* _ have to pay more than half a mill to offset the result of the in-- ereased diversion of corporation taxes to the separate schools, and many centres would pay less than one--tenth of a mill, Hon. Dr. L. J. Simpson, Minister of Education, told the Legislature yesterday. The Minister, speaking for only fif-- teen minutes in support of Premier Hepburn's bill, nevertheless delivered an outspoken address in favor of the principle of more financial aid for separate schools, and joined his leader in a fervent plea for non--political and non--sectarian consideration of the issue, purely on its merits., Believes Bill Fair. "The Prime Minister," he said, "has asked the House to apply to dis-- cussion and consideration of this bill the Golden Rule. He could not pos-- gibly have more fairly and plainly put the issue before you. It is not up to us, as members of this Legisla-- ture, to worry about the result of our attitude to this bill in terms of nom-- ination and votes in the next general election. There are many things far more important than nomination and "Your job and mine," said Dr. Bimpson, "is to satisfy our own minds and our own consclences that we are New Tax Division May Boost Rates A course in religious knowledge may soon be added to the Ontario public echool curriculum. This possibility--it might almost be termed a likelihood--appeared on the political horizon yesterday as a result Course in Religion Hinted for Schools of the address of Hon. Dr. L. J. Simpson, Minister of Education, dur-- ing debate of the school tax issue in the Legislature. The Minister had been touching upon the importance attached by Roman Catholics to the religious training which their children received in the separate schools. The value of such teaching, he said, could not "There is nothing in the world," he went on, "to prevent religious three Ontario cities would 'has, "I offer no confession, because I dis.| have no confession to make. It's true bil1, that the letter was written by me; it pos-- was written as a personal message o inly |a friend. Special editions of the Eve-- not ning Telegram as a result were rush-- sla~-- ied into my riding during the election our fight, and were distributed at church ome doors and street corners, Yet, in spite eral of this effort to beat me on this issue, far I received in Barrie--traditionally a and Conservative constituency--a majority 'of 874. And in my belief I obtained Dr.!that majority because the people know inds| that I have never played politics, and are never will." Dr. Simpson, referring to his letter to a constituent in 1933 in which he expressed himself in favor of conces-- slons to the separate schools, which letter had been read by the previous speaker, Opposition Leader George Henry said: doing the right and just thing--to satisfy ourselves that we are serving the ends of justice when we offer to the Roman Catholic people of this Province some of the rights which they have not had for so many years. "With all my heart," said Dr. Simp-- son quietly and fervently, "I believe in the fairness of this bill. I do not believe that we have gone too far in our concessions to the Roman Catholic ninority, And T believe that the ends of fairness and justice to all will be served by the passage of the bill." "Too Much Competition." iteach'mg in our public schools And, | in my opinion, it is time some steps | were taken toward this end. We in iOnuu'lo are lagging far behind on this point. I say it is tinte we de-- I voted a definite amount of time in our public school curriculum each day !to the teaching of religious knowl-- | edge." '"'We shall take up the entire ques-- tion and give it thorough study," he said, "with a view to determining whether and how it could be intro-- duced in our curriculum. I myself am most strongly in sympathy with the id:a." Later, speaking to Ths Globe, Dr. Simpson confirmed the inference that his department would give the pro-- posal every consideration. BENNETT TRIED TO BUY FARMERS, CLAIMS HEPBURN Mr. Marshall answered that the ex-- port of commodities varied and that he was not in favor of a Legislature attempt "to loct" the Pederal Treasury for a bonus for any kind of agricui-- turc, "If we bonus chsese, why not woo'!, why not potatoes? The bonus-- ing business has always proved a failure." Mr. Marshall said he did not favor any Legislature demand for a continuance of the Dominion sum. That was up to Ottawa. They wore being urged to taper it off, but what would be done would not be known until their estimates came down. Instead of killing Colonel T. A. Kidd's motion, which also asked Ott:-- wa for further aid, the Government in an amendment by Minister of Agricul-- ture Duncan Marshall moved that the Legislature recognized Pedcral Treas-- ury bonuses were a House of Com-- mons matter and should not be de-- manded by a Provincial Legislature. The amended resolution was allowed to stand for further debate. The Premier said that what had happened to other countries' attempts to subsidize an industry was well known. "The money was voted in separate cheques :o impress on the minds of the farmers that the Gov-- ernment was doing something for them." Charging that when the Domirlion passed last year's chcese bonus "Mr. Bennett set about deliberately to buy the cheese producers," Premier Hep-- burn. as a farmeor, yesterday refused to throw a "sop" to farmers by accepting a Tory motion of appreci-- ation for the bonus.