Mr. STEWART (Leeds):

No, Mr. Chairman ; do you realize that if you carry the resolution you carry the whole thing? We are going through these items and picking out the ones that are contentious.

Mr. GARLAND (Bow River):

I want to

ask the Postmaster General whether he has yet applied to his department the recommendations of order in council P.C. 670, requiring the eight-hour day?

Mr. VENIOT:

In reply to the hon. gentleman I may say that there is no need of applying it at the present time, because we have had it in effect for many years in the postal department in the large city offices, the classified offices.

Mr. GARLAND (Bow River):

May I ask

what is the practice in regard to small city offices?

Mr. VENIOT:

In the small city offices,

or commission offices, the salary of the postmaster is made up of pay and commission. He employs his own help.

Mr. HANSON:

And the eight-hour day does not apply?

Mr. VENIOT:

The hon. gentleman should possess his soul in patience; I will give the information.

Mr. HANSON:

I can give the information just as well.

Mr. VENIOT:

Perhaps I can give it a

little better.

Mr. GARLAND (Bow River):

I should

like to get the information from one or the other of you two gentlemen.

Mr. VENIOT:

The postmaster has the

right to employ his own help, but the hours of the post office are regulated by the department, generally from about eight o'clock in the morning until eight o'clock at night. In cases where the office is open later than that overtime is allowed.

Mr. GARLAND (Bow River):

In other

words, do I understand that the ten hour and sometimes the twelve hour day applies to employees working in post offices under the postmasters in small city and town offices?

Mr. VENIOT:

It may happen, and it may happen without our knowledge. It may also happen that the postmaster has divided off his staff, giving each so many hours during the period between eight o'clock in the morning and eight o'clock at night.

Mr. GARLAND (Bow River):

In the event of the attention of the minister being directed to the fact that post office employees-and I use that term to include those who are hired by the postmaster-are in many cases working ten and twelve hours a day, will he see that the postmaster does not continue that practice?

Mr. VENIOT:

I will, so far as that order in council applies.

Mr. GARLAND (Bow River):

I am delighted to know that, because I was to direct the attention of the Postmaster General to the practice in the post office in the town, or rather city of Drumheller, which I am informed now is an incorporated city. In that city I am told that employees in the post office at present are working some twelve hours a day and that sanitary conditions are such that with the long work days this combination results in periodical breakdowns of many of the girls working there. One of these at least, known personally to my correspondent, has to receive medical attention from time to time, and her doctor's advice is that the frequent breakdowns are the result of the long day and the unsanitary conditions. Even though this order in council only recently has been passed I think it is a disgraceful state of affairs that this condition should be permitted to continue. Certainly the minister must have known that in many of these smaller town and

Supply-Post Office

city post offices the postmasters, either with or without the knowledge of the Postmaster General but certainly with the knowledge of his department, have been employing men and women for ten hours or more a day, and in this case as I have shown, twelve hours a day. I sincerely hope the minister will keep his word and undertake to see that this practice ceases and that the eight-hour day applies to the employees of this post office.

Mr. VENIOT:

This is the first time my

attention has been directed to the Drumheller case.

Mr. GARLAND (Bow River):

No, it is

not; I mentioned the matter during the unemployment debate.

Mr. VENIOT:

This is the first time my attention has been officially drawn to the Drumheller case with reference to complaints from the employees as to their hours of work. I know there is a demand for a new public building at Drumheller, but that is a matter for my colleague the Minister of Public Works to work out. However, I can assure my hon. friend that since the complaint now has been made openly in parliament it will be looked into and I will see what remedy can be applied.

Mr. LUCAS:

I understand there was a

revision in the salaries of the country postmasters when we adopted penny postage.