Works Department under Mr. Rogers, and that the Carter Company had their contract price upon one occasion increased $8,700 and then gave $7,000 to the Conservative Party funds; that the Agricultural College building estimate of cost was $957,000 and the actual cost $2,361,841. The Inquiry then continued and, on May 25, the Commissioner issued a further interim Report dealing with the Kelly contracts re Agricultural College and stating the following conclusion:

I find that the Crown has established fraudulent overcharges in respect of contracts with the Government, made by Thomas Kelly & Sons, amounting in all to the sum of $302,789, made up as follows:

(a) In respect to the Dormitory and Auditorium Building
(b) In respect of the Engineering Building..

(c) In respect of the Chemistry Building.

(d) In respect to the Horticultural Building

(e) In respect of the Dairy and Science Building.

Total......

$202,435

24,191

33,233

33,924

9,003

$302,786

He stated that the Roblin Government had in September, 1910, bought 461 acres at $350 per acre as a site for the College and that at "about the same time the Hon. Robert Rogers, then Minister of Public Works for the Province, selected about 43 acres for himself, but instructed the conveyance of it to be taken in the name of R. A. C. Manning. Shortly afterwards, and before the site of the College was made known to the public, a large amount of other lands adjoining the College, or in its immediate vicinity, were purchased and placed in the name of Mr. Manning, amounting in all to about 1,240 acres, but the average cost of these lands was only $179 per acre. The Hon. J. H. Howden and the Hon. G. R. Coldwell, then Ministers of the Crown, took interests in these lands." The Commissioner found also that "a fraudulent conspiracy" was entered into by Robert Rogers and Thomas Kelly to "provide moneys for the Conservative campaign Fund and to provide Thomas Kelly with funds out of the Provincial Treasury, over and above what he might legitimately earn." He made no finding as to the complicity or otherwise of other Ministers in the alleged conspiracy. On the same day the Appraisal Board, appointed on Mar. 22, 1917, under order of the Court of King's Bench, and composed of S. C. Oxton for the Attorney-General; Henry J. Burt of Chicago, structural engineer, for Thomas, Lawrence and Charles Kelly, Defendants; and R. H. Macdonald of Montreal, architect, acting as umpire; reported its findings, or rather the decision of the "umpire." It summarized the facts as to the new Parliament Buildings and gave $1,207,351 as the net overcharge of the Kelly firm in construction of the Parliament Buildings with 3 years' interest also due on July 1st totalling $181,000. This replaced the civil action proposed by the Government but the Kellys claimed that the total amount paid the Contractors was $1,680,956 which was admitted as correct, that the value of work done was $1,304,724-also admitted-and the overcharge only $376,231. The other items charged were alleged to be irrelevant and illegally included. Meanwhile, on Aug. 23, Thos. Kelly was released from prison, on parole, upon the ground of ill-health, after serving nine months of a 21⁄2 year term. The

Minister of Justice at Ottawa on Apr. 30 stated that the reasons then submitted to him were "advanced age, very bad state of health, large family, two of his sons at the Front, expressed willingness to make restitution, and imprisonment in connection with the offences, continually, since October 1915."

The Galt Commission resumed its Inquiry in October as to the Agricultural College and meantime, on June 25, Sir Rodmond Roblin former Premier of Manitoba; George R. Coldwell, former Minister of Education, and James H. Howden, former Attorney-General, all of whom had been for nearly two years under criminal charges in connection with the Parliament Buildings' scandal, were discharged by Mr. Justice J. E. P. Prendergast. The reason given was evidence that Sir Rodmond and one of the others were in a serious state of health. Early in the year, also, the Emerson Roads' scandal of 1914 was disposed of by the Commissioner, George Paterson, County Court Judge, who found on Feb. 20 that Dr. D. H. McFadden, former M.L.A. for Emerson, connived at frauds in connection with paysheets; that F. Y. Newton, present M.L.A. for Roblin, personally profited to the extent of $300 and was an untruthful witness; that there were extensive frauds for campaign fund purposes and that Dr. R. M. Simpson was paid $55,000 out of the Treasury without "value received." Mr. Newton resigned his seat and was succeeded by Arthur Rivers Boivin (Cons.). A charge was brought up on Feb. 21 by O. S. Guilbault, a former Parliament Buildings' Engineer, against the Norris Government and he stated that in the current work on this structure two or three profits had been paid in purchase of certain materials; that the Government would have saved $50,000 paid in commissions had the work been done by day labour; that it was paying too high prices and was charging work to wrong accounts, etc. McDiarmid & Co., contractors, denied everything and the Public Accounts Committee proceeded at once to investigate, called witnesses, heard Mr. McDiarmid and Guilbault himself, and on Feb. 27 found the charges to be "without the slighest foundation in fact" while Guilbault made a partial apology for having made them. The Legislature accepted the Report on Mar. 5 by 28 to 4. On the same day the McDiarmids were awarded contracts totalling $2,098,417 to complete the structure.

