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Friends of the Premier shouted ap-- proval of his address from the ga'!-- {leries and the floor of the House. x()flt'im called the address "a beautiful campaign speech." All along the line |tt was admitted that the Premier was more nearly in his old fighting trim than since before the Dominion elec-- *"There is no doubt in my mind} there was collusion among the finance | interests. As a result of the determin-- ed attitude on the part of this Government (in demanding a lower rate), the interest rates woere almost eut in half." "I agree that the tiime is nearly due to go in and fund our obligations," the Premier went on. He said he was thankful that a 4.5 Henry regime lssue soon fell due. He was confident it ecould be funded at a heavy saving. "We have saved millions in interest Answering former Premier Henr7, who had argued that a public debt| was not disastrous, the Premier sald; that when the Province goes int»o the! money market, "we pay a toll to those | who exploit money." He explained at length his objections to brokerage house tenders on Ontario boind issues. He had sincerely tried, he said, to call for competitive tenders. Banks had quoted identical prices on tenders for one of his early issues, 3.58. "Saved Millions." I Large Majority. Swinging to the left--declaring him-- self in opposition to special privileges --making no apology for his income tax, which puts the tax burden "on the shoulders best able to carry it." ort for his succesion duty administration which was "breaking up the big es-- tates." Premier Hepburn put his Bud-- get through the Legislature early yes-- terday evening in his boldest speech since last fall. The Premiler quoted former Premier Henty to justify his critical stand on public tenders for bond issues. "I am inclined to agree with the Leader of the Opposition that you are better advised to sell your bonds across the counter than by tender, because two or three big bond houses have to get together and set a pricc. You are better off if you set your own price." A few minutes later the Premier was attacking the former Premier, but without the rancor he had shown Colonel W H. Price. "My friend op-- posite is a Conservative by heredity, tradition and conviction, and so"-- here the Premiecr began to smile--"he increases the tax on the children's ex-- aminations." Desk--thumping Liberals carried the Budget motion through by a 59 to 16 vote, with Farquhar Oliver, U.F.O. member, and Sam Lawrence, CCPF. member, voting with the Government. Free of a manuscript as he prefers to be, he finished a speech for the first time this session without a sign of weariness When they heard the Premier speaking as he used to speak Liberal followers were more hopeful Hepburn Strikes at Spo-- clal Privilege--Defends Acts of Administration HAS NO APOLOGIES that he would not retire. and there was no talk of retirement in the lobbies last night. LEGISLATURE VOTES, 59--16, "That's Tory policy--keep the chil-- dren in ignorance." The House laugh-- ed and applauded. FOR BUDGET Before he finished his speech Premier Hepburn replied to Conserva. tives who had criticized his short-- term issues; flayed former Treasurer W. H. Price for issues bearing high interest and exchange;: and promised his Government would carry on for the interosts of the Ontario people. On the matter of succession--duty free bonds Mr. Hepburn told the Hcuse that evasions of the Succession Duty Act were numsrous and exten-- sive under the Henry Government, and only when his Administration took office were the full potentialities of this source of revenue realized. "In one case I might mention." he said, "while the owner of the estate lay on his death--bed, his would--be heirs, instead of assembling reverently at his side, wore scurrying around madly in their effort to find succes-- slon--duty free bonds to stick in his estate." "Men who can do what some of the men you (the Opposition) put there could never do--read a financial statemeont." Duty--Free Bonds. CHANGES SOUGHT IN HIGHWAY ACT Highways Minister McQuesten yes-- terday introduced a bill in the Ontario Legisliature containing a number of amendments to the Highway Traffic Act. Chief among the amendments are provisions iniended to standardize regulations respecting the control of traflic by signal lights. '"And I'm pleading guilty to getting some of the best accountants in On-- tario in the Treasury Department, 'r-- respective of politics,"' the Premior said, as he finish:d teling how his own Treasury Department had cut the costs of tax collection. cost $3.48 in 1935--36. It cost $1.21 to collect $100 of corporations tax in 1934; it cost 89¢ in 1935--36. I cost $1.42 to collect $100 of sucers-- sion dutles in 1934, and it cost 84c in 1935--36. Toronto's system Of traffic control is accepted as the model, with the exception that a new provision re-- quires a motor vehicle to come to a full stop before a right hand turn is made on a red light. It is also provided that all new traffic systems installed in the Province must first have the approval of the Department of Highways. l "They don't subscribe to an income tax. They believe in special privileges. Toryism can endure only so long and then you have & social or economic revolt among the people. I belong to the Reform school because Reform gave | us democracy and--better still--free | schools." The Premier said his Reform t Government had put through the in-- ; come tax and stiffencd the successioni duties. "And for those two acts I have apology to offer." Another section will require that all trailers and semi--trailers having a gross weight in excess of 3,000 pounds must be equipped with brakes. The Premicr shot a barrage of figures showing what it was costing his Administration to collect the rev-- enues. It had cost $12.38 to collsct $100 of anfussment tax in 1934; it cost $3.48 in 1935--36. It cost $1.21 '"'There has been argument back and forth as to wheth:r this Gov.-- ernment has made progress," the Pre.-- mier admitted, as he turned to the Opposition attacks on his Administra-- tion. No Macch 28 : But sending Arthur Slaght to scetils | the Niagara railway arbitration bad ! been well advised, the Premier said. | That was no job to send a "boy" to. ; and the Province had saved $100.900 'over what it was ready to offer, and | $2,000.000 over the railway's claims, 'aner Mr. Slaght presented the On-- tario case to the arbitrators. ' "The former Administration had | hired Mr. Tilley." the Premier said. { "We knew Mr. Tilley and his charges. | We had against us some of the finest | counsel on the continent. I asked Mr. | Tilley to take the job and he said he would at $200 a day. Mr. Slaght is | the head of a very big organization { and he could probably command the | largest fee in Canada. In neglecting < his business--tied down there for sev-- eral weeks--Mr. Slaght didn't make any money. It was a case where I didn't think it wise to send a boy to ! the mill." "The Province is up in arms about l the fees paid to lawyers," the Premier told the applauding MPP.'s. "The people think it must stop. It is going to stop. We are not going to allow 'the Treasury of the Province to be | raided and pillaged by lawyers-- | whether they beliong to this party or not." Later the Premier indicated that | the ban on special legal assignments | may mean the building up of a larger | calaried staff of solicitors at Queen's ! Park, to take care of legal work and ,help at the Assizes. Their salaries for a year would amount to the fees | charged the Province by some lawyers for a single case. ONE--MAN TRAMS HIT IN MEASURE W ould The Attorney--General, the Premier pointed out, had appeared for the Province in person at the Supreme Court, and would carry an Ontario appeal to the Privy Council. This is understood to have been a reference to the pending appeal of the Canada Temperance Act. the Ontario Legislature yesterday by T. A. Murphy, Conservative member for Toronto--Beaches. In the form of an amendment to vided a street railway or electric rail-- wav rar shall be onerated b¥ at The ban on the listing of any more "bills for legal services" in the public accounts came less than twenty--four hours after P. M. Dewan, Oxford Lib-- eral M.P.P., had stirred the House with a speech criticizing the long-- time practice of paying big fees to lawyers assigned t~ the Province's legal jobs. be "raided and pillaged" any more by fee--hungry lawyers attached to Com-- missions or probes. While his followers in the Legisla-- ture heartily pounded their .desks, Premier Hepburn promised yesterday that the Ontario Treasury will not HIRE LAWYERS ON SALARIES, NOT FEE BASES A bill aimed at elimination of onue-- ain street cars was introduced in Amend -- Railway Act