The item was passed.

Several items under the heading of Militia were taken up and passed without discussion.

In this connection Mr. Schultz desired to say that the reduction of the forces in Manitoba had deprived very many worthy officers of their occupations. Most of these gentlemen had faithfully served the Dominion for six years, and he desired to know whether the Government intended to grant them six months additional pay, as in the case of the officers affected by the last reduction of the force.

Hon. Mr. VAIL replied that the Government would be disposed to take the same favourable view, and would, probably, grant them six months' additional pay.

The House adjourned at Two'o'oleck.

of the following words :-" The creditors may, in case in their opinion the remuneration of the assignee, under the preceeding part of this section, is inadequate, at any meeting called for the purpose, fix such additional remuneration, to be paid out of the estate to the assignee, as they shall think reasonable.”

Mr. BARTHE thought that the Official Assignees, since they were appointed by the Government should be paid by the Government; and hoped that the Minister of Justice would consider this matter during recess.

Mr. MACDONALD (Toronto) trusted that the entire clause would be allowed to stand over until next Session. The remuneration in question should not be made so great as to be burdensome for the creditors. It might be, under the provision suggested, that there might be twelve creditors, one or two of whom represented half the estate in value, yet their wishes with regard to expense might be over ruled by the minority, who would feel it less. He would prefer a fixed scale, according to which the assignee might demand remuneration of right.

Mr. YOUNG heartily approved of the clause, as in the country, under the present system, it was generally felt that assignees were not sufficiently paid for their services. The increase of 2 per cent. to the 5 per cent. proposed was desirable.

Hon. Mr. BLAKE explained that the vote in this relation would be given not according to numbers, but according to the value represented; if these coincided, application was to be made to a Judge.

Mr. MACDONALD (Toronto) looked with great disfavour on appeals to Judges, as being extremely tedious. The law would be perfect in proportion as it was simple and speedy in its resulta.

Hon. Mr. BLAKE did not think that a satisfactory scale could be arranged.

Mr. WORKMAN approved of the amendment as a step in the right direction. direction. He was also pleased to ob

serve that an Inspector was to be ap- | pointed. He hoped that several of these officers would, next year, be appointed in the interest of the creditors. Mr. WOOD did not agree with this suggestion.

Mr. SMITH (Selkirk) complained

that the remuneration offered in

Winnipeg was too low to secure the services of good men.

Mr. YOUNG held that at least for the country districts, the remuneration in the creditors' interests should be fixed at 7 per cent.

Mr. MACDONALD (Toronto) urged that the discretionary was a dangerous power. During recess all these matters should receive most careful consideration, circulars should be sent to merchants and assignees, and all possible information in this connection obtained.

Mr. BARTHE maintained that the only true remedy for existing defects was to be obtained by repealing the

whole law.

The amendment being so altered as to leave the power in question discretionary, with the five per cent provision retained, the section was passed. The Bill was reported with amendments which were concurred in.

THE MILITIA.

The House went into Committee on Supply, Mr. Young in the Chair.

On item, $29,400 to defray salaries of military branch and district staff,

Mr. BOWELL said he was not a little gratified on reading the report of the Major-General dealing with this particular branch of the service. When the Bill was introduced in 1868, he (Mr. Bowell) took exception to the clause which provided for the appointment of so many staff officers, and moved several amendments which had the support of hon. gentlemen who now occupied the Treasury Benches. At that time he had declared that the staff was useless," for which he had brought down upon himself the condemnation of a former Adjutant-General, who went so far as to demand his (Mr. Bowell's) dismissal from the force for daring to give expression to such views in the House. He was the more

gratified, therefore, to find so eminent a soldier as the present Major-General, after a couple of years experience in Canada, using still stronger language in reference to this staff. Now,did it not prove that he (Mr. Bowell) was right? ernment found themselves in power He had hoped when the present Govthey would carry out their profesions when in Opposition, and reduce this useless and expensive staff. Every year the cost of it was increasing. At the present time, taking the staff in Ottawa and the outside staff, it cost the country nearly $100,000. In 1873-4 it amounted to $90,480; it was now $99,640, showing an increase of about $9,000, owing to the fact that there were two or three men to do the work of one in nearly every office. There was a reduction of half a million in the estimates for the militia this year; but it was not of a permanent character, being only in clothing, drill and other items which might be added The Major-General again next year. in his report of 1875 drew attention to the excess in the staff, to which he would draw the attention of the House. In his remarks respecting the staff the Major-General said:

"My subsequent experience in Canada has given me no reason to alter the opinions then ventured on. I shall very briefly recapitulate some points, viz: Restriction of District Staff appointments to 5 years, allowing re-appointment of officers of proved qualification.--Selection on account of professional qualification, apart from any claim on account of local connection or influence, Where the latter is applied, the best material is not always supplied, and the efficiency of the service suffers. wide sphere of Canada requiring intelligent, active, well-informed staff officers in

The

whom full professional reliance can be placed. Partial reduction of brigade staff,. Some of the districts are overstocked with staff, most of whom have almost a sinecure for three-fourths of the year. The distribution also is unequal.

"It is suggested that the brigade staff should be absorbed, as vacancies occur, leaving one Brigade Major to every 3,000 men of the quota on the active establishment of each Military District. The money thus saved might be devoted to purposes more advantageous to the force. It is proposed that no appointments to the staff, unless in case of re appointments, should be made without the officer having previously passed a qualifying examination and received a certificate of fitness from Head

Quarters. The above reduction would leave ample and to spare for general purposes, it would give those left a more active life, and impress them with more responsibility. would leave room for the temporary training of intelligent young officers, soldiers at heart, acting on the brigade staff at camps of exercise.

