Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 12, 1968, Winnipeg, Manitoba Printed and published daily -4 except Winnipeg free press company 300 Carlton Street Winnipeg Manitoba. John Sifton president r. S. Malone publisher and editor in chief Peter Mclintock executive editor Maurice Western Ottawa editor k Winnipeg free press Winnipeg Friday july 1968 Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights Protection needed the agriculture ministers of the three Prairie province Are disturbed about the consequences of the St. Lawrence Seaway strike and the threatened strike of Grain handlers at the Lakehead Well they might be. Wheat sales Are Down surpluses Are up. Anything that halts or delays the Sale of wheat abroad will aggravate an already serious situation. As Manitoba s minister of agriculture Harry Enns said if the flow of Grain dries up we would be the innocent victims to the wrecking of the Prairie some workers Are involved in the Seaway strike about in the threatened strike of Grain handlers. So men can tie up a Good part of the Grain Economy of the Prairies. In fact the Grain handlers could do it by themselves if they stayed out Long enough. In their understandable anxiety the three agriculture ministers have sent a wire to prime minister Trudeau asking the government at Ottawa to ensure Grain move ment. The government could probably do this by bringing pressure to Bear on the Seaway authority arid on the Grain companies to Settle with the workers by giving them what they Are asking. But the Trudeau government is wisely determined not to get caught in the trap that its predecessor when it approved inordinately High wage increases to the Seaway workers and to longshoremen thus helping to set the pattern for wage settlements that Fol Lowed giving new impetus to the inflationary spiral. An alternative is to use troops a solution that is repugnant to most people. There is a better Way although the necessary legislation would require time to prepare and pass and it is too late to do anything along this line in the current disputes. Strike must not be allowed to happen when they gravely Public interest. To offset the removal of the strike privilege there must be concessions Given. now have occupations the members of which cannot strike because to do so would be to place the Public welfare in jeopardy the present disputes could have a most damaging effect on the livelihood of Many thousands of canadians and on the Economy As a whole. Should not these interests be protected legislation to this end is Long overdue and if the postal strike takes place next week As the country will have another example of the need for this Protection. Gome fill the cup Ottawa it is to be hoped that the prime minister now considering the program of legislative reforms for the fall session will heed the agonized editorial cries of eminent scholars on the Ottawa journal. The current drought in the Central provinces occasioned by strikes of Ontario brewery workers and Quebec liquor Board employees has had a particularly painful Impact on residents of the of t a Valley. Here As elsewhere there is deprivation but in the Region of the National capital the Edge is whetted by a sense of injustice. For the Ontario citizen is separated Only by a River s Width from the bottled brews of Quebec grocery stores. The que Becer for his part is a Mere Bridge away from the liquid Sunshine of Ontario government posts. Popular reaction to the emergency was in the begin Ning philosophical since no thing appeared More natural than to match Supply on one Side of the Ottawa with demand on the other. But the Mellow glow which normally distinguishes the Dis appeared suddenly on july 10 with the discovery by the editors in the statutes of 1953 of a Musty unwelcome wrong impression sortie people Irr great Britain May get the wrong impression from a Story that appeared in a recent times of London. Written by the times Ottawa correspondent it said that with prime minister Trudeau now firmly in Power the government at Ottawa is going to hard look at its relations with Britain. Indeed Britain May Well be treated just As a foreign country. If it is in Canada s to have Good relations with Britain then Good will be or. Trudeau has already vindicated that no favors will be Given or expected. There be no intimate Bac stairs new Breed of cat is up in the department of which wants to see a thoroughly new and Independent attitude towards foreign Well and Good. There is nothing wrong with that state ment. There is nothing inaccurate in. It there is nothing new in it either but by its tone it implies that there is that Canada s relations with the United kingdom Are about to undergo a deep sea change. This is nonsense. There was a Day As the despatch Points out when a Canadian government would cry ready ready to the demands of Britain. That Day is so far in the past that few canadians. Remember it. Starting in King s Day and particularly since the second world War Canada has not been tied to Britain s apron strings. No recent Canadian government has expected favors from Britain or been prepared to hand them out simply because of Days gone by. Canada has been a Sovereign nation for a Good Many years and while relations with Brit Ain have been cordial As they will continue to be there has been no special status for that country in Ottawa s eyes. Which does not mean that in a cultural and sentimental sense Britain does not hold a very Strong place in the hearts of Many canadians. A Large number of canadians were born in the United kingdom or our ancestors were. A Large number of canadians come Here from Britain and All it has stood for in