i. . i. _,. y.

-.-_..-__-_..

__.. ... . .. .. ..._ ._.. ....

' rt million and a half.

iliqIILlfQUR A ______ _______v_g__y 131E _'(; U A1191 AN‘ E G U A N ellfction Liberals polled several million votes, ai- t I j _w_ : .- - “u. 1 t ough they only elected a handful of candi- - . ’ _ dates. The political future of Britain might well g N Th‘ w PUBLIC FURUM Lenten Mednafions _ lllornluu Dally (Ftlllntlld h! 1887,. be determined by the way traditionally Liberal 2g’ at,‘ If" 1' irrrcoi "the riirien ‘Riflilffor Authorized as Second Clasa. illail. Pant. Office votes go iii future. in Croydoii they opporent- giro ‘film! in. one: w _-.- . -- ' ' °1' I °°"'“ more or commends: bung mon ’

Department. Ottawa. President. Ion A. Burnett; Vice-President. Wm. R. lillfllrtl; scorn-Truss. G. M. Burnett; Editor and flattering Director. J. R. Burnett; Assoclatd Editor. Frank Walker.

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

UHARLUTTETfHVN, FRIDAY, MARCH w, this‘

0ur llew Budgeting

Hitherto the introduction of the Budget provided the fighting ground between parties in the Legislature. Nat only did the Budget disclose the financial policy of the Govern- ment, but enabled the House to compore income and expenditure in each department and under different headings in detail and to discover whether, and to what extent, the Province was going ahead or behind financially.‘ The Bud- get was not merely the report ofythe portfolio- holder concerned on his transactions and future plans, but the approved manifesto, endorsed, signed and sealed of the Government as o whole, on which it was prepared to stand or fall.

Thus was maintained the solidarity of the Government, speaking as one man, through a recognized portfolio-holder.

Today that seems to be all changed. On the eve of the bringing down of the Budget, the portfolio-holder resigned, and the duty of dis- closing its contents has devolved upon the Pre- mier, who, oii his own confession, knows little of its details. Not only so, but he took the first possible opportunity of dissociating him- self from part of its contents, and charging that his own Government had been extravagant if not incompetent in the discharge of its duty. iri his speech on Wednesday he accused his ad- ministration of reckless expenditure, exceed- ing its estimates, and generally allowing the finances to go to pigs and whistles. That there is ample justification for his charges there can be no reasonable doubt. ln_ election years there hos usually been a little laxity allowed to enable the Government to pacify molcontents and induce votes by injudicious expenditures, but in the year under review, according to the Premier this laxity has gone beyond all bounds, the Public Works Department having exceeded their estimates by $415,000, and the Health and Welfare Department by $480,000. "That is where the money is going," said the Premier, "and somebody has got to do something to check somebody and he will be a pretty unpopular in- dividual whoever it is. I hope we can blame it on the machine." "The machine" of course, is the party organization which fixes elections.

isn't this a humiliating confession for o Premier to make to the electorate on the floor of the Legislature! What is there left for the Opposition to say or do, when the man who forms a Government deplores its extravagance and lack of control? Confession may be good for the soul, but only if it be accompanied by repentance and restitution. ls the Premier prepared to act thusly, and compel "the mach- ine" to make good the excess? These are only two Departments, each of the others is appar- ently iir the sanre position, though not to the spme extent. The pity is that more supporters of the Government would not follow the example of their leader and openly declare their dissatis- faction with the finances and financial control which has led the Province into the position of having an apparent surplus on ordinary account of $36,000, and overall liabilities of more than Then there would be an opportunity of selecting a new Government hav- ing more sense of responsibility. ~ ‘

Theafre Magnates As Editors

_We are not opt to regard the magnate of a _moving' picture theatre as being of the editorial fraternity. He is more opt to be regarded as a business man or perhaps as an entertainer and professional judgc of picture productions. Yet there is no doubt that the manners, morals and opinions of the great majority of this genera- tion are markedly affected by what they see de- picted an the silver screen. Patrons of the mov- ies are bent on relaxation and enjoyment and are probably more susceptible to suggestion and unthinking decisions than when they are reading or discussing. Great responsibility rests, there- fore, on the theatre operator to avoid leading people into error either inadvertently or through

'0 the deliberate manufacture of propaganda by

interested parties. The film is a power in the land and wielding of thaf power carries with it a great responsibility.

