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was FOUR TH E GUARDIAN

Morning Dally (Founded In HIM) Authorised as Second Clan Mall. Post Office Department, Ottawa.

Tho lslnnrl Guardian Publishing Co. Editor and Managing Director, J. If. Burnett. Asnorliltn Editor, Frank “Walker.

"The Strongest Memory rs Weaker Than

the Weakest Ink" cuAaLorrETowN. TUESDAY, serr. 2o, 194a

Financial Situation Easing

Britain's move in devoluing the pound is said to have touched off the biggest world-wide round of financial juggling since the dork days of the depression in the '30's. Within a few hours after the announcement that the pound, in terms of dollars, had dropped from $4.03 to $2.80, similar cllts in the value of their currency were taken by Australia, South Africa, lndia, New Zeoland, lre- land, lsrael, Norway, Denmark, Egypt and Burma. Many other countries, including Canada, suspend- cd dealings in foreign exchange, and last night Finance Minister Abbott announced a drop of l0 pcrccnt in the value of the Canadian dollar. This will result in a decrease to approximately $3.03 in the pound sterling in this country, which means a difference of 95 cents in our favor in purchas- ing British goods. This should bo sufficient to stlhulote trade with Britain considerably, as well Wllil other European countries whose currency has been devalued to the some extent. On the other hand, the fact that the Canadian dollar is l0 cents bflow par means that our exporters of pa- tatoes, turnips and other form products to the United States will benefit materially. lt will, of course, have the opposite effect on importers of American machinery and other commodities. Gen- erally speaking, as an agricultural Province we are likely to benefit as much as any part of Canada by the dramatic currency changes of the post two days.

From the national standpoint, the question is notsa easily resolved. Canada occupies a unique and somewhat embarrassing position as a Com- monwealth nation by reason of our proximity to the United States. We do not wish to be severed commercially and financially from our British kinsmen overseas, nor can we afford to cease trading on a large scale with our big American neighbor. Finance Minister Abbott's announce- nunnt is in the nature of a compromise between extremes which would be equally undesirable, if not disastrous to our national interests.

The immediate effects of monetary devalu- ation on o world scale are bound to be upsetting for a time, and only time can tell whether the treatment prescribed will prove a cure or a panacea for our economic ills.

The llundas Fall

One of the most popular events of the year is the Provincial Plowing Match and Agricultural Fair which takes place tomorrow at Dundas. This meeting in past years was known as the Dundas Plowing Match and King's County Fair, but be- cause of its growth and the interest shown from near and for it has been given a provincial status by the Legislature.

This year's programme, as detailed in our issue of Sept. Z, makes provision for eight plow- ing classes, a first-class horse show, Calf Club and Ayrshire shows, and sporting events which will include step dancing, bagpipe and violin contests and o tug-of-wor. The classes have been extended this year, the show rings improved, bet- ter provfirn made for catering to visitors, and improvements effected in other directions. An added attraction will be the Prince Edward ls- land Regimental Band, which will be heard in selections during the afternoon.

_ Last year the Fair drew an attendance of some 5,000, and this year it is expected to break all past attendance records. The public support it has received is o fine tribute to th-e initiative of the management and sponsors, as well as to the people of King's County generally, with whom the idea of reviving the old-time plowing matches originated as a means of raising funds for war purposes. The Fair has now become a fixture in our calendar of summer events, combining old nnd new features which make it distinctly unique-

Steel For Tito

When the United States decided not long ago to sell a steel mill to Marsha! Tito of Yugo- slavia it markcd o vital shift in its foreign policy in the Balkans. Fcr the first time since the break between Communism and the West, notes the Winnipeg Free Press, a Communist coun- try was given assistance which could be valuable militarily in the future. The United States ob- viously was assessing Yugoslavia as a Commun- ist country which had broken with Mother Rus- sia for good. Having negotiated o trade agree- ment with Britain, applied for a development loan from the World Bank and bought a steel mill in the United States, Tito seemed to be mov- ing pretty rapidly out of the Communist into the western orbit.

This very fact undoubtedly stimulates the present Russian campaign to destroy Tito lor compel him to accept the dictates of the Polit- buro. Tito, in fact, is getting entirely out of hand. The possibility of Yugoslavia falling, by peaceful or other means, under Russian con- trol once more might well make the United States pause before shipping a steel mill to a country which might turn out to be an ally of Russia in time of trouble. However, the United States is taking no immediate risk. Fifteen months will be required to build the mill and o consid- erable time to erect it in Yugoslavia. Two years at least must pass before any steel will flow from it. By that time it should be possible to iudge whether Yugollavia is safely out of the clutches of Russia or not. Shipment of the mill can easily be cancelled if Tito cannot maintain his inde- pendence.

