Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 24, 1948, Winnipeg, Manitoba Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights Winnipeg free press printed and published the Winnipeg Fres press company limited. 300 Carlton Street Winnipeg. Manitoba. Authorized As second class matter by the office department. Ottawa. Victor Sifton. Dexter publisher. Executive editor. We. Lord. Bruce Hutchison manager. Associate editor. Tuesday August the seven stand firm _ Premier. Stuart Garson acted wisely in filing Manitoba s formal opposition to the railways application for an additional 20 cent increase in freight rates. As. He has explained this new increase added to the 21 per cent increase already in effect would raise rates 45 per cent above the level of april 1 this year. Moreover the main principles of the 21 per cent judgment of the transport Board although challenged by seven provinces still Are in Force. T have now been invoked by the . As justification for further increases of which the present application for a new 20 per cent Rise Ray be Only the first. In these circumstances the seven provinces have no alternative but to continue their Campaign for More equitable treatment. They remain United in this resolve. It is Worth stressing that the seven provinces Challenge the thesis that the recent increase in railway wages of 17 cents an hour at once justifies a further Rise in freight rates. Premier Garson has pointed out that criticism of the 21 per cent judgment involves . Revenue which might amount to million annually. He surely comes to the heart of the controversy when he says it is essential that these items of Revenue should be reviewed and determined before any action is taken which will make them the basis for an additional increase in freight rates. For if they Are allowed to stand the freight payers of Canada will be required to provide that annual amount to the . And will in addition be required to pay the full Cost of the recent wage increases and of any other increases in operating in other words the railways May be Able to pay wage increases without jacking up freight charges still higher and in any Case if the transport Board s judgment is deemed in violate then the Way is wide open for an automatic Succes Sion of new increases which will aggravate the discrimination now being suffered by the West and the maritime. The present earnings and financial position of the . Are such As to permit this whole question to be examined carefully. The patient is Strong and healthy and not in need of emergency treatment. For that reason among others the seven provinces have asked that the Case be re opened. On july 20, when their spokesmen appeared before the Federal Cabinet they asked for the appointment of a Royal commission. The recent Liberal convention in spite of opposition from government members endorsed this stand and urged that a Royal commission. Be named without delay. The government would be Wise to heed this declaration of Liberal policy which Only reinforces the inherent strength and Justice of the provinces Case. On this essential Point there can be no yielding. The transport Board cannot be asked to review its findings As some have suggested for its own judgment constitutes the very Point in dispute and it surely is a denial of Justice to have one of the interested parties decide what the verdict shall be. That task can be carried out with satisfaction Only by a Royal commission armed with the Power to Survey every aspect of our freight rates problem including that of discrimination and in particular with the Power to review and change the principles on which the 21 per cent judgment is founded. A the first effective step that has yet been taken towards the equalization of freight charges involves the decision by the railways to increase competitive rates by 15 per cent. This increase should produce greater Revenue from Ontario and Quebec which Are not at present bearing a fair share of the Burden and therefore should be welcomed. It also of course affect British Columbia. However this does not end the matter. During the hearing of the Case before the transport Board the seven provinces and especially Manitoba and Saskatchewan persistently argued that competitive rates in Ontario and Quebec had been Low ered beyond justification. The 15 per cent increase there fore is to be regarded As Only a beginning in raising competitive rates to their proper level. Moreover there have to be precautions to ensure that these rates will not soon be lowered As they so often have been in the past. The Royal commission might be Able to suggest useful policies on this Point. In the meantime the seven provinces stand firm. They want a Royal commission As by far the Best solution. And they have asked for a stay of proceedings in the new 20 per cent application until a decision has been reached on the major issues in rates dispute. On surely need not last Long at this late Date and after the Clear ruling of the Liberal govern ment would correctly interpret its duties by appointing a Royal commission As requested by the provinces. Is Good government by Canadian standards and practices of demo Cracy to ask a purely academic ques Tion in a plebiscite such1 As the Manning government asked with out laying before the voters any thing in the Way of a policy or programme to be based on the re sult of the plebiscite is an abdication of an important function of government. It is dithering with vital Public affairs. It is an evasion of duty usually referred to As passing the is a characteristic of ineffectual administration that it seeks to have its decisions made for it on such simple direct questions As this. The Manning government has gained no credit by this display of Usilla Nimitz. The Marathon is about to Start messes. Truman and Dewey who will shortly occupy most of the headlines