Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 15, 1946, Winnipeg, Manitoba Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights. Printed and published the Winnipeg free press company limited 300 Carlton Street Winnipeg Manitoba. Authorized As second class matter by the Post office department. Ottawa. Victor Sifton. Grant Dexter. Publisher. Executive editor we. Lord Bruce Hutchison. General manager. Associate editor. Winnipeg monday july 15, 1946 the buyers strike the organized buyers strike reported from new York is j not the Start of a movement to Cut Down prices which Are considered too High. Rather it is an Effort by some existing associations to give direction and leadership to a movement already Well underway which began Early in the Spring and grew to readily observable proportions As summer arrived. Organized buyers strike on a Large scale Are a rare phenomenon. Indeed the record of them is so meagre As to afford no indication of the possibility of Success attending the present Effort. But refusal to buy some specific article because it is too High priced is quite common it is a Normal part of the bargaining process and is an entirely proper and valuable Factor in the National Economy. If the strike is continued and develops it will be a new influence in the economic life of the United states. For years labor has been organized to obtain higher wages but it was not until this past year that the unions became Strong enough with administration Aid to enforce the extreme demands made after the War ended. It is inevitable that higher wages will increase production costs which must in turn go into prices. It follows that prices must be raised. Knowing this business management first resisted the wage demands but in the face of the administration s attitude had to Retreat to the position of themselves demanding departments where the information issued serves no purpose except to glorify the work of individual departments or min isters., it. Is the latter expenditures which should be pruned without delay. Fantastic charges the charges made in pravda communist party newspaper of Moscow about the atom bomb test and the american proposals for world control of the new explosive Are a remarkable document. Because fill Media of disseminating information in Russia Are state owned and controlled and All information Given is for the purpose of moulding Public thinking into channels chosen by the soviet authority the accusations take on weight when other Wise they would be an Absurdity. This is the Way the Kremlin wants the russian people to think about America. The charges briefly Are that the . Navy is withholding in Barnum would love him compensatory Price increases. Thus even before Congress let formation about the effects of the atom bomb test that the holding . Lapse Price ceilings had already been punctured and prices had risen by More than 32 per cent since before the War. And organized business was pressing Congress vigorously for the removal of ceilings. The Public discussion Over wages and prices and Over continuance or discontinuance of Price ceilings went on for Many months. As it progressed the Public became More arid More aware of the elementary facts respecting wages arid prices. The consumer saw labor organized to drive up wages arid forbidding othe business organized to Force up prices. The next step in this atomic Energy. Process was easily seen and completely logical. It was that the consumer should resist. His resistance began Long before thoughts of consumer organization arose. Of weeks ago close observers of business noticed declining sales but were inclined to attribute them to the Many strikes that had and were cutting Down purchasing Power. But As the strikes were settled always at a higher wage level the reluctance to buy continued. It became evident that the consumer he would buy Good products put out by Well known established firms was beginning to refuse to pay any Price for any article offered there is reason to suppose this had its genesis in the weeks following the Christmas buying splurge when the Public had time to look Over the Christmas presents received and those Given and to balance up personal accounts. Then it was Dis covered that an immense Quantity of shoddy goods and articles made Bright with color had been bought at outrageously High prices goods so poor in Quality they made the giver on second thought ashamed of his gift. That shoddy Quality and High prices on articles outside the Price ceiling such As shirts continued. And the reluctance to buy grew. When labor made its demands for higher wages with the support of the government it was insistent that prices could be kept at the . Level. J2veh before the demands had been granted it was evident that was not possible and so the wage raises were immediately accompanied by Price raises which punctured the ceilings. Even then labor was not convinced of the necessity of the Price Rise and joined in the reluctance to buy movement As a Means of enforcing that part of the unions demands. Finally . Was allowed to lapse and prices moved upwards sharply. Before . Died labor s wage gains had mostly been lost through higher prices and when the ceilings came off the loss was total. Seldom in economic history has the