The fact that the United States ls willing to help Yugoslavia to make steel shows how_far lt is ready to go in helping all refugees from behind tho Iron Curtain. The next few weeks may show whether Tito is a sound investment.

‘rue “GUARDIAN, cannon-crown ' What Opportunities llffllr t

EDITORIAL NOTES

The Bottle of Alma i854. I I i

The Quebec oyster delegation which visited us over the week-end evidently had a good time at Summerside, Malpeque and the cityf

A’ fi N

There is o likelihood of the new scollopl industry being developed on a large commercial‘ basis here due to the interest manifested by the“ Department of Fisheries, Ottawa. i

I I I

The Security Council temporarily takes al back seat to the 59-member U. N. General As-L sembly which convenes today at Flushing. lt is’ safe to predict, however, that the veto power in‘. the Security Council will be one of the warmer, issues. ,

O U U Having two sesions of Parliament in an el-', action year, and consequntly double salary forl re-elected members, is a sound enough proposi-I tion. They certainly work as hard as in any, two ordinary years. A l The Ottawa Citizen is perhaps too close to‘ the houses of Parliament to have a proper re- spect for that august institution. lts suggestion‘ that some good gags for use in debate would be in order strikes at the very root of porliamen-y tary privilege.

a w w I

The Lieut. Governor got quite a shock on learning his mother-in-law, Mrs. Chaisson, wasl in an auto accident at Sussex, N. 5., but lost no’ time in rushing by auto to her relief. lt is good: to learn Mrs. Choisson is recovering in Govern-i ment House from the effect of the accident. l

I I I The efforts of Saturday Night to correct! the English of the press deserve support. We,l contribute the suggestion that only the guiltyi party should be referred to as divorced, the in- lnocent one having done the divorcing.

i

i i

The large number of business failures thisI year reported by the Dominion Bureau of Statis- tics is not necessarily a bad sign. lt is onlyl necessary to compare provincial totals, Ontorial 59, Nova Scotia 2, to realize that the number of‘ failures also indicates the number of new enter-, prises that have been floated.

l‘ i i

74c i?’ fiiefifium

THE BIRDS

A million years before Atlantis was

Our lurk sprang from some hollow m the grass.

Some old soft hoof-print. in a tus- sock's shade;

And the wood-plge-orfs smooth white eggs were lalel

High amid green pines‘ sunset-cal- ored shafts,

And rooks their villages of twlggy rafts

Set. on the tops of elms, where elrns grew then,

And still the thumbllnz tit and perky wrcn

Popped through the tiny doors of cosy .

And the blackbird lined with moss

his high-built walls; A round mud cottage held the fhrush's young.

lAnd straws from the untidy spar-

row's bung,

skimming forktBTed in the

evening air,

When man first. was were not the mar-lens there?

Did not those birds some human shelter crave.

And slow beneath the comer of his cave

Their dry light. cups of clay? And from each door

Peepc-zl on a morning wischeads three or four.

And,

Yes, driw and owl. curlew and crest- ed horn,

Kingfisher, mallard, oyster-rail and tern,

lChaffinch and greenflnoh, wagtall,’

stanechot, ruff, Whlletbroal and robin, fly-catcher and cliaugh. Missal-thrush, nragple, hawk and jay. Built, these far ages gone. in this year's way.

And the first marl who walked the cliffs of Rama,

As I this yenr. looked down and saw the some

Blolcllcr. of luSly red on lodge and

cfl.

gray urecn spots an them.

while right and loft

A dizzying tangle of gulls were float- ing and flying

Wheeling and crossing and darling. crying and crying,

sparrow-

With

lClrcllng arll crying, over and over

Ontario Agricultural Minister Kennedy was] vcry much impressed by our agricultural and hor- ticultural development here Mr. Kennedy is on, extensive fruit-former in Ontario, and it was‘ pleasant to our ears to have him declare that Mr. Reeves’ 30 acres orchard at Southport "was as good as anything he had seen in his life."

e U

The devaluation of the pound sterling byl almost one-third means not only that Britain, will be able to sell more cheaply ln the United States and Canada but that Canadian goods will ' cost about one-third more in the United King-y dam-unless we drop our prices to meet sterling area competition.

