Mr. SPEAKER:

Until the question is fully put by the Speaker, any member may enter the House; until then, he is in time. After the' question has been put by the Speaker no one may come in and claim the right to vote.

Mr. GARLAND (Bow River):

If that is the case why should it not be permissible for

a member to walk out of the House before the question is fully put? The alternative should be allowable if we are to be perfectly logical.

Mr. LAPOINTE:

We are keeping the old rule in that regard.

Amended rule agreed to.

Amended rules 25, 37, 39, 40, 41, 45, and 64, and repeal of rule 50 agreed to.

On amended rule 65-Duties of Sergeant-at-Arms.

Mr. McLEAN (Melfort):

There is a duplication in language, as well as a conflict, as between sub-section 1 and sub-section 3. Subsection 1 reads:

The Sergeant-at-Arms attending this House is responsible for the safe keeping of the mace, furniture and fittings thereof.

This language is ambiguous but I presume that "furniture and fittings thereof" refers to the House. Sub-section 3 then provides that the Seigeant-at-Arms shall be responsible for "the movable property belonging to the House." This is a duplication which may easily be avoided. It should not be difficult to amend the rule.

Mr. SPEAKER:

I may explain for the

information of the hon. member that the Sergeant-at-Arms officially takes care of the mace. As regards the furniture and fittings of the House, they are tlhe property of the Public Works department and are confided to the charge of the Sergeant-at-Arms for safe keeping. Whenever a member requires a desk or any other article of furniture in his room, he makes application to the Sergeant-at-Arms and the requisition is filled by the Public Works department.

Mr. McLEAN (Melfort):

I have no objection to the rule; I am merely pointing out the ambiguity of the language as it stands. In sub-section 1 the wording is not clear and in sub-section 3 there is a duplication of what is already stated in the previous paragraph.

Mr. SPEAKER:

This was copied from

the rules of the British House of Commons. It specifies the duties of the Sergeant-at-Arms, who is responsible to the Public Works department for the movable property. I do not think that the repetition is necessarily superfluous.

Mr. McLEAN (Melfort):

I would take it that the words in the first section of this rule, "furniture and fittings thereof" refer to the mace.

Mr. SPEAKER:

To the furniture and

fittings of the House, I think.

Rules oj the House

Mr. SPENCE (Parkdale):

Why not change the word "thereof" to "of the House"?

Mr. POULIOT:

Do I understand that the furniture in the members' rooms is entrusted to the care of the Sergeant-at-Arms, and not to the members?

Mr. SPEAKER:

The Sergeant-at-Arms is

responsible for the safekeeping of the furniture of the chamber and the whole House of Commons. The furniture is ordered upon requisition through the Public Works department, and is supplied by that department.

Mr. MARCIL:

I move to strike out the word "thereof" in the last line of section 1, and to substitute therefor the words "of the House."

Mr. MERCIER (Laurier-Outremont):

Why not say, "furniture, fittings and movable property of the House"? I think that would meet the objection that has been raised.

Mr. SPEAKER:

In order not to use the word "House" so many times, I would delete the words in the first line "attending this House."

The CHAIRMAN": There have been a

number of suggestions made to amend this section. Is it the committee's wish that it should read:

The Sergeant at Arms is responsible for the safe-keeping of the mace, and of the furniture and fittings of the House.

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt the subsection as I have read it?

Subsection as amended agreed to.

On subsection 2 of amended rule 65- Sergeant-at-Arms.

Mr. NEILL:

I would like some explanation of this. It says:

No stranger who has been committed, by order of the House, to the custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms, shall be released from such custody until he has paid a fee of four dollars to the Sergeant-at-Arms.

What is the sense of that? What happens if he does not pay the four dollars? Has the Sergeant-at-Arms to keep him permanently?

Mr. JACOBS:

Might I suggest that we are building a state tower for the purpose of keeping him there till he pays the four dollars?

Mr. SPEAKER:

It is an old tradition in England, as old as the bills, that when a stranger is committed to the tower, or as in our case, to the common gaol, he may not be released until he has paid the traditional fee

of four dollars; I suppose in England it would be one pound.

Mr. LAPOINTE:

I think it is cheap.