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‘PAGE mu GUARDIAN

llernlll Dally sltealdecl In IIII) Alllsevlard u ides-nail, Clan loll. Plan Olflln . Department, Otto-L Tia Ielnnd Guardian ahfilllhlll Co.

Ills» and llanaglla Illrnrsor. J- ll- UIIPION- Anaaalafe ldltnr, Iran! Waller.

"The Strongest Memory is Weaker Than the Weeks‘! ink.‘

OHABLOITETOWN. WEDNESDAY, July 27, 1949

lilting The Evidence

One of the most importantfeatures of the brief submitted by the Provincial Government to the Royal Commission on Transportation is the authoritative quotations showing how the Con- federation pact was interpreted by those who initiated it, and how it is being disregarded in liigh places today. Many of the lead-ing Confed- eration Fathers are quoted in this connection. Typical was the assurance given by Sir John A- Macdonald at Halifax in i864, with regard to the building of the lntercolonial Railway, that it was fully understood by the people 0i cqflfld" that this line was to be a means of political union for the Colonies, and not a commercial enterprise. According to Hon. George E. Cartier, the consequence would be "that between Halifax and Liverpool there will be steamers almost daily leaving and arriving at the former — in fact it will be a ferry between Halifax and Liverpool"

After stressing the even more explicit responsi- bilty assu-med by the Dominion in pledging con- tinuous communication between this Province and the mainland, the brief cites many eviden- ces of inadequacy of the present service. Whar is most striking, however, is the attitude shown toward our complaints at Ottawa. For example by Rt. Hon Mr. Howe, in assuring the'Railway Committee of the House of Commons in i948, and again in April, i949, that the present car ferry service is quite satisfactory.

"lt would appear," says the brief, "that the Committee made no recommendations to Par- liament in view of the assurance by the Minister that there were two very fine boats operating on the service. We are bringing this matter to the attention of the Commission because, as a matter of actual fact, we still have only one boat operating the service with an old 33 year old boat held as auxiliary . . . Tourists arriving at the pier a few minutes late for one crossing have to wait for over four hours for the boat to cross, return, shunt in the freight cars, before proceeding across. The second ferry referred to by Mr. Howe in reality made little improvement in the service, since one ferry is always tied up at the pier."

After the Commission gets through with our transportation brief, Mr. Howe should be asked to do some explaining about this matter in Parliament.

The North Atlantic Pact

T-he North Atlantic Treaty, signed on April 4, I949, has been ratified by the United States Senate and will now come into effect. lt em- bodies a full-fledged system of collective secur- ity embracing, not the whole of civilized society, but i2 nations which form a community of in- lerest on both sides of the Atlantic. The Canad-

ion Parliament ratified the treaty late in April,

and Canada's ratification was deposited in Washington on May 3, the first received there.

The operative clause of the treaty is Article i5, in which the signators agree that an attack on one is an attack against them all. ln the event of such an attack, each of them will go to the victim's assistance "to restore and main- tain security in the North Atlantic area."

The treaty is regarded as an important mile- stone in postwar international relations. lt pro- vides a smaller area of security than that at- tempted in the United Nations Charter on which no nation now relies for security since the east- west split has prevented the establishment of ef- ifective arrangements to preserve and defend the peace. The treaty is not incompatible with the Charter for a treaty that guarantees security is not a contradiction of a solemn obligation to do the some.

The United States Senate, which wields treaty-making powers in the American political system, has conducted a long debate on the At- lantic pact. For approval a vote of two to one was required, but the treaty secured support of more than six to one, an overwhelming endarsa- tion. Thus the United States has passed a mile- stone in its foreign policy, identifying Ameri- can interests with those of Western Europe in terms that restore the balance of the West against the military concert under Soviet Russian management.

Blvll Servants And Politics

, What right have Civil Servants to partici- pate in matters political? This is the view taken by The Times, London: ln the matter of the par- ticipation af civil servants in party politics it is literally, in the view of the committee which has reported on the subject, a question of where to draw the line. The line is horizontal. Those above lt include persons whose positions are of such importance that it is essential that they should remain completely detached from party .conflict, not addressing party meetings, not writing let- ters to the Press on party questions and certain- ly not standing as candidates for Parliament. The importance of that principle needs no argu- ment. Civil servants may ond do find thennelves under successive masters of very different poli- tics, and by an honourable traditiomthey serve them all with equal loyalty. Anything like a political civil service, whose personnel changed considerably with a change of government, woirld be rrent to the Irirlsh lirt the civil serv ce. has grown rapidly; it has more than doubled since i935; and it is not desirdrle to cot elf more than a million men and women

from the normal activities of citiienslilp. lei

noun» w 4e.-

Ireaisli-reesensele

_ Kent at the time of his appointment as princi-

ftp-i.

