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

The representatives of the aircraft industry of Montreal were given the assurance two days ago that -they would have the opportunity to present to -the -national war labour board any grievances or matters they wished to have considered by that board, under the new chairman who was -to be appointed. As a new chairman has been secured for -the board I am hopeful that this opportunity will be afforded very soon.

Mr. M. J. COLDWELL (Rosetown-Biggar):

May I ask when the opportunity will be given to complete the organization of this house by the appointment of a deputy speaker?

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

My hon. friend will recall that under the rules of the house the deputy speaker is not appointed until after the address in reply to the speech from the throne has been agreed on. As soon as the rules of the house have been complied with in that particular the deputy speaker will be appointed.

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

May I direct attention to the fact that the third reading of the bill respecting the Chief Justice of Canada appears under government orders. The government would like to have the third reading of that bill before the special order is taken up. I might add that yesterday we could have proceeded with the third reading under the rules, had we wished to do so, as there was no amendment in committee, but the government was not anxious to press the matter unduly.

Mr. GORDON GRAYDON (Leader of the Opposition):

I think we of this party are prepared to agree to the third reading, on the distinct understanding that by thus expediting the bill we do not indicate any more approval than we gave it yesterday.

The lmuse having proceeded to government orders:

Mr. SPEAKER:

Is it the pleasure of the house to adopt the motion?

Mr. GRAYDON:

On division.

Mr. COLDWELL:

On division.

Motion agreed to on division, and bill read the third time and passed.

Mr. F. W. GERSHAW (Medicine Hat):

Mr. Speaker, in venturing to offer a few remarks during the course of this debate I want first to congratulate most sincerely the mover (Mr. Harris) and the seconder (Mr. Halle) of the address both upon their eloquence and upon the subject matter which -they presented. I do so particularly because they represent in this house the armed forces, and I say all honour should be given that great body o'f free men who are offering their lives to preserve the precious heritage which has been handed down to us and which is threatened at this time by a ruthless aggressor. All down through the centuries brave men have been called upon to do battle in times of danger. The history of the past records their valiant deeds; but when the history of this war is written the skill and courage of the airmen, the sailors and the soldiers of democracy will add a shining page to that record, a page which will be outstanding in the annals of human conflict.

We who are not facing the enemy directly must bear some trials and inconveniences, but these inconveniences are as nothing compared with the things with which the fighting forces must contend. As has been pointed out, we have some inconveniences with regard to rationing. We cannot sell all we should like to sell; we cannot buy some of the things we should like to buy. We may be restricted to a certain extent in our food supply, but the Minister of Pensions and National Health (Mr. Mackenzie) is setting up a nutrition organization which will teach the Canadian people the art of living and will go a long way toward preserving the health of the Canadian people. Hard work will be the lot of many who remain in Canada. My heart goes out to the elderly men and women who are trying to carry on their work on our farms with the younger people away at war work. Again, we may be confused by the many complicated forms which business men, farmers and others are asked to fill out. We cannot always understand the need of this information being given, because it often takes a good deal of time and energy to prepare. We may be hampered somewhat by the licences we have to procure, and by difficulties in connection with priorities. But the people of Canada are willing to submit to these things, and the officers administering them are willing to adjust them to the needs of the people, so as to cause as little inconvenience as possible.

For seven hundred years there was a small village named Lidice in Czechoslovakia. The

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men and women lived there as happy neighbours. The children laughed and played on the streets. Then the German conquerors came. The men were forced to do what they were told to do. The women had scanty supplies of food for their tables. Worship in the churches and teaching in the schools were interfered with. And then, on a road which did not even lead into this village, two men were mortally wounded. The gestapo stepped in. They claimed that a radio had been found and that the people of that village wanted their freedom, and so a terrible vengeance was visited upon them. Their buildings were levelled to the ground, the men were shot, and callously thrown into common graves, and the women and children were carried off to we know not what. That is an example of what is being inflicted upon people in countries overrun by our ruthless enemy.

One other inconvenience we have to put up with is the high income tax, but I am sure that those who can pay that tax do not begrudge it. The single man who earns S3,000 must pay a tax of $668; he who earns $5,000 must pay $2,128, he who earns $10,000 pays $5,122, and so on until we reach the higher brackets, where ninety-two per cent of revenue or income is taken, for this one tax alone.

The great, outstanding issue before the people of Canada to-day, the issue which transcends all others, and toward which we must direct our thoughts is the winning of the war. With the cooperation of the civilian population, the strategy of those in command and the courage of the troops this war will be won. Right will triumph over the hordes who claim that might is all important. Some day the war will end. Unfortunately some of the warriors will not return, while others will come back maimed and suffering revolting disabilities. We hope and trust many will return to Canada to a better civilian state of affairs than the world has ever known. I believe the people of this country and the members of the House of Commons are, like the people of New Zealand, determined that in so far as possible no one will lose for having gone to the war, and no one will gain from having stayed at home.

