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Newfoundland National Convention, 8 November 1946, Debates on Confederation with Canada

174 NATIONAL CONVENTION November 1946

November 8, 1946[2]

Report of the Forestry Committee:[3] Committee of the Whole

Mr. Cashin This concerns the whole territory of Labrador, and I should inform the committee that I have here a map which has been supplied to us by the Department of Natural Resources, showing where the different timber areas are located. I will pass it around. You will notice that in the Hamilton Inlet area there are 300 square miles under lease. About 100 square miles of that has been taken over by the airport at North West River.[4] The other 200 square miles left was at one time supposed to have over 2 million cords of wood. The lease on that expires within five years, also the Muskrat Falls waterpower. From the Hamilton River you come to Kenimau River — 2,100 square miles. That's a 99-year lease, with about 70 years to go. All the others are 99-year leases, and the people who have held them have paid $2 per square mile annually ever since they November 1946 NATIONAL CONVENTION 175 got them. The Labrador Development Company[1] have acquired everything marked in blue. They control about 6,000 square miles of timber land, but a lot of it now has no timber on it at all. We mentioned here that they have had advances from the government in 1934 of $200,000. The government has a first mortgage on that property and it has been reduced to about $140,000. This year they are shipping around 7,000 cords of wood. At the same time there is a foreign export on the property from the other side, and it is impossible to secure the necessary capital to do much manufacturing. There are possibilities of other parties trying to obtain leases, in fact in the hands of the government today are requests for leases, but they would not give us the necessary information. There is one for a pulp mill on the southwest coast, to be fed by timber from Labrador. Some people may ask why they can't put the mill in Labrador. That place, particularly Hamilton Inlet, is closed to navigation about seven months of the year, and it would mean a great deal of capital expenditure to provide storage facilities for that length of time. I would be glad to give any information I can about it.
Mr. Smallwood It is only now I am beginning to realise how important this report is, or, if Major Cashin won't mind my saying so, how important it is not, but ought to be. Long before we come to discuss forms of government we have to make some appraisal, some estimate of What we have got in the country, including timber. This report is supposed to tell us clearly what are the resources of Newfoundland and Labrador so far as timber is concerned; how much of mose resources are under development, who is developing them, what is the value of the production, how much are in the hands of private owners, how much still in the hands of the Crown. We are supposed also to know, and so far as timber in Labrador is concerned this is more important than what is now being done, what is likely to be done in the future. Labrador — 110,000 square miles; and we have roughly two pages of the report dealing with it. Two-thirds of that is taken up with an account of the Labrador Development Company, a small operation apparently, although they have acquired through purchase and leases 6,000 square miles there, and are exporting this year, so the spokesman of the Forestry Committee tells us, 7,000 cords of wood. At present there are two small operations, one the Labrador Development Company, the other, which began its activines this season, is known as the Three Rivers Estates Ltd,[2] Who are the Labrador Development CO., and who are the Three Rivers Estates Ltd.? Are they local, Canadian, English or what? How much capital have they invested? What development have they made? How many people are they employing?
We find that in the meantime several other speculators acquired interests for the period of 99 years, and at the present time we find what something over 10,000 square miles are under lease to various individuals or companies. Who are these companies, are they English, Newfoundland, Canadian? I submit, that when we come, sometime next year, to consider forms of government which we might feel justified in recommending to the United Kingdom to be submitted to the Newfoundland people, we should certainly have in our minds a fairly clear picture of the possibilities of this country, including Labrador. I submit there is almost nothing in this section of the Forestry Report to help us form that picture....
