Mr. MITCHELL:

The telegram continues:

Advise if transportation will be paid for families. .

This is the text of my reply:

In Cape Breton the programme upon which the employment service has been engaged has been to register unemployed persons for whom employment is not available in the province and who are willing and capable of taking steady employment offered in central Canada. In such instances when employment is secured and accepted the transportation of the worker to the job is being paid by the employment service. In consequence of housing difficulties employment opportunities available at the present time are for single men or in the cases with dependents, for men willing to take jobs and await removal of families until they can secure accommodation at their new location.

I should point out that it is not the policy to pay travelling expenses of families. That should be clearly understood. My reply continues:

Transportation costs will not be paid for persons who are temporarily unemployed by

reason of a current strike or other work stoppage of a similar nature as there is work available for them in the local area. I want to make this clear because, as I understand, the number of 1,600 men mentioned in your wire includes men whose employment is affected by the current mining strike. The local employment officers at Glace Bay and Sydney will register unemployed persons wishing to secure employment outside the maritimes and who are eligible for transportation to the places of employment.

I would advise that each application from an unemployed person in the area for employment outside the area will be dealt with by the employment officers in the light of the policy which was outlined in the house by me on Wednesday.

Mr. BLACK (Cumberland):

Has the minister given consideration to the advisability of providing employment within the province rather than facilitating this drain on the population in that part of Canada?

Mr. MITCHELL:

I would say to my hon. friend that in the last five years I have moved tens of thousands of people from different parts of Canada. I think it can be truthfully said that many members of this house have also moved to other locations during the war in search of employment-or seats, as my colleague suggests-because it was to their advantage. The same thing happened in Great Britain, the United States and other countries which had built up an enormous war machine during the war years. Just as we provided for the movement of population during those years it will be necessary to provide for the movement of population under present conditions. I think that is elementary; it is simple common sense. But my hon. friend can rest assured1 that the employment service in the maritimes will use every effort to secure employment in that area for those who are unemployed.

Mr. HAZEN:

Will transportation be provided by the government to the place of employment for persons in New Brunswick who are unemployed and who are prepared to accept employment that is offered elsewhere? The minister has referred to people employed in Nova Scotia, but does the statement he made on April 16 apply only to that province? Does it include unemployed in New Brunswick?

Mr. MITCHELL:

As my hon. friend is well aware, my department is not in the business of providing Cook's tours for everybody in Canada. There must be a measure of control over the situation. The policy up to the present has been to restrict the provision of transportation to areas in which the employment conditions are acute, such for instance

Inquiries of the Ministry

as Vancouver a little over a year ago, and recently in the city of Windsor; also in Cape Breton. I think my hon. friend will agree that there must be some control and common sense exercised in the application of the policy.

Mr. MACDONNELL (Muskoka-Ontario):

I should like to ask a supplementary question of the Minister of Labour arising, out of the answer he gave a moment ago. Does this effort to move large numbers of Nova Scotia miners mean that the government has abandoned its effort of trying to deal on the spot with this Nova Scotia coal problem? If it does not mean that, just what does it mean? The implications to me are very far reaching.

Mr. MITCHELL:

If my hon. friend had listened to what I said he would have, had a clear understanding of what I implied, and if he will take the trouble to read Hansard tomorrow he will get the answer.

Mr. MACDONNELL (Muskoka-Ontario):

I think I understood- perfectly well; I repeat the question.

Mr. CHURCH:

I should like to direct a question, to the Minister of Labour. Does the minister propose to extend across Canada the policy of providing work for those out of work as is done in Nova Scotia?

Mr. MITCHELL:

Because of the noise I did not get my hon. friend's question.

Mr. CHURCH:

Does the minister propose to extend the policy across Canada which has been extended to those unemployed in Nova Scotia, or is it limited to Nova Scotia and the mines?

Mr. MITCHELL:

I do not think anyone can accuse me of not speaking loudly enough.

I think I answered that question previously. There has to be common sense in this thing. Before I came to the government I had experience in moving people at the expense of the government, particularly in the pre-war days. We picked out certain areas where the situation was difficult, such as the Cape Breton area, and Halifax, and Vancouver fifteen months ago, as I said. By the very nature of things I do not think it is financially possible for any government to bear the expense of everybody who wants to move from one place to another, and I am sure my hon. friend will see the difficulties and complications that would arise if it were made a universal policy.

Mr. CHURCH:

You still have the ambassador cure for unemployment.

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

A builder under the Veterans Land Act or under integrated housing is entitled in every case to priority on nails. If he is not getting it he needs only go to the proper official in the area to have the priority implemented.

Mr. FRASER:

Who is the proper authority in that area?

Mr. HOWE:

It is the Toronto representative of the priorities branch of the Department of Reconstruction and Supply. His name is Mr. E. K. Smith, and his office is at 371 Bay Street.