Monday, ril 1007

very modest price. One farmer told me that he built his own, he is a good welder and a good workman in this line. He thought .he could build his own machine cheaper than he could buy it, but when he was through it had cost him more than if he had bought it direct, from Campbell Industries. One hundred of these machines at $800.00 apiece means an order of $80,000 for one product alone. A very high per- centage of the cost of producing these machines goes into labour. The result is that a lot of money goes out to the workers for this operation. The two firms are owned by local people, who had the initiative, foresight, the imagination. and the ability to start these industries as private enterprises, and are doing a tremendous job for themselves and for the agricultural and working people of this area.

In Freetown, we .have a very ambitious group of people who are endeavour- ing to get a flax industry rolling. They have had a very uphill grind in the past, but with the determination that these people possess, and with some moral and fin- ancial assistance from the Government, I am sure these people will also succeed in their very worthwhile venture.

The tourist industry is becoming more important in our district, and in a very short time it looks as though it will be one of the leading industries. Now. Mr. Speaker, one thing which is very important to the comfort, the well-being, and the prosperity of all the inhabitants of any country, or any part of any country, is good means of transportation. We now have many fine paved roads in our District and the people who live on these roads are happy and proud of them. But many others are living on roads that are not yet paved and some not too well graded. These people are understandably unhappy with their lot and are pressing with determination for new grading and new paving. Now I sincerely sympathize with them in this respect, as I to happen to be livirg on one of these dirt roads. This, in spite of the fact that the four miles of road on which I live was on the Road to Resources Program in 1958 and in 1959, but somehow or other got dropped from the program in the next few years. Well I wonder if it could possibly have been because of the sixteen prosperous farmers who live on that road, comprising of the best potato growers, some of the leading dairymen, and some of the best poultrymen in the Province and owning a total of twenty-nine registered motor vehicles, only two of them are known Conservatives. In view of all these circum- stances, I can find no other reason. Now the same situation. I am told, exists in the Fernwood District but we trust that both of these roads will be taken care of in the immediate future. It costs big money to build modern highways, but I do not believe there is any way the Government can bring broader smiles on the faces of the people of any district, than to send out surveyors for the purpose of surveying a highway for the purpose of building a paved highway. With the dis- appearance of horse and sleighs from our countryside, and with complete dependence on year round transportation being placed on motor vehicles, and also considering the unsatisfactory type of soil which we have in this Province for building roads, I do not wonder at, nor do I blame the people for all wanting paved roads. I shall certainly do all in my power to encourage this or any other Government to build as many roads as their finances will possibly afford.

Mr. Speaker, in the field of education, gigantic sums of money are being spent on new construction of schools, and on transportation to those schools. Starting these schools is costing this Province a huge sum of money. but I do believe this is a sound investment and will bring worthwhile rewards for generations to come. However, I do not believe that the young people who plan to remain on the farms are getting their fair share of the benefits resulting from our educational expenditures, and right here I would like to remind you that a very high per- centage of this Province’s tax money, and very high percentage of the cost of education is being paid with farmer's tax money. The young men and women who are receiving academic education, and who are receiving vocational training are not getting any more than they deserve. But as soon as they graduate, a very .high percentage of them will leave this Province and never return except, may- be, for their vocations. Therefore, any thought of recOVering any portion of this cost of their education is out of the question. I am not complaining about this, but this is not the case with our young farmers. Young people who decide on farm- ing as a means of livelihood seldom leave this Province and why should they?

Every dollar that is spent on educating and establishing young farmers is money —262—