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HYDRO CHAIRMAN DECLlNES MMR TO POWER QUERY Withhoids Gatineau Details "in Municipalities' Interests" Hon. John R. Cooke, Chairman of the Ontario Hydro-Electric Power Commission, declined yesterday in the Legislature to answer the "Oatineau" question of T. K. Slack, Progressive member for Dufferin, on the ground that it was "not in the interests of the municipalities. for whom the Commission is acting as trustee, that the substance of its private contracts should be divulged to the detriment of its business where the same refers to details of its. operations not involved in general, poppy." _. --- BRINGS OPPOSITION FIRE . Mr. Slacfs inferrogation. as appear- mg an the order paper of the House, was as follows: _ A _ .. NI' Was any power sold by the Hydro-Electric Power Commission to the Gatlneau Power Company or any of its subsidiaries in the Province oft Quebec during the years 1930, 1931, oruptodate thisyear? 12) If so, what amount. and at what price? (3) Was myment made for this power in United States funds?" "iirivili' ist- explanation. Hon. Cooke declared: _ ... "The Commission agreed with onn of its customers that it would en- deavor to dispose of certain surplus or interruptible power that was avail- able by such customer who found it- self unable to use the power for which it had contracted and was obliged to pay the Commission to make such credit to the customer as the Com- mission felt justified for any power that It was able to dispose of to sources not already available to the Commission. In this connection cer- tain quantities of such power have been sold through the Gatineau Power Company to the International Paper Company. and has resulted in cer- tain reliefs to the customer and addi- tional revenue to the Commission." Opposition members disagreed with Mr. Cooke's answer. whereupon Mr. Henry suggested that Hon. Harry Nixon, Progressive Leader. who fram- ed the query, had promised to redraft the question and hadn't. Mr. Nixon rose to his feet, indignant. and said: "I said, Mr. Speaker. that I would redraft the question, and I have done so. There it is." Liberal Leader Sinclair also jumped into the momentary passage-at-arms with the statement that the Govern- ment need no longer charge the Op- position with asking unintelligent questions regarding Hydro, when such an unintelligible reply as Mr. Cooke iiiidGisiGrlarVL" Turkished' to the" House. HOUSE VOTES "n" ON BATTERY BILL Premier and Highways Min- Why Should Ferguson Dis- ister Give Their cuss Export When It Support Was Not Disputed? T0 Alt) GARAGE MEN? George Oakley's "loattary storage bill," designed ostensibly for the bet- ter protection of garage owners who are engaged in the business of rent- ing storage baueries, came to a sud- den death in Ontario legisnuure yes- terday when. after brief but split- group opinion as to its merits, the Speaker called for a standing vote of the House on the principle of the Premier Henry and Han. Leopold Macaulay, Minister of Highways, who sponsored a similar bill last, session, voted for the bill, but other Cabinet Ministers turncd "thumbs down." Opposition groups WOW? practically solid against it. "The return of their property can- not be enforced under the present laws of the Province of Ontario. They cannot remove their own property from an automobile without the con- sent ot the owner without becoming liable to certain penalties, and as a result large sums of money are lost by the garage owners annually through the illegal retention ot their property by certain automobile own- ere Additional sums ot money are lost annually through the non-payment of rental charges. As the result of these conditions the operating dharges of these stations are tremendously increased. A in The cost of a, trip to Ottawa was: covered in the item of $49.65 paid to: Edward Bayly, Deputy Attorney-, General. it was learned yesterday at: the meeting ot the Public Accounts; Committee at the Legislature, which; met to question this payment, and pearing under the heading of ex-' :penses in the .Beauharnois accounts, .and also that of $712.15 far "legal "Under the present law a Magis- trate cannot issue a summons or a warrant, and the only remedy is to sue tn the Division Court. This is costly and the delay so great that the expense is seldom worth while. In other words. under the present law. automobile owners - may qeliberately iGiirrixittiery "wolf tmy have rented." ' BAYLY BILL PROVED EXPENSE FOR TRIP Public Accounts Committee Looks for Beauharnois Relationship fees" to P. D. Hogg, KC., of Ottawa. Questioned by W. E. N. Sinclair. Liberal Leader. Mr. Bayly stated that he recommended that Mr. Hogg, a member of the firm of Hogg & Hogg, at, the Capital. be given a. watching brief to care for the interests of the Province: this recommendation. he said, was given following interviews with the Chairman and ether mem- bers of tho House of Commons Com- mittee. The payment to Mr. Hogg will be investigated next Tuesday. Eipiiiirtii&y hotes on the bill said, Mar. fq. EHENRY CHECKED UP ON POWER DEBATE FREQUENT NEGOTIATIONS Refuting the statement of Premier Henry the previous night that the purpose of the visit of former Premier o. Howard Ferguson to Montreal was to negotiate with Premier Taschereau over the export of power from Quebec Province to Ontario, W. E. N. Sinclair, K.C., Liberal Leader, in the Legislature yesterday claimed that such a pro- ceeding would have been totally un- necessary. since on June 23, 1928 the original lease given by the Quebec Government conferred on the Beauharnois Power Company the right to export power. Mr. Per- guson's visit was paid a year and a. half later. In View of this fact, Mr. Sinclair said that a further explanation by Premier Henry was desirable. - "There have," Mr. Henry replied, "frequently been negotiations between the former Prime Ministers ot Ontario and Quebec. I presume the Province thought that a definite Order in Coun- cil was necessary. - - - "Your explanation is absolutely dif- ferent from that which you gave last night," Mr. Sinclair came back. "th at all," Mr. Henry said. "Oh yes. quite different," Mr. sinc- lair insisted. FOREIGN AGENCIES REGULATED IN BILL Collection Businesses Must Be Licensed in Ontario The agency must. the bill pre- scribes. be licensed in Ontario. and a ttne ot not less than $50 and not more than $200 will be levied upon such agencies which carry on business in Ontario. either by written or verbal demands, without being duly register- ed. A similar tine will be incurred by those who employ collection agen- cies not so registered. If an agency is found to be violating any of the terms of the act, its license shall be cancelret.l, the bill declares. By thi) terms of final section of the act. the', making of rcturns by col- lectlon agencies is requircd. and the bringing of an action in any Ontario court by any agency to which the act applies is prohibited. Asserting that it had become a great abuse that a large amount of the money never reached the people of the Province. Attorney-General W. H. Price introduced a bill providing tor the regisuation of foreign collection agencies. - . . .. , He stated that. various collection agencies had been operating in the Province, with headquarters in New York, Detroit and Chicago. By the terms of Mr. Priee's bill the phrase "collection agency" is taken to mean "an individual. firm or corporation carrying on the business of collect- ing debts for other persons in con- sideration of the payment of a com- mission or otherwise. and not having the head 'omce of such agency in On-