July 14.-It is announced that the Government will again offer for sale the right to cut pulp-wood in the area tributary to the Nipegon River a section of Northern Ontario covering hundreds of square miles subject to the condition of sale, which prohibits the exportation of either pulp-wood or wood-pulp itself, and makes it obligatory upon the lessee to spend half a million of dollars erecting and equipping a paper mill. Aug. 1. Dr. W. A. Young, in the Canadian Journal of Medicine and Surgery, charges the Council of the Ontariò College of Physicians and Surgeons with "graft" in accepting larger travelling expenses, fees, etc., than they were entitled to, and demands an audit, public finuancial statement, changes in the rules, etc. A violent controversy is precipitated and lasts for some months. Aug. 11.-A Committee on Good Roads representing Toronto and York County meets and approves of 1114 miles of roadway which they state should be immediately improved at a cost of $670,500, the expense to be divided equally between the Provincial Government, the City and the County. Sept. 13.-A Special Committee of the Oxford County Council appointed to examine charges of “graft" in connection with the purchase of toll roads in the County reports the existence of corruption and fraud over a period of ten years. The County Council at once asks the Provincial Government to appoint a Royal Commission of Inquiry, which is done. Nov. 1.-Sir James Whitney writes a sarcastic reply to the Montreal Herald's inquiry as to how Electors should vote in Arthabaska: "One would have thought your anxiety would have been rather how the Liberals are likely to vote on the occasion referred to. The Conservatives of Arthabaska have not asked my advice, and I am not in the habit of tendering it unasked." Nov. 13.-The appointment is gazetted by the Government of Ontario of a large number of King's Counsel. Dec. 1. The Hon. I. B. Lucas, Minister without Portfolio, speaks strongly at Berlin in favour of Government ownership of Telephones: 'As to the future there seem to be only three courses open: (1) Dominion Government ownership and operation; (2) Dominion legislation giving Provincial rights to expropriate existing lines and put responsibility for action up to the different Provinces; (3) Muddle through along present lines, and do our part to stir up and bring public opinion to the point that the Government must act." Dec. 16.-The 1st meeting of the new Ontario Parole Board, composed of Mr. Justice J. V. Teetzel, D. M. McIntyre, K.C., of Kingston, Noel Marshall, Daniel Miller and Hamilton Cassels, K.C., of Toronto, T. H. Preston of Brantford, and Colonel A. H. Macdonald of Guelph, is held at Guelph and Judge Teetzel elected Chairman. Dec. 31. The following were the Presidents elected during the year in some Provincial organizations: Ontario Library Association. A. W. Cameron, B.A. Woodstock. cians, and Surgeons...... Dr. J. Lane.. Mallorytown. .. Collingwood. Provincial Appointments of the Year. Position Police Magistrate of Algoma. Governor of Toronto General Hospital. Mining Recorder of Sudbury. Deputy Minister of Public Works. Registrar County of Ontario. Police Magistrate of Rainy River Police Magistrate of Ingersoll Police Magistrate of Oakville Police Magistrate of Picton Police Magistrate of Paris Master-in-Ordinary, Supreme Court of Ontario. Police Magistrate of Athens Police Magistrate of Arnprior Police Magistrate of Cobourg Police Magistrate at Thessalon Local Master, Supreme Court, Chatham. Registrar of Frontenac County. Police Magistrate of Walkerton. Sheriff of Bruce County. Police Magistrate at Algonquin Park The French and Other Name. P. H. Drayton, K.C. C. A. Campbell. John L. Paterson. Levi Williams. William Patterson. George 0. Alcorn, K.C. Daniel G. MacMartin. John Gibson. Henry M. Lancaster. During this year circumstances brought an old and troublesome problem again to the front. As far back as 1851, when there were very few FrenchCanadians in the Province, references can be found. to the teaching of French in Ontario Public Schools; in 1868 a list of French text-books was authorized by the Ontario Government; in 1885 orders were issued by the Educational Department that the English language must be taught in all the schools though French and German were also permitted; in 1889 official returns showed 111 schools in which French was taught; in the same year a special Bi-lingual Commission was appointed and reported many unqualified teachers and much religion taught in the so-called French schools of Essex and other Counties. In 1910 it was rather suddenly realized that there were 200,000 French-Canadians in the Province-110 per cent. increase in 30 years-who were said by friends of Bi-lingual schools to control a number of constituencies. How far this general assertion was a fact is doubtful, but it was made much of in a sensational