of a legal character was held in Toronto with the following present: Hon. J. D. Hazen of New Brunswick; Hon. F. L. Haszard of Prince Edward Island; Hon. Wallace Nesbitt, K.C., Counsel for Ontario and Manitoba; A. Geoffrion, K.C., Charles Lanctot, K.C., and E. Lafleur, K.C., representing Quebec-the last named also representing British Columbia; T. Colclough, K.C., representing Saskatchewan; Stuart Jenks, K.C., representing Alberta, besides Sir James Whitney and Hon. J. J. Foy, K.C., of Ontario. The questions before the Supreme Court were discussed and, informally, the matter of Provincial representation at Ottawa. It was decided to hold a more formal meeting shortly on the call of the Premiers of Ontario and Quebec.

Meantime, the long-standing question of reducing Provincial representation at Ottawa in accordance with the B. N. A. Act, and whenever Census returns showed a decrease in population, had become acute down by the sea. As the representation of all the Provinces increased or decreased in accordance with the growth of Quebec's population the probabilities were that the unit would be at least 30,000 in 1911 and this would again reduce the number of members from Ontario and the Maritime Provinces. Hence the opposition of the latter in particular-which stood to lose 4 or 5 seats. The question was discussed in Parliament on Jan. 31st with a Resolution presented by Mr. G. W. Kyte but without any adequate expression of opinion apart from the Maritime Provinces. Mr. Kyte simply affirmed that they should have preserved to them the representation in the Commons now enjoyed but this plea was amended by Mr. Warburton of Prince Edward Island who declared that the representation of the Provinces by the sea should be restored to what it was at the time of Confederation. Dr. Sproule supported the proposal and J. G. Turriff from the West vigorously opposed it; Mr. Pugsley described the B. N. A. Act as framed to meet such questions and said that the highest Courts in Canada and the Empire had interpreted its provisions; Sir W. Laurier said he could not see any injustice involved and described the only remedy as an unanimous request from the Provinces for a change. An agitation was kept up throughout the year. On Sept. 15 an informal and non-party Conference was held at St. John between the Hon. A. K. Maclean, Nova Scotia, Mr. Premier Hazen of New Brunswick, the Island Premier and others, with a view to united action in obtaining an amendment to the B. N. A. Act. The ensuing Provincial Conference of Dec. 9th at Ottawa turned largely upon this question. Sir J. P. Whitney presided and with Mr. Foy and Hon. J. S. Hendrie represented Ontario; Sir Lomer Gouin and Mr. Taschereau and Mr. Mackenzie the Quebec Government; Hon. A. K. Maclean represented Nova Scotia and Messrs. F. L. Haszard and James Warburton the Island Province; Hon. J. D. Hazen and IIon. J. K. Flemming represented New Brunswick; Messrs.

Rogers and Campbell represented Manitoba; Hon. Walter Scott represented both Saskatchewan and Alberta.

The meetings were private but it was understood that the Maritime Provinces argued (1) that at Confederation none of the Leaders anticipated a reduction in Maritime representation; (2) that Quebec as a unit of representation should be the Quebec of 1867, both geographically and according to population; (3) that the unexpected growth of the West was re-acting unfairly in this respect upon the Maritime Provinces and that any interpretation of the B. N. A. Act should apply to the four original Provinces, only, which made the "Canada" of that time. They asked that the B. N. A. Act be amended so that in future redistributions after each decennial Census their minimum representation should not go below what it was at Confederation or in 1910. Quebec was greatly interested in this question as its representation was stationary and its Government was disposed to go slowly in making any change; the West was not much concerned and British Columbia had obtained the desired point when it joined the Union. A formal statement was finally issued that it was "unanimously decided to postpone further consideration of the question to a future date to be decided upon." As to the Company and other matters before the Courts the proposal to go to the Privy Council was fully approved.

