Legislative Assembly

a reasonable interest charge of those wishing to enter or wishing to expand their in- terest in this industry.

Now, by raising this, you say only by half of 1%, it seems a trifling amount. He brought in an amendment in this House and I think it received unanimous approval to have the maximum amount which the Government may loan to qualified people under certain conditions from forty to sixty thousand dollars. This little increase of $20,000.00, this increase of one half per cent even on the increase, would mean an increase in interest of $100.00 per year, and increase the interest of anyone with the whole maximum loan of $60,000.00 ‘by $300.00 per year, twenty-five dollars a month. This is not consistent with the Minister’s previous utterances in this House. While I am on the subject of consistency and inconsistency, I maintain, Sir, he is not consist- ent in another respect as far as this increase is concerned at the time which it was made. In raising the interest rates applied by the tourist loan at this time, he went against national and international trends. About that time and since that time the Bank of England both in January and in March lowered their rate by one-half per cent the Bank of Canada lowered it’s rate by one-quarter per cent in January and by one-half per cent more recently. The Bank of Montreal recently announced that they intend to reduce their prime rate to 5% effective, I believe, the first of May. I would suggest that this is an illogical and ill-timed move when increased construction should be encouraged. believe me with rates going down, it’s less an incentive than it was and it was not too great an incentive even when it was first instituted.

You know, there is another and perhaps the most important topic for discus- sion in this House or indeed anywhere in this Province. I overheard a few days ago some potato farmers talking “shop”, and one was heard to say “Well, I suppose we must resign ourselves again to Liberal hard times until after the next election.”

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: Oh, boy; Oh, boy.

Lloyd G. MaePhail: I don’t know, but this comment makes you think, among other things, that the potato roducer hasn’t too much to cheer about since last July and know when the present inister of Agriculture mentioned the decrease in the number of practising farmers of Prince Edward Island, one would not feel safe to pre- dict that this trend will be reserved, it might even increase under the present condi- tions.

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: Who told you that? That must have been the poll captain from the Rocky Point poll that told you that.

Lloyd G. MacPhail: I don’t recall who it was. A group of farmers were talking and on: of them said this and they all seemed in full agreement of the sentiment ex- presse .

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: Is that the fellow who comes from down under the kitchen table ?

Lloyd G. MacPhail: Well anyway, I don’t blame this Government for all the low prices and all this, but what I do blame them for is their inactivity, and apparently their disinterests in this. Until this was brought to their attention by Members of the Opposition earlier on in this House, and they didn’t exhibit much interest in this un- til after some questioning. I think we smartened them up a bit.

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: Oh, dear; dear; dear.

Lloyd G. MacPhail: At the earliest stages of this House was a very severe refrigerator car shortage and certain references were made to this many times. This was all the more severe, this was something which didn’t occur this year for the first time, but this was all the more severe because of the very at problems that existed because of the price and this is something, little as it shou d be tolerated at any time, even less should it be tolerated in a season such as this. You know, the Minister of Agriculture when he was talking a few nights ago, I believe it was last Thursday night possibly, made reference and indeed quoted certain fi res which indicated, I don’t think he took the full responsibility for the low price ofihe Government either, which indicated that potato prices were high when the recent Government, the former Premier Walter Shaw was in power, and wishing to strengthen the case that he seem- ed to make the other night I find here an Evening Patriot of May 26, 1965, and in the big headline across the top, it reads, “Potato prices to Island Producers Hit the Four

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