The Portland daily press., 1894-08-09
BIG FAMILIES IN QUEBEC.
Bounties Paid to Fathers of Twelve
Children or More.

Nearly 10000 acres of rich agricul-
been given away in bounties for large
families in the last four years by the
provincial government. These bounties
are regulated by law, and are paid at the
rate of 100 acres of government land for
every family Of twelve or more children.
The act governing the bounties was
creation of ex-Preimer Mereier and was
entitled an act to confer privilege upon
fathers OF families who have twelve
children living" and contains the fol-
owing preamble.
Whereas IL is advisable, following the
example of past centuries, to give marks
of consideration for frnitfulness in the
sacred and civil bonds of matrimony,
therefore her majesty, by and with the
advice and consent of the legislature OF
Quebec, enacts as follows.
Then come the provisions Of the bill,
granting 100 acres of public lands to
"every father of family, whether he be
born or naturalized in this province, who
has twelve children living, issue of
lawful marriage" In order to obtain
the bounty the applicant must present
u petition to the provincial secretary,
accompanied by his certificate of mar
riage, certificate of baptism OF each OF,
his children, and a certificate, sworn
before Justice of the peace, giving the
mum Der and names of his children. Up
to this date 1,743 fathers of twelve or
more children have complied with the
conditions of this act and received the
state reward.
Not all of them, however, are satisfied
| with the amount of the bounty. In
| STANCES of families of twenty or more
| children are not rare, and the fathers OF
| these usually look for a reward superior.
| proportionately to that acceded those
| who barely come within the provisions
| of the act. The Hon. G. Ominet, the
present superintendent of education in
the Quebec province, is the twenty-sixth
| child of the same father and mother.
| There is a letter on record in the crown
| lands department of the government
| from Paul Belanger of River du Loup an
| old man who fought in 1898 against
| the rebels of that period, who states
| that, desiring to serve his country alike
| in peace and in war, he has given her as
many children as be has killed enemies
| of his nationally namely, thirtysix, Mr..
| Belanger asks whether three lots of land
will be given the families which, like
his own, contain thirty-six living chill
/ dren. Otherwise he contends that the
law would not be complete.
The number Of lots of land SO far con-
| ceded under the provisions of this law by
no means represents the total number
of families of twelve or more children.
| Applications 'Ffor bounties continue to
come.in at the rate of over 300 year, OF
nearly thirtyssa month. In some cases
they are from parents whose twelfth
ehildsis yet of exceedingly tender age,
and who could no earlier have complied
with the conditions of .the law. Other
applications are constantly received from
people who have only recently heard Of
the law, or who have held back unit
suresthat it was the correct and fashion.
able thing to- do to take. The official bour
ty.
| In claiming that the new law simply
follows the examplessof past centuries, it,
authors are strictly correct. The "Or
dinanees of Colbert" framed by the IA
nous minister of Louis XIV, accorded
300 francs per year to the father il
Canada of ten living children, born il
Legitimate wedleck, and 400 francs to
the father of twelve born under similar
conditions. By the same ordinances q
francsEwas paid to every young man mar
rying at the age of twenty.or under, ant
the same amount to every young woman
marring at the age of sixteen or under.