Mr. T. O. DAVIS (Saskatchewan).

Mr. Speaker, before the Orders of the Day are called, I have a matter which I wish to bring to the attention of the House, and to put myself in order I shall move the adjournment of the House. I do not like to take this mode of bringing a question before the House, but this is a matter of urgency, and therefore I have to plead this as a reason why I move the adjournment of the House. The question that I want to bring before the House is the state of affairs In the district in connection with the operation

Mr. NORTHRUP.

Hon. H. R. EMMERSQN (Minister of Railways and Canals).

My attention was called to this matter by the receipt of the following telegram this morning. I know that my bon. friends opposite will be anxious to have it read, especially when they hear the concluding paragraph of it:

Mr. DAVIS.

-

West Prince Albert, N.W.T.,

April 30th.

To Minister of Railways, Ottawa.

B'reight, mail and passenger traffic irregular all winter and now suspended. Present condition of affairs will probably continue all summer. Ordinary foresight on part of railway would have prevented this. Same thing occurred almost every season at time when efficient railway service most, essential. Thousand men out of employment ; huge immigration turned away; large amount of projected buildings stopped and all industries paralyzed. This railway cannot begin to meet the requirements of the district. People demand the immediate construction of a road which can be operated tbo year around.

This is signed by W. E. Gilmour, the mayor, I may say in answer to my hon. friend (Mr. Davis) that this matter has been brought to the attention of the department for the first time now, and steps will be taken to have the matter inquired into so as to see where the difficulty lies, and if possible to have the remedy applied.

I suppose my hon. friend (Mr. Davis) desires to know what efforts have been made by the Post Office Department to get the mails through, and perhaps I had better state briefly the position of the matter so far as our department is concerned. When. I heard, about two o'clock to-day that my hon. friend (Mr. Davis) intended to bring up the matter, I had .a message sent to the controller of the mail service, asking him to send me a statement of the proceedings taken in order to get the mail through. I may say that at a very late hour on Friday night I received a telegram from a gentleman at Prince Albert, informing me of the interruption of traffic over the line. I have not the telegram in my possession at this moment, and I do not recollect the name of the gentleman- he may perhaps have been the mayor. I had not before heard of the matter. On Saturday morning I asked for information from the department, and in consequence, seme further despatches were sent by the Post Office Department to our officers in the Northwest, and this is the report of the controller of the railway mail service up to this morning :

Re complaint in regard to delayed mails on the Frince Albert section of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Postmaster General is informed that the last interruption to the regular mail service on this branch took place on the 14th ultimo, and the following explains the steps which have been taken by the officials of this department, in regard thereto :

Wire from Supt. R.M.S., Winnipeg, dated 15th April :

Three spans Saskatoon bridge gone owing to moving ice. Cannot say when transferring can he made.

Reply from Controller R.M.S., to the Supt. R.M.S., Winnipeg, dated 15th April :

Use every endeavour possible to have mails forwarded.

Report from the Supt. R.M.S., Winnipeg, dated 18th ult. :

Regina and Prince Albert route,-Saskatoon bridge three spans washed away. Also another span went on Saturday the 16th inst. The Railway Company are getting the government scow fixed, and expect to transfer on Wednesday, the 20th. The service will be very irregular, as the water is likely to remain high for some time, thus preventing the replacing of the bridge in hastf.

Report from Supt. R.M.S., Winnipeg, dated 21st April :

Regina and Prince Albert route,-Transferring expected on Friday the 22nd at Saskatoon. Owing to high water and the track covered near Lumsden, trains were unable to get through on the 18th and 19th.

Telegram from Supt. R.M.S., Winnipeg, dated the 21st ult. :

About five miles track under water around Lumsden. Prospects bad for some days. Ferry not ready to transfer what mail is at Saskatoon.

Telegram from Supt. R.M.S., Winnipeg, dated 28th ult. :

Transferred carload of mail last night Lumsden, washout Davidson. Expect reach Saskatoon to-night.

Telegram from Supt. R.M.S., Winnipeg, 29th April :

Mails reached Davidson at daylight, detained until track is repaired.

