Mr. FOSTER.

I suppose that does not cut out members' opportunity to get at private Bills?

Sir WILFRID LAURIER.

Private Bills 'remain first order.

MURPHY (Secretary of State) presented the return to an order of the House, showing amount of money paid to the Logberg Printing Company. He said: This return is the one that should

have been presented on March 26 last. The one then presented was styled ' supplementary.' The one now presented includes the amount of the return presented on March 26 last.

Hon. L. P. BRODEUR (Minister of Marine and Fisheries).

Before the orders of 128

the day are called, I wish to raise a question of privilege. The hon. member for Leeds (Mr. Taylor), in speaking the other day, stated that the Prime Minister had allowed me to put my hand in the public chest and spend money for the purchase of one ladies' cloak, seven ladies' blouses and eight ladies' costumes. I was greatly surprised the other day when I heard my hon. friend the member for Leeds (Mr. Taylor) use the following language in a speech which he was then making in the House. I will quote from this speech and I will put before the House the evidence which I have before me in order that we may ascertain whether the charge which has been made against me is well founded or not. The hon. member, as reported at page 4019 of ' Hansard,' spoke as follows:-

I want to ask the minister how much mad this expenditure took out of the ship channel? The money is charged to the ship channel. He will find these accounts in the Auditor General's Report at page 0-163:

7 ladies blouses at $13.

Oh, oh.

Mr. GEO. TAYLOR.

I am surprised that the right hon. Prime Minister can laugh at that. He is the trustee of the people of this country, and yet he will allow one of his ministers to put his hand in the public chest and

spend money like this.,

1 ladies cloak $25

8 ladies costumes, each 30

The total of these accounts is $744. *#*###*

Who were the ladies?

Mr. GEO. TAYLOR.

I do not know.

Then he goes on at page 4020:

The Prime Minister laughed so hard that he did not hear what I read to-night, but I ask why we bought eight ladies costumes at $30 each which are charged to the ship channel?

If I remember aright the hon. member was then quoting the list of seven ladies blouses, one ladies cloak and eight ladies costumes from the Auditor General's Report. There is an item in the Auditor General's Report amounting to $744.50 and corresponding exactly with the amount which was mentioned by the hon. gentleman in his speech. The item is a3 follows :

De Tonnancour, L. C., Monl: caps, 28; blouses, 6 at $13.

Not ladies' blouses but purely and simply.

1 cloak at $25.

Not one ladies cloak as he said.

Costumes,

Not ladies' costumes, but costumes.

-8 at $30; overcoats, 3 at $32, 9 at $25; pants and sweaters, 5 at $10.50.

There is no reference, as you see, to ladies costumes, to ladies blouses. I did not have the Auditor General's Report with me at the time. I suppose my hon. friend will apologize for me to the officers of my department whom I happened to meet the morning after the hon. gentleman made his remarks and with whom I remonstrated with regard to the purchase of these ladies' blouses. Of course, when I saw the hon. gentleman reading from a book I thought he was reading correctly, I took his word for it and I remonstrated with the officers. What did I find, as the officers immediately informed me, that this was absolutely erroneous. There were no ladies' costumes, no ladies' blouses, no anything purchased for ladies. It was all a part of the imagination of my hon. friend. In order to complete the record I will lay before the House the accounts themselves. They are in French and I -will read them in French.