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i BIIIRLOTTETOWII

Page roux IIIE GUARDIAN

Morning Dally (Founded 1n 1881) Authorised u Second Class Mall, Post Office Department, Ottawa President: Llaut. Col. W. Chester B. McLure Vlco-Presldent: J. R. Burnett, l‘. J. l. Bea-eta ,1 Lleut. Col. D. A. MacKlnnon, 0.5.0. Idlfm- and Managing Director: J. B. Burnett, F. .|. l.

Frank Walker and

Associate Editors: ‘- ett.

ha A. Burn

"The Strongest Memory is Weaker Than the Weakest lnk."

MONDAY. JANUARY ‘l, 1948

Another Nuisance Tax

There is L-llCll disapproval of the 101165 Govcrluncnfs lI\'\\' tux on skating rink patrons. lt is certainly .l lll>Cl'lllllllZll0l'_\' tax. as it hits parents with large lilllllllCr, who already are being lllllll\“.‘\'l through bwlvrul .lnil Provincial taxes to an cxiorlionalt- tllgrcv. ll is also a peculiarly ')lll\t).\lllll> fortn of nuisance tax,

without the merit of llarnlg a precedent. and its sudden lllquslllull bv llTLl€l"lll'COllllCll——Ol1l 0f a clear New Year's ski, so to spcak—has olused almost as much surprise as it has an- noyance, _

There was no indicatnni at the last ses- sioll-of llle Legislature that the Goverlnneut had any inivntii n imposing ne\v taxes. Indeed, it is doubtful if auv stich suggestion would have carried even uniting (ioverllllicllt supporters. Premier Jones himself, in the very brief ref- erence he made to finances in the Budget de- bate, stated that “during the coming year a par- ticular study will be made, and by next year this Government will have to make a clear-cut statement as to whether expenditures will have to be curtailed, or show where more revenue is coming from." The implication was that the Government's policy would be presented to the House at the next session. in the form of a “clear-cut statement.” Why then the unseemly haste in imposing a new tax, just a few weeks before the Legislature is due to meet?

Moreover. at present Dominion-Provincial financial arrangements are quite uncertain, pending the outcome of the conference at Ottawa which has been dragging along since last Oct- ober. Why impose new provincial taxes at this stage? Premier Jones informed the Confer- ence in November that we were already being taxed out of all proportion to our earning capa- city. Now he has added another tax burden, without so much as a “by your leave" to the Legislature, or waiting to hear what the out- come of his negotiations with the Dominion Government will be.

The Government, it is true. is_ in a hole financially. The estimated deficit, for the cur- rent fiscal year is some $400,000, which, if rec- ent Liberal precedent is followed, will likely reach double that amount. That is serious enough, in all conscience, but Government mem- bers did not seem to be unduly alarmed about it last session. Nobody but the Opposition sug- gested that they should economize; and cer- tainly, there has been no evidence since of any undue leaning in that direction.

On the contrary, it is reported that in addition t9 the appointment in recent months of numerous new officials, the Govern- ment has raised salaries of employees all along the line. This was a nice Christmas present and well deserved in most cases; but if it is to be financed at the expense of the skating pub- lic there will be a good deal of explaining to do. The electors may well ask: ls this what Plank No. 6 in the Liberal election platform of I943 meant, which pledged the Jones Gov- ernment to pursue "a vigorous policy" in pro- moting health and physical fitness?

There is another thing to be remembered. The deficit ihis year was calculated on the as- sumption that the Government would have a f€dl1€li0n of $75900 in liquor sales Just ho\v lion. Mr. Hughes, the Provincial Treasurer, figured that out he did not say; but such was the estimate. It is safe to say that instead of a $75,000 reduction. there will be at least a $100, 000 increase in sales, itltlgiltg by the stampede for scripts inn! the crowded appearance of the vendor's stores since the new liquor law was proclaimed.

It is not the youngsters, of course, who will pay this skating lax; it is the same fam. ily breadwirllters who already are paying the other taxes, Federal and Provincial. and who,

collectively and individually, have iust about reached their limit. The Jones Government shows poor psychology in gnading a jaded horse.