the highest esteem. Indeed it is fair to that some of the strongest supporters of. The monarchy Are canadians of european birth or descent. Britain does not expect to receive or to give special favors from or to Canada any More under the Trudeau re Gime than under any of its recent predecessors. But British people would be under the wrong impression indeed if they Felt that the new Liberal administration could t possibly mean a downgrading of the United kingdom and its people Canadian minds. It will mean no such thing. Second seven the Federal government has made a Wise decision in appointing Louis rash Ruinsky As governor of the Bank of Canada for another seven year term. Or. Kasminsky governor of the Central Bank in 1961. His was a difficult task made More difficult because Public and world Confidence in the Bank had been shaken by the Public quarrel Between the former governor Jarnes Coyne arid the Diefenbaker administrate Tori. It was these columns that or. Kasminsky could restore Confidence by showing that he was some thing More than a tractable servant of the government and that he would stand firmly behind the principles in which he believes. This he has done in a quietly authoritative Way which has benefited the Bank the government and the nation As a whole. Upon his appointment stated his. Views on the relationship that he Felt should exist Between Bank and government the Bank should have responsibility for monetary policy but should the govern ment disapprove it should direct the Bank As to the policy to be carried a View concurred in by the government of. The Day. During his first seven year term or. Kasminsky. Has stayed out of the limelight. He has made few speeches but those that he has made have been warning canadians of some of hard economic facts of life that the Economy can be weakened unless inflationary psychology is ended that harm has been done by the respectability Given slight but continuous inflation by some economists that some phasing social developments must be done if economic growth is to be sustained and steady. His warnings never seemed to get through to Iri authority at Ottawa but they appear to be getting through to the present government this country is indeed fortunate in having a Man of or. Kasminsky s calibre and ability at the head of its Central Bank Lor the next seven years. The fact is that in 1968 he year of one Ontario editor who transports a bottle of Quebec Beer to his Ottawa residence exposes himself to Savage penalties under the provisions of the Law of Canada the importation of intoxicating liquor act passed in 1928. This Law reflecting the thought of Early Post prohibition Days is nothing else but a continuing conspiracy of governments to deny citizens which it was intended they should have by the men who wrote our Constitution. According to the Constitution All articles of the growth produce or manufacture of any one of the provinces from arid after 1 the Union be admitted free into each of the other Freedom exists however Only for government agencies the Assumption apparently being that the Constitution is solely for the convenience of governments. In this context Freedom for the citizen Means a Fine of hundreds or thou by Maurice Western Ottawa editors their lips parched and Burn look with anger at a Blue Law and remind prime minister Trudeau that it is in his Power to right an ancient wrong. Sands of dollars or a prison sentence. The Story is instructive and characteristically Canadian. In what is known As the Gold Seal or. Justice Ang Lin wrote it is common ground that the prohibition of importation is beyond the legislative jurisdiction of the province. Had this situation endured it would obviously have been impossible for two provincial governments to blockade com Merce across the Ottawa River. Finding themselves thus frustrated by the courts in curtailing the liberties of their citizens the provinces looked to Ottawa for a remedy. There was a Federal provincial con Ference in 1927 and the premiers seized the occasion to pressure the government of Canada into erecting the barriers which they were not competent to build by them selves. The result was the unwelcome ghost now Arisen to haunt the parched otties of the Ottawa journal. Section 3 begins notwithstanding the provisions of any other act or Law no person shall import Send take or or cause to be imported sent taken or transported into any province from or out of any place within or without can Ada any intoxicating liquor except such As has been purchased by or1 on behalf of and which is consigned to her majesty or the executive government of the1 province into which it is being imported sent taken or transported or any Board commission officer or other governmental Agency which by the Law of the province is vested with the right of Selling intoxicant Irig it is to be noted that intoxicating liquor is what a provincial government says it is. Any province could ban if it chose without the slightest fear of the courts. There was one curious postscript in 1928. The Senate seems to have been momentarily shaken either by a More civilized sentiment or perhaps by some lingering regard for one Canada. It amended the Bill to exempt purchases of not More than one gallon a gesture but enough possibly to tide a journal editor Over a difficult week end. This Concession to humanity enraged the premiers who flooded Ottawa with violent amendment met a sudden death. There is of course nothing in the Law to prevent Cial governments from import ing on behalf of their thirsty citizens. What deters them from availing themselves of the produce of other provinces is As usual fear of the labor unions. It