Mr. Diefenbaker:

Are you not going to allow any discussion at all-

Order.

Mr. Diefenbaker:

-on the point of order? Why not throw the key of parliament away?

The Chairman:

Order.

Mr. Diefenbaker:

Lock it up and throw the key of parliament away.

The Chairman:

There cannot be more than one point of order raised at one time. I gave the floor to the Leader of the Opposition for the purpose of rising to a point of order and then, as is usual, allowed the hon. member for Eglinton to elaborate on it, inviting him to quote authorities. I must deal with the point of order which has been raised, which I understand is that this motion before the committee is debatable whereas I indicated and I proposed to rule that it is not debatable.

As I said, I do not have the 1932 volume of Hansard before me because I imagine that with such interest in this subject these volumes are very scarce at the present moment. But I have had the advantage of reading about the incident in 1932 and I do not think it interferes in any way with the incident which occurred during the session of 1912-13 on which I propose to base my ruling. Hon. members will find in column 9329 of Hansard for May 7, 1913, that Mr. Borden moved that further consideration of a section be postponed. Then I quote from that page:

When the postponement of the

second clause was moved, it was stated that debate on the motion was not allowable. Might I ask what rule is invoked in that regard?

Mr. Borden:

I do not think it is a debatable

motion.

After that, a certain amount of discussion took place and the chairman was obliged to make a ruling, which hon. members will find in column 9338 of that same volume of Hansard. The chairman said:

I rule that the previous question cannot be put with reference to the motion now before the house because the motion is undebatable.

From that ruling, that the motion was undebatable, an appeal was taken, and hon. members will find the result of that appeal in columns 9339 and 9340.

Mr. Nicholson:

What year?

The Chairman:

1912-1913. Hon. members will find the result of that appeal in columns 9339 and 9340, which was that the chairman's ruling was sustained. I therefore find, on this authority, that the motion made by the Minister of Trade and Commerce is not debatable, and 1 so rule.

Mr. Fleming:

The Chairman:

I shall have the request reduced to writing.

Mr. Diefenbaker:

The minister is now the Lord High Executioner of parliament.

Mr. Nowlan:

Another portfolio he has taken over.

Mr. Howe (Port Arthur):

It was executed yesterday.

Mr. Speaker resumed the chair, and the chairman of the committee made the following report:

In committee of the whole, when it was considering clause 1 of Bill No. 298, an act to establish the Northern Ontario Pipe Line Crown Corporation, Mr. Howe (Port Arthur) moved that further consideration of this clause be postponed. Mr. Fleming and others raised a point of order to the effect that this motion was debatable. I ruled that the said motion was not debatable. Whereupon Mr. Fleming and others appealed to the house from the ruling of the Chair.

Mr. Speaker put the question as follows:

The question is the following one. In committee of the whole, when it was considering clause 1 of Bill 298, an act to establish the Northern Ontario Pipe Line Crown Corporation, Mr. Howe (Port Arthur) moved that further consideration of this clause 1 be postponed. Mr. Fleming raised a point of order to the effect that the motion was debatable. The chairman ruled that the said motion was not debatable. Whereupon Mr. Fleming appealed to the house from the ruling of the Chair.

Mr. Speaker:

I declare the chairman's ruling sustained.

Mr. Stewart (Winnipeg North):

Mr. Speaker, I was paired with Madame Defarge, who presided at the guillotine.

Mr. Martin:

Mr. Speaker, I was paired with the hon. member for Cape Breton South (Mr. Gillis). Had I voted, I would have voted to sustain the chairman's ruling.

Mr. McGregor:

Mr. Speaker, I was paired with the hon. member for Hamilton East (Mr. Ross). Had I voted, I would have voted against sustaining the chairman's ruling.

And the house having resumed in committee:

On clause 1-Short title.

The Chairman:

The question is the following one-