Mr. CLARKE.

What is the estimated Mr. CLANCY. I would like to ask the cost of this building ? hon. Minister of Public Works whether the

Mr. WILSON.

lion, gentleman or the government has some fixed policy in expending money without taking into consideration only the population and the general prospects of the place. It is a very easy matter now for any hon. gentleman to state that he has a thriving village or town ; in fact, if my memory serves me, the hon. Minister of Public Works always has a thriving town where he is putting up a building. Perhaps it would be convenient for the non. gentleman to state whether he has any policy upon the question of putting up any public buildings in all the small towns and villages in Canada. If that gate is opened I am sure there are many hon. members on both sides of the House will be able to supply a similar reason ; if it is not open, the hon. gentleman should explain why he has given this reason.

In former years there was in this parliament a gentleman who was the Minister of Finance in a Conservative administration. That gentleman was called the Hon. George E. Foster. He was representing the riding of York, New Brunswick, and when he was the member for that riding he placed in the estimates an amount of money for the erection of a public building at Marysville. I have simply inherited the obligation of expending that sum of money. .1 am spending it. I hope that I will spend less than Mr. Foster would have done, because he was known to be a very expensive man. In other words, joking apart, I found in the estimates when we took office a sum of money for the erection of a building at Marysville. Now, I am simply carrying out the pledge that was given under the late administration, and the wisdom of which I fully recognize.

Mr. CLANCY.

The hon. gentleman's memory appears to be very clear about one part of it, but there is another part of it which the bon. gentleman has forgotten. Does the hon. minister not know from the same source that he obtained the information in regard to an estimate being put in for that public building at Marysville when Mr. Foster was Minister of Finance and represented the riding of York, that the people of Marysville were to contribute half the cost of the building ? It was explained to this House on a former occasion that the people of this town or village, whichever it may be, were to contribute a portion towards the erection of a public building there. Now, the hon. gentleman states that he has undertaken the whole cost, so that he will find no reason for the explanation he has given in the promise that was made in the past, as the circumstances are different. He should now offer some explanation of his policy.

There is no trace in my department of any * promise or engagement whatever by which

I

the town of Marysville undertook to pay half the cost of the building.

Mr. GIBSON.

I have never heard of any promise being made such as the hon. gentleman (Mr. Clancy) has referred to, to contribute half of the cost of a public building at Marysville. I think if there is any place in the Dominion of Canada that deserves a public building, it is Marysville. We have a large cotton mill which gives employment to 750 hands and we pay out in wages $45,000 a month. This is not n village; it is the town of Marysville of which I have the honour to be mayor.

Mr. LENNOX.

I understand the hon. Minister of Public Works to give as a reason for this estimate that the Hon. George E. Foster had made an appropriation while he was in office. I do not understand the hon. minister to give us any other reason for placing this amount in the estimates. The information I understand this committee to desire from the hon. minister is the ground upon which he can justify the expenditure of this money.

I think that my hon. friends are a little too exacting in asking for reasons now, for erecting a building which was approved by their friends in office when a vote is placed in the estimates. While I do not hesitate to say that it is a good thing to have public buildings in thriving towns and villages provided they are not too expensive, yet we must not spend too much. It shows that we are progressing and it gives confidence to the country. I believe it is a good argument to say that when the faith of the country has been pledged by the late administration, as far as it could, we should recognize that pledge when we think it was wise to give it.

Mr. CLANCY.

It is very extraordinary that the minister will not answer the question put to him. The minister cannot say that since he has presided over the Department of Public Works he has carried out all the grants that were put in the estimates by the former government. Therefore, his argument on that score does not amount to much. If the hon. gentleman says that he is making a special exception in this case that might be an answer to the question put to him ; but if he is not making a special exception in this instance, then we desire to know if it is the policy of the government to erect public buildings in all towns similar to this. Th'e hon. gentleman knows that this policy will lead to a very great expenditure. There is no hon. gentleman on either side of the House who would not think it very nice to have a public building in the principle town of his riding ; but, if the Minister of Public Works commences to pick up places here and there we will have a just cause to complain. If the hon. gentleman carries out that policy then I can present to him a couple of places

where the reasons for the erection of a public building are quite as strong as they are in Marysville.

Each case should be judged on its own merits. I do not think there is a general rule which can be applied. It depends on many things.

Mr. INGRAM.

Politics.

Oh, no. My hon. friend (Mr. Ingram) must not forget that when his party were in power there was a lot of politics done.

Oh, no.

Yes ; I did a lot of it with them.

Oh, no.

And when they are on this side of the House again they will do just the same thing ; in fact they will do worse than we do. The principles then will be the same that govern us to-day, and each case will have to be judged by itself. This is a most meritorious case. The Hon. Geo. E. Poster is a witness to that, and I cannot call a better witness to my aid. I am willing to say that we must not erect too many public buildings. But my friends do not forget that a great many public buildings were erected in the past, and we have some members on this side of the House that have their two eyes open to the magnificent public buildings that were erected in the Conservative days. They have placed their claims before me and if I were not an energetic man I would have to ask for a great deal more money than I ask now. But I face the music manfully, and I only decide to give money to meritorious cases like this one.

Mr. INGRAM.

When I mentioned the word ' politics ' I had in mind the arguments used by the supporters of the government when they were in opposition and which were very similar to the arguments used by my hon. friend from Bothwell (Mr. Clancy) to-day. The Liberals when in opposition charged the Conservatives with allowing party politics to have more to do with the investment of money in public buildings than the circumstances would warrant. The principle pursued by the Con servative government is being pursued today by the present government. If it was wrong then it is wrong now, and if it was right then it is right now.

It was right then.

Mr. INGRAM.

Oh, very well.

Mr. CLARKE.

Has the site been purchased for this building ?

The MINISTER OP PUBLIC WORKS Yes. I