General Weeks’ Promotion

Prince Edward Islanders are proud of the success achieved by Major General Weeks, C.B., C.B.E., M.C and liar. M.M. and Bar; 0f Charlottetown, in his appointment to the post of Adjutant Generab-“the biggest administra- tive job in the (Ianadian Army". General Weeks won his promotions the hard way. enlisting as a Private with the local Sfignallers at the out- break of World War I, going overseas with the First Canadian Contingent and receiving his decorations and his Commission on the field. He ioined the permanent force after the war, and served in various parts of Canada-before hls blg opportunity came, with the outbreak of World War ll. of showing outstanding ability ls l Staff officer. Since commanding the Ist Corps Signals C.A.S.F. ‘n 1939 hi; ha; fillcd one responsible wartime position after another, evidently to the complete satisfaction of his superiors, his last iob being the planning of Clnada’: interim force and peacetime perman- ent army.

ll i! filtifl’! that the Province which con- tributed the largest per capila enlistments in the war should also contribute lo the country's top-ranking Army staff. ln addition lo General Weeks ‘we have Maior General D. E. Dewar, of Montague Reconstruction Department rep- Hlthltative m lxmdon who is tn be associated‘ fill-interim: General-Maurice Pope (son of

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a Prince Edward Islander and grandson of an Island Father of Confederation) at the very important preliminary Reparations Conference to be held early this year in Paris.

Coming London Conference

The importance of the first meeting of the United Nations Organization in London next month is oelng recognized by Canada in ‘the strength of liS (lelegatiorl. Mr. St: Laurent, the Minister of Justice. is its chairman. Messrs. J. G. Gardiner and Paul artin will be the other cabinet ministers in attendance, flanked by a powerful group of public servants.

The meeting will be‘ of‘ the utmost im- portance. This is the beginning of the new league on which the ultimate hopes of humanity rest. The Charter is less than a year old. It is now to go intc active operation and fhe plans and treaties which are now being drawn up by the peace-linkers \\'ill be gradually. and over the years, merged into the general work of the U. N. O. Obvious care is being taken. as these immediate steps proceed, not to releflale [he U, N, () w, .1 5pllerc of genial uselcssness. The successive conferences that have been held —uotably that at Moscow this mouth-have on the other hand emphasized the vital role the _U.N.O. wi.l play.

—IiDITURIAL NUI ES-

The Jones Government is getting back to the Bell Government formula of taxing every- thing tangible and intangible.

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The more people housed in the vicinity of Charlottetown the better for its trade and tax- payers alike. You must spend money to get money.

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Just think of it! Elaborate precautions are deemed necessary at Truro and Debcrt to pre- vent 3,o0o German prisoners escaping en route to their homeland. Evidently many 0i tlwm 0°11" want to go home, and would prefer to remain as citizens where they havcikbeen as prisoners.

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The Bishop of Birmingham, Dr. E. W. Barnes, known for his advanced socialistic views, urges state supervision of movies. “It is un- wise to leave in private control an instrument so powerful in moulding the minds of the peo- ple," he said.

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Sir Andrew Browne Cunningham, Admiral of the Fleet, G.C.B., D.S.O., born this date I883; educated at Edinburgh Academy and H. M. S. l3ritannia, entering the Navy in I898; was head of the British Naval delegation in Washington in 1942; Contmander-in-Chief of British and U. S. Naval units in North Africa and Mediterranean in 1042-3 First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Qilafj 1243-4.

Evidently the Provincial Government be- lieves t at l: has ample iustification in taking with the lelt hand what it gives with the right. It has sponsored an elaborate scheme for the development of llllySlCfil fitness, and now turns around and (lelnancis that the boys and girls, or their parents, pay a tax for the priv- ilege, 0l'l the giound that “money is plentiful at the present time." On the same ground the Government could demand payment for its “X"-ray and similar health services.

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The British Minister of Labor, Mr. George lsaacs, speaking at Aberdeen on Britain's building apprenticeship scheme. said: "This is the lifeblood of the industry and it has been whole-heartedly accepted by the industry." He urged the importance of attracting the best types of youth into building as a career. Rapid training on a large-scale will be necessary dur- ing the next four or five years There is no industry offering a lnore promising and suc- cessful future than that of building craftsman- ship.

