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

Mr. Speaker, with the consent of the house I should like to address a question to the Prime Minister based upon the statement made to this house at six o'clock yesterday afternoon by the Minister of National Defence (Mr. Claxton).

In view of the fact that a decision has been reached to comply with the request to send the special brigade group to Korea, will the Prime Minister inform the house what steps the government is taking to create the forces which it has undertaken to send to Europe under the agreement with the North Atlantic treaty organization?

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

It is rather unusual, I think, to have questions at this stage; but since the question has been asked I will say that I was handed the hon. gentleman's letter just as I came into the house. It is practically in the terms of the question he has formulated, and I can only say that at this time there is nothing I can add to the information communicated to the house on February 5 by the Minister of National Defence. The decision to complete at an early date the sending of the special brigade to Korea is in accord with the announcement made in the house at the end of the last regular session. When decisions about special formations have been arrived at by the government, they will be communicated to the house, in accordance with the undertaking I gave hon. members on June 30 last.

1. How many feet of movie film were processed in the laboratories of the national film board of Canada during the year 1949-1950?

2. Of this footage processed, how many feet were processed for departments of the government?

3. How many feet for each department of the government?

4. Was any footage processed for commercial purposes or for individuals outside the government service? If so, what amount in each case?

5. What footage was processed for the film board's own account?

6. What footage was discarded or not used?

1. 10,746,861 feet.

2. 1,159,521 feet.

3. Agriculture, 93,619; Bank of Canada, 10,131; Fisheries, 7,925; Labour, 111,209; Mines and Resources, 86,703; National Defence, 105,848; National Health and Welfare, 584,193; Post Office, 52,834; Reconstruction and Supply, 106,094; Resources and Development, 814; Trade and Commerce, 52; Transport, 99; total, 1,159,521.

4. Yes. (a) For commercial purposes, 334,417; (b) for individuals, 159,596 (including processing of 149,623 feet of film produced for other governments in collaboration with the national film board).

5. 8,673,683 feet.

6. 419,644 feet.

Mr. Higgins:

Are statistics being kept of migration of Newfoundland residents to the United States?

Mr. Harris (Grey-Bruce):

Statistics of

emigration from Canada or from any province are not kept by the federal government.

1. Will any postal employees in Saskatoon lose their positions as a result of the proposed economy in mail deliveries? If so, how many?

2. Have any letter carriers there been moved to inside positions? If so, will they replace inside help, and in how many instances?

1. Survey not yet complete-no definite answer possible.

2. See answer to No. 1. Any reduction in staff will be spread over whole personnel.

3. Civil service commission is co-operating with Post Office Department to absorb in other departments post office lay-offs and to reabsorb in Post Office Department where this can be done as result of normal staff turnover.