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

Some two weeks ago I was asked to make a statement on the gasoline and oil situation. As our rationing year ends on March 31, I will do so at this time rather than wait until the work of my department is subject to review under the war appropriation bill.

I have stated before, and now state again that rationing of gasoline in Canada is based wholly upon stocks of gasoline in hand and our estimate of the forward position. Our stocks in hand at this time are less than fifty per cent of normal. The forward position must depend on the tempo of the war, and there is every indication that the situation will not improve until the European war is ended. Whereas rationing was imposed as a result of sinkings by enemy submarines, rationing is still necessary due to the vastly increased requirements for aviation gasoline and motor gasoline in the combat areas. A further factor in the situation arises from the fact that supplies of crude oil in the United States are diminishing with the result that we must go farther and farther afield to obtain crude oil for our refineries. The crude oil now being obtained yields larger proportions of asphalt and heavy fuel oil with correspondingly smaller proportions of gasoline and domestic fuel oil. While we have obtained the assistance of United States owned tankers to meet our transportation requirements, and while we have built and are now operating a number of Canadian tankers, we have been unable to improve the position of the motorist.

Use of heavier crudes does permit relaxation in the use of heavy or bunker fuel oils and asphalt. Restrictions on the use of asphalt have been removed entirely. As regards the use of heavy or bunker fuel oil, in all provinces except British Columbia all users who converted from heavy fuel oils to substitute fuels may now return to using heavy fuel oil, the only restriction being that the consumer must obtain a permit from the office of the oil controller, this for the purpose of record. British Columbia cannot be permitted relaxation for the reason that demands for heavy fuel oil from the west coast for the fleets of the united nations require the full production of west coast refineries.

The plan to be followed in rationing gasoline for the year commencing April 1, 1944, will be practically the same as that now being followed. Each motor car registered for use in each province may, upon application, receive a category "AA" gasoline licence and ration coupon book containing forty units, which at the present value of a unit, namely three gallons, amounts to 120 gallons of gasoline. This "AA" gasoline licence and ration coupon book may be obtained from the issuer of motor licences at the time a provincial motor licence is obtained.

The special categories remain basically the same as established for this year. Each individual who, by reason of the essentiality of his vocation, believes that he is entitled to a special gasoline allowance must make a new application, upon forms provided for that purpose, to the regional office of the oil controller for his district. The rationing officials of the oil control office will then determine his special allotment, if any.

During the past year many of our motorists have looked upon their "AA" allotment as one for pleasure driving. It was not our intention last year, and certainly it is not our intention this year to provide gasoline for pleasure driving. The category "AA" is an allotment for emergency requirements. While we do not intend to define pleasure driving, I wish to make it clear that the man who uses his category "AA" for week-ends and other non-essential driving can expect no more should an eihergency arise after his allotment is exhausted. By the same token, the motorist who receives a special category in addition to his "AA" book must consider the aggregate gallonage provided by the two categories as essential, and all that he can obtain throughout the year.

It is hoped that the few inequalities that occurred ithis year can be eliminated next year. With the information on record for nearly every car and information obtained through checks on highways and at summer resorts, this should be possible.

I cannot stress too strongly the need for conserving gasoline. Gasoline is an essential munition of war. It has been said "To that country which has the last barrel of petroleum will go the victory".

Mr. H. R. JACKMAN (Rosedale):

Mr. Speaker, in speaking on the amendment, I wish to say first of all that I was happy to

War Expenditures-Mr. Jackman

be associated with the hon. member for Rose-town-Biggar (Mr. Coldwell) in moving that the hearings of our subcommittee be held in open and not in camera. That of course was subject to the usual provision, that should any of the evidence touch upon matters which might give comfort to the enemy, then the committee should hold its sittings in camera. It may be of interest to this house to know that that motion was overwhelmingly defeated, that only three members supported it, namely the hon. member for Rosetown-Biggar, the hon. member for Waterloo South (Mr. Homuth) and myself, and that all government supporters were against it. However, the hearings were held in camera, and on the day when the committee published its report there appeared in the press at the same time a statement issued by the leader of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation. That statement said, among other things:

The committee, in its attempt to whitewash the aluminum deal, succeeded only in making itself ridiculous.

Sir, I believe that that almost rises to a point of privilege on behalf of the members of that committee, apart from the hon_ member who uttered the statement.

It certainly does.

Mr. JACKMAN:

I believe therefore that, in supporting the amendment, there is good reason to be advanced why the evidence should be tabled in order that the public of Canada should be able to say how the committee was conducted and how the individual members carried on. In the first place, perhaps as a sop or compromise, the committee voted unanimously to issue interim objective summaries of the evidence of various witnesses. The hon. member for Rosetown-Biggar and the vice-chairman of the committee and myself were appointed on that publicity subcommittee, and the evidence of the first witness, Mr. F. H. Brown, the financial adviser to the Minister of Munitions and Supply (Mr. Howe), was gone over and an objective summary was issued to the press. The next day the hon. member for Rosetown-Biggar said that he could no longer serve on that publicity subcommittee because he had had several telephone calls which had proved embarrassing.

Mr. COLDWELL:

Oh, no. Mr. Speaker, I rise to a point of order. I said no such thing at any time.

Mr. JACKMAN:

I have not checked the evidence, but my memory is indelible on the point and I shall have to accept if necessary the denial of the hon. member. However, the

actions may indeed indicate whether or not what I said had the gist of truth or whether it was a fabrication of my faulty memory. The result was that the hon. member withdrew from that subcommittee, and yet he had no objection to the committee continuing to issue these reports from time to time.

Mr. COLDWELL:

I did object, as the evidence will show.

Mr. JACKMAN:

I shall come to that point presently. The hon. member, if my memory serves me correctly, had no objection and in the best of good nature was quite agreeable to the committee continuing to function at that time. But what is to be the position of any party in this house, much less any prospective government, if we find that the leader of a party advocates and subscribes to a policy of publicity one day, or any policy, no matter what it may be, and yet for certain reasons finds that it is no longer comfortable to serve on that committee and wishes to withdraw from it and to reverse his policy? We wonder, if the Prime Minister is a little embarrassed because the official leader of the party to which I belong has some hand in the direction of the policy of my party. What his embarrassment must be if he knows that there are powers behind the official leader of the party to my left, which must be a very peculiar position-

Mr. COLDWELL:

Explain that. That is a dirty innuendo.

Mr. DOUGLAS (Weyburn):

He has not the courage to back it up by saying something.

Mr. JACKMAN:

One thing I do not lack, I hope, is courage.

Mr. DOUGLAS (Weyburn):

You have demonstrated it.

Mr. JACKMAN:

I have said exactly what to my memory went on in that committee. The hon. member refused and I asked other members of the committee to be with me or against me when I say that the member for Rosetown-Biggar refused to serve on that subcommittee one day longer.

Mr. DOUGLAS (Weyburn):

I rise to a point of order.

Order.

Mr. DOUGLAS (Weyburn):

Oh, no. The hon. member has made a reference to some leader other than the leader of this group dominating the policy of this group. That is an innuendo which ought to be either substantiated or withdrawn.