first full turn of the inflationary spiral been completed so quickly so conspicuously and so dramatically. During the past six months the whole process has been spread out on the table for All to see. The consumer is the foundation of the buyers strike 1 which is now being put on an organized basis. Whether or not the organization continues and grows and at the moment the chances seen against that it is evident there is a hardening of Public thinking and a developing sales resistance. The Circle began with now it is Back to labor with All the wage gains eaten up and labor itself As Consumers joining in the refusal to buy at the High prices imposed As a result of wage increases. It is obvious to anyone who pauses a moment to think that the result of a continued buyers strike will be a sudden and drastic decline in production and consequently a sudden and drastic decline in employment. But it is probable that result will have to be experienced again and even then it May not be believed. This economic drama took place just across Canada s militarily undefended but economically defended Border. Canadians have had the Opportunity to watch and follow every Enin once said he was not certain Stalin always knew of to use Power with sufficient discretion. As Russia s military strength broods Over tormented Europe and her policy grows Al most daily in obscurity and Ballenge Lenin s doubts begin o express the supreme problem f the free world As it works for of the test is evidence that the i Canada s Basic problem . Is not sincere in its atomic 1 proposals that it is evidence the . Is determined to perfect the weapon and that the american control proposal is a device to consolidate the american monopoly of atomic armaments while forbidding other nations to study Tomic Energy. No matter what reply the . Navy May make to the charge it is withholding information about the test the charge in itself is an. Astonishing thing. Does rus Sia really think that the United states which has the weapon by right of discovery is under any obligation to reveal All its secrets and All the bomb effects and How they were obtained in and Vance of agreement being reached to control the new Force to do so would merely be making it possible for Russia to devise Protection against those effects for although a Complete defense against atomic explosion seems impossible and. Is declared so by scientists Protection against its effects is possible. As a matter of fact the assess ment of effects is not Complete Only a preliminary examination has been made and it shows Les devastation than had been sex. . Such things As the degree of radioactivity left behind in profits flow eastward because profits the Taxa ble form of wealth flow eastward Ontario and Quebec collect Revenue from primary products by Grant Dexter portent because it Means life o death to everyone on Board a not been measured. Nor has examination been made to measure any weakening of Structure. I May be a Long time before an assessment is completed and when it is it will be embodied in an official report which May or May not be made Public. Meanwhile the russian observers had their Hance like other nations to watch the effect and that is a lot of Courtesy to show the representatives of a great Power who is acting As Bel cosely As a nation can Well act without being at As for the other charges Well to destroy All its atomic weapons As the . Has offered to do is a strange Way of consolidating a monopoly and to share its information As the . Has offered to do is a even stranger Way of forbidding others to study atomic Energy. But for the United states to yield All its secret s and information in Advance of obtaining a hard and fast agreement on the control and use of the new Force while the world is in its present state due to Russia s actions and attitude would be a Folly such Eis has never been it has been shown in the pre feeding article that the individual Canadian in the Prairie provinces and in the Central pro of Ontario and Quebec produces in Normal times about he same amount of wealth. It now becomes important to discover the kind of production n both l areas. Production is tabulated by the Dominion Bureau of statistics under num Erous headings. All have been examined and could be produced if space permitted and any Pur pose was to be served. Two Basic economies actually Only two headings Are necessary to Tell the Story. While the individual production is about equal the Prairie producer concentrates chiefly on agricultural products whereas the pro Ducer in the 7 Central provinces is engaged chiefly in manufacturing this is proved in the two comparisons which Are now placed Side by Side with that of straight per capita production. The Prairie individual turn and the Central provinces Man or Man produce about alike. The Rairie producer Sells his pro action largely in world markets. Tien he spends his Money the National policies already referred of operate to gather it into the that it does so is not due to and defect in these governments. I in t that they Are not on Thi Job. Result of National policies the explanation is that National agriculture net per capita production Quebec Ontario 103.3 101.8 102.1 103.7 39.6 72.7 47.9 44.0 47.1 45.9 48.2 v 49.9 50.3 54.1 55.0 50.5 63.1 91.6 