Wednesday, May 17, 1967 so far as the Opposition in this House is concerned we cannot blame the Opposition for trying; to cover up some of these defects by a good deal of noise which they have certainly made, by setting up smoke-screens, which they have certainly tried to do, by drawing red-herrings across the debate, which they have tried to do. But of course I did say, and I think yesterday, that a red-herring wouldn't cover the trail they made in the financial affairs of this province." Well isnt that so true today! 'If they had drawn a whale across that trail the trail would still be pretty distinct ind clear. The trail was too deeply defined and too deeply imprinted upon the know¬ ledge and the hearts and the minds of the people of this province." Those statements made by the then Leader of the Government are very much better said today than they were then. Another statment made at that time, when he was talking about this awful debt that the former Liberal Government had left in the province when the mew Premier took over, was that the net debt was by way of $28,715,000.00. "Think pf it," he said, "What a disgraceful record it was; the most unjustifiable careless I expenditure that was ever experienced in this province." That is the story, that is the story, the indefensible story of $28,000,000.00 seven years ago. The story today Is $100,000,000.00. Some Member : Don't you believe the Provincial Auditor? Honourable M. Lome Bonnell : The Provincial Auditor? I believe him. The only thing is I am taking the debt as of July 28,1966; the net debt was $66,000,000.00. That's the net debt It was $61,692,000.00 of a total debt, and you add onto that mother $11,000,000.00 which we have for the year 1966-1967 and this makes it B72,000,00040: and you add on another $24,000,000.00 of indirect debt which makes I just about $1,00,000,000.00. as of March SI , 1967. Some Member : I dont think it is that bad. Honourable Alexander B. Campbell : That's quite a Centennial figure, quite a Centennial debt. Honourable M. Lome Bonnell : That is the irrefutable story! That is the story that the people of this province have found out in this Session; that is the story Rrhkh was $28,000,000.00, according to tile Leader of the Government and the external audit of September 16, 1969. It has gone up just about four times as much in seven rears as ft did from Confederation to 1969. It has got to the point where the Pro¬ vincial Treasurer, whom I congratulate, is trying to take a hard look at the economy t& the province and at its revenue to try to keep ordinary expenditures in balance to Hie best of his ability. I feel sure that with the help of the government and the Premier that he will come back next year with figures very similar to those which m has given about two weeks ago. I think that this External Audit should be made lublic and it should be printed in the front pages of the Guardian. I don't know What you have to do to get this into the Guardian without paying for it. I guess if you paid to have it put in, it would take whatever little bit of money we have left in this province. Some Member : I think it is going to be $4,000,000.00, next year, Sir. Some Member: What about the golf course? Honourable M. Lome Bonaell : I can assure the Junior Member from Third Kings that the golf course is still coming through. (Applause). Some Member : Mr. Speaker , would the speaker permit another question? Honourable M. Lome Bonaell : Tea, sure. Some Member : How come you are giving a nineteen hole golf course to Bro- denell, and only an eighteen hole course to ? Honourable M. Lame Bonaell : Well, I thought perhaps you might be down there with your good friend from First Queens. The nineteenth hole would be for your convenience. (Laughter). It is not a ten thousand dollar hole like the member from Second Kings has. Now, Mr. Speaker there are a couple of things which I wuld like to comment on in connection with my department. First, the external report of the Hospital