Mr. STEWART (Edmonton):

I think my hon. friend will agree that we have very little power outside of our own shores, and strictly speaking, when a ship ties up to one of our docks, if the crew does not leave the ship and does not commit any misdemeanour against the crown I understand that we have absolutely no control over them. If the ship is of Canadian registry it is a different situation, but foreign ships coming to Canada and plying in these waters have a right to bring their own crews.

Mr. WOODSWORTH:

These ships are

engaged in coastal trade.

Mr. STEWART (Edmonton):

My hon.

friend will understand that there are very many American ships and Canadian ships engaged in coastal trade between Canada and the United States. My hon. friend would not argue that because an American ship was on the great lakes, plj'ing between Canadian and American ports-*

Mr. WOODSWORTH:

This case covers

Canadian ports.

Mr. STEWART (Edmonton):

I do not

think we should say to the Besco people that they cannot charter foreign ships for cargo carrying purposes. If they charter foreign ships, then the ship is under foreign registry.

Mr. LUCAS:

Mr Chairman, I would like

to call the attention of the minister to a longstanding grievance in my constituency with reference to a returned soldier who has an account for a barn built upon one of the soldier settlement farms. In 1919 a soldier settler by the name of Ogilvy purchased a

farm from the board, and undertook to build a barn the material for which cost over $1,600. He then engaged a carpenter, also a returned soldier, to erect *the barn. This man undertook the work, built the barn and overhauled the house, at a total labour cost of $480. Shortly after this time Ogilvy found himself unable to carry on and he abandoned the farm, and because this was crown property the carpenter was unable to file a lien and thus protect his interests. I have brought this matter to the attention of the government practically every year since I have been in the house, and I trust that this year the minister will be able to find some method of settling this account.

Mr. STEWART (Edmonton):

The hon.

member has spoken to me already about this matter, and there is another case before the department based on practically the same fact. The one difficulty in a settlement of these matters is the fact that the board has no authority to pay an account of this kind. It does seem to be a hardship that because of lack of knowledge of the act a man should perform services and then be denied his wage, especially in view of the fact that the farm has been considerably improved by the construction of the barn. I will promise my hon. friend that this matter will be looked into very carefully to see if something cannot be done.

Mr. LUCAS:

The government has received a certain value through the erection of the barn. Fifty-five hundred dollars was paid for the farm which Ogilvy abandoned and it was resold to a British settler for $5,200. I have been advised by the officials of the department that had this barn not been on the property the farm could not have been sold for within $1,000 of the price received. I have seen this barn myself; it is 60 feet by 28 feet, one of those fine hip-roof barns you see when driving through the country. This man is a returned soldier who has received no benefits or assistance from the government and who is attempting to carry on in the district. He is finding it hard to make ends meet and I think the government should attempt to meet this situation.

Mr. SPEAKMAN:

Mr. Chairman, owing

to the fact that a bill has been brought in as a result of the labours of the pensions committee, which bill will ameliorate many of the conditions pertaining under the act, the necessity of my speaking at length is obviated. However, there are one or two matters I should like to discuss with the minister.

Under present conditions there is a possibility, and indeed the probability, that many

Supply-Soldier Land Settlement

settlers will be forced to evacuate in the near future owing to dispossession being made of their property. I have already suggested to the minister that no action should be taken in this regard until next spring. I notice an item in an Ottawa paper advising men not to go to Calgary as there are at present 2,000 unemployed in that city. Under such conditions as these, I would suggest that if possible no foreclosures should take place until next spring. If a family is forced off the land they will go into the bread line and some public body will have to support them, and I think the minister will agree with me that the outside cost to the government of carrying these people, even though they may be hopelessly behind in their payments, would not be a very large item. It would be the cheapest and best way of keeping them in decency and in some comfort for the balance of the year. I think the minister sympathizes with me in this regard. No matter how far behind they may be in their payments, I suggest that it would be good business to allow them to remain until next spring.

Owing to the present conditions which exist in connection with immigration and colonization, we may expect some reorganization in connection with this department as well as in connection with the land settlement board. I think the minister will agree and the house will appreciate that even with reorganization a certain number of men will be required to carry on the work. At the present time there are some hundreds of men working under the board. They are all returned men and have been in the service of the board for some ten or twelve years. Like all the rest of us they are not getting any younger, and possibly they have become unfitted for other forms of work and would find it extremely difficult to find employment. I would suggest that when the irreducible minimum has been reached the men who are left should be placed in a permanent position, and no matter under what department this matter may be placed, or what methods are adopted, as far as possible the men who are to do the work shall be those at present performing these duties. This would be only a measure of reestablishment for returned men, and would be only fair to those who have worked faithfully for ten or twelve years. I would ask the minister to give the assurance to those men and to the committee that as far as possible the personnel in the west that may be necessary to carry on this work and work of a similar character, under whatever department it may come, shall be the personnel at present engaged

LMr. Speakman.]

who have fitted themselves for the jobs. That would be an assurance which would be appreciated by the house and the country as a whole.

Mr. STEWART (Edmonton):

So far as my influence goes, as regards whatever readjustments may be necessary-because that is all that I can conceive will happen-we will seek to place the men, if they are not required in that service, in some other branch of the government. If that is not possible, of course some very reasonable consideration should be given them. I am speaking not only of the Soldier Settlement Board, but the Immigration department and the Department of the Interior, and I have notified the Civil Service Commission that positions should be filled by men and women who may find themselves out of employment in these various branches that are to be reduced. In that way we hope to absorb many of the employees who will suffer on account of reductions of staff. As regards the Soldier Settlement Board personnel, undoubtedly they are best fitted for carrying on and will carry on the work in the future as they have done in the past, except as they are surplus, and the latter we shall seek to absorb in the other branches.

Mr. CAMPBELL:

As regards the question raised by the hon. member for Camrose, that is a case in which the government can say it has no legal liability. Certainly that is so, but on the other hand, the government is under a distinct moral obligation. The minister pointed out that the board has no authority to pay out money for any such purpose, and he seemed to dismiss the matter with that statement. May I remind the minister that whenever the government want to grant gratuities to particular persons, especially pensions of some kind to deal with compassionate cases, provision for such cases is made every year in the estimates. There are in the estimates at the present time items that are not covered by any legislation; that are purely compassionate cases. We are granting pensions to widows on compassionate grounds. This is in the instance under consideration a distinct claim on compassionate grounds, and there is nothing in the world to prevent the government from bringing down a small sum in the estimates to cover the $480 which is morally due to this man.

Mr. MacLAREN:

Last year the Secretary of State, on request, said that he would have published the London resolutions along with the British North America Act. This promise he carried out, and in doing so he has rendered an important service. This has been the first time that the London resolutions have been printed under official circumstances. Having made that acknowledgment, I wish to point out to the minister that his department, in publishing this document, has not given evidence of the comprehension or care that it deserves. The minister will not overlook the fact that last year he promised that copies of the British North America Act and the London resolutions would be distributed to each member of the house. On several occasions I have asked at the parliamentary library for a copy of this document which I hold in my hand, that is to say, the one containing the British North America Act and the London resolutions, but I have not succeeded in obtaining it there. I have no doubt the minister will carry out his promise of distributing it to the members, and that the parliamentary library will have it. The publication itself is defective and has not been carefully prepared. If the minister will see that the present document is scrapped and a proper publication substituted, copies can then be distributed to the members and placed in the library. Even the title of this document is incorrect-The British North America Act. There is more than one act. It should, have read: "The British North America Acts", and so on.

Mr. CANNON:

All the amendments are included in the one act.

Mr. MacLAREN:

I have looked the matter up, and with much deference to the Solicitor General, I understand there is more than one act; there are both amendments and acts.

Mr. CANNON:

There is only one act.

Mr. MacLAREN:

I wish to draw attention to the date: "1S67 to 1927". Under those circustances it should not have gone beyond the year 1918. There are only one or two other little things I might,point out. There is put in smaller type in brackets "The text of Quebec resolutions, 1864, and London resolutions, 1866." Why that should be in brackets is difficult to understand, and, moreover, I do not understand why it should be "the text" any more than the text of the British North America Act. The London resolutions are put in as an appendix. Unless that is done 2419-1861

on the principle that the tail wags the dog,

I do not see the justification for it. The London resolution should receive a more prominent and definite position as being the basis of the British North America Act. Would the minister take this matter up carefully with his department? I am satisfied we could have a much more valuable addition to the library and the facilities for members by a better selection of the contents. I believe the minister is interested, and I am sure he would like to have the thing done properly.

Mr. RINFRET:

I want to thank the hon. member for his commendation. I have given some care to the preparation of the document he has in his hand. I shall certainly bear his remarks in mind and look into the matter very carefully, and if this improvement can be effected I shall see to it that that is done and that copies are then distributed as my hon. friend has suggested.

Mr. MacLAREN:

If the minister would

let me have his draft before it is finally adopted, I should be very glad to have the opportunity of making a few comments.