_ ciscal Conierence
There is a great difference of opin- ion between Liberal and Conserva- tive spokesmen as to the value of the federal-provincial meeting on tax- sharing agreements, which is to con-
‘vene at Ottawa on July 6 on a minis-- terial level at the suggestion of Fin- ance Minister Fleming. According to - Mr. Pickersgill in the House of Com- , mons, this Will be just a “pale imita- _ tion conference of bureaucrats.” He , claims the Government has no inten- _~ tion of convening a full-fledged con- ference with the heads of the Provin- , ces, but will go on extending the pre- sent tax sharing arrangements with the provinces on a year-to-year basis “in order to make political hay in pro- vincial elections.” The meeting announced for July is _ with provincial finance ministers, and in Mr. Fleming’s words will be for _ two days of closed-door talks prepar- ing the way for “the detailed consid- _ eration of our mutual financial prob- lems.” But-there is more to it than this. The Federal! Minister gave definite assurance in Parliament that a thorough study would be made of Canada’s entire tax. structure. This will be the first inquiry Of its kind ince the one made by the Rowell- Sirois Commission @# generation ago. The July meeting will be an en- quiry by the so-called Economic Com- mittee, which brings together the top financial advisers of the Dominion and Provincial Governments, and will make “an intensive and dispassionate atudy” of taxes in Canada—munici- pal, Provincial, and Federal. This, it is argued by Conservatives, will pro- vide the only basis on which. satis- factory Dominion-Provincial fiscal arrangements can be worked out. When completed, it will permit fiscal problems to be discussed on a fiscal need. basis — something which we in this Province have been urging un- successfully for a long time. Indeed, our chief complaint with the tax _ gharing agreenients is that they are based Jargely on a per capita plan of eompensation, and do not sufficiently recognize the basic fiscal inequality among the provinces. That was em- phasized in the brief presented by Premier Matheson at the Federal- Provincial Conference of November, 1957, and it is a perfectly sound ob- jection.
So what havewe to lose? The fuil- fledged conferences held in the past have not achieved the results we had hoped for. Mr. Fleming has pro-- posed a new approach to the prob- lem—one which at least holds out the prospect of better terms. Our,provin- cial authorities should avail them- selves of this opportunity with ala- erity, and should insist on a com-- plete reassessment of all our claims
“which have been treated so cavalierly in the past. If these Ottawa proposals are just a “bluff”, as Mr. Pickersgill maintains, then we should call the bluff. We should go there ready to play all the cards in our hand.
«4
Political Patronage €ry
Strident cries against the evils of solitical patronage have been raised at Ottawa by the Canadian Labor Congress and the Civil Service Fed- eration. Whatever justification there may be for these complaints, it is strange that they should coincide with the change from a Liberal to a Conservative regime—for patronage ran rampant under Mr. St. Laurent and Mr. King, with very little protest from official*bodies.
The Ottawa Journal has been delv- ing into past history in this regard. It finds that party © patronage was curtailed when the Civil Service Cpm- mission was reformed and strength- ened under Sir Robert Borden, but it came back under Mackenzie King. Mr. Bennett, Conservative Prime Minister from 1930 to 1935, sought to break with tradition. He made the youthful Graham Towers governor of
the Bank of Canada, never inquiring into his politics. He appointed the famous: Patrick Burns, active asa Liberal, to the Senate. He promoted Heetor MacKinnon, a Liberal if ever there was one, to a deputy minister- _ ship. He gave Hon. Lester B. Pear- » -gon his first start in the Department i of Affairs. And it was dur-
_ Ing these Conservative years that twe
great servants of Canada, Norman both Liberals, were brought into the _ Mr. King, in 22 years of office, ap- pointed not a single Conservative Senator. Mr. St. Laurent, during eight years in office, appointed one Conservative Senator—an old school-- mate and personal friend. Over a quarter of a century of Liberal rule, how many Conservatives were ap- pointed deputy ministers, Trans- port ~ Commissioners, CNR diree- tors, members of the Civil Service Commission, governors of the | C.B.C., or to high posts in the diplo- matic service? Our Ottawa contem- porary goes over the list, and finds precious few. During this long period, it says, Canada was regarded as a sort of Liberal preserve, with Con- servatives, sq far as important_ap- pointments went, just second class citizens. '
‘The complaints we hear from local ; Conservatives nowadays is that the Diefenbaker Government is too con- scientious in leaning backwards in the matter of political patronage. The big jobs, they say, are still going to Lib- erals — or at least not to deserving democrats of the governing party. Be that as it may, the Government is under fire at Ottawa for playing the old party game. Probably it is because its Liberal predecessors played it with so much more gusto that they got away with it! We don’t know. From this distance it sounds much like a storm in a teacup; but then, we've never felt the pangs of high political hopes deferred—‘“the insol- ence of office, and the spurns that © patient merit of theunworthy takes,” as that fellow Hamlet said. It must be pretty frustrating. deus
EDITORIAL NOTES —
A survey shows that the old prac- tite of hand-kissing is going out of fashion in West Germany. Another indication that present day Germans are a sensible people. «
s ae *
“The cheapest thing in the world is advice. There’s not a person in the United States that’s had as much ad- vice as I have who has followed as little of it as I have.”—Former Presi- dent Harry S. Truman..
It has been revealed that the Gan- der Airport in Newfoundland is the only air terminal in Canada that has a barroom. The blame for this—if blame there be—cannot be charged to Premier Smallwood. He is a tee- totaller.
~
His Eminance Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, recently celebrated. his 70th birthday anniversary. On that occasion he ob- served that his most rewarding ex- perience was his ministry as Military Vicar 6f the 2 million Roman Cath- olies serving \in the ‘armed forces of the United States.
-
A London report Says that defence officials are worried over the rising volume of American-made weapons in ‘the arsenal of NATO. They feel that British and European manu- facturers should be given a bigger share in the business. Canada has ex- pressed similar complaints with re- spect to joint Canada-United States
defence. ‘ *
7 .
Lionel Chevrier, author of the book “The St. Lawrence Seaway” predicts that in due course Toronto will be as big as New York, because of the im- | pact of the waterway on economic | conditions. There must be many Torontoans who are dismayed at the prospect. There’s plenty of conges- tion, with all its attendant evils, al-
ready.
Booth Fisheries of Chicago have purchased a government-owned fish processing plant at Fortune, New- foundland. The plant has been oper- ating on a reduced schedule for some time. The new owners hope to add another 35 millon pounds a year to its capacity for processing North Atlantic fish. Purchase:price is re- ported to be about ‘$50,000, -far be- low the cost of construction.
- - >
Ne visitor to New York has miss- ed seeing Grant’s Tomb, that hand- some memorial on Riverside Drive which was financed by popular sub- scription and dedicated 62 years ago. It comes as a surprise to learn that this monument to the man who sym- bolizes the military victory of the Union and once filled the nation’s highest office, has only now attained the “official ‘status of a national
‘mer months.
Instead, he took the realistic ap-
“might reap bigger results as long
shrine . ‘
‘4
TULIP TIME IN OTTAWA
ON PARLIAMENT HILL.
.Committee Activities
By Heath Macquarrie, M.P.
Ottawa {s world famous as the city of tulips, and these brilliant flowers are already beginning to make their appearance along the roadways . and on the of public buildings and private homes. The famous Canadian Tu- lip Festival is just a week away, and it would appear that this year nature is cooperating with the Board of Trade which select- ed to date. There is everv rea- son to believe that -the nation’s capital will be a riot of colour on May 15 when the festival tak- es place. :
An interesting feature of the celebration is the selection of some of the .most beautiful blooms for delivery by air to the Queen of Holland. Ottawa grew a great many tulips a good Many years ago but it was after the Second World War that the Royal Family of the Netherlands
‘gave a great boost to the city by
presenting a large number of high quality bulbs from the great European homeland of this bright spring flower. . AIR OPPRESSIVE
Ottawa is a beautiful city but+ one cannot he so enthusiastic about its climate. The exces- sive humidity makes for consid- erable discomfort during the sum- Already temper- atures have started to move up- ward and the humid air is op- pressive. One longs for the cool breezes—of our Island province; however, it will be a long time yet before we return to the plea- sures of our Island climate. The best hope we have is that the session might end on July 1. Rea- listic observers say that August 1 might be a more accurate tar- get date. Soon welcan expect. the Commons will lengthen its
lawns | | of
tings as well.
Although much has been ac- complished, age-da yet before us with many the estimates, new bills, the Prime Minister's Bill of Rights, and other items likely to stimulate considerable and prolonged debate. AGRICULTURE ESTIMATES
The Minister of Agriculture has finally had his estimates passed by the House of Commons af- ter many weeks of discussion. An interesting item was that pro- viding for a grant of $10,000 to the Federated Women's Institut- es of Canada. Although the or- ganization/ once received a spe- cial grant when it played host to an international gathering, this is the first time a regular grant has been provided for this splen- did group. As a former . sehool teacher, I can testify to the great work which the Women's Instit- utes do on behalf oof education, and this is only one of their con- tributions towards good clitizen- ship. : i f Mr. Harkness expressed himself as being extremely glad in hav- ing succeeded in having the erated Women’s Institutes ac- cepted as an organization to re- ceive an annual grant. Mr. Her- ridge of British Columbia compli- mented the Minister on this move as did Mr. John Chariton in whose constituency is the village of Stoney Creek where the first Women’s Institute was organized in 1897. NEW COMMITTEE
While some committees have finished their work for this ses- sion many have still a long way to go, and last week the House set up new special committees .to
and Saturday _ sittings
there is a heavy |~
ect. Committee on Radio and Broadcasting in Canada has been established and it is expected that a great many meetings will be held as the committee makes a detailed and careful analysis of broadcasting in this country.
| annual report of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation will be dealt with in detail.
As the House goes into longer hours of sitting, the demand upon those who belong to active committees — and all members have some committee responsib- ilities will become even greater. Another special ‘commit- tee has been set up to look into the report of the Canadian National Railways. Trans-Canada Airlines, Freight Rates Act and similar related subject$#wf his committee has a big task before it and there will be much discus- sion and examination of witness- Les and reports. A joint. mit- tee has been set up in which members of Senate and House of Commons will examine the Indian Act.
The committee of which I have the honour to be chairman, that of Privileges and Elections, is to commence its work shortly and will deal with suggested
tions ““Act”"The Elections Act is an involved and detailed docu- ment covering the bread > ques- tions of how the people of Can- ada translate their views into the actual election. results whenever they are called upon to exervise their franchise.
The Canada Elections Act pro- vides for very efficient machin- ery, and. in general, our fran- chise regulations stand up well in comparison with any other country. Our ‘irst witness will be Mr. Nelson Castonguay, the Chief Electoral Officer, who-is
as was his tather, Jules Cast
guay. who held the position for many years before being suc- ceeded by the present incum-
sessions with more morning sit- | deal with certain topics. A bent. . / : d would have to defer te the top Hammarskiold’s Offer [essen oT By Lloyd MacDonald “eo
Canadian Press Staff Writer
: A recent American newspaper cartoon depicted a puzzled ‘Mr. World” peering at a sky in which
three clouds labelled “Tibet,” “Iraq” and ‘Berlin’ hovered threateningly. Underneath was
the caption: “Where's the UN?”
At a time when the Berlin crisis particularly is to the fore in view ot the foreign ministers’ -tonfer- ence in Geneva next week ana the long-threatefied May 27 dead- line set by Moscow for the expiry of the four - power occupation agreement there, the question of the United Nations’ role in this major point of dispute seems pertinent.
Secretary - General Dag Ham- marskjold, working within the limits of his world organization and his own skilled knowledge of how far diplomacy can go, al- ready has given a qualified answer. ,
In a speech at Copenhagen in the course of his current Euro- pean tour he brought up, in a limited way, the contention that the UN can play some kind of role in the Berlin situation. To many proponents of the UN, his words may have seemed more than cautious—even negative. , NO FALSE HOPES
But Hammarskjold, as always, was not going to raise any false hopes that his organization could pull a miracle out of the hat should the big four foreign min- isters | fait to reach- agreement.
proach—that a small contribution
as the slightest crack remains dpen in the door between East and West.
In his Copenhagen speech the secretary-general laid down, what has been termed a “position paper”—ah adj ~ct to and intervention into the big discussions. In brief, he. offered the major powers involved
the UN in the hope that’ under |
the legal framework of the char- ter hammered out in 1945, the principals in the Second World War might meet again in the spirit of that period.
To many, that might simply imply the offer of a conference table—which the UN already has contributed ‘to thé Geneva talks at the Palais des Nations..To the secrepary-general himself, it un- doubtedly carries with it the tran sfere of responsibility among the big four to remem- ber, even at this late date, their pledges made im the hour of vic- tory.
Whether Hammarskjold's ‘‘pos- ition paper’ will result in a move by the big powers for considera- tion of the Berlin problem at the UN level is of course . The logical followup to the for- eign ministers’ meeting would be a summit. conference — in the event of which the numerous smaller powers who: make up the bulk of the UN's membership
Commonwea
Canada has just taken a sep which may prove to have far- reaching consequences for the development of Commonwealth ties. We agreed to join the Com- monwealth Economic Consulta+ tive (CECC.) This is far more than just another organization with a jawbreaking name.
CECC will consist of- the fin- ance and economic ministers of the 11 Commonwealth countries who will meet at fairly regular intervals to discuss common ap- proaches to world problems. The council won't have any executive powers but, since it will be made
full facilities and good offices of
up of very high officials, * will
international,
Meanwhile, there has been lit- tle activity at the UN since last December's General Assembly | adjournment. The recent Iraqi outbreak, with its overtones of communism, caused a lot of pri- vate discussion but no calls for
formal activity at this stage.
i Nasser’s United Arab Republie apparently is content, at the New York headquarters at least, to take a wait-and-see attti- tude.
The Tiber revolt has had an admitied impact on the Asian-Af- rican UN members that may be refiected when the question of recognizing Communist China comes up at the next assembly. The neutralists heve been shaken by Peiping’s action, but while Red China remains outside the UN there is no legal ground for intervention here.
Thus the cartoon character may well céntinue to ask about the world body's role with each succeeding cloud. Hammarskjold has made his offer. Now it's up to the big powers, in this prim- ary crisis, to interpret it and de- cide whether or not to accept it.
th Milestone?
‘Financial Post
be listened to with respect. The first meeting at which the
ministers will be represented by senior civil servants, will take places in London May 5 when relations of Commonwealth coun- tries with the six nations of the European Common Market will be considered. This is a question which cries out for discussion, because the six countries will soon start to shut out raw ma- terials from Commonwealth coun-
In one respect, formation of the council doesn’t break new ground.. Commonwealth officials have been meeting since the 1920's
te discuss economies problems
-
—
amendmetit#to the Canada Elec-
an outstanding expert in the fi ro
rita ty He
ces
7 qi
iy
i
er candy wrappers.
No lollipops or ice cream bars on sticks. A sudden bump, swerve or stop might mean an injured eye or mouth.
No large, heavy or sharp- edged toys in the car. No bal- loons, either.
"Always get out of the car on the curb side, away from the As you can see, there are a great many more “don'ts” than “do's.” That’s because the young- sters just naturally seem to qm wam to do, things
“NO” IS NOT ENOUGH Merely saying ‘‘No, No,” when
cat isn't enough, You must make sure there is no misundérstand- ing about the fact that you mean business.
One word of caution: Always pull over to the curb and park before you try to deal with a commdtion in the back seat. Don't lose your temper, es-
i.
on obedience.
Each «ear “between 1,100 and 1,200 children car passengers are killed im each of the age groups between 0 and 4 and 5 and 14 None of us want your young-
statistics. \
QUESTION AND ANSWER
Mrs. F. H.: Could you please tell me what could cause pains in the neck, back and front? Answer: Tensiop of both the front and back of the neck may be involved. It is well to consult your physician to make sure there is no organic cause.
OUR YESTERDAYS
(Fram the Guardian Files)
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO (May 11, 1934) Further progress of the Y.M.C.