Someone said here last night something about optimism about Labrador, and my reply was that it was not a case of being optimistic or pessimistic, but of trying to get the facts. So far as Labrador is concerned this report is practically useless. I don't want to be unjust about the matter, and i know very well the terrible difficulty in this country of getting information and statistics, but at least we should have the truth. Take this map. We should all have a copy of that. It should be published in the papers and the public of Newfoundland should be able to take a look at two maps of Labrador, one showing the timber areas alienated from private individuals, and if there is a map showing water power alienated we ought to have one of that. We know the sad truth about Newfoundland, but we should know the truth about Labrador.... It's bad enough to have only 3 million cords of woods left on this island, including the three mile limit. if in Labrador, where we have all been fondly imagining there is a great resource that we have up our sleeve, if it turns out that a large portion has been gobbled up by out 176 NATIONAL CONVENTION November 1946side speculators, and other speculators are buzzing around to try and get the rest of it, slick promoters, then it throws some light on the situation; but we have not even that much light. I think that this Convention will admit without any hesitation that we definitely must know what we have or have not got in Labrador. If the Committee comes back and says that they can't get it, and says that they have tried every avenue and it is not to be had, we will perhaps have to accept their word.
Mr. Cashin We will have to form a survey party, that's the only way.
Mr. Smallwood I don't ask them to do that, but I am full of suspicion about this Labrador business. I feel very indignant about it. I think if this country today had the same suspicion that I have got, and from scraps of information that I have picked up about Labrador and what is going on, there would be a little revolution in this country. We have been very shortsighted in Newfoundland, and it looks to me that we are in danger of making the same fatal mistake in Labrador. It is a very crucial time, and some queer things are going on behind the scenes. If necessary I would like to see a royal commission appointed to get to the bottom of this. There is some skulduggery going on about Labrador, and we ought to know the truth of it. If we have to decide what Labrador may or may not be worth to this country in the next 30 to 40 years we have to base it on some definite information. This report does not give that informadon.
Mr. Hollett I support Mr. Smallwood. There is skulduggery going on, very definitely, and I think when Mr. Smallwood has definitely thrown overboard the idea which he had of certain things, then I am perfectly able to support Mr. Smallwood, because he has definitely some political intelligence, which the best of us perhaps have not got, but I do insist that there is skulduggery going on.
Mr. Cashin I have to rise to a point of order. If there is skulduggery going on, and if this Committee is mixed up in it I would like to know it.
Mr. Smallwood My reference to the Forestry Committee is only to the lack of information they have given us. My reference to "skulduggery" is to things going on about Labrador, outside speculators, etc....
Mr. Burry This is interesting of course to me, representing that great area, and I feel incompetent in representing it sometimes. The importance it has to play in the future of our economy, and all the love and interest that I have in Labrador is back of me, and I am interested in its welfare, and what Mr. Smallwood had to say was very new to me. I had a little suspicion, but "skulduggery", whatever that means, I am not informed of it. But I do have a feeling, Mr. Chairman, that I should give this Convention and the Forestry Committee my idea about this timber land in Labrador.
We have large areas of timber land in Labrador. Some of it is not very important in our estimation, and some of it is very good timber. Now there is a reference here in this report to the further concessions being made in Labrador. A great many concessions have been made as we see on this map, and I am wondering what is left to be conceded ... in the accessible areas, that is along the coastline. The vast areas in the interior are wooded, but it is wood with small growth, stunted. I understand from trappers, and my own observations by air over the country, it is not very thickly wooded, and being so far in from the water as 2-300 miles the state of the timber would make it almost not worth bringing out. That is considering the fact that we would have to build a railroad in there. It would have to be very rich timber to make it of any value to the country. At the present time, the interior can be left out as far as bringing anything into the treasury of this country of ours. At the present time close to the coastline there are areas taken as well. The area between Battle Harbour and Sandwich Bay is all taken by two companies. That is the 6,074 miles referred to.
Mr. Hollett Where is that map?