British Tories lflln

British Conservatvies will be heartened by the extremely good showing their candidate made in North Croydon by-election. Their candidate,

_ Frederick W. Harris, was a businessman, a native

of the riding; but lacking the color of both Harold Nicholson, the journalist and former

_ diplomat who represented Labor, and Air Vice-

Morshal Donald Benn-eff, the Liberal candidate. Experienced observers conceded Labor a chance to win this one-time Conservative stronghold. However, when the votes were counted, Mr. Harris hgd rolled up a plurality more than ll,- 000 larger than his Conservative predecessor, Hon. Henry U. Wiilinlr, former minister of health, managed tosecure in the'l945 general eleption. The Labor vote, notes on exchange, was up about a thousand. The Conservatives increased their total by almost 13,000 and the Liberal vote was down more than 4,000. The Liberal can- didate lost his deposit, and thg bymlection has undoubtedly helped to seal the doom of the of Gladstone, Roseberry, As- Gtorge. At the lost general

ly went to the Conservatives;

The Croydon result was in considerable measure a personal triumph for Winston Chur- chill, whose leadership of his party has been questioned by o considerable group. He stump- ed the riding and received tremendous applause at the meetings he addressed. Evidently he is not through yct as leader.

-- IILHIURIAL NUIIIS Complaint is mode by pedestrians of the flooded condition at the corner of School and Euston St. l ~

t vi- a a

Northumberlond Ferries intimate that their steamer-s between Wood islands and Caribou will run this year on standard time. i ‘A’ ‘l l There is such a rush and scurry to get through the session, that little time is available to give considered judgment on legislation, new or amended, for less to review the budget. fi i R l

As Canada's defence plans are geared to those of the United States as well as to those of the Commonwealth we may expect repercus- sions ot home of American adoption of uni- versol military training.

fi R

The appointment of a new clerk of the County Court for Queen's County draws at- teiitioii to the inadequacy of the salary for that responsible post. A revision would seem to be in order.

0 a- a

Winter is very nearly officially over but the season of heavy ice in Northumberlond Strait is just beginning. The "Abegweit" should be pretty thoroughlyltested during the next few weeks.

fi fi

The Truman doctrine of friendship for democratic powers was followed by the Marshall Plan and E.R.P. for assisting the material re- covery of those countries. Now_we have the Truman policy of preparedness.

I ‘k ‘k i‘

a

ai a

Who can claim the cost of living is not on the ascendant when the local Legislature, like the House of Commons and Senate unanimous- ly find it absolutely necessary to increase their indemriities, in order to make ends meet?

I fi I I

A remarkable decrease has occurred in drunkenness and other offences against the in- toxicating liquor lows in Great Britain. In I935 the Scottish figure was 'll,502. The peak year was i937, when it topped l4,l47. Yearly it dwindled until i945, when it was only 2777. in i946 the figure rose slightly to 363i.

i ~A k "l

No one is in o position to declare what the outcome of the present world crisis will be until after the ltoliarr elections. But it is somewhat enigmatic to find Mr. Strachey, British Minister of Food, declaring at r1 Press conference while President Truman was delivering his message to Congress, that food imports from Canada were to be reduced, and that "Russian feed now was being delivered in Britain and it was prbposed to extend such purchases under new negotiations in May."

fi I It 1|

Plagues are usually the accompaniment or sequel to war, but the remarkable medical mys- tery puzzling British doctors is flint, notwith- standing the hardships, there was none in Brit- ain as a consequence of the Second World War. Those who saw, for instance, the nightly elbow- to-elibow existence of many Londoners in the tube station platforms for underground often woii- dered lsays Victoria Times) what would happen if influenza began to swccp through the sleep- ing ranks. There were warnings and forebod- ings-but the disease did not strike. No one knows why. And cvcn colds and other infcc- tious diseases recorded what medical author- ities term a "remarkable absence. Where they did appear, they had o lowcr- virulence than usual. This record was equally true of chil- dren's health.

. .

it must bo borne in mind regarding the Trade Union Legislation, that the promoter, able and persistent though he be, is not infallible.

ed with regard to automobiles we would be without autos and tractors for our farms today: Something more than "anti-ism" is required in a statesman or even in on elder of the Kirk. There must be vision or the people will perish. Once a decent, hard-working, though somewhat argtimentive illiterate member ofeo flock, com- plained to his minister that he had not been elected to the eldership. "But John," asked the Minister, "what particular qualifications have you for the office?" ”Well, Minister," replied John, "| can always say 'no’ and be ogin' innovations." That seems a Wright characteristic.

Glasgow no longer holds its place as sec- ond city by population in Britain, Birmingham having stolen a march on it in the last ten years. This is revealed in the first post-war itlon of the Abstract of Statistics of the United ing- dam, which covers the period from ‘I935 to i946. Over the ten ‘years, Glasgow's population foil from I,093,000 to I,06l,000. Birmingham, on the other hand, increased in size by 60,000 to l,063,000. Greater London continued to grow, increasing by half a million, to 7,878,000. Edin- bprghiuniped up one place, ousting Belfast as eighth largest city in the United Kingdom. In I935 Edinburgh had 439,000 people; in 1946 the number was 463,000. The population of the United Kingdom rose between ‘I932 and I946 by 3,000,000. In Scotland the increase was 252,- 000, mode up of 129,000 moles and l23,000 fe-

iiioles. .

