• PROCEEDINGS of the HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY • • During the Third Session of the Twenty-Fourth General f Assembly of Newfoundland . • 1922 • • / • UNION PUBLISHING COMPANY, LTD. · •

( • .. PROCEEDINGS • of the House of Assembly of Newfoundland ' SESSION 1922 Begun and holden at St. John's in the said Island on Tuesday ·the Fourteenth day of March, Anno Domino, Nineteen Hund .red and Twenty-Two_, being in the Twelfth year of the Reign of His Majesty Our Sovereign Lord, George by the Grace of -God, of the .. united Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the ·British Dominions Beyond the Seas, King, Def ender of the Faith, ~mperor of India.

His Excellency having fixed the hour at which he proposed to open the present Session of the Legislature at three of the 'Clock in the afternoon of this Tuesday the fourteenth day of March inst., the Members of the House of Assembly m~t in the As­ sembly Room at a quarter to three oi the clock in the afternoon, when Mr. Speaker took the Chair. • At three of the clock a message from His Excellency the Governor was delivered by the .Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod commanding the imme­ diate attendance of Mr. Speaker and the House in the Council Chamber. Accordingly, Mr.

Speaker and the House attended His Excellency the Governor in the Council Chamber, anci being returned to the Assembly Room, Mr. Speaker inf or med the House that when in attendance on His Excellency the Governor in the Council Chamber, His Excellency had been pleased to make a gracious Speech to both Branches of the Legislature, a copy uf which for greater accuracy he had ob­ tained and then read to the House as follows:- l\'lr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Honourable House of Ass2mbly: . Mr.

Presid£nt and Honourable Gentlemen of the I~gislative Council: I regret that, Qwing to severity of the weather interfering with the j1ourneys of Membei:,s, and other unforseen circumstances, it was not possible to c·all you together at as early a date as it was hoped. It was my privilege on the 28·th February last to s~nd to the Princess Mary, a message conveying the good wishes of the Govern­ ment and 'of the people of Newfoundland on the occasion of her mar­ riag .e.

A gracious reply~ expressing her thanks, was (feceiyed · from Her Royal Highness . , I desire to express my sincere regret at the recent loss, by death, ' • • ) •

I • 4 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS • ~n a foreign country, of a member of the House of Assembly, who held a high reput ,a ti on as a Captain iof the fishing industry: We can ill afford the loss of such a man at the present time. ' There are not wa11ting signs that the process of World recon- . . struction is proceeding surely, though more stowly than we could wish. The decisions of the Disarmament Conference, which · met at Washington , if carried into effect, will ease the burden of Naval expenditure, though w, e cannot but feel genuine regret at the dis­ mantling of H. M. S. ''Bri~on'' in the port of St.

John's. The League of Nations continues to function, and its work in bringing the Nations closer together should greatly assist in creating harmony and go'-Od w111. While we in Newfoundland, in common with the people in adjoining Countries, are earne ·stly expecting the · approach of a brighter day, condition . s are yet so serious as to e·ngage the most earnest thought of legislat'ors, business men and the people in general. A wise restraint and sympathetic patience will be necessary in order that steady progress may be made towar ·ds a better state.

The general improvement in exchar?.ge is an important feature in. world trade, and should have an encouraging influence on the marketing of our staple p~oduct. · The question of unemployment has engage\! the close attention of my Ministers. Ottr experience has been similar to that of other lands, though perhaps not to ~o great a degree. At the time .of the closing cf the last session, delicate negotiations wer~ being conducted in regard to special works to meet unemployment, and discussion of the matter at that moment might have prejudiced the situation.

In St. john's a Committee of public spirited citizens was formed in an endeavour to cope \Vith local conditio .ns, but it has required the co­ operation of my Minist~rs to ensure an_ y success in allaying distress, and very rear difficulties, both personal and economic, have prese11ted themselves. The prese11t position 'of the matter, as well as the whole programme , past and future, will now be laid before the Legislature. During August and September of last year, enumerators were engaged in making the dece~nial Census of the people.

All the returns have not yet been rece;ved, but it is hoped that an interim report of the result will be tabled in the Legislature before the close of the session. / . My Ministers prcpose, as soon as possible, 1 to proceed with the erection of the Normal School for Teachers, f.or whicl1 an appropriation was made by the Legislature. It is intended that this School, while serving its practical purpose, sh~ll also stand as a Memorial :of the service and sacrifice of the brave men from this Colony who stood between us and the eriemy and gave their lives in the dark days of the •

• HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS 5 Great War. You will ats· o be aware that the efforts of a Committee of Citizens to provide · another fitting Memorial . are meeting with success. Mr. S~amr and Gentlemen of the Honourable House of Assembly: The Statements of expenditure and of revenue for the last fiscal year will bt:; laid bef or'. ~ you in due course. From these it will be seen that the expenditure is within the amount estimated.

The revenue slightly exceeded the estirr1ate, and it was possible in closing the account, to leave a balance, to the credit of the Surplus Trust Account, larger than the amount set forth in the Budget Speech of last year. The estimates for the several n ,epartments of the · Public Service have been prepared, and will be laid before you. They have been given mttch thought by my Ministers, as, under t~e extraordinary cir­ cumstances which at present pertain, great care is necessary in order that, while due economy is exercised, the Public Service shall n1>t suffer.

The whole qt1estion of finance I commend to your most favourable consideration. • For the purpose of financing certain public operations, including particularly marine works, road construction and improv·ements, the cutting of pulpwood and pitprops and certain railway improvements and special expenditure~, it will be necessary for a loan to be procured on the :redit of the CoJony. A Bill to this effect will consequently be subn1itted to you during the early stage ~of the present session. · Mr. President and Honourable Gentlemen of the Legislative Councill: Mr.

Speaker and G~ntlemen of the Honourable House of Assembly: The Contract bet\\ieen the Government and the Reid Newfound­ land Company for the operation of the railway, has been receiving close consideration · at the hands of my Ministers. In the Speech which I addressed to you nearly three years ago, I referred to the pressing importance of this question. As tbe Legislature is aware, it 'vas necessary in July. 1920, to appoint a Railway Commission, repre­ sentative of the Government and of the Reid Newfoundland Com- , pany.

This Commission provided certain new engines and rolling stock, a11d put the railway bed in good order. The major portion of the loss on operation \Vas borne by the Government. At the session of the Legislature last year

an Act was passed providing for the temporary operation of the rail~ay, under which certain losses wer~ to be borne by the Go\·ernment, and the charge on public finance was again serious. For son1e time neg.otiations have been in progress with thP. object of establishing a definite and permanent basis for the operatirn of the railway. At ·this moment the negotiations are still

6 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS proceeding, but 1 it is hoped that, be·fore the end of the session, it may be possible to submit proposals that will be satisfactory. Last year my Ministers decided upon certain readjustments in the matter of War Pe11sions, and a supplementary amount was included . iri the Estimates of .last session for that purpose.

A Bill which will be a c·omplete revision of the War · Pensions Act, 1919, will conse­ quently be submitted for your consideration. , In September last, the question of our Telegrapl1 and Cable busi­ ness was discussed ia New York by my Prime Mini~ter with the Ex­ ecutive heads of the Western Union Telegraph Company, and, in . January last, with tl1e Executive heads of the Western Union Tele- graph Company, and tl1e Commercial Cable Company. It is probable that, as a result of those interviews, a Bill, relating to this important ~atter, will be submitted to you for consideration during the session.

I trust that, in yot1r deliberations, you may ~ave wisdom · and wide visio ·n, and that , under the guidance of Divine Providence, the . . results will tend to the stability and ,progress of the land. ' . HON. PRIME MINISTER :-Mr. Hr.

Main, which he so worthily repre­ Speaker, before proceeding to the sented in this Assembly and cam. e of usual business of the · House this af- a stock which jn no small measure has terno .on, I once again find it my sad won for Newfou~dland's sons the duty to rise and submit to this As- grand reputation of being unexcelled sembly a resolution of regret at the in whatever sphere they happened to . passing of one of its outstanding mem- be placed. bers. When, a few months ago, a While still in the years of boyhood similar duty devolved upon me in con- Capt.

Lewis entered upon that most nection with the passing of the Hon. arduous and dangerous of local pur­ J ohn Browning, Sir Michael Cashin suits, the bank fishery, wherein he who then seconded the Resolution re- began at the bottom of the ladder as .. ferred to the fact that in his many a dory hand.

By his fearlessness • years' experience as 1 a member of this which was proverbial, his high integ- Chamber it was seldom that the oc- rity and his~ sterling worth generally, • casion of the House's opening passed he quickly rose from the ranks and at without the Prime Minister being the early age of 24 he was fitted by called upon to . propose and the Leader nature and training to take upon him of the Opposition to second a resolu- the grave · responsibility of command­ tion of this nature on .the passing of ing a vessel at the Grand Bank fish- . some member of one or the other ery, a responsibility which much older branches of the Legislature. men would have assumed with re- Since . we last · met here Capt.

John luctance. His record as a banking · Lewis, one of the representatives of captain was high amon. g the most suc­ the District of Hr. Main, has passed cessful skippers following that haz­ into eternity and by his .passing has ardous occupation for ten years and left this country the poorer . by one then by a succession of good trips he whose splendid worth was generally reached the pinnacle. at which· all recognized. The late Capt. Lewis was banking captains aim-high liner of born in Holyrood, in the District of the Newfoundland · Grand Bank fishing , l ; ' I I •

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS 7 vessels and commodore of that great fleet. While being a strict disciplinarian as a captain he always cared for his men as if respo .nsibilit)' for each man's J1ealth and welfare rested solely upon him, and it was a common expression among }).is associates and crews that ''Lewis will never ask a man to risk a dangerous task which he himself would not undertake.'' He was a dar­ ing but not reckless mariner and when danger most threatened on the bois­ terous seas of our coast Capt. Lewis was always on the quarter deck to direct and advise and share with his men the greatest perils of the sea. Early in the 90's he took an active

part in the political affairs of his dis­ trict and in 1900 he contested the distric~ as an Independent. In 1904 he again entered the lists as a col- · league of the present Judge Morris, both candidates of Sir Robert Bond. They \Vere elected over. the candidates of the Opposition party. In 1908 he was again a candidate of Sir Robert Bond, his colleague being present Deputy Minister of Justice Summers, bt1t, like most of the contestants in that year · , went down to defeat, the district being carried by Messrs. Woodford and Murphy, candidates of Sir Edward Morris, Leader . of the People's Party.

In the spring elec­ tion of 1909 he was again an unsuc­ cessful candidate for Sir Robert Bond. Four years later, in 1913, he again contested the District of Harbour Main in Sir Robert's interests but failed to secure election. In the interests of Sir Michael Cashin he took an active

part in the · 1919 General Election and in Fe·bruary 1920 was successful in the by-election in the interests of the same, . securing ele~tion with Dr. Jones as his col­ league. In August 1921 he proceeded to the Mediterranean as an agent for the firm of Hickman and Company and while there was stricken down with the disease which terminated fatally. He was a man of prominence in Hr. Main and on the floors of this As­ sembly one of high standing and a fearless fighter.

With deep regret I now . introduce the following reso­ lution: • ''RESOLVED: that this House de­ .sires to place on record an expression of deep regret at the passin ·g, since last session, of John Lewis, Esq., for some time representative of the Dis­ trict of Hr. Main in this House.'' . RESOLVED :-That a copy of this Resolution be forwarded to the rela­ tives of the deceased Honot1rable Gen­ tleman. And in again moving that a resolu­ tion of this kind be placed on the records we must bow our heads, re­ inembering the futility of strife, bow our heads in the presence of the shadow of death.

In paying tribute to the me1nory of the deceased we can do no better than repeat the following lines: So live that when thy summons comes • • to JOln The innumerable caravan that moves To the pale realms of shade, where each shall take His chamber in the silent halls of death; Thou go· not like the galley slave at night Scourged to his dungeon, but sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch About him and lies down to pleasant dreams.

And so there has passed from us one who bore an honored name and whose ·worth was recognized by all on the floors of this House of Assembly. I < now beg, Sir, to submit the resolution.

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HOUSE OF A ~, r:'£1\lf~~ ,, ·'- 1 ~l ..... _, l PROCEEDINGS 19 SIR M. P. CASHIN-Mr. Speaker, it is my sad duty once again to second a Resolution of Condolence in this Chamber. The Prime Minister in moving this Resolution made ref er- e nee to a statement made by me when · the House opened in December last, when we moved a Resolution of Con­ dolence to the bereaved relatives of the late Hon.

John Browning, when I . ref erred to the fact that in my long experience of over thirty years in this House, there was rarely an opening of Parliament in which it did not fall to the lot of the Premier and Leader of the Opposition to ask the House to second a vote of condolence similar to that which we are passing to-day. If I remember rightly it \vas in August 1921 that Capt. John Lewis made his last appearance in this Chamber. I do not thirik that he was here in De­ cember.