Prairie provinces 314.5 317.7 358.2 342.9 164.7 91.6 69.3 96.0 39.1 92.7 99.9 113.4 112.1 121.3 157.0 171.2 376.8 manufactures net per capita production out normally three times the amount of agricultural product turned out by the individual in Ontario and Quebec. On the other hand the individual in the Central provinces turns out Many times More manufactures. Fact is the very essence of the Dominion provincial 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 great Central manufacturing and financial area of Ontario and Quebec in the form of profits. He buys All manner of manufactured goods. He pays interest or retires a mortgage. He deals with the local Branch of a chartered Bank. He buys a life insurance policy. There is no criticism implied or intended. The Point is that much of the Money produced in the Prairie provinces promptly moves out of these provinces. It escapes com the taxing authority Quebec Ontario 158.0 178.2 188.3 204.3 222.9 179.0 137.9 96.9 110.5 114.0 121.7 132.6 150.9 144.0 152.0 192.9 265.5 Prairie province 36.2 41.4 43.1 49.6 51.9 44.3 35.8 26.2 25.6 26.9 28.4 29 .7 32.8 33.6 35.8 45.9 55.0 .4-72.2 Riddle in Moscow when will Stalin cast Russia s influence definitely into the Cales of enduring peace until in does Security and ordered Progress will continue to be Ravely retarded. Control of the atomic bomb provides a direct and essential est of russian sincerity. Russia s responsibility Russia shares responsibility Vith great Britain and the United states for the Early decisions which led to the creation of the United nations commission to control atomic Energy. The United states has now Given the world a Concrete plan for checking an atomic War. It is ready among other things o surrender its atomic bombs to in International authority provided this authority is Able to a nose its will upon any Daggres. Jive nation no matter How powerful. In other words the veto now enjoyed by the great Powers must go. It is precisely at this Point so vital to the peace of the world that Russia begins to hedge. She clings to the veto Power with tenacity. She was quite ready to co operate while control of the atomic bomb was still a dream. Her co operation is clouded the moment it becomes possible to do the charter might never have passed the american Senate. But what has happened in the past year Russia has broken the pledge binding on All the great Powers to use the veto Only in a grave emergency. In the hands of Stalin and Molotov the veto Lias become an almost rigid bar Rier to the task of organizing world peace. Faced with this dilemma the United states has decided to renounce the veto As it May affect the atomic bomb. The daring and generosity of this gesture can Only be measured against the fact that the United states is ready to give up its great Lead in the organization of atomic Power for the Sake of allaying suspicion acid contributing to the cause of peace. Gone arc the Days when Ameri Ca boasted that her foreign policy could be summed up in ten words Asia co operation in the Caribbean predominance in Europe abstention. The doctrine of isolation has received an important Check. Can anyone imagine the soviet Union making a similar gesture of co operation if Moscow rather than Washington had a monopoly overwhelming advantage in he use of the atomic bomb unnecessary estrangement what makes the growing estrangement of Russia so difficult to accept is that it is wholly unnecessary. She is haunted by fears of her own conjuring or memories of former discrimination that longer Are True today. The world has not yet forgotten her splendid resistance to Germany though Russia s glory has undoubtedly been dim something practical and constructive to achieve this control. Bridging the Gap Between the Ameri can plan and the russian attitude is essential. A veto Power it must be Al admitted is not in the charter of the United nations Only because Russia wanted to put in there. The United states was equally insistent upon the High of. Veto. Without this provision med by her conduct since the end of the War. One Clear Cut Frank constructive gesture by Moscow would do More to Europe and build Security in safety for Russia than All the massive intrigues and obstructions of russian policy can Ever Hope to attain. Only Stalin can make this Ges Ture. The free world Waits upon his answer. It will not wait for John Queen Tohn Queen reached Winnipeg policies make it so. Functioning j. On decoration 1906. It for business purposes As a unit was a Bright warm sunday. The under National policies the wealth equally produced by individuals in the Prairie provinces and the Central provinces gathers in a great Pool in the Central provinces. This of itself is not undesirable. On the contrary if business can be done More efficiently in this Way it is greatly to the advantage of All concerned that it should not be interfered with. In the last article the process of this accumulation of wealth in Ontario and Quebec will be dealt with. Problem. The Prairies provinces of the provincial governments. The second a series of articles move and to learn whatever lessons there Are to be Learned. Has Canada Learned them it seems not. In Canada today strikes Are prevalent. Thousands of men have walked off their jobs and the steel