NORTHRUP (E. Hastings) moved for leave to introduce Bill (No. 39) to amend the Railway Act. He said: Last session the government introduced a Bill to amend the Railway Act so as to confer certain additional powers on the Board of Railway Commissioners, giving the Board jurisdiction in complaints made by the Crown or by a corporation with regard to certain specified matters. The list included a number of matters on the face of it, but mainly matters with regard to which negotiations are not usually conducted as contracts made between a corporation or the Crown and the railways. I propose to add to, along the same line, that the commissioners should have power in contracts made with regard to the operation of the road. It is well known that contracts are made between municipalities and the government or a railway company, and that in the overwhelming majority of cases, they refer to the operation of the road. In consideration of the operation of the road, a bonus is given by the municipality or a subsidy granted by parliament. Exactly in the line with the government measure of last year, I propose to give the commissioners authority with regard to such contracts.

In one other respect this Bill goes further than the amendment of last session. Under that law, appeals of the kind to which I have referred can only be made in cases between the Crown or corporation and the railway with which the contract was made. It is well known that, in this country, there are practically only two or three railways. In the great majority of cases contracts are made between the Crown or a corporation and some minor railway which has been subsidized for a part of the country through

which it runs; and, usually, after the contract is made and the railway constructed, this minor railway is absorbed by one of the larger railway corporations. The result is that the larger railway has the benefit of the money which the municipality or Crown has expended, while the municipality or the Crown loses the benefit of the contract on account of which alone the money was advanced. The Bill which I have now the honour to propose would aiiow the board t, >

act in such a case, and would provide that the railway which has_ possession of the property in consideration of which the bonus is given should be held responsible for carrying out the contract made by the road which has been absorbed and which, having gone out of operation, cannot be held to its contract. This, it will be seen, is on the same line as the government Bill of last session, but it extends the principle a little further in the two directions I have indicated.

1. Outside of the Chamber of the House of Commons, the reading room and library, how-many rooms are available in the parliament buildings for members of the House of Commons including members of the administration and the staff of the House of Commons?

2. What is the total floor space of the said

rooms? .

3. By whom are the said rooms occupied, to whom have they been allotted, and what is the floor space of the rooms in question in each case?

4. Under whose direction has such allotment or arrangement been made, and when was it last made or revised?

Hon. WILLIAM PUGSLEY (Minister of Public Works).

Mr. PUGSLEY.

| Room Nos. Occupants. Rooms occupied. Floor area.

67 Col. Hughes and Conservative

members i 550 068 Mr. Stanfield and Conservative members i 523 369 Chairman of Debates and Liberal members i 223 170 Dr. Belaud and others i 211471 Chairman of Debates and Liberal members (Quebec) i 173 372 Conservative members, Mr. Lennox and others i 181673 Dr. Barr and Mr. Marshall... i 114 1174, 75 New Brunswick Liberals 2 C17'276, 77 Nova Scotia Liberals 2 550-278 Northwest Liberal members.. 1 41G779 Mr. Gauvreau and others 1 385-280 Prince Edward Island Liberal members 1 401-881 Hon. Minister of Militia 1 188 182 Quebec Liberal members 1 855-683 Ex-Ministers (Liberals) 1 390 484 Hon. Minister of Marine and Fisheries 1 456 1185 Secretary of the Premier 1 253 680 Right Hon. the Premier 1 460-687 Liberal Whip (Mr. Calvert). . 1 241-688 1 I on. Secretary of State 1 180-089 Conservative Headquarters . . 1 801 090 Conserv. Whip (Mr. Taylor).. 1 189-091 Conservative Whips 1 324-092 Northwest Liberal members.. 1 460 693 Mr. Lapointe and others 1 264 994 N.B. and P.E.l. Conservatives and Mr. Doherty 1 177-595 Dr. Reid and other Conservative members 1 174-696 Mr. Rivet and others 1 177-597 Conservative members 1 486-698 Sessional clerks 1 915-299 Sergeant at Arms (quarters).. 5 1,927-5100 Mr. Dube (quarters) 8 2,849-0101 House cleaning stores 1 206 0102 Stationery store room 1 372-4103 Store room-Sgt. at Arms.... 1 178-3104 Blue-book room 1 233-2Steward of the Speaker 0 1,661-7Vaults, Distribution office.. . 2 478-10Paste room 1 316 6Messengers' waiting room.... 1 330 10Mr. Dube's office 1 214-8Totals 158 53,245-912, 13 Telegraph office-G.N.W. and C.P.R 2 510-0Restaurant, dining rooms, kitchen, store room, etc 12 8,883 9Totals ' 14 9,393 9Grand totals 172 32,639 6BAND GRANT OF QU'APPELLE, LONG

