Mr. CRERAR:

The Big Bend road has been under construction for several years. The agreement to build that section of the trans-Canada highway was made in 1929. A few years later, in 1935, the agreement was enlarged to extend the mileage which will be constructed by the federal government, so that it now covers the mileage from Golden to Revelstoke. The provincial government makes no contribution to that work; it is built wholly at the expense of the federal government. The other road is also being built under an agreement with the provincial government. So that these two are outside the category of tourist projects recommended by the province.

Mr. ESLING:

Everybody is delighted to see the approaching completion of the Big Bend highway. Originally the west leg was to have been completed by the provincial government and the east leg by the federal government. Complications arose, and the federal government took over the whole project, which it was originally intended to have completed in 1932. We are all glad that the federal government has been so active in completing what will be one of the most picturesque of scenic routes for tourists. But what I am interested in as representative of Kootenay West is the matter of some expenditure in the west Kootenay district. I do not want to be misunderstood. It is a sensible thing to have all the approaches to the national parks hard-surfaced as early as possible. That is being done, and I heartily approve of it. But a member would be lacking in his duty to his constituents did he not claim recognition of tourist highways which enter his district from the international boundary, to connect with the transprovincial highway. I hop'e the minister understands that there is, first of all, the trans-Canada highway, which is the Big Bend route. Then there is the transprovincial highway, the southern route, which runs along the international boundary, to which it is quite close. There are two tourist links entering Canada from the United States connecting at the international boundary with 24-foot standard hardsurfaced highways in the states of Washington, Oregon and California. There is a link from the international boundary at the out-port of Nelway, connecting with the transprovincial highway at Nelson, which is the capital of West Kootenay, and we have another

link connecting at the outport of Paterson with the transprovincial highway at Rossland. That is only about six miles, the first one being about forty-two miles.

There has been no expenditure on these tourist links, but surely the minister realizes their importance. The federal government's contribution last year to the tourist links east of Kootenay lake amounted, I believe, to $175,000, and on the dollar per dollar basis that would mean $350,000. Is that correct?

Mr. CRERAR:

That would be another

Mr. ESLING:

So that the total was $350,000. Surely it would be but a modest request for the federal government to be asked to recognize the need of tourist links, particularly those connecting with hard-surfaced roads in the United States. Last year the federal government's contribution was $175,000 and this year it is $190,000, for expenditures on highways in East Kootenay. Does not the minister think it would be reasonable to recognize those districts and communities in West Kootenay, or west of Kootenay lake, and to make some expenditure there? The expenditure of $175,000 last year and of $190,000 this year on highways east of the lake certainly warrant a request for some expenditure on the tourist links I have been discussing. I am not speaking of highways other than tourist links. Will not the minister give this request some consideration?

Mr. CRERAR:

I shall be glad indeed to take into consideration my hon. friend's representations, but the Kingsgate Radium road, as it is called, which, under agreement with the province, we have been constructing to a hard-surfaced specification, enters British Columbia on the international boundary and ends in the national park system. The Yoho, Kootenay and Banff parks are linked together. The other road known as the Big Bend highway is a project that has been carried out by the federal government as its contribution to the trans-Canada highway in British Columbia.

My hon. friend's representations have a good deal of weight, but one finds that every section of the country, from Halifax to Vancouver, believes it has peculiar tourist attractions. It would be comparatively easy to spend a good deal of money without any great results if if were spent indiscriminately to meet the requirements of local communities. I regard this whole program of assisting in the development of tourist roads not as work extending over a year or two but as a program that should be carried out by whatever government may be in power over a period of years

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in the future until we have reached the stage where we have adequate hard-surfaced roads from the international boundary into the more northern parts of the provinces. That program must be carried out, and I think it very likely that, when these two projects are completed, my hon. friend's suggestion will receive consideration.

Mr. ESLING:

Let me emphasize again the fact that the Big Bend highway does not enter into this matter at all. It is a totally different project. We are delighted to see so much progress being made on it, but at the present time the southern route is the only one from Vancouver into the national parks. It is the only route by which anyone can leave Vancouver and get to the parks. We recognize the merits of all the connections which the minister has been speaking of, all the hard-surfacing from Kingsgate and from points contiguous thereto, but you must use the southern route, the southern provincial highway, and there is no use building tourist highways unless there is a connecting link with those on the international boundary, from which the traffic comes. These two short roads from the port of Nelway to the transprovincial highway at Nelson and from the port of Paterson to the transprovincial highway at Rossland are the links which I ask this government to take into consideration, not merely as a matter of hard-surfacing but as a question of improvement in a general way. The government evidently recognized the merits of my contention in 1937 when they contributed $20,000 to the Nelway highway and $10,000 to the Rossland highway. That was on the dollar for dollar basis. The time may come when there will be no dollar for dollar contribution, and the provincial government would be doing an excellent piece of business to-day if it took advantage of that form of contribution.

Mr. McNEVIN:

Did the minister receive from Ontario any suggestions with regard to the expenditure of that province's portion of this vote?

Mr. CRERAR:

No; we have not yet

received any.

Mr. McNEVIN:

I should like to offer a suggestion in that connection. Algonquin park is in Haliburton county, but there is no north and south road connecting with the park. This is a project that should receive earnest attention, and if any representations are made by the provincial government 1 should like the minister to keep it in mind.

It would be of advantage to have a road through to Whitney or some other suitable point in the park.

Mr. CRERAR:

As I recall the question asked last night by the hon. member for Q.u'Appelle (Mr. Perley), when this item was allowed to stand, it was as to the division of the medical and hospital costs between the Crooked Lakes, Qu'Appelle and Assiniboine reserves. I regret I have not had time to get the breakdown of costs allocated in the manner suggested by the hon. member's question. Did he include in his question the costs of the operation of the hospital at Fort Qu'Appelle?

Mr. PERLEY:

No, I was going to ask a question about that separately. It is the medical services of the local doctors.

Mr. CRERAR:

Amounts paid to physicians: Assiniboine reserve, Dr. G. B. Isman, Sintaluta, $840; Crooked Lakes reserve, Dr. S. W. Baker, Whitewood, $1,741.50; Dr. G. H. Craig, Broadview, $1,395; Dr. A. H. Kendall, Broadview, $565:

Dental expenditures: Dr. L. J. Conn of

Broadview, for clinic work on Crooked Lakes reserve and residential schools, $240, and special work, individual extractions, $175, a total of $415.

Dr. Simes, of Qu'Appelle, who is the superintendent of the hospital there, is a full time medical officer of the department and does a considerable amount of work on the reserves outside of the hospital work.

Mr. PERLEY:

On all the reserves?

Mr. CRERAR:

I would not say he does all the work on the reserves, but he does a considerable amount. He has the care of the hospital first, and then what time he has available is at the disposal-

Mr. PERLEY:

He has a salary?

Mr. CRERAR:

He is a full time officer.

Mr. PERLEY:

What is his salary?

Mr. CRERAR:

I have not the detail here, but my recollec+ion is that it is $3,420 and allowances for house, fuel and light. I can have that verified, and if it is not correct I shall have the hon. member advised.

Mr. PERLEY:

And the dental services for Assiniboine and Qu'Appelle reserves?

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