way. On Jan. 18-20 a French-Canadian Congress representing all parts of Ontario and attended by nearly 1,000 Delegates was held at Ottawa with Judge A. Constantineau of L'Orignal in the chair. It had been in process of evolution for months and amongst the Honorary members of the Committee were a number of Roman Catholic clergy, Senator N. A. Belcourt, and Hon. J. O. Reaume of the Ontario Government. At the official reception to the Con gress it was stated that French-Canadians in the Province believed that the time had come for them to meet for consultation and for adoption and formulation of certain modifications in the School Law of Ontario. Senator Belcourt presented a strong argument based upon the differences in ideal, religion, temperament and race between French and English Canadians and added: The French-Canadians of Ontario are grateful for what has been done, but they require more; they want the explicit and official recognition of the Bi-lingual school or class and that they be supplied with the means and placed in a position to secure an effective teaching of both languages in the different courses both as to scholastic education and pedagogic training.. The French-Canadians of Ontario have been given to understand that all requests and all proposed modifications coming from the French-speaking minority and being the expression of a general desire on their part and calculated to improve and spread education and teaching amongst them, will be considered and studied carefully and sympathetically by the Educational authorities. Sir Wilfrid Laurier followed and declared that "English is the language of business, French is that of the heart." He congratulated the Congress on its desire to promote the education of their children. In Ontario they should seek to maintain the work and the character of the Bi-lingual schools. The Hon. F. Cochrane, for the Ontario Government, stated that he had assisted to establish the first Bi-lingual school in Northern Ontario. The business meetings of the Congress went further. It was pointed out that 20 years ago they had one French-Canadian Senator from Ontario and two Judges; now the representation was the same although the French population had increased so largely. It was decided to start a newspaper for the promotion of the Bi-lingual and other principles of the Congress. Sir Wilfrid Laurier at its concluding banquet estimated that in 25 years there would be over 300,000 French in the Province and spoke strongly of their opportunities in Northern Ontario. Resolutions were passed declaring (1) that all primary schools where the majority of the children were from French homes should be officially declared to be Bi-lingual schools; (2) that in all classes where 25 per cent. of the pupils were French, the Trustees should require instruction to be given in French reading, spelling, composition and literature; (3) that French should be recognized in Bi-lingual schools as a language of instruction and discipline; (4) that a Series of French readers and text-books should be authorized for these schools; (5) that in High School entrance examinations written for by pupils from Bi-lingual schools there should be questions on French subjects, and that the standard on English subjects should be lower for these pupils than for the English pupils; (6) that there should be Bi-lingual Inspectors and continuation classes in Bi-lingual schools. On Feb. 18 Senator Belcourt led a deputation to the Dominion Premier and presented the above Resolutions with another calling for further representation of Ontario French-Canadians in the Senate and on the Bench. Sir Wilfrid said there was much force. in the arguments presented and that they would be considered. On the same day another deputation from the Congress waited upon Sir James Whitney and the Government at Toronto and presented these Resolutions as coming from 210,000 people. The Premier promised that the Government would go into the matter "thoroughly, honestly and carefully." Orangeism and extreme Protestants, and some who were not extreme, protested vigorously against this agitation. An Orange delegation of about 60 waited on the Provincial Premier (Feb. 9) and gave various instances which, it was claimed, proved the turning of Public Schools into French and Catholic ones and they protested that this was a dangerous development. The Counties of Prescott, Russell, Stormont and Glengarry were the battle-grounds of contention. On Mch. 9th the Grand Orange Master of Ontario West (E. T. Essery) at St. Catharines described this movement as "the first step in a campaign which aims at driving the English-speaking electors out of the Eastern counties of Ontario. Official permission to use French in these schools would result in English being neglected and ignored. It would be impossible, under these conditions, for English-speaking people to give their