As to the War Manitoba did nobly in this as in previous years. Mr. Préfontaine, Opposition Leader, stated in the House on Jan. 19 that the Legislature was deeply interested in a personal sense and that Mr. Speaker had lost one son at the Front; that Hon. Edward Brown had two sons in khaki; that Hon. Val. Winkler, E. A. August, D. A. Ross, G. J. H. Malcolm, W. L. Parrish and he, himself, each had one son at the Front; that Col. G. Clingan and Capt. A. W. Myles were Overseas, with Capt. J. W. Wilton waiting to go. The Province during 1917 collected $230,196 for the Red Cross while the Patriotic Fund contributions up to the beginning of 1917 totalled $2,077,998 with 6,444 receiving allowances from this independent Provincial Fund; a gift of $2,791 was collected in January by the school children for "the boys and girls of our brave British sailors

killed in discharge of their duty"; the Norris Government gave the old Agricultural College Building to the Military Hospitals Commission and invested $600,000 in the 1st Victory Loan and $500,000 in the 2nd; a Provincial Food Control Committee was appointed on Aug. 17 composed of W. R. Allan (Chairman), President J. B. Reynolds of the Agricultural College, R. Fletcher, Prof. T. J. Harrison, J. H. Evans, G. F. Chipman, R. C. Henders, Mrs. R. F. McWilliams, and others; the Food economy pledge was largely signed in Winnipeg; the Government from its Patriotic Tax levies on municipalities obtained about $4,000,000 for the Patriotic Fund: the Manitoba Red Cross Society reported on Oct. 31 for 3 years of cash receipts remitted to head office, $419,476; for cash to British Red Cross (1915) $15,000; cash to French Red Cross, $12,503; cash for hospital beds $11,250; supplies furnished, $199,569; cash on hand and in bank, $12,244, or a total of $670,044. G. F. Galt was re-elected President.

Farmers took Victory bonds in October along lines illustrated by the Swan River Valley where A. J. Cotton took $20,000 and five members of the Caverly family $46,000; of the Cameron Highlanders, Winnipeg, it was stated that 52 men won Honours in battle, while the 90th Regiment, or Little Black Devils, won 33 Honours up to October, 1916, and boasted a V.C. and Maj.-Gen. L. J. Lipsett in its ranks of fame; the annual meeting (June 27) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Manitoba decided that during the continuance of the War students should not be admitted to the examinations of the Institute who were eligible in point of age and physical fitness for military service, and who had no one financially dependant on them; it was stated in the Winnipeg press of July 7 that 140 local medical men were on active service out of 300 in the city in 1914: a Winnipeg mass-meeting on Aug. 5 heard Sir J. A. M. Aikins and Mr. Norris speak and recorded "inflexible determination to see the War to victory." Other incidents of the year included a Convention on Feb. 5-7 of 165 Russian priests and farmers who passed Resolutions of satisfaction with their improved conditions, of regret at "the hypocrisy of Bishop Budka and the so-called Ukrainian press and its sympathy with the Teutonic expansive political agents," of hope that the military authorities would permit the enlistment of Canadian Slavs born in Galicia, who were of the Russian orthodox faith, and the claim that there were in Canada about 75,000 Austrian Slavs who were loyal to Russia although born in Austria. The 1st Conference of Boy Scouts of Manitoba on Feb. 14-15, held round-table discussions of varied themes and heard addresses by the Lieut.-Governor, Mr. Norris, C. W. Rowley; a notable address by Vere C. Brown of the Bank of Commerce (Feb. 13) urged a gradual change from the credit system to cash methods by discriminating in retail prices between cash and credit purchasers; there was published on Mar. 1 a correspondence which had passed in December, 1916, between the Federal Government, through Hon. C. J. Doherty, and that of Manitoba through Hon. A. B. Hudson, concerning Provincial legislation which modified the provisions determining the number of jurors to be summoned and to con

stitute a panel, with the claim of the Minister of Justice (Jan. 31) that this legislation "was capable of an application which might prejudice the fair trial of criminal causes and the counter-claim of Manitoba that Ottawa was trying to coerce the Province to change its law. The Social Health Congress of Nov. 25 passed Resolutions protesting against "the large and increasing number of export liquor warehouses in the Province and against the weakness of the Act in not setting a definite limit to the amount to be lawfully kept" and urged the creation of a Federal Department of Social re-construction to control (1) the educational activities of the Provinces under a Dominion Board of Education; (2) their health activities under a Dominion Board of Health and (3) to establish a Federal Bureau of Child Welfare. The winning by S. Larcombe of Birtle of the championship for the best half bushel of wheat exhibited at the International Soils Products Exposition, Peoria, Ill., was an event of interest. The following were the elected heads of the chief Provincial organizations during 1917:

The University of Manitoba and Other Colleges. Established in 1877 and with 7 Colleges affiliated with it in 1917-St. Boniface (Catholic), St. John's (Anglican), Manitoba (Presbyterian), Wesley (Methodist), Manitoba Medical, Manitoba Law School and Manitoba Agricultural College-the University of Manitoba reached an important stage in its history during this year. Its Staff in February included 53 Professors, assistants, lecturers and demonstrators, teaching 22 subjects; its revenue derived from Fees was $26,371 in 1916, from Dominion Land grant $37,000, and from the Provincial Government grant $107,347; its expenses were $176,224. On Jan. 3 the University Council dealt with a Report of the Committee on Re-organization and by Resolution asked the Government to effect a complete reconstruction by means of legislation and along the lines of Provincial control; on the 4th, by 18 to 16, a long-discussed issue was disposed of and the existing two-language standard of entrance any two of Latin, German and French-established; on Jan. 16 the Rev. David Christie, R. Fletcher and Rev. W. Bertal Heeney were re-appointed to the Council, together with J. J. Brown of Pilot Mound and Mrs. R. F. McWilliams of Winnipeg. To the Legislature on Feb. 20 the Hon. Dr. Thornton submitted his Bill for remodelling the constitution of the University. It provided that a Board of Governors with nine members should be created and appointed by the Government to manage all the business and financial affairs of the University-including buildings, fees, property, and university lands, and with the final decision on all matters of academic policy; it created a University Council with 27 members as compared with the old Board of 72 and with general charge of the academic work and courses; representation of Denominational Colleges was retained upon this Council though not upon the Board of Governors. In his speech the Minister reviewed the history and difficulties of the institution, quoted the Government grants as increasing from $40,000 in 1912 to $115,825 in 1916 and declared that the University had thus become dependant upon the Government for its existence; observed that "if the University is to develop further the Legislature must become responsible for further and larger grants, and it does not appear to the Government that such an expenditure of public money should be made except by a body directly responsible to the Government and the Legislature and so to the people of the Prov

ince." The new Act established such a body, which, through a draft copy of the Bill, the University (Feb. 12) had decided to accept. As the Minister pointed out in his speech, the authority of the Board of Governors was "final and complete both as regards educational policy and business administration." The system, in a general way, resembled that of the Universities of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatche wan and Toronto; but the President and Chancellor were not to be Governors. Capt. J. W. Wilton on the 26th opposed the Bill because it did not provide for a complete Provincial University and because special representation was given to special interests, with four denominations-Presbyterian, Methodist, Anglican and Roman Catholic-represented and no others. St. Boniface College also objected to parts of the legislation and would not stay in the University system unless its students of the Latin-Philosophy courses could follow in St. Boniface College a special curriculum framed by the authorities of St. Boniface and approved by the Council of the University. These and other difficulties were met and in due course the Bill passed and the University, for the first time in its history, came metaphorically from a backstreet and took its place as a great Provincial institution. The Government on May 18 announced the Archbishop of Rupert's Land as being re-appointed Chancellor for three years-an honour to which Dr. Matheson was well entitled-and the members of the new Board of Governors for three, two or one year; a little later the University Council was constituted and in its membership represented the Government (6), the Manitoba Agricultural College (2), the Medical College (1), the College of Physicians and Surgeons (1), the Faculty of the University (4), the four affiliated denominational Colleges (2 each) and the graduates (4 elected):

The students at the close of 1917 numbered 360 in Arts, 45 in Engineering, 173 in Medicine, 1 in Architecture, 14 in Pharmacy, 82 in Law, 46 in Agriculture, 19 in Home Economics and 180 in Evening Courses with 12 in special subjects-932 in all. Under the new Act provision was made for the education of women equally with men and women were to be eligible for any appointment in connection with the University, including appointment or election to the Board of Governors or the Council. The new Act was to come into force after Graduation Day on May 11 and meanwhile, on Mar. 23, the Faculty sent a message of congratulation to the revolutionary rulers of Russia on the "emancipation" of the people; Capt. W. Burton Hurd, B.A., had already been chosen Rhodes Scholar for the year. At Convocation (May 11) the Chancellor stated that 1,100 University men were under arms for the King; the Hon. Dr. Thornton declared that "the University of Manitoba should occupy a great and important place in the life of this Province"-in pure science, in applied science, in the ethical spirit of the nation. Succeeding incidents included the re-appointment of the Staff as a whole-with the omission of Prof. W. Brydone-Jack, who had given evidence in the Parliament Buildings scandal, and a few others; a Resolution of the Board of Governors on July 4 declared that "until further order no unmarried male student who has attained the age of 20 years will be permitted either to attend lectures or to take the examinations of the University, unless he furnishes satisfactory reasons why he has not enlisted for active service"; an extension for another year of the University's option in the Tuxedo site and a request (July 11) from prominent