ggngnouicl. _ THE GUARDIAN’

llornlng Melly (rounded In llifl) Lutllorllod n Ilerund Cline lull. POM OM00 lnplvlmalll, OIKIIIL The Inland llunrdlu Pnhllehlll DO. lessee no lllnnglnl Dimmer. J- Il- Burnett- lneoelate ldltor. Prank Walton. "The Strongest Memory i; Weaker Thea

the Weakest ink.“ THURSDAY, MAY s. 194s

DHABLOTTETOWN, iiolonel Drew's ilisit

Prince Edword island has been signolly honoured by being chosen by Col. George Drew, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, as the Province in which to launch his nation-wide campaign in connection with the forthcoming Dominion general election. His opening speech will be delivered in Charlottetown on Monday evening, and it will be awaited with keen in- terest by all parties throughout the Dominion, and even in the United States, where political trends in this country are being followed very closely at this time.

Since his election as Conservative chieftain in October, i948, and particularly as a result of his vigorous leadership of the Opposition in the House of Commons during the past ses- sion, Colonel Drew has held the spotlight of public interest. He has surprised his warmest admirers and confounded his critics by his sound generalship and knowledge of national and sectional problems from coast to coast; and it is no exaggeration to say that in cour- ageo-us affirmation of his convictions, in virile personality and in unwavering devotion to our democratic ideals, he ranks high in the list of Canada's statesmen si-nce Confederation. He has raised his Party's hopes to a confident pitch, and his prestige will unquestionably be enhanced by the campaign he is launching here on Monday. He will be assured of a warm welcome not only from Conservatives but from all our people on this important occasion.

Maritlrnes In The Lead

An increase of three and one-quarter mil- lionldollars to a total of $5,063,300 in Maritime construction contract awards for last month as compared with April, i948, is reported by MacLean Building Reports, Ltd.

Total contracts for Canada last month amounted to $76,794,400, a drop of $3.9 mil- lions from the corresponding mon-th last year. Nevertheless the cum-ulative total for this year, at $280,497,800, is $71.2 millions over the four months i948 total.

Principal factor in the month's drop was‘ the decline in all classifications of construction throughout the Province of Ontario. All other regions showed gains, which were the greatest proportionally in thehMaritime Provinces.

~ Canadian Bacon Prices

A Monclon exchange asks how lt is possible for the ‘Dominion marketing agency to sell Canadian bacon abroad at half~the price charged Canadian consumers. The answer, as given in the current Letter on Canadian Live- stock Products issued by the Council of Ca-nad- ran Meat Packers, is of general interest and is summarized below:

Canadian export bacon, as sold in Britain, consists of whole sides of the hog, including shou-lder, back, side and ham, in one piece. The "fats", the spare-ribs and other bones, are ship- pod as a port of the side. Sides are cured in brine, wrapped with burlap into bales and ship- ped in carloud lots to seaboard. The contract wholesale price is 36 cents per pound, to which the British buyer has to add the cost of trans- portation and refrigeration across the Atlantic, landing charges, cost of smoking and shrink, in- land distribution and retailers‘ costs and mar- gin. A hog which yields a dressed weight of 150 lbs. wil produce l20 lbs. of "export bacon."

Canadian domestic bacon, on the other hand,_ consists a-f choice cuts selected out of the side, fully processed and delivered in small quantities to the retailer and with the retailers’ gross margin. added. A hog yielding i50 lbs. of dressed weight will produce about 20 lbs. of breakfast and i7 of back bacon ,(both classed as "domestic bacon"). The remainder of the carcass is sold in Canada as trimmed shoulders and hams. lard, trimmings and bones.

The ll. S. Election

Choice of June 9 as the date for the Nova Scotia provincial election has been attributed

a sound foothold in the enlarged Legislature, continues The Gazette. Among these factors are the direction of the new provincial party lead- er, Robert L. Stanfield, chosen last November; the revived strength of party fortunes revealed by the P. C. victory in the Digby-Annapolis- Kings federal by-electian last December; and the effects of the concern with Maritime prob- lems shown during visits to Nova Scotia in re- cent months of Hon. George A. Drew, national Progressive Conservative leader.

:1 Leonora/u. ~01 ES 1,

At this time of year re-afforestation re- quires little argument to find supporters. The all too visible erosion shows where wood-lands require to be extended.

u a

"Musical", according to the dictionary means ‘pertaining to or producing music." So the good ladies who named our "Musical Festi- val," were perfectly ‘right in their nomenclature.

i I

The week-long Musical Festival is a con- vincing demonstration that the predictions of a few years ago of the dire effect of "canned music" on individua-I artistry have been thor- oughly refuted.

