PAGE FOURTEEN

Ishbel Studies Roosevelt Knitting“

Ishhel MacDonald, daughter of hem interest in the knitting which Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt works on

between times. Washington newspapermen at the

i

_._. ‘J the British prime minister, shows

This photo was snapped at a press conference with

White House, April 22.

TARIFF TRIHZE;

MAYBE

AARRANHED

'A Franco - American Tariff Truce May Be Arranged Prior to .W o r 1 d Economic Conference.

WASHINGTON, April 27-—(A.P.) —Edmiard Herriott ma a press conference tonight that a Franco- American tariff truce may soon be arranged.

This truce would cover at least the period between now and June l2, the date for convening of the World Hones-lie and Monetary conference.

Proposals for such a truce, which would eliminate any possible sn- creases ln tariffs of the two coun- tries for the period affected, have been studied during the Washing- ton talks and will be examined further, the French delegate as- eerted.

Fresident Iiranklin D. Roosevelt pushed forward his campaign for World ent and ncmic stalzilimtion today with the Can- adian and French spokesmen, shelving temporarily the subect of war debts, with a hint of general revision after the London parley 1n June.

Willingness on the part oi the Roosevelt administration to con- sider debts relief after the Econom- ic Conference was indicated at the White House, but it was empha- sized no deibt plan has yet been proposed to the foreign emlssarles.

Mr. Roosevelt apparently intends to consider this situation after he concludes his search for formulae: for economic restoration and dis- armament ln the pending foreign negotiations.

with Prime minister Bennett of Oanldwhc began today t!!! “tib- llshment of his “good nclibbi?!" policy with attention focusing on jrovement of trade relations, probe/lily through reciprocal tariff agreements.

In this connection, Secretary I-Iull of the Btete Department voic- ad the hope to newrpauermen w- day of a world truce on national tariff wall building until the con- clusion of the Economic Confer- ence. He believed this truce might be put. into effect by Bflturdav

when the conference organizing committee assembles in London.

Concluding his first talk with the Canadian Prime Minister after lunch, the rs sident plunged imme- diately into a third conference with M. Herriot of France.

‘libs French Ambassador and Under-Secretary of Slate Philips again accompanied M. Herriot to the White lfouw for this effer-

, noon's meeting and once more it

was understood a programme for Itisarnlament involving United States participation in some form of consultative pact in event oi aggression was up for considera- tlon.

Mr. Roosevelt ls standing by the pronouncements made to the (len- eva. Arm ‘ Conference- by his ,. ‘ ‘ Ambassador, Norman Davis. promising action by the United

f

States in this direction. Security has been insisted upon by the French as a part of disarmament.

Moreover, it appears certain Brit- ain is in the disarmament drive with the United States.

In addition to a consultatwe pact, Mr. Roosevelt l... reponml to ue looking for CfSliiilliillllltlli. u! un in- ternational c gzuizatlon to super- vise disarmammt.

Tomorrow morning, M. Herrlot returns to the White House for a final talk with the President before departing for Paris. The-n in all probability, Mr. Roosevelt will go over the war debts issue with him As in the case of Prime Minister MacDonald it is not expected he will enter ary agreement but rather discuss the situation and in- dicate the extent to which he will go on debts.

leaving the White House after nearly three hours conference with President Roosevelt, M. Herriot expressed himself as greatly pleas- ed with the results achieved up to the present.

“We are making enormous pro- gress," he sold in answer to a question. “Within the framework of President Roosevelt's cordiality I think we are accomplishing great things in preparation for the World Conference."

VANCOUVER-BORN CHINESE WOMAN BACK IN CANADA

VANCOUVER, April 25-(GP.)— Daughter of a once noted figure in Vancouver's Chinese commun- ity, Mm. Chik-Wai-Leung, B. A.,

M. A., has returned to her birth- place, Vancouver. Appointed edu- 'cational commissioner by the Can- ton munlclpal government, she will make a six-months‘ study of edu- cational developments in Canada and the United States. lvirs. Chlk-Wai-Lcung was born |and raised in Vancouver. Known as Susan Yip Sang, she was educated in this city's public schools before finishing at McGill and Columbia Universities. Now cite is principal of the First Provincial GlrYs middle School at Canton, in charge of 500 students.