in the United states Are now in conference with their colleagues and party managers to plan the presidential election Campaign. Both of them intend to cover the entire nation in their speaking Tours. The front porch technique of some former campaigns notably that of the late president hard ing apparently is out Fash Alberta plebiscite no doubt the Alberta govern ment s plebiscite on electrical Power taken during the recent elec Tion served its political purpose As a red herring. In All other respects it was unsatisfactory and confusing. The wording of the questions As to whether the citizen favored Pri vate or state ownership made the Issue seem Clear. In actual fact find for practical purposes it was anything but Clear. It presented no definite proposal on which the voter could form a judgment. It was thrown into a province where Many communities have their own Power systems and compelled them to choose be tween their own publicly owned system and state ownership. The questions did not commit the Ern ment to anything and the fact that the Premier campaigned against one Side of the Issue made h evident that a vote for that Side either would not have been car ried out or carried out with a reluctance which would mitigate against its Success. The latest available figures on the plebiscite Are incomplete. But they Are so nearly Complete tha any additions will not alter the result and will change the vote Only slightly. On these figures private ownership was favored by a majority of but of a Tota vote of very slim majority and a very Small total vote. In addition to it is evident from the count by constituencies that much of the support of state ownership came from Rural areas sparsely settled that Power generation and distribution would be of costly that they could not be married by any reasonable rate eve and that the Rural deficits would have to be made up either y higher City rates or from taxation. In the cities where there Are municipal Power systems the vote Vas heavily against state owner hip because those utilities yield High profits which Are used to re Duce taxes. Last year Calgary used Power profits Edmonton Lethbridge Medicine hat and other cities in proportion. Handing Power distribution Over to the state would mean the loss of those revenues and consequently taxation increases enough to furnish a. Equivalent sum. Naturally then the City vote was against state ownership. In the five cities of Calgary Edmonton Lethbridge Medicine hat and red Deer which supplied. 45 per cent of the total plebiscite vote the figure was for private ownership and for state ownership. In spite. Of this and in spite of the plebiscite being weighted against the state ownership Side by the Campaign of the Premier the press and the Power companies while the other Side suffered the obvious Handicap of hav ing . Support the sentiment in favor of a state Power system amounted to 4s per cent of the or. Truman who is at his weak est in set sea cites and on formal occasions and at his Best in extemporaneous talk and personal appearances before Small groups will try to subdue the tide now running heavily against him by getting out among the folks. Or. Dewey whose reputation is just the opposite who is most forcible in prepared utterances and grand meetings is also trying to get closer to the Man on the Street to overcome his reputation of aloofness and chill. For both candidates therefore the Campaign should be More strenuous articulate and perhaps More feverish than any since 1932. After that year Roosevelt did not have to extend himself. He could have beaten or. Land ii in 1936 without a speech. In 1940 he did not intend _ to do much Campaign ing. Or. Willkie finally forced him at the last moment to take to the Road but. Briefly. In 1944, against or. Dewey he was tired already near the end of his life fully occupied with the War. He spoke Seldom but his few speeches notably the classic comedy of his teamsters Union address where he made or. Dewey seem to be running against Fala web devastating. The Campaign returns to the Normal pattern which forces a candidate to drag himself wearily from one mass meeting and from one whistle Stop to an other a killing Pace which did indeed kill Woodrow Wilson in his last tragic Campaign for the league of nations. Apparently All the new techniques of communication the movies radio and television do no satisfy the people. They insist on seeing the future president in the flesh not his portrait on celluloid or air Waves. This is a sound Anc healthy instinct in a democracy but by november it must exhaust two main participants. As for the third mr., Wallace he seems inexhaustible and has marked advantage Over the othe candidates. He knows he will never be called upon to fulfil any of his election promises or accept in of fice penalties of his mis takes on the stump but with the depart ire of Many disillusioned men who were supporting Hin a few weeks ago or. Wallace s race will be rather lonely. The magic Mirror monday night club Winnipeg has not been too should get Busy and wipe out of kind to its historic past and existence so it was Good to hear at Council this is the regulation which monday evening an Appeal from forces civic employees to obtain Aid. St. John on behalf of the old permission before they can live outside the City limits. These Days Poss House at the foot of Market a Man As Lucky to live anywhere Avenue. This is one of the earliest Cven k there were surviving buildings in the province housing accommodation no pm conservative democracy How to pack a convention of the conserva Tive party have been at particular pains to declare that the forthcoming party convention will be completely democratic. It will 3e far More democratic than the recent Liberal convention Accord no to or. Richard Bell National director of the conservative party. It will be run or. Bell