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

Mr. Speaker, may I venture, as a matter of personal privilege, and on behalf of all members of the house, wherever they sit, to present a valentine of good wishes to the senior member, in years, of this house, the hon. member for Fort William (Mr. Mclvor), who is today celebrating his seventy-eighth birthday. From his appearance now, and that to which we are accustomed in this house, I believe we can with confidence wish him also many happy returns. Some of us would even say that our wish is that he may yet celebrate several of those happy returns with us in this place.

Mr. George A. Drew (Leader of ihe Opposition):

Mr. Speaker, may I join the Prime Minister in extending best wishes to the member for Fort William. No matter whether we all agree entirely with everything he says, we always recognize the deep sincerity and the warm-hearted affection for his own people that prompts the things he says in this house. May I add, in wishing him many further happy years, that he is also an encouragement to some of the rest of us by the evidence he gives that life in this parliament may not be too destructive after all.

Mr. Daniel Mclvor (Fort William):

Mr. Speaker, to return to the language of the farm, I am just flabbergasted. I deeply appreciate this courtesy. I do not know how long I am going to live, but I am going to live as long as I can.

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

for leave to introduce Bill No. 5, to amend the Canadian Wheat Board Act, 1935.

Explain.

Mr. Howe:

Mr. Speaker, this bill will have the effect of amending the present act in two particulars. Under the act as it stands, it is necessary to sell every last bushel of wheat or oats or barley in a pool before the pool

can be liquidated and the participation payments made to those who have delivered grain to the pool. This amendment will make it possible for the pool to sell the remnants of grain to the succeeding pool, thus making it possible to wind up pools more quickly than can be done under the act as it is today.

The bill also amends the present act in another particular. Today interim payments must be uniform for all the grain in the pool, regardless of grade. The amendment will make it possible to vary the interim payments for different grades. Owing to a problem that arises from time to time, occasionally it would be in the interest of the pool not to make the same interim payments on all grades of grain.

Mr. Fair:

May I ask the minister whether that applies to coarse grains as well?

Mr. Howe:

Yes, sir.

Motion agreed to and bill read the first time.

Mr. William Bryce (Selkirk):

I should like to direct a question to the Minister of Trade and Commerce. When the wheat board act is under revision, will the inclusion of rye and flax be considered?

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

It has not been the intention to include rye and flax in the act. The present marketing arrangement for these grains seems to be operating in a satisfactory way.

Hon. Lionel Chevrier (Minister of Transport) moved

for leave to introduce Bill No. 6, respecting the appointment of auditors for national railways.

Motion agreed to and bill -read the first time.