Mr. MILLER moved:

That the clerk be requested to lay on the table of the House a printed copy of the addresses, representations and suggestions made during the session of 1907-8 to the Select Standing Committee on Banking and Commerce, on behalf of various insurance comf>anies, in connection with Bill (No. 42) of ast session, respecting insurance.

Mr. SPEAKER.

I have the honour to state that the said report has now been laid on the table.

Mr. MILLER moved that the said addresses, representations and suggestions be referred to the Select Standing Committee on Banking and Commerce.

CURRIE (North Simcoe)moved for leave to introduce Bill (No. 107) to amend the Adulteration Act.

Sir WILFRID LAURIER Explain.

Mr. J. A. CURRIE.

The Bill first does away with the necessity of a deposit of money by the complainant in the case of goods being sold that are adulterated. The Adulteration Act provides that if anyone enters a complaint he must deposit with the officer sufficient money to cover the cost of purchasing a sample, and secondly, sufficient money to cover the cost of an analysis. _ I consider this a hardship on the public when parliament provides large sums of money for these officers and when, acording to the Auditor General's report, large sums are spent annually in purchasing samples for analysis.

The second clause is intended to simplify the prosecution. We have no prosecutions to speak of under this Act because the Act provides that the informant must deposit $25 with the officer as a guarantee of the costs of the prosecution; or, in other words, if anyone wishes to enforce this public Act he must first deposit $25 with the official. The Adulteration Act also provides that the complainant or informant shall receive a portion of the fine. The second clause of this Bill does away with this provision altogether and simply states that the officer shall prosecute in the same manner as under any other Act so that anyone may lay an information without making a deposit. Thus the law would be carried out and the offender fined but the informant would not receive a portion of the fine. Under this system there would be no inducement for anyone to become an informer beyond the desire to carry out the provisions of the Act. When this matter was under discussion in the House it was shown that whilst a great number of analyses had been made by the department, hardly any prosecutions had been made and if a firm or person were guilty of adulterating goods the only punishment suffered was the fact of their having sold adulterated goods was published in the pamphlets issued from time to time by the government. I think the time has come when the same course should be pursued in the enforcement of this Act as of any other Act.

LEWIS (West Huron) moved for leave to introduce Bill (No. 108) intituled the Daylight Saving Act.

Sir WILFRID LAURIER.

Explain.

Mr. LEWIS.

I can best explain the provisions of this Act by, for two or three minutes, explaining the position of time in Great Britain and in Canada. On June 15. 1881, Mr. Sandford Fleming civil engineer, now Sir Sandford Fleming, made a report, which was really an essay, as to the time system then in use in Canada. We were then using the system which had been in vogue from time immemorial. On the 17th of June, 1882, Sir Sandford Fleming as chairman of the committee appointed for the purpose of looking into the question recommended a standard system of time for different parts of the country instead of the existing time system which changed with each degree of latitude, and in 1883 our present system was adopted in Canada. We have now in Canada four systems of time, namely, the eastern system, the central system, the mountain system, the Pacific system, not including the Atlantic system or the Yukon system, with regard to which there is special legislation in the Yukon territory. In the United K; igiom they have always been using mean time, namely Greenwich time or Dublin time. Some two or three years ago a gentleman named William Willets, who had been accustomed to early rising, began to realize that most of the people of England were lying in bed during the best hours of the day, that the best part of the sun-lit day was lost to the people and that the hours of recreation for workingmen were in twilight and dark when they might just as well be in the hours of daylight. Mr. Willets found that this condition of things affected adversely, more particularly the working men, the artizans, the agriculturalists, and the youth of the land. He agitated his scheme with the result that in March, 1908, the British parliament appointed a commission of nine members to investigate the subject and evidence was taken , the report of which may be found in the library. There was a majority report brought in by eight members of that commission and a minority report by one. The majority report contained this recommendation:.

The Select Committee to whom the Daylight Saving Bill was referred, have agreed to the following special report:-

1. That the committee have met and considered the said Bill, and have examined numerous witnesses, records and papers and have directed the said Bill to he reported to the House with amendments.

