Tuesday, May 16, 1967

sitting in his office thinking up ways and means of spending money and yet he was not able to spend $200,000.00. Now I am sure that the Minister of Labour is going 1to have to answer for this when he presents his estimates because it is a terrible lthing to think this important Department should be under-spent by $200,000.00. Well, we will leave the Budget for 1967, and I think I said enough to show that the chief responsibility for the deficit, the $2,000,000.00 increase in the net debt was directly due to the promises and the activity of the present administration.

We will go on to the presentation which the present Provincial Treasurer, of course, must take 100% responsibility for, and that is for his Budget for 1968, and the deficit which he forecasts will take place in 1968. Now in spite of all this extra re- venue, this 310,000,000.00 that he tells us that he is going to have, “M00000 more from Ottawa, $2,000,000.00 increase in the estimated ordinary revenue. That hardly seems right, but I believe that is correct, over $0,000,000.00 anyway.

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: Say that again, say that again.

L. George Dewar: I think that the amount of ordinary revenue went up from hirty-three to forty-three million or something like that. It is hard to remember all these figures, but I know it is around ten million that he is estimated increase in ordinary revenue.

Walter R. Shaw: That’s right. L. George Dewar: In spite of this fact, in spite of all this extra revenue. Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: We said that we would get it.

L. George Dewar: In spite of all the belt ti htening that he promises us, he s going to have a deficit, he is going to have a d cit. . . .

Walter R. Shaw: Oh really now. L. George Dewar: $2,431,927.00.

L. George Dewar: Now, that is very modest compared with what he was able come up with for last year in his final figures, but if that was the end of the story might not be too bad. But I am afraid that when next year rolls around the present vincial Treasurer won’t even present that good a picture, that it will be much rse than that. I am going to make a prophecy that instead of the 2.4 million that e will probably have a deficit of 7.4 million, and if he has not got over five million eficit when next year rolls around. I will be prepared to apologize to the present vincial Treasurer for having made this statement.

Honouarble Robert E. Campbell: Isn't that terrible, terrible, terrible.

L. George Dewar: Now, how do I arrive at this conclusion? Well, it is very simple, very simple arithmetic and there are enough school teachers in this Assembly to appreciate the fact that he estimates this much, and he is overcestimating.

Last year the Provincial Treasurer, very modest man, under-estimated the re- venues b 8800.000.00. but the present Provincial Treasurer, more experienced with figures, ows how to work them around, make the worse appear the better reason, and I am forecasting that he is going to over-estimate the ordinary revenue by 1.5 million dollars. Why do I say that? He has got the taxes up .4 million, licenses up .1 million, liquor revenue up .5 million and other revenue up .5, which adds up to 1.5 million. Then it is very reasonable to say that he is over-estimating because this year therc is not going to be the amount of retail sales that we have had during the last couple of years, because of the fact that what happened the potato market dur- ing the past winter. That is going to have a drastic effect on the revenue of the Provincial Treasurer, so that makes his deficit 3.9 million. I have maintained that he is over-estimating a million dollars on capital account which makes the picture that much worse. Now with regard to ordinary e enditures, I have gone over the figures, Mr. Speaker, and last year he aver-expen ed about five million dollars on ordinary account. I have been very kind to him this year. I am being very kind in my estimation of what he is goin to over-expend in ordinary account. I will put it at 2.5 million, and we will give im the benefit of the doubt; we will only charge

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