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| The LTLiberal Leader referred to the situation in Oshawa. Ex--Mayor John Stacey, deféated Conservative candidate in the riding, in charge of the patronage in South Ontario, said he, had backed one James Mal-- lett to be in charge of the liquor store there. "The leaders of the party'" in Oshawa had approached another man to take the position. Premier FPerguson roge to say that the leading Conservatives of Osh-- awa had wanted to get a responsible man even if he wasn't of their party. Mr. Sinclair protested that the Premier was trying to becloud his \thought. His point was, he declared, lwhy should the leaders of the party 'approach anybody, if the question was out of politics? South Ontario Appointment. He thought that many a man would undertake all this for $5,000 a year. and the $20,000 was to im-- press the public with the solemnity of the office. Continuing, Mr. Sinclair outlined the duties of the Strong Man, who received $20,000 a year----more than the Chief Justice, the Chief Hydro Commissioner or the President of the university. The Liberal Leader declared that Mr. Hanna's duties were to rent stores and sell liquor, to put the Ontario coat of arms on the stores, to wield a rubber stamp in the mat-- ter of appointments, to decide the quantities of liquor that might be purchased, and to give press inter-- views. The Commission banned the ad-- vertising of liquor, Mr. Sinclair went on, yet they took good care to ad-- vertise well in advance the opening of liquor stores. Stores' Coat of Arms. Then he referred to the coat of arms on each store, declaring that he felt such insignia should not be there, since the question was a con-- troversial one. The motto on the insignia was, translated: "As it be-- gan faithful, so may it continue." '"'That's all over your head,. Mr. Speaker," the Liberal Leader went on. '"'The same coat of arms that is on the windows of the liquor stores is over your head when you read prayers." "I'll take that explanation," said Mr. Sinclair, "but I'll take the for-- mer answer, too, and leave it to ths House to judge whether I didn't ask a straight question and get a straight answer." Premier Protests. The Premier rose protesting that he had not said in his Newmarket speech that he had asked Mr. Han-- na to take the position. He had said, he declared,; that he had talked over the general liquor control policy with Mr. Hanna. Mr. Ferguson objected to this idea. Mr. Sinclair reiterated his thought. At any rate, he went on, Mallett got the job, '"And," he de-- clared, "the Strong Man had no more to say about the appointment of the liquor storekeeper in South Ontario than I did. "It is a crying shame," he added, "that in the administration of this system politics should be supreme." He protested against the appoint-- ment of "ward heclers--always at the beck and call of the party." The Strong Man was to decide the quantity of liquor one could buy. Yet it took a court to reveal the fact that one man had purchased 468 bot-- tles of beer. the beck and call of the party." "The act," be told the Premier, "is not being carried out along the lines you indicated it would be." "The Strong Man," Mr. Sinclair went on, "gives press interviews. He gets nearly $20,000 worth of fun out of that. -- He is a Strong Man with a strong vocabulary. He says: 'Abso-- futely.aszsinine,' 'bunk,' 'rot,' 'lie',". | lutely asinine,' 'bunk,' 'rot,' C t "Then the Strong Man has trouble with his customers. There was a Mr. Dewar who was two and a half ounces short in twenty--six and a half ounces--oOor 37 1--2 cents. I agree with Mr. Dewar that this is rather a serious matter. But the Strong Man became 'genuinely angry' at Mr. Vewar, He spoke of prosecution. Anybody who is in no more danger of arrest than Mr. Dewar needn't be scared. It seems to me that any one giving short weight would be the man in danger of being arrested." Mr, Sinclair suggested that the Strong Man read Proverbs 16: 32; "HMe that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." shame," he added, rinistration of this ould be supreme." ainst the appoint-- heclers--alwavys at 'Says Hanna Should Be Here. f 4' It seemed strange, Mr. Sinclair continued, that just on the eve of 1tho House opening Mr. Hanna pack-- od his bag and departed for Bermu-- da. And then Hon. Mr. Manion was off to Ottawa to take his Federal seat, So that, altogether, $30,000 _ worth of the $40,000 Ontario Liquor lCommissmn was "holidaying." Mr, Sinclair preceded the launch-- ing of his amendment with vigorous criticism of the Ontario Govern-- ment's '"neglect" to co--operate with the Federal authorities in the mat-- ter of old--age pensions. HMHe said that the Government's "survey of conditions," as forecast in the Speech from the, Throne, was but "a 'flag hung out of a window, waving 'Hang on until help comes'"' to the old peo-- ple of the Province. The sum of $365 a year, as pro-- vided by the Federal bill--one dol-- lar a day for living, fuel and cloth-- ing--allowed no luxuries, but it was somse help, and it was regrettable that Ontario could not see its way at the present time to establishing such payment. The Western Provinces--many of them, he said--are adopting it. "But here in Ontario it's the same old story. If the Prime Minister can take up a thing first, all well and good. -- But if some other Govern-- ment takes it up, he refuses to fol-- low the lead. He hasn't the courage to say 'No.' He hasn't the courage to say '*'Yes' OHe just sits on the fence and lets our aged people get along the best way they know how." Reads Newspaper Reports. Mr. Sinclair read recent news-- paper reports of Mr. Ferguson's attitude on the question. The Prime Minister was quoted as saying that the King Government, which had passed the bill, had not consulted Ontario