The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

What the People‘s Representatives Are Doing at Tomnto The establishment of the Labour Bureau cost $1,387. PETITIONS HANDED IN. Alarge number of petitions were handed in. Among these were the (allowing :â€" From Oxford and Lainbton County Councils. asking- filmtt the Public when] leaving examinations be given a permanent and distinct place in the Public school system or the province. THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS. According to the Public Accounts :he total receipts of the province in [900 were $4,192,940.18, while the ex- penditure was $4,003,729.37, showing the Government to have been $189,211 within the income. The balance at the end of 1899 was $374,796. From the Crown lands was derived the most money, $1,430,166 coming in from that source. The amount received from the Dominion on the subsidy and special grant was $1,196,872, and the interest on debts due to the province by the Federal Government and in- terest on investments reached 3:181,- As a. result of the war in South Africa, the province expended $18,532. Ten thousand of this went to the Canadian Patriotic Fund and the re- mainder to the salaries of civil serâ€" vants who went to Africa and the de- coration of the buildings upon the soldiers’ return. An extra. $500 was given to the Red Cross fund. The province had to pay $4,245 for the Finance Commission, B. E. “"nlker, Dr. John Ruskin and Angus Kirk- land each receiving a. thousand dol- lama. 923. Some of the amounts received from. other sources were;â€"Licenses, $354,045; law stamps. 1555.410; Algoma taxes. $2,596; Educational Depart- ment, $76,889; fisheries. $35,443; re- venue from companies, $429,774; suc- cession duties. $226,676; casual re- venue, $106,072; from public institu- tions. $85,203, and $58,656 in open ac- counts. The Department of Agriculture gave $74,199 to district societies, $22,- 086 in special grants to associations. and $10,322 to Farmers’ Institutes. The fight against the San Jose Scale cost $7,111 and the experimental fruit stations $2,847. Salaries at the Agricultural College aggregated $24,- 131, and the expenses, $7,242. Gratuities amounting to the sum of $10,155 were paid during the year. The arbitration between Ontario and Quebec cost $10,256 during the past twelve months. For the maintenance of public inâ€" stitutions, $828,201 was” expended; $758,466 for education, $162,861 for Crown Lands changes, $427,854 for Ad- ministration of Justice, $165,347 for Civic Government, $184,898 for hospi- tal and public charities. CORPORATION TAXES. Under the revenue act of a year ago these sums: were paid into the provincial coffers by the concerns named; Life and Fire Insurance Com- panies, $86,525; Banks, $41,268; Trust Companies, $3,985; Loan Companies, 026. 361; Railway Companies. 333.095; Street Railway Companies, $7,088, in- cluding $4,748 from the Toronto Rail- way Company; Express Companies, $5,066; Sleeping and Parlour Car Com- panies, $959; Natural Gas Companies, $10,559; Telegraph Companies, $1,242; Gas and Electric Light Companies, 57,283; Telephone Companies, $5.012, Some paid in 1899, bringing the amount up at $229,774. For colonization roads the sum bf $133,926 was spent, and $9,919 was used to build mining roads. COST OF FORESTS. Forrest ranging and inspection of timber limits cost the province the sum of $29,292, and fire rangers’ sal- aries reached $26,985. It took 619,â€" 200 to run the School of Mining at Kingston for the year. During the past year 812,687 was paid to the Hamilton Blast Furnace Company as a bounty on ore yield- ing 12,687 tons of pig iron. ’ (I‘he expenses of elections and elecâ€" tion trials are given as $14,194. Inspection and enforcement of the game 13.st of the province got away with the sum of $7,465. There was paid $1,170 as the bounty on wolves. The most of running the Fishery Depart- ment was $28,612. Alganqu‘m National Park claimed $6,944 of the Govern- ment’s money, and Rondeau Pro- vincial Park, $1,563. In the immigration account the name of D. Bole, of West Elg'm fame, appears for $57, as arrears of salary to Sept. 27th, 1899. Sending representatives and ex- hibits to the Paris Exposition cost $8,445. ONTARIO LEGISLATURE. This question was asked by Mr. .