Mr. CURRIE moved that the first report of the Joint Committee on the Printing of Parliament be concurred in.
Mr. SPEAKER.
As this report relates to the Printing of Parliament, which involves an expenditure of money, I am afraid I shall have to ask that it be allowed to stand.
Mr. CURRIE.
The Printing Committee recommend in this report that in future all reports presented in either the Senate or the House of Commons, by the other committees which contain requests fior the printing of reports, .pamphlets, &c., he first submitted to the Committee on Printing. That recommendation should be really unnecessary because, under Rule 64 of the House, a motion for the printing of any paper must be first submitted to the Joint Committee on Printing for report before any action is taken on it. However, an abuse has arisen in the House, and other committees present to the House resolutions accompanying their reports with motions that a certain number of copies of testimony or papers placed before them should be printed and the House has granted such requests. For instance, the Committee on Agriculture recommended that 150,000 copies of Dr. James Robertson's address before them on the matter of conservation should be printed. That would involve an expenditure of something over $15,000. It is a violation of the rutles, there was a slight clash over the matter, and as a result this report is now presented to the House. Whether this motion is necessary 1 do not know, but it is well to pass it, and so remind the chairman and secretaries of committees that this abuse cannot be continued. In 1908 the amount of money required for sessional printing for the House was $85,000, but last session it was
over $250,000. We do mot -wish to be considered parsimonious, but we feel that orders for .any printing of .such magnitude as this should .at leasit be referred to the committee appointed by parliament to pass upon such things.
Right Hon. R. L. BORDEN (Prime Minister).
I would suggest that this motion might .stand.
Mr. SPEAKER.
Mr. W. H. BENNETT (Simcoe).
Mr. Speaker, before the orders of the day, I wish to .refer to an item in the 'Free Press' personal to myself. It says:
One of the chief causes of Conservative attack upon Hon. Dr. Pugsley's administration of the Public Works Department was his use of the tug ' Whelan ' to break the ice in the harbours of Port Arthur and Port William. Indeed the investigation into this ' scandal ' is still in progress before the Public Accounts Committee. Yet the same tug ' Whelan ' is doing the self same work under the administration of Hon. F. D. Monk. What will W. H. Bennett say now?
In reference .to the item, all I have .to say is this: There is no investigation, to my knowledge, now' before the Public Accounts Committee in reference to ice breaking at Fort William or Port Arthur. Last year there was a contract there for $30,000 for that work, but under the withering influence of honest competition and tender, that has shrivelled down to $19,250; and at Midland, with reference to which there is an investigation pending as to the breaking of ice, that contract has been reduced from $5,500 to nothing. That is al!
I have to say.
Mr. MACDONALD.
I saw an announcement in the ' Free Press ' on Saturday to the effect that, Mr. J. J. Ritchie, K.C., has been appointed a justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia in succession to the late Mr. Justice Laurence. I trust the rumor is true. I wish ,to ask the Prime Minister whether it is true or not.
Mr. CURRIE.
I do not know whether the right hon. gentleman is aware of the fact that it is desirable that the appointment should be made at an early date on account of the illness of one of the other judges.
Mr. BORDEN.
The order in council was approved on Saturday.
Mr. MACDONALD.
For Mr. Ritchie's appointment?
Mr. BORDEN.
Yes.
Mr. LEMIEUX.
May I ask the Prime Minister or the Minister of Justice if the rumour published in the Montreal ' Gazette ' is true, that the reference on the marriage question will be submitted to the Supreme Court this week at the opening of the court.
Mr. BORDEN.
It will be submitted at the earliest practicable opportunity; I hope this week. *
Mr. MACDONALD.
With reference to tile statement that Sir William Meredith has been appointed commissioner to investigate matters in connection with the Farmers Bank, will the Prime Minister bring down a copy of the order in council appointing him?
Mr. BORDEN.
It was laid on the table the very day on which it was approved.