Legislative Assembly

five bags on a cart at a time at two and three dollars a bag, and now they are taking them out at forty cents a bag. Five bags of potatoes $16.00; five bags potatoes $2.00. There is an awful difference and I suggest, Mr. Speaker, that you, the Premier, talk to some of these farmers when he is on the way to Georgetown and see what they

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: They are probably saying we should have Mr. Rossiter as Premier of this province.

(Applause) Some Member: The new Premier!

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: There are two others over there that wouldn’t like that, though.

Walter R. Shaw: They are all one family.

Several Members: Ooooohhhhh!

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: The day is coming. Walter R. Shaw: It’s here.

(Laughter)

Leo F. Rossiter: When the Premier is at Georgetown, and drop ing in to see farmers on the way back to consult with them, his fifteen dollar load 0 potatoes last year on a cart that holds five bags, and his two dollar load this year, the same cart.

Some Member: Is that a wheelbarrow ?

Leo F. Rossiter: Also with the man he was consulting with who was diggin post holes, the man who was digging the post holes in an article shown in a L r5 advertisement last spring.

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: That was in St. Louis.

Leo F. Rossiter: I would suggest that you go to St. Louis but keep far away from the man in case he catches you and fires you into the post hole and covers you

over. (Laughter) Mr. Premier, don’t you go to St. Louis because this could happen very easily, as you well know.

Honourable Alexander R Campbell: Keep him far away from the fellow who is paying forty cents a bag for potatoes too. That’s ridiculous.

Leo F. Rossiter: Now, Mr. Speaker, after dealin for a short time with the Georgetown problem I would like to say a few words a out overall problems in one way or another. I’ll be back to Georgetown again.

We have been concentrating on the local catastrophe and you, Mr. Premier, and the Government, are out of touch with even your Liberal friends in Ottawa who are trying desperately every day to avoid anything that depresses. The Canadian economy is slip ing into a recession. Ottawa’s official prediction this week, last week and the week fore that was that capital spending would be up 1% from 1966 levels, which makes this point clear. This rise, 1% rise, is in sharp contrast to the 16% of 1966, and 18% in 1965, and 17% in 1964. These are things you must be aware of and take into account, not only in dealing with the Georgetown industries, but with your in- dustries and industrial development as a whole. We need industry, we need it badly. If we could only reach a wage scale comparable with Ontario and other provinces where we produce more goods more efficiently and when we sell more of our own products. I would just like to point out a few figures, the change from 1960 to 1967 in percentages and the change from 1966 to 1967 on the average 3 nding. Agriculture, fisheries and forestry from 1966 to 1967, it was a plus 88.6%. nd change from 1966 to 1967, four point five. The construction industry change from 1960 to 1967, one hundred and ei ht point five, and in 1966-1967, one point five. Housing, Mr. Speaker, 1960 to 1967, plus 49%. 1966-1967, a minus point five percent. Schools, Mr. Speaker, 1960 to 1967 plus 167%. 1966 to 1967 plus 15%, a drop of over 150%. Government Departments from 1960 to 1967, a lus 61%; 1966 to 1967, plus 1.6%, a drop of 59%. Manufacturing from 1960 to 1967, p us 112%; change from 1966 to 1967, a minus 10.9%.

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