The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

i#utleés on various Commissions were one of the reasons for the clogging & County Court Judges' work, said the Attorney--General. Answering questions in the Legisla-- ture yesterday, Hon. Thomas Kennedy, Minister of Agriculture, gave the fol-- lowing information regarding the fi-- nances of the Agricultural Develop-- ment Board: Lo Loans outstanding on Oct. 31, 1930, £29,442,986; amount outstanding as short--term farm loans on same date, $142,803; total shortages to date, $520,-- 166; foreclosures by board in the last three years, 41 in 1928, 69 in 1929, 113 in 1930, and 78 farms bearing mort-- gages had been sold by the board in 1930. eases. The bill provides that the op--rator of a threshing machine shall possess a certificate from the Minister of Agri-- culture. He will have a lien on the grain he threshes for his wages and can take enough grain to cover his charges, and after holding it for fif-- teen days, may sell it. Such a lien shall have priority over a'l other A bill was introduced by F. B. lawton by which operators of threshing machines will have a lien on the grain threshed for their services in certain "It looks to us as though Major Her-- ridge has been appointed primarily be-- cause he is a close personal friend of the Prime Minister. However, these appointments seem to be controlled wholly and solely by the Prime Minister "It will, of course, be pointed out that Premier Bennett has exhibited praiseworthy broadmindedness in ap-- pointing Major Herridge, and has not been bound by partisan considerations. Such a claim will not have very much weight, in view of the fack that Mr. Bennett refused to confirm the ap-- pointment to London of the Hon. Vin-- cent Massey, who had had a brilliant careor at Washington and had earned promotion, if such it could be called. '"We fail to see why so many promi-- nent and able Conservatives have been passed over in favor of a genileman who up to a few years ago was a Lib-- eral, and who has rendered the Con-- servative Party no great service. Mr. Herridge's chief claim to public fame seems to be that he is said to be Mr. Bennett's 'Colonel House.' The Massey Incident. (Special Despatch to The Gicbe.) Kingston, March 9.--The Whig-- Standard (Independent) has the fol-- lowing editorial comment regarding Canada's new Minister to the United Statos: "The announcement from Ottawa that Major W. D. Herridge, a barrister, resident in the Capital, has been ap-- pointed to succeed the Hon. Vincent Massey as Canadian Minister to Wash-- ington came as something of a surprise. Kingston Whig -- Standard Intimates That Primarily It Was Because Her-- ridge Is Friend of Pre-- mier -- Appointee For-- mer Liberal, Is Com-- plaint MONTREAL GAZETTE EXPRESSES SURPRISE FLOW OF CRITICISM ~ START S OVER NAMING _ NEW CANADIANENVOY (Continued on Page 2, Column 5.) VIArc.k ; 0 Montreal, March 9.--Referring edi-- torially to the appointment of Major Herridge as Canadian envoy to Wash-- ington, the Montreal Gazette (Con-- servative) says: "The action of the ' Government will come as a surprise to the majority of Canadians, who ex-- ' pected that the choice would fall upon some one of experience in public .life | or of distinction in the public service. ; Such an expectation was natural and reasonable, yet the record of public affairs in Canada is by no means lack-- ing in examples of very able men being summoned to the service of the State | from positions of comparative obscurity; | there have been such experiments, and | they have been successful; and in the | present instance we are bound to as-- sume that the new appointee possesses the very exceptional qualificatioas which the peculiar responsibilities cf the Washington office make necessary. It was suggested some weeks ago, in these columns, that the Government ' should exercise the utmost care in fill--. ing an office in which a profound and icomnrehensive knowledge of Canadian affairs and interests as affected, or possibly affected, by international rela-- | tions was so insistent a necessity. Suca |knowledge comes usually, but not in-- i variably, from long experience in pub-- | lic life. Native ability, however, always } counts for much in these matters, and tact and prudence, when possessed, are | invaluable qualities in, if not the offen-- | sive, at least the defensive armor »f | an ambassador." ( of the day, and, naturally, he does as he likes in such matters." The Gazette's Comment.