Q i O

One of the consequences of the dissolution of Parliament is that there are no longer any Dominion M. P.'s, there'being no Parliament for tl-em to be members ol. Of even more concern to members of the last Parliament is that for some two months they will be unpaid.

fi I Q

Ottawa is taking the election ca-lmly. Whichever party wins it cannot ignore the capi- lal. The new Master Plan of the National Capi- tul is receiving much closer attention. When the dust of election dies down the rest of the country may share the planners’ enthusiasm.

It

The Mayor of Rouyn, Quebec, ls congratu- lated by the Financial Times for ref-using to h

a plebiscite favouring payment of salaries =15’

the Mayor and Councillors. "Such public spirit," it says, "is all too uncommon among legislators in these days."

l U I

The Musical Festival, like the oratoricol contests, has proved an unbounded success. The Little Theatre movement is responsible for the restoration of the drama "and theatricals, to their rightful place, and all that is now needed to revive our old time reputation is to have a re- sumption of the literary forums so much in vogue is less commercially prosperous but evi- dently much more intellectually enjoyable times before a-nd shortly after Confederation.

I i I

How fertile politicians are in devising ex- cuses for the increase of sessional indemnitiesl The CCF's of Saskatchewan have just added $1,000 to their six week's rem-uneration mdk- ing it $3,000. Premier T. C. Douglas said the in- crease would lessen the danger of making poli- lics a "hobby" of the financially independent and serve to attract a type of legislator above mediocre quality! Perhaps Premier Jones will profit by this suggeistiotr.

ln Moncton, a novel plan is being under- taken by the Junior Chamber of Commerce to protect the lives of night-bicycling youngsters. The Jaycees are laying plans to swathe all bicycles in the city with light-reflecting tape, designed to light cyclists up like Christmas trees as they ride into the beam of car head- lights. Cost of the project will be borne by the Jaycees, and the committee intends to start- work on the bicycles of the High School students today and tomorrow. -

U U U-

lt is better riot to be too realistic in pre- senting plays on a prison theatre stage. Broad- moor prise-it's annual com/id's stage play had a "Parson" in the ccst. But this time necessary precautions were taken to avoid the repetition of a wolf in sheep's "clothing. Two years ago a convicted murderer who enacted a Parson in the prison’ play was so realistically cos-turned he walked past the guards and has not been seen since. The new "Parson" wore short pants, white knee socks and a clerical collar five inches high so that there could be no risk of his fooling the guards.

I U l Napoleon Bonneparte, French revolutionary Emperor, died this date i821. Was a Marxist before Karl Marx saw the light- of day, and endeavoured, with wonderful success, to turn the industrial and economic world of his own

_ TH_E___G_LJARDIAN, PUBLIC FORUM

Thle column in ooeirlolhr‘ dieauulou by wffllltllltllllll’. pr question: of int-erect. The Guardian doee not stealth. lly endorse the will"! "l correspondents. rr20 MUSICAL FESTIVALS AND MUSIC 1N OUR. SCHOOLS 51:, - I have reed with very real interest. seven-oi recent. en- nouricements. including your ers- ceiient editorial of May 21141.41! respect to the Musical Festival now being held in Charlottetown. This festival l8 in fact n similar one to that held n. year ego, and a forerunner of a proposed Annual series for the future. I. for one, am pleased to observe that. the chief purpose of those proposed annual festivals is to foster the art of music especially choral surging. throughout our whole Province, and to my mind few projects are more worthy of encouragement. and sup- port from the general public than this one is. I regret to any, however, that I cannot see any great. prospect for the success of thesnuual festival. unless a really comprehensive system of training 1n the art of reading vocal music, or singing by note as it; is popularly termed. le designed for the whole Province at Prince Edward Island. For to my own certain knowledge, this art that once flourished to no small degree in the old singing schools

. of our Province is today at n. very

low level; in fact it has almost ceased to exist. This statement, I believe, is true not only of our rural districts, but: likewise of our towns and cities, for I have been rcredlbiy tnfomred that even in the best church choirs of Charlotte- town, young men are lemming to sing bass and tenor only by ear. I would, of course, only be too well pleased to learn that this state- ment ts incorrect.

I rend-lest yea: in one of the accounts of the proposed festivals tires the promoters hoped to fash- ion them somewhat after the men- ner of the Welsh Elstedfodd, and the model is certainly a worthy one. To begin with, this Eisbeddodd has a very ancient and venerable history, originating as it did in grand assemblies of ancient Celtic bards and mincrtreis for

the rrpose of fostering their respe. ive arts. . The Prince Edward Island

Musical Festival has of course no elm-liai- background tn the history of our Province. In our present day too, music conditions in Prince Ed- rviird Island bear little similarity to those of Wales where even chil- dren on their nwther-‘s knees are taught to run up end down in varied intervals on the tonic-sol- fah modulator. Later on in village schools these same children learn to sing with ease ordinary songs and hymns by note as naturally us they learn to read their native fanguege. Besldas this. countless glee clubs and choral societies exist throughout Wales, and all these factors taken together contribute as so many lesser streams of music to the great. flood of it that breaks forth on stated occasions from the Eistedfadd.

