Kalil!‘ Daily (Fplllllll ll Ill!) Authorised u tlnond Clan loll, Pant Otiioo q- Department, Dttanra.

i ‘Iho lelaad Ufllltllllln Pnlsllnhlng Co I Ishtar and llnallng lllrnatur, J. ll.

Associate Editor. Frank Walker

"The Strongest Memory is Weaker Than the Weakest Ink.“

CHAELOTTETOWN, THURSDAY, JUNE l0, 194B

Significant Decision

The fact that the Dominion Government has intervened to order the Canadian National Rail- way to have the railway deck of the M. V. Abegweit plunked for motor truck accommoda- tion is one of much significance. Heretofore the Railway hos had it much its own way so for as the car ferry service is concerned, with the result that our Provincial Government, Boards of Trade and other/vtganizations pressing for improve- ments in truck accommodation have been baulked at every turn. The unsympathetic attitude of the Railway was clearly indicated in correspondence tabled at a meeting of the Summerside Board of Trade two years ago, in a letter from Mr. Dysort, C. N. R. solicitor. ln reply to a request for re- duction in truck rates on the ferry, Mr. Dysort argued that "any reduction in the rates charged for the transportation of motor trucks on the cor ferry would substantially increase the number of vehicles which the Railway would be required to handle...The car ferry was never intended to be used for the swholesale transportation of high~ way trucks...We have always entertained con- siderable doubt as to whether merchandise car- ried in highway trucks is actually entitled to the benefit of the reduced rates prescribed by the Maritime Freight Act", etc.

Mr. Dysart was only repeating similar objec- tions raised some years before to red-action of rates for passenger automobiles, as indicated by the following statement by C.N.R. Vice President Fraser in a letter to Hon. Dr. MacMillan, then Premier, on April ll, i934. "We as a railroad," Mr. Fraser wrote, "cannot afford to overlook the fact that in reality every automobile we handle on the ferry is in competition with our own ra'l route." He maintained that "while it is quite truethot the loss from operation of the car ferry is assumed by the Federal Government, the Can- adian National Railways, as operators of the property, construe it to be their responsibility to see that each class of traffic carried shall con- tribute, so far as may be practicable, its fair share of the revenue in relation to its proportion to the operating expenses."

lThe ferry rates at that time for

passenger car were $4.00 one way and turn. The subsequent reduction was effe by constant pressure brought upon the Government through our Provincial on representatives. This is the sto improvement in our ferry ration.

The point is, of course, that the Railway should have nothing whatever to do with deciding upon our car ferry rates or improvements. Pre- mier Jones summed the matter up at the Domin- ion-Provincial Conference in i945 when he quoted the B.N.A. Act to show that Parliament had ex- clusive authority over inter-provincial ferries and pointed out that "when in i873 o contract was made for Confederation with Canada, it in- cluded o unique clause stating that continuous and adequate communication with the mainland should be maintained. The intention was to make mainland connections up to date. lf the agree- ment had been consummated in i945 instead of 1873, it would have included adequate communi- cations for railway cars, trucks, buses and auto- mobiles by ferries located in at least two points on Prince Edward lslond and probably communi- cation by air for mail and passenger travel; or else we would hove remained out of Confede- ration." v This point was also pressed strongly by the Summerside Board of Trade in its appeal before the Transport Commission in 1946. It has been the essence of our case at all times. The Domin- ion Governmenfs intervention in the present in- stance, in the matter of planking the deck of the Abegweit and iof ignoring Railway counter-argu- ments as to the expense, is therefore perfectly justified. lt is also tantamount to an admission that our claims above mentioned are still valid and worth insisting upon.

A iilunilorlnz llefeieniium

. As the results of the first Newfoundland referendum are analyzed, it becomes clear that the introduction of the Confederation issue at this time was a grave political blunder. A moré natural process would have been to hold a straight referendum with only two choices on the bollot—Responsible Government or Commis- cian—-ond then to have left the issue of Confed- eration to a general election and a government elected by Newfoundland and interested only in ‘Newfoundland. lt is impossible to soy where thc 20,000 Commission votes will go at the next ref- orendum-both sides are already claiming them --but in any event, Responsible Government and Confederation are so close together—60,000 to 55,000-thot the final decision when it comes is likely to he based on only a small majority which could, in fact, be easily upset in an on.

