The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

t t P# »L4s 'v" 'i";', R +/£% » m * * s~*"a*((~. March 9 eagg Court Bills Causg _| Police Head |Ppwer DECiSi # 1 Legislature Lull _ "** PRMNO® Official Is to Be Made Colonel Price Objects to noincininiiririomi' ||| NGXt Few nays Centralizing Power in Tories Irate as Roebuck wallileptrecerire Flnalooat eraiae Fige on metskn Ontario's "thunder, lightning and PPOINTMENT f can cancel con' water power"' Legislature found a o, & tracts haven yesterday in the shape of member of an exist-- lt iess raeaiieadier e "lawyers' bil's" and slipped into it. ing police force in R:::::: .?':'wrtney -- Ger;j:al Aghur Ontario--but not the active STATEMENT TO HENRY ormer orney--Gen-- P + mmusmasesmase eral W. H. Price held "the floor." head--as Director of Spe-- Th : es § the legislators listened to a discuss'on cial Police Services, as ib were en n ds Of legal legislation and permitted it s c s the future of the power contracts is to pass through second reading. recommended in the police to be determined shortly, Prime Min-- What litt'e controversy there was bill now before the On-- ister Mitchell F. Hepburn indicated ' :'c:'m d:':';\'t': the Division Court tario Legislature, is a pos-- yesterday. ' "It centralizes power in the Execu-- sibility. "The future course of action will tive Council which was formerly in Nesbitt Disapproves. be determined in the next few days," the hands of the representatives of Attorney--Goneral Arthur W. Roe-- 't.he Premier told Hon. George S. Henry the people in the countics,"' Colonel buck's intimation of this possibility and the Legislature yesterday. 'Price complained. drew a storm of disapproval from Rus-- The Conservative Leader had ask-- The Attorney--General pointed to a soll Noesbitt, Conservative, Brac>ndale, ed the Government's intentions with hope of reducing an excessive number who had directed a question to the reference to a story in The Globe in of courts and declared that the Attorney--General in this regard dur-- which the Premier pointed out that present control by boards under the ing discussion of the bill in the House. the contracts could be cancelled act is "cumbersome." The bill was "The suggestion of the Attorney-- through legislative action. designed to place power in the hands General," declared Mr. Nesbitt, "shows "There is no question about the of the department and Executive just how foolish this police bill is. power of the Legislature to take action Councit which would permit desir-- If a member of the Hamilton police to cancel the contracts," Premier able progress. force were chosen for the position of Hepburn explained to Mr. Henry. The Division Ccourt fees aroused Wilfrid director it would arouse strong jealousy Government policy had not been He'ghington's objections. in Toronto." settled, but would be determined in "The Division Court," he said, "had The bill introduced for second read-- the next few days. been called the poor man's court. ing by the Attornsy--General advocates "We are giving the facts to the It is--you are a poor man when you the appcintment of such a director,. people." get out of it." with full powor over all police forces Hon. T. B. McQuesten took occasion A County Court Act amendment in the Province in times of an emer-- to deny newspaper stories reading "no simplifying appeal was passed with gency, and would grant such a di-- thought of repudiation" into his re-- the note that it had Osgoode Hall rector the power of a Commissioner cent speech. f approval. Second reading was also to probe all police matters in the ' The Minister said that such mean-- given to the Crown Witness Act Province. ing had not been his int.enmon.' When amendment affecting payment of the Termed Outrageous. Hon. George S. Henry asked what his Government portion of witnesses' "This bill," opined Mr. Nesbitt, ic mhoee ho Wes mving mo eaprestion, . fees. "would destroy the efficiency of the plied that he was giving no expression «_ .--_ompmmtmme m pa T4 n of any intention. police forces im the largeor cities. In en + my frank cpinion it is one of the most vicious and outrazcous ever brought before this honorable House." ; "Such a director," he added, "would be able to override the policies of Police Commissions in the various mu-- * nicipalities. The bill might be all right for rural centres, but not for large cities. % "There is no doubt that such a di-- rector woulid be responsible to the Government making the appoint-- ment," Mr. Nesbitt said. "In the past the affairs of police in Ontario have been kept out of politics The rules distinctly say they must be." "Is there any distinction between the rules and the rule in that regard?" asked the Attorney--General. * "The proposal of the Attorney--Gen-- eral," concluded the Conservative member, "would lead to nothing but confusion and dual control." Hon. Leopold Macaulay, Conserva-- tive for South York, referred to the section of the bill conferring the rights| of a Commissioner on the director, . | Delay Asked. | "'This," he declared, "is a monstrous | provision." He maintained it would defeat the British custom of appoint-- iIng an independent Commissioner for judicial investigation. "It is my opinion," he continued, f "that the Attorney--General is doing a disservice to criminal jurisdiction in > introducing this bill. We're not going to allow the Attorney--General to put it over on the pretext that crime is increasing and organized. The Attor-- ney--General should let the measure stand for a year or two." i Discussion ended with the adjourn-- i ment of the House and the bill has yet to receive its second reading.