issued a Message of appreciation and thanks and an appeal for continued effort:

The fires of bitterness and animosity which have been stoked up during the campaign will soon die out. They will be forgotten. The average citizen, however, does not, and cannot, forget the record of the Government's progressive and beneficial legislation, and it says much for the commonsense and unerring instinct of our people that, in spite of all the frenzied appeals made to them, their acceptance of our record of the past, and of our aims for the future, has been hearty and complete. We must, therefore, persist in the programme which we have laid down to obtain all those great measures of reform upon which the aspirations and hopes of the Liberal party are fixed. . . . I have only one thing to say upon the result of the election which is controversial, and it is this: In the days to come we must not relax the fight for Saskatchewan's Bill of Rights as formulated by the Liberal party, to assist in large measure our producers and consumers. The people by their verdict have again signified in a very definite manner that relief is necessary from Conservative policies of high tariffs, restricted markets, etc. The fight must be one to a finish. Dr. Wm. Elliott (Cons.) of Wolseley issued an address to the Wolseley electors, stating that three English polls, named, had given him 71% of votes polled and 3 foreign polls 88% to his opponent. He claimed the result as due to "unscrupulous politicians who misled them into the belief that a vote for me was a vote for the conscription of their sons to fight against their Fatherland and that a vote for me would mean that their lands in this country would be taken and given to returned soldiers." The Liberal press responded to such statements with the declaration-when the figures became available in October-that not only was the Martin Government sustained at the polls by the largest vote ever recorded in the Province, but by one of the largest popular majorities ever accorded a Government in this Dominion-the Liberals polling 17,988 more votes in 1917 than were cast for all parties and candidates put together in 1912; and that all eight Ministers were re-elected with aggregate majorities totalling 7,550, or an average majority of 945, whereas the Conservative leader only secured 293 majority in a three-cornered fight. It was pointed out that in Moose Jaw, Estevan, Kindersley, Elrose and Regina the "foreign" vote could have been eliminated and a large Liberal majority left. Following the Elections varied minor events occurred which have been elsewhere specified but one not recorded was the statement of Hon. W. M. Martin before the Regina Canadian Club on Oct. 2 that the values of the wheat, oats, barley and flax crop of 1911, 1913, 1915 and 1917 were as follows: $107,776,522; $116,438,909; $236,611,049; $361,008,840. On Oct. 22 it was announced that W. B. Willoughby, K.C., Conservative Leader in the Legislature since 1912 had resigned and been appointed to the Senate of Canada. Two days before there had been a Cabinet re-organization owing to Mr. Calder's retirement to join the Union Government at Ottawa and Hon. W. M. Martin became President of the Council and member of the Treasury Board, as well as Minister of Education; Hon. C. A. Dunning, Minister of Railways as well as Treasurer, and Samuel John Latta, member since 1912, Minister of Highways. A Saskatchewan Labour Party was organized at Regina on Nov. 9 with James Sommerville, Moose Jaw, as President and Resolutions passed which (1) condemned the War-times Election Act as unfair to the loyal women citizens of Canada who were

excluded and unfair to the electorate because of the way in which it was left wide open for unscrupulous agents of the Government in power to manipulate the soldiers' vote; (2) urged the amalgamation with its Party of all existing Labour bodies in the Province; (3) declared itself in favour of a Government in Canada "that will organize the entire resources of the Dominion, eliminating all private profit on industry and administrate our industrial activities for the prosecution of the War and the protection of the people as a whole"; (4) demanded Labour representation in Parliament and (5) asked that the Returned soldiers of Canada be given pensions on the basis of equality to all and abolition of the present difference between commissioned and non-commissioned ranks.

