Mr. SAMUEL FACTOR (Spadina):

I wish to present the third and final report of the special committee appointed to consider the Dominion Elections Act, 1938, in relation to the taking of the vote of the armed services. May I suggest that the reading of this report be dispensed with, as both the report and the schedule will appear in Votes and Proceedings. The report itself is short, but the schedule is quite a lengthy document.

Mr. FACTOR:

Let us get back to the maritimes.

Mr. FACTOR:

You are not blaming the Minister of Munitions and Supply for that?

Mr. FACTOR:

I desire to ask the Minister he has unfolded. I often wonder whether the members of the committee, and particularly the Canadian people, appreciate the glorious contribution that the navy has made in this war and the sacrifices that both officers and for Naval Services one question. Before I do so, perhaps the committee would permit me to express a word of appreciation and congratulation to the minister for the story which ratings have sustained in doing their bit in naval warfare.

The question I desire to ask is rather mundane, compared with the romantic chapter that the minister has given to the committee. Some time ago the city of Toronto donated to the federal government a piece of land on the waterfront to the east of the exhibition grounds for the purpose of constructing naval barracks. I need not emphasize to the minister the desirability and the necessity of the construction of those barracks for Toronto and district. As a matter of fact, I received a letter from the mayor of Toronto inquiring about this. Perhaps the minister might look upon this as a convenient time to tell the committee what he proposes to do with reference to the construction of the barracks.

Mr. FACTOR:

I wish to say a word or two about a body of men in the Royal Canadian Air Force of whom no one has yet spoken. I refer to the thousands of administrative officers, who have been part of the scheme-those

penguins, as the minister once called them, sitting in the Jackson building, in the Lisgar building, in command headquarters and in all units.

Perhaps I can speak with some authority on the subject, having been an administrative officer for over three years, and having had experience in units, at command headquarters and at air force headquarters. No one realizes better than I the vast contribution made by aircrew, the boys who fly the aircraft. I understand, too, that contribution made by the groundcrew, the boys who keep them flying. I say, too, that if the Dominion of Canada had done nothing more in this war than make the contribution it has made in the air force, we would have done a wonderful job, as far as our war effort is concerned.

I wish, however, to say a word or two about the forgotten men of the air force, the men whom I heard a flying boy once term the pen-pushers. These men in the different offices are making a contribution to the war effort. They rank from Air Vice-Marshal down to AC2's, and without their contribution this whole scheme would not be possible. Many of these men left lucrative positions in civil life and have made great financial sacrifices in order to do their bit in the great Royal Canadian Air Force. I should like to make one appeal to the minister on their behalf. The aircrew receive twenty-eight days annual leave, to which they are justly entitled; but I submit that men who sit at desks, men who are fighting the so-called paper war day in and day out, week in and week out, are entitled to the same consideration and should be given twenty-eight days leave. Their work is perhaps more tedious and more tiresome than any other; it exacts more in the way of physical strength than that of the boys who fly the planes. . I say that without intending in any way to disparage the hazardous occupation of the boys who fly. But I do ask the minister to give some consideration to these men who are sitting in the offices day in and day out filling out these numerous forms. I would include the women, too, in this plea. They are doing a great job in administrative work.' The occupy the positions of adjutant, assistant adjutant and many other administrative offices.

There are many men in the air force who are reaching the age of retirement, and there are also many men in administrative positions who are anxious to get overseas. We hear the criticism that the men in the Jackson building, in the Lisgar building or at command headquarters have soft jobs, but I would say to those critics that there is not one officer

War Appropriation-Air Services

in an administrative position in the R.C.A.F. who is not anxious to get overseas. Unfortunately, it is impossible to send them all overseas. In conclusion, I want again to pay my tribute to the men and women of the R.C.A.F. who are doing such a real job.