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se * meneme e se t e im March 13 _ /D""FRE[ ' Hepburn | BOND FRAUD l ' *T saasy \ ' | -- Leader ' e ons | _ SUSPECTED | a rsmmeo I * ton Conservative M.P.P., was n n aghcuaetelecaaiiatiend n '"named" for the Conservative Party Sec 't' E t F leadership yesterday by Liberal uritles xem Premier Hepburn. | s l * P .l'Olll "I like him very much because _ Succession Tax Will ' hemismtbhh:rg"higwr." the Premier * sa ature, "and I be-- i Be Exammed | lieve he may some day be the Smmaemeineminniipernunts ' Leuger of the Conservative Party." | s The Carleton member blushed | ' TRAFFIC in suc-- | while the l:egishture applauded. A ession -- ' .« P moment later the Premier carried } C 10 dut) free | on his argument to attack Mr. | bonds whereby the | | Acres's suggestions of increased gas _ Ontario Treasury is being | l ,",','e:" and a levy on meals and | . o I pstakes. | | systematically defrauded is | I strongly suspected by the | Government, and a~| ; thorough investigation has ' .SLUT.M AGHINE been ordered. | Exemptions Granted. ; This was revealed in Premier Mitch-- | | ell Hepburn's Budget speech in the| | Legislature vesterday when he an--| M recommenoneremaus nounced that some of the duty--free | _A bill giving the City Counciis in bonds had been granted exemption ml all big Ontario cities the right to connection with as many as five dif--| Charge a license fee on slot machines ferent estates, without any proof that!: was brought into the Legislature yes-- Ithey had ever been legally acquired terday by Robert A. Alien, Toronto by the estates in question. Liberal M.P.P. i Aiter announcing that the Govern-- The proposed amendment, Mr. Alien |men: had during the presen! fiscal, eXxplained later, was designed to give year bought in for cancellation $921,-- the Council the right to put a license | 250 worth of the succession duty--free| _ feée on the scattered slot machines and | bonds, Mr. Hepburn declared that vending machines, which now com-- | when any further presentation of| pete with taxpaying merchants and !such bonds for exemption was made| pay no tax. In a further step along in future, they would be promptly | this line, the bill will pormit the Coun-- 'teken up by the Government to pre-- cil to exempt slot--machine owners | vent further use or misuse. l from the tax if they are operating & "Imagine," exclaimed Mr. Hepbum,' place of business and paying a busi-- "$921,250 of bonds carrying exemption ness tax. ; ! from succession duty, and the benefltl The law purposely avoids conflict !beinc repeated four or five times ! with the Criminal Code provision Surely such a thing was never intend-- banning certain slot machines by pme | ed when these bonds were issued back| _ viding that it only affects the legal in 1909 and 1911. Some years ago.| vending machines, | when executors came to settle the l:gl: for succession duty with the Provin--> | ctat 'Treasurer, they were never re-- PREM[ER PR AISES quired to bring the &onds up to, Queen's Park and show them, or even : m give their numbers; and it is very CHESTER WALTERS difficult today to ldenw& 801:? &t bu:e bonds, and almost as C = * 6 o \lHeve that these bonds were ever| Calls Him "Greatest Tax owned by the decedents, or to find Ex it" ' out whether they were simply rented «XDCI ' to the executors by brokers for the _--__--__._-- purpose of defrauding the Treasury Chester Walters, Ontario Controlier of g?."??m Jeading BHokets of To. of Revenue, and Thomas W. Gibson. #4 e 0 b w ' Lution o wri 5 ronto, who has conducted quite a busi-- ng--time Deputy Minister of Mines, ness in such bonds for some years came in for special tributes yesterday | past, is said to have sailed last week when Premier Hepburn brought his | * for Europe, where he will make a con-- Budget Speech down to the isla~-- | veniently long stay. I hope he didn't| . ,,,,, Mecie=~ take all of his books and records with s him. At any rate," added Mr. Hep-- The Premier shared any honor for | . burn with a smile, "the investigating the Budget with his colleagues, sup--| s officers of the Provincial Treasury porters, the Civil Service--"and more | will be here when he returns.' particularly with Chester Walters, The succession duty--free bonds re-- whom I think the greatest tax export ferred to by the Premier are exempt in Canada." The Premier announced . also from Provincial taxation of @nYy| he was formally designating his Dep-- | kind, including the new Provincial uty in the Treasury as "senior official income tax. In answer to a question, of the Ontario Civil Service." he said that about $5,000,000 of the Mr. Gibson's loyalty, experience and bonds were still in circulation. mature judgment, gained in fifty--six years in the Civil Service, are of ines-- timable value to the Mines Department and Minister, the Premier stated.