Mr. MORIN:

The hon. gentleman's argument was that Canada could not olaim nationhood because it had not the power of amending its own constitution. At the same time he acknowledged that Australia enjoyed that power, and therefore, we must infer from his statement that Australia has a higher status than has Canada.

Mr. L. S. RENE MORIN (St. Hyacinthe-Rouviille) moved:

That the select standing committee on standing orders be permitted to sit while the house is in session.

Mr. MORIN:

I was paired with the hon.

member for East Toronto (Mr. Ryckman). Had I voted, I would have voted in favour of the amendment and against the second reading.

Mr. L. S. R. MORIN (St. Hyacinthe-Rou-ville):

I desire to move in amendment to the motion for third reading:

That Bill No. 212, an act to amend the Customs Tariff, be not read a third time but be referred back to the committee of the whole with instructions to amend item 460 F by adding thereto after the words "trough belt conveyors'' the words "of a class or kind not made in Canada."

My reason for proposing this amendment, Mr. Speaker, is that the belt manufacturers of Canada will be placed in a very difficult position if some action of this kind is not taken. In their competition with British and United States manufacturers they are handicapped by the fact that while their raw material is imported free they must pay on it higher transportation charges than they pay on the finished product, because the raw material is more bulky.

Mr. MORIN (St. Hyacinthe):

But since it is more bulky the transportation charges are higher. Moreover, the manufacturers are handicapped by the action of this house in imposing a duty of fifty cents per ton on all their coal and a duty of 27i per cent on their machinery when it is of a kind made in Canada, or 10 per cent when it is of a kind not made in Canada. Under these circumstances the Canadian manufacturer is not in a position to meet the competition of the British manufacturer who is not affected by these duties, and as a matter of fact the Canadian industry is hardly able to meet the competition of the American industry even under a duty of 12^ per cent.

Let us suppose the American and the Canadian manufacturers were placed on the same footing; we could reasonably assume that they would divide the Canadian trade, and therefore 50 per cent of our consumption of this article would be furnished by American manufacturers to the detriment of Canadian labour. It seems to me that these are conditions which should not be approved by this house and which should not be the policy of the government; at a time when the balance of trade is so much in favour of the United States I think we should not continue to increase our purchases in that country and decrease the production in Canada, particularly when it is very clear that the Canadian consumer will not derive any benefit.

I think if we add to item 460 F a provision that the reduction in duty will apply only to trough belt conveyors not made in Canada the requirements of our industry will be satisfied and it will be for the general advantage of our country.