Mr. CARRUTHERS:

Well, he went there immediately after. I might say, in regard to East Algoma, that I know of only one or possibly two unimportant offices held, in the whole of that large riding

of 40,000 square miles by Liberals today. The great majority of Liberals holding office were summarily dismissed after the election of 1911, and that cannot be contradicted. I wish, for the benefit of my hon. friends on the Government benches, to refer to the trouble they are liable to get into with the civil service in Ottawa. I wish to give concrete examples that I have run across since I came down here, as a member, to show that there is no continuity in the departments. It seems to be a pigeon hole service, a hole here and a hole there, and there is no connection between them. I came here and laid before the Post Office Department a claim for $178 owing to residents of my riding, and the inspector did not know anything about it. I said to him. "These men who make this claim are strictly honest business men, and I do not think they would make the claim unless they were entitled to the money." I left him then and in two weeks' time, I was called down to his office, and he said: " Doctor, you were right and I was wrong; we owe that money ". That was on the 8th day of May. He gave instructions to have that cheque issued by the department. A day or two ago I got a letter from one of these gentlemen, saying that they had never received the cheque. I went to the department, and the superintendent looked up the files and showed me where his order had been issued that the money should be paid on the 18th May. It was never paid. On the 13th June that cheque had not been issued. There is an example of the overmanned Civil Service of the City of Ottawa. Someone is responsible for that. That money had been owing by the government to these people for nearly a year, and yet payment was delayed from the 18th May, and I do not know whether it is paid yet. It may go back into the pigeon hole, and I may get a letter a month hence, asking about that cheque.

I wish to refer to another matter in connection with the Marine Department. I do not like to make these complaints, but I think the minister should know, because he will get the blame, and not the subordinates. It was in connection with a derelict tug boat that was sunk in the channel of Little Current, last fall. This tug boat went upon a shoal, and lay in such a position that logs could not be towed through the channel, and millions of feet of logs have to be towed through every summer. Mr. Burke, of the Mid-

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land Towing Company, wrote me in the winter. I came here early in March, to have the matter rectified, and I went to the department. Just before the towing season began, I got a wire from Mr. Burke, saying that his tug would he at the head of the channel in one week, and no move had been taken to remove the derelict from its position in the channel. I went down to the department and asked them to show me the files, in order to see what had been done, and what did I find? The department had written one letter to the insurance company, who held insurance on that tug, and had written one letter to the owners of the tug, and the matter dropped. It was never followed up: There should

be some driving force to keep those things in motion, and therefore, as I say, I think I should bring this matter to the attention of the Government so that the minister may take action in the matter. Those are two concrete cases that, as I say, I find fault with. I do not know whether the trouble is due to the Civil Service Commission or not, but I do not wish my friends in the Government to get the blame of it.

Mr. CARRUTHERS:

For the benefit of my innocent friends across the way, these doubing Thomases, I wish to say that I stand here to-night as a living example of the Grit officials who were beheaded in 1911.

Mr. CARRUTHERS:

In Ontario, too- cut off very close to the shoulder, with only 30 days' notice given me and not even the semblance of an investigation. This was done by a gentleman whom a number of hon. members know, W. R. Smythe, exmember of Parliament for East Algoma, a gentleman employed a little later, and still employed, at a salary of some $4,000 per annum. He was appointed in October, just previous to the election. I understand he refused to go into East Algoma to support my opponent, Mr. Nicholson, unless he got the appointment. Within a week or two after, he got the appointment from the late government-and yet there was no patronage!

Mr. CARRUTHERS:

I would draw the attention of the Minister of Public Works to a really urgent case which has developed in my riding during the past two weeks, and I am afraid that if something is not done in the way of provision in the Supplementary Estimates the wheels of industry in that part of my constituency will be at least retarded if not entirely tied up.

1 have reference to the harbour at the town of Little Current, on the north channel of Georgian bay. As hon. members no doubt are aware, we have a large coal dock at that point handling from 100,000 to 200,000 tons of coal per annum, coal which is shipped in during the session of navigation and carried northward over the Al-goma Eastern railway to the various industries on that line. Up to two years

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ago boats of about 10,000 tons burden could carry the coal to the dock, but owing to the lowering of the water in lake Huron, probably due to the Chicago drainage canal and other causes, the channels of that lake are becoming so low that boats of large draft can no longer go through them. In this connection I should like to read a letter I have received from Mr. G. A. Montgomery, and of which no doubt the minister has a copy in his department:

Dear 'Sir,-The Steamer Collier owned by the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company. Cleveland. O.. loaded with approximately 5,500 tons of coal for the Spanish River Pulp & Paper Mills, struck while coming to our dock at Little Current on Sunday, April 23rd. The point where the steamer grounded was in mid-channel just off Gibbons Point. Captain Wilson who was in charge of the vessel, claims he was on the ranges when the boat grounded. Steamer was drawing eighteen feet six, but there was only abount eighteen feet two or three inches of water. Damage to the vessel consisted of thirteen frames bent and three plates sprung. This is the seventeenth trip that Capt. Wilson has made to Little Current and he states the Collier was on exactly the same course as followed by him on previous trips. The Coilier is being repaired at Little Current by stopping up the leak with concrete. The Harbour Master at Little Current has been notified of the grounding and I understand he has, in turn, notified the Marine Department.

Following that, I received yesterday and the day before three or four telegrams. Here is one I received from the Soo:

Would appreciate anything you can do in removing danger of navigation at Little Current. Grounding of the steamer Collier already reported to you will have serious effect upon our business. Vessel owners making strenuous objections sending their boats to our dock on account of navigation difficulties that point.

I have also a telegram from the mayor of Little Current, as follows:

On last trip steamer Colilier aground in centre of channel. Bottom badly damaged. Something must be done at once or coal dock wiM have to close to large steamers.

The minister, I think, received a wire yesterday from the owners of the boat at Cleveland, reading as follows:

Cleveland, Ohio, May 16, 1922.

Steamer Collier entering Little Current channel April 23rd struck rock obstruction damaging eleven plates and frames to such extent boat obliged come down light. For drydocking cost of repairs approximately ten thousand dollars. Very necessary obstruction be removed. Considerable pressure is brought upon us from time to time move coal into Little Current as some Canadian owners have refused to carry coal to that place account of constant liability of damage.

A. E. R. Schneider, Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company.

I might say in passing that the Espanola Pulp and Paper Company consumes some

150 tons of coal every twenty-four hours throughout the year. They get all their coal from that dbck, so you can see what this means to them. If something is not done to remove this obstruction, that immense industry and. other industries along the north shore will have to close down. I trust that the minister will have this matter attended to immediately. I might even suggest that the Government dredge, which I believe is now fitting out at Midland, on the Georgian Bay, he taken up to Little Current to do the work, so that these boats can get in. It will be a serious national loss if this work is not done.