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DEPARTMENTAL HELP FOR FRENCH SCHOOLS URGED BY BELANGER Liberal Member Calls for Educational Assistance to Effect "a More Con-- tented Ontario'"--Leth-- bridge Contradicts Fer-- guson's Statements Re-- garding Rural Hydro, and Brantford Clergy-- man Makes Debut in House f A ringing appeal from Aurelien Belanger, Liberal member (Russell), for the departmental co--operation he claims to have been long denied the schools of the French--speaking people of Ontario; contradiction by J. G. Lethbridge, Progressive mem-- ber (West Middlesex), of Premier Ferguson's -- statements regarding hydro extension to the "farmers'"' of the Province; and the first appear-- ance in a speaking role in the House of Rev. W. G. Martin (Brantford), one of the two clergymen elected last December on a Government--control licket, were features of yesterday's continuation in the Legislature of the debate on the Address in reply to the Speech from the Throne. Mr. Belanger's oratory was again much in evidence, and he created a profound impression with his re-- view of the bilingual schools situ-- aetion, and in his sincere expression of hope for assistance, educationally, «by which, he claimed, '"a more con-- tented Ontario" might be effected. RANEY ATTACKED AS "MUD--SLINGER®" He was critical, too, of various other lines of Government policy. In this respect he had the support of Mr. Lethbridge, who, while with-- holding comment from the Govern-- ment--control bill until it comes down in the House, doubted that, through its medium, Premier Fer-- guson would solve the vexatious problem of traffic in alcoholic bev-- erages. . Policy Criticized. He charged Hon. W. E. Raney with '"vilification." and "mud--gling-- ing," and, amid the plaudits of Gov-- ernment supporters, warmly defend-- ed Canon H. J . Cody, who had been the target, he said, for an unwar-- ranted attack from Mr,. Raney, ear-- lier in the session. As ' for the Speech from the Throne, said Mr. Belanger, it con-- tained but "three intelligible and important forecasts." . These woere mention of Government--control log: islation, provision for the further extension of university education to local centres, and the hoped--for com-- pletion of the inquiry into English-- French schools. v i Aav),Te.' 8 Urged to Modify O.T.A. &---- "For three years," Mr. Belanger went on, "we have moved resolution » after resolution, registered vote after " vote, calling on the Government to , modify the O.T.A. in order to bring it more in line with public opinion." '"But there's victory in the offing," retorted Mr. Belanger. Liberal Motion for "G.C." '"You want to© be careful," Mr. Ferguson interjected. '"There's can-- non to right of you, and cannon to left." Continuing, he noted that just a few months before the Prime Min-- ister had announced the Yduor policy with which he was to go to the peo-- ple two lTiberal members, the late K. L Brackin and J. A Pinard, had moved in the House urging the Gov-- ernment "to adopt a system of gale under Government control, with pro-- vision for local option." '"'This," he continued, '"is, almost In the very words, the context of the manifesto issued by the Prime Min-- ister, a crystallization of the opinion held by some members on this side of the House. "Why should the Prime Minister require in the last session that his followers vote down that resolution ? The answer is simple. The Prime Minister needed that question to go to the people. The Prime Minister wanted to use the liquor issue as a smoke screen to hide the adminis-- tration of the Province--and a suc-- cession of deficits--and he has sue-- ceeded remarkably. He went on to refer to. Premier Ferguson's announcement of his Liquor Commissioners. "It is re-- markable," he continued, "that of the strong men he has chosen two have been taken from members of the House of Commons at Ottawa. Is that a sign of the times? Is our Prime Minister disinteresting him-- self little by little from this As-- sembly and casting his gaze farther east? "However, it is my belief that the Prime Minister of the Province, like Caesar of old, would rather be first in the Province than second at Rome." "Like Cacsar's Wife." "I'm like Caesar's wife," the Prime Minister interrupted--*"'above suspicion."' . PX s t 1 1 ts belinagy sld ied no tant| to '(ind _l_h Ir, Merchant's investi-- / gations. He had accompanied him on many invéstigations. They had been thorough and honest, and his findings had been correct. "Rut will his report be based on those findings?" he asked. "Or will bhe find, as he found in 1912%, that the schools investigated are merely understaffed in teachers?" Teachers IIl Equipped, _ > N. O. Railway he recognized a note-- worthy advance toward tapping the coal reservoirs reported in the James Bay basin, and thereby estab-- . lishing a coal supply : for Ontario '"that would make the Province inde-- pendent in fuel. L 3 In many of the French--Canadian schools, declared Mr. Belanger, the teachers were immature, ignorant and insufficiently prepared for the tasks before them. As a consequence the committee's investigation had been welcomed, for it would mean, bhe said, that "we shall now be given the means of preparing our teach-- ers for their work." With the exception of the co-- operation secured from the present Government, the French--speaking people of Ontario had never had any assistance from the Department of Education. Premier Ferguson interrupted at this juncture to say that the prime reason for the committee's delay in reporting had been the three elec-- tions, two Dominion and one Pro-- vincial, which had intervened since the time of its appointment. The committee, he said, had felt it wise to discontinue investigations during election periods. No Cause to Fear. The speaker claimed that if proper facilities in the way of teachers and training were afforded the French-- speaking people Ontario would have no cause to fear of "their children" growing up with no knowledge of the "King's English." Any effective instructional methods employed at the present time were not owing to the Government, he maintained. "We instituted them ourselves," he declared, "when co--operation vas denied us." s The time had passed, he said, for preaching "bonne entente." The time was ripe for action. With sym-- pathetic co--operation assured, there could be no doubt, he asserted, of a more '"united, peaceful and con-- tented people in Ontario." Manitoba Plebiscites, Premier Ferguson's claim that 20,000 farmers were now -- being served by the Government with rural hydro was disputed by Mr. Leth-- bridge, who quoted statistics from the Hydro Commission's last report to show, as he stated, that only 7,755 actual farmers were being served. True, he said, there were manyi suburbanites and hamlet residents, who enjoyed hydro as a utility, but these paid rates different from those paid by farmers, and could not be included in the latter class. Doubts Premier's Solution. As to his attitude on the liquor question, Mr. Lethbridge said; *"I am waiting very quietly until the bill is brought down. I am quite pleased with the Commission. I un-- derstand the difficult task the Com-- missioners will have in satisfying, on one hand, the brewers and distillers, and, on the other, making for bet-- ter temperance, and a more sober and contented people in this Prov-- ince. I conscientiously hope that the Prime Minister has a solution to this trying problem, but I have my doubts. I think it is up to every citizen to respect the law. Objection was taken by Mr. Leth-- bridge to a statement in debate from Major T. A. Kidd (Kingston) that "the day of avoiding responsibility by plebiscites was past.'" He referred Major Kidd to the present situation in Manitoba, where, he said, a plebi-- scite on the sale of beer by the glass is being taken. Mr. Lethbridge commended the work of Hon. Charles McCrea, Min-- ister of Mines; and in the Govern-- ment's proposal to extend the T. &