Mr. FIELDING.

Mr. GEO. TAYLOR.

Before the Orders of the Day are called, I would like to inquire of the Minister of Agriculture when he purposes bringing down his estimates. I may say that there is a general complaint on this side of the House among those representing agricultural constituencies, that for the last two or three sessions these estimates have been left over until a very late period in the session, and last year they were brought in on Friday night when most of the members were out of the House. This is one of the most important departments in the interest of agriculture, and I think it very unfair that these estimates should be left over to be rushed through at the latter end of the session, without giving an opportunity to discuss them pronerly.

Mr. FISHER.

I shall be most happy to give my hon. friend and his friends every opportunity they desire to discuss these estimates. I have not brought them down earlier, because the Experimental Farm report was only laid on the table a wreek ago, and I wished to give hon. gentlemen opposite time to consider it before taking up the estimates.

Mr. GEO. TAYLOR.

If we expect to get through in a few weeks, they should be proceeded with at once.

Mr. FIELDING.

You might have had them yesterday.

Mr. J. A. CURRIE.

I would ask the Finance Minister if he would be kind enough to lay on the table of the House copies and a statement of the orders of the Treasury Board in reference to the computations of prices on imports. The government sometimes allows imports under the dumping clause of the Customs Act to be admitted at 7i or 5 per cent below the fair market price, and it requires a treasury order to do that.

Mr. FIELDING.

I understand the hon. gentleman refers to the operation of the anti-dumping clause. I will endeavour to get the information for him.

AYLESWORTH (Minister of Justice) moved that an amendment made by the Senate to Bill (No. 31), to prevent the payment or acceptance of illicit or secret commissions and other like practices, be now read the second time and concurred in. He said: The amendment which has

been made by the Senate will be found printed in the Votes and Proceedings for the 1st of April, at page 518. It consists simply in adding to the Bill a sub-paragraph. The

Bill as it passed this House consisted of a provision that every one was guilty of an offence and liable, upon conviction, to certain penalties who being an agent, did certain things, to which the Senate has added this paragraph:

Every person who is a party, or knowingly privy, to any offence under this Act shall he guilty of such offence, and shall be liable, upon conviction, to the punishment hereinbefore provided for by this section.

The general law, under a provision of the Criminal Code, is that every accessorv before the fact is guilty as a principal. This amendment irossibly goes a little further; that is a matter upon which I would hesitate to express any definite opinion. But if it does go any further than the general law, it is in a direction which I think will meet the approval of the House. It is simply nroviding that any person who is party or knowingly privy to the offence or offences which this Bill prohibits, shall be deemed to be equally guilty with the principal offender. I thought that there could be no objection to that clause being added to the Bill, and therefore I move the second reading.

Mr. F. D. MONK (Jacques Cartier).

I wish to say that we have been proceeding before the Immigration Committee with the examination of Mr. Scott, and his examination was postponed a few days ago until a later meeting of the committee. When the committee met, the day before yesterday, it was agreed by the committee that the chairman would see the Minister of the Interior and ask him to suspend the consideration of this Bill until we had concluded the examination of Mr. Scott, because much of that examination turned upon questions which are raised by the new legislation in this Bill. I do not know if the chairman of the committee has had occasion to communicate with my hon. friend the minister; but it seemed to be agreed by the committee that it would be proper to finish the examination of the Superintendent of Immigration before going on with this Bill.

Mr. OLIVER.

I have no desire to force the Bill forward, but I have not heard from the chairman of the committee, as my hon. friend has mentioned. I do not know the conclusion reached by the committee. The Bill has been before the House for a long time, and I was naturally anxious to take the first opnortunitv of carrying; it forward from the stage in which it now stands. _ If there is a reasonable objection to it being

proceeded with at the present time, I will postpone its consideration. But as the hon. member for Leeds (Mr. Taylor) has remarked, the session is getting well advanced, the Bill is long, and I am anxious to get it forward.

Mr. BLAIN.

I wish to endorse what my hon. friend from Jacques Cartier (Mr. Monk) has said. The hon. member for Oxford, who is chairman of the Agricultural Committee, promised to consult with the minister and to get his approval to allowing this Bill to stand until after the further examination of Mr. Scott. That was agreed. and generally understood by the committee.

Mr. MONK.

We were proceeding in the committee to examine the Superintendent of Immigration with regard to the expediency of examining immigrants on the other side before they embark for America. I have no desire to delay the Bill, but I think it would be well to know what Mr. Scott has to say upon that point.