\V.hiltney. In reply the Premier said the Government had under consider- ation an increase in the representa- tion of the districts named, but whether abill to that effect would be introduced this session or not had not been passed upon. These districts lrepresented more than one~half the area of the province, and were settled in many portions to a much larger ex- tent than when aredistribtution bill was last before the House. In jus- tice to these settlers, they should have increased representations. The Gov- ernment hoped to dol it before Parlia- ment expired. {FOSTER HOMES FOR CHILDREN. The report of the superintendent of Neglected and Dependent Children, gives a complete account of the work 'by the various Children’s Aid Societies. Good work has been car- ried on in finding foster homes for the homeless ones. A careful record is kept, of such children, and they are regularly visited and looked after, no matter where their homes may be. During the past year homes have been found for two hundred and forty- seven children, and there are now over 13 hundred wards of the de- partment. Many of the boys and girls so provided for are under six years of age, and situations have been provided for older children, of whom no record is kepu The childw ren’s visitor is Mrs. Harvie, and Mrs. Wm. O‘Connor has recently been ad- up of 622 boys and 431 girls, the aver-I and visiting Catholic children. ' ENGLlSLâ€"i IMMIGRATION. In the report on the industrial schools it is stated that there are at present 140 boys in the Victoria Inâ€" dustrial school, 48 boys in the St John school, and 30 girls in the Alex- andra school. The total number of English children placed out last year in Ontario by the eight agencies en- gaged in this work was 1.053, made up of 622 boys and 431 girls, theaverâ€" age age of the children being about 12 years. This department of the work is Well looked after under re, cent legislation, and very few com- plaints have been received during the past year. From the townships of North Dum- fries, Blenheim, London, Gavan. Thorah, Innlsf-il, and Hamilton, asking that no change be made by which County Councils will be enabled to assume control of townsth roads without the assent of local municipali- From Welland County Councils ask- ing Lhat grand juries be not summoned untn 10 days before the sfiting ofthe court, and then only when cases were known to be ready for the grand jury. From Welland County Council. ask- ing that the game laws be amended to coincide with those of New York State, respecting the shooting of Kaween, Sheldrake, and Whistler ducks. From the town ‘of Shelburne. asking that any municipality be al- lowed to adopt proportional representation in the election of alderman and councillors; also some plan in the election of mayor and reeve which would give an abso- lute majority at one balloting. "Is it the irtsntion of the Govern- ment to introduce, during this aes- aion, legislation to increase the repre- sentation in this House of East A1- goma, West Algoma, and Nipisaing,or to change the present representation of either of said districts. If not, is it the intention of the Government to do so before the next general election?" Finn several municipalities, asking tha: pexacns soliciting orders from home to house be made to pay a license. ties. Many of the Burghers Were Killed and Wounded. A despatch from Pretoria, says :â€" Gen. Bubiugtou, who has been operat- hug from Ventersdorp, in the South- ern Transvaal, has captured a small Boer comrmndo near Naupoort, prob- ably a town of that name in the Transvaal, not the one in Cape Colony. The Boers made a stubborn fight. and a number were killed and wounded be10re they surrendered. Topeka, Kansas, Feb. 17.