We all remember the m~nly form of our decease~ friend, and look · · ing back to that recent time how m'l11y of us if asked to hazard an opinion as to his future would have believed that to-day this House would be engag~d in the sad duty of recording a Resolu­ tion of Condolence to his familv and • friends. I dare say that I kne'.V the deceased more intimately than any Member of this House. My acquaint­ ance with him began almost in bo}·­ hood, when at the age of 19 he \Vas captain of a fishing schooner prosect·t­ ing the Bank fishery.

He was a typical Newfoundlander and became proficient at his calling in the schc~ol of experience. He did not get the ad­ vantage of a University or High School training, but secured his educa­ tion at his native town, Holyrood, where later he attended Night Sch0ol to learn the theory of navigatio11. As a banking skipper his name soon be­ came famous all over Newfouncllan .d, and his youth added additional fame to his record several seasons as ''1-ligh Liner.'' He went to the top of the ladder as a banking captain 'lnd ~n all-round fisherman, and in character and ability Capt.

John Lewis was re­ garded-if not the best-one of the best fishermen in Newfoundland. Ht! raised the status and dignity of the very term ''fisherman'' to a higher and prouder plane amongst his co-workers at that avocation in Newfoundland . . He possessed not only all the qualities of a good sea-captain, but also of a good man, being fearless, enterprising and patriotic. As to his public life, he first entered the House of Assembly in 1904 under the leadership of Sir Robert Bond and served out the term of four years as a zealous representative of his native district of Harbor Main.

He went back for re-election in 1908 and was defeated. He was a candidate again in 1909 and suffered defeat once more. Last year in March, at the bye-electi0n to fill the seat vacated by Mr. Wood­ ford, he offered himself as a candidate and was elected Member for Harbor Main by a substantial majority. It would require more time than is per­ mitted this afternoon to do justice ~ -~ his memory and accord the tribute i1e deserves. He was a true lover of his country and had enthusiastic faith in its resources, both of sea and land.

That he was fear less in debate on the floors of this House is a statement which all who are listening to my words will admit, because only last year I recall Capt. Lewis was heard from this side of the House when with no uncertain sound, having risen in his place to sp~ak, all within reach ·or his voice were compelled to listen at­ tentively till }?e sat down. It is to his merit as a banking captain, however, that I take most pleasure in referring. He was a practical fisherman and knew his business from Alpha to Omega, from A to Z.

You all remem­ ber that he was sent by the late Gov­ ernment to represent Newf oundlartd in the Mediterranean trade in 1910-12. Any one who . has read his reports on •

• 20 HOUSE OF ASSEM.BLY PROCEEDINGS that mission, or who may have heard his work discussed by Members of the Board of Trade who were interested therein, will I have no doubt , ha·;e for med a proper estimate of the char­ acter and ability of the late Capt. Lewis. The trade had implicit conr1- dence in him and his vallcle as an agent in Southern Europe . was best shown in the fact that when the Governrrent dropped his services, he was · so11ght by the prinicipal merchants to gc to the Mediterranean markets · in the capacity of their representative, in at­ tending to the sale of their fish car­ goes.

He was acting as agent for the • firm of A. E. Hickman Co. when he succumbed. It is sad to think that we are to meet him no more on this side of the grave. His death is indeed a great loss and we cannot easily get an equal to fifl his place and take up his work. C)ne needed to become closely acquainted with our deceased friend to find out that not alone was he a good fisher- ~ man, but that he was possessed of a very keen foresight in the larger do­ main of political economy, and the dif­ ferent economic dspects that concern­ ed the future welfare of his native land.

In no way probably can one dis­ cern this phase of a man's character than coming in contact with him in an election campaign as I mysel did Id.st year in Harbor Main District. 011e was compelled to admire the man for his fearlessness, strict adherence to truth and avoidance of anything sa,ror­ Ing of flattery in addressing his con­ stituents. If a proposition were put t0 him by any man in the audience, he replied with the right ring of absolttte truth how he felt about it, and hit straight out from the shoulder.

All wh~ knew him must feel in proportir·n to the intimacy of the knowledge of his many good qualities, as they re­ member the same. He was a man weil beloved and respected in his native District. He founded the Star of the ,; Sea Association in Holyrood and was President for 15 years when he re­ signed ''to give place,'' as he said, ''to young men.'' Take him for all and all he was ''a man's man,'' and to merel}' look upon him was to recognize that there was something unusual about him. that suggested the man of char­ acter.

From the age of 14 till t\VO years ago he ploughed the ocean, sttr­ rounded by the dangers of fog, winds and sea, and all else that accompany a fisherman's life. He was fearless and undaun~ed and kept on tl1e cour~ ageous tenor of his way. It is sad to think that after escaping all tl1e perils of the sea that he should go to St1nn;7 •taly and there pass away, the ,·ictim of a virulent typhus fever which few of our seamen ever overcome once they are stricken. He died there in the midst of his duties. His colleague, Dr. Jones, I may say, had very little hope of Capt.

Lewis's recovery, 'know­ ing the effect of this fever in a warn1 climate ·on Newfoundlanders. I ·~~tve a very touching letter from one of his constituents who tells from intirr1ate experience what a charitable neighbor Capt. Lewis was.

He says: ''One who would not let his right hand kno\v ' what his left hand gave'' and ''he wa· 3 generous and kind to all.'' I now join with the Premier in seconding this Resolution of condo­ lence and join with his intimate friends and neighbors in saying ''Heaven to reward his greatness gave, To ou· r statesman this honored grave, The lava of Vesuvius holds in trust Of a noble Ne.wf oundlander­ the dust.'' MR. BENNETT-Mr. Speaker, . it is very unusual to have a very lengthy discourse on an occasion like this but I trust you will pardon me when we reflect that but orte short year ago the

• HOUSE OF ASSEMBI ... Y PROCEEDINGS 21 late Capt. Lewis was active and going around the district of Hr. Mai?1 seek­ ing the suffrages of the constitt1ents. When one reflects that he \\"as 11ere a few months ago full of life and vigor, a sturdy specimen of manhood, it makes one wonder why we are so anxious over our petty affairs when our stay here is of so shadowy a na­ ture. I remember, and I think I am one of the few now here, who sat with Capt. Lewis in 1904 when he was first elected. Sir M. P. Cashin was here, Hon. Dr. Barnes and Mr. Sullivan, but I don't know of any others who were here when · Capt.

Lewis ·took his seat under the leadership of Sir Robt. Bond. I remember the debates at that time_:_Capt. Lewis was then at the height of his manhood-and how the .. fishermen listened with intense inter­ est to the opinions expressed by him in connection with our staple industry. I remember that Sir Robt. Bond had then, 18 years ago, a very high opinion of the ability of the man that we speak of to-day.

His life was not devoted to trying to get Government assistaPce or prestege, and I remember that tl:e doors of this House were scarcely closed when he went on _board hi:,; schooner and hied him away to the Banks to. wrest his living from the deep just as others here to-day do­ and it is a credit to them. I hope they will show the same integrity and hold the same lofty ideals as Capt. Lewis did. He was . an ideal fisherman anci ) Q\ . Newfoundlander and his passing is cf more regret than that of any 111an vt~10 has passed from this or the other House in many years.

His life was not spent in an office or a counting house; his was not a life of ease but one full of hard and dan­ gerous toil faced by him with courage, daring and enterprise. He went f ortl1 to the deep and wrested therefrom the gold that helped to keep the wheels of the Country's progress in motion. Ip. this House he was looked upon as a~ able exponent of the principles of right and those who knew him besr knew how ready he was to take up the cudgels on behalf of _Newfoundland.

Last year, his arguments and critic­ isms against the Government's policy with regard to our fisheries did more, perhaps, than anything else to bring about their reconsideration. His passing _leaves this House and - the Country the poorer by a membel' and a citizen whom it will be difficult to replace. His place, either as a citizen or a legislator will not be filled by a man of the same qualifications for many a long day to come. His ex­ ceptional manliness, his splendid i11- tegrity and his sterling charactei· 1nade him an outstanding type and one of which I regret to say we have not too many men to-day.

We could ill ~fford to lose Captain John Lewis and his passing has therefore been a matter of personal regret to each and every one of us. For that reason, Mr. Speaker, I again trust that I will be pardoned for delaying the proceedings this -· after­ noon in paying this all too brief and inadequate tribute to the memory of one who was at once a friend, a col­ league and a companion. DR. JONES~Mr. Speaker, I should like to add a few words to the regrets so solemnly expressed by the J>rimc Minister, the Leader of the Oppositica and Mr. Bennett on the passing of tr..\' f rierid and colleague, Captain John Lewis.

With the exception of the Leader of · the Opposition, I think I can clain1 to have had a longer and more intiinate acquaintance with that gentleman than any member in this House. Ov ~:· thirty years ago I first knew Capt. John Lewis. I was but a boy and though he also was a boy of nineteen he had already undertaken the resport­ sibilities of manhood. He was then in command of a banking vessel. They say, Mr. Speaker, that first ir11- pressions are usually to be rlied upon. ti

22 HOUSE OF ASSEl\tlBL Y PROCEEDINGS I shall never for get the impression I then received of John Lewis and I can truly say now that my entire experi .­ ence of him during all the years that have since passed but served to show me that my fir$t impressions were right.

He was as I have said but a boy when I fl rst knew him and I shall never for get the effect upon me of see­ ing that man-boy take upon himself the tremendous responsibilities of so great an undertaking as the command­ ing of a vessel on the fishing banks • and having under his direction and his care a crew practically all of whom were much older than himself. What was perhaps n1ore wonderful still was the success with which he carried on his work and the thoroughness with which he measured up to his responsi­ bilities. Later, I knew him again when I \Vent to practice in the District of Hr. Main.

He was the fl rst man to extend the hand of welcome to me and in the years that followed I learneti still further to confirm my first im­ pressions of the man to whose 1nern­ ory this House and the Country to­ day pays tribute. He was a veritable captain courageous, brave, unselfish and full of natural ability that was developed and directed to the best ad­ vantage.

One had only to look a·t John Lewis to realize that there was a 1nan above the ordinary, one capable of ris­ ing above the small and petty things of life and of accomplishing great things in whatever sphere he happc11- ed to be placed. · Then, a year ago we fought the campaign in the District of Hr. Main together and 1 can say \\dtl1 the utmost truth and sinceritv that in .. all the heat of that political co11test I never once heard him say an ttncl"!D rit .. able or an unjust word of a11 oppon­ ent or of those who supported them. His history in this House · is ~ln open book.

There was nothing equi \'Ocal about him, he dealt with things 11or:­ estly, fearlessly and strai:ghtfordward- ly as he saw them and, to the end, he was the ''captain courageous,'' for, that I think, is the term that describes John Lewis best. Those who hearij his last speech in this Chamber cat1- not fail to remember with what force and fearlessness he dealt with the matter that was then uppermost in the public mind · and that was the manner in which he dealt with any matter t.J which his attentio11 and interest were directed.

For my district, without re;~a.rd to political differences, I have to sav that in the passing of Captain Lewis Hr. Main has lost a true c~tizen, fl.n arden .t advocate and a worthy representative. For m)rself, I have lost a persGna .l friend and a loyal colleague, and it i _;· only left for me now to express the rprayer tha1t he may be grant~d eternal rest and that Perpetual Light ~

a) shine upon him. It was moved by Mr. Hibbs and . seconded by Mr. Cheeseman that ar1 Address of Thanks be presented to His Excellency the Governor, in reply tc• his gracious Speech with which he 11a<.i been pleased to open the present Ses­ sion of the Legislature, and that a Select Committee be appointed to draft such Address in Reply. MR. HIBBS.-1\tlr. Spealrer, I rise for tl1e purpose of proposing that a Select C·ommittee be appointed to draft an A(ldress in Reply to the Speech with which His Excellency the Governor has been graciously pleased to open tl1is Session of the Legislature.

Bu.t, Sir, before proceeding further I desire to place on record my per­ sonal regret . at the loss this country has sustained in the passing two gen­ tlemen, one of whom has been the subject of a touching a11d well deserv­ ed tribute this a.fternoon by the Prime Minister and the Hon. the Leacl­ er of the Opposition. I refer to the late Hon. John Browning and C:iptai11 John Lewis. The late I-Ion. Mr. Browning ·was, as •

• HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS 23 has already been stated at our last meeting in this Chamber by the Prime Minister and the Hon. Leader of the Opposition, a man of sterling worth ', one who by his enterprise, integrity and fair dealing had been eminently successful in the commercial life of the country. His association wit~ ' charitable and patriotic undertak~ ings was in itself an augury of their success. Mr.

Browning was one of the ' type which any country or con1munity can ill afford to lose, and it can b~ truly said of him that his life work here has left a memory to be cherish ed and respected throughout the land in which he lived.