1. What was the area and approximate , location of the land grant to the Qu'Appelle, Long Lake and Saskatchewan Railroad and

Steamboat Company for the construction of the railway from Regina to Prince Albert?

2. Under what authority was such grant made, 'and when was it earned?

3. What persons and corporations have acquired this land grant, and in what amounts?

4. What quantity of land has been patented to each?

5. Has 'the Saskatoon 'and Western Land Company acquired any other lands from the government 'than those which form part of the grant above-mentioned?

6. When were the selections of the 'Saskatoon 'and Western Land Company made, and what has 'been the cause of the delay?

Hon. FRANK OLIVER (Minister of Interior).

1. 1,625,344 acres. The area reserved by the original orders in council dated respectively December 30, 1884, February 4, 1891, June 10, 1892, and

August 1, 1902, was all in what is now the province of Saskatchewan, and the selection of lands to satisfy the area earned as above was all within the tracts so reserved. The location of the tract may be described as an irregular shaped block in central Saskatchewan, extending from the north limit of the Canadian Pacific Railway main line belt reserve to township 52.

2. By Chapter 60 of 48-49 Victoria, assented to July 20, 1885, and Chapter 23, of 50-51 Victoria, assented to June 23, 1887.

3 and 4. An area of 128,000 acres was assigned to the Land Corporation of Canada by assignment dated February 5, 1892. These lands have all been patented.

Applications for the issue of patents in the name of sundry persons were filed in the department by the company to the number of 117 for areas in each case of one section or less area between March 20, 1891, and September 5, 1902. These lands have all been patented.

A patent for an area of 2,240 acres was applied for in the name of Harvey Matthews of White Bear lake, Minnesota, dated September 22, 1902. This land has been patented.

An area of 30,614-90 acres was assigned to Edmund Boyd Osier, and Herbert Carlyle Hammond, of Toronto, and Augustus Meredith Nanton and Harry William Nanton of Winnipeg by assignment dated December 30, 1902. These lands have all been patented.

An area of 97,164 06 acres was assigned to Augustus Meredith Nanton of Winnipeg by assignment dated December 30, 1902. These lands have all been patented.

An area of 839,640-97 acres was assigned to the Saskatchewan Valley Land Company by assignment dated October 25, 1902.

These lands have all been patented.

An area of 239-92 acres was assigned to the Saskatchewan Valley Land Company by assignment dated March 21, 1903. This land has been patented.

An area of 493,269-34 acres was retained by the government as security for certain

advances to the railway company under an agreement dated August 5, 1889; of these lands an area of 1,442 acres has been patented in the name of sundry persons on the application of the assignees of the railway company.

5. Of the above area of 1,442 acres, 1,284 acres has been patented to the Saskatchewan and Western Land Company, Limited.

No other lands comprised in this railway company's land subsidy have been patented to the said Saskatoon and Western Land Company, Limited. The said Saskatoon and Western Land Company, Limited, has not acquired any other lands from the government.