Telegram from the Controller R.M.S., to the Supt. R.M.S., Winnipeg, dated 30th April :

Minister directs that you use every endeavour to get mails through on Prince Albert branch, if not by train, by vehicle or boats.

Telegram from Deputy Postmaster General to D. McNicoll, General Manager, C.P.R., Montreal, dated the 2nd May :

Wire from Prince Albert says no mails since 14th and no effort made to get it through. Passengers who left Regina 14th arrived Prince Albert 18th. Why cannot mails be conveyed as well as passengers ? This matter very serious, what can be done ?

Wire to the Supt. R.M.S., Winnipeg, from the Controller, under date of the 2nd ult. :

W'ire says no mails at Prince Albert since 14th, that passengers are taken in and out, steam launch in use in Qu'Appelle Valley, and ferry at Saskatoon. Minister desires to know why you have not had mails sent through. Wire answer.

The last two telegrams have not as yet been replied to.

Just as X began to speak, the following telegram was placed in my hand. It is from the superintendent of the railway mail service at Winnipeg to the controller at Ottawa :

Mails reached Prince Albert Sunday. Everything cleaned up at Regina this morning.

This is the record of the department np to this moment.

Mr. WALTER SCOTT (West Assiniboia.) Mr. Speaker, before the motion is disposed of, I would like to call the attention of the House to a little item of news dated, London, England, April 28. It may give

to my hon. friend from Saskatchewan, a clue to the mystery that Is troubling him, that is, where the value which the country contributed in aid of the construction of these railways has disappeared to. This ilem is as follows :

The report of the Calgary and Edmonton Land Company shows that the sale of land during the year was 129,975 acres, realizing $535,329. The average price has increased 64 cents per acre.

It is regrettable that on this occasion the hon. gentleman who was very deeply interested in the construction of the Regina and Prince Albert Railway and the Calgary and Edmonton Railway is not in his seat.

I refer to my hon. friend from West Toronto (Mr. Osier). However, I shall ask the hone leader of the opposition, who has on several occasions during this session shown a very worthy interest in the reputation of that hon. gentleman, to call this item to his attention, for this particular reason, that on more than one occasion in the session of 1903 the hon. member for West Toronto, assured this House and the people of this country that in the financial transactions in which he was concerned, connected with the building of the Regina and Prince Albert and Calgary and Edmonton Railways, It was necessary to pledge the lands contributed by the country to the bondholders for the purpose of obtaining the amount of money necessary for the construction of the roads ; and the hon. leader of the opposition may inquire from his colleague from West Toronto as to what explanation Is to be given of the fact that a company known as the Calgary and Edmonton Land Company was enabled during last year to sell 129,975 acres of land i:; the Northwest for which they received the sum of $535,329. He may inquire whether this particular area is a portion of the lands which this parliament contributed for the purpose of aiding in the construction of these railroads, and whether it is a portion of the lands which the hon. member for West Toronto assured this House and the people of this country last year, was pledged to the bondholders. Doubtless when the attention of the hon. member for West Toronto is called to this paragraph, he will be able to give to the House a further explanation as to whether or not this area of land is a part of the lands which this parliament voted in aid of the Calgary and Edmonton Railway, which was a project put through by the hon. member for West Toronto at the same time as the road which my hon. friend from Saskatchewan has been speaking about this afternoon. While on my feet, I would like to take occasion to say this. There have been many remarkable railway transactions perpetrated in this country ; hut I will venture to make the statement, and I make it advisedly, that In the whole

history of railway legislation and railway transactions in the Dominion of Canada, there cannot be found a transaction so atrocious and so inexcusable as those two transactions in connection with the Prince Albert and Regina and Calgary and Edmonton Railways.

This country contributed no less a sum than $12,000,000 in cash guarantee and land grant, taking a very moderate estimate. By the figures in the news item I have Quoted we find that the Calgary and Edmonton Land Company is selling lands at over $4 an acre. Take the total amount of land grant given these two companies, the Calgary and Edmonton and Regina and Prince Albert, and you will find that the estimate I am making is a very moderate one. Parliament gave to these promoters in excess of $12,000,000 in land and cash guarantee for the construction of roads which only cost a little in excess of $6,000,000. The hon. member for West Toronto, the great railway financier, who was called in, so he informs us, by the late Sir John Macdonald, as the only man in Canada who could be found to finance these undertakings, went to the old country with $12,000,000 of good Canadian securities in his pocket, and the best financing he could do was to raise the $6,000,000 required for the building of the road by creating additional securities by sale of bonds to the value of $10,000,000.

