Item agreed to. Naval services-to provide for the maintenance of the ships and establishments of the naval service, including the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve and the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, $2,222,000.
Mr. MACKENZIE (Vancouver):
May I
ask where the saving of $200,000 has been effected under this item?
Mr. SUTHERLAND:
The savings have
been effected entirely with regard to supplies. We will not buy as many supplies as heretofore.
Mr. RALSTON:
On this item I should like to join with the remarks of the minister last night concerning Commodore Hose. In view of the long connection of that officer with the naval service I believe it is fitting that those of us who knew something about his good qualities should record our appreciation of the service he rendered to this country. I must say that during my term in office I found him to be a most efficient, loyal and capable officer, and one whose services bore out in an extremely fine manner the best traditions of the British naval service.
Would the minister tell me the names of the members of the defence council?
Mr. SUTHERLAND:
The minister, of
course, is president, and the deputy minister vice-president. Then there is General Mc-Naughton chief of general staff; Brigadier Constantine, adjutant general, and Brigadier Caldwell, quartermaster general. In the meantime the associate members are the acting chief of the naval service, Captain Nelles, and Group Captain Croil of the air force.
Supply-Defence-Naval Services
Mr. RALSTON:
Could the minister give
me the salaries and allowances of these members of the defence council?
Mr. SUTHERLAND:
I presume you want to know my salary?
Mr. RALSTON:
No, we do not want that.
Mr. SUTHERLAND:
The chief of general staff receives $10,000; Brigadier Constantine, $7,500; Brigadier Caldwell, $7,500; Captain Nelles, $7,250 and Group Captain Croil, $5,800.
Mr. RALSTON:
Do any of these officers
get any other allowances from the public service, in addition to these amounts?
Mr. SUTHERLAND:
No; allowances are included in every case.
Mr. RALSTON:
Following the question
asked by the hon. member for Vancouver Centre, may I ask as to whether or not the chief of general staff has any Jurisdiction over the acting chief of the naval staff?
Mr. SUTHERLAND:
None whatever. Of course I have to amplify that statement a little bit. As the hon. gentleman did, we are endeavouring to correlate activities and to have all people working together. The situation as regards the naval service is exactly the same in every particular as it was when the hon. member was in office.
Mr. RALSTON:
While we are on this subject would the minister permit me to ask if his statement holds true with respect to the air force, also?
Mr. SUTHERLAND:
No, it is not exactly the same as obtains in the air force. When the hon. gentleman was in office the civil government air operations reported through the deputy minister. At the present time they report through the general staff. The chief of civil aviation, Mr. Wilson, reports through the deputy minister.
Mr. RALSTON:
Does the chief of the
Royal Canadian Air Force report direct to the deputy minister?
Mr. SUTHERLAND:
No, he reports
through the chief of the general staff.
Mr. RALSTON:
How long has the system mentioned by the minister been in operation, first as to the chief of the civil aviation branch reporting to the chief of general staff and secondly the chief of the Royal Canadian Air Force reporting to the chief of general staff?
Mr. SUTHERLAND:
Formerly there were, more or less, two departments, namely the Royal Canadian Air Force and civil government operations. For some time past they have been run as one. In other times the
air force reported through the chief of general staff.
Mr. RALSTON:
If the minister carries out what I hope he proposes to do, and what I believe he proposes to do, namely, to increase activities of civil government operations, does he not think it would be better to have civil government operations reporting directly to the deputy minister?