6. The Saskatoon and Western Land Company had no right of selection on account of this railway company's land subsidy. The selection of the area of 493,269-34 acres retained by the government as security as above and of which area the said Saskatoon and Western Land Company, Limited, is the grantee of 1,284 acres as above, was completed on September 13, 1906, by the assignees of the railway company, and was confirmed by order in council dated May 8, 1907. The unpatented lands comprised in this selection have been recently assigned by the said assignees to Canada Saskatchewan Land Company, Limited.

1. How 'many men, not on the regular staff, v ere employed on the Welland canal during the months of September and October, 1908?

2. What wais the nature of the work for which the said men were so employed?

3. On whose recommendation was the work required to be done?

4. What rate of wages was paid bo the .said

men? , *, .

5. What is the total amount paid, or to be paid, for the said work?

1. Exclusive of staff pay-list, there were employed on the Welland canal during the month of September, 1908, 416 men, and during the month of October, 1908, 611 men.

2. These men were employed on the following different works: ' Repairs,' ' Electric lighting and power "plant," ' Survey of canal,'

* Repairs to foundation of lock No. 2,'

Deepen ditches and enlarge culvert at Marshvile,' ' Heavy repairs.'

3. The work was required to be done on the recommendation of the superintending engineer.

4. The general rate of wages was $1.50 per day of 9 hours for labouring men; $2 to $3.50 per day for foremen; and teams from $3.50 to $4 per day. At the Marshville culvert work, an extra allowance was made to cover board of men who did not live in the vicinity.

5. The amounts of the .appropriation for

the said works are:

Repairs $80,000

Electric lighting and power plant 50,000

Survey of canal 20,000

Repairing foundation lock No. 2.. 12,000

Deepen ditches and enlarge culvert

at Marshville 15,000

Heavy repairs 30,000

ROSS RIFLE-REPORT OF COMMITTEE. Mr. WORTHINGTON asked:

1. What were the dates of the two last meetings of the Small Arms Committee, and what iis the present composition of such committee ?

2. Has this committee reported on the Ross rifle, Mark II? If so, what is the nature of the report?

3. Has this committee reported on any rifle *manufactured by the iRoss Rifle Company other than Mark I and II?

4. Is the government aware of any defects, structural weaknesses or deficiencies in Ross rifle Mark II? If so, what is the nature of these defects?

5. Has the Ross rifle Mark II been definitely accepted by the government as the service rifle of the miilitda of Canada?

6. What was the date of the last contract with the Ross Rifle Company for rifles, or what mark are 'they to be, and how manv have been delivered on the contract up to the present time?

1. (b) The personnel of the Small Arms Committee is as follows:

President-

Bvt.-Col. S. Hughes, M.P. Railway Staff. Members-

Lt.-Col. W. P. Anderson, R.O.; Lt.-Col. J. H. Burland, R.O.; Lt.-Col. C. Gre-ville-Harston, R.O.; Major R. A. Helmer, D.A.A.G., for Musketry; Major A. O. Fages, R.C.R.; Major J. B. Pym, I.S.A. &M.G.; Major W. H. Davidson, 8th Regt.; Major J. E. Hutcheson, 43rd Regt.

Associate members-

Lt.-Col. F. M. Gaudet, R.C.A., Supt. Dom. Arsenal; Lt.-Col. J. W. Harkom, R.O.; A. E. McIntyre, Esq., Ph.D.; A. H. Walters, Esq., M.A.

4. The Ross rifle in common with all other rifles, military or sporting, may be said to have certain defects, structural weaknesses, or deficiencies. It is not the custom of any government to publish to the world what it considers to be the weak points or strong points of the arms with which its troops are equipped.

6. The date of the contract (there is only one), is March 22, 1902.

As regards the other particulars asked for in questions 1 (a), 2, 3, and 5, the department proposes to adopt the principle followed by the Imperial War Office and Mr. GRAHAM.

to reserve to itself the right to make public only such information as may be deemed to be advisable in the public interest.