Captain Dewis was indeed an out­ standing character in the industrial business and political life of the coun­ try for the last quarter of a century, a man who by sheer industry, cour­ age,. perseverance and indomitable will had overcome the obstacles and vicissitudes of his calling, until by vir­ tue of a success, wrested from the . ocean, he stood in the fore1nost ranks of the Banking Captains of the New­ foundland fleet.

It was my great pleasure to share his intimate friendship for man~ years, a friiendship which I valued be ... cause of the many admirable chara ,c., teristics of the man, and my admira­ tion for him never lessened or dimin­ ished through life, whether we rowed the same political boat or otherwise, and I know of no man in the indus 7 trial life of Newfoundland who will be missed more than our late lament­ ed friend, Captain John Lewis.

In the Speech from the Throne, Sir~ reference is made to the International aspect of world reconstruction, and it is indeed a 11appy indication of a more lasting pepace and christian harmony throughout the world. The nation1:1 have realized the awfulness of War, and are ma.king the first real atte ·mpt to eliminate misunderstandings and international strife, and, we in New· ' . foundland, w·ho are still suffering from the ·effects of war, can appreciate more than we ever could before the grand object of the Disarmament Con­ ference and the League ot Nations.

The unemployment problem thro· ughout the country, due in a general sense to Trade depression, and to some extent the result of a small Shore fishery last season and low ' prices for out staple product, fa a very acute one. The matter of pro­ viding labour for our people under present conditions is sufficiently dif-• fl.cult to tax the energy of the Gov- ernment and perhaps no administra­ tion in the history of Newfoundla11d • was ever called upon to shoulder such a burden of responsibility as that tin. der which the Government of to-day is labo _uring.

It is said, Sir, that the darkest ho11r is just before the dawn, and there is reason to believe that the dark clouds of depression are rolfing by, and that we in Newfoundland ,in common with the world outside, are about to experi en ca the dawn of a brighter day in our economic life. In the matter of establishing in- dustrial enterprises that will afford permanent emplo;m .ent to our peo­ ple, I am quite sure that the Govern- 1nent is prepared to offer all possible encouragement and inducement, and to make any reasonable concession.

I aw. convince<i that that attitude will receive the unanimous approval of all classes of our pepople. There never wa. s a time, Sir, in the history of our country when the need of fur­ nishing some form of employment to suppleme11t the staple industry of the country was more pressing than at present, and the people of this coun­ try may rest assured that every pos­ sible effort on the part of the Gover11- ment will be directed to the acc<)m­ plishment of that purpose. The present is a tin1e that calls for the best that is in us, and whether we sit on government or op:posltion

24 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS benches, or . whether we sit outside the bar, we owe it to our c.onstituents and to the country in general to as- . sist in the reconstruction of Ollr corr1 ... inercial and industrial fabric until · Newfoundland has emerged from the aftermath and after effects of the re­ cent great struggle and is once more on the road to economic prosperity.

With regard to the marketing of our Fishery product, while conflict-, . ing opinions are held and publicly expressed as to the proper method to be adopted, I think it must be con ... ceded that there is a general agree­ ment that some 'scheme, that 'vould insure less risk and a better return to fisherrnan and to merchant alike, sl1ould be substituted for the present hapl1azard systen1 of exportation. \ It is gratifying, Sir, to know that in spite of the extraordinary exigen ... cies of the times, the ' cause of Edu­ cation l1as not been overlooked, and that a Normal School for Teachers will be erected.

This will no doubt prove a.n inesti1nable boon to the Teachers of Newfoundland and will tend to bet­ ter equip them for that noble pro­ fession on which the future of our country so greatly depends. A pleasing feature of the proposed .institution is that it will stand as a Memorial of the service and sacrifice of the brave men of this country, 'vho gave their all for us in the Great War.

I a1n reminded now, Sir, of another laudable undertaking, and I cannot allow tl1is opportunity to pass 'vithout extending my personal congratulations to Lieutenant Colonel, the Reverend Father Na11gle on the noble work that 11e is at prpesent engaged in. I want to say, Sir, that the spirit that ani­ mated our brave lads when they fell in upholding the honour of this coun"' ' try on the fields of France and Flanders is the same spirit that has inspired Father Nangle to see that they be not forgotten, and that their memory will be perpetuated down through the years that are to come.

On the Honour Roll of Heroes and Patriots, future generations will see emblazoned the name of Lieut. Col­ onel Nangle, and who ~mong us will say that the public spirited padre is not deserving of the honour. Mr. Speaker, before referring to our financial co·ndition, I take this opportunity to welcome to his seat in the House the Finance Minister, Hon. M.r. Brownrigg.

It has been a matter of deep regret, I feel sure to the Hon. gentlemen on both sides of tb. e House, that because of his sert­ c,us illness, the Minister's seat was vacent durring last session~ I am glad to observe that he is looking so well and sincerely hope that he will soon gain his 'UiSual no·rmal health and be able to discharge . in person the many important duties of his office in the House. ~ I ' am very glad Sir, to note that the revenue for the fiscal .year past exceeded the anticipations of the Prime Minister, who acted as Fin­ ance IVIinister last year on tpe occas­ ion of the Budget Speech.

This is a n1atter of great satisfaction to all for . ' it must be realised that the present is a difficult perio _ d to adjust expen­ diture and revenue, and I think it is a n1atter for gratification on the- par\ of the Governme11t that this has been. accomp~ished. Since extraordinary conditions under which we are living have ren- • derP'1 it necessary to secure a further loan, I feel sure tl1at the interests o.t . tl1e Dominion will be saf~uarded by securing it under the same favourable terms and conditions as that under which the loan of last year 'vas raised.

In mp.king reference to our finan .. cial position 've are reminded of th• additional obligations which havo been placed upon · the Government during recent years. We have been endeavouring to serve and accommo-

.. • HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS 25 date a sparcely settled population over an extended coast line ·by build­ ing up a postal telegraph system that is not self-supporting, and means an annual tax upon the revenue of over $150,000.00. The war pensions which the Do~ minion is obliged to pay disabled veterans amount to nearly thre<f quarters of a million dollars annually.

Another great strain upon our fin­ ancial resources was occasioned by the ravages of the great storm 011 Oct. 28 last, when our entire eastern seaboard w·as practically swept, anc\ tl1e replacing of those damages and the restoring of wharves, bridges and even roads, means a staggering item. for the country in those days of fin; ancial depression. Mr.

Speaker, the future operation of the Rail,vay is another matter re­ ferred to in the Speech from the Throne, andr in connection with this question, frankly, I am of the opinion that unless means of increasing the passeng~r and freight traffic on the can be . created the railway will con­ tinue a liab 1ility. I -am convinced that tl1e hope of the future, as far as the railway is concerned lies in that di­ erection. When we spe·ak of our railway dif­ ficulties we speak of a 11ational ques­ tion. · It is not a matter that the present government or any past government, . is who,Ily re­ ~ponsible for.

The railway under our present manner of trading and living is an essential utility that cannot be dispensed with, but it is at the same tin1e an expensive neces­ sity that has been passed on to ua as a legacy of liability to deal with as present conditions and circum., stances may warrant.

It is to be 11oped that thinking inen of every shade of political opinion will regard this railway problem in the light of a national question, and that their activities will be directed in the way of assisting rather than embarrassing the govern!llent in solving in as far · as it is humanly possible this intri­ cate and expensive . pro bl em.

With regard to the matter of War Pensions, I feel sure that the new Bill for the revision of the 1919 Act which will be 'introduced will adjltst the matter of pensions on a more equitable scale and will meet with the approval of all those who are eligiblq for this pension . , and in doing thia Newfoundland will be but discharging another debt which she owes those who risl(ed their all during the awful days from 1914 to the termination oi tl1e Great War.

The last paragraph but one of the Speech frun1 the Throne, makes ref- • erence to the Telegraph . and Cablo business of the Dominion and pre­ sages a bill relating to this matter being introduced at this session of the Legislature. This is a matter, ·Sir, that I feel sure will be welcomed by all who have followed the history of our Telegraph and Cable business during recent years. Since the y·ear 1918 our Cable across the Gulf has been lying idle, and our Telegraph system has m_erely served as feeder for the Anglo-Am 1erican Telegraph Company.

VP to 1918 the Commercial Cable Ccmpany did prac­ tically all our business under aq agreement entered into under the Bond government.

This agreeme ·n• ' terminated four years ago for reasons which may have had son1e merit, but which I do 11ot propose to enter into, and there can be little doubt but that the Colony has lost considerable rev­ enue on this account, and I think all will agree that the time has arrived when some workable agreement should be entered into, let that agree- 1nent be with the Anglo American Telegraph Company or the Commer­ cial Cable Company, which ever ca11 give us the most advantageous terms. so that our 'l"elegraph lines may be •

• 26 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS • utilised to the maximum of advantage to the country. In '1naking of a:qy agree ·ment, care should be taken that same will riot • involve a monopoly to the extent of clebarring the use of the more nlodern method of co1nmunication, nan1ely Wireless Telegraphy. I do th.ink, Sir, that the door shot1ld be left open so as to enable us to avail of any up to date utility of this kincl, as it is only by doing this that 've can hope to keep pace with the modern trend .of ad­ vancement of the age , we live in.

This brings to 1ny mind a new inno­ vation which it has been our privil· ege to experience in this countr~ during the last co·uple of months. l • refer to tl1e activities of Major Cotton and our fellow countryman, Captain Bennett who by their enterprpise and ' ' intrepid daring have demonstrated the utility of a winter aerial mail service in Newfoundland.

These men in thei• gallant pioneer work of coping with · the elements of a Newfoundland win- ter have made history for themselves. rrhe risks they 11ave braved, the hard­ ships they have endured and the ex .. perience they have gained .are les­ so11s that will materially aid in mak .. ing an aerial mail service a perman­ ent and a feasible utility, in the future. I understand that considering the • present condition of finances, reason1 able inducen1ents have been given to, enable them to actually demonstrate by experime11t that an aerial inail service may become a practical fact­ or in our co1nmercial life.

When we consider the . success ' achieved in combatting the rigors ot our climate it will be a matter or re­ gret if arrangements cannot be mada so that the country may avail of th~ service of Major Cotton and his con-' ferers in locating the sealing heard. Not possessing an intimate knowledge of any negotiations that may have been entered into between the airmen and the owners ot the fleet, I am not speaking with any authority, but l understand that any venture that might be undertaken will be optional. · In conclusion, l\fr.

Speaker, might l be per1nitted at the opening of th.is Third session of the Legislature un­ der . the present government to ex"' press the hope that the work of thi~J session will be in keeping with tha need of the times, and that a spiri~ worthy of tl1ose who made the su-1 1>reme sacrifice for us, and in doing so _ helpe · d to make it possible for us to sit here today, may guide tis in the deliberations which we are about to enter upon, a.nd it is with this spiritJ Sir, that I propose that a Select Committee be appointed to draft an Address in Reply to the Speech which His Excellency the Governor has been graciously pleased to deliver to us to-day.

MR. CH~ES' EMAN :-Mr. Speaker, I rise for the purpose of seconding the motion so ably put be­ f0re the House by my Hon. Friend the l\Iember for Fogo. My Hon. Friend having entertained you at such length with his very eloquent addreS$ I feel that it behoves me to be brief. First I wish to join with with the previous Speakers in express­ ing my sincere sympathy to th~ rela­ tives of the late Capt~ John Lewis • He was a prominent man in b.1'5 call­ !rJg as well as a highly respected citi- ~;en.

It is very p_leasing I am sure to us all to learn from His Excellency's Speech that it is the in­ tention 1 o· f the Government to pro'ceed , with the erection of the Normal School. This training school will be ::1. great benefit to our Dominion, as from it will go forth to the various localities well trained young men and women, who . will be able to give our !·, ~· s and girls that education and training which we all realize is so necessary to-day. Such a achool will ..

• HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS 27 ue a very fitting memorial to the 'lov­ ing memory of our brave warriors. We are all very agreeably surprised to note that the Revenue will exceed the expenditure for the past fiscal year. For reasons very largely beyond the control of the present Government we have during the past .few years been .-;ompelled t· o make very heavy ex­ penditures, thereby necessit~ting in­ t;reased taxation.

We sincerely hope that it will be found possible to great­ l}" reduce expenditure this year and ·. hereby enable us to reduce . taxation :n the very near future . • It will be noticed that it is the intention of the Government to taJi:e immediate steps to make de:ftn­ i te arrangements for the operation of the railway. This is a measure w!lich should ~.nd I trust will rece.ive the fUll support of the whole House and the c·ountry in general. This is a n1atter of vital importance to every Newfoundlander.

