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«_ Papers 'Suppressed' % In Roebuck Recital, @-- _Price Tells House OT Cooke--not Magrath--but Sir Adam Beck first considered purchase by Hydro of Quebec private power, according to Hon. William H. Price's analyses of Hydro documents and history in the Legislature yes-- terday. (\ -- Alleges Suppression. 1926--that steps must be taken to Former Attorney--General Price, the prevent a serious stoppage of indus-- | first member of the Conservative tries. |Party to reply to | Attorney--General The Colonel referred to a Hydro ';Roebuck's assault upon the ethics and report. It had named as a prime es-- | legalities of Hydro's power purchasing, sential the ownership of cransmission ,alleged that Mr. Roebuck's indictm®nt jines and franchises. The ownership \ of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the production agency was a mat-- ilast. had been built on "suppressed ter for Commission discretion. documents." In 1923, he declared. nower from . Offer for Eastern Power. the St. Lawrence was barred by in-- SIR ADAM FIRST CONTEMPLATED QUEBEC PURCHASING, IS DEFENSE The Attorney--General siruck back when Colonel Price charged that an-- other document--a Hydro Commis-- sion minute--had been deliberately suppressed by the Attorney--General and the Hydro Commission. The former Attorney--General cited & letter from the Commission headed by Sir Adam. It contained a qualified offer for Eastern power, and Colonel Price maintained tha*t if Sir Adam's offer had been accepted--"there would have been a deal." The minute told how engineers had approved of Eastern purchases which, it had been previously stated, had beon made without their advice. Thore was a splitting of hairs, and Mr. Roebuck maintained that he had mentioned this minute--but only in part. Defends Accused Men. Beck Letter on Power Purchase and Hydro Commission Minute of Engineer's Ap-- proval Cited by Former Attorney--General --Roebuck's Indignant Denial Accepted In his running battle with the Gov-- ernment contentions Colonel Price moved to clear those men mentioned in Mr. Roebuck's speech. A reference to "near--criminality" was deprecated. "A chap like C. A. Magrath, a near-- criminal?" said Colonel Price. "God forb'id. Sir Adam Beck had a worthy successor in C. A. Magrath." "Cooke? Nobody can say he was near criminality." "Gaby can go out, a dismissed of-- ficial, but be elected head of the Electrical Association of Canada." To Mr. Roebuck's statistical charges. Coloncl Price threw back the argu-- ment of possibilities if power demand increassod. He described himself as an optimist. Stcam power was labelied "that hoary old chestnut." The former Attorney--General was only half--serious when he struck whimsical veins of his speech,. Arthur Slaght, K.C.. was a target, while the Government benches grinned; Hon. Harry Nixon and Prime Minister Mit-- chell F. Hepburn crossed an occasional sword with Colonel Price, but the com-- batants went at these tilts in high humor. In 1923. The former Attorney--General went back to 1923 to trace Hydro history lcading to Sir Adam's Eastern nego-- tiations. In those years Sir Adam had de-- clared that there was a power crisis. Colonel Price quoted him as saying that the maximum capacity of Queenstown would be exhausted by ppi The Colonel referred to a Hydro report. It had named as a prime es-- sential the ownership of cransmission lines and franchises, The ownership of the production agency was a mat-- ter for Commission discretion. In 1923, he declared. nower from the St. Lawrence was barred by in-- ternational complication; from the Ottawa by Georgian Bay agreements. If there had been small parcels of power available, it was argued, Sir Adam Beck would have developed them. "On Dec. 10. 1924," the former At-- torney--General read, "a letter had been authorized by the Commission (Sir Adam was then Chairman) to C. G. Gale, stating that--provided the Commission could obtain a sufficient supply of power in the Ottawa district to warrant the construction of a high-- power tension transmission line to Toronto--it would be prepared to offer $15 per horsepower per year as set out in standard contract." Magrath, it was stated, did not think he could take the $18 price and was considering abandonment of his anti--steam power policy. If Gale had accepted Sir Adam's $15 offer, Colonel Price held, there would have been a deal. Graustein had considered that steam plants might be built and had made it $15. "You can't marathon me now," Colonel Price shot at Mr. Roebuck. He repeated this charge in the fol-- lowing words: "I charge that the Attorney--General and the Hydro Com-- mission deliberately suppressed