Hon. W. A. GORDON (Minister of Labour) :

I desire to lay on the table the following documents:

Complete texts of orders in council which were passed during the recess of parliament and which were synopsized in the Canada Gazette ;

Also sessional paper No. 84, being a memorandum of the auditor general with respect to the investigation of relief payments in the province of Saskatchewan;

Also a statement showing the number of refunds which have been made to the dominion government under the Relief Acts of 1930, 1931, 1932 and 1933;

Also full texts of orders in council directing the auditor general with respect to audits of relief accounts.

All of this was asked for by the leader of the opposition (Mr. Mackenzie King) on Thursday last.

Mr. COTNAM:

How many native born Canadians returned to Canada to take up residence, during the years 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933 and 1934 respectively ?

Mr. GORDON:

The number of Canadian born persons, still British subjects returning to Canada from the United States, after having taken up residence in the United States, is as follows:

Fiscal year 1930-1931 26.811

" " 1931-1932

17,691" " 1932-1933

16,32010 months ended January, 1934. 7,619

The following table shows the number of Canadian bom persons returning from other countries than the United States, but the department is unable to show how many of these returned after having taken up residence abroad; it is thought that the number of such is very small and that practically the entire movement is made up of Canadians who have been visiting abroad:

Fiscal year 1930-1931 13,989

" " 1931-1932

11,020" " 1932-1933

11,79610 months ended January, 1934. 10,090

1. Has Mr. A. J. Morin carried the mail to the post office of Pied du Lac, Boisvert, Les Etroits and Belanger siding, since 1930?

2. If so, from what date to what other date?

3. Is there a contract between the said Mr. Morin and the Post Office Department with respect to the carriage of the mail to such localities?

4. If so, what date does such contract bear and what sum was paid to the said Mr. Morin, to date?

1. Yes.

2. From August 9, 1933, to November 20, 1933.

3. No.

4. Mr. Morin performed this service free of cost to the Post Office Department.

Questions as Orders jor Returns

1. Has the government received petitions asking that a tax of 20 cents per pound be levied on the sale of leaf tobacco?

2. If so, how many such petitions have been received?

3. How many persons in each province, made such a request?

4. How many persons, in each separate municipality, signed such petitions?

5. What manufacturers proposed or recommended the taxation of leaf tobacco?

6. What are the municipalities whose municipal councils may have approved, by way of resolutions, the proposal to tax leaf tobacco?

7. Has the government received petitions or resolutions from municipal councils protesting against such a proposal?

8. If so, how many?

9. How many persons, in each province, signed such petitions of protest?

10. How many persons, in each municipality, signed such petitions of protest?

11. What are the municipalities whose municipal councils may have protested, by way of resolutions, against the proposal to tax leaf tobacco?

Mr. RHODES:

In asking that this question stand, as an order for return I might indicate that it asks for a great deal of information of a character which hitherto has been regarded as confidential, namely, representations made to the government with respect to matters affecting tariff and taxation. I have no objection to its passing, but it must be understood that we must conform to the usual practice in this respect in bringing down the return.

1. How many sessions of quorums of the Canadian pension commission have been held since the appointment of the commission?

2. Where vrere these sessions held, and what members of the commission sat at each session?

3. How many cases were considered at each .session and how many decisions favourable to applicants were given?