In the matter of the in- craase in the rate of pensions to our disabled soldiers and sailors, I am . .;ure none will find .fault with the Gov.ernment for having granted the Increase. These brave boys have · well deserved · it. You will all agree with me that the fisheries are of the · great­ est importance to Newfoundland.

Up­ on the success or failure of the fisher­ ~es depends the success or failure of oui r many fishermen, and of a very ' la.rge number of our people who find varioll;s kinds of employment as ~ l esult of the wealth produced from the fisheries Our mines, forests and many other industries are all well '" orthy of our best attention, but in rJ1y opinion our first duty is to do everything possible for the future uevelopment of our fisheries. It is the duty of all governments to do all posible to encourage and foster the proper curing and marketing of om: fish.

Unfortunately a great many ot o·ur tlshermen do not appear to real· _ize that fish is an

article of food. Well cured and well handled fish will al­ vrays comm~nd a ready sale at proflt­ :x.ble prices, thereby bringing increased prosperity to all concerned with its j>roduction. A great draw back to the codfishery is the lack of bait at cer­ tain times in the year. I know that on the S. W. Coast we lose many thousands of dollars annually on this account. I am hoping that in the near 11.iture we will have at least two cold :.;torage plants on the S. W.

Coast. • At certain seasons of the year there ~R an abundance of bait which could l>e put in cold storage at a very low cost; with a steady · supply of bait many fishermen whio now :find Jt im­ possible to provide the necessaries ol life for themselves and their families would · be enabled to increase their earnings to such an etxent as to en .. }i. ble them to provide .fully for their requirements. The ~ollowing figures give a comparative statement of the total exp·orts of codfish for the fiscal ~·ears ending 30th June annually.

I 1.1ave taken them 1910 to 1921: l" ear , ' 1910 .. 1911 .. 1912 .• 1913 . . 1914 .. J 915 .. 1916 ... i.917 .. i.918 .. 1919 .. '920 .. 1921 ..

Quantity Qtls. . . . . . . 1,502,269 . . . . . . 1,182,720 . . . . . . 1,388,178 . . . . . . 1,408,582 . . ·.. . . 1,247 ,314 • • • • • . . 1,094,242 . . . . . . 1,421,372 . . . . . . 1,568,020 . . . . . . 1,821,206 . . . . . . 1,681,770 . . . . . . 1, 788,015 . . . . . . 1,363,792 Value $ 7,307,778 6,544,604 8,001,703 7,987,389 8,071,889 7,332,287 10,394,041 12,876,847 18~829,560 24,316,830 22,671,625 13,334,954 From July 1st, 1921, to Feb. 28th, 1922, the exports of codfish have been 1,199,994 qui~tals, these figures riot in'!" eluded above, leaving about 160,000 c1uintals of last year's catch still to be marketed.

This is the smallest quantity of old fish that has been cr.trried over for s,ome time. In view ot the fact that the winter fishery has been practically a blank, '

28 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS the old fish will easily have gone ·into consumption before there is any new available. This should have the effect of k-eep­ ing up the prices for the old fish and with practically b·are markets, new fis4 should bring good pri·ces. With the impro .ved condition of the European Market, the shortage in the Norwe ,gian Fishery and the tendency fo· r improvement in the Europ ·ean Ex­ change, coupled with the lower cost of out("tting for the present voyage, I feel that prosp ·ects are very much brighter for the fishermen than they were a year ago.

Our principal mar­ kets are Portugal, Brazil, Spain, Italy and Greece, Po·rtugal being our largest customer, with Brazil coming second. In 1919 we exported 212.253 quintals of pickled or salt bulk cod­ fish. In 19 21 the export of this arti­ cle fell to 30.445 qutn~s, being the smallest quantity exported since . 1913. This is ·a serio 1us matter and we should do all possible to increase our exports of salt bulk fish, thereby relieving the European Markets. In 1911 the total value of all our fishery products was 9.578.984 dollars.

In 1919 it reached tb. e highest point, when the value rose to 32,792,271 ·dol­ lars and in 1921 in fell to 15,943,490 dollars. Thus it will be seen that the earning p·ower of fishermen has been practically cut in two, but unfor tunately the cost of his outfitting and living . has not decreased anything in proportion to his earning power. The total value of all exports from Newfoundland for year ending June 30th 1921 is $22,441,267. Fishery Prod·ucts account for $15,943,493.

Cod fish represents of the latter $13,333,- 954, thus it will be seen from the actual figures that the fisheries are still our mainstay and of greatest im­ portance amongst the fisheries is the ' Cod Fishery. The great depression in Europ and the consequent low exchange has been a very important factor in lowering the value of our fish. As pointed out in His Excel- lency's Speech, reconstruction is proceeding surely though more slowly than we could wish. However from the figures that will later ~e furnished by my Hon.

Frienq the Minister of li1inance, it will be seen that N ewfoundla .nd is makin3 progress equal to any other country and in fact mucl1 more so than a great many countries.

Personally I always take an op­ timistic view and I feel that in New­ foundland we have seen the 'vorst and that with co-operation, a friendly spirit, hard "\\i·ork· and rigid economy in Public as well as private expendi_, ture we will very soon recover our former strong and healthy financia) condition. 011 reference to the re-. cords it will be, found that our peo-' ple still have nearly 28 million dol1 lars on deposit with the different Banks, whicl1 is I think a good show ... ing under present conditions.

None will deny the fact that ~ great many of our people are suffer­ ing as a result of the trade depre~ sion; most of these people deserve th~ assistance and ~ympathy of those w;ho· are in a position oo help. As Le.gislators our duty is to en­ courage and not discourage the peo­ ple. I 1·egret exceedingly to have to say sine' ' my entry to this House 1 have been g·rea.tly disappointed at t11e lack of unity between the parties that compose it. In fa;ct, there is a regrettable lack of unity in the busi­ ness and private li:Ves of our people as well as in tl1e public llf e of tl1e .country.

We must realize tha. t lae11 of unity between the various bodies that make up the life of our C(>11nt~J ' can only lead us to disaster. We are all dependent more or less upon each other. Capital without labour is no good, neither is labour without cap!- (

• • I . HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS 29 tal any good and it is only by work7 ing together in a friendly spirit tha~ the greatest benefits can come to all. But labour must be willing to give Bt all times fair and just returns to capital. Duri11g the last Session tl1e conduct of certain membe,rs in this House and certain individuals outside the bar or tl1is House was anytl1ing but credit­ able. It is to be J1oped that at this session a mo1~e friendly and manlJJ spirit wfll exi~t both inside and out­ side tl1e bar. Fair and just criticism is always in order.

As a young New­ fot1ndlander who loves this country better than any other on earth and who hopes to live in it until the end of my time ; I appeal to the Members of both sides of this House and th~ people in general to lay aside petty jealousy and strive to improve ou1 homeland. Don't kick the fellow who • happens to be down, help hi1n UP} Let us all be optimistic, boost our country, work hard and work willing- _ Jy, and we need have no fear of the future. The Committee to consist of Mr. Hibbs, Mr. Cheeseman, Hon. Dr . Barnes, Dr. Jones and Mr. Sinnott. SIR MICHAEL CASHIN - Mr.

Speaker, it is customary, whether the)r deserve it or not, to congratu1ate the mover and seconder of the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne. Moreover, I think they have both done real well on this occasion, considering the material they had before them. It occurred to me while listening to the speech of the hon. member for Burin, that if the Prime Minister had only looked around he could have given the mover and seconder a great deal more material to work upon because . after all, when one comes to consider this bald Speech from the Throne, one will find '1.bsolutely nothing in if.

There is nothing pertaining to the plans of the Government, outlining or suggesting any legislation of a bene- ficial character to be brought before the House. We are given an empty programme in this bald document handed out to us. Considering then that the members for Burin and Fogo ''spoke upon nothing'' they did re­ markably well, particularly the mem­ ber for Burin, who did ever so much better than many members on similar previous occasions. Indeed, I con­ gratulate them both on acquitting themselves so well, working on . such a meagre foundation and in such a bad cause. They certainly did well on nothing.

And this is the Speech from the Throne that is to be sent out this evening to a waiting public. They are expecting bread and you are giv~ng them a stone. Mr. Speaker, I rose this evenin 'g not to make a dissertation on, or a revie\V of this speech, but merely for the pur­ pose of congratulating the gentlemen who moved and seconded the Address in Reply. On another occasion I hope to deal with it more fully' not that it • is necessary to ask time to read or discuss it, for there is absolutely nothing in the speech td read.

I say this, sir, not as a conventional Opposi­ tion platitude, but with all sincerity and strict adherence to _truth, for I defy any man, woman, or child in the whole length and breadth of the coun­ tr)r to point me out one line in this document, dignified with the name of Speech from the Throne, relating to the future welfare of Newfoundland, or foreshadowing any beneficial or constructive legislation on the part of this Assembly.

The first thing that is brought to our attention as an illustra­ tion and proof of my contention, is the hard weather you had to contend witi1 in bringing the fisherman's repre­ sentative from the Northern Districts and in this connection it is pertinent to ask why did you not send an aero­ plane to fetch them along in an up-to­ date manner? Next we are informed of the marriage of Her Royal High-

• l 30 HOUSE op · ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS ness the Princess Mary. Of course we are all glad of this auspicious event, but what, sir, I ask, has this to do with the business of this House and the future of the Colony, especially in a critical time like the present. There is, I notice, mention of reforms, ar.d that word, coming from this Gover~­ ment, Mr. Speaker, has an ominous sound in view of the experience of the . past two years and the reforms tl1at have been applied to this country's af­ fairs by the ''Liberal Reform Party." Why new reforms do you intend t,l inaugurate now?

Have you any more reforms for the Railway? I find abso­ lutely nothing in the Speech regarding our great staple industry, the codfish­ ery, nor of cold storage, which yo11 spoke about so glibly and so confident­ ly two years ago. We find to-day not a single word about this subject in the • speech and the same applies to th.e finances of the country regarding which you have given us less than \ nothing. Is there anything at all in the speech that is worthy of being called a subject for serious debate? I myself think that there is not.

After coming here this evening and meeting the Government, I awaited in ex­ pectant trepid ·ation for the ''three • knocks on the door'' of the Chamber. You all have a recollection, no doubt! of the occasion on which the last three knocks were given by the Usher of the Black Rod.

Gentlemen sitting here to-day will remember how last year after a four months' session, the House was adjourned for a period of . , three months and when we assembled here in December, before the Prime Minister had finished his speech, three knocks were heard on the door of the Chamber and the Usher of the Black Rod informed us that His Excellency the Governor awaited us ' in the Upper House, whereupon the Prime Minister, surservient to the Governor's call, without more ado led the way .from the House before his speech was conclud- ed.

It is worthy of note, however, that he afterwards sent to the papers for publication the whole speech that he had not been allowed time to deliver. With those memories in mind, Mr. Speaker, I was wondering what would happen when I came here this after- .. noon. Now, you will notice, sir, that I carry a bag with me; also something else which honorable gentlemen on the Government side seem, judging by their :glances in this direction, to be interested in, but I may console them by saying that they ne~d not be afraid. I do not intend to open it to-day.

Re­ vertin . g again for a moment to this \vonderful speech, it is noticeable that there is not one word about the ex­ penses of the Colony and no allusion \\1 hatever to the six million dollar loa11 of last year that was so shamefully wasted, and in spite of that we arc told that another big loan is abottt to be raised. The hon. member for Burin spoke of J the fishery. I would like to ask him d es he expect the price of fish to be the same as it was last year.

How can you expect the price of ·codfish to keep up when you find all ·other com­ modities declining and when you can buy flour, sugar, beef, salt, etc., at about half price as compared with the war years' prices. Do you expect the Italian, ·for instance, to give you war prices for your fish when he can ~et all other food products at half ):'rc~ and when exchange is so he;1v:1v against him. At present the Ita!ians have to pay from $2.00 to $2.50 per pound for fish in their own mone)'. r have never seen more than six dollars per quintal paid for fish from ti1e time of the American War up to about ten years ago.

Equally important is t .~ 1e fact that nothing is said so f qr about . ~ the problems of supplies f ·Jr the co111- ing fishery and the question - ~1s to how the fishermen can be supplied at pre­ sent prices of outfit. We have heard a good deal about ''dark hours~' but we

, HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS .31 have yet to hear something of s11pplies and loans. To-day the public debt is in the vicinity of 54 millions of dol­ lars. Even though we reckon the in­ terest at four percent now, can WP! ex­ pect ' to pay it? With 'lll it1dustries tied up and the fishery at a sta11dstill where are we? I tell you, Mr Sp~. ak­ er, we are in a most serious . position.

The hon. member for burin is troubled about the condition of the country and rightly so, but I regret to observe his inconsistency inasmuch as th.at last year he made a statement to the effect that he intended to strenuously con­ demn certain measures when brought up by the Government, realizing that they were detrimental to the interests of his constituents and the country generally. Where was the hon. gen­ tleman when the said measures ca1ne before this House. Mr.