â€"At six o'clock this even-Lug Mrs. Nation, fol- lowed by 500 men and women, raided and completely demolished one un- licensed saloon and destroyed a lot of saloon furniture stored in a cold storage plant, into \i/hieh they had broken. During the day Airs. Nation was arrested three different tunes” on charges preferred by the proprietor of the cold storage plant. She was reâ€" leased each time. Benmlluhml nu Unlicensed Snloun and llnrroom Fun-ullurv. BOER COMMANDO CAPTURED MRS. NATION‘S CAMPAIGN. MORE MEMBERS Mr. Henderson was told by Mr. Patâ€" iexrson that the number of bushels of lIn-dian corn meo‘rted into Canada from the United States was ;â€"Year } ending June 30th, 1899, for distillation, £810,096 bushels ;. value, $278,113. Not lelsewhere specified, 13,342,817 bush- iels; value, $8,996,896 In 1900, fort Idistillatio-n, 607,544 bushels; value, 1$;01,515; not elsewhere specified, 17,- £502,639 bushels; value, $6,961,970. The iexports of Indian corn from Canada were in 1899, 16,009,847 bushels; mlue, 3$6,363,683. In 1900, 11,758,882 bushels; gvuluc, $4,757,595. QUESTIONS AND ANS\VERS. Mr. Bennett was informed by Mr. Paterson that during the season of navigation of 1900 grain was received by water as follows at the following ports :â€"Midland, 10,211,841 bushels; Owen Sound, 1,189,816; Parry SoundI 13,392,327 ; Collingwood, 450,782; Goder- ich, 1,666,330; Sarnia, 3,957,079. Mr. Blair, rep‘lyingl to Mr. Monk, said that as soon as the Government had learned through the newspapers that the Grand Trunk railway and the Dominion Steamship Company might make Portland their shipping port to the exclusion of Montreal. cor- rmspondence was entered into by the Guvumment with bothxompinles. This Mr. Clarke was informed by Dr. Bor- den that no deduction has been made from the pay of any of the men of "C" Battery who served in South Africa. Mr. Lariviere was told by Mr. Sif- ton that it was not the intention of the Government to have afll the unsurâ€" Veyed public land in the south-eastern portion of the Province of Manitoba sub-divided during the coming season. Mr. Sifton said it would be impossible to accomplish and) atthg, but every effort would be made to have sub-di- vided such land as was required for settlement. Dr. Borden, replying to a question by m. Puttee regarding the Valleyâ€" field strike last fall, said that the Mayor of the town of Valleyfield made a requisition for troops under the offi- cer commanding military district No. Mr. Hendersom was told the total amount of duty collected on tobacco for the year ending June 30, 1900, was; Inland revenue, $3,281,639.48; Customs $140,946,117; of these sums, the amount due to the additional duty imposed in the session of 1900 was: Inland rev- enue, $971,977.60; Customs, $20,017.58. 5. The Militia Department was not consulted, nor was it necessary to con- sult the department before calling but troops. So far as known at headâ€" quarters none of the men were seri- ously injured in the riot. I’l‘he military operations were carried on at the ex- pense of the Town Council of Valâ€" leyfield, and the department (1in not knorv whether the accounts had been settled or not. ~Mr. McGowan was told by Mr. Fisher that some representation had been made to the Government re- garding the unreliable and injurious effects of Him tuberculin test usezl on cattle imported imto Canada at the quarantine station. The Govern- ment had the matter under consideraâ€" tion. Mr. Lariviere enquired :â€""\Vill the few Indians remaining on the Rosseau River reserve in Manitoba. be soon removed to some more convenient and profitable place for them, and will the land now mostly unoccupied by them be open to settlement?” M1. Kemp was (informed by Sim Wil- irbd LaurLcr that the correspondence regarding the discrimination against Canadian products by Germany could not be brought down at present. Mr. Wilson was innfou‘mpd by Mr. Siiton that during the calendar year 1900 the immigrants to Canada. num- bered 44,697. They were dimmed as fol- lows; United States. 15.500; English and \Velsh, 8,104; Scotch, 1,412; Irish 763; Galicians, 6.593; Germans, 705; French Canadians, 2,380; French and Belgians, 483; miscellaneous. 8,676. Sim \Vilfrid Laurier told Mr. La~ Sim \V'rlfrid Laurie!