lhrlaiitirlrr. ilrrrrriinr ‘ nuaonnummrrmuawalnmaonnnnuw Montague. _,_I.______ ..,_____._____.__,___._c,_____ ___.l__._~______»---_-_-_-_-J . _...~...._-sr.-.-~,...-.~-..------.-~---~-----~~---~-- ~---- ' or UAIUIDAY, NOVEUIER 4, lill- ' u¢_-;,-_-_-_-;_-_-_-1-_-;_-;;_-_-_-_-,-_-;_-;_-,-_-_-;_-_;-_~_-_-_-_-_-_; _-_-;;;_ ::.~.~.-:::::;-'~'~'-'. t Mf0U,l,\ ARTILLERY UNl‘l`S_` ' Our Artillery in the annual competitions 'before the' Wir so often led the rest of Canada that a ‘failure to hold this place in any year was more notice- able than _the reverse. Military records m_ade in peace times must be sus- tained in time of war otherwise we must feel greatly discredited before the world a°nd it is with great and pardonable pride that we today think of our artillery record in the present \var. 'I`he'P. E. I. Heavy Battery on home duty at Fort Ives is fulfilling that part of home service apportioned to Prince Edward Island and its work at this fort has been a repetition of the efficiency established in pre- vious years. From this battery many trained officers and men are continually supplied to oversea forces. In England \ve are represented at the Midway training camps by the 5th Canadian Siege Battery a body of men of whom we are all‘proud and we wait 'with every confidence for word of their work in training as compared with other Canadian units. On the firing line in France and in the hottest sec' tion \ve are represented by our .noble 98th Siege Bat- tery the pride and admiration of every true Islander. _ Training in England as the 5th is now doing the' 98th was easily first and out of all Canada was the fi_rst Siege Battery to be sent to France where during ‘the many months of continual work at the front it has repeatedly-drawn the attention and admiration of Commanding Officers to its accuracy, rapidity and effi- ciency. Thesesuccesses of Island Artillery should make it a popular branch of the service and no difficulty should be experienced in raising the two Siege Artil- lery drafts now recruiting, one of which has been al- lotted to King’s County under Command of Lieut. Roy C. McLean. N/ ~ ' ~_. \ The County is already well represented in the 98th having two Commissioned Officers and a large percentage of N. C. O.’s and men. The opportunity Of sending a unit of artillery is ar; honor well merited by King’s 'County which has always been exclusively an artillery district and an op- portunity for every old artilleryman and others throughout the County to sustain and improve`a re- cord of which we are already proud. ><»<-- 'IHE GREAT REFUSER .»L._.:‘.Al Sir Wilfrid Laurier advances a flimsy excuse for rejecting Sir Robert Borden’s invitation to co-operate in the appointment of a joint Parliamentary National Service Committee. 'His refusal was to be expected says ithe Toronto News He has a long record of similar refusals to his credit. In a series of Imperial Conferences he persistently re- fused to co-operate with the rest of the Empire for Imperial defence purposes. He blocked the proposals of South Africa and New Zealand statesmen looking to united action for the common safety. 'He refused to follow the lead of Natal, New Zealand and Aus" tralia in making direct contributions of cash or ships to the British navy, which in the last 27 months, with the assistance of ships from these Dominions, has saved the Empire and civilization from destruction. He hesitated to send Canadian troops to South Africa until his hand was forced by rising public opin- ion, andreven then he made the Imperial Government pay the whole cost of the 'expeditionary force. When, In 1909, the British Government forecasted the Ger- man emergency in the North Sea, Sir Wilfrid rejected the advice of the Admiralty, wasted two years without really entering upon the construction of a navy, and _T went out of office without doing anything. When, in 1912, the war clouds lowered with increasing gloom he s‘comed Sir Robert Borden’s invitation to unite in the construction and loan of three super-Dread- noughts to the Aldmiralty against the very struggle in which we are now engaged. _ “The possibilities of producing flax for fibre in to encourage the growth of_this industry in districts suited' thereto at this time, when unusually high prices will serve as an impetus to, its development and exten- sion." So writes the Director of Dominion Experi- mental Farms, while the Dominion Botanist speaks of "enhanced interest in an industry for which there cer- tainly is a wide scope in suitable localities in the Dom' ion of Canada.” Both these retnarkswére promoted by the publication of Bulletin No. 28 Second Series Experimental Farm at Ottawa entitled, “Flax for Fibre; its cultivation and handling,”'wri~tten by J. Adams, M.A_, Assistant Dominion Botanist, who for years was associated with the flax industry in-Ireland. The cultivation of flax, as Mr. Adams says, is anti- quity. E\"ery biblical student will recall that in the account of the destruction wrought by hail in Egypt it is written that “the -barley was in the ear and the flax was boiled." Flax is grown in Canada to some extent, but not, judging by statements of authorities, to the extent that the demand, the price, usefulness and the soil and climatic conditions warrant. Mr. Adams in his bulletin, which can be had free by ap- plication to the Publications Branch, Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, describes the plant in all its par- ticulars tells of thc-'soil and climate required, and sets forth, with illuminative drawings and with minute' ness cf detail all that is required in its cultivation and harvesting. He also shows that in two years flax has doubled in price. Considerable quantities of flax are being raised in this province and mnclr more could be raised as our soil and climate are admirably adapted to its cultiva- tion. Our readers should secure Mr. Adam’s bulletin. 0 In its yesterday's issue the Patriot says in two statements we made yesterday on the Borden Naval policy and the Laurier defeat thereof we were mis- leading and untruthful. For every `statement we make we have-proof which is easily ascertainable. The two statements to which the Patriot refers are in its own words: ' (1) “That the $35,000,000 fake was due to the memorandum; of the Admiralty with regard to the provision of a certain number ‘of the largest ships of war which science can build or money supply. This is not a fact. The application to the Admiralty was an afterthought, when Borden was seeking a way out of the position into which his Nationalist embarrass- ments had brought him. (2) “The second untrue statement is that Laurier defeated the Bill in the,Senate. This is not true. The Bill was not defeated in the Senate. An amendment was carried there that it be referred to the people for approval, which ltorden refused to accept.” ' With regard to the first allegation we submit the irrefutable evidence of the speech of His Royal High- ness the Duke of Connaught in opening the second session of Parliament in which Sir Robeft Borden was Premier. The pivotal subject of the Speech from the Throne was the Naval policy, and the announce- ment made by His Royal Highness was as follows: “During the past summer four members of my Got/ernment conferred in London with His Maje.rly'.r Government on the question of Naval Defence. Important discussion: took place and CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN DISCLOSED WHICH, IN THE O,PINION'OI-i MY ADV]-` SERS, RENDER IT IMPERATIVE THAT THE EFFECTIVE NAVAL FORCES OF _ THE E)MP1RE_ SHOULD .BE f.STRENGTH- ENED WITHOUT DELAY. My advisers are corn/r`nced that it is the duly of Canada .at I/tis juncture to afford reasonable and neces.¢ar_~,r aid for thi!! prrrposc. A bill will be introduced 'accor- dingly.” These are the very words of the Speech from the hrone delivered on Nov. 21, 1912. On December 5th, with every member in his seat, with _densely crowded galleries, with the presence of T. R. H. the Duke and Duchessof Connaught and Princess Patri- cia, Sir_ Robert -Borden introduced his measure,‘ the formal resolution being in exactly the same terms as he bill. SUPPLEMENTARY TO HIS SPEECH ) ( _ SIR WILFRID KNEW ”"““l, ‘° ‘Sill {"