assures a press conference from the Bot Tom and not from the top As the Iberal convention was run. And 1 Bracken the retiring party eader will not dictate to the conservative delegates As or. King dictated to the liberals. Actual mechanics Tion rules As submitted by the party Headquarters in Ottawa to he provincial organizations suggests an answer to the question leaving aside the fact that the Liberal delegates in fact took their convention into their own hands overrode the government outright on the vital Issue of freight rates and warmly welcomed or. Power s Strong criticism of the govern ment leaving aside also the fact which or. Bell seems to have for gotten that or. Bracken is in no position to dictate to anybody and has resigned because he could not unite the conservative party there remains to consider the actual mechanics of the conservative convention. Will it be in fact demo cratic and controlled by the Dele Gates or can it be packed by the party Bosses the rules provide for the appointment of voting Dele Gates. These Are divided into three main classes. There will be first delegates sex privy councillors who support the conservative party ail conservative senators members of the House of commons members of provincial Legislatures provincial conservative leaders arid executive officers of the conservative association of Canada. Secondly there will be three official delegates with alternates from each Federal electoral District. Thirdly there will be delegates at Large. Since Only 237 delegates fall into the first class by virtue of Public or party office the two second classes together will control the convention. Elect delegates and alternate Dele but if in any Case the provincial party executive certifies to the convention executive commit be that such a course is not Feas no meeting can be the convention exec Ive committee May authorize the provincial executive to name the delegates but they May be barred in the convention credentials com nit tee if it considers that any abuse has occurred. Not representation i n the second class the. Stit ency delegates wherever practicable shall be elected at meetings of the Parry association in each constituency. Where there is no conservative association Anc there is no such association in Many Ridings throughout the nation Steps shall be taken to Cal a study of the proposed Conven a meeting of party supporters to defence of America w an old Nursery tale comes True total vote in the whole province. When such questions As Rural electrification arise it is the function of government to evolve a Clear Cut policy which it can Lay before the electors in the Normal an election. It then either stands or Falls by its policy. That in these Days when anything can happen one is not surprised to find the wildest fairy tales com ing True. The movie magazines Are full of cinderellas there Are we judge from the Public prints wolves on the wait for red Riding Hood on every Corner and Jack s Beanstock has been carried by the air plane into the stratosphere. But up to now the Story of the three bears has been rather hard to be Lieve. Even this incredible tale it appears is Well within the Bounds of zoology. For we have it on the authority the associated press that a Bear recently entered the Home of or. Jean Sullivan in Gla Cier National Park slept in the bed opened the Dresser drawers ate out of the ice Box carried a mattress and two blankets outside and Hung them neatly to air on a nearby tree. The other two bears so far Are missing but doubtless they Wil turn up. The Bear world either undertaken to make the fairy Story goofy or perhaps is doing its bit by Al Friendly ing Job to solve the servant prob Lem. Thin the past few Days the defence plans of Canada and the United states have again been reviewed and brought still More closely into a common agreed Pat Tern. Or. Forrestal . Defence Secretary has visited Ottawa and in return or. Claxton Canada s defence minister has spoken t Ogdensburg Home of the his Oric agreement which set up a Point defence Board for this con nent. These talks have been at asked by Prussia As part of a con piracy against the soviet Union. T is Best to turn from this Gib Erish. And look at the record in order to discover the inner mean no what has been taking place. It was the Impact of Hitler s aggressions that first made the United states and Canada think of Point defence. President Roosevelt t Queen s University issued his Amous pledge that the United states would not stand idly by if Canada were attacked. This was allowed by prime minister King s ledge for Canada that enemy orces should not be Able to Pur be their Way either by land sea r air to the United states across Canadian these general rec Isles were translated into a Ual policies in the Ogdensburg agreement which in Force being rounded out by new military understandings. Aimed at no one birthdays Edwin Millidge born Edinburgh s c o t-1 a n a aug. -24, 1s64. V i the record is so Plain that even he resources of russian propaganda Tenno Avail to twist it defence plans were begun the last War. They today s scripture after this manner therefore Pray be our father which Art in heaven hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy be done in Earth As it is in heaven. Give us this Day our daily bread. And for give us our debts As we give our debtors. Arft Lead us not into temptation but deliver us for thine is the kingdom and the Power and the glory for Ever amen. 6 9-13. Ever have been aimed at an ther country. They have Only one be a joint defence against aggression on this Contin it. The men in the Kremlin need of worry about this Alliance in ass they Are planning aggression and War. T is a important however and was. Among other things the Home of the first Post office West of the great lakes and the first newspaper to be published in the red River