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LOCAL GOVERNMENT—AREA AND POPULATION
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Members of the Legislative Assembly are elected by the direct vote of the people. The qualifications are as follows: Every male person who is a British subject of the full age of twenty-one years, and has resided in Alberta for at least twelve months and in the electoral division three months immediately preceding the date of the election.

There are 41 members in the Legislature-34 Liberals, 6 Conservatives, and 1 Labour-Socialist.

Lieutenant-Governor.—Hon. G. H. V. Bulyea.

The members of the Ministry are as follows:-

Premier, President of the Council, and Minister of Railways and Telephones.—Hon. A. L. Silton.

Attorney-General.—Hon. C. W. Cross.

Provincial-Treasurer.—Hon. Malcolm McKenzie.

Minister of Public Works.—Hon. C. R. Mitchell.

Minister of Agriculture.—Hon. Duncan Marshall.

Minister of Education.—Hon. J. R. Boyle.

Minister of Municipalities.—Hon. Chas. Stewart.

Provincial Secretary.—Hon. A. J. McLean. The province has no agent in London.

Local Government.—In 1912 the law respecting towns and rural municipalities was revised and brought up to date, in harmony with the conditions and development and growth prevailing in the province at the present time.

Rural municipalities comprise an area of 18 miles square, and are laid out on a uniform plan conformable as far as possible to the Dominion Land Survey system. Each municipality is a body corporate and governed by a council of five elected by a general vote of the resident electors. The chief executive officer is called a Reeve. All towns are incorporated under the Towns' Act of 1912 except those incorporated by special acts. The town council consists of a Mayor and six councillors elected by those whose names appear on the last revised assessment roll. Persons qualified to vote are, persons male or female of the full age of 21 years who are assessed for $200.00 or upwards. The cities of Alberta carry on their municipal government by the authority of special charters granted by the Legislature.

Area and Population.—The area of the province is 255,285 square miles. The population in 1911 was 374,633; in 1906, 184, 412, and in 1901, 73,022. In 1911 the rural population numbered 232,726 (52,399 in 1901), and the urban 141,937 (20,623 in 1901). Population of the principal cities, (1911):-Calgary, 43,655; Edmonton, 30,434; Lethbridge, 8,050; Medicine Hat, 5,573; Wetaskiwin, 2,411.

The total statistics for 3 years have been as follows:-


Births Marriages Deaths Excess of births
1909 6,897 2,384 2,662 4,235
1910 8,231 3,086 3,526 4,705
1911 8,313 3,630 3,618 4,695


Instruction.—In the school system all grades, both primary and secondary, are included under the term of public school. The same board of trustees control the schools from the kindergarten to entrance to the s 2