Mr. Burry In a general way thatis all the timber available to that particular area, and it is all taken up by those other companies. Now to come to the Hamilton Inlet area ... most of the possible wooded territory is taken up by J.C. Hepburn and the Grand River Paper Co. There is one area left that should be of value, around the Grand Lake area, and the north side of Lake Melville itself. Therefore, in this area (not including the interior) we have l0,000 square miles taken up, and we have 2,000 square miles taken up in the north by the Three Rivers Estates and the Stag Bay Estate. I don't know much about that, but if there is November 1946 NATIONAL CONVENTION 177 another 200 square miles in that area that anyone would want to go into that's the outside of it. There's only that Melville Lake area left. I am basing my remarks on the Committee's report. Two thousand possible square miles not taken up, which altogether means 12,200 square miles of inaccessible timber area, of which l0,000 sq. miles has been taken up.... In Newfoundland we find we have 20,000 square miles taken up by the two pulp and paper companies. On this 20,000 square miles in Newfoundland we estimate that we have between 45 and 50 million cords of wood. In Labrador we have 12,200 square miles on the coast area and we estimate that there is 50 to 100 cords of wood on that possible 12,200 square miles.
You all know how glad I would be to be able to put up a very good story about the timber areas in Labrador, but it has often been said here that we have got to be realists.... I appreciate that the Committee was at a serious disadvantage and probably cannot possibly get the information, but I would not like to give the impression that we have a vast timber area in Labrador, and find out in the next few years we were mistaken. This is not a scientific survey, but I feel that with my own knowledge of Labrador this 50 million cords of timber in the country is too high, and I wonder if we should look into the future thinking that we have that much timber capable of being turned into money which will flow into the treasury in the foreseeable future.
I would like to have the optimism that has been expressed by so many when speaking about the timber area in Labrador. They tell me of the great wealth in Labrador, but I don't think we have the wealth in the timber areas of Labrador that we think we have, and I think as a Convention we ought to find out the exact facts. This is based upon what we know, and upon information that I have after being in Labrador all these years....
Mr. Jackman With all due respect to the Committee I can't concur with this report as it stands. It is really too incomplete as I see it. We have to assess the true value of our assets if we are going to agree on the form of government we want. A report like this is not sufficient to form an opinion of the genuine value of one of our greatest assets — Labrador.... I have heard it said that there are certain matters about Labrador on which the Committee was refused information. That is a matter for us to find out, why this information is withheld, because we have got to get this information. There is one question here that I refer to in particular: "This particular company, after having done some work received financial assistance from the government in 1935 etc." Who is this company?
Mr. Cashin The Labrador Development Co.
Mr. Jackman Who are the directors?
Mr. Cashin Mr. Williams and
Mr. Jackman As Mr. Smallwood said, the thing is not complete. You have not got sufficient information to pass any judgement on it.
Mr. Cashin It is impossible to get it, there is no survey. The government has not got a survey of any timber area in the country. We can only get it from private individuals.
Mr. Hollett What private individuals did you discuss it with?
Mr. Cashin I did not discuss it with any private individuals.
Mr. Hollett Well, why say so?
Mr. Jackman Has the Committee been denied any information?
Mr. Cashin The only information that we asked for was, who were the individuals applying for concessions on the Labrador, and we had a meeting with the Information Committee, and Mr. Flynn told us that there were applications, but he was unable to give us any further information. We only gathered that there were applications, but we were not able to get particulars.
Mr. Jackman I am not going to sit in this Convention and try to get facts if the people are going to refuse to give them. If we can't get them we will have to go back to our people to tell them that we can't get the facts, and that the whole Convention is a joke.
Mr. Hollett In other words you don't want a private opinion.
Mr. Higgins This seems to be generating a lot of unnecessary heat. The fact is that the question originally came to the Commissioner for Natural Resources from Major Cashin, requesting this information. As a result of that request the Commissioner for Natural Resources attended a meeting of the Information Committee some three or four weeks ago. Major Cashin and Mr. Fudge were present at that meeting, and the Commissioner could not deny that negotiations were going on, but said that the parties had requested 178 NATIONAL CONVENTION November 1946 that no disclosure be made to the public. He was in duty bound not to disclose it. He left us to understand that no alienation of the timber lands would be made without a very careful checking of the people with whom the deal was made. I would like Mr. Jackman to know that I am not defending the government, but it seems reasonable for the Commissioner to reply that he could not give the information, and we felt that we should not insist further. I think we all understood the situation.
