Mr. PUGSLEY.

I thought I answered that fairly. ^

Mr. BLAIN.

My hon. friend made an explanation, but failed to touch the point. I will repeat the question. Has not his department in the past expended money upon private wharfs, both in Ontario and in other provinces?

Mr. PUGSLEY.

I am not aware of the government expending money on private wharfs in the sense in which this is a private wharf. Would my hon. friend point out a particular instance?

Mr. SPROULE.

There is a case at Sault Ste. Marie where the government has done dredging in front of a wharf to allow vessels to get up to the wharf.

Mr. PUGSLEY.

In that case the wharf was bought by the government, and improvements were made after the government became the owner of the property. That is what the chief engineer tells me.

Mr. SPROULE.

I can tell both the chief engineer and the minister that money was spent there several times before the wharf was owned by the government.

Mr. PUGSLEY.

That might have been under the old administration.

Mr. SPROULE.

I think there is a case at Orillia, and another in front of Barrie, and I think there is another at Little Current, or some where on the Manitoulin island.

Mr. PUGSLEY.

A short time ago I had an application from an owner of a wharf in or near the city of Ottawa to do some dredging, and I said I would do it if the owner would pay so much for the dredging. I think I gave directions to the chief engineer to charge a reasonable price for the work. I happen to have owned, with two or three other gentlemen, a wharf in the city of St. John; we wanted some dredging done by the government, and we had to pay the actual cost of operating the dredge, I think some $40 or $50 a day, while the dredge was doing work in front of this wharf.

Compensation to Sydney J. Dale in full of all demands for injuries sustained by him on the government dredge ' Nakusp,' in June, 1907, whilst employed as deckhand-revote of $500 lapsed, $1,000.

Mr. PUGSLEY.

I asked for a vote of $500 in 1908, but Mr. Dale, acting on the advice of his _ friends, declined to accent it. After looking carefully into the circumstances of the case I have decided to recommend a vote of $1,000 to this unfortunate man.

Mr. BLAIN.

j Mr. EDWARDS. To what extent was he | injured?

Mr. PUGSLEY.

When he was working on the dredge 'Naskusp', at Revelstoke, he received such injury to his arm that it had to be amputated. On the occasion of the same accident Captain Baker lost his life. It occurred whilst the crew of the dredge were installing a new main guy line. Of course, the question arose as to whether there was liability on the part of the government and on looking into the whole case and after consulting with the deputy minister and the chief engineer I decided that it would be right to compensate this man to the extent of $1,000.

Mr. EDWARDS.

Do I understand that on looking into the matter you considered the government was liable and that an action for damages might be made good by this'man?

Mr. PUGSLEY.

Mr. Dale did commence suit by petition of right and on looking into the matter I thought the case was, at all events, so doubtful as that it would be in the interest of the public that we should make a settlement. I also felt that even if we might defeat the man's claim in a court of law, he had a strong equitable claim. He probably had a legal claim, hut he certainly had a strong moral claim.

Mr. EDWARDS.

I presume this man is the head of a family and that his family depend upon him for their living. If the government considered thev were liable for the damage done to this man I think it is dealing in a pretty small way to give him $1,000 compensation for the loss of his arm. A man's arm ought to be worth more than that to him. It the government are liable at all he should receive more than -$1,000.

Some resolutions reported.

Mr. FIELDING moved the adjournment of the House.

Mr. SPROULE.

What business will be taken up on Monday?

Mr. FIELDING.

I think we shall take up a number of Bills which stand on the order paper. Private Bills have priority and after that we shall deal with a number of minor Bills which stand on the order paper. If we reach Supply my hon. friend the Minister of Public Works will continue. There are several Bills on the order paper which, I think, are hardly controversial and we would like to be able to call up any of them.