1. No.

2 and 3. Answered by No. 1.

1. Has the government of Manitoba, through its premier or any other official, asked this government to pay a supplementary amount of $3.75 per pensioner, to enable the payment of old age and blind pensions up to a maximum of $25 per month, in the province of Manitoba?

2. If so, by whom was such request made, and on what date or dates?

3. If such request has been made, what was the answer of the government?

1. The answer to a somewhat similar question to be found on page 1525 of Hansard confirmed that the government of Manitoba had asked this government to make supplementary provision to enable the payment of old age pensions up to a maximum of $25 per month in the province of Manitoba. The specific request was that the government of Canada should amend the Old Age Pensions Act in such a way as to provide that the maximum pension paid to aged and blind persons should

be increased from $240 to $300 per year, subject to reduction by the amount of the income of the pensioner in excess of $125 per year.

2. The request was made on behalf of the government of the province of Manitoba by the Hon. James McLenaghen, attorney general of Manitoba, on May 13, 1942.

3. In replying to the request on May 28, 1942, the Minister of Finance, after referring to the increased financial burden which would be thrown on the provinces by the adoption of the proposed amendment and the difficulties which this would create and the opposition it would arouse in the case of those provinces not in a strong financial position, stated that "the dominion would not be justified in making changes in the act which would place virtual compulsion upon provincial governments to increase their expenditure for old age pensions" but that "if the government of the province of Manitoba wishes to provide supplemental allowances for pensioners, we are prepared to amend the regulations so that they may do so without bringing about a reduction in the amount payable by the dominion." On January 20, 1943, the attorney general of Manitoba advised the Minister of Finance that the government of Manitoba had decided to pay a supplemental allowance of $1.25 per month to those persons in Manitoba who are entitled to the old age and blind persons pension and asked the dominion to make this possible by an appropriate amendment to the regulations. Under an order in council dated February 17, 1943 (P.C. 17/1280), the dominion government amended the old age pensions regulations to permit the province of Manitoba to pay a supplemental allowance to old age pensioners.

1. How many men in each province of Canada have been granted postponement of military training since the outbreak of war on the grounds of conscientious objection?

2. Where, how, and in what numbers are those men engaged at the present time?

3. What provision, if any, is being made for their employment along other lines when their

work on present projects will completed? have been

Mr. MITCHELL:

1. "A"

"B"

"C"

"D"

Ontario (Total) .... 1,309

Questions

"E" 27

"F" _

Quebec (Total) 27

"G" Nova Scotia 12

"H" New Brunswick 6

"I" Prince Edward Island 5

"J" Manitoba 1,222

"K" British Columbia 572

"M" Saskatchewan 289

"N" Alberta 132

Total 3,574

Table shows figures from October 9, 1940, up to and including February 26, 1943.

2. As of December 31, 1942-1,212 of which 366 were on leave and 51 had been discharged -balance of 795 men engaged in alternative service work at that date.

Banff National Park (3 camps): Spray River, Healy Creek, Castle Mountain. Total unmber of men engaged in these camps, 109.

Jasper National Park, Maligne Road. Total number of men engaged in this camp, 24.

Kootenay National Park, Mile 16 and Mile 21, Banff-Windermere highway. Total number of men engaged in this camp, 98.

Riding Mountain National Park, Wasa-gaming (closed at December 31, 1942).

Prince Albert National Park, Waskesiu. Total number of men engaged in this camp, 16.

Kananaskis forest experiment stations, Seebe, Alberta. Total number of men engaged in this camp, 45.

Petawawa forest experiment stations, Chalk River, Ont. Total number of men engaged in this camp, 41.

Montreal River (Ontario). Total number of men engaged in this camp, 140.

Lac la Rongot (Northern Sask.) (Was not operated in 1942).

British Columbia Forest Service-on mainland: Green Timbers (GT-1), Mount Seymour Haney (GT-4), Powell River (GT-6), Vedder Crossing (GT-3) (closed). On Vancouver Island: Koksilah (C-3), Hill 60 (C-l), Cowi-chan (C-2), Timberlands (C-7), Horn Lake (Q-6), Loveland Lake (Q-7), Bowzer (Q-5), Campbell Lake (Q-3), Menzies' Bay (Q-2), Quinsam (Q-l), Salmon River (Q-8), Kelsey Bay. Total number of men engaged in these camps, 322.

" These men are engaged in forest protection, removal of fire hazard conditions, improvement of existing fire trails and roads, construction of fire lookouts and accessory buildings, fire-fighting and training for firefighting, salvaging fire-killed timber, production of mine props for coal mining industry, cutting of fuelwood, sawmill operations, production of lumber for disposal of timber controller, preparation of land for reforestation, forest planting control of forest insect depredations, construction of tourist facilities, forest surveys, compilation and research, scaling of timber produced for war purposes, nature work and highway construction."

3. Most of the work in which these men are engaged will continue for some time to come. However, there is under consideration an arrangement whereby conscientious objectors will be used for farm labour and other work of national importance.

1. Who are the inspectors of the unemployment insurance commission, (a) for the province of Quebec, (b) for each of the other provinces?

1. (a) Guay, M., Sladen, R. V., Barker, W. H., Sims, R. H., Mireault, J., Lamarre, N. G., Guertin, M., Tellier, G., Bellemare, C., O'Reilly, F., Shepard, S., Langevin, J. I., Mayer, C. S., Parke, A. A., Holly, T. M., Guilbault, A. A., Boisvert, R., Brunelle, J., Poitras, L. E., Boivin, A., Daoust, H., Foisy,

Questions

Mr. POULIOT:

X. What class of railway employment is considered essential by the national selective service board?

2. Is this classification accepted by the army?

1. Every class has the right to apply for postponement. No class as such is exempt, but special consideration is given to operating and maintenance.

2. The army is not asked to accept or refuse this classification. The D.O's.C. representative has a right to make representations to the board.

Mr. POULIOT:

I rise to a question of privilege. According to practice in this house, when two departments are involved in the answer to a question, that answer is given not by one of the ministers concerned but by the Secretary of State, in behalf of all departments. This question involves at least two and perhaps four departments, the Department of Labour on the ohe hand, and on the other hand the army, meaning by that the three branches of the army. Therefore the answer that has been given to part two of this question is irregular, because the Minister of Labour has no authority to give it. I want the answer to be given at the next sitting by the Secretary of State in behalf of the Minister of Labour and the other ministers concerned.

1. Did the Department of Public Works purchase rugs for government offices in 1942 and 1943?

Questions

2. If so, (a) how many did it purchase; (b) from whom did it purchase them; (c) what size were they, and what make; (d) how much did it pay for each of them; (e) where is each rug at present located?