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buying. After likening the Ontario Liberal Lcader to Absalom and de-- seribing the power of what he labelled "the desootic board of control of the LAiberal Party," the member for North-- umberland denounced the "abuse of lcapltal. apparent in the country and in the Province," and told of loss-- | than--cost prices in the tomato indus-- Referring to the strikers at Strat-- ford as "men honestly on strike," Mr. McArthur outlined ths method by which he claimed mass buyers caused manufacturers to cut overhead and wages until there resulted'"firms entsr-- ing into insolvency. laborers enter-- inss into slavery." Of the Stratford Mr. McArthur supplsmented a Con-- servative attack on Mitchell Hepburn and wt_liéfio;s}fpcs}lilon with an expression of rural dissontent with agricultural prices and a slashing criticism of mass W. G. Medd (Progressive, Huron South) and J. F. Strickland (Con-- servative, Peterboro' City) also made speeches "on the R:ply." Attacks Mass Buying. With a strong attack on "the abuse of capital," Fred J. McArthur, Con-' sorvative msmber for Northumberland, precipitated the problem of "mass| buying" on the floor of the Ontario Legislature yesterday. Taking as his text the charge that great canning eompanies pay prices for tomatoes considerably lower than the farmers' cost of production, the Conservative Mr. McArthur spoke as first Gov-- ; ernment supporter in the afternoon's | debate on the Address in Reply, Deny-- ing that he was either a "C.C.F.--er" or a Socialist, the msmber for Nor-- | thumberland stressed the interdepen-- | dence of capital, labor and agricul--| ture, justifying in part the strikers in | Stratford wish the argument that | "mass buying" eventually brought . laborers into slavery. 5 | Canning Companies Are Assailed for Methods of Purchase and Northum-- berland M.P.P. Hints at Proposing -- Inquiry -- S cores Unreasonable Mass Buying member urged co--operation and threatened, if that were not forthcom-- ing, to propose an investigation. Tomato Growers Suffer By Selling Below Cost, Tory Member Asserts The member for Northumberland swung into his attack on mass buying after a more detailed review of the tomato situation. In this connection figures were cited purporting :o show thas one canning company in Canada paid in Northumberiand County lask year an average of 30 cents a bushel .for tomatoes, and another one paid ; an average of 25 cems,; the average | cost of production and delivery to the cars had been 36 cents a bushel. "I am told that one of these great or-- | ganizations made $1,000,000 last year," 'he remarked. "I always like to hear of successful organizations, but 1 am |not so pleased when they make the | money out of the men who produced 'thc produc. that enabled them t» make the profit" Hints at Investiszation. In the second resolution the asso-- clation recommended that both Fea-- eral and Provincial Government con-- tracts for supplics of canned goods should be entered into with full in-- sistence that such supplies are from companies paying the growers a fair price for raw products. The terms of the third, urged that the favor of the Governor--General as expressed in the advortised term. "By appointment to kis Excellsncy the Governor--General." should be accorded only to business concerns oporating on a basis of fair practices in their relation to the fruit and vegotable industry. : strike the member for Northumberland declared: "The cause of the whole thing was that the mon were agitated ! by anxiety almost into revolt." --Believes in Capitalism. Three ressluticns endorsed at the annual mssiing of the Northumber-- land County Small Fruits and Can-- ning Crops Asscciation were presented by Mr. McArthur as a summing up of the tomaaio growers' proWem. Th firss of thsso asked the Deopartment of Trade and Commree> to consider the advisability of condugiing a om-- plete investigation of the opsrations of Canadian canninz compames, and of the contracts and prices ofered to growers, "it being our opinion thas only by Governm>nt action can the producers expoct to sccure a satisfac-- tory return for their crops." A riger askxd for Fedcral lsgisiation com-- pelling the canning companiss io record with the Government the cox-- tent of their carry--over ceach year. Although taking exception to the Liberal appcal for lower interest rates. Mr. McArthur stated tha. the farmers are entitled to a living price to enable them to pay interes, charges, taxes and legitimate exponsos. "The farmers of this Province are beginning to waken up," he warned. "They're be-- ginning .o keep cost sheets and figure what it costs per bushel." The member for Northumberland stated that the tomato packers of <the Province had besn ask=1 to a confer-- ence "in order that we might discuss the industry in gensral and to ask for fair prices." He propossd "to promote an invesiigation of the whole organ-- iza'ion if these men ar®s not prepared to sit down with the growers to ar-- ranTe a fair price." Although taking exception to the Twice Mr. McArthur reaflirmed his allegiance to capitalism. "I have no ouarrel with capitalism," he declared, "but what I do quarrel with is the alwuse of capitalism forcinz meon to enter into contracts that are unfair and unprofitable." Claiming that this abuse of capital was apparent in the Province, he stated that the mass bu;rcrs were only asked to be reason-- able. on the Conservative Party, Mr. Me« Arthur said. "There is another way of escape," the member said. The Stevens Com-- mission he Gdescribed as "one ¢{ the greatest things that has happened in this country." Responsibility rested 26 vru ar