Mr. CALDWELL:

What is the effect of

the non-acceptance of the amendment?

Mr. CALDWELL:

The expression is not a very elegant one, but if any more inelegant expressions were allowed it could be used in reference to this deplorable action on the part of the provincial government. Under this scheme our province will not get the benefit of this proposed legislation.

Mr. CALDWELL:

The fact is that the

government of New Brunswick "passed the buck." I went before the provincial government three years ago with one of the biggest delegations that ever appeared before them for any purpose, to ask them to pass a farm loan act, and this is the gist of the act they passed:

Any municipality desiring to borrow money for the purpose of lending the same to farmers in such municipality may do so upon passing a resolution at any regular meeting of the municipal council of Buch municipality, or at a special meeting duly called for that purpose, setting forth that the municipality wishes to borrow a sum of money, not exceeding a specific amount, repayable annually at the rate of five per cent per annum.

The province did not even propose to lend money to the municipalities.

Mr. CALDWELL:

I am afraid they will not choose to; they never have chosen before. We asked our provincial government for bread and they gave us a stone. I am much disappointed. I thought from the research work that had been carried on by Dr. Tory and from the recommendations from the Banking and Commerce Committee along this line, this government would bring down a real rural credits act of its own, to be administered, possibly, by provincial boards. But this act will be of no benefit in New Brunswick, and I doubt if it will to any of the Maritime provinces. It may be of some benefit to some provinces that have rural credit acts in operation; it will enable them to secure additional money to carry on. I am surprised that there is not some limit set to the amount each province will be allowed to get from the Dominion government under this act. Suppose Ontario makes an application to-morrow for $10,000,000 under this act, what is going to happen?

Mr. CALDWELL:

I am surprised that

as bright a man as the hon. member for East Calgary would present such an argument. He says he would have to get four or five volumes to find out what he wants. My hon. friend has not caught the point. With the present system of index you have to send for the index before you know what volume you want at all. Under the old system the index was inserted in each volume, so that you could find out by looking in the first volume where the item you wished to refer to appeared, just as easily as if you had the index. A man who had all his faculties would not have to send for the second volume. He would find it in the first volume.