strike has made thousands More Idle. The labor situation in Canada is the same As it was in the United states when the spiral began there it was the steel strike that set it off and while the Posi Tion in the steel dispute is not completely parallel with that five months ago in the ., the differences Are minor and the Over All picture of labor unrest is the same. The steel strike in the United states deprived the country of tons of steel caused loss of production in scores of articles into which steel enters threw into idleness hundreds of thousands of men other than steel workers and added to the Cost of production Over almost the whole Industry of the country. It punctured the Price ceilings and reinforced the Campaign of organized business against the Price control system which finally resulted in its lapse. Unless the present situation is handled with care intelligence and restraint on All sides it can easily produce the same result As a similar condition produced in the United states. Is the wage Price buyers strike drama to be repeated in Canada has nothing been Learned dreamed of in the annals of inter National relations. A sunday in London Loni to expenditures on publicity More than half a Milton Dol Lars is spent annually by the various government departments to cover the Cost of publicity re leases. Some of these like those of the department of agriculture and vital statistics serve a Neces sary and useful purpose others Are of dubious value. Zens have a right to expect the utmost Economy on the part of their government it seems strange indeed that the department o National defence is still spending annually in the maintenance of its publicity department there Are perfectly valid expenditures for publicity purpose and with these there Cjon be a quarrel but a much closer scout from the Golden books from Hamlet by William Shakespeare this goodly Frame the Earth seems to me a sterile Promontory this most Excel Lent canopy the air look you this Brave o Erha Nging Firma ment this Majestic Al roof fretted with Golden fire Why _ it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of Vapours. What a piece work is a Man How Noble in reason How infinite in faculty in form and moving How express and admirable in action How like an Angel in apprehension How like a god today s scripture if be then being evil know How to give Good gifts unto your children How much More shall your heavenly father give the holy spirit to them that ask him. Luke at a time when Canadian Citi Iny should be imposed upon those birthdays Albert Mcgregor Neepawa Man. Born Huron co., ont., july 14, 1870. T. J. Kelly Roblin Man. Born West Mcgilivray ont., july 15, 1858. Ondon june 30th appeared be quite an Ordinary sunday in London. A Grey and Gusty Day it was ushering out a june which will go Down in history for its paucity of Sun. But the newspapers were filled with Many columns devoted to the report of the British Mission to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And that for a Start made it a rather novel sunday. Finally there was that appointment with the radio fixed for 10.30 at night. In London people would be killed by one atom bomb and another would be made the British Mission concluded. Both the surface and deep shelters which protected us from the trivialities of the 1939 War would still suffice. This re Assurance however was some what qualified by detailed descriptions of what would happen to londoners when they crawled from their shelters in search of food or merely to Survey the rums. Time passed. About mid Day the . Provided a quiz Between a party o men on the one Side and one o women on the other. They were professional people in the Public Eye. The questions and answers went Back and Forth in an amiable fashion. When the Bell rang to announce a failure there a Genera laughter. The question became More serious and turned to Public affairs what to ran one were hit b atom bombs in the War again a popular actor struggled with this one. He mad noises which indicated he a by Beth Tomali eard the names Hiroshima and Nagasaki but time was up and e Bell rang. The laughter was Jud and he was told the Correct answer. Adept at witty repartee e replied i disapprove of the torn bomb so i have not paid by attention to Valk in Hyde Park a walk in Hyde Park in the afternoon revealed that the two Enny chair now costs threepence. Jut Good conversation is always hearing at any Price. I believe that foreigners hould be Loyal to the country in which they take Refuge. I m mar red to a greek you know and Hough he often criticizes the British deep Down in himself he Oves would t you like to live in Good heavens no no greeks Ive in Greece. They All leave to Nake their fortunes in other who lives in Greece of peasants and that sort of a to three raucous dissertations on communism and the love of Jesus Christ followed. Nobody Ever seems to attempt any other subject from the soap boxes of Hyde Park. But very Young Earnest and sensitive jew was trying almost inaudibly to gather some listeners around him while he examined the causes o anti semitism. A few lingered until they understood what was talking about and then drifted shame fac edly away. A pet hate cannot stand reason. More time passed and at 1 o clock the . Announced an