Hon. HUMPHREY MITCHELL (Minister of Labour):

Mr. Speaker, I table a copy of order in council P.C. 1746, by which the government has increased to 4,500 the number of single Polish veterans to be admitted to Canada. In the first movement last year 2.876 of these veterans came here and have been settled on the farms. Recently 481 more

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arrived and proceeded to western Canada. They arrived on May 25, according to the memorandum dated June 3 which I have before me. Of this number 187 proceeded to Manitoba and 282 to Alberta. Word has been received that all the veterans in Alberta have been placed, and we expect word at any time that all the veterans in Manitoba have been placed also. That gives some idea of the expedition with which we sometimes move.

1. Is there a shortage of hospital bed accommodation in Canada at the present time? If so, how long has this shortage been apparent?

2. How many hospital beds for short-term illnesses, convalescent cases and chronically ill are estimated to be required to meet present estimated needs?

3. Can national health insurance be implemented with present hospital facilities?

4. Is there a shortage of nursing, technical and hospital maintenance staff in Canada? If so, how long has this shortage been apparent?

5. How many nurses, technicians, ward-aides and maintenance workers are estimated to be required for present estimated needs?

6. Can national health insurance be implemented with present hospital personnel available?

7. What is the average ratio of patients to doctors in each province and their distribution in rural and urban areas?

1. In mental hospitals, tuberculosis sanatoria, hospitals for chronically ill, hospitals for acute diseases and convalescent hospitals there is a definite shortage of beds.

The shortage of beds in mental hospitals, sanatoria, and for chronic and convalescent cases has existed over a period of years, but as regards hospitals for acute diseases the shortage has become acute only since 1940.

2. For hospitals for acute diseases, it is estimated that there is need of an additional 8,000 beds to meet present needs, as calculated on the percentage of bed occupancy in those hospitals which in 1945 was 73-0 per cent.

As there were only ten convalescent hospitals in Canada in 1945 with a bed capacity of 800, and 17 hospitals for the chronically ill with 3,280 beds, there is great need of an increase in the number of hospitals in these two classes in order to release the beds now occupied by these classes of patients in hospitals for acute diseases.

According to hospital authorities beds for convalescent patients should form ten per cent

of total beds in public hospitals. On this basis there should be an additional 5,000 beds for use of convalescent patients and 3,000 for the chronically ill.

In 1945 there were 13,614 beds in tuberculosis institutions, and as the minimum standard of beds is based on three beds per death, at least 5,000 more beds are needed to meet present needs throughout Panada.

The number of beds reported for mental hospitals in 1945 was 45,124, while the number of patients in residence on December 31, 1945, was 48,056 (exclusive of patients on parole and in boarding homes, whose number amounted to 4,190). It is estimated that a minimum of 6,000 beds is needed to reduce the present overcrowding in mental hospitals.

Not including private hospitals which had a bed capacity in 1945 of 4,113 beds and dominion hospitals under the departments of national health and welfare, veterans affairs ind national defence the total of beds in all other hospitals as on December 31, 1945, was

as follows:

Beds

Acute Diseases Hospitals 58,940

Convalescent Hospitals 800

Chronically 111 3,280

Tuberculosis 13,614

Mental 45,124

Total 121,758

To meet present requirements the following increases in bed capacity are needed:

Beds

Acute Diseases Hospitals 8.000

Convalescent Hospitals 5,000

Chronically 111 3,000

Tuberculosis 5,000

Mental 6,000

Total 27,000

3. Integral parts of the proposals for a comprehensive health insurance programme to be introduced by progressive stages are the planning and organizational grants. These are to enable the provinces to establish staffs to study and report or. local requirements in the field of medical services generally. The following paragraphs appear on page 36 of the Proposals of the Government of Canada, August, 1945:

"In the dominion proposals outlined at the dominion-provincial conference in August, 1945, it is recognized that the provision of complete health insurance services would require a considerable extension in hospital facilities throughout the country. Much of

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this expansion would be required even for the first stage specified. It is also recognized that this expansion would be desirable quite aside from health insurance in order to provide the proper facilities for treatment and research.

To make a hospital extension programme less burdensome to the provincial governments and to local communities, it is proposed that the federal government should provide loans to the provincial governments entering health insurance agreements, and through provincial governments to municipalities and other organizations, for necessary expansion of hospital facilities, at a rate of interest equal to or only slightly above the cost of such loans to the dominion, and that the interest and amortization would be payable out of the hospital care benefit under the health insurance grant, or out of the tuberculosis grant, or the mental health grant, as the case may be."

