the order during the Lord's day, but, if it was which had been issued to stop the true that the library and the reading running of freight or special trains room and post-office were open during the sabbath, and that the employés of the House were deprived of the day's rest which God had given them, and from attending divine worship, he thought it was an abuse which should be corrected. He would not speak of the divine obligation which rested upon them of keeping the sabbath, because he believed that was fully recognized by the House; nor was it necessary to prove that the sabbath was necessary for the welfare of mankind; that it was no arbitary institution, but one designed for man's benefit, in accord and harmony with his being.

It was his full belief that the man who

observed the Sabbath would not only enjoy a greater measure of health, but would obtain a greater degree of prosperity and happiness, than he who disregarded it. What was true of the individual, was equally true of the State. He expressed the earnest hope that hon. members would give this question their serious consideration and support, and that the Government would carry out the reforms to which he had so briefly and imperfectly allud

ed.

MR. GOUDGE, in rising to second the resolution, said he did not propose to enter into the the merits of this question, because he believed it was conceded on all hands that the Lord's day should, as far as possible, be separated from work in connection. with the public Departments. His principal object in rising was to speak with reference to the management of the railways in the Province of Nova Scotia, and to express what he believed to be the public opinion with reference to the running of sabbath trains within that Province. The different religious bodies had, he believed, memorialized the Government on that

MR. GOUDGE said yes, special cases of special trains, except in He congratulated the emergency. Government and the country on the fact that the train carrying the mails from Canada to be placed on board the mail ship at Halifax did not now run on Sunday, and that the mails were despatched on Saturday instead. While he, and he believed the people of Nova Scotia, had very strong views on this subject, he was glad to believe that the Government had, as far as it was in power, at least upon the Intercolonial, lately endeavoured to reduce the sabbath traffic upon the road; and would be continued. he hoped their efforts in that direction would be continued.

their

MR. MCKAY (Colchester) said he was very much pleased to learn that the Government had stopped the Sunday mail train. He knew it was very difficult to put a stop to it; but, reasonable while there might be a excuse for the termination of that train at Halifax on Sunday morning, he objected to the running of freight trains on Sunday. He lived near a very important station on the Intercolonial Railway, and he knew that a great many freight trains ran Sunday. It had been news to him to receive a reply to a memorial, similar to that referred to by the hon. member for Hants (Mr. Goudge), stating that orders had been given to stop freight and special trains, because he knew that freight and special trains continually ran.

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MR. MACKENZIE said he was obliged to the hon. member for Colchester (Mr. McKay) for the information he had given. He was not aware of any freight trains passing over the

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