1. What was the.date of assumption of office of Viscount Alexander of Tunis as governor general of Canada?

2. Was his term extended, and if so, what was the date of the first communique announcing the extension of his term of office?

3. Did the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire and Children of the Empire (junior branch) write to the government to suggest or recommend the extension of Viscount Alexander's term of office?

4. If so, was it before or after the communique above referred to was issued by the government?

1. Lord Alexander of Tunis was appointed governor general on March 21, 1946. He assumed office on April 12, 1946.

2. There is no statutory provision or regulation fixing the term of office of the governor general, but the duration of his appointment has usually been for approximately five years. Lord Alexander's term was extended, and the date of the first announcement concerning his extension was October 28, 1950. Lord Alexander's term was again extended in October 1951. The date of that announcement was October 26.

3 and 4. There is no record of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire and Children of the Empire (junior branch) suggesting or recommending the extension of Lord Alexander's term of office, but the national president of the order did, on both occasions on which His Excellency's term was extended, write to the prime minister commending the action of the government in recommending the extension.

1. Have Dr. George S. Hume and Alexis Ignatieff of the Department of Mines and Technical Surveys prepared any survey of western Canada's natural gas resources, since publication in July, 1950, by the geological survey of Canada, of their "Natural Gas Reserves of the Prairie Provinces?"

2. Has the government considered the merits of having available a continuing, completely up-to-date detailed survey of natural gas resources of the prairie provinces, plus British Columbia, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories?

3. If so, would the government instruct Dr. Hume and Mr. Ignatieff to make such a survey without delay, and to revise natural gas reserve estimates from time to time in line with new gas discoveries, andi further evaluation of presently known gas areas?

Mr. Prudham:

The answer to the first section of the question is no.

In regard to the second and third sections of the question the Department of Mines and Technical Surveys published a joint report by Dr. G. Hume and Mr. A. Ignatieff in July, 1950, on the natural gas reserves of the prairie provinces. This has generally been recognized as a valuable and authoritative report.

It is the intention of the Department of Mines and Technical Surveys to issue further reports when possible. A report of this kind entails a great deal of careful research. Such work is complicated by rapid new development and changing conditions. Therefore, I am not able at this time to give a definite commitment as to when the next report will be issued.

Mr. Nickle:

What progress has been made over the past year by the national research council and by other1

scientists in the Department of Mines and Technical Surveys in matters related to the bituminous sands of northeastern Alberta, with particular reference to economic mining of the sands, separation of bitumen from the sand, and processing of bitumen into usable products, and any other progress towards utilization of the bituminous sands?

He said: I wish to withdraw this question, for purposes of re-wording.

Mr. Speaker:

Dropped.

Questions

1. Were there any post offices closed in Alberta, during the fiscal year 1951-52?

2. If so, what were the names and locations of same?

3. Why were these post offices closed?

1. Yes.

2 and 3. See statements below.

Mr. Pouliot:

What is the length of steam railway lines in each province (a) per 1,000 inhabitants; (b) per 1,000 square miles?

Mr. Mcllrailh:

(a) and (b).

Province Ste Single Track Mileage (') Calendar Year 1950 am Railway L Mileage per 1,000 Inhabitants nes Mileage per 1,000 Sq. Miles of Land AreaNewfoundland 705 2-0 4-9Prince Edward Island 286 2-9 1310Nova Scotia 1,397 2-2 67-3New Brunswick 1,835 3-6 66-84,795 1-2 9-210,458 2-3 28-84,834 6-2 22-0Saskatchewan 8,739 10-5 36-75,643 60 22-7British Columbia 3,890 3-3 10-8Canada (2) 42,582 30 19-8

C1) Statistics as to mileage are exclusive of second, industrial, yard, and siding trackage. (!) Exclusive of Yukon and the Northwest Territories.