Taller than the average Chinese

woman, Mrs. chik-Wa-l-louvg is a fascinating mixture of Orient and Occldent. Her dress of heavy bro- caded silk follows the high-neck sheath siylc of the modem Chinese but her hip-length jaoquctte is de- cidedly western. Though she spends most of her day on a full-time job, she yet has time to supervise her four children and her home.

Mrs. Chik-Wal-Leung will spend six months '.n North America study- ing education developments in many cities. she will attend the World's Fair at Chicago as an un- official representative of the Can- ton government. She is particular- ly interested in the vocational de- ‘velopurents of home economics courses in western schools and in the nursery schools for children in some United states centres. Canton is thoroughly up-to-dato in obtaining information concern- ing new developments in education she said. Forecasting a gfgantlc education plan for Chiba, she stat- ed 40,000,000 children will bbe pro- vided four years’ schooling at a cost of ti,i27,000,000. Within the nextsimyesrlathe mass. education programme is expected to train 135,000 teachers.

In Parliament

In view of misstatements in the 1.. bersl press with regard to thc vote of $679,550 for radio service, asked for in Parliament last week, we quote the following verba. til-n discussion on the subject from the Hansard reports. The explgng. tion given by Premier Bennett clearly shows the misleading nature of the criticism of alleged extrav- Bkflllce on the Government's part in this connection:

SUPPLY Department of Marine

The house in committee of supply, Mr. Barber in the chair.

Radio service, to provide for the construction and maintenance of radio ship to shore stations and the general administration of the provisions of the Radio Act and regulations throughout the dominion, $679,550.

Mr. MACKENZIE Carried.

Mr. YOUNG (Liberal, Weymouth Sask): N0. it is not carried.

(Vancouver) :

Mr. McINTOSH: You are not through broadcasting.

Mr. YOUNG: I should like to read from a speech made by the Prime

Minister on May l8 last year, as it appears at page 3036 of Hansard. Speaking of thc license fees and the moneys to be expended by the raulo commission, he said:

We therefore in this measure for _ the present have provided that

capital expenditures and all ex- penditures stroll be within the in- wme derived from the license fees. That is, if there are 500,000 li- censes at $2 per license, the com- mission would have an income of $l.000,000,_ which sum would not be more than expended by the commission in any one year.

The impression left upon the house at the time was that no mon- ey would be expended on radio broadcasting or any public service connected therewith, except that which was collected in license fees. It now appears from the estimates for this year that the radio com- mission are asking permission to spend a million dollars on broad- casting, or whatever they are doing. But here is another item not charg- 1 ed to the radio commission. The sum of $280,400 for broadcasting improvement is charged to a depart- ment oi government. That is to say, the commission being held down to an agreed sum, that is, not being allowed to spend any more than the licence fees, other expenditures which it is desired to make in con- nection with the some service can be made by a. department of gov- ernment. It seems to me that is breaking the spirit, if not the letter, of the act.

Let us see what the position is. Before the radio commlslson was set up the license fee was only one dol- lar. All oi that dollar went into the public treasury. Out of the amount which went into the Public revenue the sum of $280,400 was taken out for certain services in connection with radio, as outlined in item 140. The balance of the fees, something like half a. million dollars, was left in the public treasury to case thc burdens of the taxpayers. The ll- cense fee has now been doubled. Two dollars goes into the treasury, and all of it is turned over to the radio commission. In addition to that, $280,400 can be taken out of the treasury to do the work that was being paid for by the licences. The result is that whatever the rev- enuc from the dollar licence amoun- ted to, if as the Prime Minister says there are 770,000 radios in this coun- try it means that $770,000 that would have been paid into the treasury and made available for this public service is now diverted to radio and therefore has to be replaced out. of the pockets of the taxpayers. So I saw that this method of doing things is actually taking out of the pockets of the people some $700,000, and breaking the letter if not the spirit of the act.

Mr. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, I gladly avail myself of this oppor- tunity to make a statement with respect to the policy oi the govern- ment in connection with radio broadcasting. This house unanim- ously decided-

Mr. Young: No.