Speaker, I hope you will not ac­ cuse me of rambling from the address, as there is in my opinion nothing in it to discuss and the ref ore nothing to ramble from, but for the sake of time honored custom I shall discuss the speech, if possible~ at a later date a'1d therefore I shall ask the Prime Mi11is-. · ter to allow it to stand over for a iew days until copies have been distri­ buted, so that we may, by exercising all our · ingenuity, find something in it to enable us to fulfill the formalities, for I assure you, sir,- though I ha\:e seen thirty speeches, but never one like this.

It is indeed ''fearfully and wonderfully masked.'' I can well imagine the Premier dictating th is speech and endeavouring to find some­ thing with which to fill up the usu~tl space, and can see him tearing i' is hair and in utter desperation saying ''My God what shall I say next?'' It is indeed a hopeless programme and I invite every gentleman here to read it and say honestly if there be anything forecasting the future of ·Newfound­ land. There is nothing regarding the fishery or the country's finances. Tl1e railway must go on and we are to vote another rr.illion of dollars . to keep it running this year.

Are we going · 011 to give out, as has been done the past season in such a scandalous manner~ as it is well known that no discretio11 was exercised in giving out relief work, and the man who had a fat bank account vlorked side by side in the snow bank with the man who real!}· needed assistance and had no means. In this manner thousands of doll,trs were wasted and no returns were given. Men were engaged not to work as formerly, but to do penance for th~ pay th.at was doled out to ~hem. Ho\v long, I ask, can the country stand such extravagance? HON. THE PRIME MINISTER­ Mr.

Speaker, I shall follow the usual formality common to this occasion and heartily congratulate the mover and seconder of the Address in Repl)'. In actual fact. and substance they arc both deserving of the highest con­ gratulations for the excellent ad­ dresses · they delivered. We have heard both gentleme . n on several previous occasions and without the surrounding circumstances of to-day's formality but it may now be seen that we have indeed able debating power on this side of the House. I also de­ sire to heartily congratulate Sir Michael Cashin on his very witt!' speech regarding the Address from the Throne.

If I could be sure of such a response of wit from the Leader of the Opposition I would gladly prepare an­ other address at any time. Sir Michael Cashin said during his remarks that he had spoken to some thirty speeches and never before had he heard sttch an address as to-day's. Never before had we such a Leader of the Opposi­ tion who has yet said regarding the Speech from the Throne that there was nothing in it. I well remember my own instance after I had moved the Address in Reply, when Sir Robert Bond, the · Leader of the Opposition at /

, , I • 32 / HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS the time, said that there never was any document such as this imposed upon a Government. You have heara the Address from ·the Throne. The outstanding points are clearly set forth. There are two or three in par­ ticular. If Sir Michael thought that it was supposed to contain a programme of the work to be undertaken by this Ho11se, if it were to contain even an outline of the plans of the Government and facts and fig- 11res that are to be laid before this House, such a statement would be as large and as extensive as all the statements that we have ever heard put together.

I want to give a sincere greeting to the Hon. H. J. Brownrigg, after a prolonged absence from the precincts of this House. The past year has been one of great stress to Mr. Brownrigg and we are all glad to see that he will be able to be with us this Session and handle the many im­ portant matters appertaining to h!s C.t.~­ partment that will be brot1ght before us. There has been before the Go\1 - ernment a proposition re·garding t11c development of the timber and mineral areas that surround the · H u.mber River. No such · proposition is before this House. The proposition was madf by the Reid Nfld.

Co. to the Goverr,­ ment but as then presented it was found to be impractiable and . impos­ sible. In the hope that a suitable pro­ position could be devolved · it was given great care and consideration by the Executive Committee as it was the urgent wish that everything pos­ sible be done to develop the large valuable timber and mineral resources of the Humber Valley. The proposi­ tion itself was put under microscopic examination in order to ascertain what could be done with it and it was accordingly withdrawn ·as un­ feasable by the Reid Nfld. Co. them­ selves.

Within a short time ·a Tariff Commission will be appointed but I do not expect any revision will be dealt with at this Session of the House. MR. BENNETT-That is not ac­ cording to the promise you made at last session.. The Tariff Revision is a very important measure. Why did yott not appoint the Commission during the recess. It was a distinct promise made by you as Prime Minister. HON.

PRIME MINISTER-I did make the ··promise that a Tariff Com­ mission would be appointed and the matter dealt with at the next Session • of the House but I cannot see how it will be possible now to have the re­ port of the Commission ready in time. I again heartily congratulate the mover and seconder of the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne and also Sir Michael Cashin on his very witty speech. Hon. the Prime Minister gave notice that he would on to-morrow ask leave to introduce a .

Bill, entitled ''An Ac · ~ respecting i:he Sealfishery during the present . year.'' Hon. the Prime Minister gave notice that he would ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled ''An Act to amend Chap­ ter 75 of the Consolidated Statutes, entitled 'Of Sufferers from Marine Disasters.'' Hon. the Prime Minister gave notice that he would on to-morrow ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled ''An Act for the Encouragement of Shipbuild­ ing.'' Hon. the Minister of Justice gave notice that he would on to-morrow ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled ''An Act for the Protection of Neglected, Dependent and Delinquent Children." Hon. the Minister of justice gave notice tfiat he would on to-morrow ask leave to introduce a Bill entitled ''A)1 Act to regulate the Importation, Man­ ufacture, Sale and Use of Opium and other dangerous drugs.'' Hon. the Minister of Finance gave notice that he would on to-morrow ask J •

. HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS 33 leave to introduce a Bill entitled ''An Act to amend Chaper 22 of the Con­ solidated Statutes entitled 'Of the Customs.' '' Hon. the Minister of Finance gave notice that he would on to-morrow move the· House into a Committee -of the Whole to consider certain Resolu­ tions respecting the Raising of a Loan on the Credit of the Colony.'' Sir M. P. Cashin gave ·notice of questions. Mr. McDonnell gave notice of ques­ tions. It was moved and seconded tha~ when the Hous<;t rises it adjourn u11.til Monday afternoon, next, 20th inst., at three of the clock.

The House then adjourned accord-, ingly. - MONDAY, March 20th, 1922. House met at three of the clock in the afternoon pursuant to adjourn­ ment. MR. JEN_NINGS-1 beg leave to ' present the annual report of the Su- perintendent of the Poor Asylum. MR. CHEESEMAN-I be, g leave to present the report of the Committee appointed to draft a Reply to the Speech from ··the Throne. . NOTICE OF MOTION HON. THE PRIME MINISTER asked leave to introdu ·ce a Bill, en­ titled ''An Act respecting the Sealfish­ ery during the present year.'' HON. THE PRIME · MINISTER asked leave to introduce a Bill, en-­ ti tied 1''An Act to Amend

Chapter 7~ of the Consoiidated Statutes, entitled · 'Of Sttff erers from Marine ·. Disas- ' ' -ters.' '' ; HON~ THE· · : PRIME · MINISTER asked · leave to ·introduce a Bill, en­ titled ''An · Act for ; the ;·:Encouragement of· ' Shipbuilding.'' : : 1 ·. · · ,·, · · HON. THE MINISTER ·OF FI­ NANCE ·asked · le:ave ·to ·· introduce a . Bill, entitled '''An. Act to'· amend Chap- ter 22 of the Consolidated ·· Statutes entitled ·Of the Customs.' '' ·. HON. THE MINISTER OF JUS­ TICE asked leave to introduce a Bill entitled ''An Act for the Protection .of Neglected, Dependent and Delinquent Children.'' HON.

THE MINISTER OF ·JUS­ TICE asked leave to ·introduce ·a Bi1'l entitled ''An Act to regulate· the Im­ portation, Manufacture, Sale and Use of Opium and other Dang.erou s Drugs.'' HON. THE · MINISTER OF . FI­ NANCE asked the Hous· e into a Com­ mittee of the Whole to consider cer­ tain Resolutions respecting the raising of a loan on the credit of the Colony. HON. MINISTER OF FINANCE-­ I beg to have · it deferred till the actual Bill is printed and read. · HON. PRIME MINISTER~I beg to lay on the Table of the House a state- · ment of the estimated revenue of the Municipal Council for 1922 and also the expenditure. .

HON. PRIME MINISTER~I beg to table the annual report of the Marin e and Fisheries Department. · · SIR M. P. CASHIN-By ·whom? · . ' - . . HON. PRIME MINISTER-It was sent to me by the Deputy ~inister. I I - . have not read th'e report~ - . . · .. NOTICE OF QUES .TIQN I 1-SIR M. P.

CASHIN asked the Minister of Finance and Custom · s ·, to lay on the table of the Hous. e a · sta.te­ ment showing the amount , .. re·atized from · last year's loan of . six : millio:l / -dollars, showing . the amount · actua\l y received, as far as· is known; . by~ .the American firms · that raised ' the, .Lpan; the amount transferred to the Colony , all payments · or expenses, ,· services ... in connection with it, and by ·whom re­ ceived; if. there are · any amounts · y.et to be paid in connection . with . same , and for w.hat purposes was .the .Loan ·or any · portion of it,. . expended; and how mu·ch· of-·.the., said Loan remains ·

• • 34 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEED 'INGS to the credit of the Colony at the pre­ sent time. 2-SIR M. P. -CASHIN asked Hon. the Minister of Finance to lay on the • table of the House a statement show- ing the Revenue for the eight months from July 1st to February 28th, and an estimate of the Revenue for · the four months from March 1st to J tine 30th and also of the expenditure in e-ach of these periods, said statement to show the principal heads of Rev­ enue-Customs, Profits Tax, Income Tax, Super Tax, Postal Reve·nue, Agri~ culture and Mines Revenue, Post Of­ fice Revenue. HON.

MINISTER OF FINANCE-I beg to table the statement. 3 SIR M. P. CASHIN asked Hon. the Prime Minister, in the absence of the Hon.

Minister of Marine and Fish­ eries, if a large quantity of beaver skins was received by the Department recently for sale, if so what was . the number of the skins and to furnish cl list of all 'parties sending skins to the Department and the number they sent; were tenders invited for the purchase of these skins, and to lay on the table of the House a copy of all tenders; were these sealed tenders and if so b:r whom were ·they opened and what steps were taken to ensure that par­ ties tendering got ''a square deal''; were the skins ultimately disposed of to the Rev. Frank H.

Boone, of Med­ ford, Mass., and a Hebrew fur dealer named Morris Silberman, of Boston; rf the said Rev. Frank H. Boone \Tisit­ ed Port Union last - Fall and made speeches there in favor of Mr.

Coaker itnd his movement; what amounts did be pay for the beaver skins and what di. d the Government do with the same; were all proceeds paid to the owners of the skins, or if not was a portion ~f the · amount retained by the Depart­ ment; if so, how much; if any pay­ ments by way of expenses were made in cQnnection with the said sales, C:1nd i.f so to- whom and to give a list of the parties receiving same and the amount they received .; and to what fund was any portion of the proceeds paid, arid where is the balance, if any, f ron1 th is: transaction at the present time. 4 SIR M. P.

CASHIN asked Hon .. the Prime Minister if it is correct that • some weeks ago Hon. W. F. Coaker wrote the Reid Company directing them to continue the operation of bra11ch railroads, or any of them; if so was Mr. Coaker authorized by the Government to write such a letter and if so to lay on the table of the House a copy of the same; also if Mr. Coaker made any promise that the Govern­ ment w9uld pay for the operation of' the said Railroad; was he authorized to ma·ke ~uch a promise and for what amount will the Government be liable on account thereof. · HON.

PRIME MINISTER-I have no knowledge of any communication from Hon. W. F. Coaker to the Rei\i NJld. Co. or any member of the Com­ pany in connection with the operation of the branch railroads or any of , them. If Mr. Coaker wrote such a. letter, he wrote it as the representa­ tive of Bonavista District and not as a representative of the Government. Mr .. Coaker was not authorized by the· Government to make any promise to the Reid Nfld. Co. of payment for the­ operation of the railroad nor have I any knowledge of such promise having been made by him. 5 SIR M. P.

