1. How many employees were employed at the Montreal harbour during the navigation season of 1923 and that of 1934?

2. What salaries were paid to these employees during the above years?

3. What was the tonnage of the vessels that entered the Montreal harbour in 1923 and 1934.

4. How many vessels came to Montreal in 1923 and 1934?

1. British empire

Fiscal year countries

1919-20 60,659

1920-21 75,783

1921-22 39,606

1922-23 36,360

1923-24 78,740

1924-25 54,943

1925-26 37,569

1926-27 50,378

1927-28 51,552

1928-29 59,497

1929-30 64,962

1930-31 28,144

1931-32 7,332

1932-33 3.283

1933-34 2,454

fMr. Manion.]

Mr. DURANLEAU:

1. How many immigrants were admitted to

Canada from: (a) British empire countries;

(b) United States of America; (c) foreign countries, each year from 1920 to 1934 inclusive?

2. How many immigrants left Canada for the United States of America each year from 1920 to 1934 inclusive?

3. How many Canadians returned to Canada from the United States of America each year from 1920 to 1934 inclusive?

Mr. GORDON:

From U.S.A. All other countries Totals40,728 7,021 108,40838,310 24,635 138,72821,670 21,048 82,32416,566 14,520 67,44617,211 49,299 145,25015,818 40,601 111,36218,778 39,717 96,06421,025 72,586 143,98925,007 75,041 151,60030,560 77,666 167,72330,727 67,599 163,28824,280 35,799 88,22314,297 4,123 25,75213,196 3.303 19,7827,740 3,709 13,903

British Settlers

2. There is no information available showing emigration from Canada to the United States or elsewhere.

3. Figures are available only from the 1st April, 1924. The movement since that time is as follows:

Fiscal year 1924-25 43,775

1925-26

1926-27 56,957

1927-28 39,887

1928-29 33,798

1929-30 29,830

1930-31 30,209

1931-32 19.411

1932-33 17,625

1933-34 9,172

1. What is the total amount of loans outstanding under the Soldier Settlement Act in British Columbia at the 31st of December, 1934?

2. What is the total number of loans granted under the act in the province at this date?

3. What is the minimum and maximum amounts granted in each case?

4. What are the names and addresses, and salaries of those administering the Soldier Settlement Act in British Columbia at said date?

1. $6,812,782.26.

2. 3,692.

3. Minimum, $18.70; maximum, $8,000.

4. G. Chalmers Johnston, District Supt., Vancouver; salary, $3,204.

Office Staff, Vancouver-

F. G. Coburn, T. B. Diplock, W. C. M, Broadbent, W. W. Hilton, F. K. Owen, L. R. Wood. J. S. Pells, E. J. Sager, George Johnston, R. C. Pitman, J. F. C. Kirk, A. D. Newberry, P. E. Curtis, H. T. Dobb, Miss E. L. Johnston, Miss M. McIntyre, Mrs. J. D. H. Bell, Miss E. A. Jackson, Miss D. Reed, Miss W. Atkins, Miss P. M. Welch, Miss G. E. Rowe.-Total office salaries, $33,213.96.

Field Staff-

J. C. Child, Vernon; D. Dodding, Nelson; H. L. Sinclair, Penticton; R. W. Brown, Kelowna; D. B. Holman, Salmon Arm; W. W. Wood, Vernon; F. Barber, Kamloops; A. Berner, Telkwa; I. T. Barnet, Vancouver; E. H. Cope, Abbotsford; R. L. Ramsay, Chilliwack; L. A. LaPierre, Vancouver; T. Godfrey, New Westminster; L. B. Plumbly, Royston; J. D. Patterson, Victoria.-Total field salaries, $30,402.

Note.-In addition to administering the Soldier Settlement Act the staff are engaged in General Land Settlement; investigations for War Veterans' Allowance Committee; Board of Pension Commissioners and Department of Pensions and National Health; appraisals for the Board of Review under the Farmers' Creditors Arrangement Act; Relief Land Settlement; Relief investigations.

1. What is the total amount owing at this date on the loan made by the government of Canada to Roumania, under order in council P.C. 690, April 2, 1919?