Valley. It is on every ground one of the historic buildings of Manitoba and whatever has delayed its movement to a Safe site in the last two years every Effort should be made now to ensure that it is not destroyed. There was talk at Council that its condition made movement impossible but. Other buildings in other parts of the world As badly decayed As the Ross House have been saved by expert reconstruction and certainly this Lone survivor of the Early red River settlement should not be allowed to fall under the wreckers Hammer for Lack of such advice. A Little action stress two new Points tha Lave to be put into the joint de ence plans. One is a provision for he Quick mobilization of Industrial strength and agreement on com non standards for military a leap is. The next War should it come vill not allow for slow improvise Ion. The blow will fall quickly ind with stunning effect. Military authorities in Canada and the uni de states Are Wise to be working on these problems now and they have in the Industrial Field the help of the Canadian ordnance association and the new Industrial defence Board which serve to keep readers of Canadian Industry in ouch with the military needs an plans of the government in clearly defined ways. It is to be Hope that recent discussions will Lead to the Best use being made of thes new techniques of co operation. Secondly and still More constructively is the need of fitting our defence plans into the broader concept of Western to which the government is pledged. Neither Canada nor the United states has yet Given a definite Mil tary guarantee to the nations of Western Europe to join. Them in opposing a War of aggression but talks leading to the conclusion of such a treaty have already taken place in Washington London and Paris. Canadians Are Active in these diplomatic negotiations or. Claxton and or. Forrestal also have to consider them from the Point of View of military strategy although no official statement has been made it is being reported from Ottawa that the two men found time to consider this ques Tion at least in Broad outline and to make the combined strength of Canada and the United states a still greater asset in the struggle for collective Security. Since the conservative party is lot organized in Many Ridings it s evident that the provincial executives a few men who have not 3een Able even to organize local associations will be Able to appoint arge numbers of convention Dele ates merely by certifying that ocal meetings Are feasible for example Only four constituencies in the whole province of que Bec Are organized so that most of the Quebec delegation presumably will be appointed by the Provin Cial executive. The class of 311 of them will offer still larger opportunities for the party Man agers to gain control of the convention. The convention rules say that these delegates will be selected not by districts but province wide to represent the leading activities education press labor agriculture professions business and so Forth to be selected by the provincial x will be also youth Dele Gates at Large representing the Young conservatives 9 from ont Ario 9 from Quebec and 3 from each of the other provinces Anc finally University delegates at Large representing the conservative student federation with one Dele Gate from each University conservative club. The delegates at Large it will be noted will not be chosen at demo cratic meetings in the various rid Ings. They will be selected by the provincial is b the party managers not by the rank and file of the party membership. In Quebec with Only four constituencies possessing a conserva Tive association it is Clear that a handful of party leaders Wil choose most of the delegates at Large As Well As the Riding Dele Gates. This must also be the procedure in Many Ridings outside Quebec where the party possess no local associations. Dominant group Council has shown its willingness to help in this matter the historic society is interested All that seems to be needed now is a Little action on the part of both groups. It was during this debate that Aid. Brotman startled Council by introducing a. Note of High Cul Ture into the hard practical Alder manic existence. He praised Aid. St. John s encomium on behalf of the Ross House. Personally we thought the St. John perform Ance an Ordinary Standard dec phrases such As any Man might make under the circumstances especially in View of the heat and he fact that All of us were miss no Oklahoma and the fetching Oung creatures thai went with it. J apart from this touch of history Council s business monday was thoroughly routine. There was a ittle matter of a sidewalk for Ployer has the right to Tell an individual where he should reside. Here is an old bit of feudalism of which Council should have no pan. Are relying on messes. Pennor and Forkin those Stalwart opponents of every bit of reaction outside of Russia to do something about it. Perhaps the most important item on the Agenda was the new i a health bylaw which got the nod from Council after a Long and difficult passage. At its last appearance it was sent Back to the health committee for the lat Ter to do something about the very Broad use of the word restaurant. This now been trimmed Down to exclude those Small establishments which sell ice Cream soft drinks and similar milk products. Even they will still presumably to required to con form to a decent Standard of clean Liness but can forget about the More stringent regulations which apply to places Selling meals or reasonable facsimiles of same. Diagnostic Centre towards the close Council Aid. Penner Rose to introduce n motion calling upon the City health com Mittee to open negotiations with the province for a diagnostic Centre for the City. This is a subject on which All aldermen seemed agreed but once on his feet or Pennor is a hard Man to Stop and he went on