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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1949-06-23, Page 2Page 2 THE TIMES-ADVOCATE, EXETER, ONTARIO, THURSDAY MORNING, JUNE 23, 1949 Cxetet ^inw^titwicate '.Times Established 1873 Amalgamated November 1921 * Advocate Established 1881 Published Each Thursday ‘Morning at Exeter, Ontario An Independent Newspaper Devoted to the Interests: of the Village of Exeter and District Authorized as Second Class Mail, Post Office Department, Ottawa Member of the Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association Member of the Ontario-Quebec Division of the CIVNA Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation Paid-In-Advance Circulation As Of September 30, 1948 — 2,276 SUBSCRIPTION RATES Canada, in advance, $2.50 a year United States, in advance, $3.00 Single Copies 6 Cents Each J. Melvin Southcott * Publishers ' Robert Southcott THURSDAY MORNING, JUNE 23, 1949 Rebuttal Mr. Oestricher’s reply to our. editorial o£ June 2 which appeared in last week’s issue is a summarized version of what has been said at C C F. meetings in this district dur ing the past two weeks. It is the verbal ex pression of a driving, blinding faith which believes that capitalism is a diabolic pollut ed. inefficient, and castrated system which will inevitably collapse. This is a failure to face facts and history. Mr. Oestricher charges us with printing “misrepresentations ” and “misleading state ments” in that editorial. If he thinks we deliberately twisted those quoted state ments we would refer him to page one of the official C.C.F. organ. News Comment, published in November, 1948, and to pages eighteen and nineteen of Saturday • Night in the May 24 issue. If he means the con clusions we drew from those statements, then the public itself may judge whether our conclusions are Apt justified because the article, is permanently recorded on paper, We did not, nor do we, dispute the fact that the C.C.F. is a democratic PARTY, but we dispute the statement by Mr. Oestriehe$ that it is the “only politi cal party in Canada which is democratical ly controlled”. However, we notice that no proof of this. charge was supplied in the letter. Mr. Oestricher does not like what we said about economic planning and he draws the analogy between state and busi ness or farming operations with respect to planning. The biggest fault in this compari son is the fact that either the business man or the farmer has complete arbitrary con trol over his operations. Canadian govern ment has not yet had, and we hope will never have, complete arbitrary control over the people in Canada. Our present system has apparently pro duced “nothing but chaos”. Wars, and de pressions are the only things that capital ism is capable, of. Look at the relations be tween two capitalistic countries, Canada and the United States 6. . . we have had no wars. Could it possibly be, Mr. Oestricher, that there is some other reason for the wars of the nineteenth century? Look at the standards of living in Canada and the United States—these two (.countries marked by “economic chaos”. Is not a fact that we have the highest standards of living in the world, and we have had in spite of wars and depressions ? Did the capitalist -system not develop the auomobile, vacuum cleaner, washing machine, electric refriger ator, electric iron, telephone, television, and hundreds of other things? Modern socialism is not only connected with Marx, but stems directly from Marx ian socialism of a century ago. Capitalistic exploitation or “surplus value”, the work er’s revolution, class struggle, damnation of capitalism . . ? this is all Marx’s stuff. Con veniently, the C.C.F. uses different, sug gestive words, which mean the same thing, to appeal to the "oppressed”. Cars are still automobiles, spuds still potatoes . . . This contention of more freedom under socialism is nothing but sewage. The state cannot operate and plan the nation’s busi ness without restricting the freedom of the individual—nothing is more obvious. If members of the C.C.F.' truly believe that there would be more freedom under social ism and that capitalism produces nothing but depressions and wars ’they are obvious ly justified in going to any lengths to de stroy capitalism and they are no way com pelled to adhere to democracy or the par liamentary system. Finally—about the letter itself. It does not question our conclusions concerning a socialistic government; it does not define the C.C.F. dominion-provincial stand; it says this paper is Liberal ... but it is in dependent; it is political propaganda which we tried to exclude from our original edi torial. —dts ❖ * * * A Knock Down Word has just come of a farmer who ten years ago selected a field that he de voted to apple growing. The ten acres were laid out with due precaution—the trees chosen with a view to the locality and the market. Every tree was planted according to the best methods taught by science and experience. The soil was particularly well cared for with a view to good apple returns. As the trees came into blossom, the best of .spraying was attended to. No pests that threatened injury to trunk or limb of the trees' was allowed lodgement. As a result, the orchard gave every sign of good culti vation and was in ideal condition. This sea son the blossom was abundant and was well cared for. The farmer was happy and counted on harvesting a thousand bushels of good clean, acceptable fruit. Meanwhile, the financial * returns from the orchard amounted to practically nothing. This year the farmer hoped to have good paying re turns. Then came those two nights of frost. A visit to the orchard brought a sorry sight, 'Fhe apples were withered and dying. Not for another long year will the farmer be able to take in a dollar from his orchard. Only those who have passed through a similar experience have any idea of the severity of the blow that has fallen on this hard working farmer. There is nothing for it but for this farmer to keep on . . . but who will blame him if his heart is a bit iheavy ?Se sjc Passing Before we know it the federal election will have passed into history. And a nice quiet election it has been. If it is true that a country4is happy when its elections are dull, Canada is the most blissful land on the sunny side of the earth. The radio has been busy .but few folk have taken pains to listen in or to be heedful of what has ’ been Said. There has been an occasional procession but they have been as quiet as the picnic of the infant class in a Sunday School. Politeness has been’xit its best. The heckler has slept soundly all through. Voters have listened when they had a few leisure minutes to election promises and then have resumed their old habit of saw ing wood. When some election workers have been mildly quizzed they have smiled indulgently and excused themselves, plead ing that they were pressed with important matters that must be attended to at once. Meanwhile the electox- has been doing a little thinking on his own account. The skilled electioneer has been very much on his job. The wavering voters have been in terviewed though it cannot be said that the waverer has been established according to the wishes of the party worker. Talk of the uncertainty of an election! The present contest bids fair to outdistance all previous elections in this respect. We are not forget ful of what the unobrusive voter did in the United.States election. The one thing that is dead certain is that your party may -win or it may not. ■ * # * 5ft Those Crop Reports Some people with a respect for facts are disturbed by the crop reports they read from time to time. For instance, frost visits a locality and threatens to begin its de structive work about midnight. Next mor ning we read a great deal about the dam age the frost caused, though the paper still was on the press while the frost was abroad! How come ? Has the power of fore casting coming events returned to ordinary mortals or are the statements about crop damage largely guesses? Then again we read all sortys of stories about crop failures on account of the drought. Later on, farm ers report that their fall wheat is three feet high and just coming into head. They inform us of oats and barley maturing nor mally, while others tell of fine fields of fine fields of clover and timothy. In other words, guess work even in the matter of farm crops is a poor guide to sure informa tion. We know of a party who was sent out to gather information about the grain con ditions of the Northwest. This Worthy never visited a grain field. Instead he ensconsced himself in hotel lobbies in the various cen tres from which information was sought. The live wire made it his habit to ask three farmers who came his Way at haphazard what tlie average grain yield would likely to be. He would average the figures given him and set that down as representing the average yield of a locality. He then made a report of conditions as those haphazard folk had answered his queries. This sorry estimate solemnly set down by the house he represented and broadcasted as authen tic statements of fact regarding grain con ditions in a great country. . * * * * Note and Comment The old Listowel High School building is to be offered for sale by tender to be removed from its site by September I. * « Sfc * Motor vehicle sales in April were up 46 per een in number and 66 per cent in value over last year. Sales totalled 28,159 units compared with 19,286 units in April, 1948. «SOC|ALZED MEDICINE* «TIMES® Go By 50 YEARS AGO „ (The Exeter Advocate 1899) Twenty peddlar’s licenses are now used in the county of Huron. Mr. H. E. Huston and Mrs. J. G. Jones leave Friday next on a trip to Manitoba, British Col umbia and other places. , Nelson Case, of the London Road North is learning the art of tailoring with Mr. R. Knight. Over 1000' people took in the excursion to Guelph last week. The resignation of Mr. T. J. Lockhart as principal of the Exeter School was accepted, by the Exeter School Board. Mr.’T. J. Boyd was engaged to succeed him at a salary of $65,0.00. Eight picnics with about one thousand people in .attendance ■were held at Spackman’s Park, ‘Grand Beud, t