Mr. KENDALL.

I would like to endorse the remarks of my hon. friend from Gaspe (Mr. Lemieux). I happen to be somewhat acquainted with the Magdalen Islands, having lived among the people a certain time, and taken a considerable interest in them, these islands have been inhabited since about 140 years, and at present the population is about 6,000. During four months of the year these people are cut off from communication with the mainland. There is a telegraph system connecting with the island, which is owned by the government, but the rates are very high, and it seems to me that it would be only reasonable for the government to allow the people to send their messages at much lower rates than are charged at present. The government has to keep a full staff in constant employment, and it would not add materially to the expense of operating the line if messages were transmitted at lower rates.

Mr. LEMIEUX.

It would bring revenue.

Mr. KENDALL.

And no doubt it would add to the revenue. Another point I would like to make, is that the present steamship service from Pictou to the Magdalen Islands might be made much more valuable, if for a certain length of time the steamship was sent from North Sydney instead of from Prince Edward Island, particularly during the later part of March and April. I wish to endorse the remarks made by my hon. friend from Gaspe. If members of the cabinet could only visit the islands and see the conditions under which those people live, they would appreciate to some extent the difficulties from which they suffer, and I am sure 'would make provision as far as possible for better service.

Mr. TAYLOR.

I would like to ask the hon. minister if the law does not require a person asking superannuation to make application in writing and have it aecom-

panied by a certificate from two medical doctors that he is unable to perform his duties. Did Mr. LeSueur make an application in writing, and accompany it by the necessary medical certificate ?

He made an application in writing, but when an officer is oyer sixty years of age, he may be retired for other reasons than ill health, and no medical certificate is required. I have given the reasons why he wants to be retired and he has made application in writing.

Mr. MAROIL (Bonaventure).

In connection with the Magdalen Islands, I would ask the hon. minister to remember that those people are deprived during four months of the year of newspapers and letters. The splendid postal service which we enjoy is of no avail to them whatever during that period. There is a cable telegraph service, but the rates are almost prohibitive. The people of the islands have to endure great hardships. They have no railway facilities and are deprived of most of the benefits enjoyed by citizens in other parts of Canada, and surely it is not much to ask that they be given the privilege of using the cable at the lowest possible rate. If the Minister of Public Works will give the matter his attention, he will admit at once that what my hon. friend from Gaspfi has asked for is most reasonable and should be granted, and it would tend to increase the revenue from that cable, which to-day is only a few hundred dollars. The cable is very seldom used because the rates are too" high, but -the government have to employ a staff to work the cable, and might as well reduce the rates and give the people the advantage. If the hon. minister will just consider that during four months of the year these -people are without a newspaper or a letter, and are unable to use the government cable, which stretches across sixty miles of water, because of the high rates charged, several cents a word, he will see the justice of conceding to this request and enabling the poor fisherman to make some use of this means of communication with the world outside. At present the rate is prohibitive except to commercial people.

This is not the first time that my hon. friend from Gaspe has called my attention to the peculiar and difficult position of the people in the Magdalen Islands. The great trouble is that our telegraph system is not completed. It is true we have a cable, but on the main land we have no lines. We have only a small piece of cable which has no connection with the outside world, except through the Western Union Telegraph Company and other companies. I have just now under consideration, and. I may add, under discussion with my colleagues, a plan to complete our telegraph Mr. TAYLOR.

system. It would not cost very much money for us to become master of the situation. We could connect our telegraph system with the cables at Canso and also with our present system on the North Shore. We have just completed that system to Belle Isle, our terminal point being St. Paul's Bay iu the county of Charlevoix. For a small amount of money we could take the system up to Quebec, if we could not make satisfactory arrangements with the Great North-western Telegraph Company. I am very glad that the attention of the House has been called to the difficulties of the situation In the Magdalen Islands. While I am on my feet, I would like to ask the name of the postmaster in the riding of my hon. friend from Leeds (Mr. Taylor) who is secretary of the Liberal Association V And when I learn his name, I shall be glad to suggest that he be dismissed because he has not been successful in defeating my hon. friend.

Mr. HUGHES (Victoria).

I would like to direct the attention of the Postmaster General to the fact that there are a great many people living away in the northern part of the Canadian North-west who receive a mail, some of them only once a year and many of them twice a year. The way these gentlemen keep up with the times is this-they take their daily papers, lay out their year's or half year's supply in order, and then read one paper each day. These are very intelligent and altogether a very fine class of people, who live in that remote region, and I would urge that they be considered. And I would like to ask the Minister of Public Works (Hon. Mr. Tarte) whether, after those cables and telegraph lines that he speaks of are constructed, they will be controlled by the Department of Public Works or by the Post Oflice Department ?

That grave question will, no doubt, engage the attention of the best minds of the land.

Mr. .BORDEN (Halifax).

I think that probably it will be arranged in this way- the cables and telegraphs will be in charge of the Minister of Public Works, while the Postmaster General will have charge of the Marconi system.

The Marconi system is not bad, but, so far, we have not been able to establish it in such a satisfactory manner that we can quite understand one another across the floor of this House.

Mr. TAYLOR.

I would like to inform the Postmaster General that the name of the postmaster at Newboro, to whom I referred, is Mr. Lewis. He is the postmaster there and the secretary of the Reform Association. Prior to the last election but one, there were appeals put in to strike names off the voters' list. I appeared to defend the parties who were appealed

against. And when we came before the judge, I raised the point that the notice had to be sent by registered letter, and I wanted the registration receipts produced. The postmaster was called, and swore that the letters were registered. When asked where the receipts were, he said they were at the post office. The judge asked him to bring them. He went away, and, in about half an hour returned with a bundle of receipts. I asked the question : Have you

changed the date of your post office stamp, written out the receipts and stamped them ? And he had to admit that he had' done so. That is the kind of postmaster they have al Newboro.

Iam not responsible.

Mr. HUGHES (Victoria).

Is the hou. gentleman going to dismiss this man ?

I would like to have some information on the subject.

Mr. TAYLOR.

If the hou. gentleman will inquire of Judge Macdonald, of Brock-ville, he can get full particulars.

Mr. AVERY.

I understood that the hou. gentleman was going to have this man dismissed because he had not succeeded in defeating the hon. member for Leeds (Mr. Taylor) '!

If I should attempt to interfere in Ontario, they would say it was a case of French domination.

Mr. CLARKE.

The question of superannuation has been raised. Has Mr. David Matheson, who was one of the chief officials of the savings branch, been superannuated ? And if so, what was his age when superannuated, and what allowance is he to receive ?

It is at least two or three years since Mr. Matheson was superannuated. He is an old officer of the department. He broke down in the service. As in the case of Mr. LeSueur, I did not accept his resignation at first, but gave him leave of absence- I think for six months-I hoped that he would recruit. He came back and resumed his duties, but the anxieties of so important an office bore too heavily upon him, and, he felt would shorten his days. He came to me and said that he must be superaju-nuated so that he could live a quiet life. I do not remember his age, but I am pretty sure it exceeded sixty years. He was in the department for many years, having come in, I think, under Sir Oliver Mowatt before confederation.