The 1st Session of the 4th Legislature was opened by His Honour R. S. Lake at Regina on Nov. 13 with a Speech from the Throne which declared that "Great Britain and her Allies still stood firm in their determination to continue the war-struggle until tyranny was crushed and humanity liberated"; regretted that the crop of 1917 had not been greater but pointed out that it was excellent in quality and price and had only been exceeded on two occasions; urged public thrift and ever-increased production; mentioned the appointment of Dr. Foght, an eminent American authority, to survey the Provincial elementary School system and his Report which would shortly be published; described the beneficial effect of the Farm Loans Act as already visible and promised legislation dealing with Provincial revenue and taxes, a Mothers' pension system, various amendments to existing Acts. R. M. Mitchell, M.D., Speaker of the lately dissolved House, was elected again unanimously; Donald Maclean of Saskatoon was chosen at an Opposition Caucus (Nov. 14) as Leader in place of Senator Willoughby; Pte. Harris Turner was introduced by Mr. Maclean amid general cheers and thus proved to be a Conservative; the Address was moved by J. A. MacMillan, Wadena, and T. E. Gamble, Bengough, with a very short debate shared in by the two leaders, Mr. Turner and D. J. Sykes —who stated that despite his triplicate of nominations he was Liberal; T. H. Garry, Yorkton, was appointed Chief Whip of the Liberal party. The legislation of the Session included a Supplementary Revenue Act levying a tax of one cent per acre upon every owner or occupant of land in the Province; an Act replacing the Patriotic Tax by a measure which levied annually a special rate or tax equal to two mills in the dollar on all rateable property in a municipality -for the support of Patriotic and relief funds, the civic re-habilitation of soldiers and after-war reconstruction; a Wild Lands Tax of one per cent. of assessed value-subject to specific exemptions and including the appointment of a Provisional Tax Commissioner; provision for the taxation of persons owning, controlling, holding or operating, Timber areas to the extent of one cent for every acre of such timber area or berth with a minimum tax of $25.00; the imposition of an annual Tax of $1,000 upon every brewer, distiller, compounder or other person licensed by the Dominion Government to manufacture or compound liquors or keep a stock of liquors for export to other Provinces or Foreign countries; the passage of an

Act respecting Mines which revised the regulations as to operation, management, inspection, registration of employees, precautions for safety, reports and official returns, authorized the Minister in charge to close up any mine in which the Act was evaded or disobeyed and covered the power and functions of Mine officials and the penalties to be imposed-with an elaborate set of general rules; a measure for the protection of Neglected and Dependant Children which provided for the appointment of a Provincial Superintendent to encourage and control Children's Aid Societies and assist in their establishment, to provide Children's Shelters and obtain the appointment of Probation Officers by municipalities, to apprehend and safeguard such children, to supervise their maintenance and select foster homes for them, to do many other things along the line of helpfulness and of judicious penalties and care for Juvenile offenders

An amendment to the Saskatchewan Loans Act gave the Government power to issue from time to time securities sufficient in amount to provide for re-payment purposes, despite any increase of the Public Debt which would ensue. The Succession Duties Act was amended in varied detail and the Corporations Act changed to more accurately define a Trust Company and the meaning of Gross Premiums, to impose a Tax of 1% on such Premiums received from Saskatchewan business, to tax registered Land Companies 40 cents for every $1,000 of business done in the Province and Loan Companies the same on the funds under investment in the preceding year. The Land and Title Act was an elaborate affair of 89 pages in the Statutes of 1917 and it divided Saskatchewan into 10 registration districts with power to the Government of increasing the number and to establish Land Titles Offices; provided for a Master and Deputy Master of Titles, a Chief Surveyor and a Registrar in each District; defined the rules and methods as to registration of all land and property, the law as to title and certificates, mortgages and leases, transfers and sales, legal actions, ownership and tenancy. The Act respecting Trust Companies was also an elaborate legal instrument with incorporation, stock regulations, books, contracts, trusts, liabilities, powers, investments, penalties, etc., defined or amended; the Medical Profession Act was amended to broaden the entry of practitioners under the College of Physicians and Surgeons and their regulations, to make 6 months of each year for 5 years the legal term of study in Medicine, Surgery, etc., to give the Medical Council power to issue special permits of practice apart from the qualifications required by the Act; the Farm Implement Act compelled all vendors of large implements in the Province to fyle particulars of, their implements on the 1st of February in each year with the Minister of Agriculture-retail prices, horsepower required, terms of cash or credit and rates of interest, and provided contract forms for sale with details of agreement; the city, town and municipal Acts, the Volunteers' Relief and other measures were amended to still further protect and aid the returned or absent soldier; a special Act regularized the practice of drugless healing, or Chiropractic, and prescribed a University course and examination. The Mothers Act authorized support or partial support for any

