Mr. GUTHRIE:

Explain.

Mr. MaoINNIS: The purpose of this

amendment is to extend the privilege of voting by absentee ballot to the men in the unemployment relief camps on the same conditions granted in the case of other occupations enumerated in the act. The only change proposed is the addition of a definition of "unemployment relief camp worker," and the insertion of the words "unemployment relief camp workers" in section 2 of subsection 99.

Motion agreed to and bill read the first time.

explain.

Mr. REID:

The purpose of the bill which I am asking leave of the house to introduce is to prohibit the catching of salmon by the use of purse-seines in the waters adjacent to the mouth of the Fraser river, with the object of preventing the further depletion and de-

Privilege-Mr. Bennett

struction of the great salmon fishing industry in that river, and also to protect the livelihood of thousands of gill-net fishermen.

Motion agreed to and bill read the first time.

Explain.

Mr. HANSON (York-Sunbury):

The proposed amendment is merely to correct a clerical error in the act as it now stands. On the translation of the act from English into French certain words were inadvertently omitted, and the amendment is to insert those words in the French version.

Motion agreed to and bill read the first time.

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

Mr. Speaker, on a question of privilege I desire to point out that on Friday last I directed attention to the fact that the hon. member for St. Boniface (Mr. Howden) had given certain warnings at his nomination convention. I did that on the strength of a statement that said the warning was given and indicated that he had used the language at his nomination meeting. I have since investigated the matter with great care, and I find that the Winnipeg Free Press of October 22, and the Winnipeg Tribune of the same day, make reference to his nomination. It was incorrect for me to say that the hon. member for St. Boniface had made the statement in question. It was made by the president of the Liberal Association of Manitoba. I quote from the Winnipeg Free Press of October 22:

John Caswell Davis, president o.f the Manitoba Liberal Association', warned that the Conservatives probably would introduce a "false issue" into the campaign to separate the people of the dominion on a racial and nationality basis.

That is all that is said. The report in the Tribune is this:

Referring to the Stevens commission, J. C. Davis, president of the Provincial Liberal Association, stated that, so far, only "handpicked" concerns had been investigated. The "big fellows" were still untouched. He also warned the electors against possible attempts on the part of the Conservative government to so juggle amendments to the British North America Act as to stir up racial feeling.

I express my very sincere regrets that I did an injustice to the hon. gentleman on Friday last when, in consequence of the dispatch to which I had reference-which was neither one of these-not mentioning who was responsible for the statement, I attributed the statement to him. That was an error and I offer him my apologies for having done so. But the statements in question were made by the president of the Liberal association in the province of Manitoba, who was speaking presumably in the presence of the hon. gentleman.

Mr. J. P. HOWDEN (St. Boniface):

I have nothing to say in the matter, and I appreciate the Prime Minister's action in this regard.

1. Is the international wheat committee, or the continuing subcommittee thereof, still functioning?

2. If so, in what direction?

3. Has the attention of the government been directed to a statement made on page one of a monthly review of the wheat situation, issued on the authority of the Minister of Trade and Commerce, under date of January 23, 1935, which reads as follows: "Stocks of wheat in Canada continue at a higher level than a year ago. On January 11, 1935, the Canadian visible supply amounted to 257,000,000 bushels as compared with 237,000,000 on the same date a year ago"?

4. If so, what is the government's policy in relation thereto?

Mr. BENNETT:

I may say to the hon.

gentleman, who is an experienced parliamentarian, that part of his question it would be difficult to answer, while part of it is improperly on the order paper. The answer to the first is, yes. The answer to the second would be, in the direction of success. The answer to the third would be, yes; and the answer to the fourth is that the question should not be on the order paper.

Mr. SPEAKER:

As to the first three,

answered; as to the fourth, dropped.