PRINTED BY J. de L. TACHE, PRINTER TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY

Mouse of Commons Hefmtes

Speaker: Hon. Thomas Simpson Sprotjlb. Monday, February 23, 1914.

Report oi the Department of the Interior for the year ended March 31, 1913, volume I.-Hon. W. J. Roche. Regulations for the disposal of petroleum and natural gas rights.-Hon. W. J. Roche. Grazing Regulations.-Hon. W. J. Roche.

Motion agreed to. Mr. ROGERS presented the first report of the said committee, recommending that it have leave to sit during the time the House is in session. On motion of Mr. Rogers, the report was concurred in.

Mr. J. E. ARMSTRONG (East Lambton) moved for to introduce Bill No. 85, to amend the Railway Act. He said: The object of this Bill is to provide that all steamboat companies plying on inland waters shall be under the Railway Commission. As the House is aware, at present only o small portion of the boats on the Great Lakes and inland waters are to-day under the Railway Commission. We have expended tens of millions of dollars on our inland waters in the way of deepening rivers, building docks 65 and piers, and constructing canals in order that the steamboats plying on these waters may have every advantage. At the present time these steamboat companies are practically free to charge whatever rate or to make whatever traffic arrangements they like, and in my opinion, it is high time they were placed under the Railway Commission. Only last Thursday I heard hon. gentlemen opposite complain of combines on the Great Lakes. By having the steamboats engaged in the carrying trade placed under the Railway Commission, we shall be able to investigate any such combine. Moreover, we protect our inland waters for the purpose of giving our own boats and shipping interests practically all the traffic on these waters, and we should have some control over these boats. Not only will this Bill compel the shipping interests on our inland waters to file their traffic rates, tolls and arrangements, but it will compel any boats coming to any of our ocean ports to file their traffic rates, tolls and arrangements with the Railway Commission. If this Bill is passed, it will materially assist the commission appointed by the Department of Trade and Commerce for the purpose of investigating the ocean freight rates in coming to a definite conclusion as to what is the best thing to do in regard to controlling ocean freight rates. At the present time these boats come from foreign lands, take our produce and carry it away, without any restriction whatever or any question being asked. It is said that this Bill will materially interfere with the Marine Act, and that it will not be possible for this Parliament to put it into force; but I have consulted some of the best marine lawyers that I could find, and they have assured me that in no way will it interfere with the present Marine Act. The marine law deals only with the safety of navigation and the protection of seamen.

My intention is to ask the Government to allow this Bill to receive its second reading, and then to be sent to the committee who have at present in charge the consolidation of the Railway Act. It was useless for me to word this Bill in conformity with the old Railway Act, because that will be out of existence before the session closes. It was impossible for me to word it so as to fit it into the new Railway Act. Therefore, I ask the Government to allow this Bill to have its second reading, and that it then be sent on to the committee with instructions -from this House that the provisions included in this Bill be embodied in the Railway Act which is being consolidated by the committee. If it is true that the Saskatchewan Government appointed a commission and that this commission found that freight rates on the Great Lakes have been doubled since 1909, then if you place the shipping interests under the control of our Railway Commission, it will be up to the commission to see that these rates are placed at such a point that they will not only be fair to the producer and the -consumer but to the freight carrying trade as well. Probably it would be well, Mr. Speaker, that I should read this clause of the Bill in order that the House may be informed as to the provisions which they contain. The first clause is: 1. In this Act unless the context otherwise requires, ' steamboat ' means any vessel propelled wholly or in part by steam or by any machinery or power other than sails or oars. The second clause is as follows: 2. The provisions of the Railway Act, Revised Statutes, 1906, chapter 37, relating to accommodation for traffic, tolls, classification of freight and tariffs shall, so far as applicable, apply ' mutatis mutandis ' to all steamboat companies, steamboat owners and steamboats engaged on a regular route carrying passengers or freight or both from one port or place in Canada to another port or place in Canada, or from a port or place in Canada to a port or place out of Canada; and all traffic agreements between steamboat owners and railways and other persons and all questions of the places along the line of route where steamboats shall call for traffic and the time of call and the duration of stay shall be subject to the approval and control of the board. Clause 3 deals with an entirely different subject. It extends the powers of the- Railway Board to the control of special privileges. The Railway Commission have decided that they have notdhe power to grant certain privileges to manufacturers and individuals, such privileges as railway companies are at the present time granting. I need not go into details with reference to this matter more than to say that this provision places the right of any railway company in Canada to grant special privileges to manufacturers or individuals under the jurisdiction of the Railway Board and it gives the Railway Board the right to extend these privileges to any other manufacturer or individual. The board have decided, within the last year, that while certain privileges have been granted to certain manufacturers and individuals, they have not the power to extend those privileges to other manufacturers and individuals. This clause will definitely provide that in so far as these privileges are concerned, the board have absolute power to extend them to any manufacturer or individual. The last -clause of the Bill is for the purpose of preventing the improper handling of baggage and freight by the railway companies. Railway companies appear to be helpless when it comes to the handling of many products and particularly perishable products. The express company come into a district with their cars, the goods are taken by the men in charge of these cars, as if they were so much cordwood, or so much wood taken from a buzz saw, and fired up in the most careless and indifferent manner. We compel the fruit men in Canada to live up to the Fruit Marks Act, and we compel them to pack their goods in the most careful way. These goods are taken to the -station and there they are handled in the most careless manner. This clause is designed to afford some protection to the fruit men. If they see a man handling goods in a careless -and reckless way, the shippers are in a position to bring that man before a justice of the peace or compel him to explain why he has been conducting himself in -such a way. There is not a member of the House who has done any considerable amount of travelling but will agree with me in the statement that the careless handling of baggage in Canada has become a -serious question an-d one that must be dealt with. When the railway laws are being consolidated it is an opportune time for us to -take up these matters and have the provisions to which I have referred included in the new Bill. Those who have -travelled throughout the country must realize that baggage is handled like so much cordwood or baled hay, in a most careless and ridiculous manner. Clause 3 provides that men engaged in the handling of baggage shall be more careful and they are brought under certain restrictions provided by this Bill. Motion agreed to, and Bill read the first time.

On the Orders of the Day being called: