Mr. CHAPLIN:

The Minister of Railways (Mr. Crerar) can stand for that too.

Mr. BENNETT:

I am coming to that too. And the Minister of Railways sits cheek by jowl now with him without thinking of resignation, although he was not asked to undergo any such great offence to his reason and intelligence on a former occasion in 1919 as he now is. He accepts it all and glories in it. Oh, well, those who have read Pilgrim's Progress may still have hope for him.

Now, sir, there are several hundred items dealing with iron and steel. I saw some alloys of steel being made last year at the Soo, and the men there told me that those alloys could not possibly be produced in open competition with the plants engaging in mass production in the United States. I assumed that that argument influenced the government as it did me, and that the 5 per cent surtax placed on

The Budget-Mr. Bennett

alloy steel will enable the Soo people to carry on their business. I read in the paper the day before yesterday that the great United States Steel Corporation would probably open a mill at Ojibway, across the river from Detroit, by reason of this tariff, and that at the Soo probably' a new mill would be erected for rolling structural and angle steel. How splendid a prospect 1 But I want to ask the government what they have been doing the last nine years that they did not do it in 1922? If this surtax will bring a new steel mill to Ojibway and another to the Soo. giving employment to Canadian working men, to be fed by Canadian farmers, where was the government nine years ago; why did it not do then what it has done now? That is the question the Canadian people are asking, those who had to seek employment elsewhere, those who had to leave Canada. I found at the Soo mills a man from Nova Scotia. He said to me: " I am back here to work in Canada. I have been working during the last two years in steel mills in Pittsburgh, making commodities to send to Canada. I am here now. but I don't know how long I can stay here under the conditions that now exist.'' I hope this customs tariff makes it possible for him to remain in Canada. But I should like to ask the government, what do they think of the responsibility that, is theirs for not doing what would have brought us a new mill at Ojibway and another at the Soo any time during the last nine years? Go and tell your constituents that, have had to seek a livelihood elsewhere than in their own country that but for the supine indifference of your government they would have had employment at home any time during the last nine years.

With relation to the iron and steel industry in all its complicated schedules. I have only this further to say. In committee we will have the fullest opportunity to hear explanations with respect to every item, the relation of one item to another, and the revenues that may be expected from the application of the tariff in the particular way indicated. It would be a waste of the time of this house for me to endeavour to go over these items in detail. It suffices to say that a large number of the items which appear to be free when coming from Great Britain under the British preference are items that never have been imported from any part of the British Empire. I think it well to place upon Hansard a fair statement with respect to the situation. Let, us look, first of all, as to wbat is involved in the British preference. Let us see exactly what it means. There are some hon. members in this house who think that fMr. 'RpnnHt.l

when the words "British preference" appear, they mean Great Britain, and Great Britain only. Well, let us remove that, illusion from their minds. I have taken the trouble to secure from t.he government a statement of the countries to which these British preferential tariffs apply. Let, me give them to the house:

(a) the United Kingdom;

(b) the British colony of Bermuda;

(c) the British colonies commonly called the British West Indies, including the following.- the Bahamas;

Jamaica;

Turks and Caicos islands;

the Leeward islands (Antigua, St. Cihri?-topher-Nevis, Dominica, Montserrat, and the Virgin islands);

the Windward islands (Grenada. St. Vincent and St. Lucia);

Barbadoes;

Trinidad and Tobago;

(d) British Guiana;

(e) British India;

(f) Ceylon;

(g) Straits Settlements;

(h) New Zealand;

(i) Union of South Africa;

(j) Southern Bbodesia;

(k) any other British colony or possession admitted to the benefits of the British preferential tariff in Canada, in the manner hereinafter provided;

Provided, however, that goods entitled to the benefits of the British preferential tariff shall be accorded such benefits when such goods are shipped on a through bill of lading consigned to a consignee in a specified port in Canada when such goods are transferred at a port of a British colony or possession not enjoying the benefits of the British preferential tariff, and conveyed without further transhipment into a sea or river port of Canada.

Extension of preferential tariff to other British countries as follows;

Swaziland,

Basutoland.

Bechuanaland Protectorate.

Northern Bhodesia,

Nyasaland Protectorate.

Uganda Protectorate,

East Africa Protectorate,

Protectorate of Northern Nigeria.

Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria, Gold Coast.

Sierra Leone.

Gambia,

Somaliland Protectorate,

Federated Malay States.

British North Borneo.

Sarawak.

Brunei,

Mauritius and dependencies thereof. Seychelles,

St. Helena.

Ascension,

Friendly or Tonga islands.

Fiji,

Falkland islands.

British Honduran.

In effect on and after 1st February. 1913. Order in council, 25th January. 1913. Memo. 17] 1B.

