Sir GEORGE FOSTER:

We have followed the practice for a number of years of giving an estimate of the population based upon the Tesults of the preceding decennial census and the immigration figures. This year, we have not attempted an estimate; because the immigration has fallen to a minimum and large numbers of our people have gome out of the country, as we all know, engaged in the war. This has rendered impossible an estimate upon the bases we used before. The quinquennial census in the Western Provinces will be taken this June, and after the results of this are known, it will be possible to make a pretty close estimate of the present population of Canada.

1. (a) Have the Transcona Railway Shops been leased to any individual or company? (b) If so, to whom?

2. If to a company, who are the directors of said company?

3. For what purpose were they leased?

4. What is the rate of rental?

5. What are the other terms of the lease ?

6. What amount has been received by the Government on account of rental up to date?

1. (a) That portion not required at present in connection with railway operation, being about one-twentieth of the floor space, comprising the frog shop, and the south bay of the freight car shop, at Transcona, in the province of Manitoba, (b) To the Transcona Shell Company, Limited.

2. The department has no information as to the directors, but the lease was executed by G. R. Drenon, president, and W. A. Petrie, secretary.

3. For the manufacture of shells.

4. The Company to pay $6,780 per annum' and insurance premium on $113,000, and as rental for any of the machines which maybe used, an annual sum estimated as 20 per cent of the cost of such machines. No machines are to be used without the approval of the general manager.

5. Answered by No. 4.

6. $6,780.

Mr. GRAHAM:

Does the Department of Railways and' Canals intend making any reply to the report of Mr. Anderson, of the Department of Marine re the Hudson Bay Railway project?

Mr. COCHRANE:

No reply is contemplated. Our Chief Engineer, Mr. W. A.

Bowden, in a memo, to the Minister of Railways and Canals, reports as follows:

Mr. Anderson has presumably reported upon conditions as he found them. His work as a hydrographic surveyor naturally took him into bays and inlets where conditions would be quite different from those obtaining on the main steamship lines.

Owing to this circumstance, Mr. Anderson's recently published report contains 'very little information, apart from the rectification of charts, having any bearing upon the navigation of the Hudson Bay route.

Thus in the beginning of the season it appears that Mr. Anderson's work took him into the neighbourhood of Cape Chidley and the Button islands and Port Burwell, on the south side of the eastern entrance. It is well known to all navigators of experience in these waters that in the early season the strait should be entered on the north side, which is usually clear of ice several weeks earlier than the Button island region. This was confirmed by the passage into the strait on August 4 of six vessels operated by the Department of Railways and Canals, five of which were of light construction without ice strengthening of any kind, on which daty Mr. Anderson, in the ice breaker Acadia, was still ice-bound.

Mr. Anderson appears to have been equally unfortunate towards the close of the navigation season, when, on October 13, he encountered the " closely-packed extremely heavy Fox channel ice," which forced the ice breaker Acadia to heave to, and was, he states, such as would cause serious trouble to any ordinary freight steamer. The vessels operated by the Department of Railways and Canals were more fortunate.

The ss. Durley Chine, outward bound, was off the western entrance of the strait on the night of October 10. She cleared the eastern end on the morning of October 13. Steamship Bellaventure, inward bound, was off the eastern entrance of the strait on the evening of October 9 ; she cleared the western entrance shortly after noon on October 12. Steamships Sheba and Bellaventure, outward bound, arrived off the western entrance on the afternoon of October 22, and cleared the eastern end in the early afternoon of October 25.

The Durley Chine and the Sheba are single deck cargo vessels, without any beams or ice strengthening whatever, and they suffered no injury. The time of transit includes, of course, all delays from ice, gales, fog, and snowstorms referred to by Mr. Anderson, as well as running time, and proves that these delays were negligible.

It would seem that Mr. Anderson's report has been found susceptible of perversion by prejudiced readers, who, by abstracting isolated paragraphs, are enabled to draw inferences quite at variance with his deliberately prepared expressions of opinion.

