GOVERN 3IENT. British Columbia is represented in the Canadian Parliament by three Senators and six members of the House of Commons. The local government is in the hands of a local Legislature of thirty-eight elected members. a Lientenant-Governor. appointed by the Dominion Government, and an Executive Couneil. The chief towns are Victoria and Vancouver. At the close of the century the receipts amounted to $1.544. 000—the Dominion subsidy, general mining re ceipts, and free miners' certificates being the most important sources. The expenditure for the same year was $1,831,000, the construction of lantana- works, education, and interest on public debt being the largest items.
The clearinghouse transaction's of Victoria in 1900 amounted to $32,000,000, and those of Vancouver to $46,160.000. The province contains post-otliee and Government savings banks.
EnucAnoN. There are free public schools, and, differing from most Canadian provinces, they are wholly under secular eontrol. The system com
prehends common, graded, and high schools, with a total teaching force of nearly 500. There are also a number of private schools. The city school districts are divided into three classes. and to these the Provincial] Government gives a per capita allowance of $13, $15, and $20, respective ly, according to the average actual daily attend ance of public-school pupils, and all additional expenses are locally provided for. The total cost of education to the province in 1899-1900 was $307,479, and to the cities. $81,886. Schools in the rural districts are under the management of a board of three trustees, while in the city dis tricts the trustees number three, five, or seven, according to the class into which the city falls. The wives of qualified freeholders or leaseholders are eligible for the position of school trustees.