is considered less dangerous to make available Token quantities from Europe Selling at about thrice the Normal Price. Within the reach of or. Trudeau is a Reform the More desirable because it can be implemented at virtually no Cost. It would improve the Quality of Canadian life re Dace tensions in the Ottawa Valley further the cause of one Canada. It is merely necessary to repeal the importation of in t o x i c a t i n g liquor leaving the rest to the wholesome instincts of citizens and the discernment of the judiciary while there might be a fuss in provincial capitals this would be of no particular consequence. A t thirsty citizen will Side with the Musty ghosts or Trudeau has a glittering Opportunity ouch it is years since the mos Quito infestation in metropolitan Winnipeg As it is this year. The voracious beasts Are no longer Content with evening attacks. Now any adventurous human who dares to expose., even a particle of Bare skin is immediately assaulted morn ing noon afternoon and night and has to beat a Hasty Retreat behind protective screens. The metropolitan Powers that Are supposed to keep this pest under control have voiced any number of excuses. Undoubtedly the frequent Rains alternating with hot weather have been propitious for the Breeding of mosquitoes. But few Winni Eggers will buy the complacent statement that everything is under control Here and that the pest that been causing All the swellings on our arms and faces is being blown in by High winds from outside. Any Householder would be Able to Lead the1 metro to the Bushes and shrubberies in his Garden where these alleged imports have been at Home since the beginning of the summer. The greater Winnipeg authorities seem to have Money for All kinds of pres Tige projects official jaunts and suchlike but there is never enough Money available for the first priority of every municipal government to make the citizens life Toler Able. In a City that from a Long Winter every summer Day is a precious gift that people desire to savor to the full. If metro can do no better than this then it s time for some Heads to fall and new ideas to be tried out. Birthdays mrs. Elizabeth Irvine fort Garry Barri Belfast Ireland july 11 1879. Charles Godkins car Man Manitoba born old Nelson Manitoba july William James Pilot Mound Manitoba born Stephen township Huron county Ontario july 11, 1890. Smiles and frowns these Days International relations have a Janus like head one that shows two faces a shining face of Promise and a dark countenance of threat in the1 past two weeks promises have been coming Down As densely As Manitoba s morning Dew. On the occasion of the final approval of the nuclear non proliferation treaty both president Johnson and Premier Kosygin voiced their enthusiasm about the Prospect of Mutual understanding. There is a Promise of negotiations about a limitation of nuclear armaments. Hopeful noises have been heard about peace in the Middle East. And there have been inspired rumours about yet another Light sighted in the dark Vietnam Tunnel. However these pleasant prospects have been More than offset by unpleasant threats. In Moscow president Nasser has again talked about the need to liquidate the consequences of Leonid the Secretary general of the soviet communist party launched a scathing attack against the United states and West Germany. More troubling Are the new tensions in Berlin where Walter Ulbricht is playing a dangerous game and the twice repeated soviet warnings to Prague that the red army is always ready to safeguard the socialist achievements of her allies. Indeed the extended presence of the soviet forces on czechoslovak soil against the express wishes of the Prague government is a telling example of the soviet belief that might is right. The Middle East situation is particularly pressing. Upon assuming office As the new United states ambassador to the United nations George bail said this is the problem that presents the most acute threat to world peace. There is urgent need to negotiate. But the vague words from the arabs and Moscow do not seem to contain much substance into which negotiators could sink their Teeth. The need to recognize Israel s existence has been admitted by Cairo and the arabs before. King Hussein of Jordan made similar statements last year in Paris and London. But the arabs have never defined what they meant by the word within what frontiers under what conditions nor can there be much substance in reports that the soviet Union and the United states would impose a solution on the parties. American policy has always been based on the principle that any solution must be acceptable to All excludes an imposed settlement. The last question must concern the spots of the soviet Leopard. How much have they changed since last june there have been disquieting leaks about what happened within the Warsaw pact armies in june 1967. When the six Day War broke out Warsaw pact forces were put on the Alert and ordered to train their missiles at israeli cities. When at a communist meeting in Prague some committee members protested that this was immoral George Hendrych then the. No. 2" the Novotny regime retorted that this May be so but they were dealing with questions of Power not morality. It to be decided who would command the largest Oil reserves the imperialists or the socialist have these ambitions and if they did what is the powerful soviet Fleet doing in the Mediterranean i-1 a. V " Lii has Are riot going with the non proliferation treaty Chancellor Kiesinger of West Germany is trying to use it As a Means with which to exert pressure upon the soviet Union to ease the Berlin situation. In fact he has no other