Mr. FRASER:

What is this for?

Mr. MALCOLM:

This is for Canada's

exhibit at the British Empire exhibition held at Buenos Aires. We are cooperating with the British Empire in the erection of a pavilion in that city. A fair is being held there in 1930 and 1931. This is a new vote, and it provides for the construction of a building costing $70,000, for the removal of exhibition material from London to Buenos Aires, freight thereon, travelling expenses and maintenance of the staff while the exhibition is in progress. The rental of the space will cost $30,000. As all other parts of the empire are joining with the mother country in displaying British goods to the people of Latin America we feel that Canada's part will be profitable and useful to Dominion trade.

Mr. FRASER:

I was wondering if some of us who might be out of employment after the election might get a job at this place.

Mr. MALCOLM:

If I had as much faith as my hon. friend I should conclude that he would have the giving of the job.

Sir GEORGE PERLEY:

Why is the Department of Trade and Commerce including in this item an item for the Department of Immigration and Colonization?

Mr. MALCOLM:

I would like to speak on this item, because it involves the question relative to medical services brought up by

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my hon. friend. In the Department of Trade and Commerce we maintain a service which costs $119,000. This service covers a warehouse at St. Catharines, of which Mr. Corkery is in charge. He collects the various fruit exhibits and puts them up in glass jars for the various Canadian exhibitions. We maintain offices at London, England, with a staff of four people. In Winnipeg there is a staff engaged in the collection of grains, seeds and other cereal products. In the collection of exhibits we spend about $50,000. During the past we have exhibited at state fairs in the United States of America. These samples have also been exhibited in Great Britain; I might say that the cost in connection with all these exhibitions has amounted to about $54,000. Exhibits have also been placed in all the windows of the immigration offices on the continent, in Europe and in the United States. The major portion of the vote is chargeable to the Department of Immigration and Colonization, because that department formerly collected the samples. However, when the exhibition branch was taken over by the Department of Trade and Commerce this work was transferred and remained chargeable to immigration. I discussed the matter with my colleague, the acting minister (Mr. Stewart, Edmonton), to decide if it was advisable for us to continue to collect these samples, for use at state fairs and on the continent. We concluded that these exhibitions had a double value. They have a general advertising value to Canada. They advertise the Dominion, whether a man be interested in Canada from a tourist standpoint, from the standpoint of an investor or as an immigrant. It is quite possible that when the conference is held with the provinces as to the taking over of immigration the existing service may be continued. It may be that the acting minister may offer to continue to do this work for the provinces. It would be difficult for the general exhibition branch of the Department of Trade and Commerce to get along without this service, whether it is voted for the Department of Immigration and Colonization or for the Department of Trade and Commerce. If there is a saving to be effected as a result of a conference between the minister and the provincial authorities I can assure the committee that I shall be glad to reduce the vote if the result of the conference warrants such action.

Sir GEORGE PERLEY:

At what places on the continent do you have these exhibits?

Mr. MALCOLM:

There are many of them in England. There are exhibits at Southampton, Liverpool, Bristol, London, Glasgow, Inverness and Edinburgh.

Sir GEORGE PERLEY:

Are there some on the continent?

Mr. MALCOLM:

Yes, I think there is one at Paris. I am sorry to inform the hon. gentleman that I have not a complete list of immigration offices before me.

Mr. SHORT:

I should like to revert to item 341 and have the minister give some little explanation as to how this $250,000 for advertising in Canada and abroad is spent.

Mr. MALCOLM:

I can tell my hon. friend exactly how it is spent. It is practically all spent on four advertisements, two advertisements a year in the daily press of Canada.

Mr. SHORT:

Advertising our natural products?

Mr. MALCOLM:

No, advertising the

opportunity for foreign trade. There are two advertisements a year in the weekly press of Canada. We also advertise in a great many of the trade magazines pointing out the inquiries for goods which are of interest to that particular trade and which come each month from our commercial intelligence department. The whole purpose of this expenditure is to awaken interest in the opportunity Canada has for the sale largely of manufactured goods in foreign countries and to bring to the attention of industrialists in as clear a way as we can the inquiries made daily of our trade commissioners in the thirty-five offices we have abroad. This is really to supplement the work of our trade commissioners in getting the information they acquire to the Canadian manufacturer or exporters.

Sir GEORGE PERLEY:

Did the minister say this advertisement is put in every daily newspaper in Canada?

Mr. MALCOLM:

Yes, without exception.

Mr. LADNER:

I rose a moment ago to ask the minister a question in respect to item 316. This provides for an expenditure of $367,000 in connection with exhibitions and fairs. Has the minister any tangible evidence of the result which these exhibitions bring to the country?

Mr. MALCOLM:

I do not think there is any doubt about it. If I wanted to weary the committee I could read a great many letters which have been received by the department, but I shall not do eo.

Supply-Trade and Commerce

Mr. LADNER:

I really wanted the frank judgment of the minister, from a business point of view.