Some hon. MEMBERS:
Explain.
Subtopic: AGREEMENT RESPECTING TRACKS AND PREMISES AT SAINT JOHN
Hon. II. H. STEVENS (Minister of Trade and Commerce): My attention has been drawn to an oversight in the report, and in the motion adopting the report, regarding the printing from day to day of the evidence of the special committee appointed to inquire into price spreads and mass buying. I give notice to-day that to-morrow I shall move for the amendment of this motion, authorizing the printing from day to day. The present motion refers only to the power to have the proceedings printed, and this will meet the complaint, which had not been brought to my attention before, that copies in French and in English are not promptly distributed. The motion I shall move to-morrow will take care of this situation and I give notice of the motion now.
Mr. OSCAR iL. BOULANGER (Bellechas-se) (Translation): Mr. Chairman, I wish to lay on the table of the House: petitions forwarded by the municipal councils of St. Etienne de Beaumont, St. Michael de Belle-chasse and St. Damien de Buckland, in the county of Bellechasse, requesting the Government to abstain from levying a tax on leaf tobacco.
Hon. R. J. MANION (Minister of Railways) moved for leave to introduce Bill No. 23, to ratify and confirm the agreement respecting the joint use by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company of certain tracks and premises of His Majesty at Saint John, NJ3.
Explain.
Mr. MANION:
The object of this bill is to ratify and confirm an agreement between His Majesty the King and the Canadian Pacific Railway Company for the joint use of certain tracks and premises belonging to His Majesty at Saint John, New Brunswick, and thus validating the agreement for a full period of 99 years from the first day of January, 1927, unless sooner terminated in accordance with the provisions of the agreement. Neither this bill nor either of the other two that follow has anything to do with last year's legislation; they are bills which date from an earlier period, this one from 1927 and the other two from 1912 and 1915. I mention this in order to clear the air, because I have been asked a number of times w'hether this had to do with last year's legislation.
Motion agreed to and bill read the first time.
Hon. R. J. MANION (Minister of Railways) moved for leave to introduce Bill No. 24, to ratify and confirm an agreement between the Canadian Northern Ontario Railway Company and the Campbellford, Lake Ontario and Western Railway Company. He said: With respect to this bill, perhaps I might say a word that I omitted in regard to the preceding one, namely, that these ratifications are made imperative by the Railway Act, which calls for any joint agreement for a stated period beyond 21 years being ratified by this parliament. It dates back to 1912. Motion agreed to and bill read the first time.
Hon. R. J. MANION (Minister of Railways) moved for leave to introduce Bill No. 25, to ratify and confirm an agreement respecting the joint use by His Majesty and the commissioners of the Transcontinental railway of certain tracks and premises of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company at Quebec.
Mr. POWER:
Is this a continuation of the agreement of 1912, or are there any changes?
Mr. MANION:
This is an agreement of
1915, and so far as I know there are no changes in its terms. This merely extends the time.
Mr. POWER:
Is it for 99 years?
Mr. MANION:
Yes. The last bill was
for 999 years and that should be long enough.
Mr. MACKENZIE (Vancouver):
The
C.C.F. will be in power.
Motion agreed to and bill read the first time.