Mr. BORDEN moved:

That the recommendation of the Honourable the Speaker of the House of Commons for the appointment of Mr-. Charles E. Duckett to the position of translator on the permanent translation staff of the House of Commons, laid on the table of tlie House with other papers on the subject on the 23rd of January, 1912, be now concurred in.

Right Hon. R. L. BORDEN (Prime Minister) moved:

That on Wednesday the 31st of January, and all subsequent Wednesdays to the end of the session, the House will meet at three o'clock p.m., and that the sitting on such days shall in every respect Ire under the same rules provided for other days, and that on said Wednesdays government orders will have precedence immediately after notices of motions for production of papers.

He said: The usual practice has been to give Government Orders precedence immediately after Questions. Last year I suggested to my right hon. friend that it might be better to permit Notices of Motion for the Production of Papers to have precedence, and I thought it well to follow the same practice this year.

Sir WILFRID LAURIER.

I am not disposed to object to this motion, but it has been represented to me that private members should be given another opportunity to be heard on the motions coming under Public Bills and Orders. Therefore I would suggest to my right hon. friemu that the (motion be made to take effect, not next Wednesday, but the Wednesday following, that is, the 7th of February.

Mr. BORDEN.

If my hon. friend is urgent, I would be glad to accept his suggestion ; but at the same time he knows as well as I do that there is not a motion on the G3

order paper that has not been called already six or eight times. "Under the circumstances, unless my right hon. friend' is urgent, I would prefer to hasten our work as much :as possible.

Sir WILFRID LAURIER.

I agree with my right hon. friend that every opportunity has been given to every member to be heard; but for some reason or other, they have not been heard1, and therefore I would ask hiim to have the motion take effect on the 7th of February. May I ask my right hon. friend .if he is prepared to say to-day what new' legislation we may expect during this session, or have we about all the programme of the government, with the exception of the supplementary estimates and the measure regarding the extension of the Manitoba boundaries?

Mr. BORDEN.

I am not prepared to-day to give my right hon. friend the .information in that regard, but I think it probable that before the completion of next week I shall be in a position to do so.

Sir WILFRID LAURIER.

May I ask (lie hon. Minister of Trade and Commerce if he will take up the Grain Bill on Tuesday?

Mr. FOSTER.

Yes.

Motion, amended by striking out ' the 31st day of January ' and inserting in lieu thereof * the 7th day of February,' agreed to.

Mr. DEVLIN.

Before the orders of the day are called, I would like to call the attention of the right hon. the Prime Minister and the Postmaster General to a report which appears in the Ottawa ' Citizen ' purporting to contain statements made iby the hon. the Postmaster General at a public meeting in Eganville in South Renfrew on the 25th instant, in which report the Postmaster General, referring to the new transportation policy of the government, is represented as indicating that the Georgian Bay canal will be built, that it wias a part of the new government's programme. I would like to ask the right hon. the Prime Minister if he can give any information to the House as to when that article of the government's nrogramme

will be brought before the House for consideration.

Mr. BORDEN.

I have already informed the right bon. leader of the opposition that within a week from to-day we will give full information of the government's programme.

Mr. DEVLIN.

May I ask the Prime Minister if the government have agreed on a policy in regard to the building of the Georgian Bay carnal?