Mr. SPEAKER:

I have the honour to inform the house that I have received a communication from two members notifying me that the following vacancy has occurred in the representation, viz:

Of Armand Renaud LaVergne, Esquire, as member for the electoral district of Mont-magny, by decease.

I accordingly issued my warrant to the chief electoral officer to make out a new writ of election for the said electoral district.

THE LATE ARMAND LaVERGNE

Mr. SPEAKER:

I have the honour to inform the house that I have received, through the honourable the Secretary of State, letters from l'Association Nationale des Veterans and l'Union Conserva trice de Limoilou joining with parliament in the expression of sympathy for the decease of Mr. Armand LaVergne, Deputy Speaker, and I now table these letters to form part of the records of the house.

Mr. C. W. BELL (West Hamilton) moved:

That the petition of Mania Leizerson Ober-man, presented on the 7th instant, praying for a bill of divorce from Samuel Oberman, together with the report of the clerk of petitions thereon, be referred to the standing committee on standing orders for the purpose of considering the suspension of standing orders 92 and 93 (3) (a) and (c) in relation thereto.

Explain.

Mr. J. A. SULLIVAN (St. Ann):

Mr. Speaker, I believe a full explanation is given on the second page of the bill. Section 1 provides for an increase of directors from nine to eleven. Then, in section 2 the words underlined are new, and are as follows:

And also such other articles as may be conveniently manufactured in the plants of the company.

Then section 3 is explained on the second page of the bill.

Motion agreed to and bill read the first time.

1. Will the special select standing committee of the civil service be convened during this session?

Questions

2. Will the government during the present session take any action with reference to the recommendations made last year by the select standing committee of the civil service?

Mr. CAHAN:

Mr. Speaker, in reply to

question No. 1, I would say that there is no standing committee of the civil service. There was a select committee which sat during the last parliamentary session, but no reappointment has been made. With regard to the second part of the question I would say that the government's attitude will be made known when action is taken.

1. At what date was the post office at Joubert, Matane county, established?

2. Who has been carrying the mail from Sayabec to Joubert since the establishment of the post office, and' on what conditions?

3. Who is carrying the mail at present and what is his address?

4. At what date did he sign his contract?

5. How much does he receive?

6. Who recommended him to the department?

7. Did he obtain his contract after regular tenders had been called?

8. If so, what tenders were received by the department?

9. If not, why was he awarded the contract without tenders being called?

1. November 15, 1922.

2. J. Gagnon, from November 15, 1922, to September 30, 1934, at $200 per annum, and G. Boucher, from October 1, 1934, to date, also at $200 per annum.

3. G. Boucher, of Sayabec, P.Q.

4. July 13, 1934.

5. $200 per annum.

6. J. H. LaRue, M.P.

7 and S. No.

9. The Postmaster General, under the statutes, has power to award contracts at $200 per annum or under, without calling for tenders.