Mr. J. L. BROWN (Lisgar):

Mr. Speaker,

I wish to ask a question of the Minister of Marine (Mr. Duranleau). I have received a number of letters protesting against the action of the Radio Commission in banning Judge Rutherford's lectures. I may say most of the letters have been sympathetic towards Judge Rutherford, but to-day I received one from a friend who is not an admirer of Judge Rutherford's lectures, but who has frequently asked just what the situation is. I should like to know, myself, just what measure of responsibility, if any, the government has in the matter. I should like to know further, if in the event of placing a motion for the production of papers on the order paper, any documents could be had? Perhaps the Min-* ister of Marine (Mr. Duranleau) would make a brief statement as to what the exact situation is.

Hon. ALFRED DURANLEAU:

Mr. Speaker, I am not in a position to state exactly what the position is, since the ruling of the Radio Commission about Judge Rutherford's speeches. I will take this question as a notice and will give a more definite statement on Monday.

Mr. W. G. WEIR (Macdonald):

I have

under my hand a letter and also some newspaper editorial comments relating to the opening up in the coming summer of the Hudson bay route. These articles point out that there is prospect of a large number of cattle being shipped out by that route in the spring, and that ordinarily the N. B. McLean would go through to Churchill somewhere around the first of July, arriving about the 10th. The suggestion is made that if this boat could go in earlier and open up the route, a larger number of these cattle could go out. I wonder if the minister is in a position to state that he will look into the matter and if possible have the route opened up earlier and made available for the shipment of cattle.

Hon. R. J. MANION (Minister of Railways and Canals):

In regard to opening the

route earlier I am afraid that nature is in control. Last year there was an opportunity to ship out cattle, we were bombarded with

The Budget-Mr. Golding

requests to put up pens and so on, which we did, but there were no cattle shipped. Every reasonable step will be taken by the government, in fact has been taken, to give opportunity for shipping out cattle, and I am sure that if the western people wish to ship them they will not find any particular obstacle.

Hon. ALFRED DURANLEAU (Acting Minister of Fisheries):

I hope Mr. Speaker, that I shall be in a position to make a statement on Monday.

Mr. W. H. GOLDING (South Huron) :

Mr. Speaker, just before the house closed on Tuesday evening I was going to point out that the Minister of Trade and Commerce (Mr. Stevens) in his speech had rather dared the members from the rural constituencies to vote against this budget. Now, Mr. Speaker, I do not approve of that line of debate, because I think we should all use our judgment on matters of this kind without any intimidation or coeroion. In regard to the budget itself, certainly there are some things in it which are acceptable, and there are some which are in my view objectionable, and I would not think for a moment of swallowing it holus-bolus. I want to refer in a few words to our recent by-election held in South Huron.

An bon. MEMBER: Oh forget it!

Mr. GOLDING :

During that campaign we had some rather peculiar appeals made by our Conservative friends. We had in the constituency five cabinet ministers. My hon. friend the Minister of Railways and Canals

(Mr. Manion) told our people that this was no ordinary by-election, indeed he is quoted as having said that it was rather a plebiscite or referendum, and that the eyes of the whole world were on South Huron-

Ft sounds familiar.

Mr. GOLDING:

-and that for the time being we were to forget politics and vote our approval of the empire treaties. I might say his audience was just a little curious to know how they were to forget polities, but the minister cleared that up by asking them to vote for the government candidate. The good old Tory way of forgetting politics- vote for the Tory candidate!

Mr. CASGRAIN:

Tories are strong on

that.

Mr. GOLDING:

Then we had in addition to the Minister of Railways and Canals, the Minister of Trade and Commerce, the Minister of Labour (Mr. Gordon), and the Minister of National Defence (Mr. Sutherland). I want to say this, that they created a splendid impression in my constituency, they endeavoured to put their case fairly before our people from their point of view, they endeavoured to keep the debate on a high plane, and if they failed to secure the necessary votes to elect their candidate it was not due to any shortcoming on their part. I admire the debating abilities of these hon. gentlemen, and although we engaged in that contest there is no reason why we should not be the best of friends, and I want to tell them that I have every respect for them. However, rve Liberals felt that if the government wanted to submit a plebiscite or referendum on this question that was quite all right, but we believed they were using the treaties as a screen to cover up the record of the government, and for that reason, as far as we were concerned, the fight was on. And by the way, I want to pay tribute here to my opponent in that campaign, -who certainly conducted a good, clean fight.

The Minister of Trade and Commerce speaking in my home town made the statement that the greatest problem confronting the government at that time was fthe agricultural problem, and he endeavoured to point out that for that reason the house needed representatives who wo-uld be in a position 'to give expert advice. Now, sir, we absolutely agreed with the minister, that this government did need someone to give expert advice with regard to agriculture. But while we agreed to that we felt at the same time that it rvas rather a reflection on our late

The Budget-Mr. Perley (Qu'Appelle)

member who, while he sat in this house, had endeavoured time after time to give expert advice, though needless to say that advice did not receive any consideration.

During that by-election every Conservative speaker endeavoured to paint glowing pictures of the benefits that would be derived from the empire treaties. A manifesto was issued by the Conservatve candidate setting forth how important these treaties were to our constituency but, Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives failed to tell our people that in order to secure the privileges of the British market the duties against foreign goods would be raised, and that the duties and taxes on even British goods would still prohibit those goods from entering Canada. I need hardly say that our people resent in no uncertain way the tariffs imposed by this government, which they feel are strangling trade and making it increasingly difficult for the basic producer even to exist. It is clear to all that we must have revenue, Mr. Speaker, and if tariffs are prohibitive that revenue must come from taxation, which adds to the cost of manufactured goods and of necessity adds to the price paid by the consumer.

1925

1926 1930 1932

Let me point out as emphatically as I can that the farmer is being absolutely crushed by the burden he is being called upon to bear. The manifesto to which I have already referred endeavoured to show how, as a result of these treaties, commodity prices had begun to soar, and at that time prices were a little higher; of course the treaties were given all the credit. But the electors refused to believe any new batch of promises. It was impossible to look into the faces of the electors of South Huron without realizing that they were in earnest and that they were in no mood to further entertain the glorious promises of things that were to be attained by high tariffs.

At the close of that campaign word went out, I do not know why, that a very light vote had been polled. The press was not responsible for that because I have personal knowledge that the newspaper men did their best to get the correct figures but were unable to do so. The statement was made that only about ten thousand votes were polled, and I want to give the figures to show how erroneous that statement was. In recent years the votes polled in that riding have been as follows:

Progressives Liberals Conservatives Total4,105 4.061 3,965 12,1311,680 4,947 4,694 11,3216.370 5.217 11.5876,176 5,827 12,0037,046 5,057 12,149

The vote during the by-election of 1932 was the largest vote polled in recent years. I submit these figures, Mr. Speaker, to show the interest taken in that by-election and also to show that our people desired to protest against the high tariff policy of this government. Since I have been in this house I have listened very closely to the discussions of the problems confronting the government.