mother who was a widow and unable, through poverty, to take proper care of her child or children, and permitted the AttorneyGeneral to order the municipality, in cases of one year's residence by the women therein, to pay a sum not to exceed $3.00 per week for each child; a Reclamation Lands' Act tried to cope with drainage difficulties due to the divided jurisdiction between the Dominion and Province as to unalienated public lands within the Province; another measure dealt elaborately and in detail with town planning and rural development; the People's Insurance Co., Le College Catholique de Gravelbourg, the Catholic College of Regina, were incorporated. The Temperance Act was amended with stringent details for enforcement; License fees were increased on Theatres and Cinematographs; municipalities were authorized to borrow money for Seed-grain distribution; a new Hotel Act authorized municipalities to assist Hotels in case of need.

On Nov. 27 the Legislature debated plans for increasing Hog production and Mr. Motherwell promised an effective Departmental campaign to provide hogs-as in the last few years it had helped with cattle and sheep-with purchase, credit and shipment all to be arranged. In introducing his Public Revenues Tax (Dec. 3) Hon. C. A. Dunning made an important statement: "Our people may as well get accustomed to the idea that direct taxation for Provincial purposes has come to Saskatchewan and I believe has come to stay"-though for the present it was only required for patriotic purposes. The Legislature adjourned on Dec. 14 after Harris Turner had moved a Resolution calling upon the Government to replace men "in the Civil Service capable of combatant military service by those not so competent to take their places in the fighting ranks." The Premier and other Ministers defended the Civil Service for its enlistments and contributions (226 men had enlisted up to October) but admitted that exemptions had been requested for a number of necessary men. He asked the House in an amendment to approve the Government's action and this was carried with Mr. Harris as the only dissentient.

The Grain Growers and Non-Partisan League. The Grain Growers' Association of Saskatchewan continued to progress in 1917 with a representative in the Ministry, a Provincial Government policy directed in many ways to the carrying out of its proposals, a place in the war-work and Union Government and Federal elections of the year. Its District Conventions-notably No. 8 at Regina, No. 9 at York, and No. 4, also held at Regina; No. 6 at Saskatoon, No. 1 at Moose Jaw, and No. 10 at Humboldt-met and discussed conditions and passed Resolutions of which many were welded together and approved at the Provincial Convention. The 1917 Convention for the Province met at Moose Jaw on Feb. 13-16 with 1,800 Delegates present and 300 women members holding their separate Convention. J. A. Maharg presided and the most important business was the acceptance of an offer from the Saskatchewan Co-Operative Elevator Co. to take over the Trading Department of the Association-which for two or three years had been thought by many to detract from the educational features and objects of the Associa tion; it also found difficulty in building up a large business on small capital. Other matters were the unanimous endorsation of the Farmers' Platform of the Council of Agriculture; a declaration of President Maharg in his annual address against any centralized government of the Empire in the form of a Parliament; criticisms of J. B. Musselman, Secretary, for certain comments as to race problems and a general opinion that racial and sectarian issues should be excluded by the Association; the