ecutive, clerical pnd typing grades above the line —and therefore debarred from political activity —and the rest, industrial and non-industrial, below it. One arguable question here is the po- sition of the typing grade. ls there really good reason fof applying a prohibition here? lf so it can only be on the ground that typists may al- ways have to deal with confidentfal documents. Though the Government has accepted the recommendations of the committee on this point, and perhaps one or two others, discussion in the House of Commons will be demanded and will no doubt be conceded. But the general principles established by the committee must be regarded as sound.

JEDITURIAL

NOTES!

Picnics are on the wane now that‘ July is practically gone.

While a great quantity of hay has already been harvested and stoyred, it will be practically the end of August before all will be saved, there being an unusually heavy crop all over the lsland.

Nova Scatia's iith annual Gaelic Mod which opens at St. Ann's today has come to be one of th-e year's great events in Eastern Can- ada. The Gaelic Foundation has done splendid work in keeping up Scottish tradition and the Gaelic tongue.

i i

Some of the pleasantest reading for lsland- ers at this time of year is of the sweltering heat being endured elsewhere on this continent. The occasional mild heat-wave is just enough to make us appreciate the more usual cool breeziness here.

I I I v

Canadians are borrowing more for the build- ing of apartment houses than for any other type of building according ‘to figures on loans by the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation. This country is following a general, though few would say a satisfactory, course in becoming a nution of apartment dwellers.

U 1' if

War may become less dangerous for the soldier than for the civilian according to no less an authority than Field Marshal Viscount Allan- -brooke, former chief of the Imperial General Staff. Even so, it is unlikely that joining the colours will be an altogether safe proposition.

Just what drought can mean in the West is vividly shown by farmers in Saskatchewan having to turn to the thistle for fodder. W. H. Harrier, Saskatchewan field crops commissioner, has been advising farmers in the Southwest parts of that Province that the weed can be fed to livestock along with some hay or ogt straw.

I A‘ fi

Hi-laire Belloc, English author, barn this date i870; of French descent he devoted his life to literature and a-rt, publishing novels, books of travel, etc.; was a student of military matters, prophesying that the Germans would invade France by way of Belgium. His most popular work The Path to Rome: "lt is the best of all trades to make ballads, and the second best to sing them."

w w a _

The search for the body of Polar explorer Sir John Franklin who disappeared in i845 is headed by a man who will probably occupy an even greater part in the history of Arctic _ex- ploration than Franklin himself. R.C.M.P. Sub- inspector Henry A. Larsen actually navigated both ways the North-West Passage which Frank- lin died trying to find.

w h i

Six years ago on the afternoon of July 28, i943, Canadian in-fantry entered the town of Agira, Sicily, after five days of bitter fighting against an enemy who was determined to hang on at all costs. Canadian casualties in this battle, indicative of the ferocity of the fighting, totalled almost 600 all ranks. However, the Ca- nadians had virtually cut to pieces whole units of the enemy's l5th and 29th Panzer “Grenadier Divisions, and taken almost 700 prisoners. For their part in the bitter encounter, at least two Canadian officers were decorated. Lt.-Col. (now Mai-Gen.) B. M. Hoffrneister, Officer Command- ing the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, receiv- ed the D.S.O., and so did Maior H.P. Bell-Irving, a Seaforth companyficommander.

I Ir

Mr. H. W. Yeo's retirement, owing to ill health, from the principalslrip of West Kent School will be learned with regret. Mr. Yea serv- ed far forty years in the teaching profession in this Province, and was vice principal of West

pal in I933. During his incumbency the school» made substantial progress in general scholarship, in successful entrance to Prince of Wales Cel- lege, in_ scholarships gained, in School Cadet work -winning two Cadet trophies for all Canada during this period — and in school oratory con- tests. His successor, Mr. C. Fred Hines, has serv- ed on the staff of West Kent sinca_l922 and has been vice principal since i934. He is to be congratulated on his well-merited appointment in succession to Mr. Yeo. - i ‘k Q I

Political uClIIIIIQGS in the British parliament are still as pungent as in days of yore. The Spec- tator says it is a pity that the general public should hear so little of the occasional acidities which contribute astringency to the debates ln the House of Commons. There are points about these few observations culled in the course of the debate on Housing lait week: Col. W. S. Elliot, Labour: "Will the hon. and learned Gen- tlemen accept my assurance -"

Mr. D. N. Pritt, ind. Labour: "No, l will not. I am not giving way dny more. Sit down."