~ ought to walk at.

indeed, had his advice and policy been follow-.

_V_CHARLOT'I‘E'I‘Q_WN

MARCH 19. ,_ 194s N

Yea, he rloea love her alone, but can so seldom find her alone Brandon Sun.

According to a New York dot tor. nobody rcally ls lazy. As soon as spring arrives vied] give iilm an argument. - Si. ‘monies Times- Journal.

According to a statistic we Just made up, the visit Ls 63 percent over ivtion the fcriilnlne caller and her hostess begin talking through the open door. - Kitchener-Wat- erloo Record.

We are unable to see onytlsin; sinister in the latest Ontario gov- ernment. regulations requiring its employees to take an oath binding them not to divulge information concerning public matters to un- authorized individuals. Confiden- tial government. information should not be regarded as public property at Toronto any more than it at. Ottawa. - Brockvlllo Recorder and Tlrriee.

vidtnrs to London this I)?“ will find tihe capital wearing o gay look. The biggest. outdoor trcwcr show-since the war ls being stagl ed in its beautiful and spacious parks. 1n March the floral proces- sion wlli open with the blooming of 150.000 red. yellow, purple and pink tulips in Hyde Park; 925,000 more will be 1n flower in St. James‘ Park and another 40,000 massed in beds in frontgof Buck- ingham Palace. 0t_her parks a lit- tlo further from the cents-c of L011- dori will also be a riot. of color. Nearly all the bulbs for bhese mag- nificent. displays have been grown in Britain. - U, K. Information.

It In very difficult to believe the latest news from Moscow. Rus- sia's clocks. it. is announced nave been inaccurate for rlie last 66 years. They have run ahead of scientific time by .005 0d a second because some errlng scientist "inc- eci the official time observatory five feet off the rero meridian of longi- tude. ‘Iilie news ls almost. incred- ible, comlng from Moscow. because never before has the Russian gov- ernment. admitted a mistake Its timing has always been perfect. even to five-thousandtiis of a sec- ond. However. the mistake can be blamed upon the czars, who built the observatory in the ivrong ghee. --Winnipeg Wee Press.

At times you hear ivarnlngis a- bout the danger of any but the mlldcsi. kind of physical exercise for persons advanced in years. Great. care must be taken, one is laid. not to put. a strain upon the Sitili we find that a well-

hcmf.

knopn "London surgeon. an nu- tliorlty on physical culture. has come forward as a. champion oi

muscular exercise fOl"Ol(l persons His advice is “don't be afraid of your heart. If. will stands more dis- ease than any other organ in your body." He maintained that men the rate oi‘ 110 paces n minute even after reacti- trig the age of 50, and he adds that. it they do so, then they will likely he still doing it at 80 years oi age. The way to stay young ls to con- tinue thinking of 0112's self as young- Guelph Mercury.

A report from Detroit states that. two scientists have discover- ed a method of preserving tli= freshness of cut flowers in‘ per- petuity. There are some inventions \\’l‘ilCI'i have not. turned out alto gather for the good of man. rind VJ-llllf} it is nice to think of iv:- lng fresh flowers around the house nil the Lime and also on family graves. we are not. altogether en- amored of this idea. The flowers that bloom in the spring, tsia la. may itsvo- nothing to do ivith the cosc, as Ko-Ko sings ,ln “The Mi- kado," but certainly there would b: no great pleasure in looking loriiard to tire advent ot spring if the house svas lull of flowers left ovcr from lire previous year or maiiv years before that. Inert. would b: no need to cut. fresh [lowers because the flowers indoors would continue fresh and come 1n tire siiiic rotation. Thus, oeliig able lo lzecp Powers, always t‘:c.~'-i the pleasures of gardening would be lost except for those who Just. like to grow flowers and enjoy their gorrlerr and have others en- joy ii. also. Besides. we nre iiiilin- orl to think house wives svoulii o1:- iect to perpetual flowers because of tiie dust they would coilcot. Tiiat would be the only excuse for throwing them out. and getting new cites. — St. Thomas Times- Journal.

