Hon. Brooke Claxton (Minister of National Defence):

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the leader of the opposition (Mr. Drew) referred to articles which appeared in the Montreal Herald of December 10, 11 and 12.

Perhaps it would be a fair summary of the articles to say that they allege that, despite orders for S400 to $500 million worth of radar equipment, it is doubtful if our radar defences will be completed in the three years planned and that this is because of red tape and delay in ordering and producing equipment.

The articles leave the impression that $400 to $500 million have been appropriated to be spent on equipment for the radar screen. I am unaware of the source of this figure but it is fair to say that it is a gross exaggeration. A more correct figure would be in the neighbourhood of 10 per cent of this amount. The equipment on order for the radar screen is of the latest type. Orders were placed as soon as the development work on this equipment had proceeded to a sufficient point to enable production to be undertaken. It will be appreciated that it takes about two years to construct a station of this kind and to make and instal the radar equipment. While delays are inevitable in this, as in every other country, in the production of new and complicated equipment of this kind, reasonably satisfactory progress is being made and some of the equipment has in fact already been installed. In the interim, we have equipment of the type in use at the end of the second world war.

Hon. R. W. Mayhew (Minister of Fisheries):

Mr. Speaker, I think I should make a short statement this morning on the marketing position of Newfoundland salt codfish. Certain misleading statements made in the house on Monday, December 10, by the hon. member

for St. John's West (Mr. Browne) make it desirable for me to put the record straight.

Marketing of the 1951 production of salted cod is proceeding satisfactorily. Total production of salted fish was slightly higher than in 1950. However, shipments to market from July to November this year were 333,000 quintals, compared with 220,000 quintals of 1950 fish in the same period of last year.

The stocks on hand today are 80,000 quintals below those for the same date last year and 300,000 quintals less than in 1949. Contracts already made for the balance of the marketing year, together with regular monthly shipments to traditional markets, will take care of all fish on hand before the new season's fish becomes available.

The hon. member mentioned the Spanish market. I can inform him and the house that a shipment to that market is going forward this month.

Mr. Graydon:

Order. This is not in order. We have let the minister go on as long as we can. This is an abuse of the privileges of the house.

No.

Mr. Graydon:

Oh, yes. You cannot answer an hon. member in that way.

Mr. Speaker:

Order. If the hon. member for Peel (Mr. Graydon) wishes to speak he should rise in his place.

Mr. Graydon:

On your invitation, Mr. Speaker, I should like to rise in order to say this. We allowed the minister to proceed a long way in order to say this. We allowed the minister to proceed a long way in this statement which he actually had no right to make in answer-

Oh, oh.

Mr. Speaker:

Order. The hon. member must be heard without interruption.

Mr. Graydon:

Actually the minister had no right, under the rules of the house, to reply to a private member who made a certain statement in debate. I had thought that the minister was going to make a new statement of policy with respect to Newfoundland salt codfish. But instead of that he was using this as a means of replying to something said in ordinary debate. He should not have done that.

Mr. Mayhew:

I do not agree with the hon. member for Peel. I am making a statement to correct a misstatement that will be detrimental to the fishermen of Newfoundland. That is my purpose in doing this.

Mr. Graydon:

You must make it in

debate.

Inquiries of the Ministry

Mr. Speaker:

Order. I am not sure whether there will be an opportunity during the debate before the end of the session for the minister to reply. It occurs to me that the house would like to have the information, but the statement must not be provocative or argumentative.

Hear, hear.

Mr. Speaker:

Probably the minister can make his statement. He should give information only to the house.

Mr. Coldwell:

May I-

Mr. Mayhew:

I have no intention whatever to enter into a debate with the hon. member.