statement that C. E. Flatt of Tantallon, a Director of the Association, had been appointed by the Minister of Education to help in revising the Provincial course of School studies; the decision of the Executive, which was confirmed, not to join their Elevator Company with the similar business concerns of Manitoba and Alberta, which would have made Winnipeg the centre for the marketing, terminal warehousing and exporting of grain for the whole West. The Secretary's report indicated strained relations between the Grain Growers' Grain Co. of Winnipeg and the Saskatchewan leaders. The Executive in this report stated that the 1916 Patriotic acre plan had contributed 3,200,000 pounds of the best Saskatchewan flour put up in 40,000 bags, each bearing the emblem of the Association in colours, and containing 80 pounds of flour which were shipped to the Imperial Government-the estimate of total contributions to Patriotic objects to date being $200,000 in value, with 2,300 reported enlistments, and an estimated total of 5,000. The paid-up membership was 27,347 and the business handled by the Trading Department was $1,089,000 with net earnings of $15,389 and a capital of $48,235 built up out of surplus earnings. Mr. Maharg was re-elected President and A. G. Hawkes, Vice-President, while Mr. Musselman remained Secretary; Hon. George Langley retired as Director-at-Large and Thomas Sales of Langham with the following were elected: J. B. Musselman, Regina, Mrs. J. McNaughtan, Piche, John Evans, Nutana, and H. C. Fleming, Tate. The chief Resolutions passed, with a number of others left to the Board, were as follows:

1. Endorsing the Government's Educational Survey of the Province and urging that the Civil Service be removed from control of Party politicians.

2. Favouring compulsory Education and English as the language of Instruction in Public Schools.

3. Urging that executions be registered against land only and that the land be so described as to make clear the execution debtor and declaring that a judgment debtor should be allowed to retain 160 bushels of seed grain and a sufficient portion of the crop to sufficiently provide for his family for 12 months instead of 6 months as at present. 4. Favouring a Dominion direct tax on all land values, and a graduated income tax on all earnings, sufficient to cover all the cost of the War to take the place of Patriotic Fund and other collections.

5. Endorsing the work and objects of the Single Tax Association.

6. Urging the Dominion authorities to provide a Laboratory for inquiry into the Swamp fever which had carried off many farm animals especially horses.

7. Impressing upon the Dominion Government the absolute necessity of maintaining control of the Hudson Bay Railway, also of the water-front at the terminal and their operation as public utilities; urging also that after the War the services of the R.N.W.M.P. be continued.

8. Approving the payment of pensions to all disabled soldiers and that such pensions be in proportion to the disability, irrespective of rank, and asking that provision be made by the Government for the support of dependants of soldiers, killed on service, until such time as the regular Pension Fund is made available.

9. Urging the Provincial Government to accord the right for rural telephone companies to have the use of the long-distance lines and failing this, that liberty be given to string a line connecting up adjoining rural systems.

10. Asking for municipalities a fair share of motor-car license revenue, suggesting the formation of a Government Teachers' Bureau and restriction of the sale of Ether -used by foreign settlers as an intoxicant.

11. Asking for legislation designating a Chattel mortgage as a Live-stock Lien and simplification of registration; protesting as to the yearly losses from grain classed as "no grade" and asking for a Board of Appeal for re-inspection.

12. Requesting the Dominion Government to make provision for supplying seedgrain to farmers who had suffered from hail and rust, with applications to be brought before a Municipal Council and ratified before acceptance, with payments extended to two years.

13. Declaring the gasoline quality in Saskatchewan as unsatisfactory and asking for Provincial legislation creating standards and appointing Inspectors to control the sale of gasoline, kerosene, fuel and machine oils; the official standards and guaranteed analyses to be stamped on each barrel; that Inspectors be given power to enforce the giving of correct weights where sold by the gallon.

14. Urging that the Dominion Government, in order to remedy the shortage of labour, should (1) accept 4 months instead of 6 months in each year as residence for homesteaders subject to certain qualifications; (2) consent that men who had enlisted but were yet in the Dominion be released for service more freely during seed time and harvest and not deprived of their military pay after one month; (3) take active steps at once to allay all suspicious fear of Conscription that intending workers may not be deterred from coming in from the United States.

15. Declaring for reciprocal demurrage rates on Railways, asking for completion of certain branch lines, urging greater protection to farmers from defective cattle-guards and carelessness and for 48 hours to load cars of grain instead of 24.

16. Declaring that no applications for homesteads should be received from alien enemies till after all the Canadian soldiers have opportunity to return to Canada. 17. Favouring legislation to qualify and protect practitioners of Chiropractic as a Science and to place them under public rules and regulations.

During the year some important occurrences included the Federal settlement of the price of wheat through its Board of Grain Supervisors and the support given to fixed