~
ported at the regular meeting of
The total to date amounts to $2,- 264, approximately 55 percent. of the $4,000 objective. The commit-
ass closes, ave been oversubscribed.
Mrs. F. M. Stewart was elect- ed president the Women’s Ex- ecutive Board ‘of the Cundall Home at the annual meeting held last night. Other officers include vice-president, Mrs. W. A. Hues- tis: recording secretary, Mrs. H. S. Henderson; corresponding sec- retary, Mrs. J. E. Harris; trea- surer, Mrs. A. E. Morrison.
“TEN YEARS AGQ (May 11, 1949) Mr. Barry Bugden was re- elected president of the Little Theatre Guild at the annual meet- ing held at the Brighton Club last night. Other officers include vice-president, Frank Casey; sec- retary, Miss Lillian Duchemin; treasurer, Morton Dew; stage
and the council simply takes ever the functions of other groups
gularly.
tion of the council is an impor- tant departure. First, the new meetings will be at higher levels than most of the earlier confer- ences. Second, they will be re- gular rather than irregular. One can't predict’ in detail the ef- fects of these changes. But it may be remembered that the very institution of cabinet gov- ernment itself came into being because elected privy councillors began to meet regularly during the reign of Chartés II.
The ties binding the Common- wealth together have always de- fied precise definition. The Com- monwealth is much more than an association of free countries joined together by mutual inter- est and historical experience. The London Economist recently defin- _ed it as the “ethic of individual and national liberty in action on a world: scale.” me
The official version of Canada’s relation with the new chapel is that we “agreed to take part.” Actually, we did more than that: we persuaded other count- ries to join. Canadian leadership practically brought the new or- ganization int6é existence.
If the new council advances and strengthens the’ Common-
the little ones misbehave in the”
sters to be included in next year’s.
A. subscription campaign was re- |
the Y’s men held last evening. |
tee expects that when the can- | the objective will |
manager, Harry Morris; business |
which have been meeting irre-
But in other respects, forma- |
wealth, we shall have reason to proud
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One of the anecdotes related by Mr. Lionel Chevrier in his new
more than two hours.—Ottawa
i ;
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me the foundation of our existence. We
7 |
have shaped and built -our scheme of things around this mechanical parasite and now we must continue to live with it or see our national economy severe- dy strained. We have allowed it to undermine mass transportation by rail. Kitchener-Waterloo Re- |- cord .
A tlie @ oe. 8 te | progeny survived, could produce. some 19,500.000 descendants in ten years. Significantly only four or five species of North Am- erican birds have vanished into extinction since the continent was colonized. One of these, the passenger pigeon, laid only a single. egg. Several species, pat ably forest birds such as ‘ the woodpecker, may have declined general man’s clearing of. the land. has . greatly. helped. the songbirds —Owen Sound Sun- Times
ing,
vow.
come forth
tainty,
TARDY SPRING
bough Even denied the gold importun- Here is the testament ea
So will my idatt from wintering
Shyly, and yet with tender cer-
Lifting new blossoms, eonscious of their worth, Proving again that love must breathe and be. eee oo aaa a aaa In the Christian Science-Monitor -
?
manager, Lt. Col. P. 8. Fielding.
The S. S. Fairview leaves for} DOES Pictou.May 25th for her annual
inspection and overhaul. During Pp her absence, a large cabin mot-
orboat will carry passengers from | Charlottetown to Rocky Point. Vehicles will be obliged to tra- vel 22:imiles via West. River.and
Noth River bridges. wa MAXIMS
If a man be overtaken in a | fault, ye which are spiritual re- stere such an one.
ETTING
‘Thanks cE laboratory formulation, stronger and better they
combating ordinary Irritations. These after 35, and
Kidney may make from too frequent,
| |
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\
COUNCIL MEETING
AT CITY HALL TONIGHT 7.30 P.M.
WILL BE HELD
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL
\llating equipment.
| INTERRUPTION NOTICE There will be an interruption of electric powet “on our Borden Line west of Bonshaw on Wednes- day, May 13th between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., weather permitting, to enable us to replace broken insulators ‘and repair voltage reg-
MARITIME ELECTRIC CO., LTD.