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! The wind--up of this debate was an-- other Leaders' day, with William E. N. Sinclair, Liberal Leader; Jolhn G. Leth-- bridge, Progressive pilot, and Premier Ferguson appearing in order named. The Prime Minister's appearance was his first of a public nature since his week's iliness, but he spoke for more than an hour--from 11 o'clock until midn'ght--in a vigorous defense of Government policy and Government ad-- ministration, singling out for special attention certain lines of criticism that 'haa been directed his way during his absence from the House. No announce-- ments--and some had been expected-- came from him, however. 'Journea. He quoted statistics to shaw that The Miller--McQuibbon amendment, while the Octawa Government reduced which met defeat, condemned the Gov--; taxation, the Ontario Administration in-- ernment for failure to live up to its}) creased it; that Ottawa had reduced | 1823 election pledges, and recommend--| dobt to the extent of $70,000,000, but ed a complete survey of the Province,| {hat in Ontario debt had increased $24,-- with a view to eliminating certain tax--| 060,.000, ation and relieving municipalities of & > "Let us face the situation," said he, portion of others. ;and Fciimxg that Ontario had bad a car of its biggest taxation to date, and All Leaders Speak. see if there is not some better way The wind--up of this debate was an-- to finance affairs." other Leaders' day, with William E. N. Referring to the Ontario Budget Sinclair, Liberal Leader; John G. Leth-- gurplus of $228,.000, Mr. Sinclair also bridge, Progressive pilot, and Premier cmphasized that in one departm>nt Ferguson appearing in order named. alone there had been more than $2,-- The Prime Minister's appearance was 000,000 in unexpected revenue in the his first of a public nature since his form of Federal refunds. He analyzed week's iliness, but he spoke for more Dr. Monteith's Budget address, and do-- than an hour--from 11 o'clock until clared that the Provincial Treasurer midn'ght--in a vigorous defense of Admitted that the Province spent $2,-- Government policy and Government ad--, 608,000 in the last year that it did : ot ministration, singling out for special| Nced to spend. He deemed the Admin-- attention certain lines of criticism that' istration "spendthrift financing." haa been directed his way during his| "Hire of a Hide." l tminimiue Seuiins klun IEmrmt -- ie evestmnssema . s Mr. Sinclair's sharpest. criticism of his turn at bat was directed along the avenue of Hydro administration. In this connection, he stressed the House's need of more information respecting this great public ownership enterprise; charged Hon. J. R. Cooke, Hydro Com-- missioner, with making strictly political speeches; claimed that the Hydro had cut a "melon" before the Southampton power--row election, and might cut an-- other in the next Provincial election:; and most spiritedly attackR W¥the ar-- Fangements by which the building over the Province of the Gatineau transmis-- &ion line had worked, through indis-- criminate tree--cutting and roughshod riding over property to the expense of many farmers, across whose lands the right of way was laid. From Mr. Lethbridge came a lengthy contrast of financing under the Drury g&nd FPerguson Governments; an appeal for more Hydro effort in aid of rural Five minutes later the House was engaged in consideration of the supple-- mentary estimates, and the Budget do-- bate was officially and finally a thing of the past, At 12.25 the House ad-- journed. By a vote of 66 to 27. the Ontario Legislature, at 12.20 this (Friday) morning rejected the Miller--McQuib-- bon (Liberal) amendment to the Bud-- get and on the same division carried the motion of Provincial Treasurer Monteith that the House resolve itself into committee of supply to consider the estimates. L Sinclair Aceuses Hydro Commissioner of Mak-- ing -- Strictly _ Political Speech--Claims 'Melon' Was Cut Before South-- ampton Election and Expects Another Legislature Defeats Lib-- eral Amendment--Pre-- mier Makes First Speech Since W eek's lliness and V igorously Defends Ad-- ministration GUNS ARE TRAINED ON HON. MR. COOKE f / d ay -- BR 42# -- /ffi/ Budget Given Approval _ By Provincial House _ By Vote of 66 to 27 "out" in the estimated expenditure and revenues, so the public could look for-- ward to the same result this year. He thought that the new gasoline tax pro-- posed was a move to balance the Bud-- got for 1929. i Mr. Sinclair next drew attention to several items in the Public Accounts. One was that $5 had bezn paid "for the hire of a hide" when the Nortn-- ern Cavalcade came down the Ferguson Highway last year. The hide had been rented from a taxidermist, apparently to be part of the decoration in the parade. "Why," said Mr. Sinclair, "didn't they take Premicr's hide, whichn has been nailed on the fence." Other items covered expenditures for cigars, for an anti--mosquito campaign, for apples for the Government exhibit at the _ Canadian National Exhibiti>n. "And that," said Mr. Sinclair, "is where ; the public's money is going." The Liberal Leader derided Dr. Mon-- teith for the way he handled the es-- timates. He declared that last year the: Provincial Treasurer was $3,000,000 "out" in the estimatend aynoniitikrigns m Continuing after the dinner adjourn-- ment. Mr. Sinclair began his criticism of the Government's financial admin-- istration. He foresaw that in the vote which was to follow the Government members. who take a stand which he deemed to be "in favor of increased taxation, would disregard the pledges of reduced taxation madso in 1923, and would be against making a survey of taxation with & view to reducing the taxes. QOitawa and Toronto. "Jhe Government." Mr. Sinclair con-- Hinued, '"supplies beer at cost, And now we hear that the Minister of Health is to be able to furnish liver at cost." + "And gall, too,." E. Blake Miller (Lib-- eral, East Elgin) interjected. Mr. Sinclair recalled Mr. Weiche!'s remarks on the danger of glaring head-- lights, and he suggested that there should be a "check--up" on headlights at least once a year. He thought this might be arranged at the time the year-- ly licenses were issued. ifninnnP o uniniimis Aubatat Bb 252. 