I believe it is the fixed desire and the firm resolution of the people to see to it that never again shall there be widespread unemployment, such as we endured in the thirties. It is their firm desire that there shall be equal opportunity for adults and children of all classes, and that the four freedoms written into the Atlantic charter will be realized and become a great blessing to mankind. These

things are not beyond the realm of possibility. The road to them may be hard and rough, but we must lift our eyes from the plains on which we tread, and look to the hills; because it is not beyond human ability to reach that condition of affairs.

Some one has said: How can it be done? How can this bright picture be realized? I say it can be done by the energy, ability and inventive genius of the Canadian people, guided and directed by the leaders in power at the present time. I say this because a similar and perhaps greater Canadian accomplishment is being unfolded before the eyes of the world, an accomplishment which has received the unstinted praise of Prime Minister Churchill and President Roosevelt. I speak of the Canadian war activity.

For example, consider the situation as regards the navy. Starting with fifteen ships and 1,774 men, the navy has grown until it now has 500 ships and more than 40,000 men and officers. They have patrolled our irregular coast-line; they have defended our shores; they have convoyed thousands of ships bearing vital war supplies to the mother country; they have fought on all the seven seas, side by side with ships of the British navy. It has been the greatest naval accomplishment in all history.

All of us are thrilled by the heroic flights of Canadian-trained airmen over Germany. If we were to study the accomplishments of the army and the air force we would find a similar expansion. We would find that these branches are worthy of a great tribute, and their expansion can be placed to the credit of the three ministers of defence in this government.

At times both in the country and in the house the price-ceiling regulations have been criticized. But it becomes more and more clear that those regulations are working out successfully, and that they have been a great help to the Canadian people. Our regulations constitute a model which has been copied by other countries, and those who were pioneers in producing this measure have the satisfaction of knowing they have made a great contribution.

The success of price regulation measures, and the outstanding success of victory loan drives are indications that the people of Canada have confidence in the ability and sincerity, and in the firmness of the Minister of Finance (Mr. Ilsley). Then, the technical knowledge and managerial ability of the Minister of Munitions and Supply (Mr. Howe) have been a great help to Canada, enabling this country to build up an organization which

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employs a million workers at the present *time, and which is sending the very best of munitions to every battlefield in the world. The Midas touch of the minister has done much to transfer the peace-time economy of Canada into an arsenal of democracy.

At this point I should like to pay tribute to those thousand or more so-called dollar-a-year men who are making a great contribution, and who have been doing so at great cost to themselves. They are getting little credit for it, but I believe that they are doing a great work. If there is any selfishness in their actions, it has not become apparent.

The Prime Minister (Mr. Mackenzie King) has shown himself to be a master in the art of government. He has gathered around him a group of ministers who are capable of meeting the great responsibilities which are theirs. He has been a great Canadian leader for a quarter of a century. He has held this position in times of sunshine and in times of storm; he has held it in spite of rapidly changing public opinion. He has done much to maintain unity in this country and goodwill in an international 'way, and I think the records of history will justly value what he has done.

I desire at this time to refer to a few matters which are of particular importance to the district whence I come. To a great extent we are interested in the agricultural industry. While the lot of the farmer is better to-day than it has been for many a long day, at the same time there is a class of farmer, there are certain people whose lot is anything but happy. Figures have been quoted in this house to show that during the long ten years of the depression, 33.9 per cent of the people of this country, those who were engaged in agriculture, received only from ten to fifteen per cent of the national income. Their share is higher at the present time, but it still falls short of what it should be.

Those depressed years left a huge mountain of debt. The debt of the farmers of the west is estimated to be $800,000,000. In Alberta alone the farmers owe the banks $35,000,000; they owe the machine companies $50,000,000, and they owe mortgage companies and individuals a total of $100,000,000. The Farmers' Creditors Arrangement Act has reduced this debt by some $21,745,000, but there are still obligations that cannot be met. These cannot be met for one reason, namely, that the farmer is being asked to produce at a figure below his actual cost. During the last few years the farmer has received 45 cents, 50 cents, or perhaps up to 70 cents a

bushel for his wheat, but Professor Hope of Saskatchewan university has estimated that for the farmer to be able to meet his costs and have a decent standard of living, the price of wheat on the farm should be at least 90 cents a bushel for the average grade. It may be asked how this industry has survived in view of these circumstances. It has survived because the farmer started in with considerable capital which has gradually been reduced until it is all gone. Some farmers have survived by going into debt and assuming mortgages, and others have survived because their wives and children have stepped in and done a great deal of the work of the farm.

In our economic set-up there is one great maladjustment. The home is the very cornerstone of our civilization. The end and aim of all legislation should be to make conditions better in the home. Yet oui farm homes are not what they should be. They have not the conveniences which they should have and which the work of the farm warrants. Men and women on the farm visualize the advantages of general and technical education for their children; theii children dream of obtaining this education, but their dreams seldom come true because their hopes are often blighted by despair.

My contention is that farm products should not be sold below cost of production, and my further contention is that farm production should be regarded as a munition of war and should have the same sound, practical support and assistance given to those manufacturers who are producing other munitions of war.

Mr. HOMUTH:

The government can

remedy that.

