Mr. McINTOSH:

For a copy of all correspondence, letters and other documents exchanged between any person in Beacon Hill, Beacon Hill district or elsewhere, and the Department of the Postmaster General, regarding the management of the post office at Beacon Hill, Saskatchewan, during the past year; also a copy of any report made by an inspector of the Post Office Department who made a special investigation in connection with the management of said post office any time between June 1, 1933, and June 1, 1934.

Mr. BENNETT; Mr. Speaker, as I intimated the other day when the hon. gentleman was not in his place, it may be difficult to comply with the first part of the order, covering all the correspondence between any persons, but there is no reason the order should not pass because of its indefinite character or inability to meet it. As to the last part of the question, motions Nos. 1, 2 and 3 contemplate making public the reports made to the Post Office Department by its own confidential agents. The extent to which such reports may be produced depends entirely upon their character; the government reserves the right to produce such as may be thought to be in the public interest, and not otherwise.

Mr. SPEAKER:

With the reservation as

stated shall the resolution carry?

Mr. McINTOSH:

That will be quite satisfactory, and I thank the Prime Minister.-

Mr. McINTOSH:

For a copy of all correspondence, letters and telegrams exchanged between any person in Spiritwood, the Spiritwood district or elsewhere, and' the Department of the Postmaster General, regarding the management of the post office at Spiritwood, Saskatchewan, since September, 1930, to April 1, 1934; also a copy of the report of the inspector of the department who made a special investigation in connection with the management of the said post office during the month of February or March or any other month during the year from June 1, 1933, and June 1, 1934.

Mr. SPEAKER:

Shall the motion carry,

with the same reservation?

Mr. McINTOSH:

For a copy of all correspondence, letters and telegrams exchanged between any person in Medstead, Medstead district or elsewhere, and the department of the Postmaster General, regarding the management of the post office

[Mr. Dorion.l

at Medstead, Saskatchewan, during the past year; also a copy of any report made by an inspector of the department who made a special investigation in connection with the management of said post office any time between June 1, 1933, and June 1, 1934.

Mr. SPEAKER:

Shall the resolution carry, with the reservation already made?

Right Hon. W. L. MACKENZIE KING (Leader of the Opposition):

May I ask the

Prime Minister if it might not be arranged to proceed rather soon in committee of the whole with the resolution dealing with the government's program of public works construction? I think it would be advisable to have that program before members of the house in order that we might have some opportunity to consider it before being obliged to discuss it in detail. I should like to make a' similar inquiry with regard to the franchise bill, as to whether we might not expect shortly to have that measure before the house for consideration. I suggest this because I feel we are drawing near to the end of the session, and if we could have these measures before us for some little time before we come to discuss them I believe in the end time will be saved.

There is just one further question I might ask. I assume that all the legislation, other than that arising out of the reports of committees, is on the order paper at the present time. If further legislation is contemplated would the Prime Minister kindly indicate it?

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

With respect to the last question asked by the right hon. gentleman, he will recall that in the statement I made as to prospective legislation I indicated that we would have to reserve from that statement any enactments founded upon the reports that might be made by committees. One was the radio committee, another was the civil service committee and a third the banking and commerce committee. Both the heavier bills, the one dealing with banks and the other with the central bank, now are before the house, but arising out of the enactment of the legislation with respect to the central bank there will be the legislation I mentioned at that time, concerning the Currency Act and the Dominion Notes Act.

Business of the House

Mr. MACKENZIE KING:

Also the criminal code I think.

Mr. BENNETT:

The various members make representations to the Minister of Justice as t'o the amendments they think reasonably might be made, and that is usually delayed until as late as possible in the session. There will be only those amendments to the criminal code that experience has taught to be desirable. I do not believe there is anything exceptional in those, so far as I know.

With respect to the second question asked by the right hon. gentleman, I think the franchise bill might be brought down almost at any date. A rough draft that had not been considered by the cabinet was prepared covering all the points that might be thought to be desirable, and it was suggested that the draftsman, Mr. O'Connor, might have points in his mind arising out of the consideration of the act. He prepared a manuscript which was printed, but which has not been considered by the cabinet, a copy of which I tried to make available to the right hon. gentleman. The Minister of Justice (Mr. Guthrie), who has charge of the bill, has gone over the printed copy for the purpose of trying to prepare a bill, which I think it will be possible to submit to the house within the next few days at any rate; I would not say this week positively. The Elections Act amendment will be merely putting into proper form the sections of that act that are left after taking out those sections dealing with the franchise, and enacting them as a separate measure. There will be no essential structural change so far as the conduct of elections is concerned; that will be left entirely as it is now, but when the franchise bill is adopted it will be a separate act so there may be no confusion between the two.

The first question of the right hon. gentleman is one that is not as free from difficulty as the asking of it would indicate. It has been represented to us that much criticism would follow the submission of legislation of that kind especially at this time, under present electoral conditions in two of the provinces; it has been suggested that this should not be done, because someone has said that it is an endeavour to bribe the people with their own money. The schedule has been prepared and we have been considering, without arriving at any definite conclusion, the best time to submit it to the house without making it the subject matter of too adverse criticism.

74726-235*

Mr. LAPOINTE:

There is some wisdom in the delay.