Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 25, 1949, Winnipeg, Manitoba Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights Winnipeg free press printed published Winnipeg free company limited. Carltie Street. Winnipeg. Manii Ohrt. Authorize Las Metier by the Post depart no it Ottawa. Victor Sifton. Grant Dexter publisher. Editor Wra. Lord Bruce Hutchison. General manager. Associate i into. Winnipeg monday april 25, 1949 one year of the plan As it passes its first year and begins its second the mar shall plan appears to be the most successful project of inter National economic co operation in history. In its imaginative sweep in its economic results in its political effect nothing like this has been seen upon the face of the Earth before. A few simple figures just issued Tell the first year s Story of this great adventure in joint recovery among the 270. 000.000 people of the Pace of recovery on the continent has been twice As rapid As that recorded after the first world War. It took Western Europe seven years after 1918 to reach its 1913 Levels of production. Though Europe was damaged much More seriously in the second War than in the first it reached its 1938 level of production within three years after the second War s end. By Early 1943 Europe was producing As much As before the War. Now production in general is Actu ally ten per cent above the prewar total. As or. Attlee said in thanking the United states for its. Aid to Europe during the last year the whole economic scene in Western Europe has been transformed to a degree which must astonish All of us when we recall the uncertainties and perils of the immediately preceding years. That this Progress towards full recovery has been and continues to be accomplished is due to the generosity and farsightedness of the people and government of the United recovery in the Nineteen participating Marshall nations has been uneven As was to be expected. Taking the ten leading nations the Lyndon economist compares their Indus trial output in three years. 1937. 1947 and 1948. If the output of 1947 is taken As representing 100 on the Index the following table shows the Progress since then and compares it with the 1937 figure cents per Bushel in 1946-47 instead of the 77 cents per Bushel Given by or. Mackinnon or s130.8 Mil ions. In 1947-48 the class ii or world Price ranged from s2.37 pet Bushel to s3.45 per Bushe and Over the year averaged s2.ss Peri Bushel. The difference or the loss. This year was s1.33 per or s212.8 millions. Adding the two years together gives a total loss i of s343-6 millions on the wheat sold under the wheat agreement j in 1946-47 and 1947-48. These Are interesting figures be cause they prove conclusively that the earlier estimate of the loss at. S329 millions was a reasonable moderate figure. Social services in a recent British by election n labor speaker need is in the Fence is beginning to Hurt declared that Only criterion of the Austria re Yium Bisom Denmark Ila by Netoli Elaml Nora y Sweden u. K. Inn in Jim. F hit ii i Kra these Bare figures cannot Tell the full Story. Behind them can be seen the greatly improved condition of the european Peoples for example the average european diet has risen from 2.500 calories a Day after the War to 2.780 calories now. Only a Hundred calories below the pre War diet. The spectre of starvation has disappeared. In the dark year of 1947 Europe seemed on the verge of chaos and International communism its familiar techniques of strikes and agitation believed that it could possess a Large part of the continent. That threat has been repelled. Communism turned Back and held at the russian line of Power. Such a Victory for democracy would have been impossible without the Marshall plan. Doubtless the Atlantic pact also would have been impossible. During its first year therefore the Marshall plan has succeeded in its Stem the sweep of communism by starting the recovery of Europe. But this is Only the begin Ning of the cure. As the process of recovery continues the prob lems ahead seem to increase in complexity. As against All the gains so far Mist be set the fact that Europe cannot be entirely self supporting As it had hoped by the end of the Marshall plan in 1952. At that time it will still need More goods from America than it can pay Lor. It will have a deficit of something Between si.5 billions and s3 billions in its Trade with the Dollar area. It May be producing As much As it uses and exporting As much As it imports in total is doing that it will still be Short of dollars because its sales in North America Are Short of what is needed to pay for essential articles Only obtainable by Europe in this area. Therein lies the Crux of the european problem. This problem can be solved Only continues to expand its Trade within its own area and far beyond it. Through out the world and Only if America is ready to import More than Ever before. A continuance of Europe s present restricted bilateral and discriminatory