Legislative Assembly

phical sketches about the wonderful men in the Cabinet, and it was rather . . . I congratulate you now before I forget it again. Rather singular, though, that in the speeches those two men were never mentioned, regarding this amazing Scripture that has been prepared for this House. Not a single item; But as I said yesterday, it's most complimentary to the things the Conservative Government did in this prov- ince in the past six years, and I can pick them out and name them and perhaps be- cause of that they shied away from saying anything at all about it. But in any event, I feel this that the efforts of this government have been particularly barren for the time they had since they came into power during the latter part of July. I am sure you wonder when we remember the remarkable approach, the build up of the members of this government during the election campaign, and the further build- up by the Mover and Seconder of the Debate. They gilded the lilies in great shape that we wonder about this document. I can hardly believe that those great men con- structed a document of that kind which is so empty of any constructive suggestions. Who, then, we might ask, is responsible for this? Well, I don’t know whether it was the new breed of co-ordinators that are growing up in this province, whether it is the policy-makers that have been so prominent in this province lately, whether it is the ghostwriters whose pencils seem to be so ready on every occasion. But the Draft Address is possibly the product, the conglomerated product, of a large number of people who are interested in the affairs of this Government and who are very richly remunerated for what they are doing.

Now, I might refer at considerable length on the election campaign but I don’t want to do it. We all remember it and, to my mind, it was one of the most dis- graceful campaigns that was ever held in my experience in this province, and we just let it go at that.

Some Member: You had better.

Several Members: Just as well, just as well.

Walter R. Shaw: Well now, if you want to speak on it, I can. Several Members: (Remarks inaudible).

Walter R. Shaw: I think those two men there shouldn’t say too much about it either. but as I say, I don’t wish to go into the details of that election campaign. But I repeat: it was a misleading campaign, and down in some of these Districts practices were particularly misleading. They resorted to vandalism and threatening people who were engaged in that political campaign. I never knew of that before. In any event, the progressive policies in the district came — in that particular dis- trict in the East — from a Conservative Government and the people their now realize that. Looking back over the past few months, it has become abundantly evident, as I say, that the record is particularly barren of constructive accomplishment. As a matter of fact the record is the very opposite of accomplishment. When this Govern- ment came into power, the affairs of this province were in excellent shape. We were accused of spending too much money. That is correct; we spent a lot of money.

Some Member: You sure did!

Walter R. Shaw: We sure did, and you were one of the men in my office head- ing a delegation that said you never thought that education could take the strides forward that it had under our Government. We spend nine million dollars on educa- tion today. What was it when you were in power? Two or three million; that’s where money is going, and we have your statement commending the government for the expenditure of that money. It is good to have a good memory, my honourable friend.

Honourable Keir Clark: You didn’t take it, did you?

Walter R. Shaw: I didn’t what?

Honourable Keir Clark: Put me on tape?

Walter R. Shaw: No, but I had enough there to tell what you said though.

Several Members: (Remarks inaudible).

_2o._