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PAGII FOUR g

THE GUARDIAN

Morning Daily (Founded in i887]. Authorized as Second Class Mail, Post Office Department. Ottawa.

Incident. [an A. Burnett; Vice-President. Wm it ‘Burnett; Seep-Trans... (i. til. Burnett; Editor and Managing Director. J. R. Burnett; Associate Editor,

' Frank Walker.

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

‘TUESDAY. DECEMBER 30.

CIIARLOTTL 1 (HVN.

Winter Driving

Motorists doing winter driving would be well idvised to road carefully--and remember—some iuggested sound rules just issued by the No- Yional Safety Council of the United States. These ire based on the research of eight winters dur- -ng which the organization's Committee on Win- 'cr Travel Hazards has beenconducting a can rinuing study of the special danger; which slip-' iery surfaces and reduced visibility bring in "heir train during the mast hazardous season on :he highways and streets. The rules are:

Get the "feel" of the road on starting out.

Adjust speed to weather, road conditions.

Slow down well in advance of intersections, _Ics. .

Use tire chains when snow or ice prevails.

Keep windshield free of snow, ice, fog and frost.

Follow vchiclcs at safer distances. intent of turns or stops.

Apply brakes with a gz-"fe pumping action on glare ice.

It i: now an established fact that braking distances increase from three to twelve times In snow or ice as compared with dry surfaces. Tests have shown, too, that the common theory of re- ducing pressure in tires below normal to providc better traction on ice is fallacious. It merely ac- celerates tire wear. Adequate defrosters, wip- ers and other devices to aid visibility are essen- tial.

Signal

0ll lloritrols Ilvcrted

Tho "substantial" cutbacks in fuel oil im- ports from the U. S., announced by Rt. Hon. C. D. Howe, Reconstruction Minister, arc being made on tho voluntary initiative of the Canadian oil industry after consultation with the Govern- ment. The minister particularly noted that the reductions were being made by "arrangement," and that the Government did not intend to ef- fect them by official restriction of either im- ports or domestic distribution.

This, comments the Montreal Galette, is evidently designed to serve a double purpose. First, Canada is offering co-operation on its own account to help in easing the overall deficiency which has developed in supplies to meet U. S. domestic needs. Secondly, this is being done in such a way as to avoid the necessityifor either the re-imposition of Canadian wartime oil con- trols or the threatened restriction of oil exports to Canada by U. S. Government action.

Tho difficulty facing tho U. S. is not a shortage of accessible crude oil reserves or po- tential capacity, but a critical bottleneck in the primary extraction, processing and distribution of oil for public consumption. A spokesman for the oil producers recently summed up the situation by saying that the industry was "in a steel strait- iocket." What he meant was that steel pro- duction has been unable to keep pace with the tremendous post-war need for additional oil- well casings and other apparatus, pipes for pipe- Iines, tank cars and tanker ships, and refining plant equipment. At the some time, substantial quantities of oil from South America, which Ill the past have supplemented U.S. sources of pro-- duclion, have been going to Europe to relieve supply deficiencies there.

The prospective cut in Canada's oil imports from the U.S. by amounts ranging up to 50 per cent will not mean an equivalent cut in total supplies available for consumption, as Canada is dependent on the U.S. for only 5° P" "I" °_l crude oil imports. The rest of our crude oil needs are supplied from South America (41 per cent) and Canada's own wells in Alberta ‘about 9 per cent). However, Mr. Howe has stressed that careful co-operation of consumers will be necessary to make the best use of the reduced overall supply of fuel oil in coming months.

Services and Fancy Packages.

According to Ontario Agriculture Minister Kennedy in a statement quoted in these columns yesterday, the farmer doesn't much benefit when thero i: I substantial increase in tho price of his product to the consumer. Last week Mr. Kennedy released the following figures to prove his con- lention:

Consumer Farmer

Product Ivlyfl PM‘! (fanned ton-moan 25-210 a tin ZIP-re Tomato juice 1B0 R l-ill I'M‘ Pray 23-7550 B. tlll "' Wax Ileana I50 fl llll Pouch" ,. 21.300 3 tin 5H1! Penny , 30-330 a tin 4'20 Rollgfl 0:113 “C I III. 2.650 Pastry I-‘Ionr .. . 399 7 "P!- 16¢‘

The spread, as Mr. Kennedy pointed out, is partly duo to the consumers’ demand for fancy and convenient packages, prompt and frequent delivery.

