Hon. ARTHUR SAUVE (Postmaster General) (Translation):

Mr. Speaker, in answer to a question put by my hon. friend the member for Ottawa (Mr. Chevrier), which appears at page 2722 of the Hansard of April 15th, I must say that I did not personally authorize these instructions concerning the statutory holidays in the postal service, because such instructions are simply a matter of practice and they are given every year by competent officers, as circumstances require.

Mr. E. R. E. CHEVRIER (Ottawa) (Translation) :

Mr. Speaker, I wish to ask the act-

C.N.R.-Branch Lines

ing Prime Minister (Sir George Perley) if the address which this house has adopted to express its loyal and respectful congratulations to his Most Excellent Majesty the King on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of his accession to the throne shall be presented to His Majesty in both official languages of Canada.

In other words, I desire to ask this of the acting Prime Minister: Will the address which this house passed expressing loyal and respectful congratulations to His Most Excellent Majesty the King on the twenty-fifth anniversary of his accession to the throne be presented to His Most Excellent Majesty in the two official languages of this country.

Mr. Speaker, the loyal

address to His Majesty is being engrossed in both languages.

Hon. CHARLES STEWART (West Edmonton) :

I should like to make an inquiry of the Minister of Mines (Mr. Gordon). I notice in this morning's Citizen a rather lengthy article stating that negotiations are under way between the government and a company desirous of manufacturing peat, and that there is a proposal to have an investigation made by a commission looking towards securing further information. May I ask if this report is correct?

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

Mr. Speaker, I saw the article to which the hon. member has referred. It is by no means an accurate statement. The fuel testing laboratories in Ottawa operated by the dominion government are constantly carrying on investigations with respect to fuels of all kinds. There has been, I am told, considerable agitation lately on behalf of a company, with whose name I am not familiar in regard to some new process said to be designed in such a way that peat can be converted into a fuel for use in Ontario and Quebec comparable to and able to compete with anthracite. Matters such as these are constantly under review by the fuel division. If this process is as good as it is claimed to be I think it is something the qualified officials of the department should investigate. At the moment no decision has been arrived at, but I am looking into the whole matter and if it appears desirable to have the competent officials of the department investigate the peat fuel situation I think the government would be quite justified in authorizing a very modest expenditure in order to carry on an investigation of that character*

Hon. ARTHUR SAUVE (Postmaster General) (Translation):

I can only say to my hon. friend that I shall inquire from the officials who deal with the compiling of these returns and instruct them to produce them to-morrow, if possible.

Mr. VINCENT DUPUIS (Laprairie-Napier-ville):

The hon. member for Nicolet (Mr. Dubois) has just directed a question to the Minister of Railways and Canals (Mr. Manion), concerning a matter in which I am very much interested and which I discussed with the minister some time ago. I refer to the discontinuance of service on branch lines in the province of Quebec. In the constituency of Laprairie-Napierville this includes the branch line from St. Isidore Junction to Hemmingford. The hon. member for Nicolet asked the minister if anything can be done to assure the people of Quebec that these branch lines will be continued in operation.

Hon. R. J. MANION (Minister of Railways and Canals):

I meant no disrespect

or discourtesy to my hon. friend from Nicolet (Mr. Dubois); I caught only a few of his words and I meant to look up his question and reply to-morrow. In regard to the discontinuance of sendee on lines, or the abandonment of lines, I have no control in any shape or form; the management of the rail-iway, whether it is the Canadian Pacific or

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the Canadian National, have absolute jurisdiction in that regard with the exception that they must submit their intention to abandon to the board of railway commissioners. I am glad to offer to both hon. gentlemen this suggestion, that when any of these abandonments are proposed their proper course is to approach the board of railway commissioners and make their protests as volubly and strongly as possible. I quite sympathize with them in their wish to see these abandonments not carried out, but I have no control whatever over either railway in that regard.

Mr. T. ADELARD FONTAINE (St. Hyacinthe-Rouville) (Translation):

Mr. Speaker, I wish to second the remarks of the hon. member for Nicolet (Mr. Dubois) and to add now that they also apply to the district of St. Hyacinthe.

In answer to the hon. Minister of Railways (Mr. Manion) I may say that so far as the discontinuance of certain services of the Canadian National in the district of St. Hyacinthe is concerned >1 had occasion to make similar suggestions to the board of railway commissioners who paid very little attention to them.