i‘, i Lfnritlror par cant. increase to the rates as

P.‘.G E FOUR

THE‘ GUARDIAN

Slnrlllllfl Unlly (Fuunrlrrl Ill 1X87) Authorized In Nrr-rrnrl (‘luau .\Iull, I'm-t Ulflc-n Ih-[Lrrtllu-nf, Oflrlwvl.

Th! lhlilllfl (iuzrrillun Publishing’ (u. Cdlllvr urnl ‘Xrtlltr 1g IIirr-rlrrr, <1. If. lltlfllllf. Asnllvizrle lirlitur, Trunk Walker.

"The Strongest Memory is Weaker Than the Weakest Ink"

CHARLOTTETOhVN. THURSDAY. SEPT. 29. 19-19

Maritime Board Meetings

Charlottetown is honoured ‘in playing host this week to membtrs of the Maritime Board of Trade, Maritime Transportation Commission and Maritime region of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, who are holding their annual meet- ings starting with the Trade Board meeting this morning. After concluding their business this af-

.ternocn, the Board delegates will be entertained

at Summerside andwill return to Charlottetown in the evening in preparation for the Commission and Commerce Chamber meetings on Friday.

For several years past the Maritime Provin- ck, through their Boards of Trade, have made common cause in the matter of transportation and other improvement commercially. The Board's Transportation Commission, under the capable management of Mr. Rand Matheson, is regarded as one of the most efficient organiza- tions of its kind in Canada. lt is constantly in touch with railway and government executives and is the mcans through which all complaints regarding ralcs and other transportation mat- ters are taken up and presented. lt assists local Trade Beards and Provincial Governments in pre- renting claims from time to time before the Federal Bcard of Transport Commissioners, and one of its biggest jobs recently has been the presentation of a very comprehensive brief, cov- cring the whale history of Maritime transportation problems, before the Royal Commission on Trans- portation. This bricf runs to some 135 typed fools- cap pages, and is a monumental work of refer- ence and research. 1

With the Royal Commission sittings on transportation about to reopen at Ottawa, more than the usual interest attaches to the meetings of our Maritime Trade Board members in C-har- lottetown. ln this, the cradle of Confederation, they have met on several occasions before, but never under circumstances of greater or more pressing importance.

New Price Index

A new series of export and import price In- dexes, issued by the Dominion Bureau of Statis- tics, gives easy access to some hitherto obscured figures on foreign trade. The statistics show the increases in prices of our imports and exports since the base period 1935-39. Both are broken down into commodity groups and there are also indexes for selected individugl commodities with- in a group.

They show that the prices of both imports and exports in 1948 were considerably more than double thoseof the base period. Of our exported commodities, wood products and paper have shown the greatest increase, with the price in 1948 being 2.66 times as great as the price in the base period. Fibres and textiles come second and agricultural products third. Of the agricul- tural group, the individual commodity to show the greatest price increase has been fresh beef. lts price in 1948 was nearly three and one half times as great as it was in the second half of the nineteen thirties.

Another one of the individual commodity indexes, this one in the import field, shows clearlv why chocolate bars are smaller and more castlv than they were in the thirties-The price of im- ported cocoa beans last year was just a shade under six times as great as it was in the 1935-39 period. None of our exports has managed to reach such a price stratosphere.

ln addition to showing price movements over the years, the new indexes supply a means of measuring changes in the physical volume of trade. They show, for instance, that while’ the total value of our exports was 3.7 times as great last year as in 1935-39, the increase in actual volume of goods exported was only 1.7 times as great.

Summing It llp

The eirenfs leading up ta latest judgment of the Transport Board on railway ‘freight rates is thus summed up in the Winnipeg Free Press: .

lln October 1946 the railways asked for a horizontal increase in rates of 30 per cent. In the public hearing: which followed, this application was proved to be largely unwarranted. The Trans- port Board, on March 30, 1948, granted an in- crease of 21 per cent. The four Western Provin- ces and the three Maritime Provinces combined to resist this judgment. he Government at Ot- tawa, for a time, refused to listen to them. Mr. Chevrier, the Minister of Transport, was particu- larly wrong-headed in this regard. But under the pressure of a determined and wholly justified pub- lic opinion the Cabinet finally granted an appeal in September, 1948. The seven provincial gov- ernments, of course, had no difficulty in destroy- ing the 21 per cent. judgment and on October 12, the Cabinet issued an order reversing the judgment (and incidentally Mr. Chevrier along with it) and referring it back to a reorganized Transport Board for correction and additional hearings. These hearings began on January 11, last, and were concluded in the spring. Meantime, in July 1948, the railways had granted a wage in- crease, costing some $75 millions per year and gobbling up most of tho gain from the 21 per cent increase. They had applied for an increase in rates of 20 per cent. additional to the 21 per cent. r

The present judgment deals with both cases. Applying the decisions of the Government last October, the Transport Board now finds that tho 11 par cant increase should only have bun 1 par cont. Hawcvor, the 21 par cant. is not cut back hcaasc the railways’ needs arc now groom than in March 1 . Therefore the 21 par cont. stands

,r ,.

they existed in July 1949 is granted. This works out at 8 per cent. an 121 per cent. or an actual increase of 9.68 per cent. Under the ruling, therefore, freight rates \vill now_l:e 30.6 per cent. higher than they were before the 21 per cent. increase became effective.

This increase is to be a horizontal or flat increase applying everywhere in Canada an the standard maximum rates fixed by the Transport Board. lt is to be an interim increase because the Board desires to await the recommendation of the Turgeon Royal Commission on such mat- ters as the revision of the capital structure of the National railways; the degree of co-operation which should cbtain between the C.P.R. and the National railways; and such technical questions as, unifcrm accounting procedures. The Board itself proposes to go an with a study of freight rate equalization. Meantime, to enable the railways to get along, the increase has been granted.

Commenting on the situation, our Winnipeg Liberal contemporary concludes: "The present Transport Board, like its predecessor, which was discredited and reorganized after the 21 per cent. judgment, would appear to be incapable of rais- ing rates in Ontario and Quebec to the level at those in the west. Rather than do so the Board has put in a flat horizontal increase across the whole country, thereby increasing the existing inequality. The error in this judgment, quite apart from the Boardscalculations as to what the railways may or may not need, is as plain as a barked tree." This error is the failure to apply whatever increase is regarded as necessary to reduce cgd not to increase the discrimination against the outlying Provinces.

EDITORIAL NOTES

The Maritime Board of Trade.

x w rt

Farm auction sales at Summerside today.

Presbyterian Woiimehk ‘Conference. i’ i "k

Festival of St. Michael and All the Angels. i I I

New Brunswick is so far no more success- ful in its search -for oil than we were here. I I i‘

The Provincial Government's contribution of $5,000 towards the Red Cross blood transfusion service is taxpayers’ money well expended.

i i i

The Dominion Government has made a fine gesture in adopting the policy that war pension- ers of British and allied forces should not lose out on currency devaluation.

i Q I

The common cold should soon be a good deal less common if the United States Navy's drug, coricidin, lives up to claims of 90 per cent ef- fectiveness.

. U I British employers and employees must re- strict profits and strikes till the economic crisis is over. lf they do not do so voluntarily, Sir Staf- ford Cripps announces he will introduce legis- lation to compel them. _ n a n g The influx of potato pickers from neigh- bouring provinces and particularly from Cape Breton has become an annual event. The Potato Carnival will again be held to give something of a festival air to the season. I I I

The Times of London takes the interesting view of Russia's atom bomb success that as against the increased truculence of power, b n-ew assurance may well make Russia less hysterical in her suspicions and more open to reasbnable suggestions.

I Q I I

Exponters will probably have little objection to carrying out the wishes of Finance Minister Abbott that they should not cut prices unneces- sarily. The object of business, as of the Govern- ment, just now, is to acquire as many dollars as possible.

I I I

Lord Clive of Plossey, British statesman and general, born this date 1725. He laid the founda- tion of India as we find it today. He ran-ks high as a British empire-builder, basing the em-pire in India on a territorial rather than a commercial system, and realizing that a purified adminis- tration was essential to its stability;

s I I 0

British steel production in August reached a new record for the month with an annual rate of 14,153,000 tons. The previous best rate for August which was reached last year_was 14,117,- 000 tons. Notwithstanding the record level of production reach-ed in 1948, every month of 1949 has so far exceeded the output of the corres- ponding month of last year. "

I I I

The egg prices quoted below are for Grade A Large. At Montreal and Toronto the prices are those at which graded shipments are sol-ling to wholesale :- At other points quotations are prices to shippers for ungraded eggs.

1949 1948 1947 Montreal 65-67 68 50 Toronto . . . . . . . . . . 64-65 65 50 Winnipeg 56 48 42-43 Vancouver ... .. . .. 58 48 40 Edmonton .. . . . . .. 62 ' 44 40 Regina . . . . . ‘S5 45 41-42 Charlottetown .. . . . . . 55-S7 S0 40

U U I

Mr. Jon Cleary, an Australian novelist recalling his experience of the shopping queue in London said: "When I joined the queue it was headed by the charwoman of one of our neighbours. Running second to her was a marchioness and behind the marchianess was a young doctor's wife. Than there was tho wife of a retired admiral, than nvarol other women whom I didn't rlcognisc, and finally Clear-y, the solo man. I can't say tho atnrpsphm of tho queue was convivial and chatty, but the more fact that so many different people, of such different clams, were standing in the IIIIIII lino to buy the same things, was, l thought, n graphic

illustration of the social revolution that is now taking place in lrltainf’, . ,__ __ __ I l 1 . /_

THE GARDENEIPS CAT

The gargener’: out‘: called Mignon- et e,

She hates the cold. she hates the at

w . She sits among the hothouse flow- era And sleeps for hours and hours and hours.

She dreams she ls a tiger fierce With great majestic claws that pierce.

She sits by ohe hot-water pipes

And dreams about a cost of stripes;

And in her slurrntbers she will go

And stalk the sullen buffalo.

And when he roars across the brake

She does not. wink. she does not. wake. '

It must be perfectly lfnmense To dream with such magnificence, And pass the most. inclement day In this indeed stupendous way.

She dream of ladle‘: lunay clime, And only wakes at. dinner-Mme, But. even then she does not. stir But. waits till milk ls brought to her.

How. nlce to be the gardeners cat; She troubles not for mouse or rat. But, when it's coming down ln streams. She sits among the dreams.

flowers and

The gardener’: cat. would be the t-hlng.

Her dreams are so encouraging; She dreams that she's a. tiger. yet. She's Just. a cat. called Mlgnonette!

--Paf.rlck Chalmers.

The Boy Scout

Movement 1908-1948

(By E. E. Reynolds In The Quarterly Review) III

Wrbe Second World war was n far more difficult test. In Great. Britain Scouts rendered all kinds of public ervfce wtthout._becom- lng a recognised pro-military or- ganisation. Many of them join- ed the A.T.C. or Cadet u its in‘ addition to other duties. T e list, of jobs done 1s long and varledzl it. includes messenger work, farm; 1nd forestry camps, collection of= plants for drugs, salvage especial-l ly of paper, service 1n hospitals as orderlies or at. Afr-Raid Posts, and so on. Rover Scouts (the over- elghteen section) were organised 1n the Services at. home and abroad and in many s Prisoner of War Camp. Old Scouts‘ were delight- ed to find that, In whatever part. of the globe they might be, there were Scouts to geet them and give them hospitality. That work con- tlnues.

It was possible to carry on the training of Bcoutmastrera. The central camp at. Clllwell Park was handed over to the military auth- orities. but camps were run at. other centres. such as Youlbury, the gift. to Scouting of Sir Arthur Evans. Many n. mun worklngfin the factory, or who had to spend long hours at c desk. found that such n training camp came as n complete form of recreation tn the best. sense of the \'IO1'f1. It was inevitable that. numbers at. first declined, but they begun to rlse again tn 1942; the total member-

ship 1a now about M900 1n Great: Britain. Scouting was banned. fn all

countries thlt came under the do- mination of Germany. There 1s indeed something In Scouting that In tartan outlook. Such characteris- tics as self-reliance, independence of government control. the pro- motion ‘or self-orgsnfutfonmnd the spirit of the pioneer and explor- er, are obnoxious to thou who want all bay: moulded ta‘ one pnttam. '0 O O

Tho principle of manning one‘; own nffntrl rum all through Scouting. It begin! In the Patrol which dlacuuea It: plnnl for sc- tlvltlos and the wlyl and menu for carrying them mt. All the Patrol luau-l of n hoop meet In oouncll to plan the programme of Irnlnlng. The local Annotation

no l . c air-cud‘: ma"

dun. but an rrdvuu-fTooy.

should l1l0 In nosed that tho u

time as the trnlnlnl of Sh! This lplrlt, and 1'9"!'!°°."..ii9!-.' 9P . ..

VlolcnT To

Incompatible with the totuIf-j

in again a deoantnlllod um. The. flout '

THE GlilAllDlAN, CHARLU'I‘I‘E'I‘OW1\I

Pflnc Edward Island

[the principles of the one-partyl state. The efforts of the Germans to suppress Scouting in such coun- tries as France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway. and Den- mark were not. successful. The; Scouts carried on and even nldfld the resistance group; no doubt they got an extra thrill out of evading men and regulations! So thoroughly did they keep 1n touch with each other that they lost no ground. In Rouen, for Instance, in 1944 I met. a Patrol Leader of seventeen who had actually start- ed c new Troop that. met. by stealth in a bombed-out house or at remote farms right through the occupation.

There have been gains as well as losses. Within a few years of the Revolution of 1911'], the Rus- sian Boy Scouts becamp Pioneers —a very dtffererft body in spirit and method. In Italy the Move- ment was suppresed ln 1926, but. even there the idea and the mem- ory were kept. alive so that 1m- mediately after liberation the men who had been Boy Scouts years before formed new Associations which are now flourishing, British and United States soldiers who had been Scouts did much to put the revived Movement. on its feet again 1n_rsuch countries as Italy

and Greece. O I O Losses include such countries as Yugoslavia and Rumania, and,

more recently, Czechoslovakia. and Hungary. In some other countries the position ls precarious. It may seem a. curious test. of democratic life to look for a Boy Scout Association, but. it is true to say that l! there are recognised Boy Scouts tn a country there you will find free fntftutlons.

These aspects are not well

recognised fn this country—t.he birthplace of this country-bride i Movement, Most people accept 1

Scouting as a Goad Thing; they are used to seeing the Boy Scouts about, but: their value ls probably not put. any higher than as o. useful means of keeping bays out. 0f mlSchlef. But unfortunately there are some who deride the Movement wlthout- perhaps un- derstandings 1t. principles and ach- ievements. Here are three examples" out. of many. of this lndlrect'._klnd of criticism, that have appeared in recently publfhed books. (To be continued)

Canada's Part

(Globe and Mall) Under the Atlantic Pact defense system which was set up in Wash- ington last Satu day, Canada ac- quires an entlr y new military status ln the co-ordlnated secur- lty program for the Western World. While not represented on the Military Committee's “Stand- Ins Group". It 1s provided that In any matter concerning Canadian participation a special representa- tlve wlll be called ln to sit with [the permanent members rep- resenting France, the United Kingdom and the United States. This Standing Group will‘ be {in practically continuous session. ‘as a “cor-e" for the larger Mill- itary Committee. whose composi- tlon includes one. military rep- resentative from each member country. Under this general com- ,mlttee also wlll be regional com- mittees, on two af which gonadu wlll have a place—t.he Ca udlan- Unlted Slates group, and the more bronrl Narth- Allafrtlc Regional ,l‘lnnnlng Group. Later on. two ad- ‘dltlonnl lectlanc are to be form- |ed. on, which Canada undoubtedly ‘will have reprenentntlvel. These wlll deal with problems of mlll- tary production and supply and rwlth eeanomlc and financial prob- ,lems. The above urrltc all wlll operate under two tap-level bodies. first of all the Defence Council Itself. 'conslat’rng of Foreign Mlnlltern or their representatives, and In part .of this. the Defence Committee. consisting of Defenlo Mlnlntetl. Canada, obviously. wlll have per- rnnnen. rcprenentatlo nt thin level. While the scope of thln Do- rnlnlon‘; international co-operatlon In military matter: ll thuc ex- tended, with nddltlonnl financial and economic recpomlbllltlec also Indicated. no move ha: n: yo! been Indicated to ctrcngthan our parliamentary machinery the bat.- cer to deal with the new prob- lem: which wlll lrllm,

i B Old Charlottetown (Ant! P. l. L)

__._

ELEGANT NAVAL BALL "On Thursday evening last, Cap- tain Baynea and the offlcen of

. M. Andramache gave a splendid ball and supper on board. to Sir Charles and Lady Mary Fitz Roy, and a large party of fashlonables. At an early hour In the evening the numerous boats of the ship were in attendance at Queen's Wharf. so that as the dif- ferent parties arrived. they were conveyed on board without the least difficulty or delay. At half- past eight. o'clock dancing com- mbncod on the deck, which was handsomely fitted up as a ball- room. The supper room was also fitted up with studied elegance. and the tables were profusely fur- nlshed with every delicacy which could be procured. After supper dancing was resumed; and It was kept up with such animation and elasticity of spirit, that the rosy beams of morn had begun to dnpple the east before the com- puny seemed to entertain a thought of taking leave of their gallant entertainers.

“The Andromache calls this morning; and we understand that His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor wlll take advantage of the oporfunlty offered him of tak- ing a cruise around the Island with Capt. Haynes, to inspect such distant parts of the coast as are not easily assessible by land car- ridge."

-—Colonlal Herald, Aug. 24, 1839.

TAVANNE wxrcnsron

Zn-lgowflisa/ for“!

Pudromcnd fargetirl Ifswu- fer-resistant, dust-right, shock- absorbing. Swim, tide, golf- no matter who: sport youlgo in for, you can went it without! n worry. And it‘: no cod-to- loolc-at as it is goo to wear.

0. ll. TAYLDR