Right Hon. L. S. St. Laurent (Prime Minister):

Mr. Speaker, as hon. members are aware, the Prime Minister of India, Pandit Nehru, will be in Ottawa during the early part of next week, and arrangements are being made to have this distinguished gentleman address the members of both houses of parliament in this chamber at three o'clock on Monday afternoon. Because of the proposed visit it will be necessary to delay the opening of the ordinary proceedings of the house until 4.30 o'clock on Monday; and if I have unanimous consent I should like to move:

That when this house adjourns tomorrow it stand adjourned until Monday next at 4.30 in the afternoon.

Once this motion is adopted, arrangements for this visit will be completed.

It would be appreciated if hon. members would arrange to be in their seats just before three o'clock on Monday. Seats are being arranged for members of the Senate on the floor of the house. His Honour the Speaker has directed the Sergeant-at-Arms to cancel all the ordinary sessional gallery tickets for this occasion, with the exception of tickets to the Senate and Speaker's galleries. Hon. members are being provided with special tickets to the galleries for their ladies. These tickets are being distributed to the whips today, and the arrangement suggested is that the ladies of members be admitted, before other ticket holders, between 2.30 and 2.35. Other ticket holders will be admitted to the galleries between 2.35 and 2.45, at which time the galleries will be opened to the general public.

If this arrangement appears to be satisfactory, it will be carried out.

1. Did the Canadian Commercial Corporation between April 1, 1948, and March 31, 1949, purchase butter from (a) Australia; (b) Denmark; (c) New Zealand?

2. If so, what amount of butter in (a) pounds; (b) dollar value, was purchased from each of these countries?

3. To whom was this butter sold?

4. What was the loss or gain in each case?

5. By what agency was the loss, if any, paid?

6. Through which ports did this butter enter Canada, and how much through each Canadian port?

7. Was any of this butter brought through United States ports of entry? If so, what ports, and in what quantity through each port?

1. (a) Yes; (b) yes; (c) yes.

2. (a) Pounds

Australia 2,240,000

Denmark 11,200,000

New Zealand 2,240,000

15,680,000 (b) Dollar value . ..$ 1,580,343 93 ... 8,351,343 42

.. 1,579,803 70

3. Creameries and packers in the mari-times, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia as allocated by the wartime prices and trade board.

4. Loss

Australia $ 74,478 00

Denmark 728,944 50

New Zealand 56,467 13

5. Commodity Prices Stabilization Corporation.

6.

Australia-Vancouver 2,240,000 lbs.

New Zealand-Halifax 2,240,000 lbs.

Denmark-Montreal ... 7,840,000 lbs.

Halifax, N.S 1,120,000 lbs.

Saint John, N.B 2,240,000 lbs.

7. No.

1. Does the dominion government telephone service base its rates for service in whole or in part on telephone rates charged by commercial telephone companies?

2. If not. on what basis are its rates assessed?

3. Is the dominion government opposing or otherwise the applications of the British Columbia Telephone Company, a Bell Telephone subsidiary, and the Bell Telephone Company for increases in telephone rates?

Australia ... Denmark ... New Zealand

Inquiries of the Ministry

4. Is the dominion government or the Department of Transport to be represented in any way before the board of transport commissioners on the hearing of the above-mentioned applications? If so, how is it to be represented?

Mr. Chevrier:

Stand.

Mr. Church:

I should like to call the attention of the house to the fact that last Friday I asked a question similar to this, and it is not on the order paper. In the standing committee I moved that no increase in rates be allowed for three years.

Mr. Chevrier:

If the hon. gentleman will put his question on the order paper, we shall be very glad to answer it, along with the question of the hon. member for Kamloops (Mr. Fulton).

Mr. Church:

The board of transport commissioners has exclusive jurisdiction over railway rates. A royal commission has been appointed, but it is not finding out anything.

Mr. Speaker:

Question stands.

Mr. C. J. Henry (Rosedale):

I should like to direct two questions to the Minister of Finance. Is there a lawsuit pending in the Supreme Court of Ontario in which certain property owners ask that court to determine whether the federal government has ceased to have legislative power to enforce rent control in Canada?

Order paper.