Mr. CLARENCE GILLIS (Cape Breton South):

I should like to direct a question to the Minister of National Defence, a copy of which I have sent to him. It arises out of a telegram received this morning from Halifax setting out that some 1,800 civilian personnel may be laid off at H.M.C. dockyard, Halifax. Can the minister give the house any assurance of continued operations at the dockyard in order to avoid a badly aggravated unemployment. problem in that city?

Hon. BROOKE CLAXTON (Minister of National Defence):

Since man}' hon. members are interested, I shall make a brief statement. As hon. members are aware, the repatriation, demobilization and rehabilitation of the armed forces has proceeded rapidly and is practically completed. The disposal of surplus war materials is also well advanced. This work and looking after the maintenance of the establishments and equipment of the armed forces has meant that a veiy considerable number of civilian personnel have had to be retained after civilians in other war work had transferred from wartime to peacetime jobs. The

work which required their continued employment is nearing an end1, a number of vessels are being put into reserve, and a considerable number of prevailing rate employees of the department and the three services will be progressively released. Among those to be released are considerable numbers of employees in the naval dockyards at Halifax, Esquimalt and elsewhere, as well as employees in the other two services. In releasing employees, consideration is given to service in the armed forces, seniority and employment qualifications and in every case there is close coordination with the employment service of the Department of Labour. The dockyards will, of course, continue in operation.

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

I should like to direct a question to the Minister of National Defence. This morning I saw a defence department vehicle with a 1943 Ontario licence plate and two others without provincial licence plates. Are motor vehicles of the defence department supposed to carry provincial licence plates, and are defence department vehicles in peace time supposed to comply with provincial and municipal traffic laws?

Mr. SPEAKER:

I suggest to the hon. member that he put his question on the order paper.

Mr. E. D. FULTON (Kamloops):

I wish to direct a question to the Minister of National Defence, notice of which I gave this morning. Has any cut been made in the number of civilian fire fighting personnel at naval establishments, and if so, what will be the effect on the hours of work per week?

Hon. BROOKE CLAXTON (Minister of National Defence):

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to answer this question. I have received a number of inquiries from other hon. members with regard to the same topic as well as that referred to by the hon. member for Cape Breton South (Mr. Gillis), particularly from the hon. member for Halifax (Mr. Isnor).

With regard to the inquiry of the hon. member for Kamloops, I may say that the fire fighting staff at Kamloops is being reduced,

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Inquiries of the Ministry

and the questions of rates and conditions of work are being looked into. We are examining the situation in order to see that they receive fair remuneration and that the conditions of work are comparable with those in neighbouring localities and other parts of Canada.

Mr. GORDON GRAYDON (Peel):

Mr. Speaker, I rise to a question of privilege. It arises out of a question of privilege raised by the hon. member for Cariboo (Mr. Irvine) yesterday, in which he took exception to a news item which appeared in yesterday's Globe and Mail regarding "confusion in Commons after Bracken motion forces first division." Having given his objection and put it upon the record, the hon. member concluded by saying:

In the third place, there was no confusion except in the mind of the writer of this report.

I have in my hand an air mail bulletin which came to me this morning; it is put out by the Canadian information service, Ottawa, Canada-and on that point I want to direct a subsequent question to the Secretary of State for External Affairs. This is the news item which appears in the air mail bulletin published by a government department and carrying, I take it, the imprimatur of the government.

Order.

Mr. SPEAKER:

I would ask the hon. member to state his question of privilege.