Mr. ROBERT GARDINER (Medicine Hat):

I would like to ask the Prime Minister whether he intends to take the House into his confidence with regard to the question of the bonus to civil servants. I understand that on the last pay day the civil servants did not receive their bonus. I would be much obliged if the Prime Minister could give us any information on the subject.

Hon. W. L. MACKENZIE KING (Prime Minister) :

The matter of the bonus to civil servants is still under consideration; the Government has not reached a final decision on it. The House will be informed in due course.

The House again in Committee of Supply, Mr. Gordon in the Chair.

Public Works-Ontario-public buildings- improvements, repairs, etc., $349,200.

The CHAIRMAN:

This item was allowed to stand yesterday.

Hon. J. H. KING (East Kootenay, Minister of Public Works):

The hon. member for Lincoln (Mr. Chaplin) inquired yesterday with regard to St. Catharines. In 1919-20 an appropriation of $28,000 was voted for an addition to the public building in that city, but was allowed to lapse. An appropriation of $34,000 was included in the estimates for 1920-21, but after it had been given some consideration it was dropped, and since then it has not been further considered. In reply to the hon. member for Hamilton (Mr. Stewart), I beg to table the correspondence with regard to public property and public building sites in Hamilton. The hon. member for South Wellington (Mr. Guthrie) asked that a statement be given with regard to the ap-

Supply-Public Works

propriations amounting to $707,867 not required for 1922-23 and which were included in the estimates for 1921-22. I now wish to give them in detail, as follows:

Appr. Expenditure

Alexandria-To recon-

truct public building destroyed by Are.. . . $ 32,000 $ 965 17

Barrie-Post Office-im-

provements Collingwood - Public 1,600 1,797 07

building - improve- 2,600

HamiUton Post Office

-improvements. . . . 8,000

Hamilton-Postal Sta-

tion "B"

Kingston K.M.C.-En- 5,000 2,820 46largement of educational block 62,500 60,367 00Leamington - Public building - fittings. . Leamington - Govern- 1,000 880 60ment's share of local improvements 1,131 1,282 21Lindsay-Post Office- fittings

London-Carling Block 3,500 3,494 84-repairs

Ottawa-Addition to S. 4,000 2,074 00C.R. Buliding on Vit-toria St., alterations to Daly Bldg, and moving expenses.. .. 25,000 12,765 12Ottawa-Pitting up test- ing laboratory in West Block 2,000 1,811 38Ottawa - Departmental

buildings

'heating plant equipment. . . . 8,500 2,680 83

Ottawa - Repairs t o

Langevin Block.. .. Ottawa-Office accom- 2,000 853 48modation for Chief Electoral Officer.. .. 15,000 11,670 77Ottawa-Partial recon- struotion of ore dress- ing plant destroyed by fire 2,500 1,256 00Ottawa - Parliament Library - alterations for stock room. . .. 13,000 9,168 08Ottawa - Post Office- improvements

Ottawa - Repairs to 10,000 10,052 18Wellington St. pavement 62,000 57,792 1 53Ottawa-Royal Mint- 1 improvements

Ottawa-Royal Mint- 7,000 | \ 15,093 87new boilers

Ottawa - Victoria Me- 9,000 J moriail Museum - restoration 5,500 4,686 45Pembroke-Public building-tower clock.. . . Port Arthur - Govern- 3,200 2,115 46ment's share of cost of locail improvements 10,084 10,084 01Sault Ste. Marie-Pub- lie building-repairs and improvements. . . 5,000 600 00St. Thomas - Public building - improvements 1,000 712 70HN o 00 Appr. Expenditure Toronto - Dom i n i o n buildings-repairs, etc 32,500 32,284 96Toronto - Postal Station "A"-To complete 350,000 129,751 37Toronto - Postal Station "A"-Tractors .. 10,000 8,000 00Toronto - Post Oifice- alterations 6,000 4,650 75Toronto-St. Andrew's College - Government's share of cost of locail improvements 4,252 Walkerton - Public building - ele c t r i c wiring 2,000 29 40Total

$707,867 $390,774 69

Mr. GUTHRIE:

What did the minister

say was the total?

Mr. KING (Kootenay) :

The total appropriation was $707,867, and the expenditure $390,774.69.

Mr. MEIGHEN:

Does the minister not

realize that that is very substantially different from the figure he gave last night?

Mr. KING (Kootenay):

No different.

Mr. MEIGHEN:

Oh, yes. The minister last night stated the expenditure was some $700,000 odd. That is what it sounded like across here, although we have some difficulty in hearing.

Mr. ANDERSON:

Can the minister now state the policy of his department with reference to the revote for the post office at St. Catharines?

Mr. KING (Kootenay):

Perhaps the

hon. member was not in his seat, but I have already stated that no consideration has been given to that expenditure this year.

Mr. ANDERSON:

What is the policy of the department with regard to revotes for other places?

Mr. KING (Kootenay):

That is open

for consideration each year. It does not necessarily follow .that because the revote has not been used, it should appear in the estimates next session.

Sir HENRY DRAYTON:

Has the minister considered the question of a post office at Weston? The minister knows that the public have no proper accommodation there^ The very small quarters are shamefully overcrowded, the congestion is tremendous. Three rural mail routes come in, and there are no proper conveniences for them. I understand that the department have requested insistently that something be done. Has the minister considered the matter?

Supply-Public Works

Mr. KING (Kootenay):

Representations have been made, but we are not considering new construction this year.