Hon. W. A. GORDON (Minister of Labour) :
I desire to lay on the table of the house certain orders in council passed pursuant to relief legislation.
Hon. MURRAY MacLAREN (Minister of Pensions and National Health) moved that the house go into committee at the next sitting to consider the following proposed resolution : That it is expedient to amend the Pension Act to give effect to certain recommendations of the committee appointed to investigate the administration of the act; to provide for the elimination of various provisions relating to the pension tribunal; and for an increase in the number of members of the commission and to prescribe their tenure of office; for the continuation of the pension appeal court as a court of appeal and of review; for the appointment of an ad hoc judge as a member of the pension appeal court and his remuneration; for the appointment of a travelling inspector of the veterans' bureau, and of pension counsel, and a reviewing officer; for the payment of awards by the comptroller of the treasury, and generally to simplify and improve procedure under the act. He said: His Excellency the Governor General, having been made acquainted with the subject matter of this resolution, recommends it to the favourable consideration of the house. Motion agreed to.
On the orders of the day:
Mr. JOHN VALLANCE (South Battle-ford) :
Will the Minister of Labour please inform me whether it is the intention of the government to continue the relief camps for single men after the thirtieth of this month. (In Prince Albert national park there are ten such camps, and the men are performing a very necessary work. Is it intended to continue these camps?
Hon. W. A. GORDON (Minister of Labour) :
The continuance of the relief camps referred to is at present under consideration. I agree that the men in these camps, in places at least, are doing very useful work and the desirability of their continuance in this work
C.N.R.-C.P.R. Bill
is under consideration. In plenty of time notification will be given as to the policy to be pursued.
On the orders of *he day: Mr. JEAN-FRANCOIS POULIOT (Temis-couata): May I ask the Prime Minister whether he will go to Washington next week in the capacity of negotiator, like the Right Hon. Mr. MacDonald, or in the capacity of observer like Mr. Herriot, and whether he will be accompanied by experts. If so, who are they?
Right Hon. R. B. BENNETT (Prime Minister):
It is the intention of the Prime Minister to go to Washington. He will not
be accompanied by experts.
On the orders of the day:
Mr. A. E. MUNN (Vancouver North):
I
have a question to ask the Minister of Labour. It is based on a report appearing in a newspaper published in my riding. The Canadian Legion made an appeal to Victoria, the capital of the province, for further assistance for the unemployed and to take care of those being evicted. The answer came back from Victoria, from the Minister of Finance, to the effect that in his opinion the allowances *were inadequate but that they were doing the best they could, and that, in the meantime, the federal government was in arrears to the province to the extent of $2,000,000. Is that report correct?
Hon. W. A. GORDON (Minister of Labour):
The question only illustrates again the undesirability of relying upon newspaper reports. The hon. member was good enough to intimate to me that he would ask the question. The Dominion government does not owe the province of British Columbia $2,000,009; $185,910.42 is the total of the accounts at present in the Labour department, $100,000 of that amount of accounts being received only to-day. It takes about five days to a week to have the accounts passed through the various departments of government for payment. I can assure the hon. member that the report in the newspaper is not correct.
Mr. MUNN:
My private opinion is-
Mr. SPEAKER:
Order.
Mr. MUNN:
-that the Victoria report is incorrect.
On the orders of the day: