Mr. RHODES.

I am not questioning the fairness of this correspondent. I believe he is a gentleman who would do the very best with the knowledge that comes to his hand, but he is not a man who is qualified to give a good report upon labour conditions in the country because he has no special knowledge of them.

Mr. MONK.

Who are the correspondents employed by the department in Montreal?

Mr. LEMIEUX.

The corespondents employed in the province of Quebec are as follows: Quebec City, P. J. Jobin, and E. Little; Three Rivers, Joseph J. Ryan; Sherbrooke, H. Logie; St. Hyacinthe, V. V. Pha-neuf; St. John's, A. D. Pepin; Montreal, G. Audet; Maisonneuve, E. Pelletier; Hull, R. Laferriere. As regards the special condition of the labour market and labour affairs generally speaking in Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg, the deputy minister and secretary of the department deal chiefly with these large cities although we have our special correspondents there also. But, as they are the chief industrial centres the department has a knowledge of the local conditions at these points.

Mr. MONK.

What is the total amount you pay to these local correspondents?

Mr. LEMIEUX.

One hundred dollars a year each; we have 48 in the Dominion and one legal correspondent for the law reports.

Mr. MONK.

Is the correspondence published in the Labour Gazette?

Mr. LEMIEUX.

Yes.

Mr. BARNARD.

I would like to ask the minister if Mr. Ditchburn of Victoria was recommended by the Trades and Labour people.

Mr. LEMIEUX.

I could not answer my hon. friend. He must have been recommended by the Labour Union. The minister of Inland Revenue of that time was certainly asked for his advice on that point.

Mr. BARNARD.

Following the lines of my hon. friend of the right (Mr. Rhodes) I might inform the minister that Mr. Ditch-burn was the campaign secretary and has been conducting work in Victoria for the last eighteen months on the Liberal side.

Mr. LEMIEUX.

Of course, my hon. friend would not expect that a correspondent of the Labour Gazette who receives $100 a year would not take part in the campaign although they are not selected because they are campaigners. Is not Mr. Ditchburn a journalist?

Mr. BARNARD.

He belongs to the typographical union.

Mr. LEMIEUX.

He is a man of some ability, if I remember well.

Mr. BARNARD.

I do not deny that for a moment; he managed to make a very good fight.

Mr. BURRELL.

I notice the name of A. B. Docksteader as correspondent in Nelson. Is that the gentleman who ran in the Liberal interest in the last provincial campaign? Although I admit, as the minister says, the salary is very small, and the minister is anxious to get good correspondents, it is very singular that they have all very strong Liberal proclivities. Their labour sentiments are very strongly tinged with labour liberalism, so called.

Miscellaneous, Industrial Disputes Investigation Act, 1907, $16,000.

Mr. LEMIEUX.

The amount required for the purpose of administering this Act is uncertain depending on the number of compulsory investigations which take place during the year. During the first year of [DOT] the operation of the Act the expenditure amounted to $19,233. During the second year it is likely that the expenditure will reach $16,000, and we take this figure as the amount which may likely be spent. The amount is not very large when we consider the service rendered to the country by the administration of the Act.

Mr. AMES.

This money, I suppose, is paid largely in fees to persons who consent to act as arbitrators in these various industrial disputes?

Mr. LEMIEUX.

As my hon. friend knows the board appointed under the Investigation Act is composed of three persons, one appointed by the emnloyers, one appointed by the employees, and the third selected by these two, or, if they do not agree, by the minister himself. The Act provides that the chairman shall receive $20 for each day's sitting and the other members $15. If they sit only half a day they receive only about half of that amount. We have been surprised, in view of the number of investigations that have taken place, that the amount has not exceeded $19,000 the first year and $16,000 last year. We generally had as chairman of the board men of a very high type, like Professor Adam Shortt, who was anxious in each case that a settlement should take place, and therefore took great pains to see that matters were expedited in a proper spirit and concluded within a reasonable time. Really, it is remarkable that while last year we had so many investigations they did not cost more than $16,000.

Mr. SAMUEL SHARPE.

Does the department pay all the arbitrators?

Mr. LEMIEUX.

Yes.