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Mr. oewart's Motion. "This Legislature records its Strong disapproval of the present Govern- ment's failure to accept Ministerial responsibility by delegating its pow- era and authority to unnecessary commissions to deal with matters that.should have been the subject of Governmental action, and par- ticularly the declaration of the Pre- mier ot Ontario that he prOposes to allow tho Hydro-electric Inquiry Commission, headed by Walter D. Gregory. KC., appointed on the 18th day of April, 1922, to continue to sit and report under its delegated authority after the Premier had de- cided to appeal to the country, and after the dissolution of the present Legislature at its last session before a. general election, at a time when the Legislature has no control of or power of protest against its con- duct or flndings and during the progress of_a general election." TO BE NO REPORTS MADE IN MEANTIME Discussion upon the ethics of con- tinuing public bearings of the com- mission during the campaign was precipitated in the House last night 'by a want-of-confidence motion moved by H. II. Dcwart. ICC.. Lib- eral member for Southwest Toronto. as an amendment to a motion to go into supply. and seconded by G. G. l-Ialcrow. Independent Labor mem- hen for Hamilton. After the Pre- mier's undertakings in respect to the ruture course of. the commission. however. Mr. Dewart withdrew his motion, which read: Confronted with an apparent "unanimity of opinion among Oppo- sition members that the Gregory Commission should not continue its public hearings during the heat of an election campaign. Premier Drury unaertook in the Imgisiaturc last night to take up with Chairman IV. D. Gregory the possibility and economic advisability of abandoning all but technical research until after the election. In addition, the Pre- mier definitely promised that no re- port would be received from the commission between dissolution and the election. Solidarity of Oppositidn to Continuance of Inquisi- torial Procedure While Campaign Is Being Waged Moves Premier to Promise Consultation With Chief Commis- sioner to See What May Be Done - In speaking to his motion. the member for Southwest Toronto hit out in characteristic two-ttated style. declaring that the Legislature ought to state clearly that when the Gov- ernment is dissolved the Gregory Corn'mitaeion, the creature of the Government. should he dissolved. and. "in ordinary decency and fair- ness, should not he allowed to con- tinue to manufacture political cnp1- ttst for my honorable friend. tho Premier of this Province. and his colleagues. . . . Is it fair. is it honest, is it decent politics. that this Gregory Commission should continue to sit and grind out politi- cal ammunition for my honorable friends across-the House t" (lllt1iottrti IIIUNU l'li0Nlf MAY BE GIVEN VACATION UNTIL AFTER ELECTION w. H. Price, Conservative mem- ber for Parkdale, declared that there was no meeeaaity for permitting the commission to proceed with its in- 'I' iifijRsoAr, MAY o', 1923. vesti.gation during the election. inas- much as "the next Government of this Province will not need to be advised by commissions like the Gregory Commission." Even. he maid. After emphasizing the importance of the work remaining to be done, the Premier explained, in answer to a question, that the work constituted the preparation of the main report, which would be of immense value. Commission May Continue Work. "Whether in other, words. the Hydro enterprise, the Hydro Com- mission, is fitted to function as a builder of this enterprise or whether it would be better to adopt the method of letting them by contract, and having them built by others. In other words, whether we have an efficient estimating machine in the Hydro organization." it [no umex'umem was incapable to such an extent that it had to have the commission, it would be unnec- essary and "unseemly" to have the commission going on gathering evi- dence during election. Propaganda Charged. way that would have commanded the respect of the people, instead of having a. commission "going for months and months, and prepared to go for months-more, without any re- turn to the House or to the people just for the purpose of political It the Government deemed in- vestigation necessary, Mr. Price said, it should have gone about it in, a. Two things the Government de- sired to-know, the Premier said: "Whether we can rely on the esti- mates that are given by Hydro en- gineers, which must be a guide for the Government. We must not have estimates being exceeded two and three times their original figure. That would mean the death of pub- lite ownership. Then