- told Mr. Laâ€" eriere that correspondence was now going on in reference to the transfer to the Manitoba Government of school lands and funds: already ac- cumulated from sales thereof. It would not be advisable, therefore. to bring this correspondence down just co r- Sp nience was still going on, and to disclose it at present would be pre- mature. Mr. Siftuin replied that the Indians referred to could not be removed withâ€" out their own cocnseut, because the [and had been reserved to them by treaty. no \\' DOMINION PARLIAMENT. otes of the Proceedings in the Canadian House of Commons. Mr. Mchrmick was told by Sir Wil- {nid Liuncr than it is not. the inten- tion of the Government to issue scrip for land to the officers, non-commis- sioned officers, and men from Canada who served the Empire in South Af- Mr. Mulock, replying to a question by sir Hibbcrl Tapper, said that Mr. Ogilvie hiid not been recalled or dis- missed from his position in the Yukon district, and that no official communi- cation had been sent or received re- specting his continuance in office or his retirement therefrom. Mr. MacLeod was: told by MT. Mmé k that the Indians of Rama toixnship. Ontario, like all other Indi- ans in the Dominion, are exempt from Wynne. of municipal taxes on lands within the “serve. ’l‘hey perform statute labour on. the roads abutting, as well as those running through the reserve. This reserve comprises 2,880 acres. The quastiona of assisting the while settlers (vf Rana. township in the maintenance of roads and bridges in the municipality is under considera- tion. The amount standing to the credit of the Indians of this reserve in the department is $52,485,45. In reply to Mr. Bennett, Mr. Sifton stated that 24,3('5,585 feet of sawlogs had been cut‘ on Indian reserves in On- tario last season. rica Horn. Mr. Borden informed Mr. In- gram that it was not proposed to in- tertere with the traditions and cus- toms of the British army in respect to tho, burial in South Africa of Cana- dian soldiers who‘ lost their lives there. In most cases the graves have been appropriately marked. TO ESTABLISH A MINT. The Government will introduce a measure this session, so Hon. Mr. Fielding announces, for the establish- ment of amint in Canada. There is at present no provision for the calling in of mutilated coins, which are not legal tender. Those who deface them are liable to imprisonment. PAID W'I'L‘H INTEREST. The $96,400 loaned by the Govern- ment to the Mennonites who settled in Manitoba has all been repaid. with interest at 4 per cent. A Colesberg despatch sayszâ€"Pluâ€" mer's culumn engaged De Wet between Colesberg and Philipstown, Feb. lb, and gradually pushed back the B-MEI‘S, The British had a battery of field arâ€" tillery, and the Bioers o-ne fifteen- pounder. The shrapnel burs't splenâ€" didly. Ten of the British were woundâ€" ed during the many hours’ fighting. An occasional dead Boer was found. All the males at Grasfontein have been arrested. There is plenty of evidence that they were assisting the Boers. De Wet Loses Part: of His Ammuni- tion Train. ‘A Cape Town despatch sayszâ€"Gen. De \Vet is rapidly demanding into the Cape Cclomy to the south-west. He has crossed the railroad above De Aar, exploding twu culverts, He has 1,200 men and several' guns. Colonels Pluâ€" mer, Henniker and Crabbe, with sep- arate columns, are pursuing him. [[t is reported that Co]. Plumer has captured a great part of De \Vet’s ammunition train. Boers Burned the Waggons and Captured 40 Yeomam’y. A despatch from Cape Town, says;â€" Forty Yeomanry. who were escorting a convoy near Wil‘lowmore, about 125 miles from Port Elizabeth, and the same distance from Mossel bay, were surprised by a body of Boer invaders, who captured the Yeomanry and burned the waggons. The men were released 20 miles away and allowed to return to Willowmore. RURAL POSTAL DELIVERY. The subject of rural postal delivery is engaging the attention of the deâ€" partment, Hon. Mr. Muloc-k informed Mr. Brock. INVITATION TO AUSTRALIA. The acceptance by Sir \Vilfrid Laur- ier of the invitation; of the Premier of Australia to attend the opening of the first Parliament of the Common- wealth by the Duke of York, will deâ€" pend upon the length of the present session of the Canadian Parliament. During a fourâ€"days‘ fight he cap- tured :1 Maxim gun. Loss of Life anxl Destrucllon or Properly In Austrulla A; despatch flour Melbourne says ;â€" Great bush fires, the result of the continued drought, are raging throughout Victoria. There has been some loss of