Just previous to starting upon his last voyage to Hudson strait, Mr. Anderson was engaged upon the preparation of a Supplement relating to the Hudson Bay and Strait to the Arctic Pilot, a work published by the Admiralty as a guide to mariners. In this work he expresses as his mature conclusion, from information acquired during several seasons' work in Hudson bay and strait, and the consideration of the reports of others covering a great many years, that 'there is sufficient information on hand

now to decide upon the period during which Hudson bay and strait can be navigated with comparative safety,' and concludes that 'the period during which properly constructed vessels could enter Hudson strait with comparative safety may be taken to extend from July 15 to November 15, with a slight extension at either end according to the season.'

It can hardly be supposed that Mr. Anderson would abandon this deliberately expressed opinion on account of difficulties experienced by him on Purvey areas during a single season. More especially would this be surprising since in that same season thirty-seven passages through the strait were made by vessels operated by the various departments of the Government, besides a number of other vessels, without any of them sustaining serious injury.

I think it is most unfair to Mr. Anderson that his report of his season's work during 1914 should have been subjected to such perversion.

1. Has the site 'of Prince George, B.C., railway station, as recommended by Mr. D'Arcy Scott, the Chairman of the Railway Commission, been confirmed?

2. Has any application been made to the Dominion Government to change the site of the station, as settled by the Railway Commission?

3. If so, has the Government come to any conclusion respecting such application?

1. This order requires no confirmation. It has not been carried out by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company, and at the instance of the property holders interested, and so that it may be enforced as a court order, the order of the Railway Commission has been made a rule or order of the Exchequer Court.

2. Yes. By petition to the Governor in Council by the corporation of the city of Prince George, B.C.

3. No.

1. Is the Government aware that the cable companies operating the lines between Canada and the Mother Country, as also the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company operating between Canada and Ireland, have cancelled or suspended their deterred rates and weelc-end letters, thereby imposing an extra ^burden upon Canadian citizens who have sons at the tront or in England, and who may desire to communicate with them by telegraph?

2. Has the Board of Railway Commissioners authority over Atlantic or wireless rates?

3. If so, will the Government move the Board of Railway Commissioners to compel the cable and wireless companies to restore deferred and week-end letter rates?

Sir GEORGE FOSTER:

The Prime

Minister stated yesterday that information had been asked for with reference to that

matter from London, but that it had not yet arrived.

1. Has the Government received a request from the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba for an amendment to existing laws, which would prohibit the importation and manufacture of intoxicating liquor in provinces where prohibition has been brought into effect?

2. If so, is it the intention of the Government to act on this request?

Sir GEORGE FOSTER:

I think it may be stated that the Government has received no request from the proyinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba for an amendment of the existing law.

1. Of what nationality is Mr. Devenish, the new superintendent of the Mont-Joli, Campbell-ton, Moncton division of the Intercolonial railway?

2. Is he naturalized? If so, when and where?

3. Is the minister aware that the great majority of the people on that division are French Canadians?

4. If so, is it his intention to replace the said Devenish by a French-Canadian employee of the Intercolonial railway competent to perform the duties?

5. What reply did the minister make to Mr. H. Boulay, M.P., when the latter opposed the appointment of the said Devenish?

6. Is this Devenish the same person who held the position of secretary to . Mr. Gutelius on the National Transcontinental Commission?

7. What amount did he then receive in his capacity of secretary to the said commission?

1. Irish.

2. Always a British subject.

3. No. Superintendent Devenish's division includes 290 miles of main line, only 92 of which are in Quebec; also 362 miles of branch lines-Canada Eastern, International, and St. John Valley road-none of which are in Quebec.

4. Should the position become vacant, capable French Canadian employees will be ' considered in making appointment.

5. No information in the department.

6. Yes.

7. $2,400 per annum.