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"The Commission is not a Govern-- ment department, but has been con-- stituted the administrator of an in-- dependent business undertaking owned by the co--operating Hydro munici-- :I.mu. As trustee, the Commission polntg:nta f :(t'l i5 g 1¢tlstzw3ct'p- of officers an er-- mine their salaries. It should be re-- membered that the Commission's staffs are composed largely of per-- sons trained in highly specialized fields of activity, The public utility field makes exceptional demands. Our em-- m'- have not only directed their ts and energlies to carrying on the work of this Hydro undertaking, but they have made it their lifo occupa-- The Hydro Chairman's statement, which affects a principle undoubtedly to become a keen Provincial issue, and which is likely to be a basis of assault zlnydro critics in the coming Provin-- election, was as follows: "In dealing with the subject of sal-- aries paid the Commissioners and executive heads of the Hydro--Electric Power Commission. I trust the mem-- bers of the Legislature will accord due consideration to nmty representation that a principle is involved which would be violated© were the Com-- any member of this House to request. In very few words, I desire to explain the position the Hydro--Electric Power Commission takes in this matter. *«*Not Government Department." Tendering Progrossive Loador Hon. Harry Nixon, as the last act of the 1934 session of tue Ontario Legisia-- ture, the amount of his own salary and those of Vice--Chairman Alfred Maguire and Risht Hon. Arthur J. Meighen, Hon. J. R. Cooke, Chairman of the Ontari> Hydro--Electric Power Commission, rcaffirmed the Commis-- ston's independernce from Govern-- mental control by again rofusing to submit to the Loegislature the salaries of hydro's higher exccutive:. trine that the appointment of Hydro officials and their salaries is not under the jurisdiction of the Commission, but of the Government? This doc-- trime is absolutely out of harmony with any proper counception of the mtnd functions of the Hydro-- Power Commission and of the municipalities for which it acts. To yvield to the demand would be to violate the basic principle underiying the Commission's administration." These salaries alrcady lhave be>n published, but throuzh the medium of the association of Hydro municipal-- itles, so they are already known to the public at large. But that course, climaxing more than a year's Queen's Park battle on the issue, is regarded as not involving Hydro in an acknow-- ledgment of control by Government. Statement Tabled. "Can It be," asks Hon. Mr. Cooke in his statement of rofusal, tabled in the Legislature yosterday, "that the object (of the salary question» is to implant im the public mind the dos-- HYDRO EXECUTIVES SALARIES REFUSED BY COOKE IN HOUSE Administration Not Under Jurisdiction of Government, Chairman Emphasizes mission to yield to tho> requests that have been made respecting salary details, I can assure you that thers is no arbitrary desire to withhold in-- formation that is within the right of STATEMENT IS TABLED tabled "that lon» is l tpc' 'd ' ao8= Hydro under March "I may add that last year, in order definitely to correct the misrepresen-- tation being made about the salariecs of executive heads, I gave ins ruction that, for this year, thes> salaries would be recorded in the municipal section °* the forthcoming annual report." "The status of the Commission be-- | ing what it is, the Commission wouw.i not be fulfilling its duty as trustce | for municipalities if it were to give to | individuals--evan though they may be i members of the Legislative Assembly --information such as it is appropri-- ate to disclose only to the owners of the Hydro undrertaking. The mem-- bers of this Legislature do not regard the details of operation of municipal enterprizes, such as waterworks, street railways, and other similar undertak-- ings, as proper subject matter for' questions in this House. Members do | nol inquire regarding salaries paid | by even the local municipal electrical | distributing utilities, and yet the: ernment? This doctrine is absolutely out of harmony with any proper con-- ception of the rights and functions of the Hydro--Electric Power Commission and of the municipalities for which it acs. To yield to the demand that has been mad*® wou'ld be to visltate tha has been mads wou'ld be to violates tite basic principle underlying the Com-- missicn's administration,. and for this reason I must respecifully decline to submit the salary information requsst-- ed respcct!ng the executive heads of the Commission's saff. There is no ocbjection to giving data rslating to the Commissioners themsolves, whoss salariecs are determined by the Liou-- tenant--Gaovernor--in~Council. Those have previcusly been submitted to this Houss and to the municipaliies, but for convenience I here repeat them far the present year, as follows: Chair-- man. $13.175.04; Vice--Chairman, $7,-- 975.08: Commissioner, $1.975.08. Commission's undertaking is virtually [ a part of thess local undertakings conducted co--operatively by a trustrc for the owner nmunicipaliMties. * be that the object is to implant in the public mind the doctrine that the ap-- pointment of Hydro officials and their salaries is not under <the jurisdiction of the Commission,. but of the Gov-- Ccommission having the salaries pub-- lished rhrough a proper organization, the information has been widely avail-- able throufh the public press, so that it' can no longer be simply knowledge of the facts that is sought, because this knowledge is available. One won-- ders, therefore, why this question is repeated on the order paper? Can i & practice of publishing the salaries of the staff. In this it is m2rely carrying out what is universally recog-- nized by those in chargs of other large business undertakings, to be pru-- dent busincss yolicy. It was felt, however, that there was no other way to correct the misropressntation that was being disscominalsd. "A year ago when the subject of HyGgro salaries was raised and, through political.effort, kept promi-- nently before the public mind, with the implication that the salaries wer: unjustifiably high, and misstatements Kere being made respecting the wWrounts of the salarios, th:> Com-- m\sion, in order to clear the public mind in the matter, published through the body representing the co--operative municipal elactric utili-- ties the salaries of the Commission and of the executive staff. Hayng regard to the magnitude of the und>r-- taking--or» of the very largesi in the world--it is beliteved that the salaries are not only reasonable, but substan-- tially lowoer than those in most--if not all--organizetions of a compar-- able megn'tude carrying on public utility business un?>or priva'e cwner-- ship. **To Correct Misrepresniz2tiscn." "The Comnssicon tsoz even this course socmewhat reluctantly. As a matter of general pclicy the Commis-- sion regards it as undsirable to make "The efficiency of the whole Hydro organization dcpends unon the main-- tenance of confidencse. and this con-- fidence includes confidence in judg-- ment, in fair treatment, in insurance againct undue disturbancs and,. of course, in the payment of rormunora-- tion adequate to leave the employee unharassed by curtailments or fears arising in respect of his employment. "In view of the action tak>n by the' 30