Sir ROBERT BORDEN moved:

That the recommendations of the Hon. the Speaker, laid on the table of the House on

the 15th and 20 th instant, respectively, relating to increases in salary to certain clerks and employees of the House, under the provisions of the Civil Service Amendment Act, 1917, be approved.

Mr. SPEAKER:

Questions Nos. 4 and 9, standing in the name of the hon. member for Laprairie-Napierville (Mr. Lanctot), contain allegations as to fact and innuendoes, which, it seems to me, are not in proper keeping with the spirit in which questions are to be asked. I would, therefore, ask the hon. member to recast his questions in a way to conform to the spirit of the rule with regard to questions.

Questions allowed to stand.

1. Was a steamer or motor boat, called the Scout, purchased by the Government of Canada from any person or persons at Halifax, N.S.?

2. If so, from whom, when was she purchased, and what was the price paid therefor?

Sir ROBERT BORDEN:

Will the hon. gentleman (Mr. A. K. Maclean) give an idea as to what department of Government this question relates?

Mr. A. K. MACLEAN:

The Naval Department, I should think.

Mr. HAZEN:

I called the attention of the deputy minister of Naval Affairs to the question this morning, and he said that it could not relate to that department.

Mr. A. K. MACLEAN:

We will let the question stand, and when I ascertain by what department it was purchased I will write a letter to the head of that department.

Question allowed to stand.

Mr. LEMIEUX:

I notice in the Supplementary Estimates that there is an amount of $3,667,745 in connection with the Quebec and Saguenay Railway and other companies. On two different occasions I asked my hon. friend the Minister of Railways and Canals (Mr. Cochrane) if he would introduce, as was stated and rumoured, any implementing legislation with regard to the purchase of the Quebec and Saguenay Railway or with regard to construction. He an-

swered in the affirmative. I would like to know from him, or from the Prime Minister, if his answer is in the Supplementary Estimates in the form of a re-vote or does he propose to introduce any implementing legislation?

Mr. COCHRANE:

It is in the Supplementary Estimates in the form of a re-vote.

Mr. LEMIEUX:

And there will be no implementing legislation?

Mr. COCHRANE:

No.

Sir THOMAS WHITE:

Mr. Chairman, when this Bill was under consideration in the committee recently, I was asked certain questions relating to the cost of construction of the Mount Royal tunnel and terminal, in regard to the programme of construction work in the province of Saskatchewan and in reference to the shareholders of the Canadian Northern Railway Company. I have obtained that information for the House and I now beg to place it on Hansard. With regard to the Mount Royal Tunnel and Terminal Company, Limited, I have a statement of the estimated cost of construction, the estimated expenditure to April 30, 1917, and the balance required to complete as at April 30, 1917. The statement is as follows:

Mount Royal Tunnel and Terminal Company, Limited.

Statement of Estimated Cost of Construction Expenditure to April 30, 1917, and Balance required to Complete as at April 30, 1917.

Classification.

Tunnel

Terminal

Mount Royal Station

Electrification

Branch railway (from West Portal to Junction

with C.N.O, Ry.)

Engineering and Contingencies

Real Estate and Taxes

Property damage, etc

Interest

Less proceeds from sale of stone and equipment

Total

Estimated

Cost.

$ 512,254.00

10,401,361.09

59,889,107.09

Expenditures to April 30, 1917.

Cost to Complete.

Note.-In addition to the above:

(a) The has been expended on right of way for connection with harbour, 1,316,806.41.

(b) There are deferred payments amounting to $174,828.50 on property acquired for extension of present terminal.

With regard to land damages, the hon. member for Russell (Mr. Murphy) asked a question and I have here a memorandum prepared by the solicitor of the company to this effect:

Regarding land damages arising out of the construction of the tunnel, the situation is that at the present time outstanding claims for damages to the amount of about $50,000 are in the course of adjustment. All the land which the company has to obtain for the present terminal and the right of way has been acquired and paid for in full. Easements through the mountain have not in many cases yet been adjusted, the company claiming that owing to the distance from the surface practically no damage will be sustained. These claims are standing

over by agreement until one year after the operation of the tunnel.

(Sgd.) Gerard Ruel.

A question was asked by the hon. member for Moosejaw (Mr. Knowles) with reference to the programme of construction in Saskatchewan, as to which I have obtained a letter from an official of the company.

