Right Hon. W. L. MACKENZIE KING (Prime Minister) moved:

That on Wednesday, the 12th of April, 1939, and all subsequent Wednesdays until the end of the session, the sittings shall in every respect be under the same rules provided for other days.

Mr. ANGUS MaoINNIS (Vancouver East): Mr. Speaker, I think this small group will have to oppose the motion at the present time. It is a motion which comes at some time during each session, but I have never known it to come as early in the session as it has this year. In previous years it has come when the business of the session is near the end, or when the end of the session is in sight. There is no indication at the present time that the business of the session is nearing its end. There is plenty of business on the order paper. The budget is yet to be brought down, and there may be some new legislation.

Speaking for this small group, may I say that we particularly feel the need of Wednesday evenings. Being a small group in the house I suppose we may have to work harder than other larger groups, certain members of which may specialize on certain work.

Mr. LAPOINTE (Quebec East):

What

about us?

Mr. MacINNIS:

I think hon. members

opposite will appreciate what I say. I have looked over the records for the last three years and have found that in 1938 we sat on two Wednesday evenings, in 1937 on two, and in 1936 on one. It seems to me that even if we sit to-morrow evening the business of the house is likely to carry on for another four or five weeks. For these reasons I think the Prime Minister should not press the motion.

Hon. R. J. MANION (Leader of the Opposition):

Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the motion in a general way, and on a little different ground, although I should not like to oppose it to the extent of voting against it. At the present time we are sitting here four days of the week from three o'clock in the afternoon until eleven o'clock at night, and on Wednesdays we sit until sax o'clock. Shortly the proposal will be made that we sit in the mornings, and with that I personally have no particular quarrel. But I doubt whether by sitting here five evenings in the week we accomplish a bit more than we do by sitting four evenings. The reason I say that is this, I think it is not physically advisable that hon. members should be sitting here, as we shall be sitting shortly, from [Mr. E. Lapointe. I

eleven o'clock in the morning until eleven o'clock at night, and do it five days of the week. It does not give us time to recuperate to a certain extent from the long hours, and it puts the whole house in an irritable mood which is much more inclined to delay work than to advance it.

I do not wish in any way to delay the work of the house; in fact I am in favour of hurrying it along. At the same time I do not think Wednesday evening sittings as early in the session as this, having in mind the comparison made by the hon. member to my left, are going to help us along. I believe the matter might be held up another week before putting the motion into effect. I am really of the opinion-and perhaps I am speaking more medically than anything else -that we shall accomplish more by sitting four nights of the week than we would by sitting five.

Mr. MACKENZIE KING:

I may say to my hon. friend that I am quite prepared to accept his opinions from the medical point of view, even if I do not always see my way to accept them from the political point of view. However-

Mr. MANION:

You will be shortly.

Mr. MACKENZIE KING:

However, probably we shall all get along better if we agree upon a week hence, instead of this Wednesday, and I hope this will be satisfactory to the house.

May I say to the hon. member who has spoken on behalf of the group in the far corner of the house that his figures and mine are somewhat different. I find that in 1937 the house opened on January 14 and that Wednesday evenings were taken away on March 24. That was after a much shorter time than we are asking this year. There were three Wednesday sittings of the house after that date before the end of the session. This year, as will be recalled, the house met on January 12. It met earlier this year than it has in most other years. For that reason we had thought of taking Wednesday evenings a little sooner.

Perhaps it will help to bring about unanimity if I amend my motion to read:

That on Wednesday, the 19th of April, 1939, and all subsequent Wednesdays until the end of the session, the sittings shall in every respect be under the same rules provided for other days.

I think I may say, without any exception being taken to the observation, that no one appreciates Wednesday evenings more than do the members of the government. The only reason we are asking the house to sit Wednesday evenings is that we believe that

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in. the end it will the better suit the convenience of the house if at this stage we get on with the work as rapidly as possible.

Motion as amended agreed to.