Mr. MacNICOL:
No. Matte, is it not?
Mr. ILSLEY:
Concentrated ore.
Mr. MacNICOL:
Yes, exactly. We in Ontario thought the plant erected at Port Colborne was a step in the right direction for the processing of various lines of nickel products in Canada, but evidently it has not got any further than a once-remove from the raw ore as it is mined in Sudbury. That nickel matte goes to the United States and, according to this item, comes back free so that we can process it here into other items.
Mr. ILSLEY:
Yes.
Item agreed to. Customs tariff-440i. The following articles and materials when imported for use only in the manufacture, maintenance or repair of automatic gas buoys and automatic gas beacons, or automatic electric buoys and automatic electric beacons, for the government of Canada, for marine signal purposes or for export, under regulations prescribed by the minister, viz.: flanged and dished steel heads made from boiler plate, over five feet in diameter; acetylene gas lanterns and parts thereof; electric flashing lights and parts thereof: British preferential tariff, free; intermediate tariff, free; general tariff, free. Item agreed to. Customs tariff-563. Bolting cloth of any textile fibre, not made up, imported for use only for bolting or sifting materials: British preferential tariff, free; intermediate tariff, free; general tariff, free.
Mr. MacNICOL:
This is something I know nothing about. Are any of the lines of textile fibres referred to here produced in Canada?
Mr. ILSLEY:
No. This is bolting cloth, and bolting cloth is used principally in flour mills and starch factories. It is not made in Canada.
Item agreed to. Customs Tariff
Mr. ILSLEY:
There is an amendment to item 696a. It is an unimportant matter.
Mr. GIBSON moved:
That schedule A to the customs tariff, as amended by resolution No. 1 of March 2, 1943, be further amended by striking thereout tariff item 696a and by inserting in lieu thereof the following item, enumerations and rates of duty:
696a. Moving picture films, sound or silent, separate sound film track, slides and slide films, positive or negative; sound disks, records and transcriptions; when certified by the Government or by a recognized representative authority of the Government of the country of production as being of an international educational character; subject to such regulations as the minister may prescribe: British preferential tariff, free; intermediate tariff, free; general tariff, free.
Mr. ILSLEY:
The former item read:
Educational moving picture films of all widths, silent or sound, positive or negative, and sound disks or records designed for use with such films, when certified by the minister as entitled to exemption from customs duty under the convention for facilitating the international circulation of films of an educational character; subject to such regulations as the minister may prescribe.
Under the former item importation was restricted to films entitled to entry under the convention for facilitating the international circulation of films of an educational character. Under the new item films, et cetera are admitted duty free when they are certified by a government or by a recognized representative authority of the government of the country of production as being of an international educational character. The item is also being widened to cover sound film track, slides and slide films when used in conjunction with educational moving-picture films. I am informed that the national film board and an organization known as the national film society requested this amendment. The Department of National Revenue would like to have this done for administrative purposes.
Mr. GRAYDON:
What are the administrative reasons?
Mr. ILSLEY:
The convention is out of existence now. Under the former item importation was restricted to films entitled to entry under the convention for facilitating the international circulation of films of an educational character. Under the new item films, etcetera, are admitted duty free when they are certified by a government or by a ' recognized representative authority of the government of the country of production as being of an international educational character.
The convention for facilitating the international circulation of films of an international character was signed at Geneva on October 11, 1933. That is what is out of existence. There is no certifying authority.
Mr. GRAYDON:
That is the administrative
reason?
Mr. ILSLEY:
Yes.
Mr. HOMUTH:
Then the government does not fully accept the word of another government as to the educational value of a film?
Mr. ILSLEY:
It is subject to such regulation as the Minister of National Revenue may prescribe. He may accept the certificate of a recognized representative authority of the country of production. If he gives a certificate that the films are of an international educational character the minister may let them in. But he may prescribe regulations.
Mr. HOMUTH:
Are they examined before they are distributed in this country?
Mr. ILSLEY:
The Department of National Revenue inspects them to see whether they are educational before it lets them in.
Mr. MacNICOL:
Do the provincial motion-picture censorship boards not inspect them before they are allowed to be distributed in the provinces?