Thirsty People

Commenting on Canada's 370 million dollar liquor bill for the fiscal year I946, the Winnipeg Free Press remarks:

"This i1 the business which was put into the hands of provincial governments so that nothing as iniquitous as a liquor trade-with all it im- plied-could spring up in this country. Now ovory provincial government has a vested intor- ost In tho sole of liquor and there arc few if any

"Certainly the Prairie governments could provincial revenue. hardly get out of the business now if they tried. Manitoba's revenues, for example, would look rather sickly without this apparently unccasing flow.

"An interesting point about the I946 alco- hol statistics is thc performance of little Prince Edward Island, the only 'dry' province in Canada. With nothing but doctors‘ prescriptions to de- pend on, the Island managed to consume SI,- I88,000 worth of the stuff."

- l:Dl IORIAI. NU HES

Tomorrow will see the old year out. i i i i

Busircss has been unusually good up to the end of the Festive season.

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The post-Christmas news so for has been largely of tragedy. - l’ it W i The railways have it all over air and road when the elements behave badly as at present- slow but sure. . . . . There will be no honours for Canadians in the New Year's list but things will probably be different on Dominion Day. . . . . We arc still in the plcasantest part of the holiday season. The rather overwhelming Christ- mos rush is only a memory and January bills have not yet made their appearance. i it it Yr

In this issue appears the first of a series of open letters by Mr. Hemming which we are sure that farmers as well as others will read with deep appreciation. I I fl I One of the most important inventions of the year was that of a process for ielling gasoline so that it is safe to handle without impairing its uscfullncss as a motor fuel. . . . .. This has been a year of upsets. It is sober- ing to reflect that our agricultural prosperity is due in some measure to conditions of extreme want in less fortunate countries. .. .. .. t

There should be plenty work for those who can ’wield a snow shovel for the next few days. The January thaw is not due till round the

second week of the month. i A i I

view in today's issue of farming activities by Mr. W. R. Show, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, whose year-end and Thanksgiving articles have been read with much interest by Guardian read- ers for many years past.

As mentioned yesterday the annual report of the government's Industrial Development Bank indicates that during I947 Prince Edward Island was the only Province in which no businessmen applied to the Bank for a loan. Evidently the local firms must all have more capital than they know what to do with, or cnjoy the full confi- dence of the local bankers. a

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The late Max Murphy will be remembered by many old-timers in the political era of I912- I9l5. He was then a student at St. Dunstan's, but used to attend political meetings with his father, Senator Murphy; and drew numerous cartoons which appeared in The Guardian. He was not long in making his mark in Wisconsin to which city he emigrated, and early in his career was appointed A.D.C. to the Governor.

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The Public Works Department is doing splendid work in keeping the main thoroughfares open for vehicular traffic, and deserve to be con- gratulated. The usual fly-in-the-ointrnent in this case is the fact that busses without chains get stuck, ‘necessitating the P. W. D. sending to haul them out to prevent them from obstructing the newly ploughed roadway for cars. If at all possible, the P.W.D. should be asked to undertake clearing the streets in the City, as the Council's equipment, due to delay on the part of suppliers in sending repair parts, is at a discount. fi A I i

Rudyard Kipling, English poet and novelist, born this date I865; he greatly extended the bounds of literary art by the introduction at strange experiences and new types of character and of novel forms of presentation; his chief characteristic is his versatility, his subjects rang- ing from animals and children to the sophisti- cated products of modern society, and from na- tive life in India to slum life in London, show- ing an absolute command of style and all its resources. As a poet his mastery of versifica- tion is complete. Was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in i907. "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind; 1..."?- The mastcrlcss man . .,afflicted with the nec- essary wcrds . . Words that may become alive and walk up and down in the hearts of the hoar- ers."

