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The speaker stated that social discases were largely to blame for the sharp increase in mental cases. '"The prevention of mental discase is the prevention of social disease," lhe said. "And that in turn comes | down to the liquor question." |_ The government, he declared, was satisfied to accept huge profits 'lrom the sale of liquor, but he re-- \ minded the House that, "while we fill up the treasury with liquor re-- ceipts, we are sending people to our mental hospitals." The imprisonment of social dis-- ease cases for compulsory medical treatment if they refused to co-- !operate voluntarily in taking pre-- scribed clinical treatment was ad-- vocated in the Legislature yester-- day by DPDr. H. E. Welsh (Con., \ Hastings East) in his address in "the Budget debate. Continuing his discussion of the alcohol problem, Iy. Welsh defénd-- ed the reliability of blood tests to determine the condition of drivers involved in automobile accidents. Holds Claim Ridiculous. "It is ridiculous to say that sponging a man's arm with alcohol will affect the test," he said. "Al-- cohol can't get into the blood by using a little on a hypodermic needle. 'That's just a legal trick. If blood tests were taken and in-- terpreted by> proper medical au-- thorities, and then correlated with clinical symptoms, you would have a true picture." The Conservative member won Premier Hepburn's quick endorsa-- tion when he condemned the Fed-- eral Government for failing to take sufficient steps to check the spread of _ tuberculosis among treaty Indians, "This is a serious condition," he said. "The Indians do not stay on the reservations. They mingle with people as guides, make souvenirs and pick berries. Here is a condi« Dr. Welsh told the House that the problem of social diseases had become an issue of paramount im-- portance, meriting closer attention on the part of elected members. The problem, he dectared, was linked at one end with the liquor question and at the other with the constantly growing problem of men-- tal illness. Says Root in Alcoholism. "Admissions to our mental hos-- pitals jumped 25 per cent between 1934 and 1936," he said, "but al-- coholic admissions in the same period increased 200 per cent. And it is in alcoholism that we find the root of our problem." "We should make it the re-- sponsibility of every doctor to re-- port every case to the Department of Health," he declared. "The re-- port should be confidential in every respect, but the department should know where that case is, and not only his name and address." If such cases did not co--operate with the department, he added, the govern-- ment should be empowered to say: "If you break treatment you will go to jail and take treatment." DEFENDS BLOOD TESTS Doctor M.L.A. Favors Jail if Necessary; Holds Root of Growing Problem to Be Found in Alcoholism WOULD COMPEL SOCIAL DISEASES TO BF TREATED tion which the Dominion Govern-- ment permits to exist in the centre of a province where we are spend-- Ing two and a half millions of dollars to combat the disease." Bays Control Possible. Dr. Welsh emphasized that social diseases could be controlled and cured. "Therein lies the special duty of the health department," he add-- ed, "and I will do everything possi-- ble to help. Treat this problem just as courageously as you are treating the problem of tuber-- culosis. "We must break down this hush hush and make people realize that it is undermining their physical setup, to say nothing of the cost to them in social services and men-- tal hospitalization." He turned in conclusion to the St. Thomas mental hospital appoint-- ment and emphasized that Dr. W. Davey Smith, the new superintend-- ent, was regarded highly. "As the leader of the Opposition in this House," said he, "I urge that something be done to call such a conference so that Canada may face its internal as well as external prob-- lems as a united people. If any government of Canada suggests such a conference at the present time, I cannot see how it is possible for any other government to refuse. Ask Ontario Leadership. Clearly implying that the Ontario Administration, supported by the House, and before the present ses-- No matter, said he, what past dif-- ficulties there may have been and no matter what personal feeling may have been aroused, the issues before parliaments and the people were too great and the problems to be solved too critical to permit any past consideration to interfere with present needs. am not a pessimist about the future of Canada. I am a confirmed optim-- ist. But no matter what the resour-- ces of any country may be, no country can survive the stagnation of government in Canada today." "I believe the time is long over-- due for such a conference," de-- clared Colonel Drew. during the course of his budget debate re-- marks. "At the moment we are drifting hopelessly to disaster. I As the first step toward recovery, as a potential cure for Canada's three great problems, national de-- fense, unemployment and whole-- hearted co--operation of all her gov-- erning bodies, Col. George A. Drew, provincial Conservative leader, last night urged the immediate calling of a parley similar to the Austral-- ian_"_}"remiers' conference" of 1931. ASSAILS STAGNATION Col. Drew Urges Conference of All Canada's Premiers to Meet at Once to Solve Pressing Major Problems WANTS PARLEY TQ END EVILS IN GOVERNMENT APRIL 21 "And yet," said he, "in the face of that crisis the ten governments of Canada are paralyzed by their conflicting powers. It is madness to drift on as we are at the present time. There is no one in this coun-- try with any knowledge of public affairs who does not realize the necessity of co--operation for the welfare of the whole nation, but all we are getting is excuses for dolnzi nothing." Today, said he, the issue was no longer the supremacy of one group of nations or another, but the sur-- vival of civilization in the face of highly organized barbarism. The days through which Canada was now passing, said the Opposi-- tion Leader, were the most critical in the history of the country, They were even more critical than those of the Great War, "because even in the darkest days of the war there was no fear that Christian civiliza-- tion itself might perish." "If," he added, "such a conference is called, its meetings, except in re-- gard to external national policies, should be held publicly. One of the difficulties in regard to much less important conferences in the past was that the secrecy of their delib-- erations left the public in doubt a> to what had actually happened. In this case publicity is most likely to assure results." Everything that was done in the House, said Colonel Drew, was of "little importance" unless the coun-- try's major problems were solved These, he said, could only be solved "by consultation and co--operation.® sion ends, should give leadership in this desired direction, the Opposi-- tion Leader added: "One govern-- ment has as much right as any other government io take this sten and with all earnestness I urge that something be done to call such B conference immediatelv."