Australia haa dint confer ed a small mmLre of autonomy on its Northern Territory. a region WtiICh. like the i-iorthwest. Territories of Canada, has been virtually redis- covered as a. result: of the reaerit. war. A new Legislative Oomail has opened _in Darwin, Australia, with full parliamentary forrriali- ties. The speaker of the “ is the federal administrator of the territory. The Northern Territory is an Qmpty region. lackln: popu- lation. Whether the territory can ever support a large population or ivtie-iler its resources can be ex- ploited to the benefit of Australia generally. are matters of contro- versy. Paet experience hll not. dil- ciosed much ground for optimism. But times. have phanied. and Australia may find that the Neith- ern Territory will‘ become a seventh state in its federal system. The first. obleotlve fa tn obtain railway communications for Dar- win. The new legislative Council will serve a function that is lack- M tn our own Northwest ‘Perri- torlea. It will provtde a forum for

northern problems and I0 94110894118 the people elsewhere .ln xix-Illa tn the Wwttimltlnr of north. - Qsrlnatoon leap.

Phoenix.

i apoiiaoiita of qaeatlima or Internet... Ilsa Charlottetown Guardian doea not neeeaaar- llg endorae tho oplnloo oi corrflptlllllbllll

AM

a-e-ovov ‘ "A BUMSHOP 0N WATER. ST?’

sun-On March 16th a short letter appeared in the Forum with the heading "A Rum Shop on Water street." and signed. “A Traveller". 1 wonder has this traveller Just start-ed travelling or is he one who forgets as he noes along. Aecuslng wrongly our Hon. Premier Jones ‘show: that; this "Ivavcller" has not lived on the Island very long. knows very l-lti- tie of Prince Edward Island. or he ls in favor of the old boob- legging system. f-le must. like the taste of shine and home brew. Does he not. remember before this present. Lwslcm of liquor control how many bootleqzers there were on the Island, and how many homes broken‘! How many younz boys in Summer-side and 'Chn:r- lotbetown of 10 and 12 Furs old. were peddling shine, or worlslnl for bootieglgers? If this "Travel- ler" knew what he was wrltin! about, he would 81W "m1" Jones credit for ending the boot- legglng business.

A liquor shop i5 1'10 dl-‘ilfwfli for no one is forced to buy what they do not. want, and it's much better to have n nice liquor store in towns or city than have an army of rugged youns mm WW" i118‘ time in jail, as we had very few years ago. I believe, and many citizens besides myself. know that. Premier Jones, although he ls a Liberal. has made a very $1M 10b of time liquor business. and it's tn be hoped he will continue the saime. in spite of e. few greet- graridmotherly criticisms.

I am. Sir. clc., DAN PERRY- summenlde.

.._.__..__,__-_

FEDERAL FISCAL MATTERS

Sir.~Ti~ie other day. Lire Legis- lative Assembly of Quebec, by un- animous vote, passed is govern-

ment measure to extend until M8? 1. 1949, the time in which the to an

government could come agreement with the Federal auth- orities ln fiscal matters.

‘That, of course. does not nec- essarily mean that. the Quebec Government. intends to, or will, in the near future, cede any of its taxation rights to Ottawa. evcu for a limited period. in return for money compensation.

It has been asserted in t-he Leg- islative Assembly, on one side or the other, upon the occasion re- ferred to above, that the Dcmiu- lon seeks to impose an agreement in respect. to taxation, because of its r/rvn obligations and be- cause of its desire to get. at the sources of taxation of the wealth- ier provinces (Ontario and Que- bec); that. the Premiers of Nova Scotia. and Alberta stated at the time they signed the agreements, that. they did so because the Do- minion held a knife at. their throats; that the pxovlnces of Quebec and Ontario can_ stand on their own feet. and are not. oblig- ed to yield to Federal pressure: that on several occasions, the Federal government had stated that. it could exercise all rights of taxation. including that of real estate; that unless the govern- ment. of Quebec comes to some agreement wltiti Ottawa. in respect lo a fair repartition of taxes be- tween the Dominion and the Province, Quebec faces isolation or separation from the rest of Canada. '

ll. is undeniably true that. under the provisions of the B. N. A. Act. 1867, the Federal government may impose any tax it wlslbes-rvheth- er direct or indirect-upon the people of Canada, and the _Do- mlnlon does not require the as- sent of the provinces thereto. The provinces hove neither ex- ciuslveness nor priority lri rc- spect; to direct taxation, which ls theirs under the Ell-A. Act.

W-iille the Dominion rhas the legal power to do so, it does not. consider it. politically expedient or firioncinly wise to squeeze the people both directly and indirect- ly, hence the agreement with the provinces.

matter only from ii. ‘Canadian con- stitutional point. of view.

If by resisting t-he offer of the Federal Government. Messrs. Drew and Duplessis desire to bring be- fore the people of Canada the question of a just, reasonable, legal solution of the vexed prob- lem of taxation, I most heartily endorse the firm stand of these honourable gentlemen.

The original sin~in gill and many other respects. as com- mitted 81 years ago, when the B. N. A. Act-which is not the cou- stitution of Canada-was imposed upon Canada. The dead hand of the pest weighs heavily upon the shoulders of the province» I can- not io ‘into details in thlsletter.