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Canada's death rate from tuberculosis has fallen 75 per cent ill the past fifty years. The 50th anniversary of the discovery of the X-ray ls being observed this year. The X-ray was discovered by Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen Nov. 8, I895, lt is now universally used in the (liagnosis of tuberculosis. "Tuberculosis was the cause of the rejection of approximately 15,000 men and women for military service ill World War II. The fact they had the disease in one form or another was revealed by X-ray exam- inations. ‘

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Not many here personally knew the late Lt.-Col. R. F. Parkinson, D.S-O., managing director of the Ottawa Journal, but it is due in uo small measure to him that our silbscribers and readers generally are not paying more for their paper The Post Office Department at one time decided to increase the postage rate on newspapers, which would piractically have ruled out two cent dailies from the use of the mails. The Guardian fought the matter, en- listing the sympathy and support of Col. Park- inson, who was chairman of the Canadian Daily Newspaper Association's Postal and Par- liamentary Committee. The ups-hot was that the proposed increase was never made effective.

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The British Ministry of Education has pre- pared extensive plans to bring the youth of France and Britain closer to each other. The new Minister of Education, Miss Ellen Wilk- inson, favours two special schemes. The first is to encourage boys and girls in both countries to link up 0v exchange of correspondence and to get to know each others interests and hob- bies. The second scheme provides for the pair- ing-off of schools with the same background and interests: for example, a school in a Brit- ish seaport would be linked with one in a French seaport, mining area with mining area, and so on. Plans for this encouragement of friend- ship with France are to be forwarded to the French Ministry of Education as soon u pos- sible. Miss Ellen Wilkinson considers that the friendships encouraged between the school- children of both countries may well continue

after the pupils have left school. Both schemes include the interchange of holiday. visits and of teachers in both countries.

Notes By The Way

Cort-Ill!!! Illa women wlll back to the kitchen after the wt? No man ever nved over a girl's vmnderful riveting. Quebec Ohronlcle-Telegruph,

5°33"! ll 9° Purchase e whal- lng fleet of Ab: vessel: horn the United Kingdom. A Swedish tanker wlll also be bought for conversion to n factory Ihlr. 1m fleet will be vf-térfllefi by s government-sup- lwfled 110111138"? with a capital of about £1,100,000. P se of the scheme ls to make olland self. supporting ln fate. ,

M The United Sbtcs should take into the reckoning of cu;- own n5- tlonsl Interests that England ‘is the greatest single customer of our agriculture. We should remem. ber that England with her large import market for goods from other countries helps make much of the world into s good In rket for us. The United States wll not get allong lnlalglorltlwthaf‘ lskecon- omlca y un ea . g s ou up- neclate that, havhig been ggnnqm. cully about the most depressed part of the world 1n almost all of the 1930's. {rug our difficulties were not the n that; could have been mended by aid from overseas. But. today it ls the kind of ald Britain needs. It ls the kind of aid we are especially able to give. -- Minneapolis Star Journal.

The London “Union of Ceylon Tea Planters" have recently ro- ceived the first “tea tablets" which should considerably simplify and cheupen the production of tea, The Cornwall Standard-Freeholder reports. They are the result of e process based on long years of ex- erlments carried out by the “Cey- on Tea Research, Institute,” which reduces the time required in pro- ducing tea from 24 hours to two hours. By means of this process- known as "P.F.T."—the ten ls made into compressed tablets, which saves shipping space. The tablet- form tea ls also about 50 percent stronger than tea ln its present form, and allows for u reduction ln price. The London organization ls now going to undertake further tests and experiments with the tea tablets.

Children at 50 Glasgow elemen- tary (primary) schools, who just before the war were relieved of homework, are "night: swottlng" a ain. The City Education com- m ttee believes that lack of home- work ls associated with increased’ juvenile delinquency. "Bad boy offences ln Glasgow have jumped since elementary homework was abandoned. About one-fifth of the city's elementary school system. representing children from mixed prosperous and poorer-class fami- lies, are to be “guinea pigs.‘ They go back to homework so that edu- cation experts can observe the ef- fect. on juvenile crime. They wlll do lt three nights each week for half an houn-London Dally Mull.

Field Marshal Sh- Bernard Law Montgomery-Monty to every Brlt- ish soldier—told St. Andrews Unl- versity students: “Napoleon and Cromwell, and, very possibly, Moses, too, were known to their men by nicknames, and used this familiarity to help their purpose. He lnstnnced Moses as one of the world's greatest military leaders. "Note his refusal ever to risk any failure in action. He had an un- broken record of military succes- ses. "He had the wisdom and _ln- sight lnto human nature to realize that the best way for a leader to gain the confidence _0f hls soldiers