The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

STEWARTURGES Budget Speech Friday GROUPTOPROBF Has No New Taxation, RELIEF CASFS Premier Hepburn Says A non--partisan commission to in-- vestigaté each reliel case was urged yesterday by W. J. Stewart (Con, Parkdale), speaking to the Speech from the Throne at the legislative session yesterday. Mr. Stewart be-- lieved that such a commission would reduce Provincial relief costs. "Would it not be well to have a general weeding out of those on re-- lief?" hbhe asked. "IL would suggest that the Government consider a that the Government consiGer a plan whereby a non--partisan com-- mission, composed, say, of a Liberal, a Conservative and a well--known humanitarian, be appointed, without salary. Then all relief recipients could be notified that they would be struck off the rolls at the end of sixty or ninety days unless they appeared before the commission and provided sufficient reasons for being kept on." s Mr. Stewart spoke highly of the work done by Dr. W. H. Avery, con-- sultant of the Department of Public Health, in combatting venereal dis-- ease. Dr. Avery was a member of the Royal Commission which inves-- tigated the mental hospitals of On-- tario several found 15 per Ontario men charged to s« "Since Dr. Avery took over his work as consultant there have been many -- patients discharged -- from mental -- hospitals as completely cured. Last year it was reported that fifty patients more had been discharged than in any other year, because the treatment they have been -- receiving had resulted inl cures," Mr, Stewart said. "This has | resulted in a great financial saving | for the Province. Not only are we saved the cost of maintaining these people in the hospital for this year, but they will not be charges in future years, and I would estimate that in time the saving made in this respect will be somewhere be-- tween $150,000 and $250.000. I would suggest that this work be given every encouragement." He regretted that more assistance had not been given to farmers. The recent egg--grading -- regula-- tions adopted by the Federal -- au-- thorities were criticized as being un-- fair to the small farmer. Among other suggestions -- ad-- vanced by Mr. Stewart was the ap-- pointment of a committee to co--or-- ldinate with patriotic bodies in com-- 'bating fifth column activities, _ Premier Mepburn congratulated the Parkdale member on the num-- ber of suggestions included in his speech. He said he would investi-- gate the claim -- that egg--grading . regulations prevented farmers from Divrading at stores. \ Non -- Partisan Committee to 'Weed Out' Recipients, Is Suggested by M.L.A. yegula Ion®s trading at Charging ments in Charging that various . govern-- ments in Canada, Federal, Provin-- cial and municipal, had been partly responsible for the unemployment and relief problems of recent years, another member of the Opposition, William Duckworth, of 'Toronto-- Dovercourt, said that the same gov-- ernments must now make plans for pr immediate postwar years, eral years ago, and which per cent of the cases in mental hospitals could be to social diseases. "I would suggest nment consider a non--partisan com-- d, say, of a Liberal, and a well--known MARCH Premier Hepburn, who on Friday next will present his seventh Budget to the Ontario Legislature, said last night "no new laxation is being contemplated." Any last--minute change in that policy, it is understood, depends almost wholly on whether or not Ottawa leaves Provincial gasoline and liquor revenues unchanged by cither regulation or a Federal tax. Revenues from both these sources, for the year ending March 31, have greatly exceeded the Treasurer's forecast of last Feb. 15, when for gasoline he budgeted $24,000,000 and for Liquor Control Board $9,-- 500,000. This much he revealed when he said the anticipated surpluses from these two sources would cover the $2,000,000 cheese bonus. Later reports at Queen's Park indicate that the surplus, on a budgeted expenditure of $88,694,970, will greatly exceed that figure. For example, Dr. A, C. Trottier, Liberal member for Essex North, in second-- ing the motion for the adoption of the Speech from the Throne, gave a figure on 1940--41 Lands and Forests revenue approximately one and three--quarter millions above that estimated in the Budget. Next year's Budget, it is under-- stood, is being drafted with con-- sideration of the possibility that war taxes may cause a falling off in domestic gasoline and liquor sales, but it is hoped confidently that any such reduction may be more than made u> by increased tourist travel. At thke Dominion--Provincial con-- ference it was estimated Ontario's relief bill in 1941--42 would be $6,-- 725,000. In assuming 75 per cent of relief cost figures, the Government is obligeted to pay $5,043,750 on that estimate, or a little less than a million more than the Province's share in the 40--40--20 agreement of the current year. Plans are being made to pare even that figure and, consequently, relief does not figure prominently as an item of com-- parison in last year's Budget and the one to come. "Two factors are present in eon-- sideration of this year's surplus," said Premier Hepburn last night. "First, there is the cost of snow re-- moval on our thousands of miles of road, and, second, when there is no snow condition there is heavier traffic and we collect more gasoline taxes. "Up to the present, we have had most favorable weather conditions. Mind you, we are not taking credit for the weather. We have taken credit for a lot of things in our day, but we haven't rung in the weather yet." Last--Minute Change Depends on Federal Action, Report States SURPLUS INDICATED