Mr. Jackman If we can't get the information that we want, I claim that the whole thing is a farce.
Mr. Higgins The names of the people, that was the only information refused. The other information is known only to private companies who went in there exploring the timber possibilities. Those facts I don't believe are accessible to the Committee. Major Cashin probably knows of them, but officially I don't suppose he would be ' allowed to disclose them.
Mr. Ashbourne I would like to know the potential value of Labrador to Newfoundland. I know that her fisheries are most valuable. We know that the stand of timber on the Labrador is a stand which, in my opinion, is virgin growth and we also have heard quite a bit of the value of the minerals there, Now since last night I have been doing a little figuring, and I think it can be safely assumed that we have in Labrador 110,000 square miles, and seeing that half of that might contain a stand of timber, which would be 2,000 square miles (and by the way about 10% of Labrador is under 99-year lease), this gives us about 35,200,000 acres, and I believe Major Cashin said last night that it has been said that the ield of wood on the acreage is up to 15 cords an acre. I think that's quite high myself. I am taking half of that, 7.5 cords the acre, which would bring the cordage, according to my figures, to 264 million cords of timber. Now I see an estimate here of from 50 to 100 million cords in the report, as compared with 60 million cords in Newfoundland.... I am greatly interested in the statement given to the Convention by Mr. Burry this afternoon, and I am sure that when he speaks about the timber he knows what he is talking about, but in view of the fact that we have no competent surveys of the timber areas in Labrador, and I believe that we should get those surveys which might be given now. You can get photography now, a valuable asset to the economy of Newfoundland as regards the fisheries and the mineral wealth of Newfoundland. I believe Mr. Chairman that we should try as a Convention to ascertain some real idea of the potential wealth of Newfoundland.
Now, I hope the time will not come when Newfoundland will be a bald rock. It will influence the climate, and if we do not, in my opinion, look after the matter of reafforestation, a matter which I advocated in the Assembly over 20 years ago, I fear very much that the time will come when Newfoundland will be cutout. I can quite understand that, according to the two large pulp and paper companies, by discriminate cutting they may be able to afford a program of reafforestation which will look after their needs, but i believe it was Mr. Fudge who talked of not a stick of wood remaining in 40 years in the country generally, and I think that the time has come when the recommendation as given by this Committee should be apprehended. If there is indiscriminate cutting in Newfoundland we can reasonably expect to know what is in store for us.
The fisheries of Newfoundland, in my opinion, are influenced to a great extent by the fall of snow which happens during the winter on the northeast coast of Newfoundland particularly. We know that the last two years particularly we have had poor voyages and some of it may be because there is not enough snow on the ground. Years ago the fisherman used to say if we had lots of snow you would have a good cod fishery. As the snow settles on the ground, and as the rains descend in the spring and wash out from the ground the salt and other minerals of the land, we know that the fish pick up these minerals, and as regards the herring fishery ...
Mr. Chairman Mr. Ashbourne, what has all this got to do with the present report?
Mr. Ashbourne Well, I am talking about the reafforestation of Newfoundland, I don't want the time to come when Newfoundland will be bald rock, and not be able to have any snow settle on the lands so that our fisheries would be depleted, because the earning power of our people comes from the natural resources of our country.
Now, we need cooperage, which is a thing that comes from the forests, by which we can ship our November 1946 NATIONAL CONVENTION 179 fishery products to markets. We cannot ship our codfish out of Newfoundland all by bulk....
Mr. Vardy I wish it to be clearly understood that anything I say in reference to the Forestry Report is meant purely as constructive criticism with the idea of further extending or building it up and not with the idea of understanding the real value of what has been done either by the Committee or department concerned. Frankly, with the limited staff and lack of knowledge or interest displayed by the various Commissioners I consider the forestry branch has done a good job. Very few in this country have had a more personal contact with the forestry division than I have and I have always found them ready to hear any reasonable complaints or suggestions for the promotion of the industry or the conservation of our forests. It is not humanly possible for any group of ten men collectively to bring in a report for 45 to agree on every detail, it is the fundamental principles that count, and I am happy that most of the criticism is of a genuine constructive nature.
