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FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 1903. DEBATE UPON --PUBLICG ACCOUNTS. INQUIRY NOT BURKE D. A Morning Session to be Held To--day. This morning's business will include supply and concurrence in the Provin-- cial Conference resolutions. Government Refutes All the Charges Made. _ The debate upon the Public Ac-- counts report centred about the Shan-- non and Capreol timber limits, and the charge that the Government had shut off the committee to prevent the sub-- mission of further evidence. Hon. Mr. Davis and Hon. Mr. Latchford each made strong reglys to these allega-- tions, and showed conclusively that Col. Matheson had failed in his effort to demonstrate that the Government had shared in th® profits on "Cap." Sul-- livan's transactions. Ordinary Business Will be Wound Up This Morning--Adjournment to Follow Until Next Week for Gamey Debate. The report of the Public Accounts Commitiee was the subject of discus-- sion before the Legislature all yester-- day afternoon and for an hour or more during the night ses-- sion. As a result little progress was made with the ordinary busi-- ness before the House, and the contemplated adjournment until next Tuesday had to be postponed until this morning. The House will sit again this morning from 11 o'clock until 1 o'clock. Hon, Mr. Davis, Minister of Crown Lands, complained that the member for south Lanark had, as was customary \ with him, made a number of statements | that were not borne out by the facts. | The Charlton brothers had spent much | more than they had at first estimated ' fjor taking out the timber on the Ruth-- | erford limit. It had been thought that the distance the logs had to be taken to water was one mile, and it turned out 10 be four miles, The total cost of getting out the timber was $20.05 per thousand, and when the accounts were finally made out, expert testimony 'went to show that Charlton brothers could searcely get out without a lass. Aiter the report had been presentgdl Col. Matheson said that the commit-- tee had obtained evidence of transac--, tions which he considered a disgrace to the Government. He reviewed the evi-- dence on the Rutherford and Capreo!: limit matters, and drew his conclusions therefrom that T. _C. Taylor, the| Crown Lands Department official under | suspension, had held up the Minister of. Crown Lands, and that Sullivan held up Chew brothers, and that Taylor obtain-- ed $1,000 to keep his mouth shut. Col. Matheson declared that the commit-- tee had shut down upon them, and had done their best to block the presenta-- tion of evidence. No Evidence Blocked. Mr. George P. Graham, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, pre-- sented the r+port of the committee, containing the typewritten evidence taken before it. Rsferring to Col. Matheson's charge that the Government had shared in the profits of the sale, Mr. Davis said that not a tittle of evidence had been ad-- duced to support the allegation. Mr. Davis then reviewed the history of the Capreol limit. There was no evidence whatever to show that Chew brothers had obtained the limit in any but a regu-- lar way. They had, it was true, resold it at a substantial increase, but this was dyue to a natural advance in the value of the limit. The island limit on Georgian Bay which had formerly belonged to Chew brothers, was now valued at $50,-- 000, so that the Government had not made a very improvident bargain. . An examination of the Cane brothers' transaction also showed that if anyone had suffered it was the Cane brothers. Mr. Davis devoted some attention to the arguments based on the sale of the Ruthgrford limit by Sullivan for much more than it cost him. ~ Limits were of-- ten sold at public auction, and a few hows later resold at a much higher price. The limit had been under li-- cense two on three times previously, when all the pine might have been cut. The Crown Lands Department, there-- fore, knowing that the pine on the limit was not likely to be ofi good quality, had not placed a high value upon it. Charge Failed Utterly. Mr. Davis regretted that Mr. T. C. Taylor had been implicated in a timber deal. His long record in the depart-- ment had proved him an exemplary and capable employee. It was to be remem-- bered that Mr. Taylor had sworn that he had not given any departmental in-- formation to Sullivan or to anyone else. Mr. Davis wound up with a vigarous declaration that the Government had not sought to burk the inquiries of the committee. The annual transactions of the Department of Crown Lands in-- volved about $1,500,000, and, with the multitudinous® details also-- involved, it must be admitted that the record of. the department was as clear and com-- mendable as in the case of any private company sarrying on an equally large volume of business. A Pestiferous Sinkhole. hir. Gamey said that the Rutherford timber was worth $5 a thousand, and the Government should have had some sort of an idea of the quantity of the timber on the limit. -- These things brought out in committee were only a part of what was going on. -- There were many more of them, but it was only now and then they could get their fingers on them. Mr. Aco Whitnev characterized the ad-- Dr. Willoughby acknowledged having had a conversation with Col. Gibson about finishing the business of the House, but if he had agreed to any conclusion of the Public Accounts Committee's work he had done so with-- out knowing it. Mr.. Whitney denied that there had been any agreement to which he had as-- sented to conclude Public Accounts Committee's sessions yesterday. ministration of--the Crown Lands De-- partment as a "sinkhole of corrup-- tion, a*cstifcrous sinkhole of. corrup-- tion." The Public Accounts Commit-- tee, he said, had become a laughing stock.. The Public Accounts Commit-- tee had been closed. in order that the Minister of Crown Lands might come down to the House . to tell his starv without authority, when the real evi-- dence had been carefully shut out. From a party view he rejoiced that such a step had been taken. _ Mr. Graham, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, stated that he had proceeded in committee with the understanding that an agreement had been made between the leaders of the two parties to close the Public Ac-- counts Committee that morning. Agreed to the Conclusion. Col. Gibson said that he and Dr. Willoughby had agreed, to close the committee yesterday. C oi Col. Gibson declared that his own honest impression was that Dr. Wil-- loughby had agreed to the Public Ac-- counts Committee ending its work that morning. f . Mr. Samuel Clarke (West Northum-- berland) said that the only thing brought out in the committee that -- could . be laid at -- the door of the Department of Crown Lands was that the Shannon limit was sold too cheap. He thought it a wonder that the member for Mani-- toulin had been unable to put his fin-- ger on many other deals than thos» brought out in committee, for he had seemingly got his fingers on mary other things. _ _ h Mr. Graham, continuing, said that every essential piece of evidence, and much more, had been presented to the committee, and nothing more could be obtaind by further sessions. Mr. James Reid (Addington) said that the Chairman of the Public Ac-- counts Committee had acted very fairly. The only fault he had to find was that he had been too easy. _ _ _ * Mr. St. John spoke briefly upon the same subject. Mr. St. John. -- Mr. J. W. St. John spoke briefly be-- fore the 6 o'clock adjournment, and he continued when the evening session opened. He said that Mr. Clarke (West Northumberland) was quite right in defending the name of Sulli-- van. But in doing so he was defend-- ing the last shred of character of a man who had twice been reported for bribery. He also censured The Globe for its treatment of the Public Ac-- count Committee, complaining chiefly of a heading in the following words, "Time Wasted in Public Accounts," on an occasion when a long argument resulted about a question asked by Mr. St. John of Mr. T. C. Taylor. Mr. Latchford's Reply. Hon. Mr. Latchford upheld the ac-- tion of the Public Accounts Commit-- tee in deciding to conclude their work. He said that the Opposition members had been anxious to be obstructed in committee, and were greatly disap-- pointed becavse they were not ob-- structed. HMe reviewed some of the proceedings of the committee, to show that there had been no . obstruction, and that every witness desired by the Opposition had been summoned, and every pertinent piece of testimony had been produced. Another matter that came before the committee was the appointment of Mr. McMaster as overseer of the Markstay road. That matter had not been re-- ferred to in the House by the Oppo-- sition. --That matter was cleared up thoroughly. and shown to be quite re-- gular. ";'hat the hon. gentlemen op-- posite 'had set out to prove they had