Mr. CRERAR:

The amount spent to

March 31, 1944, was $8,619,000 in round figures; of this vote $1,500,000 is to complete construction, which will make the total cost of construction roughly $10,119,000. The amount of road to be completed is not fourteen miles as the hon. member for Skeena states, but twenty-three miles.

Mr. HANSON (Skeena):

Ten miles of the road from Hazelton is passable road.

Mr. CRERAR:

It would cost several hundred thousand dollars to complete the road. There are difficulties in connection with materials and labour.

Mr. O'NEILL: It must be almost a solid tunnel if it is going to cost that much.

Mr. HANSON (Skeena):

The estimate of the provincial public works engineer is less than a hundred thousand dollars.

Mr. CRERAR:

That is simply to repair

the existing road. To build a road of the same standard would cost over half a million dollars.

Mr. REID:

I do not think the minister

gave the complete picture. The information we have is that when the United States mili-

tary men looked over the north country there was some kind of agreement arrived at whereby they would build the Alaska highway through Canada, which would become the property of the government of Canada, and Canada would build a road into Prince Rupert. As anyone from British Columbia knows, Prince Rupert is largely a United States city because there are so many United States (troops there. That was a definite understanding, and I am rather surprised to hear the minister say that the project is not being completed because of a lack of $100,000. An undertaking was given that a road would be built from Hazelton to Prince Rupert, and not carrying out that project meant not carrying out the bargain that was entered into when the road was started.

Mr. CRERAR:

Who gave that undertaking

that a road would be built from Hazelton to Prince Rupert?

Mr. HANSON (Skeena):

It was to connect up with the provincial highway at Cedarvale. There was no highway from Terrace to Cedar-vale and the section of road to Kitwanga was impassable.

Mr. REID:

If the United States government had not carried out its agreement to build the Alaska highway-

Or Canol.

Mr. REID:

-we would have claimed a breach of the agreement. I urge the minister to consider this matter and see to it that this road is completed.

Item stands.

Progress reported.