Mr. McCANN:

I am sure the hon. gentleman misunderstood my statement, I said that to counsel farmers to decline to obey the regulations or the law was a different thing from advising them that if they so wished it was within their rights to make protests against the form.

Mr. J. W. BURTON (Humboldt):

I should like to direct a question to the Minister of National Revenue. Is the minister aware that many farmers are finding it difficult, if not impossible, to obtain copies of the guide to assist prairie farmers in making out their

Inquiries oj the Ministry

income tax? If so, will he take steps to see that the situation is remedied?

Hon. J. J. McCANN (Minister of National Revenue):

We have no such information as the hon. gentleman has indicated. On the other hand, the first distribution was for 300,000. So eager were farmers to get the guide that we had another reprint made and to date there have been over 700,000 copies distributed. Copies are available at all income tax offices and post offices in all constituencies.

Mr. BURTON:

The minister says that he has no such information, but I would tell him that I have several letters on file from farmers who drove fifteen to twenty miles over most difficult roads and then found that they could not get copies of the guide at the post office.

Mr. E. B. McKAY (Weyburn):

I should like to direct a question to the Minister of National Revenue, a copy of which I have sent to him. Will, the refundable portion of income tax now being mailed out by the Department of National Revenue be considered as income for taxation purposes for 1948?

Hon. J. J. McCANN (Minister of National Revenue):

The refundable portion is not taxable, but to the extent that there is an interest element, that is taxable.

Mr. GORDON GRAYDON (Peel):

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister will perhaps move the motion this week for the Easter adjournment, I should like to raise a question. I was going to do it as a question of privilege, but perhaps it is a combination of privilege and question to the government. I should like to refer to a suggestion which I made on December 12 when the pre-Christmas session was in progress. At that time I asked the government to give the matter consideration-and I think a suggestion of this kind perhaps comes more appropriately from a member who lives in central Canada than it would from one residing in a far distant part. This is the suggestion I want to make by way of privilege and question, and I quote from what I said on December 12, as reported on page 221 of Hansard:

A number of hon. members who come from far-away places to attend sessions of parliament have been from time to time most anxious that

some means of quick transportation, not at their own expense, should be provided for them, so that they might be permitted to return to their homes from time to time during long parliamentary sessions. I believe people throughout the country would be pleased if some arrangement of that kind could be made.

I offer the suggestion because I come from the central part of Canada and would not be affected by any such arrangement. However, we would like to see justice done in respect of those from farther away.

The Prime Minister-at page 222-was good enough to answer me at that time as follows:

Mr. Speaker, coming also from the central part of Canada, I shall be glad to bring my hon. friend's suggestion to the attention of my colleagues, and see if we cannot arrive at some satisfactory arrangement.

A prominent member on the other side of the house has told me that even with the proposed longer adjournment at Easter he will have less than one and a half days in which to visit his constituents. A closer relationship between member and constituent is better for both member and constituent. The influences of geography ought to be reduced and minimized as much as possible. I think it would be in the interest not only of hon. members but of their constituents if some arrangement could be made by which something approaching the same kind of service as between constituent and member could be made possible in the far away parts as is possible in central Canada. I ask the government to give consideration to this suggestion.

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

I shall endeavour to meet my hon. friend's wishes in that particular.

Mr. H. W. TIMMINS (Parkdale):

I should like to ask a question of the Minister of Finance, of which I have given notice. Has the government taken any steps to have relaxed the adverse customs duty of value plus 25 per cent domestic tax now charged against Cana-

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dian products entering the United States where such products are in the enumerated list under the excise tax resolution now before the house, and, if so, what steps?

Hon. DOUGLAS ABBOTT (Minister of Finance):

A similar question, was asked me in committee of the whole on the excise tax resolutions, and my hon. friend will see the answer I gave on page 2131 of Hansard. If the information he wishes is not there he can ask me a supplementary question.