i ‘At the first session of the evince’s 25th legislature {Utsday last week Premier 7 nnet, in his secondary’ ca- yPCity as minister of finance, Mbled figures showing that in #W@ fiscal year which ended atch 31, 1956, the province’s a debt was cut by $14 mil- y oc while contingent lia- oes increased by $39 mil- On, e gt all depends on how you y Ok at things. The govern- fen — and that’s Premier nett — claims contingent abilities aren't debts: The CCF, Liberals, Tories f d LPP Claim they certainly 4° Part of the debt structure. Tes and LPP have no 4a csman in the House, but © CCF and Liberals will wend a lot of time denounc- depocial Credit’s “debt re- bene and pay-as-you-go” asts as a farce. }_ during the hectic election- fy 8 last September, feder- Cy efense Minister Ralph der eney attacked Bennett's thes of debt reduction in pe Yme: “Li fe ttle Wacky wrote a book, », *88eration was the theme he iy took. Wy Ything except the debit j) Tedited to Social Credit.” it js unlikely that Social Bait, holding 39 out of the vin y's in the legislature, fos too disturbed by op- gre 10n fire, Still riding the hie of an economic boom etn, ch it didn’t create, the gov- fat nent can complacently tin Self on the back for “get- 1 COgt Ings done” even at the all f adding millions annu- + ¥ to “contingent liabilities.” jindeca, Premier Bennett Mie to a Duncan audience ietia, to the September 19 el- Hiss a that “contingent liabil- Mey. 2te the best thing that Mince happened to this prov- | ~*. The PGE is part of them tip, 8° 1s B.C. Power Commis- school *+.SO are the 0 wonder Premier Ben- Opponents call him The Dodger. ‘CRSeee e suarert | to. SPeech from the Rot delivered in a thick Box sh burr by Lieutenant f “Nor Frank. Ross, outlin- | “The question is,’ said Alice, “whether you can Make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, “which f0 be master — that’s all.” : —Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass In the heat of the election campaign last fall Prem- ltt W. A.C. Bennett told an audience in Courtenay, “If Can’t show more budget revenue surplus at the end of is financial year than ever before in British Columbia’s y'tory I will resign my seat.” ed in sketchy terms legisla- tion planned by the govern- ment at the current session. Some highlights: @ New ministry of recreation and conservation. $ Measures to speed an iron and steel industry. @ Home owners to receive $28 annual tax refund. ® Larger grants to municipa- lities. © New Indian welfare legis- lation, ® Expanded apprenticeship vocational program. © Aid for farmers and ranch- ers. Surrounded by reporters in the corridor after the session . Premier Bennett was asked ‘if he intended to increase ‘the grants to municipalities, and his answer was revealing. “You didn’t read the Throne Speech carefully,” he accus- ed the press. “It merely said that larger grants to municl- palities will be made as a direct result of increased cen- sus figures.” Of great interest to labor is the short section in the Throne Speech dealing with develop- ment of an iron and steel ae dustry, a demand long presse by nae unions, the CCF and LPP. “My government is explor- ing every possible means of encouraging the development of a basic iron and steel smelt- ing industry within British Columbia,” it read. “Certain measures will be laid before you that are designed to has- ten this development.” xt se sos Crowds packed the public galleries in anticipation of fireworks over the allegedly illegal firings of former leg- islative law clerk W. Berkley Monteith and former sergeant at arms Edgar A. Jamieson. Both had refused to accept their dismissals and Monteith arrived at the buildings at 1:30 p.m. and donned his robes of office. Facing a ring of reporters in the corridor shortly before the session opened, Montieth said, “I intend to carry out my duties unless restrained.” Visions of a free-for-all faded when he said he would “accept a touch on the shoulder” ‘by any authorized official as “re- straint.” by BERT WHYTE Premier W. A. C. Bennett confers with Attorney General Robert Bonner at the opening of the legislature, Premier Bennett took no chances. A seat was placed in the House for Monteith. CCF Opposition leader Rob- ert Strachan and Liberal George Gregory decided to make a public issue of the fir- ings, and in doing so set an historic precedent by keeping Her Majesty’s representative waiting 25 minutes while the House debated and voted on the firings. . Strachan, a voluble critic of the government in past ses- sions, added stature to his new office as official leader of the Opposition by the dignified and restrained, yet forceful manner in which he raised the question. When motion for appoint- ment of Denzil Ashby as Ser- geant-at-Arms was put by speaker Thomas Irwin, Stra- chan rose and said: “This House at this time has no knowledge that a vacancy has ensued, and until such knowledge exists I see no reason why such a motion for appointment of a successor should be put.” Attorney-General Robert Bonner sprang to his feet to claim that under the Consti- tution Act the procedure was proper. Premier Bennett, seat- ed at his right, began tapping his right hand nervously against his knee. Speaker Irwin ruled the mo- tion was proper. “Do you challenge my ruling?” he ask- ed Strachan. ‘Yes, I do,” said the CCF leader. The Socred,members voted down the opposition to back the speaker, and Strachan rose again to debate the moticn. ‘Inherent in this resolution are the full privileges of this legislature,” he said. “It ill behooves us to chip away, even so slightly, the foundations of democracy. This act, by in- ference, condemns Jamieson without the House having heard his side of the story. A small thing? Butt democracy re contingent liabilities debts ? is composed of small things.” Liberal George Gregory of Victoria also registered his op- position to the motion. “Are there two classes of sergeant -at-arms, those ap- pointed by order-in-council and those appointed by the legislature?” he wanted to know. ‘If we acquiesce in this without having been heard, then King Charles will have lost his head in vain, and centuries of bloodshed will haye been wasted.” Motion to appoint Ashby Was carried, but the Opposi- tion benches. registerd loud “nays.” There was no debate on the motion to appoint Ian M. Horne, Victoria barrister and active Social Crediter, to the posiiion of legislative law clerk, replacing W. B. Mon- teith, buc again the CCF,Lib- erals and Independent Labor member Tom Uphill voiced their “nays.” x ce: xt at First woman ever elected to the B.C. legislature was Mrs. Mary Ellen Smith. That -was back in 1918, just two years after the franchise for women had been won. In the follow- ing 39 years only 10 women have sat in the House. At present there are two, Mrs Buda Brown (SC, Point Brey) and Mrs. Lois Haggen (CCF, Greenwood - Grand Forks). Both are grand- mothers. Mrs. Haggen: (the “hagg” is pronounced as in “haggis”)’ succeeds her husband, Rupert, who was forced to retire be- cause of ill health. A foun- dation member of the CCE she.is also an active PTA worker. During the current session Lois Haggen intends to press for special treatment for sex criminals, lowering of the age limit for old age pensioners to 65, and putting the prac- tical nurses act into force. ce % bos The contentious issue of Sunday sport wasn’t mention- ed in the Throne Speech, and it is highly unlikely that the government will introduce leg- islation on it, But it will prob- ably come up as a private bill, and has a good chance of pass- ing. xt 503 tt Former Lands and Forest Minister R. E. Sommers, who used to sit at Bennett’s im- mediate right, now has a front- seat position hardly within smiling distance of the pre- mier. In between are cabinet ministers, Williston, Kiernan and Chetwynd, and Point Grey member Mrs. Buda Brown. All the 39 Social Credit members can’t be seated on one side of the House, so 10 have been shifted to the op- posite side of the chamber. Health Minister Eric Martin refers to them as “Little Chi- cago—our gang.” FEBRUARY 15, 1957 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 3