CASHIN asked Hon. the Prime Minister to lay on the table of the House a full statement of ex­ penditure to date . in connection with· the extension of the Railway line to Argentia, showing (

a) tl}e. amount paid for the con­ struction of the Railroad and the length of the same from the point on the main line where the diversion to Argentia was made; (

b) the amount paid for co111pensa­ tion for land taken for the same •

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS 35 improvement, and a list of the parties to whom such payments were made; (

c) if any claims are still outstand­ ing and not arbitrated and if so when it is proposed to deal with them; (

d) the amount paid for the wharf, sheds, etc., at Argentia; (

e) what benefit has been derived by the. country from the enormous expenditure of money in con­ nection with this alteration; (

f) why has the steamer Kyle not been calling at Argentia all this winter as promised; ('

g) is it correct the Captain of the Kyle refused to bring his ship there unless a number of aids to navigation were provided; (

h) if one of the reasons given for the said alteration was that the Harmsworth Company at Grand Falls would ship all their paper during the Winter to Argentia, if any paper has been so ship­ ped and if not why not; (

i) and what use does the Govern­ ment expect to be made of this terminal to justify the expend~ ­ ture incurred in connection with ' the same. HON. PRIME MINISTER tabled in­ formation. 6 SIR M. P. CASHIN . asked li<1n. the Prime Minister if it is correct that Mr. S. J. Foote, K.C., Senior Member for Burin, has been called to Genoa in co nnection with the National Con­ ference, and if so is Mr. J~ Blackwood, K.C ., who accompanies him, also re­ tained in connection with this matter. , and if it is correct that representatives of the Canadian Government are on their way across also to confer with Mr.

Foote in connection with this mat­ ter. HON. PRIME MINISTER-The an­ swe r to · my hon. friend's humorous question is ,entirely in the negative. 7-SIR M. P. CASHIN asked Hon. the Prime minister, in the absence of the Hon.

Minister of Agriculture ar1 i Mines, to lay on the table of the House a statement showing the quantit) ' of pit props cut on Government accotlnr , or in connection with which the Gov :­ ernment gave any guarantees durin~ the Winter of 1920-21, - the amo11nt paid from the public funds on account of the same; what quantity of these ·pit props has been sold; who acted for the Government in the sale of the same; to whom were they sold; how much was paid for them per cord, and for any other expenses; what quantil \r remain s unsold; at what places are these pit props assembled; what does the Government propose to do w-i th th e. same; what are the actual receipts on acco11nt of all these pit props to date : and what is the total expenditure, alst J for how many · cords of pit props or pulp wood has the Government con­ tracted to be cut during the present Winter; to table a list of the

partie s with whom contra~ts · were made and the quantities for which th·ey con ­ tracted; what is the· actual liability of the Colony on account of the san1e , and how does the Government expec t to dispose of them. HON. PRIME MINISTER-The re­ ply to that question is 'being prepare~ . 8 SIR M. P. CASHIN asked Hon . the Minister of Finance and Customs t9 lay Qn the table of the House cop y of the report of the Audi t~r-General for the fiscal year ended June 30th , 1921. HON. MINISTER OF FINANCE­ That statement will be tabled to-mor ­ row. 9-SIR M. P. CASHIN asked Hon . the Prime Minister :- (

a) If Hon. W. F. Coaker tendere d his resignation as ·Minister of Marine and · Fisheries shortl y after the last session of th e House closed, and if so to tabl e. a copy of said resignation and • I

/ ,.., ' • !6 H.OUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEE ·DINGS to ,state what action was taken on the same; · (

b) if it is correct that since the closing of the last session in August 1921, Hon. W. F. Coak­ er has never entered his office in the Department of Marine and Fisheries, and if so what is his reason for not attending .it, if he is drawing the salary of . that office and if so what . ser­ vice is he giving in return; . (

c) if · it is · not the case that be- · tween August and the end of ·the year Mr~ Coaker was absent from St. · John's for almost tl1e whole of that time, and if so who was conducting the affairs of the . Department; (

d) if Mr. Coaker, after a brief visit · to St. John's at New Year, did not return to Port Union and remain there for several weeks, then come back here and after a . few days take his departure for an extended trip to the Un­ ited States and Brazil; (e) · if Mr. Coaker sent a message from Port Union some weeks (f ' ) ( g ) ,· ago to be shown to the Premier : threatening that if the l111111L1er River · project was not put through the Legislature he would refuse to support trc: • Government, if that message was shown to the Prime Min1s­ ter, and if so what action he took on it; is Mr.

Coaker's present trip a­ broad on public or private busi- ness, if it is on public business what is the nature of the said business, if it is on private business is he drawing the salary of his Department; if his Private Secretary, Mr. Clouter; left here recently to join him in New York, if so has Mr. Clouter joined him to do public business or private busi­ ness, in the former case what is the nature of such business, in the latter case is Mr. Clouter~~ salary being paid and will his travelling expenses be paid; (11) is it correct that Mr.

Coaker is interviewing financiers in the United States in connection with the Humber River project, if so is he repres ·enting the Government in such capacity • and if so to lay on the table of the House a copy of the instruc-~ tions to him in .that connection; (

i) is it correct that Mr. ·Collishaw is accompanying Mr. Coaker in this capacity and if so has Mr. Collishaw any authority front the Government, and if so to lay on the table of the House copy of . the same, and what pay .., 1 ment, if any, is to be made to Mr. Coaker and Mr. Collisha\V for such services. HON. PRIME MINISTER:-The Minister of Marine and Fisheries in- • dicated at the last session his intention to resign but he did not formally do so. I have no knowledge as to whether or not the Minister has been at his office since last August but I can no doubt obtain the information. It is correct that Mr.

Coaker has been absent from the City during the greater part of the period mentioned, It is also correct that Mr. Coaker after a brief visit to St. John's at Ne\\,, Year returned to Port Union, remain­ ing there for several weeks before coming back here to take his departure for New York. If Mr. Coaker sent a . message to anyone to be shown me, I have no knowledge of it. No message was shown to me by any person from Mr. Coaker or anyone along the lines in­ dicated in this question. . Mr. Coaker's present · trip abroad is on his private business. I understand Mr.

Clouter left here with the intention of accompanying

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS 37 Mr. Coaker to Brazil but the latter has now abandoned his contemplated visit to the country and has gone to the West Indies. As to whether or not Mr. Coaker is interviewing financiers in the Uni t:.!d States in connection with the Hu1nber River project the Government has no knowledge. He has no authority from the Government to conduct such inter- , • views. Mr. Collishaw whose name has been made famous in the literature of this House is not representing the Gover11- ment in any capacity. He did not ac- • company Mr.

Coaker from here, or at least, he left here on the same stean1e: with him. 10 SIR M. P. CASHIN asked Hon. the Prime Minister to lay on the table of the House statement showing the number of depositors and the total amount of the deposits in the New­ foundland Savings Bank up to the 31st of De.cember, "" 1921, and the same at the end of , 1920, 1919, 1918, and 1917. HON. PRIME MINISTER :-The total number of depositors in the Nfld. Government Savings Bank up to 31st December, 1921, was 5007 and the total amount of deposits was $2, 172,- 000.

In 1920 the number of deposit­ ors was 5452 and the deposits $2,389~-.- 000. In 1919 the number of depositors was 5978 and the deposits totalled $2,- 507,000. In 1918 there were 5913 de­ positors and the deposits amounted to $2,215,000. In 1917 the number of depositors was 6291 and the deposits $2,494,000. 11-SIR M. P.

CASHIN asked Hon. the Minister of Public Works to la)-' on the table of the House a statement showing the cost of what is known as the Badger Road, showing the amount paid for the land, if any; the amount paid for labor, for lumber, and other material; the number of men employ­ ed, and the period for which they were employed; if the names of any , dead men were included, and if so how many, and the length of th. e road and cost per mile; · and to lay on the table all correspondence, papers, etc., in the possession of his Department in con­ nection with the same.

MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS: -The answer is in course of prepara­ tion. 12-SIR M. P. CASHIN asked Hon. the Minister of · Public Works what was the cos.t of the road in the West End popularly known as the ''Road de Luxe'' and to table a detailed state­ ment of the expenditure on the same, showing the amount paid (

a) for the land; (

b) for labor, . (

c) for lumber and . incidentals, an<l (

d) for inspection.

What was the length of the said road and its breatp; what is the ordinary cost of buildin 1 g roads of the samP, character per mile, and what was tha:. total ·cost of this road; how many men were supposed to be employed on the road and for what period; if it is cor­ rect that the names of 170 dead peo­ ple were included in the pay rolls ancI to give the names of the said dead men; and to lay on the table of the House a copy of all correspondence in his · Department in connection with tht: said road; also of the testimony taken in the inquiry instituted by the "\udit­ or-General into the matter, and .the testimony taken in the inquiry in the Municipal Council; and the evidence taken in the proceedings before the Ma.gistrate recently, and any other documents in his possession in con- . nection with the said road.

MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS: -The answer is irt course of prepara- · ti on. · . 13 SIR M. P. CASHIN asked Hon. the Minister of Education if it is cor­ rect that he visited Harbor Grace re­ cently and offered a number of men in that vicinity work at Bell Island at the , rate . of $8.40 a week; if a great num­ ber of these men recently left the

38 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS Island complaining that they were on­ ly able to make about six dollars a week; what steps is he . taking to se­ cure a larger amount for these people, and what is his own weekly salary. 14 SIR M. P. CASHIN asked Hon. the Prime Minister · to lay on the table copy o· f. the report of Mr.

Morgan on the Railway and also copies ·of any correspondence with the Reid New­ foundland ~ompany, or any members · of the Company, in reference to any negotiations which the Government, or ' any committee of the Government, or any Member of the Executive on be- . half of the Governm .ent, has been con­ ducting with the Reid Company with a view to a transf e· r by the Company of the Railroad, or any other plans which the Government may have with refer­ ence to the future of the Railway _ sys­ tem. HON. PRIME MINISTER:-A re­ port was made by Mr. Morgan to the Reid Nfld.

Co. under date Jan. 20th, a copy of which was furnished me by the Reid Co. This copy I now table. There was no corres .pondence with the Reid Nfld. Coy. or any member of the Company by the Government or an;T committee of the Government or any member of the Executive on behalf of the Government with regard to the matter mentioned. · SIR .M. P. CASHIN:-Was there no report to the Government? HON. PRIME MINISTER :-No~ .Mr. · Morgan was an employee of the Reid N fld. Co. and made his report as such. 15 SIR M. P.

CASHIN asked Hon. the Prime Minister to lay on the table a statement of the receipts .and expen­ diture of the Railroad system for the eight months of the fiscal year from Jilly 1st to February 28th, and an esti­ mate of the receipts and expenditure for the four months from March 1st to J upe 20th of this year, and a state­ ment of the amount · paid out of the Public Treasu11r towards / the · mainten­ ance and operation of the Railroad for the eight months , up to February 28th , and an estimate of the amount that will be required for the four months · from March l st to June 30th; also a statement showing the amount paid for improving the roadbed of the Rail­ . road at Topsail, Kelligrews and other points along the line since July 1st , ' ' 1921. / HON.

PRIME MINISTER:-T abled the information. 16 . MR. MacDONNELL asked Hon. the Minister of Public Works for a statement showing the total expendi - · ture through his Department since March 1921 to date, either as ordinary expenditure on roads and bridges, etc., or as special extraordinary expendi­ ture for relief works or otherwise. MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS: -The answer is being prepared. 17-MR. MacDONNELL asked Hon. the Prime Minister in the absence of , the Minister of Marine and Fisheries (

t) the total amounts expended I through that Department since Marc . h 1921 to date either on ordinary marine works or for ' special expendi­ ture on relief works. HON. PRIME MINISTER:-Tabled the information. Mr. Hibbs, on behalf of the Select Committee, appointed to draft a repl ~{ to His Excellency's Speech, presented the Report of the Select Committee as follows: • To His Excellency Sir Charles Alex­ ander Harris, JS:.C.M.G., C.B ., C.V.O., Governo . r and Commander in Chief in and over the Island of Newfoundland and its Depend en- • c1es.

May it Please Your Excellency: We, the CommQns of Newfoundland in· Legislative Session assembled, beg to thank Your Excellency for the Gracious Speech which Your Excel-

HOUSE OF . ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS 39 lency has addressed to both Houses of the Legislature. (Sgd.) JOHN F. CHEESEMAN, A. BARNES, E. F. SINNOTT. Assembly Room, March 20th, 1922. SIR M. P. C_t\SHIN :--Mr. Speaker, be­ fore the adoption of . the Report of the Select Committee appointed to draft an Address in Reply to the Spee .ch from the Throne, I would like, with your permission, sir, to make one or two remarks on this valuable docu­ ment.

I notice, whether you do or not, that this speech has not be(?n got up in the ordinary manner. , It would seem to be a mourning speech, if one were to judge by the black margin that surrounds it. I do · not blame the Prime Minister for doing this purpose­ ly• although one might conclude that he realizes that the end is at hand. I am sorry to see that the mover of the Address in Reply is not present this afternoon. No doubt the effort of try­ ing to make a creditable speech proved too much for him.

In the first para­ graph of the speech we find the fol­ lowing: ''I regret that owing to tl1e severity of the weather interfering with the journeys of the members, and other unforseen circumstances, it was not possible to call you together at ~s early a date as was hoped.',' I am sure, sir, that Capt. Jones rnust be amused . at that statement bec~tuse he has been beating the streets of the city all winter. The Prime Minister~ however, evidently did not know t :..it he was here because he tells the country that he was unable to get here. I think that Capt. Jones was on the S.S.

