PRICE URGES QUERIES ABOUT JOCKEY CLUB OR P. C. BRIEN CASE ! Attorney--Goneral Price, :n the Legis-- lature yesterday, challenged the Op-- ';pcsmon groups--"come one, come | all"--to ask all the questions and move |\as many resolutions as they liked with | regard to the Windsor Jockey Club {and the Provincial Officer Brien cases iwhich so excited press comment last summer. Attorney--General's Chalienge Follows Attack by Lethbridge _ It was John G. Lethbridge, Progres-- sive Leader, speaking in the debate on . the Address in reply to the Speech from 'the Thronc, who stirred in the At-- torney--General the challenge he after-- \ ward laid down. Mr. Lethbridge re-- 'called the charge made through the | Border Cities Star by Frank W. Wilson | (Conservative, East Windsor) that beer had been sold on the premises of the Windsor Jockey Club during the race meot and that no investigation would be made because of the fact that mem-- bers of the Provincial Government were | present. He next referred to the dis-- \missal of Provincial Officer Brien of | Kitchener for too impartial exercise, as the officer claimed, of his duties under the Liquor Control Act. _ _ "The department has investigated these matters," the Attorney--General told the House. "If any one wants to ask a quesiion about them or to move a resolution, I'll be here every day, ready to reply to anything that is asked of me. And when I'm through with the questions I'm confident that the public at large will foel that the merits of the cases are all in favor of the depeartment." Recalied by Lethbridge. "Here, again," declared Mr. Leth-- | bridge, "an M.P.P. is said to have been | implicated. No investigation has been | held by an impartial Commission sol far, nothwithstanding the fact that Mr.! Brien challenged the department for an investigation into the L.C.A. en-- forcement in his district. Mayor Ratz of Kitchener is credited with the state-- ment that the serious charges of Mr. Bricn warranted an investigation to clear the air, as he said the law should be obeyed and impartially enforced. Mayor Ratz is further quoted as say-- ing that Mr. Brien was conscienticus and efficient in the performance of his dutics, and that he deplored the ac-- tion of the department in discharging him. \"Serious Enough for Probe." "The local paper also speaks of Mr. Brien as a conscienticus man, and that as public cninion in the locality is strongly in favor of L.C.A. enforcement, the charges are serious enough to war-- rant an investigation on ths part of the Provincial authorities. Further pres-- 'sure was brought to bear on the Gov-- ernment through a resolution . pa_ssed by the Waterloo County Prohibition ; 'Union, urging upon the Govemmentl that a Royal Commission be appointed | | to investigate the charges of Mr. Brien. | | Copies of these resolutions were sent . 'to the Prime Minister and the M-' | torney--General. Yet in the face of all \these facts no action has been taken 'by the Government to investigate. It's | high time something was done." _ "Would my honorable friend," In-- terrupted Karl Homuth, Conservative, South Waterlod, "expect the Waterloo Prohibition Union to bring in anything but a resolution like that?" "I believe," answered Mr. Leth-- bridge, "that the Prohibition Union wrote exactly what they believed to be the truth." "Take that will you?" cried the Op-- position to Mr. Homuth. _ % _ Attorney--General Price then stepped into the picture. /'q/dz__'_m/'»-'zéhuc) rY -- CCC NP ETTE CE P40E 0UEUCO | elsewhere, so that if necessary, we may 'alt,er our methods of handling insur-- 'ance matters. It is advantageous to have the widest possible inquiry with-- 'out any question being raised as to the authority of the Superintendent. There EPWTCTUEC PV oo en e eenel ERRR i VAAA NITY Insurance companies, he added, had promised to show just how their opera-- tions were concerned and to lend assist-- ance in gathering information. was some thought of making the Super-- intendent a Commission, widening his power, but objection to that was raised by many parties interested in insurance. Our object is to avoid any antagonism." ©, OE mSRATUOE . ReemENITITKE® 4324 . ILLLCIGIL thought that the Government should explain why Mr. Foster, who was em-- powered by statute to ""grapple with" such a situation, was not conducting the probe. "One reason," said Mr. Ferguson, "is that the Commission can cover a wider scope than is now permitted the Super-- intendent of Insurance in the character of his inquiry. The Commission will not only make inquiry within the Stat-- ute, but it is to make an inquiry which will enable us to learn of practices en o ue age s ad ; Reasons why an independent Royal Commission, rather than the Govern-- ment's Superintendent of Insurance, R. Leighton Foster, should inquire into the increases in automobile rates were ad-- vanced in the Ontario Legislature by Premier Ferguson yesterday afternoon. The Premier announced that there would be a general investigation into the situation and into insurance prac»-- | tices elsewhere, so that the Govern-- | ment, it it was necessary, might alter its method of handling insurance . affairs. | His explanation of the appointment of Mr. Justice Hodgins to such a Com-- mission was occasioned by inquiry from . Liberal Leader Sinclair. Mr. Sinclair | S¥ uscatcs wes us P L Er'dd{y<--f «4+ 4**" Rushing New Bill Has Wider Powers Than Superintendent, Says Ferguson PREMIER EXPLAINS INDEPENDENT BOARD TO PROBE INSURANCE The amendment to the Municipal Act which makes possible the Con-- trollership by--clection in Toronto on Feb. 23 was given third read-- ing in the Ontario Legislature yes-- terday afternoon, and is to receive Royal assent today. Mr. Ferguson, proposing the third reading, em-- phasized the necessity of rushing this emergency measure through. His Honor the Lieutenant--Gover-- nor would come to the House on Friday, said he, to complete the authorization on the bill.