Mr. J. A. SULLIVAN (St. Ann) moved:

That pursuant to a special order made March 27 last, Bill No. 110 (Letter FI of the Senate), intituled: "An Act to Incorporate the Discount and Loan Corporation of Canada," be now read a first and second time.

Motion agreed to and bill read the first and second times.

Mr. SULLIVAN moved:

That Bill No. 110 (Letter FI of the Senate), intituled: "An Act to Incorporate the Discount and Loan Corporation of Canada," be placed on the order paper under private bills for consideration in committee of the whole this day.

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

With the consent of the house I should like this notice of motion to stand until after eight o'clock.

Notice of motion stands.

Mr. JAMES ARTHURS (Parry Sound):

In the absence of the Minister of Pensions and National Health (Mr. MacLaren), I have been asked to explain to the house the amendment made by the Senate. Hon. members will remember that this bill was very hurriedly reprinted and that in some cases reference to other boards had been omitted. Those omissions were corrected in the Senate. They are four in number, three of which refer to the original bill as presented to the committee over which I presided and the other is on account of an agreement between the Minister of Finance and the members of the British Empire Legion. The first amendment is on page 4 of the bill. While provision is here made that a quorum travelling in the country shall be comprised of two members of the board, there was no provision made for a quorum transacting ordinary routine business in Ottawa, and the result therefore would have been that under ordinary circumstances the quorum would have consisted of one-half erf the whole body which, if it consisted of twelve members, would compel six of them to remain continuously in Ottawa to hear routine business. The Senate therefore moved to insert the following as subsection 4 of the new section 7:

(4) Except as herein otherwise expressly provided, for the purpose of exercising and performing the powers, authorities and functions vested in the commission, as distinct from a quorum thereof, under this act, the commission shall consist of two or more commissioners; and whenever under this act a quorum of the commission is referred to it shall mean a quorum as constituted under the provisions of section fifty-five of this act.

I think hon. members will understand that. It is simply to provide that for the transaction of ordinary routine business in Ottawa it will not be necessary to have more members present than are at present required under the board of pension commissioners; that is to say, two or more may decide any ordinary routine matter. This does not interfere at all with section fifty-five which provides for a quorum in the field. That is distinctly and positively provided for.

Criminal Code

The next amendment is on page 6 of the bill, amending the clause providing for the payment of a pension to those members who have previously to this time served on the commission or the court. It is proposed to insert in 10B (1) after the word "bodies" in line twenty-two the words "or as a member of the board of pension commissioners for Canada or of the pension tribunal." That is to say, the act will provide for service on either of these bodies being counted in the total service.

The next amendment is on page 13, and is a very simple one. It is with regard to the presentation of cases to the chief pensions advocate. The amendment is to insert after the word "before" in line ten on page 13 the words "the commission or." I think my hon. friend from Shelbume-Yarmouth (Mr. Ralston) will understand that. It simply means that the applicant has the power to appear before either the commission itself or a quorum thereof.

The next amendment is on page 18, amending clause 63 by adding after the words "reference" in line five the words "or submission." Our committee found that it was necessary to allow the applicant to submit a stated case to the court, not necessarily the file, and consequently the words "or submission" have been inserted.

The next amendment is on page 21, and this is the one which applies to the agreement entered into 'between the Minister of Finance and the representatives of the soldier organizations. It was never intended that the prospective pension of a dependent mother or father, or brother or sister, under section 33 of the act should be limited, and consequently the Senate have struck out in line eighteen on page 21 the words "or section thirty-three." Those words were evidently placed in there under a misapprehension, and I am sure the house will agree that this amendment is perfectly proper.

Right Hon. R. B. BENNETT (Prime Minister) (for the Minister of Pensions and National Health) moved the second reading of and concurrence in the amendments made by the Senate to Bill No. 78, to amend the Pension Act.

Hon. J. L. RALSTOiN (Shelbume-Yar-mouth): The house will appreciate that it

is a little difficult to follow the sections as my hon, friend has indicated the amendments rather quickly. The section I am most concerned with is the one that does not seem to fit in with the reprinted bill I have before me. I have the reprinted bill as amended and reported by the special committee. I

realize that we are not in committee here, and that all I can do is to ask a question and have the explanation made again. Section 19 of the reprinted bill which I 'have here simply provides for the coming into force of the act.

Mr. ARTHURS:

What page is that?

Mr. RALSTON:

On page 21. I have just been handed another copy of the bill which I have no doubt is the same as my hon. friend has been using in indicating the amendments. My hon. friend referred to prospective pensions to dependent parents. Did he also say to widows?

Mr. ARTHURS:

No.

Mr. RALSTON:

Clause thirty-three does

not apply to widows.

Mr. ARTHURS:

No. To mothers, fathers, brothers or sisters.

Mr. RALSTON:

It is prospective pensions to dependent parents and brothers and sisters. They are now being left out of the clause which restriots their pension, and the amendment now is so that they will not be affected by this act or by the budget proposals which were originally made by the Minister of Finance.

Mr. ARTHURS:

Exactly. The wording of clause 33 was placed there under a misapprehension. It certainly was not the intention to interfere with them at all.

Mr. RALSTON:

If I might ask another

question with the permission of the house, have these amendments been seen and concurred in by the representatives of the veterans?