The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-01-15
CANADIAN MOTHERS.
Statistics Show that they Have no
Need of Government Aid.
MRS. BUNNIRS SEEM TO ABOUND
Everywhere Throughout Canada-The Merri-
ment at Quebec-0ne Husband too
MANY and the Wife.s Dilemma.

Especial to TIE HERALD-Examiner Dispatch
DQUEBEc, Jan. 1.-THE joke of the session
in the provincial parliament is the minis
terial measure foreshadowed in the speech
from the throne Tor giving free home
stead of one hundred acres to every living
family of twelve children of the same
father and mother. Families of twelve and
over are by no means scarce among the
French Canadian population of Canada,
especially in the rural districts, but the
nerriment created by the proposition Of
the government proceeds from its official
recognition, sand the proposed encourage
ment of the legitimate fecundity bill :
not as yet been discussed, except in ge-
eral way, but when brought down in detail
its provisions will doubtless be subjected to
\ more or less humorous criticism.
One honorable gentleman discussing the
proposed reward of domestic prolifcacy,
said that hundred acres of land, often
\ worth but 30 cents an acre, is not, in the
j opinion of some Canadian legislators, suf
ficient inducement to compliance with the
requisite conditions Of fecundity.
Mr.. Taillon, chief of the opposition, sug-
gested that proportionate fraction of the
grant should be given for every child over
twelve in the same family. 1t is under
stood that the government will take the
proposal into serious consideration. There
= would appear to be some force in the pro-
position that if fruitfullness and multiplied
ton of this kind to receive state recogni-
ton at all, it is not reasonable that the
grant to families of say thirty to forty
children should be the same as that given
to comparatively small families of twelve
or thirteen.
have endeavored to arrive at the ap-
IF 70 ~, Al
vince eligible for full homesteads under
, the new measure, but there are no sta
tistics to fall back upon. Hon. Jean
Blanche, eX- secretary of the province,
informs me that there are at least two hun
1red such cases in his own county,
Blanche, and the province contains sixty
Eve counties. A well-known statesman
who was discussing the matter over wal
nuts and wine at recent gubernatorial
dinner at Spencer Wood, suggested that
10000 such cases could be found.
Paul de Cazes, Premier Merciers brother
in-law and famous as a statistician, con-
siders this statement as twice too high
and Colonel Rhodes, minister of agricul-
ture and author of the bill, gives statistics
bearing upon the subject
To what extent Canadians are fruitful
aud multiply and replenish the earth may
be CLEANED from the fact that when Can
ada was ceded to Britain in 1863 the
numbered but 10000. In 130 years this
comparative handful of people has in
: creased to 100000 without any aid from
foreign immigration. The wife of DR.
LaRocque, sergeant-at arms of parliament
house, has had eighteen children, although
only ten are now living. His mother. his
married sisters and all his brothers wives
have each seen fourteen olive branches
around about at one and the same time
!, The family of f. Y. Lemceur, NJ P, for
Lewis, includes thirteen children: that of
Coroner Belliou, twelve; that of Chevalier
! Martineau fourteen; thot of F. X. Letour-
neau, tinsmith, thirteen; that of T. L. LIE
tournau, St. Pierre, Montmagny, twenty
There are twenty-siX living children in the
family of Charles Lauriux, proprietor OF
City hotel, Montreal, and a woman resid.
ing at Lake st. John, whose name nv in
formant has forgotten, has family OF
thirty-two. Ebyer Hardy, a hardware
y merchant of this city, has been blessed
with fourteen children in thirteen years OF
married life, none of them were twins
While the thirty-four- year-old wife Of
J Thomas Lavalle, hotel keeper, is mother
| of eleven children
half-breed named La France, residing
| at Charlesbourg, has a family of twenty
seven, but has been three times married
That some of the fathers of the CITY art
really so in double capacity is shown h,
the fact that Major Lee, of the parish. i.
father of family of twelve; while City
Councillor Duguet's culver contains fifteeI
arrows and City Councillor Vincent:
Telve.
THE government reply to the complain
at the proposed grant is not sufficiently
srge will likely be that considering tina
the number of eligible claimants is s,
heavy. the burden to be created by the bill j
" "a large as the province can well afford t,
bear.