Mr. McCREA:

Is it the intention of the Government to build any new drill halls? I understand there are several that are built and that it is a bill of expense to keep them warm and looked after, although nothing is doing and there has not been for years.

Mr. CARVELL:

I suppose that practically everything in connection with war time is a bill of expense. You cannot measure the value of a public work in war time by the expense it has been to the public. I think the true measure would be the service which these public buildings have rendered to the army in the last three or four years. But, to answer my hon. friend's question, I do not know that there is anything in these Estimates providing for new drill halls. I am pretty sure there is not and, if there is, while I will not ask the committee to strike it out, I will give the assurance that there will not be any new works undertaken along that line during the coming year.

Halifax-Quarantine station on Lawlor's Island-'Water supply', $10',000.

Mr. CARVELL:

This is for the purpose of boring an artesian well at Lawlor's Island. They have had a great deal of difficulty in providing a suitable fresh water supply at the quarantine station there. HaLf of this amount is a revote.

New Brunswick - St. John - Dominion buildings-improvements, repairs-, etc., $5,000.

Mr. CARVELL:

This is just the general vote to take care of the small repairs that became necessary in public buildings.

Mr. LEGER:

Has the minister any intention of continuing the work of erecting a public building to provide for the post office and custom house in the village of Buctouche in the county of Kent? An appropriation was made for that work a few years ago and a certain amount of work was done. Is it the intention to go on with the work?

Mr. CARVELL:

I find nothing in the

Estimates for that. It has not been 'brought to my attention before. I do not know whether anything has been done except the purchase of a site some time before the war. However, I must say to my hon. friend that at the present time I can hold out no hope of erecting a public building for him much as I would like to- do so, because Buctouche, I realize, is one of

the most progressive towns in the whole province. But, on account of -the present financial stringency, I would not feel justified in starting any new expenditures of that kind.

Mr. LEGER:

An appropriation was made for this work two or three years ago and we expected that it wpuld be continued. I th-ink the war was on at that time. Buctouche is a very important little town. There is a great lumbering business done there -and also a large -mercantile business. There -are two grist mills and the country surrounding Buctouche is important from the agricultural point of view. It is a fine farming country. Therefore, I feel justified in bringing the matter to the atttention of -the minister in order to find out if anything is to be done. L know that some money was expended there. The site was bought, but I do not know how far it went beyond that.

Mr. MICHAUD:

The Minister of Public Works is aware of the fact that in the town of Edmundston there is great need for improvement in 'the post office accommodation. During the past ten years this town has contributed $400,000 to the revenue of the country. It has had receipts from customs and post office to the amount of $40,000 a year and this amount has been paid into the public treasury. As my hon. friend is aware, Edmundston has a population of about 3,000. At the present moment we are building pulp mills which will cost some $3,000,000. We need -a new post office very badly. There is practically no accommodation at the present moment. In view of the amount of money which this town contributes to the revenue Of the country, and in view of the prospect of it having -a large increase in population in a short time, it must be apparent that we need better accommodation. My hon. friend is aware that this is a very important town in many ways. He h*s visited it on many occasions and he knows where the present post office is situated and the great inconvenience we have in sorting and distributing the mail three or four times a day. In view of all the money that we have paid- to the treasury of the country, we are surely entitled to consideration. 'I hope my hon. friend, who knows the circumstances and locality very well, will not hesitate to come to our rescue and give us a public building.

Mr. CARVELL:

In reply to the very modest request of my hon. friend from M-adawask-a (Mr. Michaud) I would say it is true that I know 'the Ideation of the post office in Edmundston. 1 have been there many times and I only wish I were in a

position to bring before Parliament a vote ot $15,000 or $20,000 for the erection of a public building in that very thriving tbwn. Without any exception at all there is no town, or city, in New Brunswick, possibly with the exception of Bathurst, which is progressing as rapidly as Edmundston. My hon. friend is quite right when he says that it has a population of about 3,000 people. Probably that population will increase by 1,000 or

2,000 the next two years. The only postoffice accommodation which they have for a town of that isize is a room in an ordinary dwelling house. Only a few days ago I received a 'letter from a very influential resident of the town outlining to me what he considered the necessities of the case, but I have not had time up to the present to investigate the real facts and see how much the postmistress is receiving in the way of rental, because, after all, the amount which she is receiving as a rental ought to a very great degree to decide what kind of accommodation should be given. I have no hesitation in saying, from my own personal knowledge, that the citizens are entitled to better accommodation than they are now receiving. I will take the matter up with the post office .authorities and see what I can do. In the communication which I received they asked for the expenditure of the modest sum of $400, which they stated would practically give the whole lower portion of the dwellinghouse for the purpose of the office, and would provide a place for the people to even come inside cut of the rain, because as it is to-day they simply come to the door, no matter what the weather may be, and stand until they get served with their mail. I think I can go so far as to promise my hon. friend that if the Post Office Department will not properly take care of this matter I will be able to find at least $400 in order to give better accommodation than exists at present, but as to a new building I can only give him the same answer as I gave to my hon. friend from Kent (Mr. Leger).