It is alarming to find how little we have left of our natural resources which have not been sacrificed to someone outside or in the country. I am not satisfied that there are not remedies for this unfortunate situation. We have come to the place when we are compelled to study it in every detail, and what we want now is a group of men big enough to face the unpleasant fact and undo the wrong that has been done and enact new laws governing these properties more in harmony with the new age, demands and requirements of both people and state.
It is not correct to say that 200 saw mills are not paying any royalty because they saw less than 10,000 feet annually. The facts are not one of the over 800 saw mills pay any royalty on the first 10,000 feet; but they all pay a license fee of $5 per year for which they are allowed to saw up to 10,000 feet. So in reality, the mill which only saws 5,000 feet pays a higher percentage of royalty if you call it such, than the mill which saws up to 100,000 feet. That is the true picture and in this respect the Committee is wrong.
I am of the opinion that Mr. Dawe, with his very wide experience within the field of production and manufacturing, might have contributed considerably more information in the intrinsic value of forest wealth to this country. In many instances he has been a pioneer in the woodworking industry, and the experience gained at great cost to the various firms of Dawes will in future, and has in the past benefited the whole country.
I notice that some mention has been made of the grading of lumber, but no real suggestion made to improve the method of grading or counting; and while I would not attempt to suggest any motion or resolution I do maintain that any worthwhile observations made as the result of a very wide experience in the industry should be placed on the record for the benefit of the department concerned....
Attempts have been made at grading with some success; but the greater practical value has been experienced with lumber used in the building trade. With our forests so depleted and denuded in supplies of the larger logs, it is impossible to keep up the old standard. This is agreed by all. Lumber is being sawn now down to 2 or 2.5 inches wide, while the greatest average width of cooperage is 3.5 to 4 inches. It is generally agreed that cooperage should be sawn from 3 to 4 inches, tending to make uniform stock and a uniform package.
Touching briefly on the value of round timber as a source of earning power to the people of this country, I will mention a few of the principal items which could properly be listed under this heading: birch junks and billets, birch hoops for the making of fish drums, casks and barrels, fence rails, flake shores, beams and longers, wharfpiles and cribbing, firewood and kindling, boat timbers and spars, as well as planking, ceiling and decking, very little if any of which is listed under sawn lumber as there isn't any royalty paid on boat material. Even cutting Christmas trees was for a number of years no mean industry in this country and even this year I had an enquiry from the States for this item but shipping arrangements could not be made in time to close the deal. To put the whole of these items I have mentioned at a very conservative estimate, apart from the amount cut by our men for their own use, the figures given you last night of $3 million would be a very conservative one. Yet if we are going to value home-grown vegetables for one's own use as an industry, we must also value the two, three or four thousand feet of wood put to the average outport man's door for his 12 months' fuel. This in every respect enhances his earning 180 NATIONAL CONVENTION November 1946 power and helps in a big way to balance his yearly budget.
I shall not touch the pulp and paper industry, it has been well covered; except I would like at this time to inject a word of praise to those who have been so indefatigable in their efforts to better the working conditions of our men. In this respect they have done an excellent job.
More care should be exercised in the matter of forest fires, this menace is growing at an alarming rate and in this respect every man, woman and child should be a self-appointed warden. It is criminal to nurse and grow a forest in 50 and 60 years and destroy it overnight.
It is gratifying to note that at last we have a chance of getting some value from our enormous tracts of birch and other hardwoods, which so far have largely been left to rot. I have gone through the report from the Forestry Committee several times and I must admit, in spite of the additions I have mentioned that on the whole they have done a good job and if they haven't, I still say it is up to us to assist them to do it better.
