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

I followed the hon. gentleman with some care, and if the objects sought are as indicated it is not competent for a private member to introduce that legislation. It would impose a further charge upon the revenues of the country for the acquisition of silver to the extent of -925 as against -800.

Mr. SPEAKER:

As the Prime Minister (Mr. Bennett) raises the question of order-

Mr. MACKENZIE (Vancouver):

It might be allowed to stand for second reading, and the question be considered by Your Honour.

Mr. BENNETT:

No, it is first reading. The motion might stand until Your Honour has opportunity to look into the point of order.

Motion stands.

Explain.

Mr. GUTHRIE:

This is an amendment to the present law, and is really a transfer of the duties of the office from the minister, now the Minister of Labour, to a commission to be set up under another statute. The chief change is that where the word "minister" occurs the word " commission " is inserted.

Hon. CHARLES STEWART (West Edmonton) :

Are there not some further provisions for strengthening the act?

Mr. GUTHRIE:

There may be some slight amendments. There are other bills dealing with the matter, and this bill will not be proceeded with further until the other bill is brought to the house.

Motion agreed to and bill read the first time.

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

In order that all the members of the house may have opportunity to consider this resolution I shall not move it until Monday, as the Senate will not be sitting until Tuesday. We can deal with it Monday and it can then go to the other chamber.

Mr. JEAN-FRANCOIS POULIOT (Temis-couata): Is this resolution concerning whales also directed against sharks?

Mr. BENNETT:

I do not think it has any application to the hon. member for Temis-couata.

Hon. C. H. CAHAN (Secretary of State):

The hon. member for South Battleford (Mr. Vallance) recently passed across the floor of the house to me three letters which had been sent out by the proper officials of the Department of the Secretary of State dealing with naturalization, asking why information had been required as to whether, in each case, the applicant had become established in Canada and was permanently employed.

The granting of naturalization by the Secretary of State is a matter entirely within his discretion and therefore inquiry has to be made to ascertain whether the applicant has properly entered Canada-"landed," as the term is-and as to his character and qualifications for naturalization. There are now pending in the department, owing I think to the imminence of a general election, some eight or nine thousands new applications, and it takes considerable time to make inquiry in each case. In respect of these three applicants, whose names I will not mention, each is a citizen of Jugoslavia, and each has been properly landed in Canada. But we have received frequent protests from one end of this country to the other against granting naturalization certificates to applicants who

Interest Act Amendment

are not established in the country and who for the time being are on city or municipal relief. Therefore in order to ascertain the facts in each case a letter was written, and these are the letters handed to me by the hon. member for South Battleford. One of these citizens of Jugoslavia arrived in July of 1927 and, according to the reports in the possession of the department, he is now on city relief. The grant of a naturalization certificate has been held in abeyance until we receive evidence that he is permanently established in the country. The second arrived in July, 1929, and the facts before us establish that he has been on city relief since December, 1930. The third arrived in Canada in March, 1927, and the facts as represented to us are that he has been on relief since July 1931.

Under those circumstances I think it was perfectly proper for the officials while holding these applications in abeyance, though not refusing them, to write the applicants to ascertain whether since the date of the applications, when they were on relief, they have been able to establish themselves permanently so as to maintain themselves in this country. Though I did not know of these particular letters I take full responsibility for the action of the officials of the department in writing them.