Col. Elliot: "The lion. and learned member cannot take it!" '

Mr. Pritt: "l eholl tdie not from a mouse." , .

Col. Elliot: "The hon. and learned Gentle- man's party leadership liar gene to his head." Mr. Pritt: "lt would be lllnpleiylf the hon. mlont Gontlzlioirlrod e lreed into which

could ge

i it from o grown man,

ordinary Lher is warmer, after the snorwfeeb spell that southeastern Australia has had fair nearly half s. century.

THE GUARDIAN. CHARLOTTETOWN r

DREAM BIVEI. Wind-silvered wtlloyvs hedge the stream. And all within la hushed and cool.

The water, in an endless dream, Goes sliding dawn from pool to L

poo And every pool a. sapphire is, From shadowy deep to aunllt. edge. Rlbboned around with lriaes And cleft. with emerald spears of

sedge. O, every morn the winds are

led,

The sunlight fails in amber bus. O, every night the pools are filled with silver brede of shaken stars. O. every morn the sparrow flirrgs His eifin trills athwart the hush, Arid here unseen at eve there sings One cryslai-lhroated hermit-

thrush.

-—Mar_lcr1e Plckthall.

Old

Charlottetown

(And P. l. I.)

_-.-

l

In 1866 Charlottetown was visited by a great fire which destroyed nearly the whole of four blocks in Ward One. The fire broke out in a building an the east corner of King and Powrial Streets known as the Bagnall building and spread lwo blocks wide until it finally was checked before destroying thc buildlng§fronting on Great George Street. The loss was estimated at $200,000. One hundred buildings were destroyed; leaving thirty fa- milies homeless.

At this time the citizens were ex- pected lo attend fires, under the direction of the Chief Engineer rind Fire Wardens, and were compelled la work in putting the fires out. Ari old-fashioned hand engine. manned by firemen, was placed as near as could be to the burning building and between this engine and the pump a double line of citi- zens was formed facing each other. Full buckets of water were passed from the pump to the engine by one line, and the empty buckets were passed back by the other. Soon after the fire the citizens decided to procure a steam flrr: engine for Charlottetown, which cost about $5.000. It was known as the "Rollo" and was brought. here from London on the deck of one of Peake’s barques. A large part. of the money was subscribed by pri- vate persons and the balance was paid by the local government. Lu- ler a second steam fire engine, known as the "Sllsby", was im- ported from New York.

—From an article by the late Mr. Henry Smith.

Minister Qirdles Globe In Nine Days

THE FIRE OF '66

(Thomas Dunbabln)

Jules Vex-he's Phineas Fogg went round the world in 80 days on a non-stop run. John J. Dedrnon. Australia's Minister for Defence and Reconstruction has lust. done 1r In 20 days but: then he spent ten days in Britain where he rep- resented Australia (in the absence of the Prime Minister, Mr. Jos- eph B. Chifiey) at the Economic Conference in London.

‘Iilho voyage right round the globe actually f/ook Mr. Dedham l little under nine days. He whisk- ed through Montreal like o. meteor. merely taking time for lunch be- tween the B. O. A. O. plane that brought. 111m from Scotland and the T. C. A. one that took him to Vancouver But at Vancouver he had l 1-8 days before boarding the plane to cross the Pacific. His sister, Mrs. Hughes, is in Vancou- ver Just/now; her husband, n. pro- fessor at Madison, Wisconsin, 1s at is Sum-met School mere. Australia's coal strike had lust begun when Mr. Dedham left. Con- berra It may, with luck. be over soon after" his return. The Aus- . ti-aifan Government ls reported to have set Monday, August 1, u the deadline and to plan to send loops to scoop out coal from open cuts

tom's showed a net

. A Te Encourage liasaillal Talent

| . cull llliiilll!

1%? W14

mctuoe A 800K 0R Two BY CANADIAN AUTHORS lN YQuR <_,uMM€P. R€Ai>|NG...

if.