Mr. Smallwood Have you made any effort to get the statistics of the census?
Mr. Cashin No. We did not take it into this report at all.
Mr. MacDonald I rise as a member of this Forestry Committee. I have been listening to criticism in regard to this report. A good many of the questions asked came before the Committee and we could not see any possible way of getting the information. For instance, the question of the value of timber on the Labrador. How can we get it? The Natural Resources department which gave us a lot of help, could not give us that answer. If we have to get that before this Convention can conclude its decision, I am afraid it is not going to be this year or next year. We will have to make a survey of the Labrador to do it. There has been no survey made on Newfoundland except what we can get from companies; what is left is only a guess. I would suggest that these gentlemen asking questions give us a list of them.
Mr. Cashin We have a list of a lot of Mr. Smallwood's questions. We promised to bring in a supplementary report. As far as the estimate of timber on the Labrador is concerned, we cannot give it.
Mr. Smallwood Could Major Cashin tell us this: I take it you have a list of companies who have timber grants?
Mr. Cashin I will get a map.
Mr. Smallwood They are leased, and on the leasehold they pay $2 a square mile. What about development of them? Is the development a private matter, or does it involve coming before the government to get concessions or contracts, in which case the government would have a chance of making a deal with them in regard to taxes? Then again, what about royalty and stumpage, are they exempt? If we could have some definite knowledge on this: is a company now holding a thousand miles in a position to go to right ahead, without further legislation, with development, and be subject only to 25 cents a cord and income tax, corporation tax and profits tax? That is all they are liable for. The most we can get out of these timber areas now leased in Labrador is $2 a square mile; 25 cents a cord on any wood they export raw and unmanufactured; tax on the profits, if they make any. The only chance we have of making more is if they come before the government for Special concessions - admission of equipment duty free — then the government might have a chance of working something out of them in return.
Mr. Cashin Take the Labrador areas: the Grand River - the Labrador Pulp and Lumber Co. has leased 200 square miles, they pay $4,200 a year rent and they have had it 45 years. The Sandwich Bay area has been held 30 years by the Labrador Pulp and Lumber Co. That is yielding $3,100 a year rental. They have paid $6,000 to $8,000 rentals, and have not done a thing with them.... The Hamilton Inlet was supposed to be the best timber area on the Labrador. That is not under lease at the present time, and that is the property for which we understand some people are dick. ering for a concession....
Mr. Burry Major Cashin said that this area that has not been leased is the richest timber area on Labrador. That is hardly correct. The richest area is the Grand River area which has been leased to the Labrador Pulp and Timber Co.....
Mr. Smallwood Is the best of the timber now leased?
Mr. Burry My personal opinion is that the best is already leased. The Grand River area and the Hamilton River area are taken up. The Kinemau and the Kenimish, they are taken up and they are very richly wooded, I don't want to give this November 1946 NATIONAL CONVENTION 181 Convention a gloomy report, and you all know how glad I would be if I could agree with Mr. Ashboume that there are 60 million cords of wood in Labrador. That seems to be fantastic. There may be 50,000 square miles with some wood on it, but valuable wood I doubt very much....
Mr. Northcott Referring to Mr. Vardy's speech, it is a fact that we have 800 sawmills operating, and they saw up to 10,000 feet of lumber. They pay the $5 license. Therefore we have 800 mills and 10,000 ft. of lumber sawn in this country and no licence being paid on it. I do believe that we should have royalty paid on every thousand feet sawn, under the present high price of lumber. If it was down to $20 a thousand I would not mind, but with that high price we should have 50 cents on every thousand sawn. That in itself would give us a lot of extra money. While on this royalty question, I think that we should receive this royalty and it should be earmarked to use at a later date for reafforestation. I think it is a crime to use this money ordinarily, and after FIve or six years, getting 50 cents on every thousand feet sawn, we could use that up for some betterment in connection with the industry. I really feel hurt to know that all this lumber is being sawn and no royalty paid. We should get after the Department of Natural Resources and see that we have stricter and more rigid examination of these facts.