Prospero when she was jam­ med in the ice-I was going to say the illf ated Pros~pero. He was hardy enough to walk to 14nd over the ice, and yet the Prime Minister · hands out this nonsense about the alleged in­ ability Qf members to make the jour­ ney in winter. It · is public property , that the Coaker wing of the Govern- .ment was called to town early in J anu­ ary and after a few days sent back. again.

The Premier now tells tl1e collntry that the House could not open because the Northern members were unable to get in here, but the countr}' knows well tpat the reason why the House did not open was because you were at sixes and seve ,ns in the Go,v­ ernm;ent and that the Coaker par~:y was not prepared to come in till yot~ had agreed to put the Humber Deal through, and on account of that you drove their leader out of the country. Does the Government know · that the Minister of Marine and Fisheries wa.:; not in his office for fully six months ·.~ Was that because of the snow? Did he draw his s~lary for that time?

Per­ haps you will answer that question. In the face of those disagreeable do .. ings you give us trash. I will ask Air. Jennings whether or not the Minister of Fisheries drew his salary? Mr. Jennings is an honest man, or at least he was till he became defiled. The.re is no doubt that he is defiled. Picture him in ·the Road-cte-Luxe scandal and all the other scandals connected w~th his Department; nevertheless · he will ' tell you in spite of all this that the whole proceedittg of exposure on the part of the Opposition is merely a piece of fiction and an attempt to hoodwink the House and the country.

Maybe it is not good judgment to draw attention to this matter at all for it is too well known that the Northern members were brought in here and turned home again because their lead­ er · could not come to an agreement on the Humber Proposition, the ref ore he left the country, perhaps for his coun­ try's good. The paragraph ref erring to the • passing of one of the Members of the House of Assembly since we last met was dealt with o~ opening day and the country joins with .. you in thes~ ex• pressions of regret. The next paragraph deals with the ,

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS question of unemployment and reads: ''The question of unemployment he.ts engaged the close attention of my Ministers. Our experience has been similar to that of other lands, tJ1ough perhaps not to so great a· degree. ..b..t the time of the closing of the last ses­ sion, delicate negotiations were 1)eing conducted in regard to special works to meet unemployment, and discus­ sion of the matter at that 1non1ent . . might have . prejudiced the situatio11. In St.

John's a Committee of· public spirited citizens was formed in an en­ deavour to cope with local condi~ions, but it has required the co-operatio11 of my Ministers to ensure any succ~ss in allaying distress, and very real d:ffi­ culties, both personal and economic, have presented themselves. The pre­ sent position ·of the matter, as well as the whole programme, past and future, will now be laid before the Le.gis­ lature.'' Now what is the story of that?

Did not this House adjourn in August with the understanding that it was to meet in December to consider the outlay of ' pttblic monies necessary to car·ry on the country. The House met on De­ cember 12th and closed the same af :­ ternoon. That, however, was not sprung on us because we had already read in the report of the F.P.U. Con­ vention held on 2nd of Dec. that the House would prorogue immedia~ely af­ ter it met. The . Leader of the F.P.U. gave it out ten days ahead. Wherhe .r it was an Executive secret or not I don't know.

There was no considera­ tion for the unemployed, no considera­ tion for the decencies of the House of Assembly, and no consideration for the Governor displayed by · the Gov­ ernment. The - House opened on · De- . . . . . . cember 12th last and while the Prime Minister was on his feet delivering his so-called speech~ three knocks · came at the door and he· assumed a well-feign­ ed expression of surprise and alarm. We : were calied · to the . tJ j)pe· r H·ouse where I protested on behalf of the Op­ position. The Governor, to all appear­ ances, felt very uncomfortable that afternoon.

At first he halted, but after taking his second wind he evident!' ? decided to take his advice from · th~ Minister of Justice. His Excellency did not know whether he had the right to send . us back here or not, so he sent his Secretary to consult the Minister of Justice who advised the Gover11or to carry out the instructions he 11ad originally received and close the House.

He had, as I have already stated, a prerogative, but apparently did not know it, and so he carried out the instructions given him to close the · House and we were turned out ai­ though the Governor should know that he was doing wrong at the time.

A few days later in the face of this the Governor asked the citizens to meet to consider the question of employ­ ment in the city and the Governor sent out invitations to Members on this side of the House and to others to meet at Government House to discuss the situation, intimating at the same time that the matter had been receiv­ ing his attention for three or f·our months as to giving labor to the un· / employed in the city and outports in- cludin · g Badger Road and various other places where money had bee11 spent without Legislative authority. Government House, St. J ohn' 's, ·Nfld., 21st December, 1921.

Dear Sir, I am directed by His Excellency the Governor to inform you that .he has for some months had in mind · the im­ portance of organizing all parties i11- terested in a combined effort to deal with cases of unemployment ·in St. J·ohn's districts during the Winter which is now upon ·us. After · repeated conference . with his Ministers .. and · with , others His Excel­ lency is now 'in ·a · position · to call a conference of -all those who are likel)1 I 'I ,

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS . 41 to be interested, with a view to the appointment of a committee which should deal specifically with this in1- portant matter. I am therefore to enquire whether you could make it convenient t·o ~t­ tend such a conference at Govern1nent House on Tuesday, the 27th inbt., at 3.30 p.m., with a view to a full discus­ sion of the matter. Yours faithfully, J. HAMILTON, Captain Private Secretary.

The whole question of unemplo)'~ ment should have been discussed in ' this Chamber and the Prime Minister knew that this condition of affairs as regards unemployment existed when on December 12th he closed the I-:1 ouse and arranged with the Governor to have relief work given out and p~11d for on Executive responsibility. You, Mr. Prime Minister, have not a v'Jte from this House, sir, for any •Jf tlie money so spent.

The interpretati•1n of the whole transaction is that ;ou dodged the issue and you were not manly enough to come here a~ yo11 should have done, and lay the matter before the representatives of the peo­ ple, but you went down, sir, to the Bank of Montreal from your Executive and drew again without legislative au­ thority the money to pay for that work. We do not know yet what you have spent, but we do know that the Gov­ ernment have wasted the twelve mil­ lions of dollars raised by loan, besides the Surplus of four milli.ons left by the Government, within the past two years.

You have not outlined to this House what you have done with that money, and in the face of these facts, you come in here with a Speech from the Throne such as this and have the effrontery to hand it to His Excellency the Governor to read to the people of the country. Do you know, Mr. Premier, that this is the most false and insincere of speeches ever deliv- ered within the precincts of this House. I understand that the move r and seconder of the motion to draft an Address in Reply a few days ago congratulated the Government on ha11- ing a Surplus for the fiscal year 1920-21.

As the mover is not here, may I ask Mr. Cheeseman, the second­ er, if I understand him correctly, and was he in earnest when he congratu­ lated the country on having a Surplus. Mr. Cheeseman nods his head in as-. . sent. Evidently this paragraph in the Speech from the Throne is a frame­ up on the part of the Prime Minister. Mr.

Cheeseman cannot give any ex­ planation about it _and this is not to be wondered at because the Prime M.inister did not tell him nor one of his followers what it was all about. l cannot blame the Minister of Finance because he was afflicted by sickness and was not in a position to follow matters. Here is the statement writ­ ten by the -Prime Minister to convey the impression that the Government had a Surplus on the year ending June 30, 1921: ''The statement of Expenditure and of Revenue for the last fiscal year will be laid before you in due course ..

From these it will be seen that the ex­ penditure is within the amount esti­ mated. The Revenue slightly exceed­ ed the estimate and it was possible in , closin 1 g the accounts to leave a bal­ ance to the credit of the Surplus Trust Account larger than the amount set forth in the Budget Speech last year. The estimates for the several depart­ ments of the public service have been prepared and will be laid before yo11.

They h·ave been given much thought by my Ministers under the extraordin­ ary circumstances which at present obtain great care is necessary in or­ der that while due economy is exer­ cised, the public service shall not suf­ fer. The whole question of Finance I commend to your favorable considera­ tion.'' ' •

• 42 , HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS This paragraph was very judicious­ ly framed to deceive the peol'le of Newfoundland. The true facts , how­ ever, are disclosed ·under the Prime Minister's own signature, because in his Budget Speech of · 1921 he said: ''I estimate that the total Revenue ' from all sources to the 30th of June next will be $8,244, 104.'' Then, he goes on to give the detai ls of the sources from which he received thi s Revenue. The true statement is tha t his revenue was nearly three millions s hort of h.is expenditure.

The Prime Minister fi rst collected $8,244, 104 , and then he took three millions from the Surplus Trust Fund-money that was left in trust by the late Government as a nest-egg, and then he writes and ha nds clown this crooked Speech fron1 the Th rone expecting the public to re­ ceive it as an honest presentation of the financ ial position of the Colon y. I will tel l you, Mr. Speaker, how this tr ick was performed. He spent tha t th ree mill ion . dollars during the year ~. n d took an equivalent sum out of the Loan that he raised and placed ·to the current revenue of the Colony.

If there is anythin 1 g in financial tricker y mo re dishonest than that, well then , 1 si r, I have never heard of it. In the fac e of this patent dishonesty, we liave two members of the Government pro- · posing and seconding a motion for an A .ddress in Reply congratulating the Government on having a Surplus of eighty or . ninety thot1sand dollars. · \Vhy, sir , neither of these gent lemen knew any more about the matter than the Man in the Moon. The Expend i­ tu re of the Government for last year was $1 t ,300,000 and the Revenue was $·8244, t 04.18.

They Simply took the th ree millions from the Surplus Trust p·un'd in order to square their account, hoping to befool the public into the belief that they had a genuine Sur­ p ~ us. What a lovely exhibition! No v·on,der the member for Fogo, the •~over, is laid off with . a bad cold, · when he found out that this was go .. ing to be sprung on him this after- · noon. As for the hon. member for Burin, Mr. Cheeseman, he left this House last session under circum ... stances that are best known to him­ self.

It is a well known fact that he was not prepared to vote for the rail­ way loan last year and still he came here the other day and seconded the motion for an Address which endorsec.f what he repudiated last yea f. The worst f e.ature of the whole proceed­ ing, to my mind~ is that the Governor , who is supposed to be our safety valve, must have known that the state ~· ment in the Speech from the Thron ~ in reference to a Surplus · was ju ggled wi th.

If he did not he must be im-· paled on the other horn of the dilem ­ ma, if we say tha t he as Governor of the Dominion did not know any better · and allowed his wily Ministers to make him the sponsor of such a glar­ ing untruth. The Prime Minister says · tha t ''the statements of expenditure and revenue for the last fiscal year will be laid before you in due course.'; . I ask you to imagine the Governor in all his glory, dignity and panoply of office ascending the Throne and read­ ing that statement to the people of the country. What explanation, Mr.

Speaker, I ask is that for all this? ' Can the mover and seconder, the · hon .. members for Fogo and Burin give any explanation? They are blind instru- · ments of the wily master and we may forgive them if they do not know that the paragraph quoted was judiciously · and carefully framed to deceive the people of Newfoundland. It is the same old story over again. What r want to know now from the Prime Minister, Mr. Speaker, is whether we are going to have any explanation for this anomalous state of affairs? To seek for this information is the bound­ en duty of every honest minded man in this House.

It is a duty we owe t<> the people of the country wh· o sent us. I •

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS 43· here and that we should demand and • explanation from His Excellency the Governor if such be not forthcoming from the Government. It would be in­ teresting to know in this connection, Mr. Speaker, whether the same kind of false and misleading information was given by the Prime Minister to the financial agents who came here ne­ gotiating the Loan. Last year, sir, you will remember we asked the Go\1 - ernment for a statement as to how the loan was negotiated and the details of the terms.

We were not vouchsafed that information, but we found out since that the Loan was secured or1 our financial state ·ment of the year 1919,-the work of the late Govern- ment and not on their own. I do not blame the Minister 0f Finance or the Go,rernor so much in this, but I do blame the wily Prime 4'"'- Minister for all his trickery and mis- representation. Here, Mr.

Speaker, is another ominous paragraph from the Speech from the Throne which shows that we are drifting on the · breake -rs faster than many believed possible. ''For the purpose of financing cer­ tain public operations, including par­ ticularly marine works, road construc­ tion and improvements, the cutting nf pulpwood and pit props and certain railway improvements and special ex­ penditures, it will be necessary for a loan to be procured on the credit of the Colony.

A Bill to this effect will consequently be submitted to you dur­ ing the early stage of the present ses­ sion.'' With regard to that paragraph, I might say, . Mr. Speaker, that last year for two solid months I was endeavor­ ing to help the Government to sell those pit props and the pulp wood. I warned the Government last year to sell but they refused. Now the price is on the down grade as everyone knows .and still the Go\1- ernment is flinging . out money . right . and left while their pit props and pulp wood that cost so much money are lying on the banks to rot or be burned as firewood. It is quite evident, Mr.

