Mr. GORDON GRAYDON (Leader of the Opposition):

May I ask the Prime Minister if he is in a position to answer my question of yesterday as to the Easter recess?

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

Not only am I in a position to answer it, but also I am in a position to ask the house if it will agree to the suggested period of adjournment. I move:

That when the house adjourn on Thursday, March 29, it stand adjourned until Tuesday, April 3, 1945.

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

Mr. Speaker, the government has consistently endeavoured to keep the public fully informed about the treatment by the enemy of Canadian prisoners of war. I have made a number of statements on the subject in this house, and further information has been released to the press from time to time as received from the protecting power and from the international committee of the Red Cross at Geneva. I should like to make this further statement to-day.

In view of developments of the war in Europe, there is additional concern in the public mind as to the welfare and safety of our prisoners of war in Germany. With the successful invasion of Germany from east and west by allied armies and the bombing of German cities and communications by the allied air forces, conditions of life in Germany will continue to deteriorate. As Germany approaches closer and closer to defeat, it is inevitable that prisoners of war in Germany will feel some of the effects of the deterioration of general conditions. The provision of food supplies is bound to be uncertain, and may from time to time be inadequate.

Thanks to the supply of Red Cross food parcels, prisoners generally are reported to be in good physical condition. All reports indicate that morale is high and that the men feel more than compensated for the hardships they are undergoing by the realization that these hardships are proof that victory is in sight for allied armies.

fMr. Graydon.]

The governments of the commonwealth are kept fully informed by the Swiss government and the International Red Cross of the welfare of prisoners of war. Measures have been taken to provide for prisoners moved from the eastern front and congregated in large numbers in central Germany. Recently a special train carried food supplies from Switzerland to the area just north of Munich where some 80,000 prisoners of war from the eastern front had been congregated. Further supplies will be carried to this area by convoys of motor trucks. Negotiations are now under way for the operation of similar convoys from a port on the Baltic to distribute supplies sent via Sweden. At least one supply depot has already been set up for prisoners of war on the march.

All possible means of ensuring that supplies will continue to reach prisoners of war will be used as occasion demands.

Reliable information about the welfare of prisoners of war in Germany will be released to the public as it is received.

Mr. BENCE:

Is it the belief of the government that next of kin in this country should continue to send parcels to the addresses to which they were formerly sending them?

Mr. MACKENZIE KING:

I would say, yes.

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

Mr. Speaker, I should like to ask a question of the Minister of Labour. On Tuesday last I asked him if he would table a report with respect to employment prospects in the postwar period, as a result of a survey made by his department. Has he considered the matter?

Mr. HUMPHREY MITCHELL (Minister of Labour):

The matter has been considered. There is no final report. As my hon. friend knows, it is a partial report. Nothing dies as quickly as figures.

Mr. GRAYDON:

The minister should be an authority on that, after the last session.

Mr. MITCHELL:

Oh, that is all right. I have a vivid recollection of a statement made not long ago by the hon.\ member for Rosetown-Biggar.

Mr. COLDWELL:

Don't remind me of that.

Housing Act-Statement

Mr. MITCHELL:

He predicted last spring that there would be a hundred thousand people out of employment. As a matter of fact we had one of the tightest labour situations we have ever had in the country's history. This is a partial report; it is not complete. And may I say, from my knowledge of the matter, that it is dead before it is born, because things have changed so much.

The report dealt with firms of over 200 employees. My hon. friend must know that the largest number of people in this country are employed by firms having less than 200 employees. What I have said will give some indication of the meagreness of a partial report. It is still under way, however, and when it is completed I shall give further consideration to the request of my hon. friend.