Right Hon. R. B. BENNETT (Prime Minister):

Mr. Speaker, I beg to lay on the table an abstract of the operations of the insurance department. Always the report is printed as quickly as possible, but as it involves a large amount of detail, it usually has not been completed until after the house has risen. For this reason the abstract is made available as soon as possible.

Immigration Advertising

Mr. A. W. NEILL (Comox-AIbemi):

Mr. Speaker, I wish to call the attention of the acting Minister of Labour (Mr. Gordon) to the very serious, I might say desperate, conditions that exist in the city of Nanaimo. Owing to the closing down of the mines there are more than- 800 men out of work. Nanaimo has spent all its available funds. At a conference -between representatives of the province, the city council and the board of trade, the provincial representative, a minister of the crown, said that he fully realized the seriousness of the situation and was quite willing to help, but that it was impossible for him to do so unless he got some assurance from the federal government as to what they were going to do. I would urge that the matter be taken in hand at once, so that the situation, which is really desperate, may be given attention. One man said that it is "truly appalling."

Hon. W. A. GORDON (Minister of Immigration) :

Mr. Speaker, the situation referred to by the hon. member for Comox-Alberni (Mr. Neill) is, as no doubt the house understands, purely a provincial matter. If it is found that the municipal and provincial authorities cannot relieve the situation, there is no doubt that proper steps will be taken and taken without delay, by this government to assist.

IMMIGRATION ADVERTISING On the orders of the day:

Mr. J. L. BROWN (Lisgar):

Hon. W. A. GORDON (Minister of Immigration and Colonization):

Mr. Speaker, if

any such advertisement is appearing in the British papers with the authority of the government it is being done under some unexpired contract that was entered into by the late government. But I am inclined to the view that the advertisement which the hon. member has read, and any others of a similar character, are being circulated on behalf of the steamboat company concerned. The hon. member for Lisgar (Mr. Brown) need not fear that British people are being encouraged to come to Canada at the present time by the government making statements that are calculated to deceive and disappoint them when they get here. The government is not doing anything of the kind. Anyone in the British isles who cares to come to Canada under what I might term "his own steam," is very welcome, but the government is not publishing information calculated to deceive intending immigrants; indeed, no encouragement is being held out to such people. I will inquire into the advertisement referred to and ask the steamship company the reason for its publication.

Hon. PETER HEENAN (Kenora-Rainy River):

I should like to direct the attention

of the Minister of Immigration (Mr. Gordon) to further advertisements, not in the English papers this time but in the Irish papers, along the line of the advertisements referred to by my hon. friend from Lisgar (Mr. Brown). This time the advertisements are carried by the Canadian National Railways, and I should like to ask the Minister of Immigration to

Grain Shipments

take into consideration the question of whether he should not advise the Canadian National Railways to stop this advertising.

Mr. ANGUS MacINNIS (Vancouver South):

Mr. Speaker, I should like to draw the attention of the Priipe Minister (Mr. Bennett) to a certain condition and base a question upon it, but before doing so may I be permitted to read a copy of a petition that has been forwarded to him. It reads as follows:

Honourable Sir:

Although the attention of the respective governments has been drawn to the fact whereas American steamers are carrying our Canadian grain to Buffalo for transhipment to Montreal, and-

Mr. BENNETT:

The reading of petitions is out of order.

Mr. MacINNIS:

The reading of this petition would make my question more clear, but I will put my question as best I can. The fact is that according to the petitioners Canadian grain is being shipped from one Canadian port to another in American ships, and the petitioners' are asking what steps the government intend to take, by order in council or otherwise, to remedy this situation. As a result, American ships are carrying our grain while Canadian ships and Canadian seamen are idle.

Right Hon. R. B. BENNETT (Prime Minister) :

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's

statements are not quite accurate. The question is not a few weeks old, it is years old. It has been before the house, to my certain knowledge, for many years during the time I have been a member. The provisions of the Canada Shipping Act permit of certain amendments to be made without reference to the shipping act passed in Great Britain. We are now in a position to ask this house to petition the parliament at Westminster to enact such legislation as will permit this parliament to deal with the question the hon. member refers to. During the last nine years I have not heard of its having been dealt with by the previous government, and long before the hon. member was in this house the question was raised and discussed. But inasmuch as an order in council of the Imperial government would be required to give validity to any legislation that we might pass, the position, I am unofficially advised, is that such order in council would not be passed in view of the fact that legislation is

pending that would confer upon us the necessary powers to deal with it without reference to the Imperial government. That is the position at the moment. I will look further at the hon. member's question when it appears in Hansard, and if any additional statement is necessary I will make it.