HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1926-09-09, Page 10Huron'
To the Electors of South Huron'
WE HAVE REACHED A MOMENTOUS PERIOD IN THE HISTORY OJ
CANADA. TE1S IS NO TIME FOR INDULGING IN MERB PIFFLE
Do you wish a continuance of efficient Liberal administration, under the
policy and guidance of the Rght Hon. Mackenzie King, or a return to the
methods of mismanagement and Maladministration, which. characterized
the record of Tory Government between 1912 and 1922, and alienated from
their party many honora' le men of Conservative leaning?
Study the facts: After a fifteen year period of wonderful development
in Canada under Literal rule, with an increase in 'ordinary expenditure of
only $4,000,000.00 per ai.ut.us, the t.ordel;, Rogers and Meighen party as-
sumed effi:°e. It found the country prosperous, with an overflowing public
treasury. In three :ears it inereased the ordinary annual expenditures by
over $37,500,00.0.00 above the highest year's record of Sir Wilfrid Laurier.
Then came the war. ]n its direction and prosecution, together with the 1
debasement and desecration of the franchise, through the medium of the
"War Time Election Act" and the "Soldier Voters' Act," both of which
were the speetai meesaires of Mr. Arthur Meighen, came the most diaboli,,a1 1
record of administration that ever stained the pages of Canadian history.
Under this policy international trade has'kb6au"-encouraged and wider and
more satisfactory marketing conditions attained, with the• result that
whereas 1ii21-22 Canada's aggregate foreign trade was $1,501,731,341.00
in 1925-26 Canada's aggregate foreign trade was $2,255,939,869.00
The inefficer_cy in war management, in one particular alone, was such
that according to the statement of Sir Arthur Currie, Commander in (Thief
'of the Canadian forces, over oee lit:ndred thousand Canadian Soldier boys,
were taken across the sea, who were never physically fit,, at an initial ex-
penditure of over $150.000.000.00. During the war Mr. Meighen and his.
friends borrowed and added to the public debt of Canada, more than Can-
ada's entire share cf the war cost. They did this at a • time when they
could hate and should have levied and collected in war taxes, hundreds cf
millions of dollars, which, if this had been done, the burden of war debt
saddled upon the Canadian people would now be comparatively light. Of-
ficial reports show an increase of $173,267,177.94 in the national debt the
last two years of the Meighen rule. At the same time, there was every
indication that members`of the Meighen Cabinet were dominated by those
representing specially protected interests, with whom they were acting
hand in glove.
As the result of such mismanagement, the King Govenment assumed
office in 1922, under the greatestfinancial difficulties. It had to face the
enormous annual expenditure of $463,528,389.00. Its first task was to
bring out of chaos. Its work of reconstruction was necessarily slow and
had to be done with care. It could only reduce taxation as its carefully
planned, gradually reducing expenditures would permit;. but the record is
good. In three years it was able to reduce the -annual expenditure by
$112, 358, 586.00, and in the fourth and last year, after providing an addi-
tional $2,27$,752.0.0 for maimed soldiers, $2,521,000.00 to E•Iome Bank de-
positors, and $1,652,000.00, the cost of the last Federal election, the re-
duction below the last year of the Meighen Government was over $107,-
600,000.00 or an aggregate reduction in the four years of $341, 691,229.00.
During the same period it reduced the national debt by over $31,500,-
000.00, a reduction of $25,969,000.00 during the last financial year.
The railway policy of the"King Liberal Government has also been strik-
ingly -successful. It consolidated the publicly owned railways into one gen-
national system; placed it under one efficient board of management, with
Sir Henry Thornton. the greatest railway manager of the continent, at its
head. The result is that a deficit in revenue under operating expenses of
$46,076,279.45 during the two years of the Meighen Government, was
changed to a surplus of $23,317,360.63 in the first two years of the King
administration. This good showing has continued until• for the calendar
year 1925 the surplus of revenue, over operating expenses, was $32,264,-
414.78; and for the first six months of the present year the net earnings
of the C. N. Railways is over $11,000,000.00 greater than for the same
months of the previous year. It is now expected that at the close of the
present year the railway will have a sufficient, operating surplus to meet
all its capital charges, and will no longer he a burden to the tax -payers of
Canada.
An increase in four years of. $754,208,528.00
with a 'favorable trade balance of $401,134,405.00 as against an unfavor-
able trade balance in 1921 'of over $29,000,000.00; and *with the Canadian
dollar above par on the, Neap York exchange, as against a discount of 15
cents in 1921.
Canadian manufactoring industry reflects this increase in employment
and prosperity. While in 1921.22 our imports of manufactured goods c'x-
coeded our exports by $264,786,191.00; in 1925-26 our exports of manu-
factured goods exceeded our imports by $15,567,234.00.