we must know whether the methods enployed in construe"on of the Chippawa project and the Nipigon were the best. "Under these circumstances." he; said. "and because the work is), progressing. and cannot be dropped, I I do not intend, with my will, to ask the commission to cease its labor-5.3 I am prepared, however, to fight:' fair, and I will make this concession: 1 I won't undertake to stop the com- l mission in its work. but I will under- , take after the Houtte dissolves andI appeal is made I will see that they! do not make any report until the! election is over." I Attorney-General - Would the honorable member call the report on the Nlplgon project political propaganda." Mr. Pr1ee---That report could have been ascertained by the Gov- ernment by sending up a competent engineer without getting a perma- nent commission and everyone be- fore the commission. Mr. Price said that it the Preo mier thought there was anything in particular that needed investigating he ought to come out and say so. Premier Drury reiterated argu- ments made previously as to the jus- tification for the appointment of the Gregory Commission. pointing to ex- cess of estimates and a general situ- ation, he said. which left the Gov- ernment "no other course in the world" but to investigate. - Hon. G. H. Ferguson added his "voice to the appeal for a cessation of "political propaganda" from the commission, declaring it would be an unheard-of thing to permit it to proceed with public sittings during the election. It any good at all was to come from the commission", ac- tivities. it could not come if the commission were to take evidence when prejudices and political feeling on all public questions will The Premier withstood the appeals of Mr. Dewart at this point to have the commission cease holding public sittings, which, he said. would not tend to the efficiency of the investi- gation, and would be wasteful. inas- much as the organization would have to be kept up. F. Wellington Hay. Liberal Lia, er, thought some parties, were at: tempting to make political capital out of Hydro. "Bo tar as we are concerned," he said, "we have ab- solute faith in the Hydro, and no matter how many parties attempt to make political capital out ot it we believe that Hydro is going on. and Hydro Ln going to be a success. and Hydro is a success." ' -f Nobody had ever 'vrvsticip:ttod, he said, that the Gregory Commission would take as long as it has taken in its inquiries; much less that its activities would continue on into the election. He agreed entirely with the Conservative Leader, he said. that "public hearings ought not to take place during the next 60 days, and that no report should come in." In so far as estimates were con- cerned. the Liberal Leader declared the Minister of Agriculture, in build mg a little dairy school at Guelvy had doubled or trebled the estimau that had been submitted. Appeals for Fair Play. run abnormally high. Has FILM) In Hydro. Whoever might have attempted to make political capital out of Hydro, Mr. Hay said. the Liberal party cer- tainly did not. "But," he added, "in all fairness, we appeal to the Prime Minister and his Government and ask him that there shall be no 0p- portunity given to any party in this Province, to any people who are op- posed to or are in favor of Hydro, to make political capital out ot public hearings of this kind during the heat of battle." Premier Drury thought the Gov. ernment did not cease to function after dissolution, as. Opposition members had argued. As for Mr. Hay, he said, he felt himself con- strained to vote tor him as the next Premier. because, he said, he was going to carry on public enterprise and reduce capital expenditure", to which the Liberal Leader gave a hearty "Hear. hear." As regards the continuation oil Gregory Commission hearings, he said: "There may be hearings that ought to be held. but I will take it up with the Chairman and see. at least, that no unnecessary hearings are held." Will Go No Farther. In response to Mr. Ferguson's in-' terrogation. the Premier. however, declined to undertake to suspendl commission activities after proroga-l tion, rather' than dissolution, bed cause. he said, something mightl transpire---sueh as blockade of sup-1 ply by the Conservatives-that would throw the election over iii) the fall. The Government. he de-l clared. intended to go to the coun- try in June. "But there is no telling what my honorable friends will do, and. as they very well know, they have the major say as to whether there is to be a June eleetmr--and an election in July. when many peo- pie are away and when the farming people are busy, is out ot the ques- tion." - " h i The House {hen went