Hon. D. M. SUTHERLAND (Minister of Pensions and National Health) moved:

That there be printed 400 copies in English and 200 in French of the report of the Hyndman commission on unemployment conditions among ex-service men.

Mr. ONESIME GAGNON (Dorchester) moved:

That the petition of The Community General Hospital, Alms House and Seminary of Learning of the Sisters of Charity at Ottawa, presented on June 3, praying for the passing of an act of reincorporation under the name of The Community General Hospital, Alms House and Seminary of Learning of the Sisters of Charity at Ottawa, Canada, 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 93 (3) (a) and (c) and 95 in relation

thereto.

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

That it is expedient that parliament do approve of the international convention for the regulation of whaling signed at Geneva on the twenty-fourth day of September, 1931, reading as follows:

Convention for the Regulation of Whaling

Geneva, September 24, 1931.

His Majesty the King of the Albanians; the President of the German Reich; the President of the United States of America; His Majesty the King of the Belgians; Hie Majeety the King of Great Britain, Ireland and the British 92582-207

Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India; the President of Republic of Colombia; His Majeety the King of Denmark and Iceland; the President of the Government of the Spanish Republic; the President of the Republic of Finland; the President of the French Republic; the President of the Hellenic Republic; His Majesty the King of Italy; the President of the United States of Mexico; His Majesty the King of Norway; Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands; the President of the Polish Republic; His Majesty the King of Roumania; the Swiss Federal Council; the President of the Czechoslovak Republic; the President of the Turkish Republic; His Majesty the King of Yugoslavia have appointed as their plenipotentiaries the following:

His Majesty the King of the Albanians:

M. Lee Ku-rti, Resident Minister, Permanent Delegate accredited to the League of Nations. The President of the German Reich:

M. Hans Hermann Volckers, Consul-General at Geneva.

The President of the United States of America: Mr. Hugh R. Wilson, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Swiss Federal Council.

His Majesty the King of the Belgians:

M. P. Hymans, Minister for Foreign Affairs. His Majesty the King of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India:

For Great Britain and Northern Ireland and all parts of the British Empire which are not separate members of the League of Nations: The Right Honourable Viscount Cecil of Chelwood, K.iC.

For the Dominion of Canada:

The Honourable Hugh Guthrie, P.C., K.C., M.P., Minister of Justice and Attorney-General. For the Commonwealth of Australia:

Mr. James R. Collins, CJVLG., C.B.E., Official Secretary and Financial Adviser in the Office of the High Commissioner in London.

For the Dominion of New Zealand:

Sir Thomas Mason Wilford, K.C.M.G., K.C., High Commissioner in London.

For the Union of South Africa:

Mr. C. T. te Water, High Commissioner in London.

For India:

-Sir Brojendra L. Mitter, Kt., Law Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council.

The President of the Republic of Colombia: Dr. A. J. Restrepo, Permanent Delegate accredited to the League of Nations.

His Majesty the King of Denmark -and Iceland: M. William Borbe-rg, Permanent Delegate accredited to the League of Nations.

The President of the Government of the 'Spanish Republic:

M. Alejandro Lerroux Garcia, Minister of State.

Regulation of Whaling

Regulation oj Whaling

territories named in such declaration six months after its receipt by the secretary-general of the League of Nations.

4. The secretary-general of the League of Nations shall communicate to all the members of the League of Nations and the non-member states all declarations and notices received in virtue of this Article and the dates of their receipt.

Article 21

The present convention shall be registered by the secretary-general of the League of Nations as soon as it has entered into force.

In faith whereof the above-mentioned plenipotentiaries have signed the present convention.

Done at Geneva, on the twenty-fourth day of September one thousand nine hundred and thirty-one, in a single copy which shall be kept in the archives of the secretariat of the League of Nations and of which certified true copies shall be delivered to all the members of the League of Nations and to the nonmember states.

Albania Lee ICurti Germany

Dr. Hans Hermann Volckers United States of America Hugh R. Wilson Belgium Hymans

Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and all

parts of the British Empire which are not separate members of the League of the Nations Cecil Canada H. Guthrie

Commonwealth of Australia James R. Collins New Zealand Thomas M. Wilford Union of South Africa C. T. te Water India

B. L. Mitter Columbia A. J. Restrepo Denmark William Borberg

With reservation, until further notice, as regards Greenland Spain A. Lerroux Finland

Evald Gyllenbogel France Louis Rollin Greece R. Raphael Italy

Augusto Rosso Mexico

S. Martinez de Alva Norway

Birger Braadland The Netherlands

For the kingdom in Europe and the Netherlands Indies Beelaerts van Blockland

Poland

Auguste Zaleski Roumania C. Antoniade Switzerland Motta

Czechoslovakia Zd. Fierlinger Turkey Cemal Husnu Yugoslavia Dr. V. Marinkovitch

And that this house do approve of the same.

He said: The international convention with respect to whaling is the natural result of the adoption of means in connection with the destruction of the whale which would lead to their extinction. It is known to all hon. members that ini various provinces of confederation we have had to adopt means to prevent certain methods being used in the destruction of game and fish. Whales, which are of course in the high seas, have been destroyed in the north Atlantic ocean to a point where there are only few remaining. In the Antarctic, where they are numerous, it was found necessary to take restrictive and prohibitory measures to ensure the continuance of the whale. It may sound very strange, but the fact is that in the year 1930 the whaling fleets of the world destroyed 40,201 whales in. the Antarctic ocean. When I say to this house that not half of that number were killed in the entire ten-year period between 1920 and 1930 hon. members will have some appreciation of the extent of the slaughter. In this process of destruction 232 whale-catching boats were engaged with 6 shore stations and 41 floating factories.