The Budget-Mr. Bennett

Australia, with respect to sugar enumerated in tariff item 134. Effective October 1, 1925. Memo. 61.

Irish Free State-Effective on and after October 1, 1923. Order in council, September 21, 1923. Circular 278-C.

Territory of Western Samoa-Effective October 1, 1924. Order in council, October 1, 1924. Circular 362-C.

Newfoundland-Effective June 30, 1928. Order in council, June 26, 1928. Memo. 94.

So it would appear that under the British preference practically the whole of the British Empire is included so far as tariff matters are concerned.

Hear, hear.

Mr. BENNETT:

Certainly. It may also

be said that it does not apply to some communities with which treaties are outstanding where those treaties are at variance with the provisions of the British preference. So that on the British preference items we have a very large number of countries affected. I took the trouble to endeavour to ascertain just what it meant with respect to goods that might be imported thereunder. Now, bearing in mind what the hon. minister said the other day as to the quantity of goods to which the British preference applied, just let me read what our importations have been of these items during the past year. To show what an illusory thing it is, to show you how deceptive it is, and to show how loud-sounding it is and how little there is in it-

And how dishonest it is.

Mr. BENNETT:

I shall read the following information as to the value of goods purchased from empire sources on which the preferential duty is altered in the budget of 1930:

Animals, live-

Cattle None

Hogs None

Horses None

S'heep None

Meats (fresh) n.o.p.-

United Kingdom $ 29,246

Australia 159.250

New Zealand 178,883

Meats (canned) -

United Kingdom 54,566

Australia None

New Zealand 27,594

Extracts of beef

126,997Meats, pork in barrel

NoneTallow

NoneBeeswax

2,010Eggs, in shell

98Eggs, n.o.p

989Eggs, albumen, egg yolk

1,658

Butter-

United Kingdom 638,313

That is the butter which the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Motherwell) stated had been transhipped.

Australia $ 118,741

New Zealand 11,885,498

Total tea 15,711,754

Yeast cakes, tablets 68

Yeast cakes, packages not less than 50

pounds 146

Yeast cakes, packages less than 50

pounds 55

Beans, n.o.p 59,181

Buckwheat None

Buckwheat flour None

Barley 202

Cornmeal None

Oats 2,837

Oatmeal 454

Rye None

Rye flour None

Wheat, flour and semolina 5,500

Rice bran None

Macaroni and vermicelli 56

Hay None

Ah, how splendid it is! I wonder if the farmers of western Canada realize the true benefit of the gift conferred upon them by the present government when they put hay and straw upon this list.

Mr. DUNNING. You have forgotton natural gas on which commodity it would be more ridiculous to have a tariff.

Mr. BENNETT:

It is not there.

Mr. DUNNING:

Oh yes, it is.

Mr. CHAPLIN:

And what is more ridiculous, cider is there.

Mr. BENNETT:

The hon. gentleman has

said that it would indicate that there was a tax on natural gas in Great Britain. There is nothing in it to that effect.

Mr. DUNNING:

That was among other

absurdities, in addition to those which the hon. gentleman is now reading which I thought fit to remove.

Mr. BENNETT:

I am reading only the ones now printed. I am reading the value of goods purchased from empire sources on which the preferential duty is altered in the budget presented this year. I shall continue:

Flowers, natural and cut $ 3,112

Potatoes, natural state, sweet, etc.. None

Mushrooms None

Beets for sugar None

Vegetables-

Asparagus None

Beans, green None

Brussels sprouts None

Cabbage None

Carrots and beets None

Cauliflower and eggplant None

Celery None

The Budget-Mr. Bennett

Vegetables-

Cucumbers

Lettuce

Parsley

Peas, green

Rhubarb

Spinach

Tomatoes $

Watercress

None

None

None

None

None

None

None

These are items which the government held up to the people of Canada when they said: Look what we have done for you under the British preference!

Mr. DUNNING:

I would like the authority for the figures on vegetables.

Mr. BENNETT:

I wish to tell the hon.

gentleman that I got those figures from the department.

Mr. DUNNING:

Do you mean to tell this house that none of those items came from the West Indies?

Mr. BENNETT:

They had not, up to

March 31.

Mr. DUNNING:

My hon. friend has not

the complete information.

Mr. BENNETT:

My reply to that is that

I got it from the Department of Trade and Commerce. Of course it may have been prepared in a hurry and there may have been some inaccuracies.

Mr. DUNNING:

My hon. friend knows it

is wrong.

Mr. BENNETT:

Bananas are not included in this list. Until this new tariff came into force we did not receive any substantial quantity of vegetables from the West Indies. There is an item here:

Vegetables, n.o.p $ 2,032