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o revocwis encvniniain en nectancrernlnaermt ie y c # ® Extension Bill } ® f § -- Passes Committee | The -- Ontario Government's bill secking extension of the i( Legislature for another year, to Oct. 19, 1944, passed through o oertores committee stage yesterday with-- House on which the Government out discussion. could act, the Hydro Commission However, when Premier * should conduct an inquiry without Conant sought permission of the delay as a continuing body and take House to give it immediate into account the social consequences third reading, usually a formal-- of the decentralization of iIndustry ity, Lt--Col. George A. Drew, that would accompany uniform Opposition Leader, said he was power rates. not prepared to consent to third Mr. HMouck replied to Col. Drew reading immediately. that he had gone further with his It was not known what course amendment and could promise that _ _Col. Drew proposed when the as soon as the report of the Hydro | Jlegislation came up again for inquiry into power costs was com-- | _ last reading. pleted copies would be sent to all | members of the House. T s e tasane The very foundation of Hydro was f started by a resolution similar to , this one the Opposition now offer.| ed, said G. H. Challies (Prog. Con., | Grenville--Dundas). It led to the | public development of the waters of the Niagara for power at cost, | instead of by private interests. | * Next Necessary Step. | With Hydro's systems inter-- switching, with power able to flow ; in both directions, the next neces-- s sary step was uniform prices for I power at generating stations and low--cost power for all. He disputed the claim that On-- tario was gelting "power at cost." | Power was being produced at tre-- \ mendous profit with 25 to 30 per 'cent of profit going into reserves| € | which totalled in 1941 over $138,000,-- | 000 with $100,000,000 more in con--| * tracts with the municipalities mak--| 'ing $258,000,000 or mowre in liquid ; § ' assets, ( _ He compared widely -- varying ' power rates in municipalities of al--| ' most the same size and population |--$29.92 at Oshawa, $20.32 at s:.l [ Catharines, $29.87 at Port Hope and |$2249 per horsepower at Toronto, 80| 'cents less than the average for !hei * * whole Hydro system,. Even at that, Toronto had a net surplus in 1941 of $885,000, said Mr. Challies, argu-- " ing that power rates could be cut with nothing but the surplus being alfected. / .