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+ w ® € . ®. ¢ | $ 3# *#>* PeC --. FEBRUARY 20 gorem im it on . \ "Sop to the People." 1 R "In the present budget the Prime 4 \ TARI | |Minister has underestimated reve-- INCRE ASED P AY M . _ _nues. Iforecast that a year from now he will come along with a sur-- \ ~prise surplus of eight or nine mil-- |__lion dollars and cut the corporation HITS WAR w RK' ' tax or some other tax as a sop to | FOR TRUCKERS the people and then ask to be re-- | l turned to power. We've been pay-- | } ing with deficits for three years for -- | the 1937 sunshine budget. But the | people won't be fooled again." Aumpammemmmemommmommmmemins Mr. Frost said the Province should woeomassssusesermmees t * build highways as a current ex-- issi i | PO'lClQS Would NO' BO | ._pense, not as a capital outlay, but . | lcomm;ssb'onesugges*'o'f } * | : Hon. T. B, McQuesten, Minister of nore overnmen I TO'.rlf.d. by COUHCI|S. | "Highwa,vs, protested that other Gov-- g Y § | Holds Lmdsay T o ry _| |ernments also had considered high-- Macau"Y Declares t huntn se rrnorrrmmqencens | | ways a capital expenditure. He smm | ' I said the highways would be used | SEE EXTRAVAGANCE Iand paid for in successive years, HITS RATE SYSTEM * >*% The Ontarto Government should Charges of extravagance by the [act immediately to police the motor Liberals against Conservatives and g transport industry with the specific by Conservatives against the Lib--| objective of raising the standard of erals are a case of "the pot calling | | wages for transport workers and the kettle black," L. M. Frost of | regulating the industry itself, Leo-- Lindsay (Cons., Victoria), told the | pold Macaulay (Con., South York),| Legislature yesterday. . declared in the Legislature yester--| f Mr. Frost said Ontario's debt hadl 'da\'. | ncreased from $6,200,000 in 1914 to ()pening the debate on the Bud--| $13,000,000 in 1919, to $100,000.000 in ~ get. Mr. Macaulay criticized the | .1.9?3. to $358,000,000 in 193'" ".'d to Government for not acting upon the | over $500,000,000 in 1939." "This recommendations made by the Royal | (Hepburn) Government has created Commission on Transportation, pre-l deficits of over $140,000,000 in its sided over by Mr. Justice Chevrier five yeats and four months of !'The only recommendation acted up--| office," he said. s | on by the Government was the one | Mr. Frost said no municnpallt): | favoring an increase in the gasoline would "stand for a debt picture' tax, he asserted. such as that presented by the Prov-- "The commission made findings ince, and credited "hard--headed and recommendations with respect counciliors" that civic finances were | to hours and wages in the motor comparably in much better position \| transport industry," said Mr. Mac-- j "'.'" Ontario's. aulay. "They find that long hours | 'The extravagant methods of the and low wages are prevalent in this| (HMepburn) Government have left industry. Many cases were pointed . the people of Ontario in a poor out of wages out of proportion to | position to make the war effort they the hours worked or to the respon--| should make," Mr. Frost said. "The sibility of the driver for the safety | §hip of State undgr the present"pllot . of the public and the value of the' is fast approaching the rocks. equipment and cargo in his care. Charges Extravagance. ' These are the result of overcrowd-. Mr. Frost said the Ferguson--| Ing of the field by licensed oper--| Henry Governments had collected in ' ators, resulting in uneconomic com-] taxes or added to the Provincial | petition of the available business debt a total of $466,000,000 in lhe' and from the overstocking of the', five years and five months pre-- labor market. ' ceding Premier Hepburn's election | '"The commission also found| in 1934. In the same period since a chaotic situation, not only| then the Hepburn Government has uneconomic competition, but rank! collected in taxation or added to the | discrimination," declared Mr. Ma--| Provincial debt a total of 3575.000.-? caulay. "Shippers have been pay--| 000, of which it has given $35,900,000 | ing different rates _ to _ the| to the municipalities in the past same carrier for the same serv--| three years. "That means that ice. Two shippers sending the same | $70,000,00 is accounted for only by commodity to Cobourg from Toron-- | 'the extravagance of the Govern-- to by the same carrier were paying | ment," he said. "The Hepburn Gov-- different rates, one 30 per cent ernment has demonstrated its utter above the other. That was sympto-- inability to keep expenditures with-- * matic of the discrimination rampant | in a safe and sane limit." all through the industry. The law Mr. Frost declared the bookkeep-- authorizing the department to com-- ing methods of the Province did not |pel carriers to file schedules of give a true picture of its finances. rates with the Municipal Board has' "Let's have an honest system of never been acted upon. : bookkeeping," he said. "I don't "The commission recommended a ; think the present system of book-- transport board of three persons keeping is honest. I don't blame appointed for ten--year terms and the present Government, but they removable only for cause by the readily fell into the bookkeeping i Legislature," said -- Mr. Macaulay. methods which probably existed for "The powers recommended for such many years before they got it. a board would be similar to those ; "There never has been a surplus exercised by the present board of during the five years and five transport commissioners for Can-- months of the present Government," ada. They would receive and con-- he said, referring to claims of sur-- sider rate schedules. I do not think plusses by the Hepburn Govern-- it was intended that such a board ment. "There has been only a should fix rates in the first in-- series of deficits. I don't say they stance. The building up of a motor are worse than the preceding Gov-' transport rates schedule for On-- ernments', but they certainly are tario is complicated and difficult not better. They have taken in | !and it would require a long process more income than any other Pro--| | of development. No action has been vincial Government, but they have taken by the Government." spent more. '