Trade policies which tend to. Sup press the world Market at Large a refusal by America to in crease ils overseas imports when goods Are available could abort the Marshall plan and the world s Chance of Prosperity. The problem could soon become one of artificial surpluses piled up behind barriers to Trade. Production being Well under Way the thinking of the Marshall nations and like minded nations elsewhere must be concentrated on the freeing and the expansion of Trade if the free world will apply to Trade the same intelligence which it has applied to its Fields and factories under the Marshall plan and to its political Security under the Atlantic pact Success will be assured. Amount that the slate should spend on Public health. If in is Money or life that matters then life must have the there has been a Good Deal of sensible comment in the United kingdom on this kind of campaigning which applies in this country to Many members of the . This says one commentator. In terms of Noney or life tuberculosis people lying because the estimate is superficial vulgar and dangerous. It May be politically of dec tic. But it is the kind of think no which could quickly undermine be foundations of the health Sci thus even if Hie Luis vials. Dec ors and nurses of a country could e doubled or quadrupled the need Voltl still be unsatisfied. If need s to be the Only test then every Ither product give Way. The result must be inflation would Cut Down the value of the social ser ices and indeed All services and to so inefficiently and unfairly. Advocates of unlimited social services however sincere Are essentially dishonest. They Lead their Lupes 10 believe thai unlimited in creases in expenditures on welfare possible without ruining the country. They speak of free hospitalization and free this and free Hal. But i is beyond the Power f a government to make these services free. Governments produce Laihing. They have no Money of heir own. All i hey have to spend s Money they have taken from others either in taxes or in Loans which must be paid with in Terest. Politicians who need being the should be tagged demagogues. Mrs. Noggins rides a Cycle by Bruce Hutchison Whent i was said mrs. Al m in a lather of patriotism Payin Rogins. I uster do a let jinxed to keep the afloat of Cyc Iii about the country and 1 Veliu mighty virtuous. When but this new cyclical budget is i in suddenly told i m Payin Loo More than 1 can ride. It s the first much and Sab Utam my country Cycle with reverse gears. When ii s a Shock to a Patriot. In starts to go backwards at full one Dav the Speed it just throws me Over the Andle bars. Me vip sine Down and shake the last Nickel out of my pockets. Next Day they it Don t seem Hal Truman can stand me on Rev feet and and me ride i very Good either. All last year e s tellin the Public we re Wall Erin and Sinkin in a inflation. The election is no sooner Over than the a economists toll Truman the trouble is deflation so we got to keep taxes Down and pump in More purchasing Power or Well ave a depression before the week Henri. But the president is Learned to ride Hie Cycle me Way and e can i ride backwards. A c says to the . Look. E says i said in was limitation All through the election and Hinl in i Ion ii s got to he regardless pile up the taxes Cut Devn the debt full Speed a Ead with Cycle boys. Keep pedalling. Rushing backwards Back my Money and Brush off my at and Tell me it s All a mistake and they re suffered any the test of Puii tical opinion Lalk Only glibly of criterion t tic Tokia. . British col v Umbria win offer an Early est of political opinion in Canada. When the electors of the Pacific province go to the polls on june 15 they will face the Clear alternative of re electing the existing lib eral conservative coalition govern men or placing in office the most Radical Wing of the . In can Ada. While the labor progressive communist party apparently will nominate in some seats it will not be a significant Factor in the elec . Goes to the polls special correspondence government the . Is not pre considers itself the Only truly dem the proceedings As usual were held in secret so that internal divisions would Noi be revealed. But the wesseling Resolution on inter National affairs finally passed by unknown vote showed that the the government headed by or. Byron Johnson a Liberal shows its Complete Confidence in the out come by holding the election Al the earliest possible Dale. It was particularly anxious to Complete the election before a possible Federal poll and to avoid possible a As dangerous Brandon s Victory hockey fans of Winnipeg will join those of the rest of the in congratulating bran friends of or. J. Coldwell in simultaneous Federal and provincial Campaign. The question of duplication whether this duplication can be avoided will depend of course on the Federal government which it is said May go to the country be fore Midsummer. In that Case liberals and conservatives in the provincial Coli lion