children an education, and they would be compelled to remove to other parts of the Dominion." The Toronto Board of Education (Mch. 17) passed a unanimous Resolution asking the Ontario Government "to preserve the Statepublic school system from the disintegrating influence of the dual language in such institutions" and urged the total prohibition of French language instruction in Ontario schools. With a general bearing on this subject was the prolonged rivalry between French and Irish influences in the University of Ottawa, and in Roman Catholic religious circles at Ottawa, which came to a head in the appointment of Dr. M. F. Fallon of Buffalo -but, by many years' previous residence, of Ottawa-to the Bishopric of London and the accession of Archbishop Gauthier of Kingston to the See of Ottawa. Consecrated on Apr. 25 amid imposing ceremonies and with evidences of the greatest personal popularity, to a Diocese which included the large French settlements of Essex and Kent, it was not long before a part of the French-Canadian press began to charge Bishop Fallon with attempting to Anglicise the schools of his Diocese through determined opposition to the teaching of the French language. Le Temps of Ottawa on Sept. 19th charged him with an order forbidding such instruction. La Patrie of Montreal followed in a severe attack and was echoed by Mr. Bourassa in Le Devoir who described the Bishop as "an old enemy of the French tongue"; while L'Evenement of Quebec openly declared that the French-Canadians of London had found an enemy instead of a friend. To this and other attacks the Bishop replied by a public statement issued on Sept. 23rd in which he gave these assertions a categorical denial: I have never been, by word or deed, by intent or desire, unfriendly to the interests of the French-Canadian people and I never shall be unfriendly to them at any time or place, no matter what the provocation. I have never issued, or caused to be issued, directly or indirectly, verbally, in writing, or in any other way, any order or mandate or even an expression of opinion, concerning the teaching of French, or any other language, in the Separate Schools or in any other schools of the Diocese of London, or any other place. I have not and I never have had any objection to the teaching of French or any other language in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario and the regulation of the Provincial Department of Education. On Oct. 12, following, Le Devoir and other French papers published an obviously private letter which had been written by the Hon. W. J. Hanna, Provincial Secretary, to the Minister of Education at Toronto relative to Bishop Fallon and his views. Mr. Hanna's leter was dated May 23rd and purported to be a careful statement of a long conversation which had been recently held. The gist of the document was this description of the Bishop's opinions: "He has not reached this conclusion at once, but he has resolved, so far as it is in his power, to cause to disappear every trace of Bi-lingual teaching in the public schools of his Diocese. The interests of the children, boys and girls, demand that Bi-lingual teaching should be disapproved and prohibited. . He added that the French masters had been imposed on these schools contrary to the desire of the parents and the interests of the children. He proceeded to say that the politicians and the FrenchCanadian political agitators did not fail to say that the FrenchCanadians controlled 15 or 17 counties of Ontario. He replied that the French-Canadians did not control anything of the kind and that they had worked for ten years under falsified or stuffed Census lists as in the Province of Quebec." Following this publication H. C. A. Maisonville, Private Secretary to Dr. Reaume, Minister of Public Works at Toronto, was dismissed from his position and took full responsibility for the abstraction of this confidential document on the ground that he "loved the French language." To the press on Oct. 17th Bishop Fallon issued a long statement of his opinions in which he reviewed conditions in Essex and other places where there was a mixed population; stated that while bitterly opposed to Bi-lingual schools he was strongly in favour of the establishment of purely French schools where the language could be taught thoroughly; declared that there was nothing confidential in his Memorandum to Mr. Hanna-though it was not intended for publication-and that his views on the subject had long been well known; pointed out that the French-Canadian parishes of Essex, with 18 Separate Schools and 2,000 children on the rolls had passed a total of 10 children at the recent examination; denounced the habitual "Bishop-baiting" of papers such as Le Devoir, La Patrie, etc.; and concluded by describing the whole question as one of "a certain number of French-Canadians led by noisy agitators" against the great |