The executive authority is in the hands of a lieutenant-governor, appointed for five years by the Federal Government, and of a council appointed from and responsible to the local legislature. This consists of a lower house of assembly, and of a legislative council of 20 life members, which the assembly has frequently, but in vain, endeavoured to abolish. The municipal system was introduced subsequent to federation on July 1, 1867. Nova Scotia and Quebec possess a legislative council as well as a legislative assembly.
The revenue is chiefly made up of the Dominion subsidy and of royalties on mining concessions, chiefly those on coal and other special taxes. The province is represented in the Dominion senate by ten members and in the House of Commons by 14 (1926).
Primary education is free and compulsory, and undenominational ; secondary education is also free, but optional. There are also many private schools under denominational con trol. Besides the elementary high schools and academies there are four universities : King's college, Halifax (Anglican), founded in 1790; Acadia university, Wolfville (Baptist, 1839) ; St. Francis Xavier, Antigonish (Roman Catholic, 1866) ; and Dalhousie university, Halifax (undenominational), established by charter in 1818, reorganized in 1863, the largest possessing faculties of arts, science, medicine and law.
Nova Scotia is naturally a sea-going province, and till about 1881 had the largest tonnage, in proportion to population, in the world. Halifax is still one of the chief winter ports of the Dominion, and Sydney is also a favourite port of call for steamers in need of "bunker" coal. The water-power provided by the rivers supports many manu factures. Several sugar-refineries exist, and a large trade is carried on with Bermuda and the West India islands.
The fisheries of Nova Scotia are the next most important in Canada, after those of British Columbia. Lobsters, cod and mackerel, herring and haddock, constitute the bulk of the catch. Many boats are also fitted out in Lunenburg, Digby, Yarmouth and other ports for the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. A large number are employed in the lobster canneries and other kindred industries. Trout and salmon abound in the inland lakes and streams.
Lumbering was long the chief industry of the prov ince, and is still very important, though the forest left uncut is only some 12,000 sq.miles. The network of small lakes and rivers
enables the logs to be brought to the mills with great ease, and little rough timber is now exported. The chief trees include spruce, fir, pine, birch, oak and maple. The manufacture of wood pulp for paper is also carried on.
Bituminous coal is mined in various parts of Cape Breton (q.v.) and in the counties of Cumberland and Pictou. The seams dip at a low angle, and are of great thickness, espe cially in Pictou county. The known coal-fields cover some i,000 sq.miles. Other important centres are Springhill, Acadia Mines, Stellarton and Glace Bay (C.B.). It is shipped as far west as Montreal, and to the New England States. The by-product in dustries are very important. Iron is largely produced, chiefly in the vicinity of the Cumberland and Pictou coal-fields. The de posits include magnetite, red haematite, specular, limonite and carbonate ores. Blast furnaces are in operation, especially at New Glasgow, Sydney and North Sydney, though most of the ore used at Sydney is imported from Newfoundland. The quarries of easily worked limestone, the product of which is used as a "flux" in the blast furnaces, add to the value of the iron deposits. Gold occurs in workable quantities in the quartz all along the Atlantic coast, and several small but successful mining enterprises are in operation. Large deposits of gypsum occur, especially at Windsor, in Hants county. Manganese and copper are also worked on a small scale.
The attention paid to lumbering, fishing and shipping, and the subsequent emigration westwards have lessened the importance of this industry. Mixed farming is, however, largely carried on, and of late years dairy farming has been greatly extended and improved, and much butter and cheese is exported to England. Both the Dominion and the Provincial Governments have endeavoured to introduce scientific methods. Nova Scotia is specially famous for its fruits, the export of apples being the main feature. The centre of this industry is the valley of the Annapolis. At the head of the Bay of Fundy and on Minas basin the low-lying meadows produce splendid crops of hay and good pasture, while the cool climate and abundant mois ture make the region well suited for dairy farming and stock raising.