Report from f he P. M.

Precisely at 9 p.m., the Dominion-wide network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. tied into station CBO, in Ottawa's Chateau Laurier. There, in ail armchair at a desk, sat Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, facing two microphones. He was stripped for action--coat and vest unbuttoned, tie and detachable collar removed (later he spruced up for photographers). For 24 minutes he read from a 4,000-word manuscript, now & then gesturing with his right fast. At countless radios, the people listened.

A Session of Parliament. Canada's 19th Parliament, said the Prime Minister, would meet just once more, on Monday, March 19, in a special short session. The chief purpose: to vote money with which to run the country and the war after March 31, when present appropriations run out. Not much money would be asked for. Said the Prime Minister: "It is [my] intention to ask for appropriations only . . . from the beginning of the new fiscal year through a general election." For the full fiscal year, the next Parliament would have to vote the necessary appropriations.

There was another reason, too, for calling a short session--the World Security Conference at San Francisco, April 25. "It is vital," said Mr. King, "that Canada should be able to speak [there] with a clear, strong and united voice. ... It is therefore desirable that the Canadian delegation should go to San Francisco with an assurance of the widest possible measure of support from Parliament. An expression of such support will be sought."

The Opposition. Mr. King conceded that the dying sessions of Parliament "are rarely constructive, and the debates are generally controversial and bitter. In view, however, of the special character of the forthcoming session, it is hoped that all parties will cooperate in the speedy discharge of essential business."

The Army. Said the Prime Minister: "To all of you who have husbands or sons, brothers or friends in the Canadian forces in Germany or Italy, I wish to give the most positive assurance that our Army is receiving the fullest support in arms, munitions and reinforcements."*

The War. "The encirclement of Germany is complete. The decisive battles are now being fought on German soil. There can no longer be any doubt that the fate of Germany is sealed. It may be a matter of weeks. ... It is perhaps not going too far to express the hope that before the close of the San Francisco Conference, organized resistance in Germany will have been crushed."

A General Election. Mr. King ended all speculation on the possibility of a spring election: there would be none. Partly because Canada's next Victory Loan campaign begins on April 23 (to run into May), and partly because of the San Francisco Conference (which will probably last into May), it is clear, said Mr. King, that a general election "could not be [held] before . . . June." But he still was not saying exactly when the election would be held. "It is impossible to fix a definite date now, because it is impossible to predict the course of the war." It might not be until July. Or even later. More than anything else, Mr. King wanted to avoid, and he believed the people wanted to avoid, a wartime election.

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