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es s C C oonoannes, m cameienelepinpraeees on yc < > en o NC S ;. te / . e / e io . ) D, THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 1918 _ _ _ f e o * f wfi n = 84 se mzzeme -- ' I with' re'fid' w dectflcal in.pwfion: 9 : Instead of the municipalities appoint-- ing electrical inspectors, to be ap-- broved by the Hydro--electric Power Commission. the Commission will take lES 'full charge of this work and appoint | the inspectors itself. The Premier ex-- _blained that this would meet cases | of 'small towns and villages that were not able to employ an inspector all ; G $ the time, and othertplacies ;vould not : i m . permit their inspector to do outside overnment S P'an tO C|rcum work. _ The Provinciehwill be tdivlded i into inspectorates 'with competent in-- Vent ObStacles spectors in charge. This change has. been asked for by the Board of Con-- mmesmemesmemmmeseis | trol of Toronto. ; F i Local Commissions, i N'EW POWER L'EGIS'LATION The public utilities act is to be en-- larged to apply to every municipality Yets i areincin that has a contract with the Hydro-- electric Power Commission, not only cities, as at present. In cities of over Various Amendments Affecting Public| 100,000 the Commission to be estab-- Utilities in Province--Changes in lished for the construction and main-- t < tenance of works shall consist of three Compensation Law--Full Day 0'} persons, one to be appointgd by the 3 j : Municipal Council, one by the Hydro-- New Government Bitts. _electric, and the third may be the Mayor, aithough this is not obligatory. se seseommmatcemems ns The independence of these Commis--| silonf is to be secured by a clause de--| Hon. T. W. McGarry has designed claring that no member of any such | a novel scheme of circumventing the Eo't;lmlssk;nts'}'ugtl 'be * 5::'31'"'01'191'1'1 of insurance i that ref to e o O interest in a company seliing companies at refuse supplies or material to the Commis-- pay the Provincial tax. Pending the sit;lr; or'lbetinterestod in a compa;ny decision of the courts on the litigation selling electric power. The meaning # s & » l now in progress, it is proposed to levy ?gg;',lg :})cttliz tbomgfn;nig,:u:ee%? Z(::ll: a flat tax of $25,000 on all insurance tracts upon municipalities. Where a companies, but the Lieutenant--Gov-- Municipal Council enters into an ernor in Council may, if the company ;-,81'0:;!!%1: x;;:ionthihal'tlyd;'g;:lefitggl Cw 8 k ow m + Pile a mafe of TM per Cgnl on "s* will be binding upon a Public Utilities gross income, remit any balance ofi Commission or other body having its the $25,000 remaining. When intro-' * origin in the Coun';:vil or in the muni-- ducing the bill in the Legislature yes-- cipality, such as Water Commission-- 4 ers, Boards of Kducaetion, etc., and 'e.'d'"" Mr. MeGarry said that JUdgel they will not be able to contract with Middleton in the course of the recent outside concerns. trial asked counsel for the insurance The expropriation clause in the companies if they were not fair ob-- munigipailh .ftl isdto be amgndetti kto jects for taxation. The counsel had provide at lands may e aken :g admit that they were, but declinedi witho®t paying money intoh %ourt. to advise the Government as to what The right of action is given the Com-- would be a fair tax. The amendment mission for violation of agreement. to the corporation tax act will not In reply to a question by Mr. Row--| affect the arrears of last year, and ell, the Premier said that no salaries that <will have to stand in abeyance were being received by the members until the decision of the Privy Coun-- . of the Hydro--electric Power Commis-- il is given. sion except the Chairman, who was e paid $6,000 by the Government and a Confident of Judgment. similar amount by the municipalities. "We have hccigxethtojt:;e C:ntc'l,u::m Compensation Law Changes. we can ho e JjJudgment, & T. Mooarty: "but" lewyere will Hon. I. B. Lucas brought in the understand that no one can tell what measure to make necessary amend-- the Privy Council may do." The * ments to the workmen's compensa-- meaning of the bill is that when the tion act. _ While the amendments company is filing its annual report were mosfly of a technical character, with the Province it may make appli--| found advisable by the Commission in cation for a reduction of the tax to! its work so far, he explained that the the basis of 1% per cent., which is| most important provision was one, the amount provided in the existing changing the law respecting work-- act. Whether a tax on gross income .men injured outside the Province. 'Ip is direct or indirect, the flat rate of cases where a company is doing busi-- $25,000 will leave that question no ness outside of the Province and an longer in doubt. employee is engaged on this work for | more than six months and is injur-- An Eye For an Eye. ;ed.d he will receive his compensation re in the corporation under schedule 2 of the act, that is, ta:'? 1::7 v:iel'lltlll)ee one providilr)xg for | 'ghe part relating to individual liabil-- eciprocity..in the charges made by' ity. 'The difficulty had been, said the Ontario and other Provinces and Attorney--General, that it was almost States. Where an Ontario company impossible to keep track of the pay-- is doing business in another com-- iroll of a company whose men were munity and is treated in respect to engaged outside the Province. There taxation as a foreign corporation and were also some changes in the assess-- thereby discriminated against when ment clauses, involving no departure compared _ with domestic corpora-- in principle. . The" Commission : is tions, the Provincial Treasurer is giv-- still feeling its way," said Mr. Lucas, en power to impose in Ontario a tax ' and will make no change in the against corporations of that Prov-- assessment for this year.'" ince or State equal to that imposed And More to Follow. R against Ontario corporations there. Mr. Rowell remarked that the Gov-- New Power Legislation. ernment had produced a fairly heavy Hon. W. H. Hearst this year ts .bgn of legislation for the House to ; sponsor for the power legislation. digest, and would like to know from; Sir Adam Beck being no longer a the Premier what else had to come' member of the Cabinet, it Wecomes down. & P necessary for a member of the Gov-- .The Premier replied there were' ernment to introduce this legisla-- still to come an educational bill, one tion. In explaining the bill the dealing with good roads and certain Premier said it provided in the first changes in the Hydro--radial law. place for the payment of salaries umnmmntitentcommmmmiveecennstnnmamaies to the members of the Hydro--electric Power Commission, other than the Chairman, who now received a sal.-- ary from the Government, these salaries to be paid by the municipali-- tiee which seek this legislation. _ A new expropriation clause will cover special cases, and is made retroactivel to the 1st of March. Power is to be given to the Commission to -- seil lands that have been purchased but are now no longer required, Centralized Inspection,. .__ A new provision is to be adopted