Mr. Chairman If there is no further comment on the Labrador, gentlemen, we will proceed to the summary.
Mr. Burry Does that mean that we are finished with the Labrador question?
Mr. Chairman Not if you wish to speak on it.
Mr. Burry Mr. Smallwood seemed to speak of a lot of things, that are going to get out in the papers and over the air, and many people, including the Labrador people themselves, will hear that and they are going to wonder what we are going to do here. I wonder if we will have an opportunity to take up these matters again?
Mr. Watton This Forestry Committee report seems to have come under considerable bombardment since yesterday. It has been severely criticised in more ways than one, and various questions asked which have not been answered, and, if I am in order, I would like to make a motion that the whole report be referred back to the Committee.
Mr. Fudge Mr. Chairman, the convenor of this Committee is outside, but as you know when I introduced this report I referred to the sub-committee of the Forestry Committee, whose business was to try and get as much of the facts as possible together for the report. I would like to say now that you have heard Major Cashin refer to the awkward position in which this Committee has been placed. We have examined several officials of the department concerned and sought all the information we could, and some we got and some we did not get. As far as the report is concerned if there is something that some of the members think we should seek out, why not make those suggestions on paper so that if we should meet again, we should know what to tackle. To my knowledge, as far as Labrador is concerned, any further information that we could get is probably only guesswork, and I don't think that is much good.
Mr. Cashin What is your motion, Mr. Watton'?
Mr. Watton My motion is that the report be sent back.
Mr. Cashin We promised last night that we would supplement the report with the information that we could get. With regard to Labrador we can tell you straight that we can't get any further information. We can't get the names of the individuals who are looking for leases at the present time. With regard to the amount of wood, we don't know — there has been no real survey made, and it is only guesswork. If you are prepared to pass this report, we will bring back any further information possible when the House meets again.
Mr. Watton In that event the various questions that have been put forward, if the Forestry Committee will take upon itself to bring in these answers in supplementary form ...
Mr. Cashin If the Convention will receive this report as it is now, I will assure you, and I think my colleagues will agree with me, that we will get the information if possible and get it here when the House next meets.
Mr. Watton In that event, if that suits everyone, I withdraw that motion.
Mr. Cashin Well I move that the report as it is be received, and that the committee rise, and when we meet again we will bring in that information as a supplementary report.
182 NATIONAL CONVENTION November 1946
Mr. Ballam Does that mean that we will go over the summary when we come back?
Mr. Chairman If there is no dissenting voice against the withdrawing of Mr. Watton's motion.
Mr. Bailey There seems to be a bit of dissatisfaction with the matter before the Chair, and I think I voice the sentiments of my colleagues on the Committee, that if anything is not clear, we will do our best to get information. I honestly believe that we have tried to get the information, and there is a lot of credit due to Major Cashin in that he has tried, but he seems to get up against a blank wall. It seems right from the very first, and I think we are going to find it right straight through, that the government of this country has no bookkeeping at all, and sometime of course you have to start bookkeeping, and until that day we have to do the best we can. I think it is a pity that we did not have a National Convention years ago.
Mr. Chairman The motion is that the committee rise and that I return to the Chair.
[The motion carried, and the Convention adjourned]

Source:

Newfoundland. The Newfoundland National Convention, 1946-1948 Vol 1: Debates. Edited by J.K. Hiller and M.F. Harrington Montreal: Memorial University of Newfoundland by McGill-Queen's University Press, 1995).

Credits:

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Selection of input documents and completion of metadata: Gordon Lyall.

Footnotes:

  • [2] The Secretary, Captain Warren, acted as Chairman.
  • [3] Volume II:56. [Volume II is not in The Confederation Debates Collection]
  • Goose Bay air base.
  • 1 Volume II:61. [Volume II is not in The Confederation Debates Collection]
  • [2] Volume II:61. [Volume II is not in The Confederation Debates Collection]

Participating Individuals: