Mr. PAUL MERCIER (Westmount-St. Henri):
Mr. Speaker, I desire to present a
Questions
petition from the officials and members of the Melville Presbyterian church, Montreal, in opposition to the Church Union bill.
Hon. T. A. LOW (Minister of Trade and Commerce):
I desire to present a petition of members and adherents of St. Andrew's Presbyterian church of the town of Renfrew in opposition to the Church Union bill now before the House; also a petition signed by officers of the Arnprior branch of the Presbyterian Women's League, in opposition to the Church Union bill; also a petition of the members and adherents of St. Andrew's Presbyterian church, Arnprior, in opposition to the Church Union bill.
Mr. HERBERT MARLER (St. Lawrence-St. George):
I desire to present three petitions against the Church Union bill: first, of communicants of Knox Crescent Presbyterian church, Montreal; second, from the church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, Montreal, and third, from certain members of the First Presbyterian church of Montreal.
Mr. MATTHEW R. DUNCAN (North Grey): Mr. Speaker, in reference to the petition that I presented on April 9 against the proposed Church Union bill, I would like to correct the wording of Hansard of that date. What I intended to say was that I desired to present the petition of certain Presbyterians of the Owen Sound Presbytery opposing the United Church of Canada bill.
Mr. SPEAKER:
The Clerk of the House calls my attention to the fact that many of these petitions are not in order in that they are not properly headed. There is a special heading for each petition sent to the House of Commons, and when an hon. member receives a petition without this formality he had better consult the Clerk of the House with a view to having it put in correct form.
Mr. EDWARD N. HOPKINS (Moose Jaw): Mr. Speaker, I desire to present a petition of residents of the province of Saskatchewan, depositors of the Home Bank of Canada, requesting that the government take whatever action is necessary to ensure the depositors of full payment of all their deposits.
Right Hon. W. L. MACKENZIE KING (Prime Minister):
I beg to move, seconded by Right Hon. Arthur Meighen (Leader of the Opposition):
That the addresses delivered to-day by Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Arthur Meighen, Robert Forke, Esquire, the Honourable E.
M. Macdonald, and P. Lacombe Hatfield, Esquire, on the occasion of the unveiling of the tablet to the memory of the late Bowman Brown Law, M.P., be printed in Hansard as a supplement to the proceedings of this day.
Motion agreed to.
(Questions answered orally are indicated by an asterisk.) HOTEL SCRIBE Sir HENRY DRAYTON: 1. What was the total amount paid by or on account of the Canadian National Railways for and in connection with the Hotel Scribe, Paris? 2. Was the said amount paid out of the cash receipts of the National Railways? If not, how was the purchase financed and at what rate of interest ? 3. What is the name of the company now nominally owning the Hotel Scribe and who are the directors? 4. What is the total amount of taxes paid or payable in respect of the said hotel for the year 1923?
1. Respecting the report of the Malcolm Committee on the civil service, tabled last session, what action has been taken by the government?
2. Was it referred to the Board of Audit?
3. Has this board met?
4. If so, does it still meet?
5. Is the press report correct, to the effect that the newr Auditor General declined to act in conjunction with the other members of the board?
1. Announcement has been made as to the government's action with reference to the matter of civil service bonus, salary revision and superannuation measure.
2. Not specifically. The report of the committee is a public document, available for the information of any body dealing with civil service matters.
3. Yes.
4. Yes
5. No.
1. Do the reductions in freight rates that are to go into effect in the Maritime provinces on April 14, apply to both class and commodity rates, or to class rates only?
2. How much freight was moved last year within the region to which these reductions apply?
3. How much was moved on class, and how much on commodity rates?
4. On the basis of the freight movement in 1923, what is the estimated saving in freight charges this year under the reductions ?
1. Class rates only.
2. It is not possible, without making a detailed check of every shipment handled, to give any definite figures as to the volume of freight which was moved during the year 1923 on which the reduced basis will apply.
3. It is not possible, without making a detailed check of every shipment handled, to
' say how much was moved on class rates and how much on commodity rates.
4. An estimate, based on general knowledge of the situation, is approximately 10 per cent.