These facts have been placed on record more than once, and I do not intend asking the House to listen to any further explanation at this time. I merely rose for the purpose of bringing this little item of information to the attention of the hon. member for Saskatchewan (Mr. Davis) and particularly the leader of tin* opposition, so that the latter gentleman may place it before his colleague from West Toronto, who is in a better position than anybody to give full explanations of this matter to satisfy the people who are complaining about the lack of service on the Regina and Prince Albert Railway.

Mr. T. O. DAVIS (Saskatchewan).

I am glad to hear that the hon. the Postmaster General is taking such energetic action to have the mails taken into that country with some expedition, arid I am also pleased to hear the statement of the Minister of Railways that he will see what he can do to have the railway operated. This appears to me to be a matter which the Railway Commission might look after. In case it might be thought that I am a little biased and exaggerating, let me read what appears in the Rosthern ' Enterprise,' and I may add that Rosthern is the largest wheat exporting place in the Territories outside of Indian Head. It is a place in which there are seven elevators :

Mr. SCOTT.

The Canadian Pacific Railway service has gone from bad to worse. On Friday's train out of Regina the inside of the colonist car compared very favorably with the bracing cold air on the outside. No heat ; no water ; but plenty of suffering for the unfortunate people inside. When the train pulled into Saskatoon Judge Prendergast, a passenger in the train, interfered and called in the assistance of the police, who speedily righted matters. Things have come to a pretty pass indeed, when even ladies have to ask in vain for courteous treatment.

I need not say any more. When it is necessary to call in the mounted police to see that the passengers are not frozen to death, one can form a pretty good idea of how that railway is operated. It is time something should be done in order that the people may get some return for the money they have put into the pockets of this company.

Motion (Mr. Davis) to adjourn, negatived.

_ PETITIONS.

Mr. MORRISON.

I beg to move that the petition of the Ottawa Electric Company be read and received forthwith and refer-ted to the Committee on Standing Orders.

Motion allowed to stand.

Mr. GRANT.

I beg to move that the petition of Edward .John B. Pense and others for leave to present a petition praying that an Act do pass for the purpose of incorporating a company under the title of the Kingston and Dominion Central Railway Company be received and the same be referred to the Committee on Standing Orders.

Mr. R. L. BORDEN.

What is the necessity for so many special motions of this kind ? The one read a moment ago-I refer to the petition presented by the hon. member for Westminster (Mr. Morrison)-* does not contain the slightest ground why this House should make an exception in its favour and receive it although the time for receiving petitions is past. All it states is that the petitioners were unable to present their petition before, and it does not mention any reason or fact which bears on the case. Now we have another. Either we should extend the time, or let these petitions wait until next session. The Journals of the House should not be encumbered by so many petitions founded on absolutely nothing.

Mr. SPEAKER.

I might remind the hon. gentlemsn that the petitions will be considered by the Committee on Standing Orders and that committee will decide whether chey shall be received or not.

Mr. R. L. BORDEN.

I am well aware of that, but when a motion to have a petition received and read is once passed, the rest goes as a matter of course. What I am suggesting is that it would be much better to either extend the time generally, or let those petitions stand over. Of course, after the time has expired, there may be special circumstances why a petition should be received, but none such have been shown in either of the present cases.

I am disposed to agree with my hon. friend. My attention was not called to this petition when presented. I agree that some reasons should be given why petitions should be given for presenting petitions after the time for receiving them has elapsed.

Motion allowed to stand.

Mr. R. L. BORDEN (Halifax).

Before the Orders of the Day are called I desire to direct the attention of the government to two motions for returns which have not yet been complied with. One relates to the papers in connection with the dry-dock facilities on the Pacific coast, and the other to the copies of contracts for the carriage of mails from the St. Lawrence ports.

SIR WILFRID LAURIER (Prime Minister). This very morning I sent a special order to all departments to hasten all these returns. I shall follow it closely.