Mr. J. G. Diefenbaker (Lake Centre):
The
minister mentioned that some 70 million bushels of feed wheat and some 25 million bushels of millable wheat had been transferred to the 1951-52 pool.
Mr. Howe:
Yes.
Mr. Diefenbaker:
That being so, was that amount transferred at a value, or will there be a further amount distributable out of the 1950-51 crop, even though distributed in 1952, in respect of that wheat, when sold?
Mr. Howe:
In reply I would say that those grades were transferred at a price, as is provided by section 24(a) of the Canadian Wheat Board Act.
Mr. Diefenbaker:
What was the price?
Mr. Howe:
The price for milling grades was the price at which that grain had been sold for future delivery. In other words, there were outstanding contracts covering all that grain. And there were many prices, perhaps two hundred prices; different prices for every grade. But all that grain had been covered by contracts for future delivery, and the price at which the grain was transferred
was the contract price, less an allowance for carrying and other charges that might accrue before the grain is delivered.
In the case of feed grain, about 20 million bushels was covered by future contracts. That was transferred at the asking price of the wheat board on October 20, less an allowance to cover carrying charges and marketing risks-a fairly substantial allowance.
Mr. Diefenbaker:
What about the other
50 million?
Mr. Howe:
That was transferred at the asking price of the wheat board on October 20, less an allowance to cover carrying charges and marketing risks.
[Later]:
On the orders of the day:
Mr. Argue:
I should like to direct a question to the Minister of Trade and Commerce arising out of his very comprehensive statement. In view of the fact that the final prices for the various grades of wheat for 1950-51 are substantially under world prices and the fact that domestic wheat going into Canadian consumption is being held at the international wheat agreement ceiling-
Mr. Howe:
Mr. Speaker, he is making a statement.
Mr. Argue:
-will the government consider increasing the present price of wheat going into domestic consumption?
Mr. Howe:
My hon. friend has made a statement for propaganda purposes which is not correct. The answer to the question is no.
Mr. Argue:
On a question of privilege, I made a correct statement, and it was not for propaganda purposes.
On the orders of the day:
Mr. H. O. White (Middlesex East):
I should like to ask the Minister of Labour what steps, if any, have been or are being taken to alleviate the serious mounting unemployment in London, Ontario?
Hon. Milton F. Gregg (Minister of Labour):
Mr. Speaker, I do not think the seriousness of the unemployment situation is as great as my hon. friend implies in his question, but 1 can assure him that we are keeping in close touch with the situation.