The Ontario Scrapbook Hansard

Ontario Scrapbook Hansard, 3 Mar 1917, p. 3

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; ie SX i Mr. McGarry stated that the re-- port of the Nickel Commission and legislation based on that report woeuld shortly be brought down, and he would let the people of Ontaric jnmIge who were best qualified to deal with the nickel question--'"the trial lawyer of Toronto or the members of the Nickel Commission, who have acvoted their whole lives to the study of this matter." If United States Goes to War. The -- Provincial Treasurer _ com-- plained that the member for South-- west Toronto had been #sning about the country making statements about nickel from Ontario being used by the Germans to kill , Canadian soldiers, but "he has never given this Govern-- ment or the Government at Ottawa one single, solitary word of evidence that the nickel of Ontario is coming back to this country in the bodies of Canadian soldiers.'"' Nickel Report Coming. | In a short time the veil may be aised if the Urited States joins us as Cecil that the British Government was perfectly satisfied with the pre-- cautions taken by the Canadian Gov-- ernment in regard to nickel . "Thait statement was published in The To-- ronto Globe," said the Provincial Treasurer, "and I venture to say that for the last thirty years the hon. member for Southwest Toronto has never taken his breakfast without reading The Toronto Globe." (Laugh-- ter and applause.) Mr. McGarry quoted from a state-- ment by Right Hon. Bonar Law to the effect that Merton & Company had eliminated enemy holdings in the company, with the approval of the British Board of Trade. He also §uoted a statement by Lord Robert "F object to the hon. member mak-- ing these attacks and for refusing to accept my word when he knew and weall knew that so long as the United States remains neutral, for interna-- tional reasons and for diplomatic rea. isons the whole of the correspondence between this Government _ and the British Government cannot be made public. . No one knows better than the hon. member for Southwest Toronto the necessity for keeping certain mat-- ters regarding the nickel business secret, because he is the friend of G. G. S. Lindsey, who was refused the right to traffic and truckle with nicket shipments in this time of war. (Laughter and applause.) G. G. 8. Lindsey found that he could not make any commission on shipments of nickel to Russia because the British Government had appointed the firm of Merton & Company buying'é;g';efxi:-tl:;" Merton & Company. . 7 yV -- rrAdilld . _HCWLLT&RL, <~LOr 'interna.« tional reasons and for diplomatic rea. sons the whole of the correspondence between this Government _ and the British Government cannot be made public. . No one knows better than the hon. member for Southwest Toronto the necessity for keeping certain mat-- ters regarding the nickel business secrat bhanange. ha 18 Hmnna--Enlzc 4 _ s su _I have always admired my hon friend, lliln rofi"n'lu'.t!ogeyhs consi&a.x;ably_" les-- '&ened and lg red by his refusal last evening to accept the word of a re-- spongible Minister that the arguments and statements he was making were not founded on fact. I would not mind my hon. friend criticizing the tax. ation of nickel companies or pur-- suing the matter of land grants to those companies, but I do object to him attacking the nickel companies for dealing with the firm of Merton & Company, and for saying that firm was a pro--German firm after 1 had informed him on the authority of a British Cabinet Minister that Merton & Company were satisfactory to the British Government and the British Government was satisfied with the manner in which the nickel problem was being handled by the Canadian and Ornrtario Governments. Still Holds to Secrecy »16En devoted to I have always ad: on Nickel Details nickel. And "so long as I am Provincial Trea-- surer,'" said he, "I will continue to try and build up surpluses and use the money for the benefit of our sol-- diers when they return from -- the war.'" -- (Applause.) | The -- Provincial Treasurer -- then 'quoted from a letter from Sir Eaward Kemp, Minister of Militia, to the ef-- fect that the Lewis gun is one of the 'surprises of the war and it is gener-- ally conceded the Germans have noth-- {ing to compare with it. Great Brit-- {ain. said Mr. McGarry, had ordered a large number of the same model of guns from the Savage Arms Company of the United States. '"The leader of the Opposition knew when he was making these statements that he was making a lot of half--truths,." declar-- ed the Provincial Treasurer, with some warmth. "What this Govern-- ment is willing to do is to wait unt?l a sufficient number of our Canadian boys come.back from the front, and we will prove from the mouths of these men who have used these ma-- chine guns that the Lewis gun is an efficient and satisfactory weapon." A People's Loan. In conclusion the Provincial Trea-- surer said that if conditions were favorable it was not unlikely that the Provinrce of Ontario would float a popular loan and give the people of | the Province an opportunity to do their share in refunding the $17,000,-- 000 issue of Ontario securities heldl' in Britain which the Government in-- tended to wipe 'out by reborrowing the money on this side of the Atlantic ' a iarge number of the same model of guns from the Savage Arms Company of the rUniteAdA States. '"The leader 1 am prepared to prove plause.) Lewis Gun Efficient? When challenged to give the names of the officers who told them -- the Lewis guns were defective the Opposi-- tion leader and the Liberal Whip said they could not give the naimes. "If an officer did write and say those guns were defective he should he man enough to allow his name to be used," said Mr. McGarry. '"IITe ought to be brave enough to face the pub-- lie and say 'I made that charge, and C 5_ it HVL GIVe INntg gUuns," sgid Mr. McGarty. "We gave $500,001 to the Dominion Government and they ordered the guns--2,500 guns--from the Savage Arms Company of Utica, U.S.A. They were guns of the iden-- tical model as that made in Birming-- ham, England. One gun may have been defective, while another had no dAefects." '"We did not give the guns Mr. McGarty. "We gave $500 the Dominion Government an ordered the guns--2,500 cuns the Savage Arms Company of ¥v se & 2202 Z~2A20u0L e Imaue puDiic now. Dealing with Mr. Rowelt's remarks about the $500,000 scrant maude hy the Province of Ontario for machine guns, the Provincial Treasurer said | the Opposition leader weur 4 have to» take the odium in full for the attack | he made on the Ontario Government| in connection with the contribution of | Lewis guns. He quoted from : letter | from Sir Robert Bordon in which the , Prime Minister referred to the "pxit--} riotic and valuable gift" of machins} guns from Ontario, and said that lho! Opposition leader knew the Province } of Ontario did not force the 3ift on the Dominion Government. As to de-- liveries, he said 989 of the guns were j delivered last March. I allies, sfidgit_ri McGarry, and then it will be possible to make npublic cer-- tain correspondence on this nickel question, which for obvious reasons cannot be made public now. Machine Guns Defended as of Proper Model e the names them -- the the Opposi-- beral Whip (Ap--

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