LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL'S LOSS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 68, 13 December 1907, Page 7

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL'S LOSS.

Mr. Leopard Stowe, Clerk of the Legislative Council, was surprised yesterday morning on opening a Milner safe, from which tho debris had been cleared, to find that a bundle of Acos, to which the Governor's and Mr. Stowe's signatures had been attached, woro intact. They had been carefully wrapped in brown paper, and only the wrapper •was a little soorched. Yet the load in the intorior of tho safe had been melted and lay in a lump at the bottom. Tho safe must havo felt tho fullest heat of tho fire.

As to tho general loss to the Legislative Council"lt is a terrible catastrophe, to us," said Mr. Stowe. Everything had been burned: Statutes ordinances, many valuablo books and papers, records, the whole of the copies of Standing Orders—all had been wiped clean out of existence, and the Council would have to start ovor again. In addition, there were old Provincial Council ordinances, many of which Mr. Stowe himself hail collected at considerable trouble. 11l the Council Chamber wore oil-paintings of tho late Sir William 'Fitzherhort,\ Sir Jamos Richardson (former Speakers), nnd a photograph of Mr. Masscy Richmond (Chairman of Committees up to 1878), and these were all destroyed. The wholo contents of tho Private Bills Oflice, including books of reference, also went tho same way.

Mr. Stowe personally lost many things which he valued greatly, including an old copy of "May," winch was givsn him by the Chairman of Committees of the House of (Jommons.