Legislative eesezebly

Leo F. Rossiter: I am in favour of any marketing program, one desk selling or any other type of selling, that will improve a lot of the producer at least to where he can make a decent profit. He doesn’t expect to get $3.00 a bag every year, and he doesn’t expect, indeed, he shouldn’t expect to get $3.00 a bag every year, nor sixty cents a bag every year also. There must be some happy medium in between where the producer can get a fair return for his crop. This applies not only, possibly, to potatoes but as well to other farm products.

Now the subsidy has been cut out on pork and milk, cut down on milk. The bonuses, I mean.

Hon. Daniel J. MacDonald: On what?

Leo F. Rossiter: Hogs, and the bonus on milk, the cheese. Hon. Daniel J. MacDonald: Milk was higher last year, Mr. Speaker than. . ..

Leo F. Rossiter: Also a dollar off select h-ogs effective April first, the hog bonus has been reduced. This will cost the producer here in this Province about $150,000. Now I wonder, Mr. Speaker, if the Minister of Agriculture has made any represen- tation to Ottawa to have this hog bonus retained?

Hon. Daniel J. MacDonald: Yes, Mr. Speaker, I have.

Leo F. Rossiter: Have you also made any representation to Ottawa for the two cents per hundredweight on cheese, which would mean about twenty cents a hundred on milk? And have you had any success?

Hon. Daniel J. MacDonald: We have had no success as yet. Leo F. Rossiter: No success to having them retained? Hon. Daniel J. MacDonald: That’s right. Leo F. Rossiter: But you have made representation? What about the lamb bonus, have you included that in your representation? Hon. Daniel J. MacDonald: That is also included in it, Sir. Leo F. Rossiter: Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, it was my opinion Mr. Sigsworth wrote Mr. Miller’s speech, the Minister of Fisheries speech, and indeed, Mr. Speaker, I am happy to inform you that it is not only my opinion but it is shared by many, many people that I met today that Mr. Sigsworth wrote the Honourable Minister of Fisherie’s speech. And one chap went as far as to say, in his opinion, he was very much surprised that the Minister made such a good job of reading the speech that was prepared for him by somebody else.

I would like to make a few references to Georgetown. (Applause) Hon. Cecil Miller: You are in it up to your neck.

Leo F. Rossiter: Mr. Speaker, this development, as you well know. has been a story of a systematic. rentless attack by the members of the Provincial Government acting in their own political self-interests. This is a story of a purposeful strangulation by the P.E.I. Liberal Government of two companies that had a wonderful future in the development of this Province.

Hon. Robert E. Campbell: Is that Jens Moe you are talking about?

Leo F. Rossiter: There is also a story, Mr. Speaker, and a sad one, of un-judged and unwarranted government intervention that will, indeed already has, far-reaching (le- trimental effects on the decisions of investors from Europe, U.S.A., and the rest of Canada whose knowledge and resources we are so desperately in need of here for economic growth.

Nine times, Mr. Speaker, the Premier states the plant will be opened. Nine times he could find no one to buy it. Georgetown plant is one of the most modern

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