THE GUARDIAN

“Covers Prince Edward laIand‘Llke the Dew‘

Published every week-day morning at I36 Prince Stiect. Charlottetown. P. E. I., by The Thomson Company Limited.

Editor and Manager. Ian A. Burnett Asuociate Editor, Frank Walker.

Rranrh offices at Summerside. .\liii-rtnn. Authorized as Second Class the Post Office Department. Ottawa;

By Caniei: Charlottetown. Summerside $15.00 per annum. Elsewhere in P E. l. 89.00. Other Prov- inces and U. S. A. $12.00 per annum.

and by

Montague Mail

aha strongest meiuor-y-Is—weakai than _ the weakest Ink."

'"’—i§iinEiifii?lp‘aiities

While I-‘arliamcnt is engaged in lifting taxes on fire-fighting, road-building and road-cleaning equipment purchased by municipalities in Government spokesman. Mr. \\'illiam Benidickson, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance. de- clares that the Government cannot be ex- pected to exempt municipalities from excise and sales taxes generally while five Prov- inces decline to do 50.

Two blacks, however, do not make a white. It is local taxpayers‘ money which is spent by municipalities and it seems highly unreasonable that a substantial por- tion of it should go into the Federal treas- ury. A good case can be made for doing away with all Government privileges in the matter of freedom from taxation. Such a move would be very nuich to tho advant- age of municipalities which could then levy taxes at full rates on property owned by Federal and Provincial Governments and their numerous (‘rown corporations.

There is, perhaps, sound policy behind the argument that the difficulty of dealing with claims for exemption from the indi- rect taxes outweighs the benefits which might be expected. As Mr. Benidickson points out Federal Departments frequently pay the tax rather than go to the trouble of getting the credits to which they are entitled. In such cases it would be R ques- tion of taking it out of one pocket and put- ting it in another anyway.

To those responsible for municipal fl- nance, however, it is much mole than it matter of book-keeping. They have to col- lect the necessary revenue from a very limited group and to turn around and hand the money over to the whole taxpaying body of the nation is a very real transac- tion indeed.

"For conscience Sake"

Whether or not the United Nations Organization has done anything to improve relations among the big Powers, it certain- ly has given the smaller ones a new feeling of importance. Time was when a small and weak nation could not hope to be asked to express an opinion on matters of world concern; on the very rare occasions when their representatives did appear in inter- national conferences they were seen and not heard. Now, they have a right to speak up with the best. of them. Not that anything they might say would be likely to carry much weight for. of course, influ- ence is still related to power; but the fact. that they have the right to speak their minds indicates a new departure in world politics.

The new situation is supported b_v ii re- port from Geneva conveying the informa- tion that delegates from all the nations rep- resented. except those from Luxembourg, had expressed their views on the Korean problem. The delegates who did not speak considered, no doubt, that they were help- ing to save time, since nothing they might have said would have had mifch force in the Conference: in that they were probably right. At the same time it seems a pity that the Luxembourgers kept silent, even from good words. Certainly, their opinions would have been no less forceful than those of some of the delegates who did speak: for that matter. even the most powerful voices do not appear to be getting very far with their arguments. Then, too, since “the race is not always for the swift nor the battle to the strong," it is just possible that little Luxembourg might have it thought which, it put into words, would act as ii soothing touch to the fears and alarms of the nations. Anyway, a right that has been given recognition after many cen- turies of neglect deserves to ‘be used, if

only "for conscience sake."

A Sutlstldan on Fsriiiliig

One difficulty facing agriculture is the fact that farm prices are more flexible than farm costs. and while the former are going down, the latter are still rising. The Rural Scene reports some of the findings of Hart Buck. statistician for the Bank

of Toronto, which throw light on the hi-i-nei-‘s plight. ‘ Looking back to the times of the

. beflnds that the tanning of days produced a very meager living fill‘ the fin-nier and his family, and at-

much less security than is

‘ c_:-ediieil to it. In those days firm production per man was so small so per cent of the work- - to product suchthlngs as

the people got from the farms.

This meant that only one man in ten was available to produce other things the people needed. It also meant that there was a very small market in which the farmers could hope to sell their surplus products.

All this added up to a life of scarcity for everybody. Today the shoe is on the other foot. It now requires only 10 per cent of the working force to operate our farms, and they produce all the food the population needs, with substantial quanti- ties over for export.

This leaves 90 per cent of the popula- tion free to engage in the production of other things the people want; and the wants of the people are increasing as fast as their ability to supply them. It also means that the farmers have many times the number of people to whom they can sell their products.

The net result of these changes has been to make the consuming public the master of the economy. Everybody is now striving to please the consumers; and by their shopping around the consumers are keeping the producers up on their toes. Today the farmers‘ problem is much the

same as the problem of the wage earners _ They are

and that of the business man. all working to get the best returns they can for whatever they have to sell.

Constant improvement in technique and equipment and in the quality and at- tractiveness of the products are the means by which success is attained.

In this struggle the farmers have had invaluable assistance from science and engineering. Better understanding of the proper treatment of the soil, improved varieties of plants, better method of com- bating plant diseases and insect pests, bet- ter understanding of the breeding and feeding of livestock. better storage and transportation facilities have all contribut- ed to the farmers’ ability to compete for the consumers’ business.

EDITORIAL NOTES

Nova Scotia will be starting an Intens- ive "Buy Coal" campaign next month. That Province is sitting on top of vast wealth in the form of coal, but that means little unless it can be economically extractcil and effectively sold.

0 O I

Hotel keepers in Llanelly. Wales, have decided to hold their‘ annual dinner in an- other town because their own prices are too. high. Presumably the hotel keepers elsewhere find business good enough to be able to afford to come to Llanelly.

O O O

Ottawa's Mayor Charlotte Wit.ton put the capital's Board of Control into robes, but sees no useful purpose in continuing to provide dress uniforms for firemen. The danger of fire. has been brought nome pain- fully to her, however, by a (‘.0l.lll('IIIOl‘ who burned her nose with a cigarette.

I O I

That. Canada buys about as many table stock potatoes from the United States as we sell was an important point made by Agriculture Minister Gardiner at a potato festival in North Carolina. We sell far more seed potatoes, of course. which en- able American farmers to maintain the high quality of their product.

0 O O

Revelations in Australia indicate that Russian recruiting methods have changed. From seeking out. those emotionally or thoughtfully sympathetic to the Communist. cause, the Reds have turned to blackmail to compel compliance with their demands for information.

O O Q

Summerside High School will require eight classrooms more than are properly available when the next term opens, ac- cording to Supervisor Clarence Mercer. That. however, is probably far less than the space that will be needed in the years to come when the large numbers now in the primary grades reach high school age.

I O O

The present Parliament has really rev- olutionized banking in this country. Hav- ing made mortgage loans permissible, the Commons banking committee has now ap- proved bank lending on the security of chattel mortgages, introducing personal and household goods as collateral for the first time.

0 O U

The Marquis de La Fayette, French general and politician, died this date 1834. At the. age of 20 he went to America to aid the colonists and distinguished himself at the side of Washington. especially at the- defence of Virginia and the battle of Yorktown. Returning to France to take his seat in the Assembly of Notables, he demanded the convocation of the States- Genernl, thus becoming a leader of the French Revolution. He was unpopular with extremists on both sides. When col- onel-generiil of the new National Guard he proposed the combination of colours which ,hecame the tricolour cockade of

France.

‘$-

§..L/r-rte‘

PUBLIC FORUM

this column is open to the discussion by l'iIl'|’€§|Il)IllIl"u‘.1 of questions of Interest. The Guardian ilnes nut necessar- ily endorse the opinion of w. respondents.

POTATO MARKETING BOARD

sir,—I attended a meeting of the so-called Potato Board Tuesday nlslll It Prince of Walcs College. I listened to Mr. D. A. MacDonald tell the benefits that. the producer has received from the Potato Board. I also heard Mr. Smlcs tell the other side of the siozgv, and I am fully convinced this Potato Board is ii failure for several reas- ons. First of all I would like to ask Mr. MacDonald who he calls the growers. Do seven thousand who _lClnPd the Potato Board rep- resent P. E.I? If only those. who bought. licence are allowed to vote on this plebiscite the rest. of the growers in the Province have been given a raw deal. And I will say right now it looks like if we grow- ers have no say In our country. Where is our litathcson Go\crn- ment today? Is ll going to stand by and see our active farmers who earn their bread by the scent of their brow be handed out this kind of treatment. by white collared farmers who are operating the. Po. tsto Marketing Board and also are trying to get is Turnip and a Cat. tle Marketing Board. They have become as numerous as the foxes that the Government was obliged to put I bounty on to have de- .<lroycd. If not. checked .-it once they will do far more damage to us nnancially than the fox. Let. me tell you the benefits that my son and l have rrcczved from the. hands of the Potato Market- ing Board since 1952 to 1954. In the winter of '53 we had quite ii lot. of Scbago pozalois to ship. We could have sold them around $165 or 81.70 for '15 lb.. bag but the Board would not allow our buyer to buy at that price. as I think the Board had the price set at 51.80 per bag. The results was we sold them late that Spring for less than we per bag which was quite a loss. I have no vote as I never got I licence, having shipped my pota- toes In July before. the Board was operating. I asked Mr. D. A, Mac- Donald s question Tuesday night: if I secure a licence at the present time and the Potato Board is de- feated on the plebiscite, what will you do with th.s monex? He said, 1 cannot answer that question. I am. Sir. etc.,

J. LEO PRAUGHT. Cherry Valley, P. E. Island.

7oe&'61/wz

I mnrvcl at the majesty of trees, Roots in the soil, branches that sweep the sky. Their tapering trunks stout pillars soaring high, silence breathing arcane mysteries: when stirred in sound by dawn of evening breeu, They mark the rhythms that crowd

Their

in and die

Among their boiighs, grow iitlll again and lie

Quiescrnl, waiting for new har- monies.

They sanctuary robins. fling nu‘ limbs As bultresses to give aspiring

poise: They furnish shade and Palealrlna

hymn!

For weak, wiiyfsrlng mortals. check the mine

of thunderstorms. and when the

storms in done Bring close the great rose window of the sun.

—WiIbert Snow. ‘rao'i‘.'i;iT:”s.o~v7 DUNCAN. II. C. tCP) — Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Down‘ .York- shire now produced 21 piglets in her fourth litter. after a previous total of II. Five of the new off-

me: if mam.

Defence Measure

I NOTES BY

From Syria comes word that newspaper editors \\'Im collabor- ated with the deposed Shishekly governnicnt will be punished. Surely with some recommendation for clemency for those who had his name spelled right in the early editions. — Hamilton Spectator.

It is appalling to know that more than 50,000 people are sent to jail in Ontario every year and that the majority are "repeaters." Part of that burden could he re- moved if payment of fines by in- slallmcnls were introduced so that men could continue. at thcir work and provide for their families at the same time. instead of perhaps losing their jobs altogether. St. Thomas Times-Journal.

A 2.‘!-year-ivld man In Windsor. Onl,. has been sentenced in three years in the penitentiary for hold- ing up a cigar merchant at the point of a toy pistol and making off with $101. The magistrate who sentenced him said the fact the gun was a toy made no differ- ence. Pcrllaps not. legally speak- ing. but it might make some dif- ference to the man held up who- ther thc gun pointed at him was loaded with bullrts or was A wa- ter pistol. -—- Sydney Post-Rec- ord.

Wisconsin loads the entire na- tion in the number of communi- ties using fluorides in drinking water to prevent tooth decay in children ~ '10 percent of Wiscon- sin residents have been getting fluni'idcs in their water. Shcbny- Enn. one of the first three cities in the country in rifld fluorides to its drinking water. has just completed its eight annual check on the results of fluoridation. It reports that. the number of miss- inR- decayed and filled teeth a- mong scnior kindergarten pupils has dropped from 4.8 per cent to 1.78. — Millwaukce Journal.

Hollywood beauty cxpi-rt iiays a new type of girl is making her appearance. The healthy. sun- tnnncd lass Is giving way to the gontle, languid lady. They are curious, these feminine cycles of fashion. is there a built-in urge in womcnfolk to make themselves over every so often. just as they move the furniture around in the house? Or is it because. sheep. like, they want to follow every so-called fashion set by every so. called expert? Fortunately, how. ever, this remodeling is only ii surface job. Women can change their nppcarancc. their styles and perhaps even some of their cus- toms. But they can't change them- selves. Their inherent character- istics have remained constant (In\\‘n ‘through the ages. and per. hops it's just as well. —- Windsor Daily Star:

It is customary in place 1 high. er premium on the service of j‘ dc. partment head than his assistant. He is the man who must nssumc all responsibility for decisions and expenditures. The smooth work. ml! of any department depends on the administrative ability of the men chosen to head it and 1: 1, from_ him that advice mugt cmm. !" Ildlns committees and council ]" d'’'~N’mlhil1R ‘policy. Because it is in natural trait for people in .11 walks of life to seek to better their financial condition, it is to be

THE WAY

unwise in setting the board of works top salaries in close prox- .mily thus setting their seal of approval on a narrow margin be- tween payments to a department ‘read and his assistant. —- Moncton Transcript.

The Maritime: feel. and one can lndersiand the sentiment. that ‘.hey are like employes who have mild long ago into a pension plan but are to receive less benefit .han newcomers. Canada is a dominion of 10 provinces. If only wix or seven are to prosper there is no prosperity in the whole. A mdy cannot be healthy when some uf its members are lagging in rirculation. Anything that is done in help these members is for the gnnd of the body as a whole. When New Brunswick and Nova Scotia became two of the four provinces composing Confederation they al- ready had flourishing industries. especially that of shipping. and ‘.hey enjoyed a considerable ex- iort business. The seaboard prov- nccs. compared to the Two Can- ndas, were \vcll nff. Now, the illllalllill is reversed. -— Sher. Jrookc Record.

A second-Hand book store is not a normal setting for g, 1”. son in economics. This is the re- port of an exception. We found on a shelf A copy of a translation if Xenophon's "Anabasis." It was marked to sell for if. dollar. and we noted on the fly-leaf that this was precisely the price asked when published new by Harper in N69. English t.ran.xliitions of “Anabaisis" are by no means rare. and the book itself seemed to have no special _dlatIncl.lon as s collector's item. "Why no depreciation in 65 years?" we asked the proprietor. "Oh, that‘: beeen considered". he :xplalni:d. "The same book today would cost $3 new. You're get.- .lng this at a third the price." The book's still there. But. we may buy .t. yet as a curiosity. Maybe it's ;he lost firm link between the dol- lar of 1889 and that. of 1954.—l"i-om Portland Oregonian.

I

Old Charlottetown

And I’. I. 1.

“UNDER THE TABLE"

From the reports of the House )f Assembly. March 20, 1828.

Mr. Nelson moved for leave to -

bring in a petition from certain inhabitants of this Island. stating the great inconvenience arising from the want of a Bridge across the Hillsborough River at Mount Stewart Ferry, and recommend- ing that said Bridge be erected at the Ferry. Leave being grant- ed. the said petition was read.

Mr. Mabey moved. that the [lid )etition be thrown under the table. this House having. last ses- sion. come to a determination on ‘he I"JbIect- The question being ml. the Home divided:

For the motion: Mr. Mabey, Mr. Cambridge. Mr. Bearlalo. Mr. Dockendorff. Mr. Montgomery, '.he Attorney General, Mr. Camp. bell. Against it: Mr. Nelson, Mr, Coffin. Mr. Hyde, Mr. Owen. Mi-. Jardine.

The carried.

motion was accordingly

feared tli_s_t the city council was

spring were given to ano.her low

to rain.

WITH A WATGII

Plmo Tho Graduate

I-‘film

VlEI.I.IlE|I'S

Jomlm

Sim 1008

' called

The Guardian

A’l’a_';e 4

7

Thundny. May 30. 1954

%<

The Passing Scene

I: uburvar “SEDUCTION or '1'!!! lNNOCEN’l"'

Not before it is time it is being slowly recognized that the so- “comlc" book present: I serious social problem to modern society. This is not to suggest. that every child who reads the "funny" papers is on the broad road to de- llnquenc. As a matter of fact. some of the syndicated strips which appear in newspapers are of considerable psychological val- ue; a few of them have real liter- ary merit. Those reformers who advocate the doing away with all comics are unreasonable; the ef- fect of such 3. drutlc measure would be to take away from child- ren-—-and many adults as well- sumethlng bright and cheerful which they need.

The real villain is not the bona- flde comic book at all butl the crime story which nu been inu- quei-adlng so long in "comic" dress that. against all reason and, cer- tainly, against all humour. it has stolen a virtual monopoly of the name.

0 O C

Amid all the talk concerning the alleged effect of comic books and. pictures on the minds and man- ners of children. it is refreshing to read I reasoned. dlspasslonate. and authoritative treatise on the subject written 'by Dr. Frederick Werthnm and published recently by Rlnehsrt and 00. It is quite a large book and in places it wan- ders off into the broad fields of psychiatry which are unfamiliar to the average reader; but. it is full of information and interest for psrents and others who have di- rect. . ““Iify for child train- ing. It is called “seduction Of The Innocent." Perhaps the most. amazing thing that one discovers from Dr. wer- thsm'a statistics is the rapid prop- agation of crime and violence books and pictures in very recent years. At. the end of the Second World war only one-tenth of all comics were devoted to crime. [By 1949 over half of them were in that category. Now. crime domin- ates the vast. majority, the figure being approximately nine-tenths. This, in itself. is I. shocking in- dictment. of mid-20th century so- ciety and an admission of weak- ness on the part of our social in- stltutiom. It, with all the] social agencies that are working in the field of child welfare. all the in- creased library facilities. with spec- ial attention to children's needs and capabilities. and all the finan- cial aid given by governments for the purchase of books land other school supplies. we have gone from one—tent.h to approximately nine- tenths in pressure of crime and violence on young minda in A short period of ten years. .we may well ask whether our civilization is in fact. worth saving from the hydrogen bomb.