2. And the committee find that the Bill proposes the adoption of a local time in advance of Greenwich mean time in the case of Great Britain, and in advance of Dublin mean time

Mr. J. A. CURRIE.

in the case of Ireland, during the summer months, viz.: from April to September in

each year, with the object of promoting the earlier and more extended use and enjoyment of daylight during those months. And that such object is desirable and would benefit the community if it can be generally attained, and that the weight of the evidence submitted to the committee agrees with and supports this view, though there was divergence of opinion as to the best mode of accomplishing it.

The effect of the proposals of the Bill would be:-

(1) To move the usual hours of work and

leisure nearer to sunrise. _

(2) To promote the greater use of daylight for recreative purposes of all kinds.

(3) To benefit the physique, general health and ivelfare of all classes of the community.

(4) To reduce the industrial, commercial and. domestic expenditure on artificial light.

A Bill founded on this report was introduced in the Imperial House of Commons and passed through its second reading last session. This year a similar Bill was introduced, read a second time, and submitted to a special committee for a report. The Bill which I propose submitting to the House is drafted on the same lines as the English Bill so far as the conditions in Canada will admit and is as follows:

An Act respecting the system of time now in

use in Canada.

This Act shall be known as the Daylight Saving Bill.

Whereas, the adoption of a local time in Canada in advance of the standard time now in use there during the summer months for the object of promoting the earlier and more extended use and enjoyment of daylight during said period is desirable.

Therefore, His Majesty by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:-

1. From two o'clock in the morning of the last day of April in each year in Canada until two o'clock in the morning of the last day in October in each year in Canada the local time shall be one hour in advance of the standard time as now in use in Canada.

2. The time hereby established shall be known as local time in Canada, and whenever any period of time is mentioned in any Act of parliament, deed, or other legal instrument, the time mentioned or referred to shall, unless it is otherwise specifically stated, be held in the case of Canada to be local time as prescribed by this Act.

3. Greenwich mean time as used for the purposes of astronomy and navigation shall not be affected by this Act.

4. This Act shall' apply to the Dominion of Canada, save and except the Yukon Territory, and may be cited as the Daylight Saving Act, and shall not come into force until one year from the date of passing of same.

I might state to the House that a number of localities in Canada have attempted to adopt some such system as is here outlined, but their efforts have not been successful as they could not legally alter the standard

time. The city of Nelson in British Columbia has been much agitated over the question for the last two or three months, and in Fort William and Port Arthur an unsuccessful attempt was made to deal with it. I would point out that after the first change is made there would be really no inconvenience to the people of Canada, and I feel they would soon become used to and highly pleased with the system which I propose. In Canada on April 30 the sun rises at 11 minutes past 5 o'clock and sets at 18 minutes past 7 o'clock; on October 31 the sun rises at 52 minutes past six o'clock and sets at 11 minutes past five o'clock. These are the dates set in the proposed Bill. I trust that Canada will not be backward in this movement, and I would ask the government to appoint a committee to investigate and to confer with the authorities in England, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, the latter countries having started legislation on these lines. I believe that if my idea is carried into legislation it will he conducive to the health and wealth of the labouring men, of the workingmen, and of the farmers of Canada.

Mr. SPEAKER.

I desire to state to the House that in the classification list of the staff of the House of Commons, laid by me on the table of the House yesterday, there was, through misapprehension, an error in the classification of one second-class clerk who was placed in the second division subdivision A, who should, under the Act, have been placed in the second division, subdivision B, and the classification is to be amended accordingly. And also that all classification references in the organization statement be amended to correspond throughout with the said classification list.

Mr. FOSTER.

I want to ask again as to the reasons for delay in bringing down certain returns. We have been generous in passing estimates, but if these returns are not brought down, so far as I am concerned I shall not continue that generosity.

Mr. PUGSLEY.

As to the returns from my department my deputy has informed me that there were quite a number of other motions ahead of those of my hon. friend, but I have instructed him to push these ahead at once and let the others stand.