A question much discussed between the Provinces since 1896, when Dr. T. G. Roddick tried unsuccessfully to put a measure through the Commons, was that of Dominion Medical registration and uniform recognition of Medical degrees throughout Canada. Finally, after years of negotiation, a compromise Bill had been passed in 1902, incorporating the Medical Council of Canada and providing a working arrangement though it failed to cover the competent recognition of the degrees. During 1910 negotiations continued with the result that Dr. J. B. Black, M.P. for Hants, N.S., undertook to introduce a Bill after the opening of Parliament, in 1911, to amend the Act of 1902 and ensure the recognition of degrees by all the Provinces. British Columbia was the last of the Provinces to express objection. During this year the Pacific Province, through Hon. T. Taylor, its Minister of Public Works, sought the co-operation of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in the construction of a trans-Canadian trunk road from the Coast, over the Mountains and across the Prairies, to Winnipeg. Favourable replies were received from all three Provincial Premiers.

The question of Maritime inter-Provincial union came up occasionally. Mr. Premier Haszard of the Island Province declared (Dec. 12) in Toronto that it could not even be considered; the Toronto Globe of Oct. 13 claimed editorially that it was again an issue and sent a representative to study the matter; Bishop Worrell of Nova Scotia, on Oct. 28, urged it as very

desirable; it was informally suggested at the Conference in Ottawa as a possible means of obtaining stationary representation. A question carried to the Privy Council in this year was the issue between the Dominion and the Government of British Columbia as to the water-rights of the Province in the Dominionowned "Railway Belt"; another was the long-standing case of Alberta and Saskatchewan against the C. P. R.-an appeal for the right to impose taxes on the Railway lands less the 20 years' statutory exemption. The Provinces wanted the exemption to date from the time when the Railway might, but did not, assume possession of the lands; the Company contended that its exemption stood from the date when it assumed title.

The Fisheries Commission appointed by the Dominion Government on July 6 to investigate the Fisheries of Alberta and Saskatchewan and composed of E. E. Prince, B.A., Commissioner of Fisheries, Ottawa, T. H. McGuire, K.c., of Prince Albert and Euston Sisley, M.D., of Calgary, met at various points in Saskatchewan during September and in Alberta during October. On Aug. 5 it was announced that the Dominion Government proposed to establish a Dominion Fisheries Inspectorate with special reference to Ontario. In 1898 Provincial proprietary rights in the Fisheries had been declared by the Privy Council though the decision left the regulation of the Fisheries in Federal hands. At that time the Dominion had withdrawn its officers in favour of Provincial officers. An interesting point where the Provinces agreed with the Dominion instead of differing was on the subject of the Royal Technical Commission which is dealt with elsewhere. So is the Manitoba Boundary question which was discussed by the House of Commons on April 27.

A matter of co-operative action between the Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia was the Western Canada Irrigation Association which met for the 4th time in Convention at Kamloops, B.C., on Aug. 3-5. The chair was occupied by F. J. Fulton, K.C., President, and about 150 Delegates were present. Mr. McBride, Premier of British Columbia, spoke at length, eulogized Mr. Fulton's Water and Irrigation Act which he put through when Commissioner of Lands at Victoria and the great irrigation work of Mr. J. S. Dennis and the C.P.R. in Alberta. Mr. Fulton gave an elaborate analysis of the British Columbia Water Act and James White of Ottawa a notable description of Irrigation and water-powers conditions all over Canada. Other speakers were Hon. Duncan Marshall, Minister of Agriculture, Alberta, Martin Burrell, M.P., A. E. Meighen, M.P., A. E. Ashcroft, c.E., and others. William Pearce of Calgary was elected President, Hon. F. J. Fulton, K.C., of Kamloops Vice-President and R. R. Jamieson of Calgary 2nd Vice-President. J. T. Hall of Brandon was Permanent Secretary. Resolutions were passed as follows:

1. Urging the B. C. Government to amend its Water Act so as to permit of water which had been recorded and was appertenant to certain lands to be separated therefrom and amalgamated as a part of any general project.

2. Asking the Dominion and Provincial Governments to co-operate in a speedy settlement of water rights within the Railway Belt of B. C.

3. Urging the Governments of Canada and British Columbia to push forward the necessary investigation of sites suitable for storage purposes under their control and of acquisition in cases where such sites were not otherwise owned or controlled.

4. Declaring that no Irrigation or Power Company working under Dominion or Provincial authority should be allowed to increase rates without due notice to all concerned.

