The Ontario Scrapbook Hansard

Ontario Scrapbook Hansard, 10 Mar 1921, p. 1

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F.O. mem'bers for their conception of the worklnga of the system "there would not be six in the whole bunch who would say the mane." How could the ondlnary elector. he asked, be expected to vote intelligently under it? Asked by Mr. Watson if he 'were not aware that many House myth-hers represented minorities in K. K. Homuth, South Waterloo, thought the Conservative members were much out of touch with public sentiment if they were unaware of any demand for it. A system of pro- portional representation, he contend- ed. would be a " improvement over the old party system. Edgar Watson, U.F.O. member for North Victoria, strongly supported the principle of proportional repre- sentation. Mr. Watson said that formerly there never had been any middle course open to the people. Mr. wattron---/Phe people of On- tario. simply kicked over the traces. Mr. Hall-Then there is a middle course. R. R. Halli, Parry Sound. express- ed the conviction that if question- ?im were Bent out among the o. "How comes me it you hfév};1"{he House, then?" asked R. It. Hall, Parry Sound. Premier Drury thought there could certainly be no ill effects following upon the adoption of a measure such as that proposed by the member for Timiskaming. "I do not think." he, said, "that proportional representation would lend itself to the introduction of group government. One thing it would prevent is the manipulation of electoral divisions to the advantage of any party, and it would insure that minorities would be represented much more nearly in proportion to their numbers than they now are." Tories Out of Touch. Hon. Thomas Crawford said he had heard no public demand for proportional representation, and urg- ed'thay it tte killed "right now." Hon. G. H. Ferguson expressed concern for the continuity under pro- portional representation of the age- old principles of responsible govern- ment. He was anxious. he said, to hear arguments pro and con. but it would take a good deal of argument, he added, to convince him that the old system could be improved upon. Mr. Magladery referred to the in- creasing and insistent demand for the system of proportional repre- sentation. In Municipal elections, he explained, the single transferable vote system would be used. Ferguson Has Fears. Proportional representation came in for more or less extended discus- sion in the Ontario Legislature yes- terday when a bill introduced by T. Magladery. Conservative, Timiskam- ins, came up for second reading. Al- though Mr. Magiadery's bill only proposed to "allow municipali- ties to adopt proportional repre- sentation in municipal elections," members went on to discuss gener- ally the principle as applied to Pro- vincial elections. , BEFORE LEGISLATURE MEASURE OPPOSED BY OLD PARTY MEN PREMIEfCtoMtGtRJT "ec),' b. IN FAVOR OF "P. R." Declares It Would Prevent Manipulation of Elec- toral Divisions to Ad- vantage of Any Parte-- Labor Men Take Same View AY, MA their constituencies, Mr. Hall re- plied. "They may on that side of the House." Conmses Electors. J. A. Calder, North Oxford. con- tended, in the face of denials, that 11,800 spot-led ballots had been cut in the Winnipeg election. He quoted retrulta in other countries under proportional representation, which, he believed, were entirely unsatis- factory. Supporting Bill. After Dr. H. A. Stevenson, labor member for London, ho supported the bid}. Hon. Walter Rollo, Minister of Labor. pointed out proportional representation was not a system in- tended primarily to benefit the Labor party, "and." he said, "we have group government pretty neaHy an over Canada at the present time without proportional representa- tion." "I think that. without question, the government of this Province will re- solve itself bark into that of the two old parties." declared Thou. Marshall, Liberal member for Lincoln. The ex-Minister of Crown Lands ridiculed the "splendid" agreement that had been drawn up by the Gov- ernment with the new company. The Government. he declared, had relieved the company of the obliga- tion of paying $1 per horsepower water rentals, had moved forward six years the date at which it must complete the agreement, and had Contracted a worthless arrangement whereby a reservation of 15 per cent. of the paper output was made forCanadian publishers. Hon. Mr. Ferguson calculated that the Gov- ernment, in altering the original agreement drawn up by the old Gov- mnent, had lost to the Province Hon. G. H. Ferguson reiterated former statements to the effect that it had been folly on the part of the Government to move the soldier set- lergaway from Kapuskasing. According to the agreement, said Premier Drury, the townsite was not to be a "company" townsite, a state of affairs which he thought was detrimental to citizenship. Mr. Lang pointed out that it was going to be a "Government" townsite. which, in his opinion, was worse. And, more- over, he said, if the townsmen of Kapuskasing fell "down on their re- payments of the half-million dollars being advanced by the Government for dwelling-house and sanitary con- struction. the townsite then reverted in any case to the company. ' Folly to Move Soldiers. Second reading was given in the Legislature yesterday to Premier Drury's bill to incorporate the town- site of Kap'uskasing, but not before the whole arrangement, including the agreement entered into between the Government and the Spruce Falls Pulp & Paper Co., was subject- ed to hot criticism by Malcolm Lang, Liberal member tor Cochrane, and Hon. G. H. Ferguson. RAKE TOWNSITE FORE AND AFT DRURY DEFENDS MOVE Malcolm Lang and Hon. Mr. Ferguson Wax Critical Thé bill received second reading.

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