W. T. (B111) Sidweil by Brendan Macken of Montreal (now working

1n Philadelphia, U. S. A.) 1n the

singles on the opening day. Curi- ously enough it is just a chance lint Macken was not on the Aus- tralian side. Many years ago two Macken lads left. Ireland. One, Brendan's father, came to Canada, entered the service of the C. P. R. a_iid 1s an old and respected citi- zen of Montreal. The other went. to Australia where he became n leading business man in Sydney, N. S. W., a director of the big softgoods firm of Mark Fay Ltd. Australia. like Canada. exports a. very high proportion of her pro- ducts. During the 12 months end- ed on June 30, 1949, t.tie total value of Australian exports was more than 1,600,000,000 dollars - the highest ever recorded. This was well over $200 for every one of the 7,800,000 men, women and children in Australia. Of the total value of the exports wool accounted for nearly two-fifths, and wheat for is good share of the. rest. I

.-e

Wool prices were higher than they have ever been before. and probably higher than they will be 1n titre future. Wheat, too, fetch- ed high prices, now tending to decline. However the wheat far- mers have put in 13,250,000 acres of wheat this season -— the Aus- tralian wheat harvest fs reaped in November and December — or 250.000 acres more than they saw- ed last season.

Whirl, with strikes and declining prices far exports Australia may not have as large an income for the 12 man-tbs to end on June 30. 1950. as for the previous per- iod. Experts put the national ine come for that 12 months at. $93.-

200,000,000. Prosperity, as hands

Bacon said, is not without many fears and dlstastes. Australia has had is word of comfort. however. from a United States observer, A. Cooper. manager of the Australian edition of Reader's Digest, who re- cently remarked in New York:- “Aastrislia is destined to become the greatest industrial centre of the Pacific."

COAL MINES SHOW PROFIT

LONDON, July 26—(AP)—Brl. nationalized coal mines profit of £7,272,983 ($29,091,932) for the first quarter of

1949. The profit for the last three

months of 1948 was £4,506,655. At the same time, the National Coal

Board, which runs the mines, said

in its quarterly statistical state-

ment that it finished up the quar-

ter with a surplus of £3,832,650.

if the crisis la not over men. According to the Minister for Supply, Senator Ashley, it 1a pos- albie to get 56,000 tons of ooal a week from open cubs. ‘This would keep up riiinimum supplies of gas and electricity in New South Wales. However, it would take a, little time to reach the output of 56,000 tons. ' ' Things are a little cooler for the "‘ because the IQ-

Heavy snowfalls continued for three days in the tsbleiond coun- try of New South Wales. Snow drifts temporarily blocked road traffic in many places. It does not, of course, take nearly as much snow to block o road in Australia as it does In Canada -

The greatest. snowstorm recorded in New South Wales extended from July I to July ‘i, 1001 ‘I110 reli- wnys were blocked over a wide area of the upland country, with the mow aver tile.i-o.lh' tn drifts as deep as eight feet. In some cases trains wore marooned; the passengers tied to slay In the eer- rloges tli_l the storm was over. In Settiurst, Mr. Oliitiey‘: home sown. many roofs end versadnlis collap- sed under thawtlgtit of snow.

ayoney. the capitol of New South Wales, hos lied two felleot snow in its ioi you-o of history ‘Itia snowstorm of Jane 90, 1N9, gsve inshore ea ii mow so moire o. few II

Unite moot Australians 1k. Dedmunslaosbyblrtlnlsnoto tennis fen. ' oldie hours more to aatreoi and eielit furor 1a Vancouver - so the tlrree Amtnlia dfldli with lslns did- he could have seen the third day's

Ilelurrr. lliou bockslldliig Israel! aallh the Lord, and I will not

osiise Mine anger to fell upon you. Return. yo booliallillng children;

and l lviii lioal your boeksllillng.

The lfore 0f

‘l. It. llaaltlomn 98in

will be closed from Jilly Iltli to fills Inclusive

"They Never Come Back"

(Montreal Star)

What could be clearer proof of the bankruptcy of Nationalist China than this lust desperate effort of Chiang Kai-shek to re- establish himself? He is back on the job at Canton, trying to build a new Council of his party, the Kuomlntang. It. would have been better if he had stayed on For- mosii.

The sands ran out for Chlang Kfll-SIlEk long ago. He was years ago the hope of China. He had the merit too of seeing clearly the reality of the threat of Commun- ism. But for along time now it has been evident that he no longer held any effective hold upon the people. He did not reform his party or keep it abreast of the times. He fell into the hands of a selfish, corrupt and rgactionnry clique and finally his armies, when he put them in the field, refused to fight. All this ls on the record. together with the repeated worn- lngs from the powers that. stood ready to assist him.

Now, with North China ln the firm grip of the Communists, the best the old gang can do is to pre- sent itself as n rallying-point for the masses of the people. The old faces are still there. their records by no means forgotten.