Mr. GERSHAW:

I am pointing out that the parliament of Canada can remedy that. I want to enlist the support of members of this house for a small section of our population who at the present time are suffering from what I have referred to as a maladjustment.

Farming is a skilled occupation, and yet the return for this work is much less than the return for so-called unskilled labour in our factories. It is a dangerous occupation; yet it is without the protection of the provincial workmen's compensation acts, and the farmers are without the ability to protect themselves with accident insurance. It is a lonely, isolated occupation, and yet it is without the comforts of modern homes and present-day inventions which add So much to the zest and interest of life. About the only security that many of the people engaged in this occupa-

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[DOT]tion, many of the people in this particular group of which I am speaking, can look forward to is the hope of getting an old age pension. Many of them are worn out before they reach the age of seventy.

I want to make an appeal at this time to have a better Old Age Pensions Act placed upon our statute books. This legislation should start at a younger age and should provide more comforts. By all means let all pensioners have the small sum referred to as a cost of living bonus. The difficulties in getting accommodation and renting quarters are real in most of our towns and cities. The prices of the commodities that these people have to buy have gone up. According to a return brought down last year, in 1942 the dominion contributed 820,611,706 for old age pensions. If the pension is increased to $25 a month, it will mean an increase of 87,402,000 If the pensions are paid at sixty-five years of age, the additional cost will be 819,603.000.

There is one other thing which is proving a great difficulty to old age pensioners. The total amount allowed is $365 a year. The maximum pension is 8240, and if the pensioner makes more than $125 a year, the pension is reduced accordingly. In these times this means a hardship to a great many of these deserving pioneers.

The people of this country realize that we are at war and are anxious to make their contribution. Go into the rural districts and you will find that men -are willing to give their time in the collecting of scrap iron which may be of use, and the women are spending long hours in sewing and doing Red Cross work. Even the children are bringing in their pennies as a contribution. They are unable to buy war bonds, but they are anxious to do what they can in this regard. I have two suggestions to make which I think are of importance. One is -that the local officers of the wartime prices and trade board should have a little more authority and the privilege of making more decisions, because it is often difficult and takes a good deal of time to locate the man who can settle the difficulties that are constantly arising. Although the central office must have control, this system works to the disadvantage of many people because of the difficulty and the time it takes to get in touch with the different officers and secure a decision.

One other suggestion I have to make is -that local draft boards be given some voice in granting postponements for military service. Conditions differ very much in different localities. In an irrigation district, for instance, a farmer must have a large staff both summer and winter, doing irrigation work in the sum-

mer and stock feeding in the winter. When the younger men are called into the army and the older men go into munition plants the owner of the farm is in a desperate situation. It is believed that stock feeding has dropped as much as forty per cent in some of these districts because of the impossibility of getting help. The returns are not sufficient to allow the farmer to pay enough wages to attract the help he requires, and if he could the help is not available.

There is another matter which I wish to bring to the attention of the house. A young man-I know of an actual case-enlisted; he was anxious to do his part. After he had gone, his father was taken permanently sick. No one else was available who could carry on the work. Many efforts have been made and much correspondence has taken place, but that young man has not ye-t received any extended postponement. In the meantime the life savings of this aged couple are rapidly disappearing. It is cases like this which would seem to make it advisable to give men who are acquainted with the local situation some say in granting postponements.

We in the west feel that we are fortunate in having a Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Gardiner) and a Minister of Trade and Commerce (Mr. MacKinnon) who understand western conditions. We realize that they have obtained for the western farmer as much as any one in their positions could possibly obtain. Millions of dollars have been allotted from the treasury to pay for wheat for which there is no market, and bonuses of various kinds have been granted up to an amount of sixty-five million dollars or even more. All these things are much appreciated by the farmers of that western country, although they do find in connection with the bonuses that there are many discouragements and delays and that often the regulations are such that deserving people are denied the bonus.

I wish to bring to the attention of the Minister of Agriculture one particular phase of this subject. This year there is no prairie farm assistance provided, and yet in southern Alberta we have twenty-two townships where the average yield is much below eight bushels per -acre. These people are in a desperate situation, and I hope -that arrangements can be made whereby the prairie farm assistance payments can be made to these deserving people.

I am not asking for a parity price. I am asking the department and appealing to this house to find out the cost of producing the various farm products and to pay that cost, as it fairly should be paid. The health of the people of the nation demands these agricultural

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products. If all the people had all the foods which they really require, the full output of agricultural production would 'be used up. If the farmers of a country are prosperous, all others share in that prosperity. Here is an opportunity to do some of these things which will bring contentment, permanency and attractiveness to the people of this country.

We must look to the great to-morrows. For centuries yet to come future generations will look back upon the efforts and accomplishments of the people of this generation, and we shall be judged by posterity by the efforts we put forth and by what we accomplish now. This is not only a time of trial but a time of great opportunity. Few generations have had the opportunity which is offered to the people of this generation, an opportunity to shield that precious heritage which has been built up by long struggles and which is now threatened with destruction, an opportunity to build, upon the foundations which 'have been laid, a more noble edifice.