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GOVERNMENT BILLS APPROVED N HOUSE T. J. Mahony Elected Chair-- man of Committee of the Whole AMENDMENT EXPLAINED The Legislature, in Committee oi the Whole, yesterday approved of two Government bills, one an amendment to the Mining Act, and the other an amendment to the Mechanics' Licn Act. On the motion of Attorney-- General W. H. Price, loading the Government in the absence of the Prime Minister, T. J. Mahony (Con-- servative, Wentworth South) was elected Chairman of the House whoen it is in the Committee of the Whole. The amendment to the Mining Act. Hon. Charles McCroa, Minister of Mines, stated would make it clear that each of partners in partner-- ships coming under the act would have to be named. "In 1931 we did away with giving licenses to mining partnerships, but this is to clear up the situation with respect to those who were licensed before that," Mr. McCrea explained. "Originally licenses were given to partnerships, it being thought that such partnerships would consist of but two or three persons. But we later found that some ingenious per-- sons formed partnerships with twen-- ty--five or thirty peogle in them. This caused confusicn in the Land Titles Act, some thinking that just the partnership had to be registered and others that every partner had to be. The opinion now is that every part-- ner must be registoered. This is to prevent confusion in the future with respect to the existing partnerships," Mr. McCrea went on. The bill also makes an amendment to that section which covers the amount of work whichn must be done on a claim. In areas which have not yet been surveyed, a prospector might stake a claim in excess of forty acres, not knowing exactly what sizs the area was. "We want to give him the land he has staked, but if ho stakes a larger claim, then he should do the same amount of work per acre in excess of the forty acres, as he would have to do per acre for the forty acres. In other words, we do not want him to do only the work on a larger claim that he would do on the forty acres." Mr. McCrea ex-- plained. _ No The bill to amend the Mechanics' Lien Act, which was also passed by the House in committee, provides that an action under this statute may be tried by any officer having juris-- diction to try actions, notwithstand-- ing the time and place for the trial thereof was appointed and fixed by another officer. One assistant mastor could now try the action, even if h was not the officer to fix the date of the trial. It is designed to avoid con-- fusion and speed up such actions. $41.650 PAID OUT 'BLL AIMS T0 CUT to CRoWN CouNsEL -- TOLL OF CROSSIGS ACT]NG lN ASSIZES Macaulayp_gt;--s----Savirpg in Financial Queries Answered by Cabinet Ministers in House SUM FOR HIGHWAY FUND During the past fiscal year the amoun cof $26,266,305 was set aside by the Government for the Highway Improvement Fund, Hon. Leopold Macaulay, Minister of _ Highways, stated in reply to S. C. Tweed (Lib-- eral, Waterloo North). In 1931 the amount was $22,0984,719; in 1930, $23,012,.713; while in 1925, it was but $17,240,178. In 1919, the first | year of the fund, it was but $6,064,-- | 145, rising to $24,377,410. o The sum of $41,650 was spent dur-z ing the past fiscal year in Ontario| as payments to Crown counsel con--| ducting criminal prosecutions at As-- sizes, besides the amounts paid to local Crown Attorneys, Attorney--' General wW. H. Price informed t.he' Legislature in roply to a question put by Paul Munro (Liberal, Wellington: south). Cabinct Ministers brought in replics to many of the numerous questions which have been on the crdor paper of the House. The cost of surveying the third, or Centre, King's Highway, through the Countiese of Halton and Peel, amounted to $8,809, Mr. Macaulay told R. A. Baxter (Liberal, Oxford IScuth). John M. McKenzie was ap-- pointed Clerk of the Surrogate Court for the County of Halton Dcc. 16 last on the resommendation of the At-- torney--Gensral, the latter explained | in reply to T. A. Blakelock (Liberal, | Ha'ton). _ Also in answer to an inquiry of Mr. Blakelock. Mr. Mcnteith in-- formed the House that the second sertion of the now east wing of the Parliament Buildings cost $1,512,959, and that this was the total cost, the builCing now being completed. During the last fiscal year the sum of $5,975 was spent on relief in | Espanola, of which the Government» paid $3,487, according to information ' tablod by Hon. J. D. Monteith in | answer to a question of T. P. Murray , (Liberal, Renfrew South). In Blind River, represented by Hon. Dr. J. M. Robb, Minister of MHealth, $14.131 was spent, the Province paying $6,--| 933. and in Thessalon $1,735, with | the Province contributing $616. _ | There is $4,345,659 at present starding to the credit of the Public Service Superannuation Fund, and $17684,830, to the credit of the Teackers and In--pectors' Superannu-- aticon Fund, W. J. MacKay (Liberal, Bruce South) was informed. The amounts are invested in Province of Ontario bonds and other securities deposited with the Provincial Treas-- urer Hon. W. G. Martin, Minister of Public Welfare, informed Mr. Baxter that the amount of $70,538 had been collected from the estates of de-- coased persons who in their lifetime were in receipt of old--age pensions, and of this amount $13,504 had been refunded to the municipalities in pro-- portion to the sum they had paid to the pensions. March 2 Macaulay Sees Saving in Both Lives and Money Second reading was given yesterday in the Legislature to the bill spon--| sored by Hon. Leopold Macaulay, Minister of Highways, to have the Highway Traffic Act amended so as to compel motorists to slow down to twenty miles an hour when approach-- ing railway level crossings. The Minister quoted figures to show the larze number of persons killed or in-- jured in 'level--crossing accidents, and stated that the bill was to see if this total could not be materially re-- duced. "The situation in this Province is not satisfactory from the point of view of the number of such accidents. During the last two years we have spent more than $4,000,000 in the elimination of such crossings, but, notwithstanding this, the toll of such accidents increases," he stated. _ _ "Some people drive fifty or sixty miles an hour in the open country. If one drives fast enough, long enough, there is bound to be an accident. People have run into the front end, side and rear of trains, and not so lonz ago one of our eminent Judges crashed into a train, though, it is true, there was a blinding storm. Etornal vigilance is necessary." Figures of those killed and injured during the past five years in level-- crossing accidents are as follows, ac-- cording to the Minister. 1930 .O........'O' 38 163 % 1951 ....ssrs.s1s. b2 153 | 1992 ............, O2 98 | "Of course, there are accidents | which no law can obviate, but I think | this regulation _would curtail the| numbers. Our finances at the pres-- | ent do not allow us to eliminate grade | crossings as we have done in the past : few years In the first place, the CGrads Crossing Fund at Ottawa is bare, and we have had no money from that source for a year. "The elimination of a grade CTOSS-- o Ed -- NeAREEEEETEBE NBE T cal TB C t w B To n ing costs from $150,000 to $250,000, und at present $250,000 builds some miles of highway. We have to choose in spending money where it will do the most good, and that is for build-- ing highways where they are needed," Mr. Macaulay said. In Quebasc, Manitoa and Saskat-- chewan the law compelied motorists to stop at level crossings, and in Nova sceotia the law compelled slowing down. It was from the latter Prov-- ince that he got the idea. In the first three Provinces there was not the motor traffic that there is in Ontario. If full stops were made obli-- gatory, one could easily picture the traffic jams there would be on week-- ends or holidays on come of our more heavily t_rgvelled highways, Mr. Mac-- aulay 1928 1929 19030 1931 1932 4