Mr. LAPOINTE:

I have not the figures here. I am sure that my hon. friend states the real truth.

Sir HENRY DRAYTON:

I am only saying what I was told. These are not my figures. Now will my hon. friend tell me what particular benefit he claims from France under this item and under the reductions, when France is selling merely a fraction of what Swizerland and Japan sell in this market under that item? He gives both of them the same reduction.

Mr. LAPOINTE:

This is quite another subject of discussion. I understand my hon. friend is leaving the other matter and is turning the corner.

Sir HENRY DRAYTON:

No, not at all, I am staying with the same question.

Mr. LAPOINTE No.

Sir HENRY DRAYTON:

What benefit is this treaty to France when the same reductions are given to the chief competitors of France in the market?

Mr. LAPOINTE:

France knew that, and she asked for it.

Sir HENRY DRAYTON:

I was asking my hon. friend.

Mr. LAPOINTE:

And I am answering my hon. friend.

Sir HENRY DRAYTON:

He tells us that France knew, but I am asking for my hon. friend's answer.

Mr. LAPOINTE:

We were looking for the benefit of Canada, rather than for the benefit of France. The hon. member should ask France that question.

Sir HENRY DRAYTON:

I am very glad to have that statement from my hon. friend.

French Treaty

I hope he will remember that, and that it will not be charged, as has already been hinted, that this is a factious opposition by the party on this side of the House to the interests of France.

Mr. LAPOINTE:

I never said that.

Sir HENRY DRAYTON:

That being so, will he tell me on what ground he bases his belief that it is a good thing to have a lower rate of taxation on an article of luxury such as silks, and how Canada is helped by it?

Mr. LAPOINTE:

I will not say that. I have given my argument on that yesterday. He is not asking a fact, but he wants me to discuss the principle now.

Sir HENRY DRAYTON:

Now, Mr. Chairman, what did we have yesterday? We had one of my hon. friend's eloquent orations, very well done, as he was running true to form he got us back to that old joke of his about the Bourbons, and it is a good joke, but he has given us that joke twenty times.

Mr. LAPOINTE:

But it still has an application to the question.

Sir HENRY DRAYTON:

He also paid

compliments, and we were glad to have them. But he said just a moment ago that in connection with the item of silks, he was considering the interest of Canada and not that of France. We have got that far. I ask him: Considering the interest of Canada, on what ground does he think it is a good thing to reduce taxation on luxuries such as silks?

Mr. LAPOINTE:

The provision respecting silk is a benefit to Canada on the ground that to obtain concessions, we have to make concessions.

Sir HENRY DRAYTON:

Let us see just

where we are. This item, as my hon. friend said just a moment ago, was not considered for the benefit of France. Now he says that this item was not considered for the benefit of Canada. How was it considered?

Mr. LAPOINTE:

My hon. friend of

course, wants to go into a cross-examining duel between himself and me. I do not think that is of much interest to the other hon. members. I told my hon. friend that this question of silk arose between himself and me because he had stated that the duty on silk had been reduced to 20 per cent, and I said that only ten per cent of the silk imported into this country was reduced to 20 per cent.