suing election. ' Commenting on this aspect of the can, a writer in the Winnipeg Free Press points out that lt ll possible for Confederation to win the next roforenidumh one]! line to on anti-Confederation party n o section immediately followi it. The Canadian Government has made itnglear that it would only accept a clear verdict. What this means in terms of votes it confusing, but a ‘decisive victory in a referendum when every vote and contributes to a final grand total has nairelation to on election whm a men can be‘ on aflmlnlrlty note and a large populous is worth more than e small sparsely

f ' J s i. n» a mildly Co: i1‘... ilwllclli

hlurnolt 1

a single $7.00 re- cted only

d Federal ry behind every service since Confede-

THE GUARDIA

peninsula which contains 40 per cent of the votes is in favor of Responsible Government. The ru- rnainder of the country is preponderately in favor of Confederation. Carried into daily prac- tice, this division can be serious. With another referendum called for by the stalemate of the first the difference will probably harden. lt will undoubtedly be carried into any following elec- tion no matter which side wins, and Newfound- land faces a situation where its government is based not on an economic and political pro- gramme but on whether or not the country shall continue to exist as on entity. Worse than that, the feeling persists that on ottemptyhas been made to "railroad" the country into Confedera- tion, an idea which we know from our own post political experience dies hard indeed.

Newfoundland ended Responsible Govern- ment-in i933 with two political parties whose only real distinguishing feature w-as their lead- ership. Ono was either an Alderdice man or a Squires man; the party labels which varied in the inter-war period meant nothing. With the appointment of Commission government and the suspension of self-government, political life stop- ped. It began to revive in i946 with the na- tional convention but never developed. Obviously the first step in this development was to have formed well-defined political groups with which to operate any kind of responsible government. Confederation was something which could well afford to have waited until this primary matter was settled.

_____________________ - EDITORIAL NOTES _

Selection of prize winners in the rural beau- tification contest will come later, but potential winners are already showing championship form.

I U I I

Dominion '

The massacre of Lidice this date i942. They completely destroyed the Czech village, every man being shot and the women and children sent to concentration camps because of alleged assislance to those who shot Heydrich, the German emissary.

by the Germans,

Pierre Loti, French novelist, died this date i928. One of the finest French prose writers and member of the Academy. He excells in impressionistic description. His works include: Mon Frere Yves, Pecheur d'lslande, Madame Chrisaniheme, Les Diserichanfees.

I I Ir I l

Capt. Carl Burke is gradually exbandifig his air empire, his latest addition being St. Pierre. The Maritime Airways is already cover- ing a lot of territory, being the main means of aerial transport over the greater part of the Maritimes, Magdalene: and Newfoundland.

t w w w

Mr. Hugh Paton, son of Col. J. R. Paton, is making good as a top-notch industrialist in Nova Scotia. The tendency has been in the past to draft Maritime industries west, but he has suc- ceeded in transplanting Western business from Winnipeg to Mahone Boy

‘k

* I i

It begins to look as if the Civil Service, un- able to choose between four o'clock closing and a five-day week, will adopt a compromise or- rangement by which those who leave at the early hour will form a skeleton staff in each depart-

ment on Saturdays. I

i a w

The Income Tax 'law is to be simplified, especially as regards appeals, but what most of the appellants would like to know is, will this amendment be retroactive? So many tax-pay- ers ore suffering what they consider unjust de- cisions in the past that they would like to have

their cases re-heard. I’

I I

Ottawa's encouragement of the export of fertilizer for the sake of "hard currency" ex- change is inconsistent with the general policy of exporting our products in the most highly "processed" form possible. It would be better to boost farm production with additional fertil- izer and export the farmer's product.

I f ir i

Mr. llsley's proposed retirement at the end of the present session is because he expects to earn much more in private practice than as o minister of the Crown. lf we are to make public service attractive to the most able it is neces- sary either to provide incomes equal to what they could earn in other occupations or, if that seems too costly, then by offering the prospects of pub- lic recognition in the form bf titles of honour.

I fl I i

Britain's new atomic pile at Harwell is ex- pected this summer to start producing radio- active isotopes-—artificial radio activity produced in about l5 hours compared with 2,000 years for radium. Tllo Ministry of Supply estimates that the increased production will meet the demands of all research workers in Britain. Atomic re- search scientisis in Britain have hitherto been

producing isotopes from Gleep (Graphite Low Energy Experimental Pile). Q I I I if Premier Drew had time in his constituency poigning Ontario as a whole, there can be little doubt he would have retained his seat» ‘In his absence his opponents had the field to them- selves, and the personal canvas of the C. C. F. candidate proved effective. As party loader Mr, Drew was in duty bound to traverse the Prov- ince, and the fact that he retained the Govern- ment by a nry substantial majority, proves that his labours were not in vain. n w a a ‘ Great credit is due to Mr. MecNaught, M.P., r his success in getting the Abegweit boarded for motor truck traffic. He was faced with strong apposition from tho C. N,,R., which is looking for revenue rather than the encourage- ment of lslond trade, and it was only by direct appeal to the Prime Minister that Mr. Mac- Naught succeeded in getting the Cabinet to consider the data he had prepared on the sub- tKf. and granting h‘: rfllllllt- lie acknowledges

spent a quortdr of ‘the that he did in cam-

ie assistance lie -. --vsd from m m." Island members m l- ~ in, our claim, ‘ _

The bonus rend out tn churches do not. seem to put. embargocs on weddings. - Peter-borough Exem- trier.-