These figures show that. Canada is advaaicing By Ieaps and bounds. An-
other great title of national prosperity is with us. Why is this so? Be-
cause, with .the blessing of D'vine Providence, in so far as opportunity
and conditions would permit, to King Government tried to do justice and
give a chance in lite to lata common hard-working people of the country;
to -the men and women who are laboring at the very foundation of .that '
prosperity; to the farmer, the miner, the lumberman, the fisherman, the
ariizan, the mechanic and the laboring classes—to all who are busily en-
gaged in the development of our great natural resourses. Of all these the
very greatest is Agriculture.
Pick up the issues of the public press from day to day. Scan the state-
ments at the heads of our railways; of the big financial institutions, and
the great business concerns of the country, and notice how their eyes are
fixed upon the constant condition of Agriculture. They realize that in Can-
ada agriculture is the greatest barometer of trade; and just as agriculture.
and the other natural resourses unfold and develop, so will that success
encourage and set in operation the other industries, manufacturing, etc.,
which hinge and depend upon them.
That is what the Liberal Government has been doing—unlocking and en-
couraging the development of the national resources of Canada, that indus-
ttries based ou those may be encouraged.
The development going on shows that after all Canada is the land of
promise and so. we see the people of other countries flocking here by the
!hundreds of thousands per annum. Our cities would have you believe that
Canada is not prosperous and that our own people are still leaving the
country,..but the facts are against them. For the four years ended March
s1st, 1926, no less than 428,873 immigrants have come to this country, and
for the six months of the present calendar year, 70,253, an increase of 62
i per cent. over the same period a year ago. During the 26 months ending
!June 1st, 1926, former Canadian citizens have returned from the United
States to the number of 105,913. --
The vital necessity of placing and maintaining on the land a sufficient
farm population is all important to the progress and development of the
nation. What is needed.in this country is such a readjustment of national
ideas as will place griculture and its claims to the best intelligence and
the hghest skill of our people in. the very -forefront of national thought;
and when this re-awakeningis sufficiently emphatic, there will then be no
more hasteningaway from the farm, but, rather, such a just conception. of
agriculture as our main res6urces, and our most dignified and independent
vocation as will attract to its just aim in the improvement of methods, the
increase in yields and the clearing away of the unjust economic obstruc-
tions which lio across its path; the wisdom and the science and the willing
hands of millions, who may then obtain a just remuneration for their labor,
and also be able to hand on to -posterity an unimpaired inheritance.
Mr. Meighen and his friends endeavor to cover up this splendid record of
Liberal achievement by drawing a red herring across the: path, in the re-
port of the customs enquiry. There is no evidence in that report to indi-
cate that any member of the Liberal Govrnment is guilty of fraud or
corruption of any kind, or that they did not discharge their duties honestly
and in the public interest.
This matter of smuggling is not confined merely to recent years, at is
the logical outcome of high protective duties, which the Liberal Harty have
consistently fought all through the years. Another cause of smuggling is
the,American prohibitory liquor law. There is in that dry land a tre-
mendous desire for booze. Their tongues reach out right across the bor-
der. Smuggling liquor into the United States is one of the most profitable
lines of business. The U. S. authorities are honestly trying to check it and
they have had the hearty co-operaton of the Canadian Government. They
have put on a tremendous force. United States enforcement officers say
that the entire strengh of the American Navy would not be sufficient to
patrol the coast of the United States and prevent snuggling.
Uuder the Liberal policy of a moderate tariff, primarily for revenue pur-
poses, the King Government has (1) Reduced the tariff duties, and r:onse-
quently the cost of many of the requirments of the home and family;
(2) Reduced the tariff on agriculturalt implements, automobiles, farm elec-
tric lighting plants, and -upon many other implements of production requir-
ed in the development of the natural resourses of the country. Upon all
these articles, the cost has been reduced to the farmers and the general
consumer, and at the same time those lines of manufacturing industry are
more prosperous than ever.
When Tory opponents have insisted that a reduction in tariff duties would
demoralize indus`ry, close factories and throw men out of employment, yet
the facts are against them, as shown by the official records: In 1921-22
when the King Government assumed office, there were employed in Cana-
dian factories 462,573 hands. On July lst, 1926, the number had increas-
ed to 850,718 hands or nearly 84 per cent.; 74,961 of this increase having
taken place in May and June of this present year.
THOMAS McMILLAN
COUNTY NE 'S.
The Exeter Horticultural Soc-
iety scored another success in their
Premier Meighen is to address annual flower show, and the show-
n maating at Blyth on Thursday big ,was even better than in former
afternoon of this week, and on the years,
'same afternoon talon. Macken .ie S. S. Cooper, Clinton, has sold.
Ktnrr is to 'speak at Seaforth,. 'The ''the fittings and furniture of the
po:iticians have ytt e lor.t� der at'o.i Rattenberry House, and leaised the
;for the Godet ich fair, which is o" ,building, far ten years to L. Rousso
the same ,days. !o fHano` er