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i n un ooo e on o ie Pb FEBRuUARY 24 ' M ' . ! {KHOLDS POLICE | COULD NOT SUE, | \CQ--ORDINATION | ELGIE DECLARES _ |ONTARIO'S NEED An amendment to the Highway Traffic Act which would enable ie passengers in an automobile to sue * the driver or owner of a car for |mP°55'b|° Under *he injuries received, due to gross negli-- gence, was withdrawn in the Legis-- Present Sysiem. % S.GYS lature yesterday by its sponsor, G. Conant to Critics C. Elgie (Con., Woodbine). Hiervmn im rmernironooou The amendment was not accept-- P able to the Government, Acting Effective law enforcement re-- House Leader Harry Nixon informed quires the co--ordination of police in Mr. Elgie. Attorney--General Conant Ontario, "even though public opin-- said the matter had been gone into ion doesn't seem ready for it," At-- thoroughly by the House in previous torney--General Conant insisted be-- sessions and the lifting of liabilit» fore the Legislature yesterday in from the shoulders of the drivers reply to Opposition attacks on the was decided upon after careful con-- administration of the Provincial Po-- sideration of all the facts. lice. Mr. Elgie contended that the act The issue was raised Thursday as it now stands was "absolutely night during House consideration silly," and he cited cases in support of the police estimates when Hon. of his claim. There was the case of George S. Henry and Leopold Mac-- a girl who was kidnapped in an aulay assailed the Minister for de-- automobile and who later sued the claring that he would not send po-- car owner. The court was forced lice into a municipality unless a re-- to dismiss the claim because of the quest for assistance had been made. act, he said. In another case a girl Their criticism, and that of W. accepted a ride in a car and when \J. Stewart (Con., Parkdale) had the motorist refused to stop when 'particular reference to the recent she wanted to get out, she jumped, controversy over the Attorney--Gen-- The case was before the courts, but ral's refusal to order Provincial Po-- under the act the girl could not re-- lice raids upon suspected gambling cover damages, Mr. Elgie declared. places in the Toronto suburbs un-- Arthur Roebuck, (Lib., Bellwoods) less a request for assistance was supported Mr. Elgie and urged the made by the municipal authorities. Government to give consideration Mr. Conant tabled correspondence | to its provisions. and a report by Police Commissioner |\ HMon,. Norman Hipel, Minister of William Stringer, bearing particu-- Labor, gave facts and figures which | larly upon the statement of Mr. he said demonstrated the soundness ; Macaulay, "If there's a murder in of the Ontario system. Workmen in | Hamilton, does the Attorney--General Ontario received larger benefits un--| wait until he gets a signed petition der the Workmen,s Compensation | from the Mayor of Hamilton before Board and the cost to employers | he sends his Provincial, officers was far less than in the United there to investigate?" States. Mr. Conant said that since he has The third amendment sponsored been Attorney--General, it has been by Mr. Elgie was in connection with the practice of the Provineial Po-- the Fatal Accidents Act. It provided lice to exercise absolute jurisdiction that in an action brought under only in the counties and districts this act, damages may be awarded where there were no municipal po-- in respect of the funeral expenses lice and to function in municipali-- of the deceased, provided these ex-- ties having local police only at the penses were incurred by the parli?s' request of the local authorities. for whose benefit the action was | He quoted from Commissioner brought. | Stringer's report : "In actual practice, Attorney--General Conant said the if a member of the force goes into amendment would set up a new | a municipality to inquire into a § basis for action and was, therefore, serious crime, without having been not acceptable to the Government. requested by the local chief, serious en friction between both forces in-- | variably follows." In reference to Mr. Macaulay's statement, _ the Attorncey--General cited the Commissioner's report upon an inquiry into a triple mur-- der in Hamilton. The Provincial of-- ficers, said the report, were told by the Hamilton chief constable, "that they did not want any assistance from the Provincial Police and that they were quite capable of handling the matter thcm§clves." Mr. Macaulay insisted that the practice did not provide for sound or effective law enforcemeni. "I still insist there is not co--ordina-- tion under the present system and can't be, and under the present system the Provincial Police are powerless to do anything," said Mr R Conant.