Mr. LEGER:

I saw by the report of the Auditor General that he gets a regular salary, but of course I take the Minister's word that he is only a part-time servant. From last year's report of the Auditor General I extracted the following:

John Sheridan, Indian Commissioner, salary, $800; traveling expenses, $255.35; rent, $50; 12$ cords of wood, $80.75 ; postage, $21.40; printing, $4.75; small items, $5.54: Total $1,217.70.

I was under the impression that this man was receiving a regular salary; at any rate, he used to. As regards the items mentioned in this statement, he lives in his own house, and the twelve and a half cords of wood would be used in his own home. The postage, I suppose, is all right, but the other expenses are extras.

Mr. LEGER:

When this item was last before the committee, I had asked some questions of the minister, and the item stood for his reply. One of my questions was with reference to Mr. John Sheridan, Indian Superintendent for the North Shore district of the province of New Brunswick. This gentleman was a candidate in the provincial election last year, and it looks to me as if he at that time held the position of Indian Superintendent.

Mr. LEGER:

I have asked this question on many occasions, and I hope that the minister's information is correct. Prior to Mr. Sheridan's appointment as Indian Superintendent, he was a member of the provincial legislature, from which he had to resign as a result of certain investigations. Then this Government picked him up and gave him this position. Last year he was nominated as a candidate in the provincial election, and he was badly defeated. According to the answer which the minister has just read, at that very time he held the position of Indian Superintendent. A certain time after the election I learned that this gentleman was still in his position. I wrote to the Minister of the Interior (Sir James Lougheed) the following letter:

Richibucto, N.B., October 25, 1920. The Honourable Minister of Interior,

Ottawa. .

Dear Sir,-Would you be good enough to let me know who was appointed to fill the position of Indian Commissioner for the North Shore District, N.B., which position was made vacant by the resignation of Mr. John Sheridan, who was a candidate for the county of Kent in the provincial election which was held on the 9th October instant, or who is acting as such commissioner since the resignation of Mr. Sheridan?

An early reply would oblige me very much.

Sincerely yours,

A. T. Leger.

I received the following reply:

Ottawa, Ont., October 30, 1920.

Dear Sir,-Answering your letter of the 25th instant, I beg to say that no vacancy has been created in the Northeastern Superintendcncy, Department of Indian Affairs. Mr. John Sheridan is still discharging the duties of Superintendent.

Yours sincerely,

James A. Lougheed.

This answer was not satisfactory, and when I came to the House I put a motion

on the Order Paper, and on Friday, April 8, 1921, a return was tabled. The order had been dated March 14, and called for copies of all correspondence, telegrams, and other documents relative to the resignation of Mr. John Sheridan, Indian Superintendent for the North Shore district in the province of New Brunswick, and also for copies of all correspondence, etc., relative to his appointment to the said position. I did not find the return any more satisfactory than the answer I had received from the minister in the first instance, and in reply to (a question I placed on the Order Paper, I received the information from the Minister of Agriculture that the resignation had been submitted on September 27, 1920, and that no action had been taken by the department. The information which I now get was denied the people of the country when it was first asked for, and I do not think the Government can justify permitting a public servant, who meddles in politics, to retain a position as that of Indian Superintendent. This is altogether indefensible, and I thought it was my duty to hring this matter before the House in order that this thing might not be repeated under similar circumstances.

Mr. LEGER:

I do not see that very much saving is effected, because they have the same staff at St. John, and the travelling expenses to any part of New Brunswick coast line will be heavy. I think there

will be a good deal more loss of time if they are all centralized in one office.

Mr. LEGER:

Have all the staff of the engineer's office in Chatham been discharged?