2. Has anything been paid on said loan since it was made?

1. Principal amount, as consolidated in 1922 into $23,969,720 4 per cent Roumanian bonds due 1968, is outstanding in full.

2. No principal amount has been payable. Interest was paid in full to April 1, 1933. Coupons due October 1, 1933, and April 1 and October 1, 1934, were paid to the extent of twenty-five per cent.

Interest payments from October 1, 1933, to 1936, are being made on a reduced scale under a plan proposed by Roumania and recommended to private investors by the council of foreign bondholders and accepted by the government of Canada.

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

I wish to answer an inquiry that was made yesterday by the hon. member for South Battleford (Mr. Vallance) with respect to certain newspaper reports having to do with a number of settlers under what is known as the three thousand British families scheme.

Mr. VALLANCE:

May I correct the minister? These are not newspaper reports; they were reports made to me direct.

Mr. GORDON:

Whether they were newspaper reports or not, I will try to answer the question. I have had inquiries made and it would appear that these settlers came to Canada under an empire agreement with the British government about ben years ago. A great numlber of t)he settlers have done very well, and some of them not so well.

On January 28 last a delegation of these settlers called at the office of the chief field

British Settlers

supervisor at Prinice Albert. There were nine families represented. I do not think it would be fair to name the families, but the spokesman for the delegation stated that the families had been induced to emigrate on promises which were not fulfilled and that the settlers required relief in food and clothing. Then they submitted what was almost an ultimatum, as follows:

(a) The group of settlers must be repatriated to the United Kingdom.

(lb) Allowances must be provided by the dominion government to keep the families in reasonable comfort until repatriation was carried out.

(c) The settlers would not operate their farms this spring.

(d) If allowances made by the dominion government were considered insufficient, application would be made to the British government for authority to dispose of stock and equipment purchased out of British funds; and

(e) A reply must be made within a period of two weeks.

A report was immediately submitted by the district superintendent at Saskatoon and on the 9th ultimo the district superintendent was advised that on checking over the records here it was found that these families had come to Canada between 1926 and 1929 and had already acquired Canadian domicile by five years' residence. Therefore we have no machinery that can be put in motion to return these families to Britain.

The attention of the district superintendent was also directed to the fact that the distribution of relief is not in the hands of this department and that these families would be entitled to the same treatment as other residents whether born in Canada or abroad, and further that the settlers would have the same rights as other farmers under the Farmers' Creditors Arrangement Act for a readjustment of indebtedness. One of the settlers, Mr. Fraser, acted as spokesman. He wired to the director on the thirteenth ultimo refusing to accept the department's reply to the delegation's demands and said that they would remain in occupancy of the Prince Albert office until the director would interview them personally.

On Thursday the fourteenth ultimo, the district superintendent at Saskatoon was instructed by long distance telephone to offer to transport the settlers back to their farms and to advise them that if any difficulty was met with in obtaining relief, he, the district superintendent, would take the matter up with the proper authorities. As is well known, the dominion government, acting in conjunction with the government of the province, is making

provision for necessitous cases throughout the whole province. The district superintendent was told to advise the delegation that the office was to be closed at the usual closing hour in the evening and they would be removed unless they left the premises.

Reports to hand show that the land settlement officer offered to provide transportation for any who wanted it. Two of the families who lived fourteen and nine miles respectively from Prince Albert had driven to the city in their own automobiles bringing some of the others with them. None of the delegates accepted the offer of transportation. They left the office shortly after three o'clock in the afternoon of the fourteenth without any force or persuasion beyond the advice of the land settlement officer. A press report of the fifteenth ultimo stated that the remnant of the delegation started to walk home distances of from ten to fifteen miles and that there were some women in the group. As there was only one woman who appeared at the land settlement office after the first day and as she and her husband drove their own automobile, the press report is evidently incorrect.

Then the director wrote to the spokesman for the group setting out the position of the department in the matter. It is quite obvious that these people, having resided in Canada as long as they have, while they may have_ met with difficulties, have assumed an attitude which in my judgment is at least not well considered, and if they find themselves at the moment in need of assistance, there is a proper source, namely the provincial authorities, who undoubtedly can take care of their situation.