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Mr. C. W. E. Kcrr, of Richmond, Surrey, England, enters a protest in The Scotsman against the way his name is pronounced south of the border. "Living in tho South," he says, "l have found it almost impossible to have the Southerner pronounce my name as they do the word 'carc.' This I have always held as the car- rert pronunciation and is that in use everywhere in Scotland. In the South if you tell anyone your name is Kerr as ‘care’, they look blank, and ask you to spell it. Upon being told, they in- variably say, 'Oh-Cur,' or 'Oh, ycs—Karr.' So one puts up with it to avoid continuous explana- tions. I should be interested to loom if there exists any cpinion in favour of tho Anglicisod pro- nunciation I don't like it and Iiavo navor hoard a Scot us: it. But living in London, I suffer." The corre andent is not altogether right in his contention Tho Marquess of Lolliian‘: family

modern governments which could contemplate

abandoning what is a highly Iucrorivo sourco of

Attention is called to the comprehensive re- It

‘ILIZIINGUARDIAN. carcinomas-own

Compared with the people

of 311F090. Canadians are short of very little except reasons to com- plain about shortages. - Leth- brlclge Herald. There are certain thing: man has a right. to, if he is willing to work. They are primitive things: shel- ter, with a fire for all his needs, and food to teed his strength — real shelter. a hearty fire, good food. Those things are riches, the only sort of material riches that count. -- Ian Finlay on BBC Broadcast.

Farm life ha: it: drawbacks and also its compensations. Not. the least of the latter is the fine spirit o!‘ friendship that 1s so apparent in most. rural communities, nvhere there ls Interest 1n the ivelfare of each and every household. and where sympathy goes far beyond mere lip-service. It might. not be a bad idea if urban residents could capture some of the neighborhood spirit. that. is so frequently display

ed along the concession lines. mak- ing farm life much more pleasant and much more agreeable than it is sometimes pictured. -~ Guelph Mercury.

Leading pliilateilats have called attention to the fact that New- foundland has pvorlur-cd some o" the most beautifully designed POSl" age stamps in the (vorld. If the island joints the Dominion, Ottawa should have no further excuse for Canaries dismal showing in this respect. _- Toronto Globe and Mal.

Excavations now being made a- mong the ruins of the twelfth-cen- tury abbey of Si. Dogmaels, at. the mouth of the River Teifi, may prove a more than archaeological treasure-hunt. There is a theory that. in the days of Cromwell (o: of Henry VIII) a golden chalice was hidden in the wall. A peculiar mark on a stone in the trnnsepfi is believed to mark the spot, say: The Mancheser Guardian. Tradi- ian has it that a tunnel runs un- der the Teifi connecting the ab- bey to the old castle at Cardgan two miles away, and that there is o. continuation of Cilgerrnn. Cer- tain architectural features which are common to excavations in the three places suggest that there ls some substance in the theory. The present. investigations may prove

It seems that a common and un- usually harmless oversight was re- sponsibie for the crash of the first experimental flying automobile. The pilot. just Ion-got. to check his fuel before a second take-off, and ran out, of gas in midair. This oc- currence bears out the recent. state- ment. of an aircraft company exec-

utlve (not. with the firm that. made the flying auto) that, "We can make aeroplanes fool-proof,

but. we can't. make them damn tool- proof." In a civilization in which science is making life ever faster, more mechanized, more comfort.- able and, at the same time, more deadly and dangerous, that remark doesn't need to lie-limited to the field of aviation. - Calgary Ai- bertan.

A Loo Angelou judge has handed down a decision of special interest. in view of the approach of Christ- mas and the large number of en- gagement rings that. are tradition- ally slipped on slender fingers on that festive day. The California justice ruled recently that an en- gagement ring remains the proper- ty of the swaln unti] the wedding day. Going back to Roman law for a pl ‘ ‘ the judge ’ “ ‘- that an engagement ring is n. symbol of froth. Hence he reasoned: no froth. no ring. But, he added. on the wedding day title becomes vest.- ed in the bride. Husbands to u man will confirm this last observa- tion. - From Winnipeg ‘Tribune.

Disgusted after nix weeks‘ fruit- less search for a gold reef, Camil- lo Reghenzanl tied all his remain- ing plugs of dynamite together and exploded them in a barren pothole as a Jarowell blast to his claim. Then he gazed 1n awe at. the area around the pothole. It was strewn with specimen stone. 11c looked in the pothole and saw the cap of a £1,000 reef, with the gold showing plainly. Reghenzanl spent the day gathering shattered pieces of stone. He got. two kerosene tins of are and almost n tobacco tin of pure gold. He decided not to leave his claim after all. - From Australian News.