Mr. MICHAUD:

The minister will not

forget that our -evenues are sufficient each year to warrant the building of a post office.

Mr. CARVBLL:

That may be true, but

I do not want the hon. gentleman to forget that after all that money has been expended we have got to borrow four or five hundred million dollars more to carry on the affairs of the country.

'Maritime Provinces generally

Dominion

Public Buildings-Improvements, repairs, etc, $25,000.

72J

Mr. McKENZIE:

In view of the great advance in the cost of living, has the Minister of Public Works made any provision for augmenting the salaries of caretakers -of public buildings in Canada? I have reference particularly to my own province, but the question is just as applicable to other parts of the Dominion1. Before the war, and even for some -years previously, prices were soaring and under such circumstances janitors of public buildings must have found their salaries which do not exceed at most $300 or $400 quite inadequate. Some of these men in the country districts have five or six children to maintain, and now that the cost of living has doubled, in some cases more than doubled,

it. has been madfe pretty manifest that these people find' it exceedingly difficult to live on the small salary paid to them. I would be pleased to know if the minister has granted these caretakers any advance, and if not, would he give the matter his consideration and see that such a salary is paid as w-ill enable them to live fairly comfortably.

Mr. CARVELL:

This matter has received a great deal of attention during the last six months. I am told, and I believe it is true, that on the advent of every new minister of Public Works practically everybody in the service puts up a demand fox more pay. This has not only happened -recently, but it is a general occurrence. These demands came in shoals almost in the months of November and December last, and realizing the force of just such .arguments as the hon. gentleman has- been giving to the committee this afternoon, w-e endeavoured to place the salaries of all these caretakers on some- sort of equitable basis. We found that in some -cases the salaries were not properly adjusted-, and we therefore took $1,000 as a basis of what a man's salary should be. We then deducted from that amount what would be the reasonable value of the privileges accorded -him in the way of rent, light, heat and water, all of which, of course, are primary necessities in the cost of living, andi gave the man the balance in the form of salary. I think, therefore, that if my hon. friend will make inquiry he will find that practically every caretaker in Canada is treated exactly upon the same basis. I am not sure* as to the actual details, but I think that in the big cities the basis is a little larger than $1,000, and. if that be the lba$is in large cities it is somewhat less in the smaller towns, because, naturally, rent would be a heavier item in a large city than it would be in a

small town. I can assure my hon. friend that we have tried to work out this question of the salaries of caretakers on a fair and equitable basis, and so much so that I do not think that there has been a complaint or request on that score put up to the department in the last two months. If there has been any, it has escaped my memory.

Mr. LEGER:

Is there an appropriation

for repairs to the post office at. Riohibucto in the eouinty of Kent? I understand that it is intended to provide a concrete walk to the post- office, and as that would cost only a small amount I would draw the attention of the minister to the desirability of this work being undertaken at an early date.

Mr. CARVELL:

In looking over the

accounts I find we spent about $200 upon the public buildings in Riohibucto last year. I cannot say offhand whether it is intended to spend any more money out of this vote upon that work, but I will make a note of my hon. friend's suggestion. We will have the matter investigated by our architects and endeavour to do all that we can to meet his wishes.

Mr. LEGER:

The money expended last

year was devoted to painting part of the front of the building; the sides and the back of the building were left unpainted. What I am now urging is that all the painting should be finished, and the present wooden sidewalk leading to the building, which was laid many years ago and is in a bad state of repair, ibe replaced by a concrete pathway.

Mr. CARVELL:

I will take a note of my hon. friend's suggestion.

Province of Quebec, Dominion Public Buildings-Improvements, repairs, etc., $35,000.

Mr. LAVIGUEUR:

To what buildings

in Quebec does this item apply?

Mr. CARVELL:

The item covers practically all the public buildings in Quebec province; and is utilized by the expenditure of a few dollars here and a few dollars there. The money is intended to cover unforeseen expenses in conducting the public buildings of the province, and no minister could state offhand exactly how he proposes to distribute this vote of $35,000. Money is voted for this purpose every year to be expended as the officers of the department think proper. 1

Mr. LAVIGUEUR:

Is $35,000 sufficient to keep in repair all the public buildings in Quebec?