and on the minutes passing the lives of his audience racing Nway towards eternity until even a diagnostic Centre did not seem the new school on Logan a few reports of committees which went through easily and quickly and another example of an outmoded City regulation which aldermen i Worth if. One thing is certain if the scheme of things which Aid. Pen Ner believes in Ever comes to pass the Canadian equivalent of the siberian Salt mine will be infinitely preferable to the City Hall beat for the Winnipeg pravda. That a Reed would be a Fate worse than death. I. W. Or. Costello s policy the two Ireland the original scepticism which hailed the formation of the government of or. John costello n Eire As a collection of Rem Nants United Only in their opposition to or. Eamon de Valera appears unfounded in the Light of the coalition s six months record. Or. Costello a lawyer by pro cession has shown himself Well Able to control the divergent ele ments ranging from labor to extreme conservative who make up Iii majority. A has initiated a fresh approach in Anglo Irish relations which has already borne fruit in a new Trade treaty and a greatly improved attitude Between the two governments and he has begun the process inevitably ions term which might eventually Lead to a reunion of the two in lands. Reforestation ally she is far ahead of the South and her standards of jiving and social Security Are generally recognized be on a higher basis than those of her neighbor. These last alone arc important factors in the feeling against Union which exists in Northern Ireland but a contributing Factor has been the extreme nationalism and High Tariff policy of or. De Valera which contrived to make the Border Between the two states As ironclad As any in Western Europe. Eire is still running an Over All deficit in her Trade. For last year it was estimated at some a Large figure for so Small a country compared with this North Ireland has had an import ant role in Britain s Post War Economy supplying agricultural products to the value of 000, playing a leading part in the ship building in addition to this the costello Wolff in Belfast last year there will thus tie enough hand picked delegates at least to hold a balance of Power in the selection of a new party Leader. By working together they will form a grou sufficient to dominate the Conven Tion from the Start. If therefore the real Powers in the party have decided to elect or. Drew As Leader which seems to be their purpose they should easily be Able to arrange it through the appointment of delegates not Only in Quebec but in other prov the convention rules Are not altered by an explosion of protest from the local conservative associations against these democratic methods and the Prospect of a Well packed convention. Government is planning a 25 per cent increase in livestock production in Eire a Large scale reforestation today has fewer Trees than any country in Europe with the exception of ice a population policy aimed to Check the unnatural flow of emigration which has made Ireland the Only White populated country in the world whose popu lation has declined in the last 100 years. In the Century since the great famine which took lives the population of Ireland has dropped from to approximately of the various causes which have gone to Poison Anglo Irish relations in the past partition is the Only one which merits consideration today. And there is no Clear dispute even Here since the status of Ulster As a Semi Independent territory makes the settlement of the six counties problem a matter More for direct negotiation Between Stormont and Dublin than Between Dublin and London. Leaving aside the religious ques Tion the dominant division be tween the two areas involves the broke their own 33-year record for production from a single British ship building Yard and achieving a Linen production which has Al Mont reached pre War figures. In addition Northern Ireland is be coming in attractive location for British Industry. Some -13 Indus tries have moved into Tho six coun ties since the end of the War. From the Golden books Shelley from stanzas the Cloud shadows of Midnight possess their own repose for. The weary winds Are silent or the Moon is in the deep committed nationalist lines of or. Costello Jess a along the nationals his predecessor has dealt cautiously with the partition problem. To is going about it diplomatic ally. There is talk of the same general organization for Northern Ireland is exists is internal Ulster sending representatives to the Dail instead of to Britain. So far approaches have been on a feeler basis but the attitude of or. Costello and his govern ment contains the Promise of bet Ter relations Between the two areas. There is now Little reason to expect the of statement which or. De Valera used to make at intervals such As that he might on some future occasion feel entitled to use Force to end partition. Agriculture and Industry of the or. Costello does not talk this North. Northern Ireland fits into and is part of the Over All economic plans of the United kingdom. Eire As an Independent minority in that area to believe in Sovereign state must take Day of liberation through kind of language which served Only to arouse Public opinion in North and encourage the Eire place though a favored place in the Export and import programme of the United kingdom. Geographically Ulster represents some respite to its turbulence Only one sixth of the land area of unrest ing Ocean knows whatever moves or toils or. Grieves hath its appointed sleep. All Ireland but on population basis she contains More than one third violence. There is a Long Way to go but at least the conditions for a Cool ing off period has a been put into effect by or. Costello. Under him relations Between Ulster and Eire Are unlikely to get worse they to Industry lean easily get much better ;