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On investigating since, said Mr. Taylor, he had failed to ascertain the identity of the man who had made him the offer. He had called up Mr. Menzie in Owen Sound and Mr. Menzie had absolutely denied that he had ever authorized anybody to make such an offer or represent-- ations on his behaif. On Thursday, March 24, Mr. Tay-- lor said. he received a letter at his home which,. i% the Cbairman would read it, would explain the whole mat-- ter. The let'ter, which was put in as evidence, read as follows: '"Detroit, Mich., U.S.A. "MUr. D. J. Taylor, M.P.P., Wiar« ton, Ontario. Dear Sir,--IL was handed some days ago a copy of The Toronto Star in which I saw something has been said in the Gov-- ernment about a remark that you made about being offered a sum of money to use your influence for the appointment of a certain man 'to a Mceant for a Test. Mr. Taylor said that the first por-- tion of the newspaper report, re-- lating &so0 an offer of a bribe, was correct, but the latter part. in which some rellection wa«s cast _ on men.beis of past Governments, was incorreci.. -- lie had been oitered a $1,000 bribe, he said, i1 he would use his influence on behalt of a certain man to secure for him the %oshion of Vice--Chairman of the 'orkmen's Compensation Board. Besides finishing oif the Taylor maiter, the committee yesterday afternoon wound up the H. B. Asa-- plant investigaiion, concluded _ the invesiigation of the Andrew Hicks statements, and eliminated from the matters to be invesiigated the MacBride-->wayze _ reflerences _ and the matter at issue becween R. R. HMHall, Liberal member for Parry Bound, and The Evening Telegram. The MacBride--Swayze matter was dismissed as one -- affeciing _ only opinions, and on which it was felt no headway could e made no mat-- ter how many witnesses were called. Mr. Hall's matter, they said, was one not affecting the Legislature. J. M. Ferguson, commiitee -- counsel, expresseed his opinion to the com-- miitee along those lines. The Mystcrious Visitor. Mr. Taylor, in evidence, said that the offerinz of money to which he referred was personal with himself. On Saturday, November 1, 1919, he believed the date was, a man dropped off the early morning train in his town and walked out to his home about a mile out. "HMHe was supposed," he said, "to represent one George Menzie -- of Owen Sound, who was aspiring for the position of Vice--Chairmanship of --the Workmen's Compensation Board. He stated that he thought Mr. Menzie should get this job, and made the statement that Mrv. Menzie was willing to pay me 41,.000 fo my influence in endeavoring to ob-- tain khim th's nosition." Government position. Now, I have thought that you might be placed in a somewhat awkward position over the matter, as I do not suppose you know my name, but ! am the man who called on you at your home near Wiarton, and, among other things, I did suggest that you might very easily make $1,000 in this way, but I am pleased to be able to say that you absolutely refused to ac-- cept any money consideration for your influence in any way. "I may say, further, that I had never met you until the day of our conversation and I knew nothing whatever about you, but during the election I heard conflicting stories about you, and so I took the trouble to call on you for the sole purpose of testing you out as to your honesty in political matters. A "I was not asked by 'any person to see you or to make any offer to §0u, but did so entirely off my own at. "I thought it only fair that T should write you on this matter, but hope my action will not get you into any trouble. "I am now living in Detroit, havy-- Ing left Owen Sound _ last fall. "(Signed) W. Wilcox." Sir Adam Beck, Chairman o the Hydro--electric Commission, strongly contests the opinion ad-- vanced by the Attorney--General when speaking in the Legislature on the proposed amendments to the Ontario Power Act. The At-- torney--General explained that these amendments were introduced with the object of validating the pay-- ment of salaries to members of the Hydro--electric Commission by the Ontario Power Company, which pay-- ments, in Mr. Raney's opinion, were outside the legal rights of the company. "I have read the statement of the Attorney--General made in the House last night, to the effect that the $6,-- 000 paid to me as President and the payments to the other commis-- sioners, officers and officials of the Ontario Power Company are, in the opinion of the Attorney--General, un-- authorized and illegal. A Different Legal Opinion. Speaking to The Globe yesterday, Sir Adam Beck said: '"'The legal advisers of the Ontario Power Company differ from the views of the Attorney--General, and advise that the annual payment to me and the payments to the other commissioners, oficers and officials of the Ontario Power Company are perfectly regular, proper and legal. "In any event, the Hydro--elec-- tric Power Commission of Ontario now hold and control all the stock of the Ontario Power Company, and under these circumstances I am curious to know who can have any status in challenging the validity of these various payments, unless, in-- deed, it is the Attorney--General himself. SAYS PAYMENTS WERE IN ORDER AND HAS LEGAL BACKING "I am more concerned with the merits than I am with &he technical legal questions. The well--defined policy of the Hydro and the muni-- cipalities is 'Service at cost," and In pursuance of this policy some years ago the interested municipali-- ties passed a resolution requesting amendments to the Hydro Act, pro-- viding for payment as operating ex-- penses to the commissioners of any sum up to $25,000 a year. Legis-- lation followed this resolution, but lUmited the amount to be paid to the commissioners to $15,000. Situation Changed in 1917. Beck Controverts Raney's Opinion on Salaries to Hydro Commissioners "This was the situation when in; 1917 the Hydro--electric Power Com--| mission acquired the controlling in--| terest in the capital stock of-- the Ontario Power Company by the, purchase of the shares of that com--, pany in Buffalo. At that time a ) new Board of Directors of the com--| pany was elected, and I, as Chair--| man of the Hydro--electric Power} Commission=-- of-- Ontario, was elected | President. Since then the business| of the Ontario Power Company has been carried on as a separate under--| taking of that company, and is now being so carried on. % "All the contracts and engagements with customers, including the Hy-- dro--electric Power Commission, are being carried out as company trans-- actions, in the same manner as they were carried out prior to the pur-- chase of the shares. This involves the performance of alil duties and @&ll the work of those who prior to that time had been officials and offi-- cers of the company. "After the commission acquired