42 4 UV The Liberal Leader, the way the Min-- ister was urged to speak and the way he spoke seemed to be "wonderful win-- dow drossing#." o Sonpimintsr o Bait o rizie P0 Adis ied B lt ar ic en d s : * +1 ind sorvative, North Waterloo), were gk heard by the House before the Lea stepped into the picture and took the spotlight,. "Wonderful Window Dressing." When Mr. Sinclair continued the do-- bate he recalled that Hon. Dr. God-- frey had sandwiched a speech on the use of liver in anaemia treatment into the Budget address of Dr. Poisson. The Liboral Leader pointed out that Dr. Georg McQuibban (Liberal, Northeast Wellington) had spoken on that topic, but that the Health Minister made no reply to him. However, said Mr. Sin-- elair, Dr. CGodfrey was quite willing to "stand up" and give his "testimony" €uring Dr. Poisson's address, and, to the Liberal Leader, the way the Min-- Ister Wwas uronme in amany L1 ; N_ THinl" ex{enslon: and a general all--around eriticism of the Government's penchant for taking credit for matters that really | belonged to the Drury Administration. | Leslie W. Oke (U.F.O., East Lamb-- | ton), Dr. Paul Poisson (Conservative, | North Essex). and W. C. Weichel (Can-- n T. solntiair con-- T at cost. And now Minister of Health 'nish liver at cost." . Blake Miller (Lib-- s:n paid "for n the Nortn-- the Ferguson . Weichel (CGon-- Another high light in the Liberal Leadey's speech was his advocacy of Government audits of brokerage houses. "The Government," he said, "should taike drastic action to protect specula-- tors who trust their moncy to these ' establishments. Brokerage hcuses have millions of dollars of other people's monev, and there should be some Gov-- t ernment audit made from time to time | without -- notice. Strong -- brokerage | houses would welcome such a move, which would be in line with similar audits of trust companies. It would let the public know when they were dealing with absolutely strong houses." Mr. Sinclair sent some satirical darts into the Government's debt retirement scheme. "When this scheme started," he said, "the debt was $320,000,000 It is now $394,000,000. A: lot of people wonder how a debt can be retired in 40 years when it jumps $74,000,000 in five years after the scheme has started. Five years after this debt retirement plan has been going we find the debt of the Province today at the highest peak in its history." Audit of Brokerage Houses. Refering to a recent specch of At-- torney--General Price in which the lat-- ter advocated audits of brokerage touses by the exchange of which they were members, Mr. Sinclair felt that the Government should go further "so that there will be ample protection for people with money to invest." Mr. Sinclair also quizzed the Govern-- ment on receiving $100 each for patents from lawyers who had been made King's Counsel. "When did you ever tharge that before?" he asked. Attorney--General Price--Always. Mr. Sinclair--You never charged me. "I am not criticizing the list or the selections on the list," Mr. Sinclair re-- plied. '"What I am criticizing is the selling of these honors. If the men 1are entitled to it they should receive 6.' The expenditures of nearly $1,150.000 under special warrants by the Govern-- ment was strongly criticized by Mr. Binclair, who said that many of the items should have been included in the estimates and voted upon by the House. Particularly he criticized an item of $1,500 for the clerk. '"'Why did you not ask the House about this?" he asked. "No one would have objected to it, but it would have been a much better way to dsal with the matter than 'slipping it under the door to him' after the members had gone home." He also criticized items paid by special warrant for a moose head and its mounting at $106. f 7 ments. Thus the new gasoline tax would not go for the upkeep of high-- ; ways, but into the Consolidated Rev-- enue Fund. "It is simply a tax to help meet the increased expenditure of this 1Govcrnment," he averred. He ridiculed |the Government's claim of tax reduc-- tion. declaring that the increase from | 1923 to 1928 was $24,316,000. Criticizes Special Warrants. The travel expenses of the Minis-- *ers, he noted, always camse to a nice round figure, and he wondered if the time had not come to say to them, "If you cannot travel on your salary, stay at home." (Laughter.) j For the Government to base its de-- fense of the gasoline tax on the plea that those who use the roads should pay for them, was unfair, said Mr. Sinclair. He declared that the sur-- plus from the Highways Department was being used to meet shortages in other non--revenue--producing _ depart-- Coming to the question of Hydro, Mr. Sinclair declared that the Legislature should have the fullest information as to the exportation of power, and how much money was received for it. Re-- garding the extension of the Gatineau lines, he expressed regret that the Hydro had not used the farming com-- munities through which this line pass-- ced with more consideration. He de-- clared that towers had been placed in the midst of farms, the farmer being paid only an amount equal to one dollar a year for the inconvenience, and that orchards had been destroyed. Railways with all their powers could not have taken such high--handed action, he said, He also satirized the statement of the Government that it "was too busy to advertise," claiming that the Govern-- ment had spent $264,240 on advertising, some payments going to the Ward 4 Conservative Association, T. H. Lennox anu the Pembroke Centenary. Information on Hydro. '"The Government has collected about $80,000,000 more than if taxation had been left at the same level as when it came into office as it promised," he declared.