Mr. J. S. WOODSWORTH (Winipeg North Centre):

I should like to ask whether in the reorganization of the Civil Service Commission the government proposes to carry out declared Liberal principles and appoint at least one member from the body of civil servants.

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

I think I can assure my hon. friend that the government will act on Liberal principles in its appointments but the question of who will be appointed has not yet been determined. The matter is under consideration.

Sir GEORGE PERLEY (Argenteuil):

Last week when the Prime Minister was telling us from whom the government had sought expert advice before deciding on the reduction of duties on automobiles I asked whether the papers and documents connected with such consultation and advice would be brought down. The Prime Minister as re-

Automobile Duties

311?

ported on page 2917 of Hansard, in replying to this question, stated that he would leave to the Minister of Finance the decision on that point. I would like to ask the Minister of Finance whether he would bring down these papers and lay them On the table of the House.

Hon. J. A. ROBB (Minister of Finance):

No person knows better than my hon. friend, who himself once held a position as a responsible minister, that from time to time the government receives information which it must necessarily consider confidential. It is right, I think, that this should be so because it is not fair to reveal all that we have. There would be no objection to bringing down any information that is not of a confidential nature. The question raised by my hon. friend is a fair one and opens out a rather wide field. If I may be permitted I would observe that during the debate I have been accused of making certain changes because of sentiment in the country. May I remind my right hon. friend (Mr. Meighen) and the House that the sentiment has not been confined to one side. Last year there was a debate in this House and a vote on the question of automobile duties, and I see from Hansard-

Mr. MiEIGHEN: Is the budget debate on?

Mr. ROBB:

No, but I am answering the question that has been asked.

Mr. MEIGHEN:

What the minister says

has no relation to the question.

Mr. ROBB:

I am within the ruling of the Chair. I observe, I say, that six members supporting my right hon. friend, voted for a reduction in these duties. Among the six was one gentleman who is now premier of his province, New Brunswick. The others were the hon. member for Kent, N.B. (Mr. Doucet), the hon. member for York, the hon. member for South Oxford (Mr. Sutherland), the hon. member for Kingston (Mr. Ross) and the hon. member for Royal (Mr. Jones).

Mr. MACLEAN (York):

Which York is the minister referring to?

Mr. MiEIGHEN: Is the minister in order in making his budget speech on this occasion? The question asked was whether the government would lay on the table the expert opinions and data with which it said it was armed.

Mr. ROBB:

I was proceeding to say that I should have no objection to laying upon the table such information as might properly be brought down. I notice, too, that the chief

whip of the Conservative party (Mr. Boys), who is not in his seat at the moment, speaking at Barrie, is reported:

Protected manufacturers do not raise prices to correspond with foreign-made goods which pay duty. He quoted wholesale prices of auto tires in Canada and the United States, showing certain tires to be- somewhat cheaper in Canada. . . . He believed the tariff had been abused by motor car manufacturers and declared himself in favour of lowering the duty on autos.

I am willing to put this information on the table.

Mr. ROSS (Kingston):

Did my vote last year influence the minister? If it did, I was going to say that it was his speech at that time that caused me to change my opinion.

Mr. MEIGHEN:

We are to take it from the government, I assume, that the Minister of Finance has now given us all the expert data that he had.

Mr. ROBB:

I made it clear that there

would be no objection to bringing down such information as was not confidential, but certain information given to the government from time to time must be regarded as confidential.

Mr. MEIGHEN:

Are we to take it that everything, that is not confidential is down?

Mr. A. J. DOUCET (Kent, N.B.):

I would ask the Minister of Finance (Mr. Robb), inasmuch as he has made a second budget speech in which he mentions my name,-

Order.

Mr. DOUCET:

-whether at the time the discussion to which he refers took place last year, a tariff board had been appointed?

Order.