this "Gale wanted $18 a horsepower," Colonel Price continued, "and Sir Adam wouldn't have it. Magrath be-- came Chairman of the Commission and took the matter up where Sir Adam left off." "Not Cooke--not Maguire--but Sir Adam talked $15 horsepower," the former -- Attorney--General -- declared. "'Magrath got it." Colonel Price exhibited anger at what he labelled the suppression of this first Commission letter. "Fither mon suppressed the letter or didn't bring it to your attention," he told Mr. Roebuck. "If you had it bsfore you, you should have brought it to this House." "Sir Adam Beck started nego-- tiations for the purchase of power from the Province of Quebec," the former Attorney -- General averred. These negotiations didn't start in 1926--they started months and months before, when Sir Adam was alive." Magrath's Efforts. "There is no use giving half--facts. I don't care who is responsible. The letter of Sir Adam Bock was on the files." Another alleged suppression was mentioned by Colonel Price. /ve., important minute in the speech : which he delivered in this House last : week." . _ The Attorney--General jumped up i again, but his words were drowned out. \Is Allowed Explanation. There was the jletter from Arthur Slaght, K.C., holding, the former At-- torney--General read, "a subsisting, valid contract" between Hydro and Maclaren--Quebec. "They put the cart before the horse," said Colonel Price. "They hung the credit of the Province in the balance." Speaker N. O. Hipel took a hand "There has boen a charge made against the honorable the Attorney-- General," he declared, "and I think it only fair that he be allowed an ecxplanation." "An explanation, yos, but not a spsech," put in Colonel Price. "I've listened to his spseches Iong enough." "Have I not the right to deny that I deliberately suppressed something?" the Attorney--Gencral asked; and then made an attempt to continue, but was drowned out again. Both he and Colonel Price were talking at the same time, and the Speaker called for order. When the MHouse quiected down, Coloncl Price said: "If the honorable the Attorney--Gencral says he didn't suppress it, I accept what he says." The Government, he suggested, might have consulted the companics --calling for contract revision, get-- ting contract revision. Then they would be in a position irom which to review the matter rathor than dis-- turb the bond market. "I referred to the minute in my ad-- dress to this House," Mr. Rocbuck de-- clared. Cries of "No, nu," followed. "I referred to the last paragraph," Mr. Roebuck said. "The speech of the Attornesy--Gen-- cral." he said, "seemed to be calcu-- lated to inflame the public against these contracts. It sounded to me like a partisan attack, not a reason-- ed proposition. I say it was calcu-- lated not to give all facts, but whai facts would support a political argu-- ment." '"You're the iast man to say that," was the return. It would have beon done much more quickly, the Colone! declared, if he or many another man had been dealing with such a question. "Oh, just the last paragraph, ch?" came back the former Attorney--Gen-- eral. There was loud desk--thumping from the Opposition, and when quiect was restored Colonel Price doclared ho would accept that the Attorney--Gen-- eral didn't "suppress the minute de-- liberately." "This whole minute," he maintain-- ed, "should have been revealed. If any action were taken to break those contracts, the minute would be the first thing produced." Why No Reference? "Has any one had inside informa-- tion?" the former Attorney--Genzral asked. "I don't know." It looked to him, he suggested, as if some one who held inside informa-- tion might manipulate the market. Prior to his charge against Mr. Roebuck, Colonel Prics asked why no reference was made by the Attornev-- Gensral to the recommendations of the Hydro engineeors. ter sorved by a speedy delivery and cpportunity to place the other side before the public. '"Why suggest it?" spoke up Hon. Arthur Roebuck. "Why?" asked the Attorney--General. "Becaus> they daidn't recommend these purchases, The minutes do not sup-- port the contention cof the honorable nember from Parkdale." "'I'm glad to be able to tell this House that the records of the Com-- mission show that the engincers did favor the purchases," Colons! Price said amid vigorous desk--thumping. "That was not in the best interests of the Province." said the former Attorncy--Gencral. They had been bet-- In bricf order Colonel Price con-- cluded opening amenities. The charg> was laid down that the Governmen: had permtted a three--day Hydro de-- bate "without effective reply going out to the public." Such presentation had been not in the public interest.