Mr. SPROULE.

At the same time, and the same quality of twine. And they ask the farmers to be grateful for their generous act to them. According to my experience one of the questions that, above all others helped to leave the government in the minority in the province of Ontario, was the way they handled the binder twine. The farmers, very properly reasoned : If, in regard

to an article in which we are so directly and so vitally interested, the government have been treating us unfairly, how can we trust them in other things ? Many of the government's friends -I have it from these people privately, and have even heard it stated by them on the public platform-voted against the government on that question. It is only fair that this should be known, for the farmers resented being deceived as well as mulct in a large amount of money. Whether it would be a proper thing to sell to the farmers direct at cost price, I am not prepared to say. I still believe that the true principle was that acted upon by the former government. They sold the twine to an agent, who sold it to the retail dealers throughout the country; but, to guard the farmer against unfair treatment, the government reserved the right to sell direct to the farmer at 10 per cent above the price at which it was sold to the agent. This allowed a profit to all parties, while no injustice could be done. Had this government followed that course, they would have done right. But to sell binder twine at $0.21 to their friends, which was sold to the farmers at $10, was a thing for which they should be condemned. For my part, I made this a subject of attack of the government on every platform on which I spoke during the late election.

Mr. T. S. SPROULE (East Grey).

During the recent election the supporters of the present government made a sweeping statement to the farmers, regarding what they had done for them in the matter of binder twine, and took credit to themselves for

doing the first generous thing for the farmers that had been done for five years, that of selling binder twine to the farmers direct. And at what prices did they sell it ? Take one sample-they issued a sheet announcing that they would sell in less than ton lots to the farmers at 14 cents a pound for one grade, that of manila. And what did they sell it to their own friends for ? They sold it at 71 cents a pound.

Mr. SPROULE.

On one or two previous occasions that was done because the government had a Bill on the same subject, and when the government's Bill was about to be considered, then all the other Bills relating to the same subject were considered at the same time. But at the present session I do not understand that the government propose to amend the election law ; therefore, they cannot consider the Bills brought in by private members in connection with theirs.

Mr. T. S. SPROULE (East Grey).

That is rather a strange innovation on the order that has been followed in this House, because it is universally admitted that the second reading of a Bill accepts its principle. Now the First Minister proposes to introduce a new rule.

Mr. SPROULE.

It does seem to me that the contention of the First Minister can hardly be sustained, when he says that the government is in no way responsible for this report. Though the Auditor General may not be an officer under the government, still, he is under the supervision of the government, and this is a departmental report which parliament needs before it can intelligently do its work. It is the duty of the government to see that the House is in possession of these reports before the business to which they relate is gone on with.