on the matter, but never-- theless expected Ontario to pay one-- half the pensions and the costs of administration of the plan. There were many things, he noted, that members might like to ask re-- garding the Liquor Act administra-- tion, and Mr, Hanna should be on hand to answer. "I think,""' said the Liberal Leader, "that of all the times the Strong Man should be here it is when the House is in session. I hope he'll be back before the session closes." Mr. Lethbridge deplored the fact that agriculture had been given little space in the Speech from the Throne. "A brief comment about the year 1927 being a good year is all we have," he said.s Of great interest to the farmer, he claimed, was the progreses made during the year in co--operative marketing of his prod-- ucts. '"'This," he stressed, "Is the burning question among farmers to-- day, as witnessed by the wheat pool, tobacco pool, egg pool, and other pools." & "I think the Province of Ontario should feel ashamed of itself," said Mr. Sinclair. '"We have more than 100,000 old people here who have given the best years of their lives to the Province. They need help. And yet the Ferguson Government refuses to go to their assistance simply because the King Govern-- ment did not come down from Ot-- tawa +o Toronto to consult it." Denial of Merger. Right off the bat, Mr. Lethbridge took occasion to deny a newspaper story to the effect that the Liberal and Progressive groups of the House were to unite under Mr. Sinclair's leadershin--and that, in the view of some speculators, "the Lethbridge leadership appointment was never anything more than a bit of camou-- flage designed for the benefit of the Ferguson Administration. '"*In order to put this matter clear before the House," said Mr. Lethbridge, "I wish to say this group purposes retaining its identity as an independent body in the Legislature. And may I further say that we are prepared to co--operate with the Government or the Liberal Op;p «i-- tion in all maiters we believe to be in the interest of our great Prov-- ince, And we are also prepared to co-- operate with the honorable iem-- bers to our right in opposing the Gov-- ernment in all matters we believe are not in the best interest of the Province, Why should it be other-- wise? Co--operation in all walks_ of life is the keynote toCay, We hope to be able to give some constructive criticism, not destr ctive." Co-upurutivq Marketing. iywai 343')/ Horace Colliver, Prince KEAward member, who seconded the Address last Friday, came under the new Progressive pilot's fire for placing the Drury Government in an unfay-- orable light in the matter of Pro-- vincial financing. Mr. Lethbridge said that on coming into office the Drury Administration had inherited the Chippawa Canal undertaking, on which alone they had to borrow more than $70,000.000 on the credit of the Province and hand over to the Hydro Commission. On top of that, among other things, practically every Provincial undertaking held up four years because of the war had to be undertaken by the Drury Gov-- ernment, after the war, when prices and materials were at their highest. Mr. Lethbridge said he would en-- dorse, as he believed every member should endorse, every effort put forth by the (Government for the cure and comfort of Ontario's unfortu-- nate. He asked that the Minister of Health give serious consideration to the following resolution, concerning weak--minded parents, which was passed recently, at London, by the Middlesex Trustees and Ratepayers' Association: Defends Drury Record, FPavors Health Policy "*Be'.eving that the propagation of children by weak--minded parents is not only detrimental to the com-- munity in which they live, but also to the nation, be it resolved that we approve of proper steps being taken by the Department of Health, in order that as much as possible of this cordition be eliminated." On the question of the St. Law-- rence development Mr. Lethbridge reviewed the whole situation,. past and present, outlining future power and ship canal possibilities, and ex-- pressing the belief that, as far as he could gather from the reports of the Joint Commission of 1921, "the rights of Canada have been thor-- oughly safeguarded." Big Problem of Today. + '"'This," said the speaker, "is one of the big problems for Canada, and one that interests Ontario as much or more than any other part of Can-- ada. It seems too bad this great project should be held up with a lengthy litigation in our Supreme Court and Privy Council--a matter we thought settled for 40 years. I quite understand there are condi-- ditions -- power rights, navigation and international relations to con-- tend with--which enter into the case. I hope, however, our Provincial rights will be maintained in these water powers." Ewinging down onto the Govern-- ment's boast of "'strong and efficient Administration" of the Liquor Con-- trol Act, Mr. Lethbridge claimed that instead of a liquor control system which the country had been prom-- ised, and had expected, there had been supplied a liquor "selling'" sys-- tem, with the so--called "strong and efficient'"' Administration -- directing its activities solely toward the sale of '"booze." "'This,'"' he said, '"is perhaps what some might have surmised would happen, but not what the reople ex-- pected." Mr. Lethbridge deprecated the be-- lief in certain quarters that "joint building of the great project would be playing into the hands of the United States, to the disadvantage of Canada." 4 "selling" Campaign, He Says. 1 ig that the propagation of y weak--minded parents is detrimental to the com-- which they live, but also on, be it resolved that we proper steps being taken rparitment of Health, in as much as possible of ion be eliminated." U 5 f the St. Law-- Mr. Lethbridge situation,. past that we this line are now