life, and immense de- struction of farms and stock. BRITISH CONVOY TAKEN. BUSH FIRES STILL RAGING. IMPORTANT CAPTURE. De Wet Said to be In a. Bad Pre- dieament. A despatch from. London. Monday, says:â€"Accordilng to some of the British correspondents in South Afri- ca. Gen. De \Vcii’s invasion of the Cape Colony has landed him. in a bad pre- dicament. They represent him as having lost nearfil all his ammuni- tion, and as having been turned into a district already denuded of horses and supplies. One Cape Town cor- respondent. says he learns that the Boer leader is again surrounded, and adds that news of the highest limi- portance is confidently expected at any moment. The correspondents have been so long accustomed to Sti’ac‘ncena‘s Own Presented With medals by His Majesty. Adcspatch from Landon, says:â€" King Edward, accompanied by Queen Alexandra, on l’riday morning in- spected at Buckingham Palace 350 o-ffineeus and man of S.trafilb.3ona‘sHorse. His Majesty presented the regiment with the King’s color and gave medals to the men. A detach- ment of Guards held the lawn of the west terrace, and the Canadians were drawn up in fronL of the terrace. The compiny present included Lard Roberts, in full unifurm; General Bul- ler, the Duke of Cunninght, Mr. Jo- seph Chamberlain, the Secretary of State for the Colonies; Lord Strath- cona and Mount Royal who organized Strathcona’s Horse, and many army and Court officers. Ll‘he' prrisbners captured by Col. Crabbe are represented as having been in the most deplorable condition. Many «of them were ragged and without Shh-es. writing in this manner that perhaps their action has ‘become mechanical. The most that can be said is that Gen. De VVelt has had what is pro- bably the hardest kmoxck he has yet received. Nevertheless. he is still at The Royal standard was hoistea over the palace as the King,! wearing a Field Marshal’s uniform, And the Queen, in deep mcuming, appeared on Lhe terrace accompanied by the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, Princess Charles of Denmark, and the Duke of Cambridge. The color was borne to the regip menL, the band playing “God Save the King." Afterwards the Canadians marched pant, and the King, accom- panied by Lord Strathcona, advanced and addressed the troopers. Startling Statement .lhdc by the Analyst at Liverpool. ' A despatoh from London says:â€"Dr. Campbell Brown. the city analyst. testifying at a. beerâ€"poisoning inquest at Liverpool to-day, estimated, from samples examined, that the_averag¢ weekly consumption of beer in Liver- pool in summer the would contain three hundred pounds of arsenic. au- augh to kill a. million people, if ad- ministered in equal doses and at om} time. Gran. De Wet. according to the cor- respondents, is obliged frequently to rets'OIrt to force tn keep hIiIS men in hand. Many have deserted since they crossed the Orange river. Hie horses are ex-haueted and underfed. in is reported from trustworthy sources that when entering the Cape Colony he forbade looting. Neverthe- less, the Dutch farmers are said to be receiving him umwillingiy. main- taining that his coming means their ruin. There is increasing evidence that the csmmandoes in the Colony are hastening to join him. One corres- pmdent says thaft the disposition of the British forces will prevent this. His Majesty shook hands with Lord Roberts and General Buller, and Uni band of the Coldmream Guards played "God Save the King." After three cheers for the King the officers were presented to His Maje‘ sly, who shook hands with and thank- ed each of them. Liberty REVEEWED BY 'iHE KING. Colon-e1 Samuel 13. Steele of Strath- cana’s Horse was presented to King Edward, who proceeded to inspect the 1' eglmre n L. Returnimg to the terrace the King handed a medal to Colonel Steele. 'l‘hen the officers and men filed past a Luble, Lhe King presenting each 0! them with a medal. The King‘s color was brought by an cscorL of Grenadier Guards to the foot of the steps, and His Majesty present- ed in [0 the Canadian caval‘rygmen, saying LL had been the intention of his mother to present: it to the regi~ menm, and that he now did so In her name and in his own. AGAIN SURROUNDED. ARSENIC IN BEER.