No. 37, Legislative

Since I had last the honor of addressing your Grace, in reference to
the proceedings of the House of Representatives of Vancouver Island a
number of useful measures have been prepared and introduced by the
Attorney General, acting on Government behalf, of which a schedule is
hereto appended.

2. Bills have also been introduced by other Members of which the
title is likewise given in the schedule.

The greater portion of those Bills have now reached their final
stages, and they will probably be carried through the House in the
course of a few weeks.

3. I have also caused a Bill for the Titles of Real Estate, to be
introduced into the House; in sufficient time, to insure its passage
before the close of the session.

4. The Committee of Ways and Means has, after considerable
discussion and delay agreed to the following votes, to wit:

Civil List (Salaries) £3200.

Expenses of the different

‹ Departments £3207.14.1

Education‹ Roads &c £9364.

5. During the early part of the session, the Government party met
with considerable opposition from five or six of the Members, who
exhibited a captiousness that no measure however useful or necessary
appeared to have the effect of allaying.

*

This opposition has now however sensibly diminished, though it still
exists to an extent which greatly retards the despatch of business.

6. Two of the Bills enumerated in the schedule are of considerable
importance, to wit:

The Bill to incorporate the Town of Victoria, and

The Bill to provide for the improvement, repair, and laying
out of roads.

The first of those Bills is in some respects an adaptation of the
Canadian Municipal Act to the peculiar position of the Town of Victoria, and it is proposed to give to the Council a power to make
Bye Laws for the regulation of their internal economy, which, upon
receiving the assent of the Governor for the time being, shall have
the force of Law.

7. The Second Bill introduces a system of statute labour on the
rural roads and affords a means of composition to those prefering

a Cash payment to the performance of the required labour.

8. A full report of all those measures will be prepared and
forwarded for your Graces information at the close of the present
Session.