Hon. H. H. STEVENS (Minister of Trade and Commerce):

Mr. Speaker, I should like to take this opportunity of replying to a question put to me the other day by the hon. member for Comox-Alberni (Mr. Neill) in which he called into question the figures published in the Commercial Intelligence Journal and in the report of the bureau of statistics. The hon. member pointed out that in his opinion there were certain discrepancies as between those two sets of figures, and at page 916 of Hansard he said:

One can imagine how an exporter or importer would be deceived by figures like that,- 74726-62

And further he states:

If it is not useful and if it is not accurate, what is left?

He invited me to look into the matter, which I have done, and in justice to the importance of the matter and the desirability that the public should be assured of the accuracy of published figures I desire to make a brief explanation which I think will clear up the whole matter to his entire satisfaction.

Briefly, the complaint was that in connection with the exports of canned salmon from Canada over quarterly periods, the figures of the dominion's exports did not agree *with the figures of the British imports for the same period. The reasons are as follows: Exports to Great Britain going from the Pacific coast would take nearly a month to arrive in Great Britain, and it is quite understandable that a very substantial portion might be shipped from the Pacific coast in one quarter and not reach the British Isles until the next quarter. In the second place the imports in Great Britain are set forth in hundredweights of 112 pounds while exports from Canada are set forth in the Canadian standard of 100 pounds. If one will take the year 1933 it shows the following: Exports of canned salmon from Canada to Great Britain amounted to 11,151,800 pounds. Imports into Great Britain from Canada amounted to 11,397,680 pounds, almost exactly the same; the slight variation might be accounted for by the possible non-arrival of a shipment within the year period.

I have another statement which I will hand to Hansard which shows in detail the monthly, quarterly and annual exports in hundredweights and the imports into the United Kingdom, from the United Kingdom figures. In explanation of the statement I might say that it shows 111,518 hundredweights of 100 pounds exported from Canada, while the imports into the United Kingdom are shown at 101,765 hundredweights of 112 pounds. The total figures, as I said a moment ago, are very close in actual pounds. This statement, which shows the monthly, quarterly and annual exports from Canada and imports into the United Kingdom will give to the hon. gentleman the assurance he requires that the figures are quite accurate, and that the importer or exporter may have no fear or alarm as to the accuracy of the figures published in the government publications.

The figures are as follows:

97S

Cairo Postal Congress

Canada's Domestic Exports of Canned Salmon to the United Kingdom contrasted with United Kingdom Imports from Canada

Exports from Canada 1933

January

February

March

April

May

J une

July

August

September

October

November

December

Total-1933

Imports into United Kingdom 1933

J anuary

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Total-1933

Cwt. Cwt.

100 lbs. 100 lbs. Pounds Pounds

7,068 706,800

656 65,600

5,254 12.978 525,400 1,297,800

128 12,800

5,520 552.000

11,717 17,365 1,171,700 1,736,500

6,412 641,200

30.567 3,056,700

18,441 55,420 1,844,100 5,542,000

12,162 4,190 9,403 1,216,200 419,000 940,300

25,755 2,575,500

111,518 111,518 11,151,800 11,151,800

Cwt. Cwt.

112 lbs. 112 lbs. Pounds Pounds

11,727 1,313,424

7.230 809,760

1 112 2,123,296

2.032 227,584

3.145 352.240

3,183 8,360 356,496 936,320

8,318 7.049 11,822 931,616 789,488 1,324,064

27,189 3.045,168

31,049 10,124 6,085 3,477,488 1,133,888 681,520

47,258 5,292,896

101,765 101,765 11,397,680 11,397,680

Note.-For the calendar year 1933 the corrected figure for the United Kingdom is 100,988 cwt. or 11,310,656 pounds.

Mr. E. J. GARLAND (Bow River):

Mr. Speaker, some nine months ago, I think it was on May 24, 1933, an order of this house was passed authorizing the tabling of some orders in council and some other documents in respect of the Tokyo legation. I do not wish to hurry the government-

Oh, oh.

Mr. GARLAND (Bow River):

-but I

should like to have those documents tabled at the earliest possible moment.

Right Hon. R. B. BENNETT (Prime

Minister): My memory is that only yesterday upon the motion of the hon. member for Charlevoix-Saguenay (Mr. Casgrain) an order for return was passed, and papers are being prepared.

Mr. GARLAND (Bow River):

The order

to which I refer was passed on May 24, 1933, and my information obtained from the office is that these documents have not yet been tabled.

Mr. JEAN FRANCOIS POULIOT (Temis-couata):

Mr. Speaker, I have two questions

to ask the government, and they will be the two last ones I shall ask. I should like to know if the Postmaster General (Mr. Sauve) is travelling at the expense of the Canadian exchequer or at his own expense, and if at the expense of the Canadian exchequer, the government positively refuses to give any information to the house as to how that money has been spent.

Translations Bureau-Mr. Cahan

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

Mr. Speaker, the Postmaster

General did not desire to go personally to attend at Cairo, but inasmuch as the conference held there is a world conference, and the preparation took place in the Dominion of Canada, he spoke to me about the matter and, as Postmaster General, he attended the conference. His expenditures are covered by order in council, as is usual in such cases, and he is receiving exactly the same compensation as did his predecessors when they attended similar conferences.

In addition to that I think it is only fair to say that the questioning to which he has been subjected in his absence I am sure he will endeavour to answer personally on his return. I was going to make this further observation in regard to the question which has been asked, and it is this: As far as the accountability for moneys received for travelling or for other expenses is concerned, there need be no fear in any sense that the Postmaster General will not afford such returns as the auditor general in the exercise of his powers will require.

That covers the questions which have been asked, but I might say that abroad it does not help to have it thought that one who represents all parties in this House of Commons, and the whole of this dominion, at a world conference, in his capacity as Postmaster General, and not in his political capacity should be in his home parliament, and in his absence, subjected to the type of questions which have been asked here with respect to our Postmaster General.

Mr. POULIOT:

I have another question.

Mr. BENNETT:

The hon. member said

that was the last one.

Mr. SPEAKER:

The hon. member asked

two questions, and they have been answered.