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- tion could be reached Resuming Debate on Reply ' to Speech From Throne, | Liberal Leader Chal- lenges Premier to State in Plain Wording His In- tentions Regarding Vote on O.T.A.—Says Public Desires Information DOHERTY EXTOLLS LATE GOVERNMENT | In a speech calculated to drive the Government into the open in respect of its intentions regarding the On- tario Temperance Act, W. E. N. Sin- | clair, K.C., Liberal Leader, covered the whole Administrative program | for the session in an able address de- _ livered yesterday in the Legislature. It was Mr. Sinclair’s first effort as | Leader, an. he was in excellent form, /as he carried on the debate on the | reply to the Speech from the Throne. \ Mr. Sinclair declared that the ‘lspeeches and actions of Government leaders and fcllowers seemed to in- | dicate that there was no intention lof holding a referendum, and _ he icalled upon the Prime Minister when ithe latter arose to address the House to let the people know “what the |'Government has in mind, especially lin view of the wording of this clause ‘in the Speech from the Throne.” |Liberals Behind Hydro. | The Liberal Leader urged the Gov- ‘ernment in its efforts to provide | Canadian fuel to supply this fuel at actual production and transportation cost. He declared also that Lib-| 'erals, as much as Conservatives, were! lin favor of hydro development ‘throughout the Province. | Hon. Manning Doherty, Progres- 'sive Leader, warned the Premier ‘what he termed the ‘danger’ into ‘which many countries were running: ‘that of over-industrialism. He urg- ed him to “trample under foot” his proclivities to ‘“‘play politics,” and cited the policies of the Drury Gov- ernment as a model which the new Government could follow with profit . to the country. Many Items Overlooked? Mr. Sinclair opened his speech by congratulating the Speaker on his appointment, and added that, when a ruling was once given, he hoped members would abide thereby, “and not do as they do in school, speak ' back to the teacher.” The Speech |\from the Throne, he said, did not speak with that definiteness expected | from a Government having the overe | whelming majority this Government |had. He had expected a definite and positive reference to restriction along lines of expenditure. This was one of the items overlooked, or, else, they were not to look forward to any cutting down of public expenditure. Some definite policy respecting the | great problem of reforestation should | have been in the Speech from the Throne, Mr. Sinclair continued. One would expect, also, he added, a refer- ence to the problem of the unem- ployed and an endeavor to find a solution therefor. | Coming to matters which were in the Speech, Mr. Sinclair said that the fuel question was one of the most urgent before the people, and he de- sired to commend the Government, he said, for what action it had taken already. The difficulty was a mat- ter of freight rates, and if a solu- it would be /of great value to Canada. In con- nection with this problem, Mr. Sin- clair said he believed every effort should be made to keep the hand- ling of this coal out of the hands of middlemen and dealers. “This is the point I urge on this Government in the distribution of this coal: that it be delivered to the people at the (Continued on Page 12, Column 6.) (Continued from Page 11, Column 3.) actual cost of production and trans- portation, so that the people of the Province may gét the best of benefit from it.’ Must Develop Hydro. Respecting Hydro, Mr. Sinclair said that the St. Lawrence was the one large source of supply which looked most readily available for eastern and central Ontario. The situation was one not easily settled and was fraught with = difficulties.) There were engineering, interna- tional and interprovincial problems} to settle. ‘These questions, if pos-| sible, must be settled, and it is the duty of this Legislature, regardless| of political affiliation, to lend its as-| ] H sistance for the further development! oujq@ have the chance to say of electrical power for the future development of Ontario.’”’ Feb. 3 ‘the Prime Minister last fall, in To- ronto, stating his stand on the sub- ject. The announcement in the Speech from the Throne did not say definitely and explicitly that there was to be a referendum. When the Premier spoke in this debate, con- tinued the Liberal Leader, he would have an opportunity to extend com- fort to some of the followers behind him, regarding statements—not made in public—by which votes given to members not on the Oppo- sition side of the House, had been materially increased, The Premier had spoken last fall of submitting the question to the people “when public opinion de- manded it,’’ continued Mr. Sinclair. In his speech on this debate he just how great this volume of public opinion now was; how it was com- The Liberals viewed the Hydro| the same as the Conservatives, he said, Efforts had been made from! time to time to show that the Hydro tng . _|terested in knowing from the Prime had been the product of Conserva | Minister just what the clause means mn ne etawaaiatia’ ta a frag | PE the attitude of the Government wish to say is that the Liberals are|0 this very important question, and as anxious for the future develop-|Until an announcement is made by ment of Hydro in this Province as|the Premier, members on this side any other section of the community,|of the House are unable to speak and Liberalism in this House will, authoritatively as to what is in the municated to him, and how, finally, he was able to come to his conclu- sions. “The whole Province is in- render every assistance it can for the development of Hight, heat and power for the future welfare of the people of Ontario.” Mr. Sinclair discounted the high claims made by the Government in reducing dispensary prices for li- quor, as he felt it was a small re- duction in cost—about $1 on $200— -compared with the expenses one went through while experiencing ill- ness. Mystery Regarding O.T.A. Coming to the Ontario Temper- ance Act, Mr. Sinclair said that the reference to a possible referendum was one of the clauses in the Speech from the Throne which was “most beautifully worded,” because it was most difficult to understand. From readings of speeches made by dif- ferent persons, I am led to the con-!| clusion that the clause _ in the Speech from the Throne is not, as some think, an indication that there is to be a referendum on this ques- tion,” he remarked. Elaborating this view, Mr. Sinclair said that the mover of the reply to the Speech from the Throne _ had made only passing reference to the subject, and the seconder none at all. The member for Southwest To- ronto (Mr. McCausland) had _= said some time ago that if a referendum were not brought before the House he would move that the question be submitted to the electorate. He had not done so, and the only conclusion one could come to was that he had submitted to fate and did not pro- |pose to move such a_ resolution. | Then, the member for Southeast To- ‘ronto (Mr. Currie) had. a resolution jealling for a referendum. Surely ‘he would not move thus if the Gov- ernment had decided to have a ref- erendum. What About Referendum? Mr. Sinclair quoted, further, a statement by the Ontario Alliance, expressing satisfaction that the Government would stand by the O. T. A., and also from a speech of ———: Quits Co-operative Company To Devote Time Hon. Manning Doherty has re Farmers’ Co-operative Company. since his appointment as Leader of lature he felt he had not the time pany. He had not been able to atte of Directors, he stated, and it was the U.F.0. should be free to devote the that undertaking. Hon. Mr. Drury will continue A successor to Mr. Doherty has not ‘Speech from the Throne. I think ‘the people of Ontario are interested in knowing, and at the earliest date | possible, just what the Government (has in mind, especially in view of ithe wording of this clause.” “Follow Us,’ Says Doherty. Hon. Manning Doherty also added © his congratulations to the Speaker, and caused some stir in Government circles by referring to his group as the “majority Opposition,’’ and to the Liberals as the “minority Op- position.” In the past 25 years the Anglo- Saxon peoples had become indus- | trially insane, asserted Mr. Doherty. | They had become _ possessed of the idea that, by building up tremendous | centres of population, the country | was on the way to prosperity. In his opinion, 75 per cent. of the trouble in Europe today was due to | over-industrialism. “I want my hon- orable friend, the Prime Minister of this Province, to keep it in mind that industrial development is all right, it is desirable, but hand in hand with that we must have the development of the great basic in- dustry of agriculture.” Mr. Doherty hoped the Premier would have the determination ‘‘to trample under foot his natural pro- clivity to play politics with every situation that develops.” He hoped that he held at bay the great army of office-seekers, and he asked him to “study carefully, and follow as far as he can, the policy of the Gov- ernment he has succeeded. If he fol- lows the policy of the late Govern- ment in his appointments to. the civil service he will have done a great work for the Province.” In four years the Drury Government had made more appointments from outside its party than any other Ad- ministration had done in thrice the |; time, he said. These remarks were greeted with ironical laughter from Conservative benches. Mr. Doherty Jura, the adjournment of the de- | bate. ee el to Leadership signed from the Board of the United He told The Globe last night that the Progressive group in the Legis- to do justice to his office in the com- nd the last two meetings of the Board essential that the men at the head of ir time toward making a success of to act as a director of the company. yet been appointed by the board.