would be co operating in the provincial election and quarrelling in Federal affairs. Under these Cir occasions but until cum stances by a self denying or nce. Provincial candidates of the coalition intend to take no part wheat Board report the annual report of the Cana Dian wheat Board for the crop year 1sht-1s contains interesting facts regarding the United King Dom Canada. Wheat agreement. This four year agreement in its famous have regard to clause tween 51.55 per Bushel fixed in the wheat agreement for 1946-47 and 1947-48 and the world Price at which All other Export wheat was sold by the wheat Board. The wheat Board announces this world Price each Day As its class ii Price. The loss in the first year is placed at 77 cents per Bushel the figure Given to the House of commons by the then responsible minister Hon. Was said by ils sponsors to Guai Ujj a on july 17, province Don on winning ils first Western Canada Junior hockey Champion ship. The wheat Kings and other Brandon Junior teams before them. Have come close to the title on several past now final Victory always eluded their grasp. This time the team after losing ils first game against Calgary buffaloes in the Western final made a Strong comeback and won the championship in Lour straight games. The Victory is a tribute not Only to the players and their coach but also to the Faith and loyalty of their Many supporters. Ii is Good that this Faith has at last been rewarded. With the Abbott cup firmly in their Possession inc wheat Kings of meet Montreal royals for the Dominion championship and the Anlee the Farmers of the Wes against loss on the sales of wheat made in the first to years. A feature of the agreement which has not received the attention it deserves is i hat in contains no guarantee whatever against loss in the last two years. Apparently in never occurred to the drafters of the agreement that Western farm ers would still be Selling under the contract at a heavy loss in the third year of the contract. We were supposed to begin recovering in the third year any losses sustained in the earlier years but in Stead of recovering losses the con tract has continued to compel the Sale of Western wheat at a loss. The agreement was entered into july. 1946 and went into opera Tion on August 1, of that year Canada was obligated under its terms to sell 160 million bushels of wheat in each of the first two years that is the crop years 1946-47 and 39-i7-4s and 140 million bushels in the last two years that is the crop years 19-18-49 and 19-19-50. The Price in the first two years was fixed a s1.55 per Bushel and the Price in each of the last two years was to be negotiated. It was to these neg Foliations that the have regard to clause was addressed. The losses in the first two years have been estimated at s329 Mil Lions. That is the difference be the loss in the second year is placed at st.-9 per Bushel being the difference Between the 51.55 and the class ii Price averaged on a monthly basis. Now conies the annual report of he wheat Board for 1947-4s, with most interesting figures relative to hese losses the report at Page s shows sales to he United kingdom Inder the a heat agreement up to july 31. 194s. 01 139.573.-179 bushels. For this wheat he wheal Board got s1.55 per Bushel. This would show an excess of 19.5 million bushels Over the amount 160 million bushels per year required by the contract sales to other countries subsequent to the Canada United kingdom agreement Are Given also Page 81 at bushels. The average Price obtained for these class ii sales was s 2.51 per Bushel. The Dif Ference was 96 cents per Bushe and applied on 339.5 million bushels the loss would be s325.9 millions. On Page 9 of the report the world Price is averaged for each of the years 1946-47 and 1947-4s in 1946-47. When the when agreement Price was sl-55. The world Price or class ii Price the report says ranged from 52.05 t s3.10 per Bushel and the average was s2.43 per Bushel. The differ ence being the loss was Chue 8f memorial cup Hal he Best wishes of goes with it. All the West in Federal politics. Nevertheless the Strain of Federal loyalties would create difficulties for or. John son s government. The announcement of the june 15 poll indicates that the British Columbia could not vote Down the fellow travellers and Sec an endorsement of the Allan pad. This offers a the coalition government a Golden oppor in the election Campaign. In addition to attacking the social ism of the . Government candidates will now be Able to Rie ounce the isolationism of the opposition and this will be done from one end of the province to the other. The government clearly in ends to make the election a straight vote Between private Enterprise on the one hand and. On the other a policy of socialism con Taining within h a communist ele ment Strong enough to break with r. Coldwell s International policy specifically the government asks support for a programme of cur rent expenditure at the extraordinary figure