Walter E. Davin. who lost a hand In the fighting in France. worked When he was told, together with his fellow employees. to sign the requ ed,‘ loyalty pledge he refus- ‘dd. - hen" when he found that. Communists ,nnd_ the radical fringe were capitalizing on his act, he signed the pledge, and-note this -reslgned his jab. Unless Mr. Davis was really prepared to make a test cue of himself, we are inclined tn question his judgment (not his 1n- tegrlty) In at first refusing to sign. We may doubt the wisdom but. not. the right of the Government order. The best way. usually, for an hon- eot objector w meet such a situa- tion la to protest and to comply. A wlae mon ones said. “It's fine in be a martyr -but not. a useless martyr." But, having refused. ho resolved a typical dilemma of many honest liberals with admirable courage and directness. He at. once freed himself from embarrassing nlllou and from any appearance sf silt-rendering under pressure. The story In its entirety spells charac- ter. If the WA doesn't want. ‘Ilm now, we'll bet. romobody else will —md quick- Chriotlan Science Monitor.

AFRICAN GOLD _ Moro ‘than 40 per cont of tho world's gold supply to produced ln

lmThc Fccil "Grain Situation Anil '

ii llcg Industry l;

Open Lottors to tho Farmers of Prince Edward Island by H. K. S. Hemming

LETTER. I

Gentlemen:

At the outset lot me any that there la no class of men on the Island. or elsewhere, to whom I would rather try to be of service than to you who all of your lives

have worked an uphill fight against unfair odds. You are at present passing

through u crisis and the object of these letters ls to urge you to use careful consideration in de- ciding upon whatever course you may come to in the breeding and fattening of bacon hogs. You IIJYP, no doubt, becngrending daily in the press the latest news from Ottawa, where Mr. Gardiner and his assistants are meeting farmer representatives from ovary Prov- ince of Canada. The Federal Gov. ernment. has been criticised for removing the ceiling prices on feed grain and for discontinuing the promised bonus to the prairie farmers for seeding barley and oats in the spring. at. the particular time that. they did so. So fa: as I can see all the above changes had lo be carried out. sooner or later and. no matter when that time might come, the price of feed grain was bound to rise and the situation might. have been more difficult had you received advance notices of the change. At the moment. the farmers of Canada. can at least. feel that they have now been freed from gov- ernment. interference in the rise and fall in the price of all farm grains and that. in future their prices will be determined by the law of supply and demand. and subject only to such bans against export as the governments may place upon them, also to the im- port customs duties levied in the several countries. In each loca- tion, however, prices would of course be depcndenk. upon the cost. of transportation. When the day of world wide stable govern- ment prices occurs, the farmers will be able to figure the costs of raising. feeding and caring for their livestock and will decide upon selling prices after allowing for the cost. of slaughtering and processing and for the price to be paid for the live hogs by the packing institutions. These were Lhc conditions prevailing prior to the war and should be revived so soon as peace times return to the world. Fortunately the labor disputes in the packing plants are being settled satisfactorily and there is not. likely to be any re- currence of same for at least. a "‘ mbIG time.

Under the above circumstances you can at. least feel that. you are very rapidly approaching a solution of your difficulties. You will no doubt. have notleedJn the news from Ottawa that. Mr. Gardiner, realizing that. the price of feed grains will be higher in future, the selling prices of all pork products will of necessity have to be raised in proportion. This 1| only a logical t- cluslori and we shall look for new prices for live hogs from Canada Packers and Swifts Canadian at. an early date. This latter price will of course depend upon tho actual demand for bacon, hams, eta, obtained by the Canadian packers and this in turn will again be effecteg by an- other important pieca of news com- ing from Ottawa. namely that. the British Minister of food is likely to dlscontl buying bacon from Canada, not. because our price is too high but simply that. he has not. the American dollars with which to pay for some. This la a very important and complicated question regarding which we may have to await. the report. of our representotiveo at Ottawa and to which I shall give attention in my second letter.

Now, u already explained. all 1 want. to do in this latter 1| to urge you In glvo vary careful can. slderotlon to any ‘changes you may make n a result of the prea- ent crisis regarding the number of hogs that you will continua to raise. I would suggest. that you continue to feed n many hogs u possible with all tho aroln that. you can buy at prolon‘. prlou, ir- respective of whether you can make a fair profit or a small loan in doing so. '

I take this otand blcouao you farmer: of this Province have.

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up a very valuable industry pro- duciag Wiltahlro rides of grade: A and B of a higher percentage than any other Province of- 0on- ada. Already tho Governments of other Provinces have been buying your but boars and sows in order that, if possible, they may catch. up to you In the matter of qual-