The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

f March \A4 Roebuck Supports Bill to FR Bo ARD S Give Power to Appoint § Chief Coroners Wlb enc ncununy > (CMARGES of political appoint-- Right to A?peal Police ments to the office of Coroner Board Rulings Asked were hurled back and forth in the Legislature yesterday as, in com-- by Tory Member - mittee of the whole, the members A debated 't;: merits of Attorney-- General buck's bill to name i Chief Coroners for each county. HE appomtment' 01.: * and finally reported the bill. court or commission The personalities began shortly . ~ ar $ g after W. A. Baird (Cons., Toronto-- * to hear dm.)ealg from High Park) asked whether the bill boards and committees con-- would alter or affect the status of i 'faij Dr, M. M. Crawford, Provincial Super-- trolhr}g the affairs of m,any vising Coroner, and was told by Mr. vocations and professions xtebuck that it emphatically uould' was forecast in the Legis-- Spoils System Charged. ltdt}"(" ();ehtfl.r(lldfl %V kAt "Does the Attorney--General pro-- 7 orney--ugenera qeDUCi. pose to appoint himself a Chief Cor-- Right of Appeal Urged. oner?" asked Mr. Baird. Then Mr. The matter arose while the House Kidd, in evident indignation, charged: in committse was passing an amend-- "In the last year you struck out five ment to a 1928 bill which sonferred men as Coroners in my constituency on a board of funcral directors the alone--and they were all efficient power of admitting candidates into Coroners, and some of them were the profession by examining their 1 war veterans. You have openly played qualifications, and the further power politics with Coroners' appointments of issuing and renewing licenses to in about ninety constituencies in * all practicing funeral directors. Ontario, including my own. And now Wilfriq Heighington (Conservative, you ask us to permit you to name Toronto--St. David) bitterly assailed Chief Coroners. I'm opposed to it." the measure, claiming that it would "I'm sorry," Mr. Roebuck replied, give a board or Commission the "that my honorable friend has seen power of "making or breaking a man fit to introduce politics into this par-- in the profession," without any hope ticular question for the first time of appeal or redress from its Gdeci-- since July of 1934. Nevertheless, I sions. It '"opened the door to» the don't propose to withdraw the bill. requests of a dozen other vocations "I'm surprised at you," he told Mr. for similar privileges," he said. Kidd, "having the effrontery to talk Hon. H. C. Nixon, Provincial Secre-- in that way and in that tone. Do you tary, concurred in this view, suggest-- pretend or suppose for one instant ing that in future the House "might that one single Coroner was ap-- well turn thumbs down on similar pointed prior to July of 1934 unless measures." This group, howover, he he was a Tory? And let me say that said. had got its powers granted in of all the Tory Coroners whom the 1928, so there was nothing much to old Government appointed, the vast be done about it now, and the legis-- majority are still in office." lation at hand did not add to the "You're just copying the American harm. spoils system, that's all," retorted Mr. Leopold Macaulay (Conservative, Kidd. York South) argued that a board such "The Americans learned the spoils as that operating under the Funsral systems from you fellows," called out Directors Act had the power to de-- Hon. H. C. Nixon, Provincial Secre-- stroy the life work of an individual tary. without a public hearing. He urged "There were three Liberal Coroners that the Attorney--General study the in Toronto who were not displaced problem of securing the right of ap-- when we came into office," interject-- ; peal from such bodies' rulings. ed Mr. Baird. Compensation Board, Passes Committee Stage. "I agree," said Mr. Roebuck, '"that Hon. Dr. J. A. Faulkner, Minister & some formula should be devised for of Health, supported Mr. Roebuck the granting of an appeal from the with the assertion that the appoint-- ruling of such arbitrary boards As ments were necessary. "There have these, and some tribunal set up to been many complaints regarding the | which any and all persons penalized methods of holding some inquests," by such rulings could seek a public he said. "Many are held without hearing." He intimated that he justification, and in other cases are would give serious consideration to not held when they should be. I « the proposal, but in reply to a ques-- ; know of one Coroner who made a tion by Goldwin Elgie (Cons., Toron-- practice of holding inquests on his to--Woodbine) he said no early action own patients." could be taken. But the party issue was not allowed | "The time has come," protested Mr. to die. ' FEigie, ~when appeals should be p°r: "We appointed & Liberal Coroner mitted against decisions of the To-- in my constituency under the 'Tory | ronto Police Commission and the Government," claimed J. F. Hill Workmen's Compensation Board." (Con., Hastings East). "He was one Mr. Macaulay agreed, charging that s of the Liberals we could depend on." the Police Commission was G°A!iNE And T. P. Lancaster, Tory member with and disposing of more PrOperty for Peterboro', told how he had re-- rights per year than the Suprenie fused to allow the firing of a Liberal Court, without any right Of aPP°A! \ Coroner in his town. | being granted the affected persons, _ Mr. Roebuck, in reply to a question, | Regarding the Compensation Board, said there was a $20 Coromer's fee for' Mr. Roebuck replied that the mass of ewels nc work and cases handled by that tti-- Colonel Fraser Hunter (Lib., To-- bunal and the specialized knowledge ronto--St. Patrick) wondered why imvolved. made it impossible to CON-- Crown Attorneys or _ Magistrates sider any board of appeal. Any 3P--| 'oonldn't, officiate at inquests, but Mr. pellant from _ the Compensation | Roebuck explained how the routine Board's decision could obtain an OPEN | _ duties of a Coroner called for medical hearing, he said rather than legal knowledge. The bill * o e then passed committee stage. _---- w y e on