Mr. PREFONTAINE.
We engage the men when we want them, when the steamer is coaling and we pay them 20 cents an hour.
Mr. BLAIN.
How frequent is that, say
at Pictou ?
Mr. PREFONTAINE.
Whenever they want coal.
Mr. BLAIN.
I asked how often that would be.
Mr. PREFONTAINE.
Once or twice a month; perhaps four times a month; it depends on tile quantity.
Mr. INGRAM.
I am unable to find out how these vessels are constructed so that
they can only use the basket method of loading.
Mr. PREFONTAINE.
Any one who has a mechanical mind at all could understand this. The bunkers are covered and therefore as has been explained already by the hon. member for Pictou (Mr. Macdonald) the vessels being unable to come near the place at the wharf where the coal chutes are, it stands to reason that the coal has to be carried from the pile which lies further on, and be brought to the steamer and put in the bunkers if the chutes cannot be used.
Mr. INGRAM.
Is that on account of the ice ?
Mr. PREFONTAINE.
The ice has nothing to do with it. It is because they cannot get near the wharf where the chutes are.
Mr. INGRAM.
After all the thousands of dollars we have been spending in Nova Scotia to dredge harbours, you cannot get a vessel near the coal chutes to load it in the usual way.
Mr. LALOR.
It is somewhat novel to find large vessels of this kind loading coal with baskets. I have seen a good many boats of various kinds, but I have yet to see a boat that you could not load by some other means than by carrying with baskets, and I would like to ask the minister to explain it.
f Mr. PREFONTAINE. If the hon. gen-'tleman will allow me-he is under a completely wrong impression. We do not load these boats with coal ; they are not colliers, we load the bunkers.
Mr. LALOR.
I understand that they are not boats which you load with coal, but you put a large quantity on board for their use.
Mr. PREFONTAINE.
The quantity necessary.
Mr. LALOR.
And there are men employed in these particular counties to fill these bunkers with baskets. I never heard of such a thing before, nor do I think anyone else did either. I am informed there is one place where they do it, but I have had no experience there. They say that they do that in China.
Mr. INGRAM.
And yet the hon. member from Pictou says that he is quite up to date.
Mr. E. M. MACDONALD.
My friends from Haldimand and Elgin will have to come to the maritime provinces to get up to date.
Mr. INGRAM.
If that is what he means by being up to date, we will not go there.
Mr. E. M. MACDONALD.
I am sorry for you.
Mr. LALOR.
My bon. friend from Pic-tou invites members to go to tbe maritime provinces to see tbe conditions there. I wonder if be means the political conditions.
Mr. E. M. MACDONALD.
Take them all together.