Speaker, judging from the reckless and criminal expenditure of the peo­ ple's money that t.he Government ha3 no thought of the future beyond their own personal enrichment. The proof of this is best shown in the fact that in two years they have increased the public debt of the Colony by over twe ~ ve millions of dollars through Loans, and besides have spent on the back of this four millions which we of the late Government deposited in the Surplus Trust Fund. Think of it! Sixteen millions in two years with a population of 250,000 people. But, Mr.

Speaker, that is not all the story, because the gentleman in charge of that vast expenditure is the Minister of Agriculture and Mines, who does not even occupy a seat in this House. He is a Member of the Legislative Council merely, was never elected by the people and is responsible to no constituency. He may spend the whole Revenue and there is not one voter i11 Ne\vfoundland who can say to him ''Why did you waste our money?'' Two years ago, Mr. Speaker, we were promised a reformed Railway policy by this Government such as the world never saw before in point of efficiency and economy.

All former mistakes were going to be rectified and the Reids were going to be put in their proper places. The people were told from the platforms and through the press that the eids were going to be kept up to their contract. In this connection, Mr. Speaker, I should like to read a paragraph dealing with the railway and at the same time to re.:. mind the House that it is the third such paragraph I have seen in Speeches from the Throne since the present Government assumed control of affairs. ''The contract between the Govern-

• ' 44 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS ment and the Reid Newfoundland I Company for the ·operation of the Railway has received close attentio11 at the hands of my Ministers. In the speech which I ~ddressed to you near­ ly three ).rears ago, I referred to the pressing impo~tance of this question . . As the Legislafure is aware it W3;S ne­ cessary in July 1920 to appoint a Rail­ way Commission representative of the Government and the Reid Newfound­ land Co. This Commission provided certain new engines and rolling stock and put the Railway bed in good or­ der.

The major portion of this loss was borne by the Govern~ent. · At the session of the Legislature last year an / . iAct was passed providing for tem- porary operation of the Railway under which certain losses were to be borne by the Government and the charge on public finance was again serious. For some time negotiations ·have been in progress with the object of establish­ ing a definite and permanent basis for the operation of the Railway.

At this moment these negotiations are still proceeding b11t it is hoped that befo re the end of the session it may be pos­ sible to submit proposals that will be satisfactory .'' Now, Mr. Speaker, that is wha t I call sailing close to the wind. It is a conglomoration of verbiage that says n·othing of a definite character and one may get as much satisfactory inf or­ mation by readin . g the clause back­ wards as one would get by reading it forwards. The Government, if you re­ member, Mr.

Spe.aker, promised t(J ''put the Reids in their places'' last year and the year before, but the;; have not done so yet, at least In the sense that the public of Newfoundland we.re led to believe. If the Prime Min-• i~ter meant a comfortable plac-e de­ void of Railway responsibility and with the burden shifted off their outders on to the people of the country, already overtaxed, then the r P·rtme Minister and his Government have certainly succeeded. The fact of the matter is, Mr.

Speaker, · that the Government does not . know where they stand to-day in this important matter., Whatever may be the uncer .tainty on this point, there is, sir, one thing ab ... solutely certain, ~ and that is they are plunging into debt day after day and piling an unbearable load of taxation on the shoulders of the people of this country week after week and month after month, ~hrough the operation of the Railway. Beyond this knowledge and· the fact that a man named Mor­ gan is here in charge, the country knows nothing about the matter or what they intend to do in future.

Over a year a'go, Sir George Burry cam~ here to make a report on the Railway. He remained here a fortnight, was paid ten thousand dollars, and then. packed his grip and went his ,way. He was brought here simply to cover the i tracks of the Government ' and stave off enquiry and criticism while the House was in session. Mr. Morgan , who is here this year is supposed to act as 3: safety valve. He is kept here by the Prime Minister to · watch the Reids ,- but you will notice, Mr.

Speak­ er, that his report is not tabled yet al­ though the result of his work is well known to-day and may be summed up in those few words . , ''he has accom­ plished nothin .g.'' Mr. Morgan, too 5 I have no doubt, will shortly draw a fat cheque and will ''fold his tent like . the Arabs and silently steal away'' and there will be no Railway policy brought down. The position you are in to-day is that you do not know what to do with the Railway.

Mean­ time you .go on getting loans of mil­ lions of dollars year after year with­ out .the slightest regard for economy or ~he impending fate of this unfor­ tunate country. I would like now to make reference to the Department of Marine and Fisheries as a case itt point. I shall not, sir,. be able to go into the details ,

• HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS 45 this afternoon but would like to dra\v a contrast between the present and the past administration of that De .. partment. When Mr. Piccott was chief of that office in the Morris Govern­ ment he was always on the job. When he went to the country in 1919 he was vilified and held up to ridicule . by the very man who is head of that Depart­ ment to-day-the gentleman who is supposed to be there but who is never there. He, (Mr. Coaker) before he was returned to power, was going, ac­ cording to his own words, to remodel e\rerything in the Fisheries office . What has been done?

Why, sir, the conduct of the Marine and Fisheries Department is at present one of the worst scandals in the history of the civil service. It is a well known fact, sir, that the Min~ster has not entered that office since this House · closed last ye ar. Mr. Coaker went to Port Union and remained tllere all the season, leaving the grants voted last session in the Legislature to be given out by understrappers in the Department.

I defy the Prime Minister to say who is now responsible to this House and to this country for the business of tha.t Department in the absence of Mr. • Coaker, and I now make the statement without fear of contradiction that there is no Minister legally respon­ sible to take charge of the expenditure ' of public monies made by that De- partment for wharves and other pub­ lic works. around the Island. How Ion1g, Mr. Speaker, is this state of affairs going to continue? Is there no spirit of independence amongst the Members of the ' Government? Is there no one with any interest in his native land?

It is quite evident, sir, that there is no one on the Govern­ ment side of the House who knows anything about the expenditures of the Colony. I make, sir, an appeal to the hon. member for Burin. Now, M!". Cheeseman, you have declared your­ self to be imbued with a spirit of in- dependence and I ask do you think in your conscience that you as a repre­ sentative of the people ~re justified in continuing to remain on that side of the House, and be a party to the handing out of thousands of dollars of the country's money from a Depart­ ment where there is no Minister in charge? The Department of fish- . eries, Mr.

Speaker, has become a mere side issue for Coaker's business, the F.P.U ., and the various industries witl1 which he is connected. This, sir, has been proved time and again by revela­ tions on the floors of this House and no one who has watched the progress of events the past two years ,,,has an) 1 doubt about it. The name of the De­ partment has become a by-word and Mr. Coaker is the man who has dragged it in the mire. One need only review the proceedings of the past two years to be convinced of the truth of this assertion.

Take up his paper, the Advocate, any day and read, if you stomach to do so, the stuff that he is handin , g out to the public. Can any Newfoundlander tolerate it and pre­ serve his temper? What has happen­ ed to his Fish Regulations, re.garding which he said I was afraid to say any­ thing in the House while he was pre­ sent. He is gone now and is not like­ ly to come here and show himself while the House is in session and put up any defence of his Regµlations if he has a defence to make. I remind you, Mr. Speaker, that when the Hon. Mr.

Coaker was in this House last session, that I made charges against him and that he dared not deny them. In this connection I would like to take the Prime Minister's memory back to last year when he was speaking on the Fish Regulations in this House. He turned round , and said to Mr. Coaker I ''I believe in them.'' Why, then, Mr. Speaker; did he take them off if he be­ lieved in them, and why did he say to his people in his paper afterwards ''the Opposition took them off.'' When you. •

46 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS nullified these Regulations, Mr. Premier, you had said you believed in them. Why, then; I repeat, did· you re­ move them and when they were abro­ gated why ·did you have the · disl1onesty • to come out in your paper a short time afterwards and blame the Opposition for what the Opposition could .not do if they tried to · do and . for what you yourselves alone were responsible.

The proof that you took them off with entire satisfaction and complaisance is contained in the fact that you boosted you had made . a good job of it for the country and argued in your papers that a sum of $380,000 was saved through the regulations to the people of Newf oundla ·nd. Worthless and - specious arguments were foisted on the public every day for a purpose. Fish at that time, as is well known, was on the down grade and could not be stopped from falling lower.

Of course you would not look upon this as the inev _itable working out of the law of Supply and Demand, and you, the Prime Minister, and Mr. ·Coaker, took $400,000 from the Treasury and bought fish for the purpose of keeping the price up. It is, however, a well known fact that you did not give out the information to the public that you were doing this. No, you did not in­ tend that any more than a small sec­ tion -0f the fishermen should know, and }'OU bought about forty thonsand qt ls. from a special few, and Mr. Coaker b<>ught seven thousand quintals of his O\vn dealers' fish at his own higl1 pi'ices.

I ask, Mr. Speaker, how many q uintals of that fish can be accounted ftlr to-day. How much was exported a11d sold and how much · was stored h, )re in St. John's and has not' been sc 1ld to the present day,? And how· much is there that cannot be account­ e(l for? Mr. Coaker paid out some $4.00,000 and you gentlemen came in ht.~ re and passed a ·Bill of Indemnity to protect him. I would also, Mr. S1·eaker, like to ask the Hon·.

Minister of Finance and the Minister of Public Works whether they think thi. s con-. . duct was justifiable and in accordance with political morality, and did they know anything at all about this deal. All this fish was, as· I said before, bought from a few privileged people and not half a dozen knew _ ai1ything about the secret deal, and all the big merchants in the Island who deal in fish along Water Street were kept in total ignorance of the transaction. I-low many .of those same merchant'; have since been landed into insolvency just as Mr.

Coaker himself wottld have been insolvent if he had not . a'vailed < f the Government bungle and bot.tght his own flsh? \\There is that fish now? This is yott will admit a -perti­ nent question to which the who1e country would like to get an answer. Is it in cold storage or thrown 011t? Where are the returns for it? Not one of · the gentlemen on the Govern­ ment side of the House is able to give us any information on the subject.

As -a matter of fact, sir, some of it was stored, some of it has rotted, and been thrown out, and yet the Prime Minis­ ter in the face of these 'facts will ha\'e the hardihood in the dying moments of the moribund Government to tell ' t1s that he believed in the Fish Regu- lu.tio11s. Yes, Mr. Speaker, he believed ·in them and will continue to force himself to believe in them _as long as Coaker has twelve men in this Hot1se to keep his corrupted Government from failing to pieces of its O\Vn in­ nate political . rottenness. According to Mr. Coaker's speech at the F.P.U. Convention last December and printed in the .

Advocate, he is going to bring . . another proposition before this House, namely: ''The Nationalization of Fish'~ which .is nothing more than the same old hash warmed up again under a new name. No matter what Mr. , Coaker may hold out to the public in that paper of his, ·he cannot . keep up the price . of • ,

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS 47 fish. I would like to know whether the Hon. Mini ter of Finance knows of the disgraceful state of affairs that surrounds the Marine and Fisheries . Department at the present time. Mr· . Hibbs, the hon. member for Fogo, and Mr. Cheeseman, the hon. member for Burin, speak well of you, Mr. Minister of Finance, and eulogize you for the Surplus that does not exist except in their own fertile ima 1 ginations and in the Speech from the Throne to which they have so unctiously moyed the Ad­ dress in Reply. Now, Mr.

Speaker, when I am through with my com- . \ ments perhaps the Prime Minister will tell us whdt he intends to do re­ garding the Fisheries Department. All kinds of rumors of scandals in con .. nect ion with that branch of the public service are float, particularly in the matter 1 of bea\ 7er skins, pit props, and ? . lumber cuttin . g . generally. He might also tell us about the c·utting of wharf material and who is responsible for giving out the· Relief Work, and whether the Minister of Public Chari­ ties is in charge. . You, Mr.

Jennings, know that your Department is over­ ruled, sir, and that you have no say in the matter at all in most of the expen­ diture. Why, sir, I can get thousands of dollars · allocated from your Depart­ ment right over your head. Day after day, sir, in this shipshod manner ' money belonging to the Public Wor:ks Department is go·ing out without your signature and without your knowledge, and the same is happening in the Marine and Fisheries Department where there is no one in control at all. Now, Mr.

Minister of· Public Works, you of whom I have asked those ques­ tions an:d I want you to . answer them in a more satisfactory manner tha11 you did in the Court the other day • durin . g the hearing of the Road-de- Luxe enquiry. I have the evidence as to figures right here before me of the expenditures that were supposed to be under your control, and indeed, sir, they are truly astounding.

I now ask you do you know if monies belonging ' to the Public Works Department were spent for pit props, wharf supplies and , timber cutting that should have been under your control but were taken from you and given to another Depart­ ment, the head of which owes no re­ sponsibility to the people of this country? MINI