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

Mr. Speaker, as a matter of

privilege I should like to make a short explanation to the house with respect to an answer given to a question asked by the hon. member for Vancouver-Quadra (Mr. Green). I am reported as having answered his question in the following way as appears at page 959 of Hansard:

That question is, I suppose, merely for clarification, Mr. Speaker; but a hypothesis like that would not arise except in the case of war, real or apprehended. I can give the hon. member the assurance that for the duration of this parliament there is no thought at the present time that there need be any fear about war, real or apprehended.

When I received the transcript from the reporter, instead of the word "fear" there was the word "care"-"any care about war, real or apprehended". I do not reproach the reporter. It may be that in answering the questions which were being asked I was not speaking very distinctly. I corrected it to the word "fear", which I believe is the word I used. The advance copies had gone to the press galleries, however, and in quoting me in their newspapers the reporters quite properly used the text as it appeared in the advance copies. Apparently the newspaper reporters were not misled by it, because the headline given to the article in one newspaper was, "P.M. says no war for five years"; another newspaper said, "Five years' respite from fear of war foreseen by P.M". Nevertheless I thought it desirable that I state I did make a correction in the advance sheet for two reasons: one, to absolve the members of the press gallery from any implied reproach that might arise in the minds of people who compared their report with Hansard, and, second, to correct any impression that I might have said that preparation for war was not one of our cares at the present time. It is precisely because of the care being taken by the nations of the North Atlantic security pact that we are able to feel there is no fear or apprehension at this time. Principally I wanted it to be clear that the newspaper

reporters had justification for the use of the word "care" as it appeared in the quotation mentioned.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is suggested that because of standing order 28 it might be irregular for you to remain in the chair while debate was continued on the motion made by the Minister of Finance last night that you do leave the chair for the house to go into committee of ways and means. To avoid any suggestion of irregularity, if I have the consent of the house I would move:

That the provisions of standing order 28 respecting the committee of ways and means be suspended for this day.

As I said last night, there is no intention of curtailing the debate on this motion to go into committee of ways and means, but there is some suggestion that under the terms of standing order 28 Mr. Speaker, without this motion, should leave the chair without question put and without debate.

Mr. C. W. Hodgson (Victoria, Onl.):

I should like to direct to the Minister of Veterans Affairs a question supplementary to the one I asked him yesterday. Will his department recall the war medals now being distributed, in order that they may be properly engraved?

Hon. Milton F. Gregg (Minister of Veterans Affairs):

The answer is no.

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

should like to direct a question to the Minister of Trade and Commerce. Does he know

1012 HOUSE OF

Inquiries of the Ministry that there is in Canada a great scarcity of cement which is impeding the building of houses? In Peterborough alone the building of houses, especially the construction of the foundation-even Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation houses-has been held up owing to the fact that we have had just a trickle of cement coming in there this year. Can the minister do anything to help the situation? Previously about a million barrels were obtained from England. Perhaps something like that can be done now.

Right Hon. C. D. Howe (Minister of Trade and Commerce):

I am aware that the

production of cement in Canada is not adequate for the requirements this year. The hydroelectric plants that are being built are this year taking something over two million barrels of cement. This type of construction requires abnormal quantities of cement, and the result has been a shortage. I believe the cement companies imported about a million barrels in an attempt to correct the situation.

I am informed that the situation is correcting itself rapidly, and that next year Canadian production will take care of Canadian requirements.