Mr. BENNETT: This house un- animously decided-

Mr. YOUNG: No, I voted against it k '

Last Week Re-

veals Misleading Nature Of Opposition Criticism.

agreement, but that only tends to show how great thc unanimity was. This house, with a single exception ihcu, expressed its view that radio broadcestins in Canada should be a public utility. A commission invest- igated the matter at. some length. The conunissloir made a report. The report was unanimous. It was adop. led by the House of Commons. The hon. membe for Weybum (My, Young) says he was opposed to it; I recall that he was. A bill giving effect to the recommendation was introduced. It passed this house without division. That bill provided that radio service in Canada should be a publicly owned utility. A con- tract was mode by the parligmgnt of Canada by statute with radio us- ers in Canada that the $2 licence fee collected from them should be used for tie purpose of providing them with radio service. There is there- fore outstanding in Canada today a contract by which this parliament undertook that we would collect from licensees at the rate of $2 per licence certain sums of money to be held in trust and utilized for the purpose of radio broadcasting, sup- plying radio service. Now, the at- tacks that have been made are be- 1113 made for the purpose of des- troying this publlcly owned service.

Mil’. YOUNG: N0.

Mr. BENNETT: The pc-pl..- who are desirous of destroying it are not numerous, but they are very vocal, and their influence is painfully sp- parent in many places. The efiect upon other countries on this contin- ent of establishing in this country publicly owned radio service will be very great. The opposition to our system is not limited to Canada. Those who are assisting in the op- position to the public ownership of this service are aiding and abetting the private ownership of what in my judgment cannot, in a new country, with the great extensions of knowledge being made from year to year, be properly committed to a private interest.

Licence Fees

The money about which the hon. member for Weyburn speaks is therefore money collected from li- censees for the purpose of providing radio service. Under Oh!’ constitu- tion that money is paid into the consolidated revenue fund, but it is earmarked as a trust fund for the purpose mentioned in the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Act, i932. The duty of the government is to make available to that oommislson the money that is collected for the pur- pose mentloned in the statute. To do that an estimate has to be sub- mitted to this parliament. In a sense it is a pro formaestimstc, for under the statute of last year it. is money in trust for the development of the radio service; not to be used for any purpose you may please, but to be used for just one purpose, the providing of radio service for the Canadian people. Unfortunately - and the government must take the responsibility for lt-when the es- timate was printed it was not. made clear that this was merely releasing to the commission“ the money thus collected. Had it stated, as it should have stated, and I must assume the responsibility for its not being done. that this money was merely being released for the purposes for which parliament had declared it should be used, there never would have been any difficulty about it.

scones Missm-rmm-r

Mr. Yotma: Does that apply to this item of $280,400?

Mr. nszuunfri 1 am coming m that. There has gone throughout the country a statement that the Canadian people in these days of grim adversity are voting a million dollars for radio. That is not cor- rect. What harhappened is that a limited number of Canadians have provided at the rate of $2 per ii- oence a sum much incxcess of a million dollars-to be exact, up to the moment ti.400.000-—fcr this ser- vice. A million dollars oi it. is con- tained in that item. and I think the criticism of the hon. member for Weybiilfl, that it is not clear that the cflssusYheeusjar-y to maintain

that ‘service should come from this

amount. has not been established. Nevertheless that money that ls necessary,‘ whatever sum, is for two

purposes: first, to provide a service-

1 propose to have ‘submitted to this house next week ahresolution pro- yqqlnilepf-siae-purchase by-the radio

‘Mr. BENNETT: ‘The hon. gentle-

commlsslon oi the Canadian Nation- man may have expressed his dis- al Railways radio ‘plant. The plant

Answers (lriticism On Expenditure F01“. Radio . Broadcasting

Statement Of Premier Bennett

is being bought for the sum of $50.- 000, if I remember arlght. Of course. it cost a good deal more than that, but as it was a. branch of a govern- ment owned railway the railway of- ficials expressed the view that it should be placed in the hands of the commission. The engineers agreed upon the price, but as the statute says this purchase could be made only with the approval of parlia- ment, lt is proposed that a resolu- tion shall be presented to this house and to the Senate of Canada in or- der that parliament mayexpress its approval of the purchase of these facilities for the sum I have men- tioned. .

This item, in the words in which it now stands, is to provide for the improvement of reception service, doing away with interference in connection therewith. In my judg- ment the sum will have to be de- ducted from the licence fees that are paid into the consolidated rev- enue fund, because it is a part. of the maintenance of the service.

Mr. YOUNG: That is good. Coastal Bulio Service

Mr. BENNETT: The other item. as the hon.- gentleman properly points out, has reference to the maintenance of our safety radio stations on the coast lines of the At- lautic and Pacific oceansl-It invol- ves a large sum of money. [Once more it is the old story: when some newspaper editor, with a. wider knowledge of Canadian conditions than members of this parliament or this government undertakes to ex- pose the wasteful use of public mon- eys in connection with radio, he is talking about something with res- pect to which he knows absolutely nothing; for as I have tried to make clear to this house,-a.nd every hon. gentleman can take the statute and look at it for himself,-the money is money paid under a trust for pro- viding radio for the Canadian peo- ple. '

There is another item. dealing with ship to shore stations and di- rection finding and the safety of life and ships coming into our ports. Why are we spending this money? Well, Canada must do one of twc things: either expect marine insur- once rates to be doubled, or maln- tain radio stations for the purpose oi enabling ships to determine their position by radio and to maintain in fog and storm constant com- munication between ship and shore and ship and ship in order that there may be safety for all who go down to the sea in ships, passengers and crew.

Ill-timed Criticism

,'I‘hcre are a number of such items.

‘Ibis affords one an opportunity to say that, owing to the fact. that we have longgcoast lines, we are com- pelled to spend literally millions of dollars in bearing our share of the international obligations that rest upon all maritime peoples; to main- tain light servicmmuoys, aids to navigation, direction finding sta- tions, fog horns, everything that goes to make for safety of ships, alike for passengers and crews. When one reads ill-considered state- ments as to why we should pare down this or that estimate I can only say that I could go through our estimates and show how little really is under the control of any government in these times, how slight is our control with respect to these items. I received a letter yes- terday, I think, asking why the membe s of parliament do riot cut down their indemnitles by $1,000 and why the cabinet ministers do not cut. down their stipends by t3,- 000 or $4,000. Every service is to be cut except the service in which the individual is directly interested; there must be no cut in that. It am not going to do more than say that if you take estimates and ask your- selves on what one item you could expend less money than this govern- ment is asking for, all you have to do to answer the question is to in- vestigate the character of the ser- vice rendered.

Bo far as this particular item is concerned the Canadian people have made a choice between the privately owned and the publicly owned en- tarprise. Having concluded that we are going to own our own radio ser- vice we must have patience to see that, in the face of great difficulty and oppisition, and a, very earnest desire an the part of those opposed to tho principle to destroy it before it is well born, it gets a fairchsnce. A m: ensues mcsni that. the mon- ey which a‘ limited number cf the Canadian people have paid for radio service, which money is paid into the consolidated revenues of the country earn-lurked as a trust fund for a particular purpose, which we mast vote ln-ordec-tc rsieaaeit and.

msbe it available for that purpose, shall be used so that every encour-

agement is given the enterprise which we brought into being un- animously-mardon me, with a sin- gle exception, the hon. member for Weyburn-so that it may grow up and’ become a real, virile Canadian industry.

m. Young satisfied

Mr. YOUNG: I am quite satisfied with the explanation given with re- gard to the item for $079,000, it is quite reasonable. I am also glad to know that this item of 0280.400 is to be charged against the funds avail- able to the commission and made up of the licence fees collected. There is one statement, however, in connection with which I should like a little further information. I un- derstood the Prime Minister to say that there was a contract between the government of Canada, or the radio commission, and the licence holders, and that it was a part of that contract that the licence fee should he t2. Is that correct?

Mr. BENNETT: No, I said the fee was fixed at $2. The hon. gen- tleman will remember thatit was so stated by the minister last year when his estimates were under con- sideration. The contract is that the money derived from licence fees should be utilized for the purpose

Sold throughout the ltlarltlmes

Mystery Man Lonely Despite Vast Riches

of providing a radio service in ac- cordance wlth the terms of the act i passed last session. In my judg-' ment that is a statutory trust be- tween this parliament and those who pay their money for licences.

Mr. YOUNG: There is no assur- ance thet the licence fee will not be varied from time to time?

Mr. BENNETT: No, I think that is a matter of regulation.

Mr. MacLEAN: I should like to ask the minister if he has taken up with the commission the idea of broadcasting to ships on the Atlan- tic coast, in the way broadcasting is being carried on in the west. At the

LONDON, April TF-Visitors from Monte Carlo tell about an old man who is assisted each day into a palatial automobile, taken on a brief drive in the nearby districts, and then is brought back to his ho- tel. This is just a bit of routine, but it composes a perfect setting for the withered, tired face of the man within the limousine.