Mr. J. SASSEVILLE ROY (Gaspe):

Mr. Speaker, I should like to ask the Minister of Labour whether he has received a letter sent to him from Montreal on June 3 by La Cor-portation des Agronomes of the province of Quebec, and signed by Rene Monette, general secretary. This letter deals with the problem of shortage of man-power on farms and suggests suspension of recruiting of these men for the army. Has the minister received the letter and given any consideration to that demand, and if so, what action has been taken?

Hon. HUMPHREY MITCHELL (Minister of Labour) :

In reply to my hon. friend I

may say that when the man-power debate comes up I can give an answer to the letter to which he refers.

Mr. J. H. HARRIS (Danforth):

I wish to direct a question to the Minister of Labour: perhaps he will accept this as notice and answer it to-morrow. It came to my attention just before coming to the house to-day that industries in different parts of Canada are coming to the national selective board in Ottawa and getting a special confidential priority rating on labour, not only that available in industrial centres, but some labour which is at present employed by other industries which have no such confidential priority rating and whose employees are under the jurisdiction of the local selective service boards. Will the minister make a statement to the house as to the origin of the confidential selective ratings, and also as to how industries

Fuel

that are doing what they deem to be war work may get on these preferential lists in order that they may obtain some labour.

Mr. MITCHELL:

I shall be glad to give an answer to my hon. friend at the next sitting of the house.

Mr. P. C. BLACK (Cumberland):

I should like to ask the Minister of Labour if it is the practice or policy of his department to confer with the heads of labour organizations and with the heads of industry where, under national selective service, men are being transferred from one industry to another industry. In the province of Nova Scotia there is some discontent because of this transfer, and I should be glad if the minister would care to give us some information on the matter.

Mr. MITCHELL:

In the first place, the general policy is to consult with the national selective service board. I think my hon. friend will agree with me that when it comes to a question of administration, that must be the responsibility of the government agency. I think he will agree that where transferences are involved we should take the responsibilitjq of course after consulting with the national selective service advisory committee before the high policy is put into operation.

Mr. G. K. FRASER (Peterborough West):

I wish to ask a question of the Minister of Munitions and Supply. In a press report of June 7, Mr. J. W. Cornett, mayor of Vancouver, is reported as having said that-

... he believed the dominion government will announce within a few days that it will go into mass production of bush-wood to augment insufficient coal supplies. The mayor also expressed belief the government will assume responsibility for coal supplies.

If there is any truth in this report, will the minister tell the house what the government plans are?

Hon. C. D. HOWE (Minister of Munitions and Supply):

I made a statement on the coal and wood fuel situation in the course of an all-day debate on that subject. The situation has not changed. The federal government is doing everything it can do to provide in every community sufficient coal and to assist every community in obtaining sufficient fuel. Coal

,

we recognize as a federal problem. Fuel wood is a local problem in which the federal government is assisting to the utmost. We have certain operations for cutting quantities of fuel wood which can be moved into deficiency areas, but I think that that should not relieve any community of putting forth its own best exertions to meet its own fuel wood requirements.

Mr. D. C. ABBOTT (Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance):

I should like to reply to the question which was put on Tuesday by the hon. member for Rosetown-Biggar (Mr. Coldwell) respecting the rationing of sausages and hamburger. I am informed by the wartime prices and trade

Naval Service

board that they have issued no official statement either over the radio or through the press to the effect that a decision with respect to the rationing of these commodities will be deferred for at least a month.

Mr. GOLD WELL:

That was given over the radio.