Mr. HAZEN moved for leave to introduce Bill No. 81, to amend the Canada Shipping Act.
He said: This Bill proposes to repeal sections 442, 443 and 444 of the Canada Shipping Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1906, chapter 113, and to substitute two sections in lieu thereof. By the provisions of the Act, chapter 48 of the Statute of 1914, all powers with respect to pilots and apprentices, formerly vested in the Quebec Pilots Corporation, become vested in the Minister of Marine and Fisheries. It will therefore be seen that section 442 is no longer operative for the same reason. All the powers with respect to pilots in the Quebec district are now vested in the minister, and the only portion of section 443 as it stands at present that it is necessary to retain is the portion defining the number of pilots in the district. The effect of section 444 as it stands at present is that if the period1 of apprenticeship of an apprentice is interrupted for a longer period than four months, no matter for what cause, illness or any other cause over which the apprentice can have no control, even although the interruption may be in no way due to any fault of his own, it is not possible for the apprentice -to complete his term and obtain his license. The term of an apprentice is seven years, certain voyages and conditions being required during that period. An apprentice may be incapacitated in the sixth year of his ser-
vice for a longer period than four months, and it certainly would be an injustice for such an apprentice to be unable to complete his term of service after having served six years, if the interruption was due to a cause not his own fault. It is proposed by . the Bill under consideration to enable apprentices whose period of service may, for legitimate reasons, be interrupted, to make up for such time as has been lost, provided, of course, they, are in every other respect found suitable for appointment and that before a license is issued the full period of seven years apprenticeship has been filled.
Motion agreed to, and Bill read the first time.