ll

U Economy in railway passenger service is of- fered by Dutch-type Diesel-electric motor trains with some passenger and baggage space in the power car itself, according to an American study. A feature of the innovation is the placing of such power cars in the middle of a train with a remote control cab at the end. A train consisting pf several power units and cars could be conven-

iently broken up at junctions. i

I v

I i

Mungo Park, Scottish African explorer, born this date i771; was sent by the African Associa- tion in i795 to explore the Valley of the Niger; returning he settled as a surgeon in Peebles, Scotland. In i805, the Association induced him to undertake a second West African expedition, on which he was drowned at Boursa. His publi- cations are Travels, and Journal of a Mission fo the Interior.

I l

A commission named by the Norwegian Government to investigate the present liquor-con- l trol there recommended that the total net pro- fit of the present State liquor monopoly be devot- ed en toto to social and community projects. These would be headed by a nation-wide educa- tional campaign to promote sobriety, the launch- ing of a chain of temperance restaurants, con- tributions to sports organizations, and support to organizations fighting tuberculosis and ner- vous diseases. As the commission's report puts it, "The over-all object is to make certain that al- cohol does the least possible damage."

a

I

fr a

Hero ll enterprise which Canada 00* Ill emulate. Early in August, after considering a fa- vorable report by Mr. Christian Pineau, Minister of Public Works, the French Council of Minis- ters gave its assent to the project of tunnelling a road through Mont Blonc. This tunnel, con- necting Chomonix and Courmayeur, will be about eight miles long and twenty-three feet wide. lt will cost 70 million Swiss francs and re- quire a minimum of five years to complete. Dur- ing the government debate the Minister of Na- tional Defencc stated that, in any case, France should reserve the right to place defensive equip- ment on the French side of the tunnel.

A conscientious child anxious to "make sure," may get himself in for a lot of trouble. At Clevoleys, England, fivo-year-old Ion Fraser, on a holiday, stepped up to a letter box with a postcard for his father. Ion stood on tiptoo and pushed the card firmly through the slot. He couldn't get his arm out. Ian yelled. His mother came running. bystanders came running. A police- man come. So did an ambulance, with o doctor. After an hour they called tho Fire Brigade. The firemen prepared to cut away the metal front of the box. But first they decided to try greasing Ian's arm and easing it out. It worked. Ono firm pull and the lad was free. Then tho postman, who had been waiting patiently, opened the box and collected lon’s card. lt said: "Having a wonderful time. Wish you wore hon/j

and over.

Crying with swoop and hover and fall and recover.

And below on a rock against the gray sea fretted.

Pipe-necked and stationary and sli- houettcd.

Cormorants stood ln n wise. black. equal row

Above the nests and long blue eggs we know.

O delicate chntn over all the ages stretched,

O dumb tradition from what far darkness fetched:

Each little architect with its one design

Perpetual. curred and right in st-ufi’ and lino,

Each little ministrnnt who knows one thing. '

One learn-ed rite to celebrate the ' spring. Whatever alters shore. Thcse are unchanging: man must

still explore.

else on sea or

-.l .C. Squire.

E Old Che rloiietown

(And r. r. f.)

THE PINETTE MILLS

"There are fow of our readers who have not seen or hoard of the Pinette Mills. Whoever has travel- led that rond must have been struck, on the sudden turn which takes place ln the road, when the church and parsonage house sucl- denly hurst on the view, and nd- vancing still further, he finds the vale traversed by the placid stream of tho Pineffe, Between the crest of the nccllvlly which we spook of, and the church, are situated the Pinotte Mills, about n hundred yards nbnve wpcre the brlrige crosses the stronm, A new grist mill rlnrl kiln have lately been crccfcrl by William Dnuso, Esq, agent for the Earl of Selkirk, which, in point. of workmanship, are second tn none ln the Island.

"On Manrlny last, the (lam, eighteen foot in height, gave way with a iilllflPfi crush, which alarm- erl thr- whole neighborhood. The materials of which it was compos- ed were hurried liown the stream with a velocity surpassing descrip- tion, and how the bridge came to resist ihv shook can hardly he ac- counted for. The deprivation of such s useful mill was n calamity of no ordinary character; but. we are happy to say, that the whole pop- ulallon, with s unanimity which rloes them credit, at once hurried out and were all busily engaged in repairing the damage, no (has l" l; abort time we may expect to hear that the mills will be in full oper- ation." I

-—Colonlsl Herald, November 80, 1839.

