Mr. ILSLEY moved:

Resolved, that towards making good the supply granted to His Majesty on account of certain expenses of the public service for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1947, the sum of $203,837,388.85

, granted out of the consolidated revenue fund ot Canada.

Mr. GRAYDON:

May I ask for the customary protection from the minister that in agreeing to second reading of' this bill we shall

Mr. CRUICKSHANK:

I wish to express my thanks to the minister for his statement. Now I will not move the adjournment of the house.

1944 CROP-BARLEY EQUALIZATION FEE-ONTARIO WHEAT EQUALIZATION FUND

Hon. J. A. MacKINNON (Minister of Trade and Commerce):

On behalf of the Canadian wheat board I wish to make a brief statement regarding the 1944 barley equalization payments and the 1944 Ontario wheat equalization fund.

We are at present in process of making payment to all producers who delivered barley either through country elevators or by farm-to-farm transactions in the crop year 1944-45. An amount totalling $6,106,932.94 is involved in this payment, being the difference between the advance equalization payment and the equalization fees collected in respect of barley exported, after allowing for administrative costs and the estimated cost of making the payment. The payment covers deliveries made between August 1, 1944 and July 31, 1945, inclusive. In the case of deliveries through country elevators, the cheques are compiled from information submitted to the board by the handling companies. Where producers made deliveries to more than one elevator, separate cheques will be issued, one for each of the companies to whom deliveries were made. The cheques will be forwarded to the elevator companies for distribution when completed, but cheques covering the farm-to-farm transactions will be distributed by mail from the offices of the board.

Approximately one hundred and fifty-five thousand cheques are involved covering total 63260-119

deliveries of 80,435,781 bushels, and the amount per bushel of the payment is 7-59 cents.

Immediately following completion of the barley payment, payment will be made to the producers who delivered Ontario winter wheat in the 1944-45 crop year. This payment will be made on the basis of monthly reports received from the elevator agents in the province of Ontario. The surplus arising as a result of the equalization fees collected in Ontario winter flour and other wheat products exported from that crop, after allowing for administrative costs and the estimated cost of making the payment, totals $192,824.77. The per bushel payment amounts to 3 cents. Approximately twenty-nine thousand cheques are involved.

Mr. BRACKEN:

Mr. Speaker, may I ask a question with respect to the announcement the minister has just made? He mentioned that the barley equalization payment has already been made.

Mr. MacKINNON:

No

is in process.

Mr. BRACKEN:

Is in process of being made. When it is made, then a similar payment with respect to Ontario winter wheat will be made?

Mr. MacKINNON:

Yes. The wheat board is proceeding with the barley payments now, and a-s soon as they are completed the Ontario payments will be made. The wheat participation payments will follow that.

Mr. BRACKEN:

That is the question I was going to ask. There has been a good deal of criticism with respect to the delay in the payment of the participation certificates. My understanding is that they have not been paid since prior to 1943. Can the minister say now when these payments are likely to be made?

Mr. MacKINNON:

I have been in very close touch with the wheat board on this matter, partly because hon. members on the other side of the house have raised the question here. The assurance I get from the wheat board is that the issuing of these cheques will commence in June immediately following the cheques to which I made reference in my statement.

Mr. BRACKEN:

That is for the crop year

1943-44?