Townnmen an b. whole take little interest. in actual farm crops and are apt. b0 assume that. there ls about. a normal production from year Lo year. Bu} in Ontario last. year owing to abnormal spring rains the crop of oats, barley‘ and shelled corn was down 40 percent. These are the products used heav- ily in the feed of oat-tie and hogs, hence higher costs for milk and pork. - Niagara. Fella Review

Economy ll o fine thing. but ll. is apt. to be a stupid thing, ano no economy at. all, indeed, unless ii. ls something better than e mere saving of money at all costs. You can never really save money at all costs. as a. matter of fact, When the‘ costs include human lives, there Ls no sysbem of bookkeeping ivlilct. will balance the crudit and debit sides of the ledger.— Guelph Mercury. ,

People who wish to reduce should do it. under professional guidance to avoid injuring their hCaAl-h. phy- sicians say Even it loss of weight is drzircd, there are certain fzods the body must. have to keep oper- atin, efficiently. A doctor ls best. qualified to say what foods a person can afford to do ivlthout. He will also be able lo determine just how fast. and how far a. per- son shouId lose weight. Self-impos- ed diets often weaken the body witnoui getting rid of much sup- erfluous weight. — Kitchener-Wat- erloo Record.

The London Conference of United Church now has its first. woman minister, the Rev. Miss Muriel Phyllis Revlngton, and it would seem that congratulations are in order for all parties concern- ed. It's strange that. it. has taken women so long to get. a foothold in the ministry. We've had women doctors for more than half a cen- tury. and women lawyers for many years. and yet the profession oi the church. where you'd expect the gentle qualities peculiar to women to be of the greatest benefit, has been among the last. to receive them. All the barriers are aown now, however, and it remains for the women to prove themselves. in this, as they have 1n other protes- sions. f? Windsor Star.

Every time a mm lights n cl;- aretie or takes a drink he 'l.s con- tributing to the support; 0f the Federal government. He does so, of course. through indirect taxes; we reckon roughly that the aver- nge Canadian who drinks and smokes moderately pays about $100 e year to mtawa through in- direct mention on these commod- ities alone. He pays it. quite cheer- fully. But. supposing he were ask- ed to pay this $100 directly, by having ft added to his income tax? Re would holler blue murder. In- deed, if this government. or any other. tried to abolish indirect. taxes, and collect. all its revenue directly, it. would be swept out. of office. - Calgary Herald.

The South Afrlcsn newspaper Die Burger reports that. the Rev. N. J. H. ae Bruin, of Bloemfontein, while dining recently oft a sheep's head on a farm near Prleska, in the Cape, found gold teeth in the sheep! jawbone. Investigation re- vealed Lhat. the teeth were evenly plated with shining “gold.” The report. has caused intense excite- ment in the district, where 1t. is assumed that the sheep, while grazing on short herbage, must have picked up goict dust. from

mastication, plated its teeth. Fur- ther investigation in Capetown, however, reveals that “railed gold” teeth have also been found in the jowbones of eprlngbok in the northwest Cape which later prov- ed to be aluminum silicate. -Lan- don ‘limes.

A zoology proteeaor at the Unl- verslty of Nebraska. who makes a hobby of collecting pictures of noses says there are eight basic kinds. and we don't know what. they are, but our eight favorite kinds 0i noses are as follows: ‘rtie nose that ls followed by its owner, the nose that. is not poked into other peo- ple's business, the nose that. isn't. kept too close to the griiidstonc, the nose that isn't altogether as plain as the one on o. mans face. the nose that. isn't being paid through, the nose that isn't. out oit m spit-e a face, the nose that. isn't. turned up at anything, and the nose that isn't looked down at. anyone. When these eight. best: noses are brought together tn one basic nose, we not only like it, but. the person that goes with it. - Si. Louis Pom-Dispatch.

