Mr. BOIVIN:

My hon. friend has given

an undertaking to spend just as little as possible of the estimates voted. I am not referring to this particular estimate; I realize that military training camps have existed for years. They existed under previous Conservative regimes and under Liberal regimes; there has been a laudable effort to reduce the amount expended in this way each year, but there are a great many other items in these estimates which the government considered absolutely necessary to the welfare of Canada. If they had not been absolutely essential they would not have been included. As my hon. friend says, they were recommended by responsible officers of the different departments, and every estimate in the blue book was approved of by the late government after that recommendation. I am not criticising the officers; I think they did their duty in preparing the estimates, but I would like to know whether the opinions of these responsible officers will be carried out or whether my hon. friends are merely voting these estimates in order to close parliament at the earliest possible opportunity and get back to their homes, leaving perhaps for another year the real expenditure of money required for the public service, in order that they may get the benefit of having placed the amounts in the estimates and in order that they may tell the people of Canada. "Oh, well, the Liberals prepared the estimates and we are not going to spend the money." I think my hon. friend was quite wrong when he criticized me for blaming any official, because that was not at all my intention. All I wanted was an assurance from this government that they would endeavour to carry out the wishes expressed by parliament in the voting of these estimates.

Mr. BOTVIN:

It is all very well for the leader of the government to rise in his place and with a gesture to the gallery say, "Gentlemen, you will certainly piass these estimates, because they are yours." I have not had time to examine the supptementanies, but I take the hon. member's word that the same condition exists in connection with them. So far as the main estimates are concerned, there is no doubt we take full responsibility for their preparation, and we hope the country will give us credit for the estimates as they are presented to the House. I ask my hon. friend now and the other hon. members of the newly formed government sitting around him, whether or not they will undertake to spend the money that we are voting to them to-night? That is a question to which the people of Canada are entitled to have an affirmative or negative reply. Therefore I think before we proceed further in rushing these estimates through at the rate of millions of dollars per hour we should have some assurance that the government is going to use every reasonable effort to expend the money voted according to the wishes of this House. Without that assurance I do not think we should continue at this headlong pace passing estimates which may never be expended.

Mr. BOIVIN:

Is my hon. friend seeking

to pass this estimate upon assurances that he has received from some official in his department, or does he verily believe that it is required?

Supply-Formation oj Ministry

Mr. BOTVIN:

My hon. friend is wrong.

There is no criticism of the estimate, nor of the official who prepared it.

Mr. BOTVIN:

Has there been any increase in the price of the Guide?