Mr. Speaker informed the House that he had directed the Clerk of the House -to lay upon the Table his recommendation and the Clerk's report in the matter of the appointment of Mr. Marcel Gabard to the position of Official Reporter of the Debates of the House of Commons, in place of Mr. Alphonse Desjardins, superannuated.
Mr. RICHARDSON:
May I ask, Mr. Speaker, whether this appointment dates from the beginning of next session or dates from now? One man is superannuated and you appoint another in his place.
Mr. SPEAKER:
The record speaks for itself. I think it is the 18th of May last.
Mr. J. A. CURRIE (North Simcoe) presented the first report of the special committee to consider the consolidation of the Votes and Proceedings and Journals of the House as follows: The Special Committee appointed to consider and report upon the question of consolidating the Votes and Proceedings and the journals of the House of Commons beg to report that they have not had time to give full consideration to the matter. They beg to recommend, therefore, that the details connected with the work of such consideration be worked out during the recess by the Chief Clerk of Journals, Votes and Proceedings and Orders; and that a special committee be appointed at the beginning of the next session to fully consider the matter.
Mr. H. M. MOWAT (Parkdale) presented the second report of the Select Standing Committee on Standing Orders as follows: The Select Standing Committee on Standing Orders beg leave to present the following as their second report: Tour committee has had under consideration the petition of William Louis Scott and others for an Act of incorporation under the name of the British Canadian Insurance Company-in Bill B2 of the Senate named United Canadian Insurance Company-and also the report, dated 18th May, 1918, of .the examiner of Petitions for Private Bills thereon, stating that the notice of application had only been published for three consecutive weeks in the Canada Gazette instead of five consecutive weeks as required by Buie 91. As your committee has informed itself on the matter and had explanations made and is of opinion that no interests either public or private, will be prejudicially affected by the shortage of notice in this case, it recommends that the notice, as published, be deemed sufficient.
Mr. MOWAT moved:
That the second report of the Select Standing Committee on Standing Orders be concurred in.
Mr. CLEMENTS:
Mr. Speaker, in the absence of the hon. member for Vancouver (Mr. Stevens), I beg to move:
That Bill No. 107 Letter B of the Senate intituled an Act to incorporate the British Canadian Insurance Company be placed on the Order Paper amongst private Bills for second reading this day.
Mr. SPEAKER:
The motion as submitted by the hon. member for Comox-Alberni (Mr. Clements) is not an amendment to the main motion. It would he quite competent for the House to accept the motion to concur in the report, and subsequently for the hon. member to ask the leave of the House to submit his motion. But, it is not properly an amendment to the main motion at all. The report points out that although the notice of a certain Bill had not been published for five weeks, no public interests had been prejudiced thereby, and recommends to the House that the notice, as published, be deemed sufficient.
Sir WILFRID LAURIER:
What is the, motion?
Mr. SPEAKER:
The main motion is that the second report of the Select Standing Committee on Standing Orders be concurred in and the motion, as submitted by the hon. member for Comox-Alberni, is that the Bill referred to in this report be placed on the Order Paper among private Bills for second reading this day. It is not an amendment- at all. The motion might be moved with the concurrence of the House. Of course it is1 understood that either of these motions can only be isubmitted by 'the unanimous consent of the House. I now put the motion moved by Mr. Mowat that the second report of the Select Standing Committee on Standing Orders be concurred in. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
Motion agreed to.
On the Orders of the Day:
Mr. J. H. BURNHAM (West Peterborough) :
Have the Government taken into consideration the very great desirability of having the House adjourn instead of proroguing, in order that the members may
show their genuine enthusiasm at this critical time by manifesting a desire to respond to any necessity that may arise after the Premier's return 'from Great Britain?
Mr. E. LAPOINTE:
Unanimously carried.
Sir ROBERT BORDEN:
I really cannot say that the matter has 'been under consideration at the present time, hut I will give my best attention to what my hon. friend' suggests.
Sir WILFRID LAURIER:
I did not
exactly catch the tenor of the desire of my hon. friend from Peterborough.