We are mdtng and hearing a lot these days of King Abdullsh of Trans-Jordan; see hlm pictured on the front. pages at the need of thc Arab Legion, or pinyin: ‘ before shrines la old Jerusalem“ Over whet. does this king rule? Over lees than 36.000 square mfiu of mostly anad, and a population of ‘fewer than 400,000 people. King Abdullshh kingdom, in short, has about one-third of the population of the island of Nana-eel, tower than one-half of the population o! greater Toronto, and roughly the population of the Ottawa Valley. Tint isn't. all. The total revenues of King Abduilutn kingdom are slightly over fl.000.000 u your. Ana that includes a grunt. in afd frqu the British; were hp left to his own resources this much-publicis- od monarch one his court. would

starve to amt-la. 81s dlliglllll, lg dues-t, moi

il iii »Nfl0ll». lplndl 1110M “WNW I Ill!" OI

education, All in all. we should lay that King Abdulloli in not much ‘of a lung and. Judging from his

/

the boo

hollows in the vcld which. during u.

Notes From Another Island s, e-Anpnu

LONDON. llllillnd -- Lut our, about am: time, y covering rom the winter that. many remember in tile ‘Old Country. Weeks of snow and freezing cold has! upset our normal routine in I 89°41 1ND)’ WBYQ- men la delay- ing or even - hem and there ._ completely stopping transport, and Ill no Nly no much on our internal communications, that was pretty serious. '

when the thaw did come, at last. it was in the nature at n mixed blessing. for it rained at the some time. and brought about die- estrous floods all over tihe land. It all made us feel pretty fed up and wonder what. else could happen to us, and when t-‘niings eventually Cleared up and sitirnmer came in, we were inclined to be somewhat suspicious of it, suspecting a‘ imp of some sort.

It has been much easier this year, however. Winter was mild enough, and qullfkly save way to Spring when, say many, England looks her best.

I80!!!‘ IOI MIDI ‘ram’; rhythm in the orbit. of a . u; . But. tiiotfils music stretched too fut

To register upon the human ear. Only Gad and mathematicians hear.

ofueoould

a .

Are needed for such rnleo u we.

Bo I declare

We'd have no way or knowing whether

God is musical and like: o hymn

Except for birds.

We might forget religion altogether

Except. fox-i blrda.

But there they are, reminding us. at. dawn

God made them singers. That es- ouras the do)!

His rhythms hold. althoulh We

s are gone.

"Margery Mansfield In spirit.

ooo

(All I. I. ll

The field; turn green and the trees burst. into blossom. FlOWEi-s appear in a blaze of colour, in cultivated order and in wild pru- fuslon, And city people begin to appear 1n their shops and offices and factories on Monday mornings with more colour in their cheeks than they have had m. months, having used the week-end break to treat themselves to u share in the sunshine at. “tihe seaside" or "in the country" or perhaps happily and contontediy in the local parks. $111!" Wye are to be seen carry- lng cricket. bats instead of football ts, and their big sisters sally forth in their new Spring outfits -

FIRST FOOTBALL CIIAMPS

“Football has been a safety-valve for the surplus energies of many of Prince Edward Island's sons for nearly half a. century. The method of play which obtained in the early aoys was something akin to that of the Association game of today ‘That shin-barking bore an important part. fn the contests ot the time is palpable from what old-timers relate . . . But chaos gave way to order and brute

air 18st year's outfit: with aim - “itiiglh '1’ “M” “M” l" m’ ent frill on it: if the 610th; ratfciln “mum” ‘if 168" Rugby mm‘ l“ obelsaiice. Hmceforward all

coupons won't stretch any further. As at any other season of’ the year. the weather comes in for the standard tonic of conversation. the almost. inevitable morning greeting to the neighbour:

"Lovelv weather we're having." "Grimd moming, isn't. it?"

And the housewives come up against the some problem as laast year. and the year before - tiow to keen the milk from burning sour. for we still haven't taken to the habit of ice-boxes.

matches were conducted under its well-defined rules. Among those to whom belongs t-hc honour of its introduction were A. Ernest Inca. George E. and D. Hooper Robin- son. Albert H. McNeill. Aeneas A. Macdonald, W. A. Weeks. 1r- Ken- neth J. Mifrtln, Daniel J. Macdon- eld and Charles Kennedy. Wltn some others they organized the Abegwelt Football Club. The club at once went. into training. but not until the spring oi 1886 did fta members feel Justified n testing the metal of which they were made. The Plctou, N. S. team were their first. opponents, the match being played at that. town on 24th. May, 1886. Luckily, perhaps. for the future of footibell in the Pra- vlnce the Abegavelts’ first venture was baptized in victory, their blue- nose faemen were worsted by a try to nothing, During the next five years we find Abeg-weit. warriors engaging the crack teams of Nova Boom. Thirteen times dlrtthe club send forth its fifteen braves Lo meet. the doughty kickers from a- cross thc Strait. and thirteen times did these self-same braves‘ return