3052. Approved and ordered this llth day of December ,A.D. 19 56 • 3/4, At the Executive Council Chamber, Victoria. L utenant-Governor. PRESENT: The Honourable in the Chair. Mr. Martin Mr. Black Mr. Bonner Mr. Williston Mr. Westwood Mr. Peterson Mr. Chant. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. To His Honour The Lieutenant-Governer in Council: /090g, hvg id 0 The undersigned has the honour to report see VG 74 .Z/G 3/ q E6 i'esc g)/c- 4%42 171 THAT pursuant to Section 44 of the "Constitution Act" R.S.B.C. 1948, Lieutenant—Commander E. A. Jamieson, R.C.N. (Ret'd), was appointed Sergeant—at—Arms effective January 5th, 1953 by authority of Order—in—Council No.'13065 approved on 30th December 1952, the said appointment to continue during the pleasure of the Lieutenant—Governor in Council. AND TO RECOMMEND that the appointment of the said Lieutenant— Commander E. A. Jamieson, R.C.N. (Ret'd), be rescinded. AND FURTHER TO RECOMI1END that pursuant to the said Section, Denziel Greensted Ashby be appointed Sergeant—at—Arms at a salary of Eighty—Five Dollars ($85.00) per week, duties to commence on January 14th, 1957, the said appointment to continue during the pleasure of the Lieutenant—Governor in Council. AND FURTHER TO RECOM2SND that the sessional duties of the Sergeant- at—Arms in respect of each session shall commence and terminate on a date to be determined by the Speaker. DATED this day of A.D. 1956. /Provinci Secretary APPROVED this 1956. Pre/ iding Member of the Executive Council No. 1. VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE Legislative Assembly of British Columbia Thursday, February 7th, 1957. THREE O'CLOCK P.M. This being the first day of the first meeting of the Twenty-fifth Parliament or Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia for the dispatch of business, pursuant to a Proclamation of the Honourable FRANK MACKENZIE Ross, Lieutenant- Governor of the Province, dated the 24th day of October, 1956, the members having been sworn took their scats. His Honour FRANK MACKENZIE Ross, Lieutenant-Governor of the Province, having entered the House, took his scat on the Throne. The Hon. W. D. Black, Provincial Secretary, said:— Members of the Legislative Assembly: I am commanded by His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor to announce that His Honour does not see tit to declare the causes of his summoning you at this time, and will not do so until you have chosen a Speaker to preside over your Honourable Body. His Honour hopes to be enabled to declare, during the afternoon, his reasons for calling you together. His Honour was then pleased to retire. The Hon. IV. A. C. Bennett, Premier, addressing himself to the Clerk, moved, seconded by Mr. Strachan, Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, that Thomas James Irwin, Esquire, first member for Delta Electoral District, do take the Speaker's chair and preside over the meetings of this Assembly, and it was so Resolved. E. K. DeBeck, Esquire, the Clerk of the House, having declared Mr. Thomas James Irwin duly elected, he was then taken out of his place by the mover and seconder, and conducted to the chair, where, standing on the upper step, he expressed his grateful thanks to the House for the great honour they had hcen pleased to confer upon him by choosing him to be their Speaker. And thereupon he sat down in the chair. and the mace was laid upon the table. Prayers by the Most Reverend II. E. Sexton, RD., Archbishop of British Columbia. _ I claj— CDLAitly, —L' E,C l . IA- MU' \ His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor again entered the House, and taking his seat on the Throne, the Speaker-elect (standing on His Honour's right) then spoke to the following effect:— MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONOUR: The House of Assembly have elected me as their Speaker, though I am but little able to fulfil the important duties thus assigned to me. If, in the performance of those duties, I should at any time fall into error, I pray that the fault may be imputed to me. and not to the Assembly, whose servant I am, and who, through me, the better to enable them to discharge their duty to their Queen and country, humbly claim all their undoubted rights and privileges, especially that they may have freedom of speech in their debates, access to Your Honour's person at all seasonable times, and that their proceedings may receive from Your Honour the most favourable interpretation. The Hon. W. D. Black then said:— MR. SPEAKER: I am commanded by His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor to declare to you that he freely confides in the duty and attachment of the House of Assembly to Her Majesty's person and Government, and not doubting that their respective proceedings will be conducted with wisdom, temper, and prudence. he grants, and upon all occasions will recognize and allow, their constitutional privileges. I am commanded also to assure you that the Assembly shall have ready access to His Honour upon all seasonable occasions, and their proceedings, as well as your words and actions, will constantly receive from him the most favourable construction. His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor was then pleased to open the Session by the following gracious Speech:— Mr. Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly: I welcome you to the First Session of the Twenty-fifth Parliament of British Columbia. Last month the people of the Province suffered a great loss in the passing of a valued counsellor, Mr. Ernest Edward Winch, who had represented the constituency of Burnaby since 1933. Mr. Winch will not only he mourned by his constituents, but by all those who knew his unselfish and untiring devotion to public affairs. During the past year British Columbia has been favoured with a visit from Field Marshal the Right Honourable Viscount Montgomery of Alamein. Also during the year, we have enjoyed the opportunity of welcoming Right Honourable S. G. Holland, Prime Minister of New Zealand. and the Right Honourable A. R. W. Low, Minister of State, Board of Trade, United Kingdom. As a result of a great increase in the population of British Columbia, a redistribution of seats for this Legislature was approved at a previous session. The total membership in the House is fifty-two members. Since last you met, two new Ministers have been appointed—the Honourable Leslie Raymond Peterson, Minister of Education, and the Honourable Earle Cathers Westwood, Minister of Trade and Industry. Because of the growing importance of the tourist industry and the tremendous industrial expansion in British Columbia, n1 Government deems it advisable to set up two new departments—the Department of Recreation and Conservation and the other to be known as the Department of Industrial Development, Trade and Commerce, thus eliminating the present Department of Trade and Indu,try. FEBRUARY 7tH To this end you will be asked to approve an amendment to the " Constitution Act." As it is my Government's policy to encourage exploration and the development of our natural resources, the Department of Mines is being reorganized. My Government is exploring every possible means of encouraging the development of a basic iron- and steel-smelting industry within British Columbia. Certain measures will be laid before you that are designed to hasten this development. In relation to our rapidly expanding oil and natural-gas development in British Columbia, you will be asked to give consideration to certain steps that will assure the Province not only of continued development in this field, but also of wise and practical conservation of this resource. It is with gratification that I note that my Government has removed the tolls on passengers crossing on bridges operated by the British Columbia Toll Highways and Bridges Authority. The Agassiz—Rosedale Bridge was opened last year. This coming summer it is planned to open the Middle Arm Bridge and the Oak Street Bridge system in the Vancouver area. The bridge at Nelson will likewise be opened. Favourable progress is being made on the Deas Island Tunnel. the Second Narrows Bridge, and the Okanagan Lake Bridge. My Government has signed with the Federal Government an extension of the Trans-Canada Highway Agreement, which calls for a new route through Rogers Pass in the Selkirk Range and a new route crossing the Fraser River cast of the Pattullo Bridge, thence by new arterial highway to the Second Narrows Bridge and Horseshoe Bay. The Pacific Great Eastern Railway extension from Squarnish to North Vancouver was officially opened last August, and the northern extension from Prince George to Dawson Creek and Fort St. John is now under construction. Last year the Pacific Great Eastern Railway had its best financial year in history. showing record gross revenue and operating profit. The Haney Correctional Institution will he opened during the early fall of this year. My Government is giving consideration to enlarging the jurisdiction of the County Courts, also adding to the number of Justices of the British Columbia Court of Appeal. The remission of gasoline tax which previously applied to ex-servicemen amputees has been extended to include all amputees. Easements have been made in the application of the social services tax on equip- ment used in the exploration for oil, natural gas, and minerals within the Province. The tax burden on home-owners will be greatly lessened by proposed legislation which will grant each resident home-owner a maximum tax-relief grant of $28 per year. Larger grants to municipalities will he made as a direct result of increased census figures, and you will be asked to consider legislation abolishing road and poll tax on non-property-owners.