Means to protect Berlin. If he is successful he Loath to discard this convenient weapon by signing the treaty and thus App ear naked to his enemies. If he fails to move the russians on his signing of the treaty could provoke a violent reaction among the German elector ate. With France out and Germany sign with India rejecting the treaty and China happily proliferating the present euphoria could soon turn sour. The fact is and it is difficult to become reconciled to it that in Pur heterogeneous world a world ruled by contrasting political systems and philosophies there is Little Hope of achieving a True detente. Crises will come and go but the underlying tensions will remain whatever the exultation of headlines or politicians. It would require fundamental changes in the political make up of the two super Powers to transform their present competitive stance into collaboration. Some problems particularly those where fee interests of the two blocs partly coincide can be mitigated by others Only time will solve. Mean while prudence rather than misplaced jubilation will pre serve the precarious balance. Or. Slifkin on the glories of the Back Bench Phe newspapers have Al suppressed this news of course but Joshua Snifka youngest brother Friend Horace was easily elected to the new Canadian parliament. With his usual Horace has allowed me to quote his touching letter of brotherly congratulation. 1 As one who sat in the House of commons for Many years Horace wrote to his Suc Cessor ,1 Welcome an Honor which brings distinction to our family and great happiness to you. How Well i remember my of n Days of sheer Delight in the Back benches the endless hours i of Over financial figures never Clear to me always fascinating the patriotic thrill of to voting for the government without the need of understanding its policy. A the solemn plea sure of it All then again the1 sense of close., proximity to the front Only a few Yards dividing m e from actual Cabinet ministers in the flesh. Why some of them even knew my name and would give me a Friendly nod As they passed me in the lobby especially if a critical vote was about to be take Niv the inspiration of it the feeling of history i though you will hardly believe managed to Force rely Way. Into t the offices of several ministers after i had won my third election and they thanked me for my faithful support almost As if we were equals. Once indeed i was received by Mackenzie King himself whose words i shall never forget since they Are an eternal tribute to All the sni Ikins. Or. He said i have watched your work with growing admiration. I predict an illustrious career for you or. Thompson. If i can Ever be of help Don t hesitate to Call on and in a state of glowing Pride i found myself in the corridor As or. King waved his hand murmured keep up the Good work or. Johnson and gently closed the door. The exaltation of it the the ecstasy but these electric moments dear brother will be rare and interspersed with the though rewarding toil of politics. Every morning you will Rise Early in the third class Board ing House which is the Best that a Young member parliament can of lord and having swallowed an inferior breakfast you will stride boldly into the bracing Winter air Ottawa a Trixi being beyond your Means. The walk of a mile or so to parliament Hill May freeze your ears a Little and turn your nose White but it is healthy and stimulating after you thaw out. _ arriving at your tiny office and slowly recovering the use of your limbs you will be by brute Hutchison Sage words of advice to a new my from an old parliamentary hand. Cheered to see your desk piled High with Jolly letters from your constituents who seek nothing but jobs contracts and legitimate patronage. Their Trust in you is moving and after some practice you will learn How to refuse the demands of the correspondents while convincing them that the Cabinet has set aside All other business to consider theirs. Occasionally you May succeed in appointing a Jani Tor in the local court House or a returning officer or two at election time. 1 in three or four hours a Day you can answer most of your mail and earn the people s undying t gratitude for an entire month. The boys human satisfaction of it the sense of dedication then a leisurely lunch of half an hour upstairs in the spacious dining room which the Wise taxpayers generously subsidize 1 and there Over a heavy meal at remarkably Low Cost you May catch a glimpse of a live Cabinet minister and sometimes a dead one. With Luck you May even see the prime minister at a Distant eating food like an Ordinary human. Here you Are truly in the thick of things the presence of the great and the secrets of state. The rapture of it the knowledge of Power still moments lie ahead. As the House opens and the questions Fly from the conservative benches you May comprehend the minister s answer now and then if you can. Read Between the lines and develop your imagination. With practice1 you May learn to grasp John Diefenbaker s meaning through the shrugs and winks and realize that they express nothing but devoted 4oyafty to his new deader Robert Sfa Rifield. After a few years training you May be Able to interpret the prime minister s sly punch lines one Way or the other to suit As he intends. The we got them during the garbage Wetyen s strife Here mystery of it the tantalizing Enigma thus step by step you will surely approach High office. There Are 154 liberals in the new House and at least 150 expected to be Cabinet mini sters the other four being without natural ambition or mentally deficient. Do not despair of promotion. Through death and retirement the Cabinet will change by two ;