‘l PJIGE FOUR

PHE GUARDIAN,‘

UHARLU'I'I'E'I‘UW N

A .

‘BER l8. 1949

THE GUARDIAN

Morning Daily (Founded Ia ilifi) Auliinriud in Second Claaa Mall. POI! 09"" ilenannivnt, Ottawa.

Tiie Inland Guardian Publishing Co. ldllnr llIllI Managing Irina-tar, J. R. Ilnrnoil. Associate Editor, Frank Waller.

‘ I "The st. ,

f Memory is Weaker Than the Weakest lnk“

t CI-IARLOTTETOWN, "FRIDAY, OCT. 28, I940

Rent tlontrol Issue

A matter of grave concern to the Fed- eration of Canadian Mayors and Munici- palities as expressed in a recent communi- cation to the Dominion Government, are the persistent reports of the intention at Ot- tawa to remove all rent controls in March. 1950. 'l‘liis, in the Federations opinion. would be a catastrophic step, affecting thousands of families throughout the coun- try, more particularly in centres where large housing shortages prevail. Until the defici- encies in the national housing programme are rectified, they argue that it would be a

I dereliction of responsibility for the Federal i : Government to withdraw from the rental field on the understanding that the Provin- cial Governments may step in, if they wish. "It must be recognized that, for reasons of their own, the Provinces are not likely to

oration statement; “at any rate n0! ill time to prevent the serious situation which will undoubtedly arise should the Federal (jovernment relinquish its present controls." The statement adds that no objection can be raised to permitting l'83S0l'l8.bl8 increases in rent levels, provided they are carefully ’ scaled and controlled, and that as a corol- ‘ l lary to decontrol a positive programme of

adopted.

‘I’ bility that Federal rent control might be '1 found unconstitutional. "If this should l‘ prove to be the case and the Provinces do not meanwhile take steps to enact suitable legislation," he says, “a most serious situa- tion could arise for which the Federal Gov- ernment could not take responsibility. The Federal Government has no desire to evade -j its responsibility in this matter, and it T - would certainly be derelict in its duty if it did not warn the people of Canada about the uncertain validity of Federal rent con- trol legislation."

The fate of rent control ls being decided by the Supreme Court of Ontario in a test case introduced by the Canadian Federation t of Propertj; Owners. It is the contention of F 3 t this organization that residential construc- ' tion in the Dominion is five times the pre- war peak and that fears that removal of controls would cause rents to sky-rocket are unfounded.

In the circumstances, however, It would appear to be the part of wisdom for the Provinces to prepare legislation to meet any emergency that should arise. The Federal Government is evidently preparing to wash its hands of the matter. The municipali- ties will be helpless to actio-if action is nec- essary-unless they have authority from their respective Provincial Legislatures.

Scout Apple llay

It may be raining here tomorrow, but there will be sunshine in the hearts of the boys of the Scout and Cub movements. Dressed in their distinctive uniforms they will be out. in force in their annual Apple .Day appeal.

it is unnecessary to enlarge on the splen- .-, did role this youth movement plays in the “ life of our people, or to emphasize the debt of gratitude we as a community and Prov- ' ’ ince owe to its unselfish volunteer leaders.

Scouting is synonymous with service. Service is not without sacrifice, but the time and effort devoted to our youth is well worth while.

, Apple Day originated in this Province. Today it is the basis of Scout campaign ap- peals throughout the whole Dominion. This year in Prince Edward Island it has been organized on a Province-wide basis, and it , is confidently expected that it will be the a. Zmost successful so far attempted. l Five cents is what the Scouts ask for an apple. But there is no law against contri- (buting more for a good Island apple and to a good cause.

4., “

I: DITORIAI. NOTES

l’ Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude. O O O

It is most unusual for Socialists to be charged with "piety", as Mr. Anthony Eden. Leader of the British Conservatives, did the other day. The shoe used to be on the oth-

or foot not so long ago. O

A correspondent of the London Spectator mums up admirably two concepts in the field s‘ of education. Science, he writes, is con- cerned with facts; the humanities with S0 put, It becomesot once appar- entwthat education must be much more than

accumulation of facts.

.,.

enter the rent control field,” says the Fed-i

WQPGSSIVG-COIISBITHIIYE Leader George Diew makes a generally recognized point in advocating shorter sessions of Parliament. Sittings have steadily increased in length until members tend to become more Otta- wans than residents of their constituencies. O I I

, The United Kingdom is going to have a practical taste of how Socialism or Commun- ism works for the individual—he may be ordered to change his job or its location at the dictates of the government, making him lmerely a peg in the wheel. I a r o ‘ To perpetuate the link made during the war between Bexhill. Stissex, and Canadian troops billeted there, Bexhill Council have given Canadian names to roads on a lious- ing estate on the town's northern suburb. INames chosen are Canada Way, St. Law- ‘renee Road, Edmonton Road and Calgary Road.

The private member's proposal to sub- stitute the Exchequer Court for Parliament ,for Newfoundland and Quebec divorce cases has little chance of adoption at this time. Even if adopted. the measure would leave tthis country's marriage and divorce la\vs in unseemly confusion. It is the responsi- bility of Parliament to make the lziw on the subject as uniform as may he. O I i Canadian Merchant hiariiie is. apparent- ly, something like a total casualty. Costs of construction and operation put it in the same class as U.S. shipping, while the Cana- dian Government hesitates either to subsi- dize heavily, or as the Bennett Government did, to try any system of forcing Canadian trade with other nations to he ("<ll'l‘lt"(l in Canadian ships.

assisting low-rent housing construction is. o e o

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce

I11 YBPIY 1° the Federal?" letter ml‘ has gone on record as favouring the single once Minister Abbott emphasizes the possi-‘

-,alternative vote in federal elections. No doubt its adoption would prevent the ano- maly of a bare majority of votes electing an overwhelming majority of the House but where second choice carried so much weight we would tend to elect second rate candi- dates whose claim consists of not antagon- izing the supporters of others. I O O It takes skill and knowledge of human lnature to put over something disagreeable to would-be aristocrats. It will be recalled that during the war there was imposed in Lon- don a severe embargo on the undue use of \vater. In all the hotels, the bath tubs were marked with a red line just how much wa- ter could be used, and daily baths were for- bidden. A howl went up in certain sec- tions of the Press, which was instantly squelched, when Lady Cripps, wife of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced -that "a daily bath was merely a fad of tthe so-called middle class." O I O The executive of the Progressive Con- Iservative Association of Canada will meet on Monday, Oct. 31 and Nov. l. and party lorganization plans are expected to be the ;main topic of discussion, it was learned yes- lterday. Invitations recently were sent to 'members of the executive in all parts of the country and most have indicated they will attend. A party spokesman said that the meeting will discuss plans which will be {placed before the Associations I950 ineet- ‘ing. The 1949 meeting was called off be- Icause it would have conflicted with the last general federal election campaign. Mr. J. M. Macdonneii, M.P., the party's financial critic in the last Commons, is president of

the Association and head of the executive. O I O

John Locke. English philosopher, died ,this date 1704. The son of a Puritan who fought in the English Civil War, he was |educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, becoming a tutor there. He was influenced by the philosophy of Descartes, which decided him to abandon lthe Church for medicine. After spending a period in France, he returned to England and wrote voluminously onpliilosophy, tlie- ology, politics, economics, education and the sciences. “His Essay on Human Under- standing," became famous during his life- time, and by it he is mostly remembered. ‘His main idea was that. the human mind ‘should be free to criticize everything, and that no limits should be set to this process by arbitrary authority. I I Q The Amalgamated Civil Servants of Can- ada have asked the Federal Government for a, Dominion-wide medical-insurance scheme for all Government employees. The request was made in a brief to the Federal Health Department by Harry Helm ,of Kitchener, 0nt., president of the Civil Servants Organ- ization, and Fred Knowles. of Ottawa, na- tional secretary. The brief asked for Gov- ernment health councils in areas where there are more than 600 civil servants and for the establishment “on a contributory basis of a plan of nation-wide hospital care and medical protection for all Federal em- ployees." It suggested that health services of the Health Department and the Depart- ment of Veterans Affairs should be avail- able to civil servants.

‘V-OOQO PUBLIC FOR UM This column II open Io the dlaouulon by correspondents of question: of intercit- The Guardian does not a l ily ’ the opinion u! correapoiidento

ween l-Qa .' i-Ji-ce- in";

LORD BOYD ORR QUOTED

Sin-From the viewpoint of the ffirm. it was smart news to read of the awarding of the 1949 Nobel Peace Prize to Lord Boyd Orr. first director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAC) of the United Nations. _

To this rural Canadian the above decision has even more than its own intrinsic significance at any time, as the world's people strug- gle to get buck to the ways of Peace. It seems to me to spot- light the very direct relationship between hunger and war; or, more constructively, between peace and plenty.

Early In 1948 a British writer (Ritchie Calder. of The New Statesman and Nation) went up to Aberdeenshlre for the purpose of interviewing the then Dr. J. B Orr. director of the Rowett Re- search Instltute at Bucksburn. My clipping-book flashes back the fol- lowing characteristic passage from the resulting story, which directly quotes this famous son of Ayrshire as follows:

"I can get farmers interested in the nutrition of animals, because l can prove it returns dividends in hard cash. But l rumia get them interested in the nutrition of their nln balms, far less in the balrns of lther folks. Think. man. the dividends that can pay, in human well-being. In lives fulfil- led: aye, and In hard cash. There is hunger in a world which can produce all the food we need. But it is not just death from starva- tion which is a crime; it's all those rnllllons who have never known the meaning of real health and freedom from disease, because they an- undernourished, A thousand million people underfed in the world, and a thousand million farmers in poverty, because they are not allowed to feed them with the food they can grow! If you can tle up the basic human need food — with the busic human industry —- agriculture --- you can change the whole pattern of world economy."

The intervening eighteen months appear to indicate that the na- tions are moving slowly. but stead- ilv. in the direction outlined above. uitli the fervor. as described by your British contemporary. of “an Old Testament prophet-but with» his hobnailed boots solidly on the ground."

I am, Sir, etc, READER.

EQOOQOOIOI I Old Charlottetown tailor. z. l.)

--._

DECLINE!) WITHOUT THANKS

Excerpts from the reply of the Legislative Council of Prince Ed- ward island to overtures address- ed to Lieutenant Governor Dundas from the Rt. Hon. Edward Card- well, Secretary of Stale for the Colonies. expressing “the strong and deliberate opinion of Her Ma- jesty's Government that it is an object much to be desired that. all the British North American Colonies should agree to unite in one Government,“ May l0, 1866:

"Resolved that this Legislative Council d-oes not deem it incon- sistent with loyal attachment to Her Majesty's Person and Govern- ment. to declare its firm convic- tion that, in deliberating upon a question seriously affecting the liberty, happiness and prosperity of the inhabitants of this Colony. this House ought to be guided mainly by the well-understood wishes of the people whom it re- presents. even should these, un- fortunately. conflict wlth the de- clared policy of the Noblemen and Gentlemen composing Her Ma- jesty's Government for the time being-the inhabitants of this Colony being. in the opinion of this Legislative Council. fully competent to decide upon so vital a question as the Constitution of the country in which their lot. has been cast. and the means best adopted to promote and perpetuate Lhe prosperity and stability of that. country . . .

“To make suilable provision for the vast public works now con- templated by the Government of Canada, the tariff of the United Provinces must necessarily bc greatly augmented, and the bur- dens of the people proportionately increased. That this Colony, if included in the proposed Union. would be subject to that tariff, is certain; but that its people would participate. ln an equal ratio with the other Maritime Provinces, In the benefits resulting from the excessive taxation that. would thus be imposed upon them, is highly

problemaiical . , . “Since the year 185i. when Her Majesty was graciously pleased

to concede to the people of this Colony the rights and privileges of self-government. Prince Ed- ward Island has made-and is still making-steady advances in pop- ulation and material prosperity. and its inhabitants are now per- fectly satisfied with the free and liberal Constitution under which it is their happiness to live, - lhe number of those who are will- ing (o incur the rinks and dangers inseparable from a Union with the larger and more powerful Provinces of British North Ain- erlca being. in the opinion of this Legislative Council. extremely in- significant and unimportant.

"We are not. lmenslble to the obligation resting upon this Col- ony to contribute ltl fair share to- wards defreylng the expense of resisting foreign invasion or lg- greulon. and have cheerfully unc- iloned the placing of the entire resources of the Colony at the dil- poul of the Government for the

attainment of "III desirable Ject.“

Reminder To Tourist“ 0mm:

eY /- is "mm my WAY 1'0 ran-r

oun FtAGfh/l

0,13,,

Exports 8. lm ports

"The broad distribution of Can- ada's exports and Imports" in re- lation to the new rates of exchange undergoes unalysls In the Bank of Montreal's latest Business Review, issued this week.

For this Purpose, Ilie Bank di- vides the countries trading with Canada Into two categories. In "l! 1111!. lt places the United States and those nations which have retained to date their for- mer partly with the U. S. dollar. In these countries. the Canadian dollar has now become nine per cent cheaper than before Septem- ber 20.

"Broadly speaking." um Bank says. “this should stimulate Cana- Cllllll export trade to this group, while conversely the currencies concerned and our imports expres- sed therein have become 10 per cent dearer in Canada.

“In the second category are the United Kingdom and virtually all of the remaining countries with which Canada trades. Here. com- pletely reverse lnfluences are at work, since In these markets the Canadian dollar ls now denrer by as much as 30h} per cent with a resultant deterrent effect on Cann- dinn exports and a stimulus to our imports from the countries con- corned."

I O I

The review finds that. in the first eight months of this year, 58 per cent of Canada's total mer- chandise export trade, and 79 per cent of her merchandise import transactions were with the first group of countries.

"Moreover". it rIYIPIIESIZES. “ln the months preceding devaluation, Canada was able to Increase the value of her exports to the U.S./l, despite the fact that our southern neighbour was experiencing u re- cession in business and was im- porting less in aggregate from all SOIITCPS.

"On the other hand. a more than commensurate increase in Canadian merchandise imports from the Unl- ted States widened our adverse balance of trade with that coun- try. The devaluation of the Cann- dlnn dollar, to the extent that lt is translated Into price changes and thereby influences demand ln each country. will work to reverse

this trend in the trade balance. But, in practice, the exchange dif- ferential is not reflected in reduc- ed U. S. prices of all Canadian shipments across the border and, even where it is, there ll no aa- suranre that an already high U.S. demand will automatically increase in proportion."

Canada's trade with the United Kingdom and other soft-currency countries, tn the first eight months of this year, was already showing the effect of their efforts to limit dollar buying and to increase ship- ments to North America, the Bank reports. Both these tenden- cies should be accentuated by the new currency values,

“Nevertheless? the Bank alrea- ses, "it must be remembered that as far as the Immediate future is concerned a consldernble propor- tion of Britain's takings from Can- ada are contractual, WIIIIG from a long-run standpoint Canada offer! definite attractions to the United Kingdom as a dependable and friendly source of supply.

“With regard to the British ex- port drive, realism compels the view that, at the new currency values. a substantial Increase In the United Kingdom's Canadian dollar earnings cannot be expected to materialize overnight. Neverthe- less, it. can he said that the United Kingdom's efforts to expand mar- kets in this country are being gen- erally met here with sympathy, co-operatlon and understanding."

OIOIQ W _

g The Age-Old Story

I

Thus saith the Lord: If thou re- turn, then will I bring thee again. and thou shalt. stand before Mo; and if thou take forth the pre- cious from the vile. thou ohalt be as My mouth. Let. them return unto thee, but return not thou lo them. And I will make thee untn this people a fenced IJIIIOII wall; and they shall fight agalnat thee; but they shall not prevail inguinal. thee. And I will deliver thee out of tho hond oi! the wicked, and l will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.

‘lb-N's!-

11“ people of Oklahoma went to the polls last week._and voted for their state to remain dry. To remain dry in theory. that 15'- for in practice. Oklahoma is noth- ing of the kind. Although the sale of liquor is against the law. anybody who wants to buy a bot- tle can do so. In fact, he can have it delivered to his door—-wit.hout extra charge-at. any hour of the d“ m. night, How many boot- leggers there are in Oklahoma. nobody knows. But. there must. be at. least 1.700. If" ma‘ I5 ‘he Pum‘ ber holding federal retail liquor licences; licences from the na- tional government Io do Whal- thc state ilftvcfllmem CXPNSSU.’ forbids them to do. w no! moonshine that. the Oklahflmll bootleggers Pl-"WYI i‘ l’ “B” liquor imported from other states to the value of $50.°09.000 I year _ca1gary Herald.

Modernizing old houses Ia ex- pensive. but l0 is new housing. Several years ago rehabilitation cost was reported to be‘ running upward of $4,000 a living unit. More recently the Port of New York Authority went into the re- habilitation business on a modeit scale ho house tenants displaced from the Union Bus Terminal site and has found its costs run about $3350 per apartment, including put-chase price of buildings. BAY comparison new construction in the low-rent subsidized apart- ments built since the war by the New York City Housing Author- ity has averaged $ll.40l per apart- ment. including land purchase and developmenL-New York Times.

Th6 nrieh iiimry of we» agcntry presents one of its classic studies in futility in Bill Pine'S adventure with the fifty parrots. Bill. who long has been one of Hollywood's most potent I Pubu‘ cists, conceived the idea of train- ‘mg half a hundred of‘ ‘the talkative birds to repeat the tlllo of Mae West's newest film. "Il- Ain't No Sin." His plan w“ to