It

Some of the brigade staff have but slight qualification, and some are unsuited for the position Two of those could be immediately spared without being replaced."

ure.

This report was true to the letter. The Major-General also expressed the opinion that the men should be recruited from the rural districts, and added that the “decayed gentlemen" were a failThe battalions recruited from the rural districts were in ninety-nine cases out of a 100 the best soldiers that could be brought into the field. The late Government had been blamed for appointing a man who was between 60 and 70 years old, but he (Mr. Bowell) knew a case where a man between 60 and 70 was appointed a paymaster, although he had no claims for the position other than political, he never having been connected with the

volunteer force.

Hon. Mr. MACKENZIE-He marshalled his "columns" well.

Mr. BOWELL-Yes, he (the paymaster) had marshalled the columns of his newspaper so well in the interest of the Government that he received the appointment in preference to others who deserved the position better. It was that very policy which had been pursued, not only by this Government, but by the late one, that had done more injury to the force than anything else. It was downright injustice to those who had spent time and money in maintaining the dignity of their positions and keeping of the force to gether.

While he thought the claims and right of volunteer officers should not be overlooked in the distribution of these offices, he was not altogether in accord with the sentiments given expression to the other night by his hon. friend the member for Pontiac, that the office of Major-General should of necessity be filled by a Canadian born. He did not believe in the Canada First sentiments. Every Canadian was a British subject, and entitled to the privileges of the Empire whether in the army or navy. He was in favour of the appointment of a man who had served in the British regular army to the position of Major-General.

He was decidedly in favour of the appointment of a Canadian, if one could be found who had had the necessary experience

and obtained the rank required by statute to fill the office. He desired to know whether it was the intention of the Government to fill the vacancies which existed on the staff, and also desired information as to whether it was intended to retain the Deputy Adjutant General, or reduce the number of Brigade Majors. He thought it would add to the efficiency of the force to reduce this branch of the service. said

Hon. Mr. MACKENZIE that he might state at once that that the policy of the Government was to fill no vacancies occurring in the staff until it was reduced to almost one

half of its present proportions, and secondly that the positions vacant at Kingston for some months had not been filled, and it was not the intention of the Government to fill them. It was the intention of the Government to reduce the staff, and it was a matter of consideration in what way this should be done. They were undecided whether to wait for vacancies or reduce at once,

an

dis

which was always awkward thing to do, as they would have to dispense with officers who had been in the service for years, or introduce a measure making some allowance to those whose services were pensed with. They thought it well to take a vote this year without making any reduction, and reserve for early consideration the precise mode in which this reduction could be affected. That was the settled policy of the Government. With regard to the employment of Canadians in the higher offices of the militia, it was the intention of the Government when the Military School was introduced, as soon as that school furnished the material required to fill the staff vacancies, they should be furnished from that material. It was the intention of the Government, as the school was intended to furnish not merely a thorough military education, but also a thorough civil engineering education, that when there was a larger number of graduates than was required for the staff appointments, these officers should have priority to other departments of the Civil Service. intended to have a thoroughly trained body of gentlemen, thoroughly educated

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It was

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in the profession, and capable of doing field engineering either in fortifications or other works, so that at a moment's notice they might be called into active service if the events of the period called for action in the field by a trained body of officers. This of course would le a work of some years, but they desired to effect the changes as rapidly as they could, and at the same time deal consistently with the parties who had held these positions up to the present time. Perhaps eight or ten years might elapse before a sufficient number of men could be obtained to fill the vacancies. It was desirable that the offices in the various regiments of the force should be in the hands of those thoroughly trained for the work; and it was hoped that the military college would, in this way, exercise a beneficial influence in every department. impression was that in this way we might get a skeleton force. As far as the higher officers were concerned they would be selected from among the young men of the country who received a thorough training at the military schools. A skeleton organization of this kind would be more easily filled up after organszation with non-commissioned officers, and the rank and file which might be required for an emergency. The precise number of men that might be required, would be a matter they would reserve for future consideration, as it was a subject they were not prepared to speak on with positiveness at the at the present moment. The principal object the Government had kept in view was the obtaining of a thorough organization, so that they could officer the force in the best possible way, maintain it at the least possible expense and at the same time not have anything like a standing army, but to have the material from which a really efficient standing army might in a short time be put in the field. One of the great defects in the militia, developed by the Fenian raid, was that though the companies were officered by brave men, they had not sufficient military knowledge; and they did not understand field movements sufficiently, although they might understand ordinary battalion drill. He had no doubt |

that one fact caused what was very nearly a serious disaster, and which was a disaster when the Fenians crossed the Niagara at Buffalo. That would be prevented in the future, if once the scheme the Government had in view was put into practical effect. He was very glad to be able to frankly acknowledge that he had held the same views as the hon. member for Hastings, with regard to the number of officers on the staff, and the Government would endeavour to effect a reduction as speedily as possible

—in

in the first place, by not filling the vacancies, and possibly in the second place, by the removal of the least efficient members of the staff.

Mr. WRIGHT (Pontiac) said he did not wish to be misunderstood with re

spect to the remarks he had the honour of offering to the Committee, and which had been adverted to by the hon. member for Hastings. He did but he did take the position that Cananot take the position of Canada First, da should not be held continuously in the back ground. He did not consider that it was absolutely essential that the commanding officer of the militia of Canada should be a Canadian, but if a Canadian of the necessary rank could be found he should not be debarred from having the position. He was discrimination merely opposed to

against Canadians who had seen the the position of Chief of the Canadian necessary service to entitle them to

Militia Service.