IIIZI. n o JZIZIIIl-‘llh

nib-SI

' They shall still bring forth fruit , in old age. they shall lul fat snll I flourishing. ‘

r ‘i0

Chiropodist for Foot lillnlonts

ooISlllT ll. J. l. Illlltlll. l. P. llniopolllo

Ill Once George Shoot CIIARLOTIITOWN. r11.

PUBLIC FORUM

This column is open to the discussion by correspondents of questions of Interest. The Guardian does not neueorrar- ~ ily endorse the opinion of correspondents.

. 301$ CIVIC PENSION PLAN

Sir, _ In an editorial comment in Monday's paper you state; "Th0 Clly councillors are seemingly con- vinced in their own minds and pockets that. it. will be time en- augh la discover whether their clvic pension plan is sound l)!‘ oth- erwlse when, and if, later a deficit. occurs."

I submit. that there ls no “lf" about it. That there will be a def- lclt. is rm absolute certainty. To de- termine the amount of this deficit. would be an actuarial problem be- yonrl the ability of the Council members. However, it. ls easy for anyone to see that. it will be large. This can be shown by simply employing a few well-known facts and figures. To illustrate; Accord- ing in the proposed plan, a male employee who works for the city at. a level salary of $100.00 month- ly for 30 years vmulrl at. age 65 be entitled tn a monthly pension of $60.00 for life. Now to get. this guarantee, therolwould have to be to his credit. $8,378.00 (Dominion Government annuity figures).

But his annual contribution of $60.00 supplemented by a similar amount from the- City if invested annually at 3% compound interest will accumulate to only $5,880.00 leaving n deficit 0i $2,498.00. This deficit. would be loss if the City can invest its funds at. more than 3% compound interest or if our pen- sioners do not llve n5 long as do people in other parts of the coun- try. But the proposed scheme goes further and guarantees 50% of the pensionefs pension to his widow for life.

To determine the extra lcequlred to set up this last. survlvorship an- nuity is a problem for an actuary as it involves the life expectancy of the wlda\v as well as the man but anyone can see that it would necessitate ‘a much larger amount than the straight annuity, so that the above mentioned deficit of $2,498.00 would be much greater. Let us now take the case of the female employee earning the same salary viz $100.00 monthly. In 8O years there would be the same amount. to her credit, vlz., $5,880.00, But. the female life expectancy is greatel-‘thnn the male and fur- thermore the proposed plan allows her to start. her pension at ago 60 so that. she must. have a much

ChUTChTETRlSlIIg In Arctic Norway

(Exchange)

When the Germans applied the scorched-earth policy to force re- sidents of Norway's two arctic pro- vinces southward in late i944, they palcl special attention lo churches, chapels, and meeting houses. Especially ln Flnnmarlc Province was their plan curried out. so com- pletely that. not one of the fifteen district churches escaped the torch. In Nord Trams and Flnnmark, 26 churthes wont up in flames. For a populace which lives close lo its church, the problem of providing adequate places of worship in this bleak area has been second only to the task of restoring shelter and means of livelihood. According to Kristian Hzmsson of the Norwegian Ministry of Church and Education, recently returned from n detailed study of church reconstruction in Finnmark, bulld- lng of parsonagcs is far advance and construction of permanent edifices is now under way. Until recently, the lot of the Arctic pas- tor has been a hard one. He has shared the problems of the "bar- rack era“ vrhlch hall l.o proceed the constructing of permanent. homes in a leveled land. Hansson tells of pastors in Arctic outposts whose barrack homes were unc-qunl to the winter cold-where young and old alike had to ylvear heavy winter clothing both indoors and out.

Where distances are long and roads fcw, the three "church boats" have prover lo be n God-send- These were put info service short- ount required according to the Dominion Government annuities is $14,160.00 which leaves a deficit o! $6,280.00 to be made up by the City.

The above cases illustrate what the shortages will amount to when the salary remains constant throughout the 30 years of service.

In the natural course of events all employees will be receiving higher salaries at. retirement than during the earliet years of service, thus making the deficit infinite- ly worse for the plan guarantees a pension equal to 60% of the aver- age salary for the last. three years.

I could continue pointing out the defects of the proposed scheme. but the above should be sufficient to show that: there will be a. huge deficit to be bomo by the future taxpayer.