of millions a year plus a plan to spend ?w1 millions on capital account for roads rail Extension buildings Etc. Over a five year period. It goes to the country As the most generous spender in the whole history of Canadian provincial governments. So there s the president pedal in for All e s Worth but the Heco a mists and the Congress and the arly ment of Canada As thrower he gears into reverse. Taxes Down. Very sorry if i be slight inconvenience and it won t Appen again till the next Lime. This kind of thing May lie All right fur Bur i m nut equipped like them with reverse gears and fluid drive when Abbott cuts the taxes the tunes leap up screamin1 int i Ihei a in in elect Nii. It s Une chiral l he tunes be cause you be none and done win we was Guill in Trust us lust Lake ii land coast and Well sleep and Nufler the ele Cipun can stall peri.ilhn1 again. Save a nil the next big ill. So we Kim just where we in Goin. Just like t Uncle Arheit when e was Captain of h Terry Hoai in the English Channel and ran smack into the Cliffs of Dover All ands dry ended and with is dying words Erbert said Kepi the ship on the proper course hut they d put the Light House in the wrong place. Gui of Hal wreck Only one Man was saved a Becon Mist. Of cuts is in ointment thai cures All bruises and no asked. So everybody s whooping and the Engineer Lar Fin at the throttle and the fireman Pilin in the Coal and the train Rushin through All the red lights and the president still pedalling in the air and shouting inflation bul begin Nin to wonder just before e its the Earlh. If maybe e was wrong after All. Well sir. I m an old fashioned body. I can t gel the Ang of these newfangled economics. For City must maintain its the Power negotiations to considering the Neotia Nee would be stuck Wilh the High us word till per recent parties vill accompany them in the do Ninion finals. Wage increases ii is sometimes suggested that because of the High Cost of living he wage earners Are worse off Nan before the War. This is not Rue As statistics Jusi issued by he Dominion Bureau of statistics it Ottawa prove. Since 1939 wages have increased far More than the Cost of living. Vages Are up 96 per cent and the Cost of living 57.9 per cent. There has been therefore a Clear gain n Standard of living for the wage earner of More than 30 per cent. Birthdays . Princess Royal coun Tess of Harewood born Sand Ringham. England. April 25. In 7. Malcolm Matheson. Bel Mont Man. Born Murray har Bour. . April 25, 1855. Today s scripture they that passed by railed on him wagging their Heads and saying a thou that destroy est the Temple and build est it in three Days save thyself and come Down from the Cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes he saved others himself he cannot disputes Between the two in the coalition Over the distribution of electoral seats has been satisfactorily adjusted. Under the formula to be followed. Liberal nominating conventions will choose the government candidates in All seats now held by liberals. The conservatives will nominate in conservative seats. In . Seals joint conventions f liberals and conservatives will be held. This will mean in nearly 11 cases that the present sitting Iberal and conservative Mem hers will be re nominated and a ree for All struggle will be con acted in the opposition Ridings or the Righi to represent the co lotion. A commanding majority when the legislature was Dis olved the coalition held a com Landing majority of 15 conservatives and 3 straight co Ali zionists a total of 36 against 11 . Members and one labor member. Thus a Complete Politica upset would be required to defeat he government. This or. John son and the conservative Leader or. Herbert Anscomb. Think impossible. They take the plunge with renewed confident now that agreement on the nominating procedure has been reached and the . Has been split Down the Middle by ideological issues. At the very moment when i Johnson was calling the election the . Was meeting in convention in Vancouver. There it left Wing communist sympathizer attempted to condemn and Finall blocked an attempt to approve the Atlantic in a party which major argument in Campaign apart from this generosity the government will claim As ils maj r argument in the Campaign that alone can secure the establish Lenl in British Columbia of vast cd Industrial undertakings in uding a 5300 million aluminium Industry. Now in a preliminary Fage that the election of a social St government will instantly scare new capital Oul of the Nee. The government s heaviest pol ical Load is its new sales tax hich the . Denounces Anchich certainly is unpopular. Since proposes to spend More than the from the Golden books from Paracelsus by Robert Browning be sure that god Neer dooms to waste the strength he deigns impart ask the Gier Eagie Why she Stoops at once into the vast and unexplored abyss. What full grown Power in forms her from the first. Why she not marvels strenuously beating the silent