Hon. G. C. Nowlan (Minister of National Revenue):

I have been anticipating this

question for two or three days, so for a change I have a statement prepared. I am advised by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as follows.

The situation has arisen in connection with a claim by members of the international alliance of theatrical stage employees in Montreal that some employees should not handle both scenery and properties in television studios as they had been doing for some time, or should have additional pay for so doing. This question was pending last week in the procedure for dealing with grievances as provided in the collective agreement between the union and the corporation.

On Saturday a group of 41 employees, not waiting for the outcome of the legal grievance procedure, refused to do part of their normally assigned duties. They were informed that they would be dismissed if they did not carry out their work as usual, which they continued to refuse to do. There has been no lock-out. Other employees in this category, however, have failed to report for work since the incidents on Saturday.

The corporation feels that a strike in this matter would be illegal. Discussions are continuing at the present time, with the outcome still uncertain.

Mr. D. F. Brown (Essex West):

May I direct a question to the Minister of Labour. Has the minister received a reply to his inquiry, of which he advised me on January 23, from the officials of the unemployment insurance commission as to whether medical and hospital premiums could be paid out of funds established by the Unemployment Insurance Act in addition to the regular benefits to which the unemployed are presently entitled?

Hon. Michael Starr (Minister of Labour):

No, Mr. Speaker, I have received no information on this matter.

Mr. T. A. M. Kirk (Shelburne-Yarmouth-Clare):

I should like to ask the Minister of Trade and Commerce if he recalls my request made on Saturday last that this gift of $1J million worth of Canadian flour to the Middle

East be transported in Canadian-manned and Canadian-registered vessels. Last Saturday the minister told me he would take the matter under advisement, and I would like to ask if he has reached a decision on this matter.

Hon. Gordon Churchill (Minister of Trade and Commerce):

Not yet, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. H. R. Argue (Assiniboia):

I would like to address a question to the Prime Minister in the absence of the Minister of Public Works.

Could the Prime Minister say what consideration has been given to the requests made by the province of Saskatchewan for a co-operative highway building program to include a second east-west highway so that Saskatchewan may be able to retain within the province the services of the very large highway construction building units which were built up last year? As the Prime Minister knows, Saskatchewan has now completed its section of the highway.

Right Hon. J. G. Diefenbaker (Prime Minister):

I would prefer that this question wait until the return of the Minister of Public Works. He is in the city today but was held up on a matter which made it impossible for him to be here at the opening of the house. Naturally the question should be directed to him, and there will be no harm done by delaying the reply until his return.

Mr. H. J. Murphy (Westmorland):

Would the Prime Minister inform the house what progress is being made in the reconsideration of the Canadian National Railways pension scheme, which the Prime Minister termed wholly inadequate while he was in Moncton on May 4. I may point out that he made this promise-

Order.