eminent scientist who once mor reviewed the observations of the British Mission to those two Fate us but Here was to news Aper report. This was a warning his was a warning. Of each lastly consequence of our new found Power. Pity the dentists pity the eminent scientists who ave worked so hard for on their consciences must rest heavy the knowledge that contrary to their words of doom they have helped us to discover the very thing we wanted. If they had not done his for us we would have to continue playing at War with Slock busters and rockets and hat would get us nowhere. No body Ever mentions this. At last it began. The radio hissed spluttered and crackled. A Man s voice could just be. Heard. Few words could be caught but the urgency of his voice was sufficient. Occasionally the steady tick of the metronome could be heard. It iad become Wavy and watery in the course of its Miles journey. Just fancy All those Little mice wearing masks and each one of the pigs has a special Little and they be put charcoal Down on the ground to see it it will turn into when i was Young i was All for technical improvements you know. But this atom think humanity should be entirely destroyed so we could make a fresh City was in a Gay mood bands were out and soldiers were parading. The talk on the streets was of wheat at 78 cents a Bushel of jobs too plentiful to be filled of real estate deals and the latest big killing. To the immigrant boy from Edinburgh the place looked Good. For one thing the streets were wide and Broad. The people seemed decent and above All it looted As though jobs were hanging from the he decided to stay. He found himself a room on Dorothy Street and went to work. Part of the history when he died suddenly sunday he had become part of the history of Winnipeg. He had been an Alderman on the City Council. He had been mayor for seven years. He had served in the legislature for More than 20. He had been to jail on charges of sedition and conspiracy. When he arrived Early in the Century the City was growing and bursting and growing again. Sarah Bernhardt was filling the auditorium with her Camille. You could not ride a bicycle on main Street As John Queen found out. Politics was conservative or Liberal and the socialists were dangerous radicals who should be sent Back where they came from. A a were Good and men Al Busy. It took the War and the conscription controversy the Arm Istace and the general strike to turn labor to politics John Queen had been elected to the City Council As a social Democrat in 1916. In 1919, he was in the thick of the general strike. That same year with others he was in the Dock of Winnipeg s police court charged with sedition and conspiracy. He was sent to jail and Winnipeg promptly answered the sentence by electing him. To represent the City in the legislature. He held the seat until 1941. He fought his Ian election in 1942 when he was Defeated for the mayoralty by Garnet Coulter. As mayor of Winnipeg tar dangerous Radical of showed his real talents. There were business men who saw in his election in 1934 nothing but ruin and devastation. But by any yardstick he was a Good mayor. He filled the position with dignity and. Impartiality. His greatest Quality he was easy to talk to and Friendly. He was sympathetic with those who needed sympathy and this was probably his great est Quality. He was no doctrinaire socialist but rather a sentimental socialist who reacted decently and healthily to injustice and ill Fortune. H the primitive noises went on and on coming out of the radio. The conversation in the room became intermittent. Everyone was engaged in his own private thoughts about Crossroads. And Over the air came Sud Denly that soothing and familiar voice they say it causes premature we should t i wonder where it would be Safe to take my reception is so bad we win return you to America when speech is perfectly the . Concert orchestra broke into that March which is customarily played when a White and plumed horse canters into the circus ring with a dazzling lady standing precariously on his Back. At that instant the atom was split Over Bikini. Intelligible speech was hardly necessary and we All went Home to sleep peace fully in our Beds. It was quite an Day e was n0 fire eater. In fact the dangerous radicals of his later years were scornful of his willingness to Compromise and mediate. Perhaps even the so Tish immigrant of 1906 with i Anclle Ter moustache would not have approved of this. But year. In politics taught John Queen that few things Are Black and White and few ideas entirely right or entirely wrong. In the legislature he sat for years in the opposition benches fighting for principles which As time went by became in nearly every instance accepted pieces of legislation. His speeches were nol distinguished but they were solid and easy to listen to. He never stopped his Battles for socialism but in his latter years he was somewhat philosophical about Victory. Out of Britain in the Early part the Century came the men who were to form the foundation of labor in thin country. Among them the name of John Queen ranks High. The City also owes him a considerable debt because he served Long and faithfully. Regardless of political opinion unusual Sun John Queen did Well by his adopted City ;