4. Yes, increasing since 1940.

5. The latest estimate of the Canadian nurses association, September 1946, is as

follows:

Hospital requirements 7,000

Private duty requirements 1,200

Public health requirements 500

Total 8,700

There are no figures available for ward-aides except for Ontario, the estimated requirement there being 178.

Other figures are not available.

6. See answer to question 3. The statement under the heading (a) Planning and Organization Grant on page 31 of the Proposals of the Government of Canada, August, 1945, recognizes the necessity of training additional personnel for the implementation of health insurance.

7. ''Survey of Physicians", July 1946. prepared by the Department of National Health and Welfare, gives the following:

Distribution of doctors by provinces

Prince Edward Island 74

Nova Scotia 492

New Brunswick 293

Quebec 3,334

Ontario 4,752

Manitoba 706

Saskatchewan 562

Alberta 676

British Columbia 1,012

Total 11,901

Population per doctor, by provinces

Prince Edward Island 1,243

Nova Scotia 1,262

New Brunswick 1,597

Quebec 1,068

Ontario 843

Manitoba 1,042

Saskatchewan 1,504

Alberta 1,222

British Columbia 938

Ratio of population to doctor:

In cities of 150,000 and up-665 persons per doctor.

In cities of 30,000 to 150,000-669 persons per doctor.

In cities of 10,000 to 30,000-857 persons per doctor.

In communities of 10,000 and under-1,300 persons per doctor.

Mr. FRASER:

What was the total cost of each broadcast including leased wires, editing, and all other expenses incidental to the C.B.C. former broadcast play called "Popular Playhouse"?

Mr. McCANN:

The total cost of artists' fees and scripts for the twenty-seven plays in this series amounted to $12,639.44 or an average of $468.12 for each programme. There is no wire line cost incidental to this programme.

1. It is assumed that the information desired is with respect to applications made to the foreign exchange control board for U.S. dollars to redeem bond or stock issues payable solely or optionally in that currency, as well as applications for permission to redeem such issues with the proceeds of refunding issues in the United States. Applications in both of these categories made to the board from January 1, 1947 to May 24, 1947, all of which were approved, were as follows, showing date approved, name of applicant, description of security and amount in U.S. funds:

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Jan. 9, 1947

Ogilvy Realty Corporation Limited, 51- per cent first mortgage bonds due April 1, 1951, $818,500.

Jan. 16, 1947

Algoma Eastern Railways, 5 per cent bonds due March 1, 1961, $2,226,500.

Jan. 24, 1947

City of Montreal, various issues, $78,036,213.35, of which all but $225,213 was obtained by refunding in the United States.

Feb. 5, 1947

Gurney Foundry Co. Limited, 5i per cent bonds due May 15, 1949, $170,900.

Feb. 7, 1947

Abitibi Power & Paper Company Ltd., 5 pe. cent first mortgage bonds due June 1, 1965, $53,093,700.

Feb. 11, 1947

Canadian Utilities Limited, 3f per cent bonds due February 1, 1971, $2,500,000.

Mar. 13, 1947

British Columbia Pulp & Paper Co., 6 per cent first mortgage bonds due November 1, 1950, $2,797,000.

March 14, 1947

West Canadian Hydro Electric Corporation Ltd., 6 per cent bonds due July 1, 1950, $1,000,000.

April 9, 1947

London Canadian Investment Corporation, 4i per cent Series "A" bonds due June 1, 1948, $3,546,500.

April 12, 1947

Montreal Tramways Company, 5 per cent first and refunding mortgage bonds due July 1, 1951, $15,500,000.

April 23, 1947

Calgary Power Co. Ltd., 5 per cent first mortgage bonds due April 1, 1960, $8,171,500. April 28, 1947

Province of New Brunswick, 3i per cent debentures due July 1, 1949, $5,000,000, all of which was obtained by refunding in the United States.

May 15, 1947

Albert Bay Company Ltd., 5 per cent first mortgage 'bonds due August 1, 1950, $272,300.

One additional application was made and approved during May but public notice has not yet been issued by the debtor and it is, therefore, not deemed proper to disclose the particulars.

It should be noted that the amounts stated above are in each case the total amounts of the issues outstanding. Resident owners

receiving U.S. funds as a result of the redemptions are required to resell such U.S. funds to the board.

2 and 3. See answer to No. 1.