5. Requesting accurate Federal record of the rainfall in every District of Alberta and British Columbia.

6. Asking the B. C. Government to permit the exchange of rights in water and to take steps toward the better conservation and control of sources of supply in certain districts; and for assistance to municipalities through bond guarantees in districts where large tracts of land would otherwise remain unproductive.

No reference to Inter-Provincial affairs can be complete without mentioning the great combined interests of the Western Provinces. During 1910 an agreement was made between the retail lumber dealers of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta and the B. C. Lumber and Shingle Association, representing the Coast mills, and the Mountain Lumber Mills Association, representing the sawmills of the interior, by which the Prairie retailers were to no longer handle lumber originating in the United States. The farmers of the West, through their Provincial Associations, joined the Ontario organizations as the National Council of Agriculture; Telegraph rates in the West were stated before the Railway Commission in May to be from 60 to 200 per cent. higher than in the East for similar distances; the fixed charges for interest, etc., of the three Western Provinces was estimated at $10,000,000 in 1910 based upon mortgages of $60,934,849 held by Loan Companies, $10,000,000 by Private persons, $10,000,000 by Trust Companies, $40,000,000 in Municipal securities, and $30,000,000 of mortgages held by Insurance Companies; a Convention of farmers of Alberta and British Columbia meeting at Vancouver on Aug. 18 urged lower freight rates and a Standing Committee was appointed to look after better interchange of products; Mr. J. S. Willison of the Toronto News on his return from the West declared on Sept. 20 that all these Provinces wanted (1) a lower tariff on Agricultural machinery, (2) a public-owned Hudson's Bay Railway, (3) a chain of public-owned Grain Elevators and (4) Provincial-owned natural resources; 12 cities in 1910 spent $33,617,132 on new Buildings, the year's Immigration was estimated at 208,394 into the Prairie Provinces, with $326,000,000 in cash, the new railway mileage was stated at 1,057 and the total product of the farmers was estimated by the Winnipeg Free Press at $78,961,780.

Municipal

in Canada during the Year

During January, 1910, R C. Cochrane of Blanshard, Man., found it necessary to resign the PresiOrganizations dency of the Union of Canadian Municipalities and W. Sanford Evans, Mayor of Winnipeg, was appointed by the Executive to succeed him. At a meeting of this Committee on Feb. 15, at Ottawa, a Resolution was passed heartily endorsing the preamble and general principles of Mr. Mackenzie King's Anti-Combine measure but asking that, in order to secure continuity of action, a principle of the Bill should be fixity of the tribunal, to be established, in preference to temporary arbitrators.

In connection with the frequent requests to Parliament for Power-development rights and other rights of an international character and, in view of the aggressiveness of certain external interests, it was strongly urged that Dominion and Provincial Governments should control all such legislation with the greatest care and "safeguard all the rights, present and future, of the people of Canada in such enterprises (including public ownership and control of the natural sources of property); all rights and interests relating to navigation; all benefits derivable from development of our own resources within the Dominion; all requirements by our municipalities of the cheapest power, light and cost of living for the future, as well as the present; and to these ends that our large resources shall not be owned by private concerns, that they shall be exploited solely in and for the benefit of our own country; and that the fullest advantages as proprietors of them be obtained for the Canadian people for whom, as such proprietors, the different Governments hold them in trust." Another meeting of the Executive, with Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Fort William, Halifax, Victoria, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Calgary represented, was held at Ottawa on Mch. 8th and, in connection with the struggle of the Union against Parliamentary incorporation of the Hamilton, Waterloo and Guelph Railway, it was unanimously resolved that:

In order to avoid confusion of plans, of operations, and of different controls (Provincial, Federal and Civic) and to prevent injury to the local franchises; in view of the numerous enterprises contemplating works and railways underground, overhead, or on the surface, within the large cities; it is essential that all such be subject to a comprehensive plan for each city, approved by the City Council in each case; and that no railway or other corporation, not a through-steam or through-telegraph company, be granted any rights by Parliament within the limits of any city except the same be strictly subject to the consent of the municipality expressed by by-law; and that even through-steam railways or through-telegraph companies to which any such rights may be given in future be compelled to conform to such plan or approval by the city.

The Union of Canadian Municipalities met in its 10th annual Convention at Toronto on August 31st. Its objects were officially proclaimed as being the co-operation of Canadian municipalities