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Price Bill and McCrae Bill Could Not Pass Through Two Successive Stages in One Day Without Unanimous Consent Strong Objection Taken to Substitute M e a a u r e Introduced by McCrae-- English Constitutional Expert is Quoted So far as legislation in concerned. Toronto is no nearer a solution of the street railway problem than be- fore the Legislature opened. On the last day of the session efforts were made to "rmlt'oad" two bills though the House. and both proved stunt". because no bin 0911.30 through two successive stages on the same day without the unanimous consent of the Legislature. HARD STRUGGLE ON BOTH SIDES Charles, McCrae. Conspv'vativo member for Sudbury. tried to got through his measure which would give the Municipal Councils the power to increase railway (area without reference to the people. COL w. H. Price, Conservative member for Parkdale, brought in a bill mak- ing it impossible for municipal cor- porations to change a franchlao without submitting a. by-law to the ratepayers. The first, a prO-T.S.R. measure, and the second. a pro-pub- lic measure, met the same fate. Party Lines Erased. With both factions in the House it was a. fight to the last ditch. T'. P.O. members for the most; pert viewed the proceedings with non- chalant, but amused. interest. Party lines were erased. On the first bill, that to give Municipal Council: the right to increase street car fares. Col. Price and his followers contest- ed, by technicalities and points of order every step of the way. When the-Price Bill came up the factions reversed positions. and Mr. Me- Crae and his adherents proved them- selves equally _cap_a.ble just ditch- em." Mr. 'h'feakeiiviaiinii""wi'ii"ii,'.. voked on numerous occasions. Once it ye. thHPt_el.ateinst by Col. Price -- - a"-.. -uwun-u. v.7 vvx. ' I"?! and. although staid congtltutlonalists like Hon. Thos. Crawtord and Hon. Geo. '8. Henry voted to upset his rul- ing. he was sustained by a majority vote. The end of the two bills came " yesterday afternoons teasion. It had been expected that immediately after last midnight another effort would be made to get the measures passed when it would be Conattttr.. tionally possible, but the House ad.. Journed before midnight. . Lieut.-Col. w. H. Price. Conner- vative membg for Parkdale, opened hostilities wi a technical objection as to the appearance of the subs". tute measure on the floor of the Legislature. "This is not the same bill," he said, "that went down to the Private Bills Committee. I be. Different Measure m) RAILWAY FfileLLS g l)llifilijl'iEl) 0N al)lll0ll,l'lEl Before the House SATURDAY. MAY 29. 1920. IN LAST HOURS OF HOUSE Mr. Speaker was prepared for the contingency. He had his ruling already written out. Basing his au- thority on the same as that quoted by Mr. McCrae, he and: "I do not feel that I can rule the M11 out of order, but I would strongly recom- pend that the M11 be Wighdrgqn Council request the board to make an investigation the board should not step in, it was "merely another form of delay as to the taking pos- session of the line by the Railway Board. The principle is exactly the same. The difference is merely in the method of carrying it out." The Sudbury member proceeded. to quote Sir Erskine May on Parlia- mentary procedure, and concluded. "Not only is this bill returned to the House the same bill in principle, but it follows strictly within the ruling ot Sir Erskine May, and is en- tirely within the Jurisdiction of this House. H. H. Dewart, K.C.. was the first to favor the bill as presented to com- mittee. It had been found in com- mittee. he said. that the subject un- der discussion had received the very earnest consideration of the Ontario Railway Board, and while the clauses suggested by that body were not altogether relative to those un- der discussion. they offered a solu- tion of the matter referred to the committee. He contended that fre- quently radical treatment accorded bills had left them scarcely recog- nizable as the same bill. "After all," he said, "it is treatment of the same subject matter that was referred to committee in a certain form. I do submit these were proper amend- ents dealing with theenbject mat- ter of the bill. My honorable friend (Col. Price) simply because he can- not at the eleventh hour bring in legislation. objects by technical pro- cedure. It is not fair procedure. The bill is properly reported to this House." Mr. McCrae contended that Col. Price was incorrect in his contention that it was a. new bill that was now brought before the House. As to the ttrat clause, there was "no dif- ference in principle, just a difference in the body to settle the point." On the second clause, stating that until J. w. Curry, K.C., Southeast To.. ronto, in adding his objection to those of tho Premier and Colonel Price, pointed out that as the fr- regularity had been duly pointed out in committee, the course of' the House at this juncture "is ot very serious moment to the people of Toronto." Dewart. Favors Bill. Col. Price was on his feet to make reply, and was interrupted by R. L. Braclrin't, point of order. Charles McC-rae, Conservative, Sudbury. the sponsor of both the original and the new bill, proceeded to argue for the admissibility of the new measure, and was halted by the point of order of Dr. Stevenson, London. Mr. Mc- Crae claimed the privilege of reply- ing to Col. Price. and upon appeal to the Speaker it was decided that he should have the privilege of mak- ing reply. No New Bill, Says McCrae. lieve that the rules of the House are strictly against the substitution of one" bill for another in a Committee. If we are going to have one bill introduced into this House and have substituted for it in committee an entirely different bill, then what 1. to prevent any person, the Ontario Railway Board or any other body. from appearing before any of the standing committees and asking to have bills substituted. The new hilt should not be heard here. I.would ask that we have the ruling of the Speaker." Premier Drury backed up the ob. jection of the Parkdale member. "ft appears to me," he said. "that the bill that has come back is not at all the same bill."