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Beauharnois and Maclaren Transactions Cited by Former Premier as Debatable, But He Endorses Gatineau-Papers With, held From Hydro Inquiry, He Charges ASSAILS LATCHFORD-SMITH PROBE; F _ REFUSING NAME, DEFIES SPEAKER l, lnent's political opponents. " never: hours and more the tor. met Premier delivered his charges and agertended to it a review ot twenty m ot Hydro and Government u. "A scandalous affair," Mr. Henry termed the inquiry. He maintained it was n probe purely for political nea- m and one designed wholly to Mitch the names ot the Govern- ettietty remembered as e member ot the Ross Government and as a person wining u my time to name the mic o! n Commissioner " the request at his politic" friends. Mr. Justice Smith's approval of the report was coupled. questioningly. with his son's appointment to a Liquor Con- trol Board position. "The withholding of documents." no 8314. "ia up beginning ot fraud." Admits Ownership. The former Premier admitted his owner-hip ot 825.000 worth of O.P.S. hands. "I am not " ell ashamed of the not that, to scme extent. I con- tributed to the erection and comple- tion of the great enterprise of which the Attorney-General has spoken so my. "A mum's honor. the Premier and Attorney-General would we. and particularly the honor ot a public men, is something sacred to him. and t propose to defend mine for g few minutes." The former Premier said that he could not disregard the batchiord- Smith report. in so for as it referred to him. For Mr. Smith. he had for- marl! . com JikaiiiTesireei.' IAthQn-MI " h. Auk-"AA "A, Mr. swim and Mr. McRuer. Mr. Henry presumed. had withheld docu- ments tram the Commissioners. Room for Debate On 2 Power Deals, '"'""gutmm, Probe ASTIGATING Arthur Slaght and J. C. Me- Ruer. and hurling direct insinuations at the judicial honesty of Mr. Jus. tice Latchford and Mr. J us- tice Smith, former Prime Minister Henry yesterday delivered his answer to the Latchford-Smith Commis- sion report. Report Approval Scored. HERE may be room for debate. I agree with you. on Beau- harnois and Maeltuen-dtuebet', but on Gatineau you haven't a leg to stand on." Former Premier George S. Henry. member of the Conservative Government which negotiated Ontario's "power deals" with Quebec printe power interests, made this admission to the Legislature late last night. ------» --.-- -- ..-- In respect of the Gatlneau deal. Mr. Henry maintained Attor- ney-General Roebuck hadn't " leg to stand on." A few minutes later, and after 12 o'clock. Mr. Henry adjourned hls seven-hour address. and Premier Hepburn announced that, due to developments. the Budget could not be brought down until next Henry Admission "I am curious." Mr. Henry thunder- ed, "to know why after hearing evi- dence until Aug. 23 last, it was not until October that the Commissioners brought forth their report. Is it pos- sible that during that time there was not complete unanimity between the two Commissioners? Is it possible that it took Mr. Latehtord some time to induce Mr. Smith to concur in this report? Appointment Noted. "ts it a fact ot any signitieanee that . few days after the Commissioner? report was signed the public was noti- fied ot the appointment ot a son of Mr. Smith by the Government to a. position on the Liquor Control Board?" "The Commissibners declared that. " I was myself the holder ot tho bonds of the Ontario Power Service Prior to his mack on the Latch- ford-Smith inquiry. the Leader of the Opposition touch'xl briefly on the his- tory of the Abitibi Canyon project. stating that Its purchase was a gift to the mines of the North country who were enabled to purchase power at around 830 a horsepower. instead of 860 or 870. as formerly. Gift Corp ' class The uzexxci: plain." House haste lite or in the i lature. Mr. be political teen bath tor hm {an into the I Por himself pa HI to ford were P ls'ld 325.000 820,000,000 o I take v.1 lua u to Mines. ot his former s ot t, he a: Marelt 21 rm. I should not have taken he negotiations whereby the mmission acquired the bonds 2ario Power Service Corpora- that my judgment, was liable " by mason of my holdings. l, anon is false. admit that if Mr. Latch- Prime Minister and if he )0 ot bonds of an issue ot of a company whose prop- rcwn saw tit to acquire he so forget his personal in- , ac; unselfishly and fairly. m iitialiirF" power. Mr. Item-y de- clared. tied in nicely with the work- ing of low-grade gold ore made pos- sible with the revaluation of gold. The lease of the property in the first instance. he declared. was not "alien- ation." but a common whereby the Province could take the property over at, any time. No action of the Government of that, day, Mr. Henry declared. was of more value to the people of the North than the acquiring ct the Abitibi Canvon project. "Or to the botitii1olders," remarked a Liberal member. "I'll dial with the bondholders in due course," declared Mr. Henry, heat- ralv. [you before the inquiry by Duff was} garden-d?" asked Mr. Nixon. Mr. .Henry refused to answer, saying It was nut a. pertinent question. "Just why." he asked, "was the Latehtord-EmiUt inquiry? The Gov- m'nmem, had all the documents. all the officials at their call." The Commission. Mr. Henry went on. was not ccmpased of Judges. "Oh yes, they were," came a Lib- eral voice. "Commissioners yes, but Judges no," returned Mr. Henry. adding: "They had no power to bring in any vcrdict ., "They brought in a finding of my," declared J. J. Glass (leeral. tit. Andrew). Mr. Henry "Was the inquiry fifteen years ago the one in which a sum of 31.500.- 000 was recovered for the Province which had been abstracted from the Lands and Forests Department?" ask- ed the Attorney-General. Loud desk- thumping followed. "1 think there was some Money re- covered." answered Mr. Henry. The Commissloneta, Mr. Henry con- tinued in his reference to the batch- ford-Smith inquiry, "did not make an honest inquiry." With voice raised almost, to a shout Mr. H:nry declared: "Unhesitatingly I charge the Government with ap- pointing this Commission with sinis- ter and political purposes, and not with the idea of acquiring any knowl- edge or information which was not readily available to then. I say that the appointment of a. Commission by a Government with political ends to some. with no other purpose but to bcsmirch the names of its political opponents. is a scandalous thing. "I suggest to the Prime Minister that, he might, with advantage. read such books as Morley's 'Life ot Glad- ston-e,' Gardiner's 'Lite ot Sir Wil- liam Vernon Harcourt,' Winston Churchill's 'Life of Lord Randolph Churchill" to ascertain how these accomplished men viewed wih horror the appointment of the Parnell Com- mission for political purposes." "Just who." continued Mr. Henry, "composed the Latchford-Smith Cont- mission? The Chairman. Mr. latch- ford, was an ardent Liberal-he has been a politician all his days. He re- turned to politics on two definite oc- casions-once fifteen years ago under the Drury regime. and again last summer. I marvel that the present Government used him again. I'm speaking ot the Hon. Francis Latch- ford. Commissioner." H} and tl saw fit to spend money on the CY. maintaining that the find- had been discounted before the ' Duff to inquire into the asked Hon. Harry C. Nixon, cLal Secretary. rd better write to Mr. Bennett." th findings of the Commission tker went on. were of no valo wondcrcd why the Govern, m fit to spend money on th: Nt Pe.-'"' A..." finding If The findings paper they w Renrv mt a dud were disagreed con no