boundless regions of the sky be sure they sleep not whom god needs Xor fear their holding Light his charge when every hour that finds that charge delayed. Is a new death. This for the Faith in which i Trust. Happy childhood from the Marks a Happy childhood the look that is caught at Mother s knee never quite Pas from the human face. Province id the City relating to proposals the Hogg commission the pub should keep two Points clearly capital costs of developing new in that first it will be in the Public Terest generally that the cily by keep its Power plants. And. Cond nothing should be done that ill fix the present Hydro surplus earnings As a permanent charge against the Power users of winning competitive element icily needed to protect the Over All system. This View ignores the fad Hal the cily would have to but its share of the new Power. If the Hydro loses its Power ants there will be lost a highly desirable competitive element in he cily p Nower , and would base to cur i etly tru re also the surplus generating on paying the Rales. But none of Hie or eds us i hese Rales would Gulo up Mil Wanh cily taxes. Any surpluses earned would belong to like provincial government. And to Ide an because no other Power source but amount for cily expenses equal the government system would be available. The Price in would pay could be adjusted so that the City would carry its fair share of the ent to i hat now being taken the Hydro new taxes would to ii imposed. Publicly owned utilities should higher Cost of Northern Power. I pay the equivalent of taxes Normal Aslo the Hydro surplus the position is this. The City owned Utility earns surpluses of Well Over is Mil lion a year. In the surplus was s1.3-1s.1so. In other words buyers of Hydro Power Are paying than the Cost of be production of Power in Mani Baas Well As Hie Best Guaran be for Winnipeg users that much Marf production and distribution. For some years cily Council in order to balance its budget has taken these annual surpluses and used them As though they were by paid by a similar private Tisi Ness. Hydro new pays a Grant equivalent of local taxes but ill continue to enjoy Low Power ites. Contrary to what has been said i support of findings of the Hogg port there is no valid reason by the City and province cannot Perate Power plants on the win Peg River under separate own ship just As efficiently As the lants could be operated under Nile monopoly ownership. It has been shown in earlier articles Here discussing this aspect f the Power problem that in ther areas Hydro plants Are being pirated under mixed ownership n a Pool basis with no loss of technical or economic efficiency. And this is being done on a scale in times As great and with fac ors far More complicated than is he Case in Manitoba. No serious reasons exist therefore to Preven Point operations on the Winnipeg Iver. The argument now relied on to support the Contention that Mono poly ownership is necessary is tha the province must control All the Low Cost Power on the Winnipeg River before it would be in a Finan daily sound position to dcvelo1 High Cost Power Sites in the Nort of the province. Otherwise it m held Arnm the present an cite Levi pro monies derived from taxation. By doil1k so it has avoided one of Iree into debt or vying higher taxes or cutting expenditures by this sum. To escape the unpopular course f raising taxes the City Council As compromised its Power Posi on. Present Power rates Are not Rue economic rates based on pow r at Cost. They Are false rates no Ideal to a wrong policy which compels one group of to pay a special lax o the City that is not paid by any ther group. Winnipeg rates this is the Point that must be in mind. Spokesmen for the Vince have Given several Assur ances that Winnipeg Power rates will not go up under a reorganize n of the Power Industry. But present rates in Winnipeg yield a surplus to the municipal Utility. The province however would control rates under the new set up it could charge the same rates pocket the surplus and still keep by taxation to safeguard the in Cresis of the City Hydro and the City generally he City Council should reduce City Hydro Rales by the amount of the present surplus which is to be taken Inlo the cily Treasury As is by . H the City requires this sum in revenues then the straight Forward e is for the City Council to Levy taxes for in. Then in the unhappy event of the province taking Over the City Hydro Power plants the rates in effect would nut earn this surplus. If the rates in effect at such Lime did earn the surplus then without any increase in Power rates the province could pocket these extra earnings. The City Council a Votile be Short of Revenue and would Hen have to do the very Hing now advocated Levy new axes to this amount. A Short sighted selfish policy to Day could Cost the people of Winnipeg twice the amount of the Hydro surplus. And All for no other reason than the present unwillingness of Alder men to raise the revenues required ;