Toronto, August 21st, 1917. Hon. Sir Thomas White,

Minister of Finance,

Ottawa, Ont.

Dear Sir:-

With reference to the inqu'ry of Mt. Knowles regarding programme of construction work (Hansard, page 4818), the information asked for is as follows:-

T$te amount at credit of Trust Account Treasurer, Province of Saskatchewan, in respect of construction of branch lines is $1,202,825.24. This is held in respect of the extension of branch lines in the province of Saskatchewan, including the lines from Gravelbourg westerly, Vonda north easterly and Bengough westerly. The reason why these lines have not been proceeded with is that it is impossible to obtain rails except in very limited quantity and at unreasonably high prices. For this reason the company decided after the outbreak of the war to defer as far as possible the construction of further branch lines till normal conditions were resumed. There have been several exceptions v/here the conditions of transportation were specially acute. These included the following lines; Elrose Extension West of Eston, Thun-derhill Extension West of Preeceville, St. Paul de Metis Line.

With respect to the two lines specially referred to by Mr. Knowles; the first line, Bengough West, has been deferred ; the second line, South from Kindersley (Elrose Extension), is included in the present construction programme.

Yours truly,

A. J. Mitchell, Assistant to Vice-President.

I was asked to obtain a list of the shareholders of record in the stock register of the Canadian Northern Company. I have here a certified statement under the seal of the company as follows:

The undersigned Assistant Secretary of The Canadian Northern Railway Company hereby certifies that the holders of shares in the oapital stock of the said company as of this 'date, namely: June 30th, 1917, are as follows:-

The minister of Finance and Receiver-General of Canada, in trust, for His Majesty.. . .$ 40,000,000 00

Sir William Mackenzie

10,000 00Sir Donald Mann

10,000 00Mr. D. B. Hanna

10,000 00Mr. E. R. Wood

10,000 00Mr. R. J. Mackenzie

10,000 00Mr. Z. A. Lash

2,000 00Hon. F. Nicholls

2,000 00Mr. R. M. Horne-Payne

2,000 00Hon. H. W. Richardson

2,000 00Mr. W. J. Christie

2,000 00Mr W. K. George

2,000 00The British Empire Trust Company, Ltd

324,000 00

John Aird and H. V. F. Jones,

in trust 1,000,000 00

Mackenzie, Mann & Company,

Limited 58,614,000 00

R. P. Ormsby, Assistant Secretary.

This is the record of shareholders as on June 30th. The secretary informs me there have been no changes since, and, indeed, no changes for a year before, except that certain shares were transferred to the names oi directors in order to qualify them. I think I should point out that, so far as concerns the Government directors, Mr. W. K.

George, Mr. W. J. Christie and the Hon. H. W. Richardson, I understand, have no personal interest in the shares which were transferred to them to qualify them as directors of the company.

It is also fair to say that I have received a letter from Mr. E. R. Wood, referring to a debate here last week, in which he states that, apart from the qualification shares transferred to him, he has no interest, directly or indirectly, in the Canadian Northern Railway Company.

With reference to the holding of Mackenzie, Mann and Company, Limited, of $58,000,000 of par value, I have this letter from tbe secretary of Mackenzie, Mann and Company, Limited:

Mackenzie, Mann & Co., Limited, Toronto, August, 21, 1917.

Hon. Sir Thomas White,

Minister of Finance,

Ottawa, Ont.

Dear Sir:-

With respect to the $58,614,000 of stock of the Canadian Northern Railway Company standing in the name of Mackenzie, Mann & Company, Limited, $51,000,000 is wholly the property of Mackenzie, Mann & Company; Limited; $2,000,000 is held in trust for certain officers and employees of long standing in the company; $1,600,000 is deposited with the province of British Columbia; and the balance, namely $4,014,000, is held by Mac-' kenzie, Mann & Co., Limited, pending uncompleted financial arrangements for distribution of same amongst Mackenzie, Mann & Company, Limited, Lazard Bros., London, England, and British Empire Trust Company, London, England.

Yours truly,

R. A. Macdonald, Pro Secretary.

Those are the official statements of the holdings of the stock of the Canadian Northern Railway Company. So far as I am aware, that is all the information I was asked for by hon. gentlemen opposite in connection with this Bill.