Mr. Chairman The questions asked by Mr. Smallwood at
the last sitting have been transmitted to the department
concerned, but as yet no reply has been received.
Mr. Butt As it is commonly reported that during the
deliberations between a deputation of the Commission of Government and the
Dominions Secretary in London during the summer of 1944, the then
Dominions Secretary, speaking with the approval of the Cabinet, offered to
cancel the Newfoundland sterling debt, or alternatively to make annual
grant for several years that would in total be the equivalent of this debt, I
give notice that I will at the next meeting request the Commissioner for Finance
or the department concerned to table the
following information:
1. Is this report accurate in part or in full?
2. If so, has the decision or proposal then
made been altered, amended or rescinded?
3. If it has been rescinded, has the commissioner any knowledge that it is the intention
of the British government to make
an alternative offer or financial or economic assistance to Newfoundland in
any shape or form?
4. If any offer of assistance is to be made,
what is its nature?
[Information on a variety of topics was requested
by Mr. Bradley, Mr. Cashin, Mr. Vincent and Mr.
Smallwood]
Mr. Harrington In the absence of the Hon. Mr. Job, I
have to make a report of the work of the select committee appointed at the
last sitting to draft an address of loyalty to His Majesty the King,
and of thanks to His Excellency the Governor.
The select committee appointed on Thursday,
September 12, 1946, to draft an address of loyalty
to His Majesty the King, begs to submit the
accompanying draft address for your approval,
and if thought fit, adoption:
To His Excellency Sir Gordon Macdonald, K.C.M.G. Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over the Island of
Newfoundland and its dependencies.
May it please Your Excellency:
We, the duly elected representatives of the
people of Newfoundland in National Convention assembled do hereby desire to convey
through you, as our first official act, an
affirmation of our deepest loyalty to His
Most Gracious Majesty King George VI, and
our complete and lasting allegiance to the
Crown.
The select committee appointed on Thursday,
September 12, 1946 to draft an address of thanks
to His Excellency the Governor, begs to submit
the accompanying draft address for your up
proval, and if thought fit, adoption:
To His Excellency Sir Gordon Macdonald, K.C.M.G., Governor and Commander-in-Chief
in and over the Island of
Newfoundland and its dependencies.
May it please your Excellency:
We, the delegates of the National Convention in session assembled beg to thank Your
Excellency for the gracious speech which
you have been pleased to deliver at the opening session of the National Convention.
Mr. Chairman I would accept a motion for the adoption
of these reports.
[The motion carried unanimously]
Mr. Chairman Apropos of that, His Excellency is not in
town at the moment. In the old days the procedure was for a delegation to
proceed to Government House and to present to His Excel~ lency the
address in reply. Similar procedure might be followed in regard to the
address of loyalty and the address of thanks; but as the Governor will
not return for a fortnight, do you wish that the delegation should go to
Government
14
NATIONAL CONVENTION
September 1946 House and present it to the Administrator,
who is Hon. Mr. Winter, or would you rather you waited until His
Excellency's return and deliver it to him in person? That would be about the
second of October.
Mr. Bradley It seems to me that it would be more
appropriate to wait until the return of His Excellency, and if in order, I
make that as a motion.
Mr. Chairman Proposed by Mr. Bradley and seconded by Mr.
Reddy that the address of loyalty to the King and the address of
thanks to His Excellency the Governor as received and adopted be
presented to His Excellency on his return to the city. Carried.
When His Excellency comes I will ascertain what time will be convenient to him, and
acquaint you accordingly.
Mr. Bradley The committee met on Friday morning and the
report of the committee itself you will find on the second page which the
members have before them now, and which is signed by the
chairman. This is a motion to receive and adopt the report
seriatim. I don't know whether the members
of the Convention desire to have a chance to look over these, and for that
reason I think I should confine the motion to the reception of the
report for the moment.
Mr. Chairman Is the Convention ready? Proposed by Mr.
Bradley and seconded by Mr. Crosbie that the rules of procedure be
received. Carried.... I think the appropriate plan would be to have the
Convention resolve itself into a committee of the whole... Carried.
[Sections 1-48 of this report approved]
Mr. Smallwood Would it not be a good point to repeat to
the committee the whole statement you made at the meeting of the committee
on Friday morning?
Mr. Chairman I am instructed to inform you that in so
far as the Commission of Government is concerned, the members of the
Commission and high officials, that they are most willing that the
Convention should have all possible information that we should
require, and that they are most willing that that information should be
placed before the Convention. They are not willing to come before the
Convention in public, but they offer to come before you at any of the
committee meetings in private. However, there may be occasions when it may be more
practical, because of the readiness with which
they can get information from their departments, to call upon
them. But in all other respects they will be happy and
willing to give all possible information. It was never intended by the
government here, or by the Dominions Office or the Secretary of State that
this Convention should have power to subpoena the members of the
Commission of Government or high officials. That I am also instructed to
convey to you. You will understand that the absence of any rule or
authority to subpoena witnesses does not apply merely to the officials
of the government, but to anybody. We have no right at all, gentlemen,
to compel any person to come forward. That was the right which the old
House of Assembly had by statute in the statutory rules, but it is a
right which we have not got.
Mr. Smallwood In regard to their willingness to appear
before committees of the House, I think on Friday you made it clear that that
might be a committee of the whole, so that instead of a commissioner, or
anyone else who had been invited to come to be interrogated,
attending only a small committee and at that committee giving certain
information which would then subsequently be passed on to the
whole Convention by the members of that committee, leaving the members
of the Convention depending upon a second-hand report, all members of the
Convention could hear it at the same time by forming
themselves into a committee of the whole.
Mr. Chairman I don't think there is any objection to the size of the committee, because it would
be held in private.
There are occasions when it may not be possible for you to find out all the
information you want, no matter how specific your intentions are. l
have been instructed to tell you that it may not be possible to get the
information by specific questions, but it may be necessary to have a personal interview
with a
September 1946
NATIONAL CONVENTION
15 commissioner, in which case the commissioners are not
only willing but anxious to convenience you, subject to the conditions which
I have been instructed to set before you.
Mr. Fowler Mr. Chairman, who gave members of the old
House of Assembly the power to subpoena people?
Mr. Chairman Parliament. It was the old right of
Parliament itself, that came down through the ages, and it was also a
straight act. We have neither executive or legislative power to compel
anybody to come before us. All our power is contained in the section of the
act to which reference is being made in the National Convention.
Well, gentlemen, shall we proceed?
[Sections 49 to 53 approved. The committee rose
and reported progress. On the motion of Mr.
Cashin the order of the day was deferred]
Mr. Burry In reference to the questions tabled — the
word "Newfoundland" occurred all through in reference to our great
territory. Would that also — in the questions of Major Cashin, Mr.
Smallwood and others — apply to Labrador?
Mr. Burry Will we get information regarding Labrador from
these questions? I want to be clear on that.
Mr. Bradley It provides for that, and in future it will
apply to Labrador all the time. There is one that refers to Labrador
specifically,
[The Convention adjourned]