I am aware that- I have here described music conditions in Wales as they existed in that country in pro-radio days; but I have no doubt that these same con- tililons prevail there to a consider- able extent today, notwithstanding the demoralizing effect of_ the totalitarian radio on the natural urge for self-expression in music on the part of the young people of Wales. as well as the young people of our own Province.

Il: is unfortunate indeed that: ea little reading of vocal music Ls be- tng taught: 1n our Province, especi- ally in our public schools. But. the situation is not at all hopeless. Our Island boys and girls are naturally very fond of music. and nine of ten of our young men and women who choose the teaching profession, even if it is for a brief period. are toierabiy goodslngets. There is therefore no goadreason why sight-reading in vocal music should not be taught. in our schools. All that. is now required for this purpose is that prospective teachers during their two and three years’ courses in Prince of Wales College should be taught by some definite and thorough method to sing fluently by note. and taught. iao how ho teach their pupils to sing likewise. If this result were once achieved throughout the schools of our Province, local glee clubs and

severe headship in Prince Edward Island. Ilhe Joru-nei of the House of Assembly of that-year- (30111331115 many petitions which the following are examples:

tents of Anderson's Road. Town- ship 81, setting forth that. Wmflllrence of the failure of their crops inst season, many of petitioners ere food; that otherfhave not, mm"?! Pmvisiorrs for the support of their families. and trhni with- out. aid their farms mrust lie waste for want of seed in the ensuing nelson. and praying relief."

um of ‘Iownsirip 28 and 30, set- ting forth the failure of their potato and whitest crops lest year, their regard to food praying that an embargo may be imposed on the exportation agricultural produce seed time, or some other mens- uree adopted in the matter. oth- erwise that starvation and a tear- ful amount of distress must en- sue." .

legislature increased the grants for roads and bridges to the ex- tent of £300 for each County. with instructions to the Rand Commis- sioners to expend the money in sums not exceeding two pounds. and in such a manner “as to give

mix-chasing on credit: from indi- viduals. to Ln amount equal the road appropriations." It. also appointed c. House “to report on the causes u. which are to be attributed thel destitution said to exist amongst the izirhisbltants of many parts of the Colony, the best means of a1- levluting such distress preventing the numerous applica-

Governrnent for pecuniary for the future". O

n. very interesting one. Ir notes

from the Mother Country, for some years after their here, were not, in general. capable

nor- hnd the bulk of them been

shore, or on banks of rivers, which would have provided them with the resources of fishing and see manure. comparatively small, yet. trenched heavily on the crops raise. Many laboured under diffi- culties with respect to roads, and

Old Charlottetown (All P. l l.)

rerun nurse mourns‘ Th! Biking of rare was one of for relief: of "A Petition of diverse inhabi- if! the

already without one

“A Petition of diverse inhabi-

datitution end seed.

consequent. in

and

of

until after

To meet these emergencies the‘

titre necessltous every chance of to

committee. of the

and of

the relief

tions of the Rnantry to

O

‘Iihe report of this committee is that. in addition to defective crops, other agencies had long been operating in such a wriy PS to cause distress among the ugri- cuitural population. Immigrants location

of raising from forest land crops. sufflctenl: for their maintenance,

uble,.witir1n the past twenty years, to obtain locations on the sea

The rents. though they could

restrictions in disposing of any

Forthcoming Founding Ofthe Council of Europe An Historic Occasion

UW. N. mwer)

The meeting at Foreign Ministers in London Ln t-‘he rim day: of May will definitely found the "Council of Ihnope" or the "Europ can Union" - or whatever name may be finally chosen for the new organization of democratic Europ- ean States.

That will be 1n itself an historic event. Since that vague union of "Christendom" which was both the Pepacy and the Holy Ron-inn Empire, there have been many schemes for a voluntary union of European States. They have rang- ed from Henry lVth of France's "Grand Design" to Brianrfs cori- cept of the "United States of Europe." None of them has until now come into being.

The possible advantages of unity have aways been apparent. The obstacles to unity have eiweys been lmuperable. he conflicts were always stronger than any urge to union. And yet they were the chief reason for union. Be- clause, to the Eturoperm peoples. European unity and peace seemed in a way indlvlstbie.

To the European until half e century or so ago. Europe was the "civilized tprld." the Armor-ices and Australasia seemed offshoots and projections of Europe. Asia. and Africa. we're either under" European rule or destined very soon to be so. The smallest can- tinent was the master continent of the world: and world quarrels were its quarrels.

I O

Within ordinary lifetimes the whole world picture had changed. Wemern Europe is now questing after unity not because it is master of the world. end because European unity would imply world unity and world peace. It ls quest- ing sfier unity because of a feel- ing that, in the new shape of the- world, Western Europe car; only play a. great roie if it can uctjnl a. united whole.

That. is one emotional urge be- hind tire movement for union. The other is more immediate — one hopes more transitory. Today Weat- ern Europe feels itself and its way of life as n whole threatened as never since "Christendom" felt lt- self threatened by "Islam." "Europe" as n whole has never, since Sobleekl saved Vienna, felt a common con- sciousness of a menace from the East. Ii. is - let us feoe it frank- ly — a community of defensive need rather than any community of tradition or community of economic interest which ls at last. compelling the states of Western Europe - roughly the “successor states" of the Western Roman mtpire - into some kind of union. _

That is important. For it poses the question of the whole future character of the organlretion which ls now being created. Will it. prove in fact to be simply a defensive device against en immediate peril?

Hon- tlrnga Ire chewing! One On- terlo ixlotblng merchant le olferlm any t’! but in the store for B0 cents with the purchase of} suit or top- coet. — Btodsvflle Recorder and Times. -

Cnnedlnrre ere the beet

people tn the world outside of U. S. Total insurance 1n force on Decem- ber 31 averaged ‘about $4.000 for a fnmtly of four. te growth comes from need for protection, canti- deuce in companies and saiee ef- forts of thousands of agents. — 5t. Mary's Journal-Argus. g

A young German inventor ll. he says, working an an automobile which will’ cost practically nothing to operate since lite motor will run on air or water. ‘Now if someone else will just come nlorrg and trans- form lheee seine inexpensive in- gredlente into T-bone steaks. over- conte end building materials, we should be welion our way to beet- lng the cost; ef-llving. -_- Winnipeg Free Press.

When an IB-yeer-oirl-Veucouver youth can n that age build up n. criminal record which includes breaking and entering, car theft. and robbery with violence. there is a lot of sense in adding is whipping to his jn-ll sentence, u Magistrate M ‘ " Muxheeon did this weeli. The sent-Mentalist, of course, will howl about cruelty and brutality and. outdated punishment Itnever occurs to than that corporal pun- fernent. rightly used, 1s not only a well-tried and prover: remedy for youthful weywardnesri. It is also the eole form of punlsment that a lat. at smart-sleek: fear-the zoot- sulted, poolroom burgers on who are too" lazy to work and are de- retained to live at other peoples’ expense. They think nothing of. cruelty and brutality-so long as they are on the giving and not the receiving end.—Ve.ncouver Sun.

f lahbll __iands come to lhlgicgnofotheznselveo ivrlmefllv- m‘ 9,; Frenchmen or Danes 01' Italians. but I5 "narrowing" or l" “Y “i” "was" Euwpeanme? e

‘ i from the plain 1.1-2.3?’ of defensive partner-still!» If)!" ("m we 9mm immediate needs of ou-fiitflllrlil“ in economic recovery. cnvllih Wm‘: munlty. onvifih il-illlhrlliyr as“ fundamental unity emohfl um t! nations. to make their ulbl u! political fusion ennei- pom e ° desirable?

That is e. question of which we in the United Kingdom a" ggpgclglly conscious. In one we! We feel ourselves definitely Eilfflilflflt- But; m another sense we are equal-

iy definitely non-Eurovem o“: ties of actual kinship run 3:1”

- h i but overseas. as?“ who has relatives on the Continent t-bera BIB I thousand with relatives in the 30311111055 1n me Colonies, in the U_ 5_ A, The political ties of the Qwmonrwulm an far closer (even though at: the some time lower) than any Dir-wow w‘ "M?" stand. Our economy l! "liked h“ more with oversees countries t an with lhu-ope. Culturally, We fire inevitably more nearly bmmd “P with the lznalish-sroetiil! We'll- Both nnroricriuy and iieosmrhloel- ly the British people are more than gny other; “citizens oftthe wprld." To become merely WWW!“ would be narrowing. not. a widen- ing of our outlook. ‘

It may be that Britain with its double strong irmmre — on the one bend across the Channel and on the other across wider sens — can in some unforseeable way be u. political bond between a united Eur-ope and the other Continents. Ii: is certain that: if — to put. ll crudely — we were forced to choose between membenhlp of e “Euwlt- enn federation" and our associat- ion with the Commonwealth. we must on every ground prefer the Commonwealth. We can only be partners in e Western Europe nrbicn is itself pert or a fur wider partnership.

Maybe, except for immediate and one trusts temporary purposes. this idea. of e united Western Eur-ope ls already en eroticism be- fore ti; has been embodied ln any organism at nil. History fa full of such ironies. -