These floating factories follow the ships that destroy the whales. They are largely destroyed, as is known, with harpoons and bombs, and the fat is rendered in these floating refineries with the result that very great havoc has been made through the destruction of the whales. Great Britain and Norway largely control the whaling industry but it was realized, of course, that action merely by one national could not accomplish any good purpose for the simple and obvious reason that the whales are found on the high seas and if other nations were not prohibited from carrying on operations the ships of other nationals would take advantage of the fact and the destruction would continue. Therefore an effort has been made to bring about an international understanding or convention, and after an inquiry had been made by a committee of the League of Nations this convention which is now before the house was adopted.

I may say that the convention, which was opened for signature on the twenty-fourth day

Regulation oj Whaling

of February, 1931, has been signed by Albania, Germany, the United States, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Colombia, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Norway, The Netherlands, Poland, Roumania, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Turkey and Yugoslavia, and ratification has been completed by the United Kingdom, South Africa, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States, and Yugoslavia. Brazil, Egypt, Nicaragua, Monaco, Sudan and Ecuador, which were not signatories to the original convention have acceded to its provisions. The convention came into force on the sixteenth day of January of this year.

The only other point I assume upon which the members of this house would like to be advised is what the provisions are with respect to enforcement, restrictions and the prohibitions. The convention contemplates that each national will take adequate steps to see that the convention to which it has become a party is duly and properly enforced. So far as we in Canada are concerned, in 1933, I think we had four whaling vessels on our registry engaged in the destruction of whales, and they operated entirely on the west coast of Canada, the headquarters being in the Queen Charlotte islands. The total number of whales that were taken during that period amounted to 209 in the last season for which we have a record in the north Pacific waters, and 509,000 gallons of whale oil were secured. So far as we are concerned the regulations and prohibitions with respect to some species of whales are not difficult of enforcement. The provisions of our Fisheries Act, the Department of Justice advises, by sections 7, 8, 9, 34 and 52, confer sufficient authority upon the government to carry into effect the obligations and responsibilities that rest upon this country by reason of the convention.

I do not think that any good purpose would be served by a more lengthy statement of what the objects of the convention are. I trust that they are such as will appeal to the members of this house as eminently proper in the premises and that there will be no difficulty in adopting the resolution which aims at the preservation of the whales not only for industrial purposes, because whale oil is a very valuable product, but also to prevent a surplus of the oil being placed upon the markets of the world with a corresponding destruction of prices. I therefore move, Mr. Speaker, seconded by Mr. Guthrie, the adoption of the resolution.

Mr. JEAN FRANCOIS POULIOT (Temis-couata):

Mr. Speaker, here we are legislating

about whales. This is the new social order. In the time of the prophet whales belonged to the old order, but the old order has gone and whales went with them. Evidently the Prime Minister wants the old order restored, so now he proposes legislation with regard to whales. Most ridiculous, Mr. Speaker! Have we not other things to discuss in the House of Commons that we must be considering whales for human food? Our farmers complain that they cannot sell their potatoes, their cattle and other produce that they grow on their farms, and now we are to use whales for human food, and that is proposed by the right hon. the Prime Minister of Canada. Enough of that, Mr. Speaker. It is most foolish and most ridiculous.

Mr. SPEAKER:

Order. The hon. member should not refer to remarks made by the Prime Minister on a motion for the ratification of a convention agreed upon by various nations of the world as most foolish, and I would ask him not to do it.

Mr. POULIOT:

I accept your ruling, Mr. Speaker, and I withdraw what has been said if it is not within the rules of the house. As I was saying, in these times of distress our farmers complain that they cannot sell their products, and here we are to raise whales on a very large scale, because whales are large fish. I wonder if the dredging around the island of the Postmaster General was done to prepare for whales coming there. It is most extraordinary. We have had legislation about migratory birds, and now we are to have legislation about whales. Who could believe it if it were not printed on the records of this house? But this convention about whales is printed on the official records of parliament and it is proposed by the Prime Minister unless my eyes and ears have deceived me. I cannot conceive but that it will be received with a general roar of laughter throughout the country. Let us have a piece of whale steak for a sandwich, and whale hot dogs. It is most extraordinary. I believe, Mr. Speaker, I am within the rules of the house in stating that it is extraordinary. I shall not use any other expression though I find many on my lips to describe this legislation, but I want to keep within the rules of the house. I wonder if the Prime Minister will not give us recipes for the eating of whale. Should we take H.P. sauce with it or ketchup or salt and pepper or mustard, English or French? I should like the Prime Minister, who is the chef of this party, to give us some recipes for eating whale. One

Regulation of Whaling

cannot imagine any Canadian citizen, man or woman, not having a roar of laughter when he thinks of it.

But not only that. I hesitate to read some of the articles of this convention. The wording is unusual. I would draw the attention of every member of the house who has the order paper before him to some sections of the convention. It would be improper to use such language, so I shall not recite the articles but I would refer hon. gentlemen, for instance, to article No. 6, paragraph one. It is most disgusting; also article 10; it would take a doctor to make such an inquiry. But these are the things that are proposed by the right hon. the Prime Minister, who is a gentleman. I cannot conceive how it could happen. Now when we go to the people the government will say, "We are giving you something new. In the future you will eat whales." It is most incredible and stupid. And the farmers who cannot sell their products I suppose will go to. the Antarctic and harpoon whales to cater to us. I shall not insist upon it too much but I did want to show how ridiculous such legislation is even though it is covered by a convention.

Mr. JACOBS:

What nations are not signatories to this convention?

Mr. BENNETT:

So far as I recall, Japan is the only one.