Tuesday, April 25, 1967

make mention also of the part played by the Swift Canadian Company, and the_Hali- fax Co-operative Abattoir during the time of the Canada Packers strike. We did not have any lessening or ceasing in the marketing of our products at that time. In fact we hardly knew that the Canada Packers plant was closed. Those people exerted their efforts and everybody worked harder, put on extra trucks, and managed to keep our livestock moving from the province. Also, Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to those two companies in this respect and at that time we did not get any decrease in price, which to my mind was very important, and is something which I think we should consider. Those people ke t the price up; in fact, price 0 cattle at that time was a little bit higher than it ha been previous to the strike. They could have very well said, “Well here is our chance, we will drop the price of pork, we will drop the price of cattle." But they didn’t do that.

Now with regard to the Causeway; I have a note here on Borden, and following up the remarks of my honourable friend on my left with regard to Borden, I want to 'back him up in what he said. This Government should be prepared to make extended efforts along this line and look into the prospects of future development at Borden, so that when the time comes when the Causeway is built, those eople who are work- ing with the Borden Ferries there at the present time — practica ly 50% of the popul- ation I suppose of Borden is concerned in working on the Borden Ferries — something will be set up there, some new industries. I feel the Government should take this as one of the number one projects to see to it that the people of this area are prepared and some new industries be provided to take over whenever the Causeway is built.

Now with regard to agriculture, I would like to make just a few remarks, ass- ing remarks, and I want to congratulate my honourable friend on the splendid job e is dom in the Department of Agriculture. Mr. Speaker, he has the most important po olio in this province. (Applause) I agree with the remarks he made the other da in the House that, as the farmers prosper, so do the rest of the people of the Is and. Agriculture is our basic industry, and one to which we look in solving the financial economy of our province. I feel that in agriculture today the most important thin that we should be considering is research. I am happy to say that we have at the ikperimental Farm the research rogram which is carried on for the Maritime Provinces situated at the Dominion perimental Farm, and I understand the men we have employed there are the top men in Canada. They are doing work in re- search of production, they are finding out ways and means of producing, and also in disease control. But I think, Mr. Speaker, while this is very good, and we are happy to know that we have it on Prince Edward Island, we also should be going a little step farther. We should be carryin on demonstrations, we should have a demonstra- tion farm in this rovince so that w en new things come out in agriculture somebody will be able to ta e this out to the farmers in a way such that they can see it for themselves. Now I know our Extension Department in Agriculture are responsible for doing this and I must congratulate them I think they are doing a very good job, but they are doing: it on small plots. My idea would be, Mr. Speaker, to consider the use of Falconw Farm; this farm as we all know, has been showing a deficit for year after, year after year. My idea was that, if, through the support of the Domin~ ion Government, we could persuade them to give us some money, or part of the money and make the Falconwood Farm a demonstration Farm so not by having small plots we could see large fields of corn, large fields of new kinds of grain and so on. People could go there and we could have demonstrations on new machinery — well there is no end to what we couldn't have. I think, Mr. Speaker, we should be thinking along those lines and also we have had some feeding)demonstrations set up in the ast. I feel that that could be carried on also at this emonstration Farm for we cou d have cattle there. Now on Sunday, on the agricultural program on TV, one thing in par- ticular} noticed was that they had a demonstration on bulls. Thirteen bulk, or some- thin hke that, and there was one bull that showed thirty-three point something in per ay. lie was at the top and all others were down between two and three. But t ose are the things that the farmers should know so that when we are buying breeding stock we would want to buy the very best and in this way I feel, Mr. Speaker, it would be a great step forward in agriculture in this province.

. I think there is also a need, and I am pleased that the government of this prov- ince has earned out some of the suggestions that I made in the House in former years. Now one,. as you all know I have been romoting for years and suggesting in my speeches, is that we should have a qualifi potato expert. We are going to have that, and I am very happy about that because I feel that if had we had this man in the

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