Mr. J. G. H. BERGERON (Beauharnois).

I beg to rise to a question of privilege. I was away on Friday last, but on reading ' Hansard ' I find a statement referring to myself in a speech made by the hon. member for Victoria and Haliburton (Mr. Sam. Hughes) which is not correct. That hon. member is reported as saying :

I am just coming to that. It was strange that a gentleman, a member of the great Conservative party, following the same noble leader, would not have come to me and said something to me about it. Now I come to whait I have got to do about it. Soon after the notice was put on the paper last year, the hon. member for Beauharnois (Mr. Bergeron) notified me that Dr. Worthington had something terrible against me. He is going to expose you, said Mr. Bergeron, and your grafting in connection with the Ross rifle. And he asked: Is it not possible for you to pay back the money?

This is the first time I have heard anything of the matter. The hon. member for Sherbrooke (Mr. Worthington) has never spoken of it to me and I have never spoken to the hon. member for Victoria and Hail-burton (Mr. Sam. Hughes) in the way he has here indicated. The whole thing is entirely a dream, as far as I know.

Sir WILFRID LAURIER.

I am sorry to say I have no knowledge of this matter. The Minister of Marine and Fisheries (Mr. L. P. Brodeurl is not present, he is not in the city to-day although I expect him. I shall make inquiries and report to my hon. friend at a later date. If any government steamer is being used for election purposes prompt action will be taken to put an end to that practice. .

Mr. R. L. BORDEN.

I wish to ask the Minister of the Interior for information in respect to the Saskatchewan Valley Land, Company. I have here a letter which explains the matter perhaps better than I could explain it. The letter reads :

Would you kindly inform me if the Saskatchewan Valley Land Company have any agreement with the Canadian government to sell homestead lands. I bought the northeast quarter 12-31-1, west third meridian recently. Their contract calls for actual residene on this land for three years and I have live years to pay for it in. It seems hardly right that a company can take money for this land and compel actual residence which makes it a homestead under homestead rules, and a private concern getting the money which shonid be better applied to the country's welfare. If so, can I obtain full title for this land by paying all the price this fall or any time before the three years? Hoping you will favour me with an early reply and thanking you for your kind consideration, I remain, Sir,

Yours respectfully,

NORMAN WILLERTON, Craik, Saskatchewan.

As I do not understand very thoroughly the exact scope of this inquiry I thought, that as the minister will know the circumstances, it was best to apply to him in this way.

Mr. OLIVER.

If the hon. member will allow this to stand until to-morrow I will have an opportunity of seeing the letter and will be better able to reply.

Mr. R. L. BORDEN.

Is there any objection to lay on the table of the House the report of Mr. Robertson who made an investigation in Halifax recently which I understand resulted in dispensing with the ser-viices of Mr. Joseph Bernstein ? It is understood that the report would be laid on the table of the House.

Hon. FRANK OLIVER (Minister of the Interior).

If the hon. member wishes it I would be very glad to place it on the table of the House, is it the wish of the hon. gentleman ?

Mr. R. L. BORDEN.

Mr. R. L. BORDEN.

Some weeks ago while the investigation was pending I understand the minister to promise that as soon as it was completed the report would be laid on the table of the House. I know of no reason why it should not be laid on the table of the House ; if the minister knows of any, of course that will have to guide him.

Mr. OLIVER.

None whatever ; I simply wanted to have an expression of the wish of the hon. gentleman.

Mr. R. L. BORDEN.

Has the attention of the Minister of the Interior been called to the statement that one of his officials in Halifax is impeding to some extent the free choice as to location of certain immigrants. I have a statutory declaration which charges that one of the officers of the Interior Department is concerned to the extent of $2 per head in inducing immigrants to go to a particular place and that some 15 of them whose names are given in this declaration have been sent to a part of the Dominion where they did not intend or desire to go.

Mr. OLIVER.

I would like of course to have the terms of the declaration. I might say in a general way that any such action on the part of any official is absolutely contrary to his instructions, and if he is acting in that way he is acting improperly. When I have been made aware of it I will take such action as seems proper. No such information has come to me until now.