Mr. J. H. SINCLAIR:

What was the cost of operating the Department of Food Control, including salaries, temporary employment, travelling expenses, services of all kinds, equipment, rent, etc., from the date on which the Branch was organized up to December 31, 1917?

Hon. Mr. CRERAR:

1. Who composed the Editorial Committee respecting the Printing of Public Documents?

2. How many persons form this Committee, and of what nationality are they?

3. What are the duties and salary of each person?

1. Fred. Cook, assistant King's Printer; F. C. T. O'Hara, Deputy Minister of Trade and Commerce; F. C. C. Lynch, Superintendent, Natural Resources' Intelligence Branch, Department of the Interior.

2. Answered by No. 1. Mr. Cook, English-born, but has been a resident of Canada for thirty-six years; Mr. O'Hara, Canadian-born; Mr. Lynch, Canadian-born.

3. The duties of the aforementioned, in addition to the duties of their respective offices, are to consider all reports and publications of various kinds submitted by the various Government departments to the King's- Printer, with a view to eliminating as far as possible the publication of what is considered unnecessary from the standpoint of economy both as regards the cost of printing and distribution of public documents. In general, to carry out the wishes of Parliament as expressed- in the report of the Joint Committee of both Houses on the printing of Parliament, presented on September 12, 1917.

The members of the Editorial Committee have not been paid any remuneration for their services as members of such committee.

Their salaries for their regular duties are as follows: Mr. Cook, $4,000; Mr. O'Hara, $5,000; Mr. Lynch, $2,700.

*Mr. CURRIE:

According to an Order in Council recently submitted to the House, provision is made for the appointment of an Editorial Committee, which works under a Sub-committee of Council of which the Minister of Trade and Commerce is Chairman, such a Committee having been recommended by the Joint Committee on Printing last Session. Has the Right Honourable Minister any report to submit to the House on the operation of this Editorial Committee?

Sir GEORGE FOSTER:

The report is now being prepared and will be laid on the Table in the future.

1. What are the names of all persons employed in connection with the work of preparing the Votes and Proceedings, the Order Paper and the Journals of the House, (a) in English, and (b) in French, and the salary and other remuneration paid to each?

2. What number of each of these documents are printed, (a) in English, and (b) in French, and the cost of printing and binding the same for the fiscal year ending the 31st of March, 1918?

1. What are the names otf all- persons employed, in connection with the work of -reporting and translating in the House?

2. How long has each been so employed?

3. What is the rate of remuneration paid to each during the past year, with the total amount paid to each class of persons?

4. What number of copies of the Debates of the House have been printed during the past year, (a) in English, and (b) in French, specifying the number of the unrevised and of the revised editions, respectively?

5. What is the cost of printing and binding the same for each year since 1900, inclusive?

6. What are the amounts paid in addition to the above, in each year since 1900, inclusive, for (a) reporting, (ib) translating, (c) typewriting, and (d) printing proceedings before Parliamentary Committees?

Mr. McMASTER:

What amounts have been paid by the Government for printing or advertising to the Globe, Toronto, and the Devoir, Montreal, during each of the fiscal years ending March 31, 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1918.

Sir WILFRID LAURIER (for Mr. Arch-ambault) moved:

For a copy of envelopes Nos. 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 39, 53, 5-6, -59, and- 99, polling booth No. 9, Barracks of St. Johns, Quebec, used in the Federal Election of 117th December last and placed in -Military bag -No. 446 of the North American Continent Military Votes. Also, a copy of the envelopes Numbers 6-5 and TO, polling booth No. 4, Barracks of St. Johns, Quebec, usedi. in the Federal Election of 17th December -last, and' placed in -Military bag Number 451 of the North American Continent Military Votes.

Sir GEORGE FOSTER:

Stand.

Sir WILFRID LAURIER:

Might we have some explanation why this motion is allowed to stand?

Hon. C. J. DOHERTY (Minister of Justice):

My colleague asked that this motion be allowed to stand, because it will be necessary to look into the effect of it. I do not want to say at the present moment that the papers cannot be brought down, but I would point out this: In order to

produce the copies which the hon. member is asking for, it will be necessary to withdraw the documents referred to from the sealed packages in which they are contained in the custody of the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery. Now, all the provisions which are contained in the statute with regard to these documents convey the idea that these seals are not to be broken except upon an order for a recount, when they would be broken by the judge or in his presence, and after he has done with the papers he would be bound to seal them up again. There is also provision for the production of documents of this kind upon the order of a court when there is some proceeding pending before that court in which these documents are necessary evidence, or when there is a petition in contestation of an election pending before such court. In these cases, provision is made for an order of the court for the production of these documents, which involves, of course, the breaking of the seals, and that is done in the presence of the court. The law prescribes that in such cases the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery shall obey such an order of the court, but it specifically orders him, when he receives these election documents, which are under seal, to retain them for a period of one year and then destroy them, unless within that period there has been contestation of an election, in which event he is to retain them for a year subsequent to the decision of the contestation. _

There is also a specific provision in the Dominion Elections Act-it is true, it mentions ballot papers only, because then there was no question of envelopes of .this kind-that none of these ballot papers are to be inspected by anybody while they are in the possession of the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery. So, as I read the statute, the duty of the Clerk of tlfe Crown in Chancery is to keep those sealed packages sealed, subject to their production upon an order of a competent court, which order is to be made only when there is some proceeding before that court in which these documents may be necessary. For the moment, I do not think it is necessary to go into The question whether Parliament might be included as being a court in a proper case, but I would point out that there is absolutely no proceeding pending before Parliament in which it is made to appear that these documents are required. The motion is simply to procure copies of these documents-I have no doubt for some proper purpose-and it seems to me we should

look more closely into the effect of the motion before passing it.

Sir WILFRID LAURIER:

I will ask the hon. member for Chambly and Vercheres (Mr. Arehambault) to read the minister's explanation.

Mr. J. E. SINCLAIR:

For a return giving an abstract of all claims, with the names of the claimants and the amount of each claim filed against the Department of Railways and Canals, on account of the freezing of shipments o>f potatoes on the Prince Edward Island Railway or on the docks at Charlottetown, Pictou, Summerside and Point du Chene, during the year 1916. Also a return giving the same information for the year 1917, including the above-named1 railway and docks, the New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island' Railway and the dock at Port Borden.

Mr. J. E. SINCLAIR:

For a return giving an abstract of all claims, with the names of the claimants and the amount of each claim, made against the Department of Railways and Canals for breakage and pilferage on the Prinoe Ediward' Island Railway in 1917.