h e proceeding Thursday. Czar Rollins and Harold .Col lins had'^a thrilling experience when D r, Rollins’ horse ran down the main street sidewalk at break-ueok speed, snapped, off a lamp post, struck another pqst and smashed one of the front wheels to atoms. At the Central Hotel the horse turned out onto the road, slipped and fell, frac turing its hip. The boys were thrown out’ but escaped without a scratch. Thistle Club Scotch doubles. Warren, the little son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred 'May, had a nar row escape from being poisoned on Wednesday morning last. He and littleJJTean McEwen were out playing together and getting hold of some toadstools he ate p, portion of .one, thinking it was a mushroom. A physician was called and administered proper antidotes and the little lad was soon himself again. 15 YEARS AGO (The Times-Advocate 1934) Mr? Harry Jennings, a student assistant of the Anglican Church at Port Elgin for the summer months, wheeled to Exetei’ on Tuesday to” cast his first vote. The distance is 91 miles. Rev. John A. Walker, wife and three children, who recently returned from China owing to the serious illness of their son, Donald, visited with the form er’s brother, Edwin, and called on old friends in town, Saturday. In Huron County, James Bal- lantyne, liberal-progressive, was elected by a majority (5f around 2250 .votes. Miss Bernice Caldwell, nurse in-training at Guelph General Hospital is spending two weeks vacation at her ho'me here. 25 YEARS AGO (The Exeter Tinies 1924) Rev. R. E. Southcott, of Gow- ganda, Northern Ontario, is spending his holidays at his home in town. At least three town Children have been successful in winning a big "mamma doll’’ in the “Ad vertiser” contest. The winners are Jean Walper, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Walper; Jen nie Passmore, daughter .of Mr. and Mrs. William Passmore and Helen Penliale, daughtei’ of Mr. and Mrs. L. J. Penhale. Messrs. R. G. Seldon, J. A. Stewart, George E. Anderson and William Rivers were in Lon don this week attending the 10 YEARS AGO (The Times-Advocate 1939) Constable John Ferguson has been transferred from Goderich to Exeter. He has been in Gode rich for six years and was form erly chief of police at Blyth. Miss Mildred Hicks has be'en successful in securing her First Class Interim certificate at the London Normal School. Mr. Ted Taman has accepted a position with the Roe Farm Milling Company at Atwood. Mr. and Mrs. Taman will reside in Listowel. Mr. and Mrs, J. A. Traquair, Dorothy and Donald left on Sun day on a .motor trip to the West going ag far as 'Calgary, Banff and Lake Louise. Cost Analysis OF Peas Reveals Wide Variation In Four Counties A top county yield per acre of 2,464 pounds and a low county average of 1,215 pounds, is re vealed In a compilation and an alysis of costs in connection with peas grown for canning purposes during 1948, the Farm Econom ics Branch, Ontario Depaftment of Agriculture, announces. The analysis wab made from records kept by 145 growers located in the counties of Essex, Huron, Norfolk and Prince Edward. Net cash returns a r e also widely varied. Net returns on tlie enterprise in Prince Edward County is revealed as $377.97, but in Essex County was only $75.71. It is pointed out that 19 48 was an excellent year for peas, hence the results might s seem somewhat high to many average farmers. In each case results cover the entire county. Actual cost o f seed, fertilizer, hired labor and land were available from records. Machinery and tractor upkeep were computed at rates which take into account depreciation and .upkeep for the kind, size and type of equipment used and the amount of use each year. Some costs per acre vary only slightly. Seed prices are in this category. Others vary more widely. In Essex the number ,of acres planted in peas per farm ave raged eight. In Prince Edward County, the average is eight and a half acres. It is quite evident that yield per acre is an import ant factor in net returns. This is indicated by the fact that Prince Edward ,County's yield per acre is shown as more than double that of Essex County, Net returns and yields are as follows: Essex ,— $76.71 net return per acre and 1,215 pounds, yield per acre. Huron —- $131.85 n e t ‘ return and 3,092 pounds, yield per acre. Norfolk —- $157.82 net return and 1,997 pounds, yield per acre. (Prince Edward — $377.97 net return and 2,464 pounds, yield per acre. , Seed-bed preparation required some three man hours labor per acre in Essex; in Huron it was five hours; Norfolk five hours and Prince Edward three hours. Planting required two hours in all counties where the records were maintained. Harvesting required ;five hours per acre in Essex; 22 hours in Huron; pine hours in Norfolk and eight in Prince Edward. The teacher, telling her class about? various types of leather, ended her discussion with the question: “Now who can tell me the chief use of cowhide?” A small boy .who had been gazing off into space during, most of tli^ period surprised the teacher by raising Ms hand. “Yes. Jimmy?” , “To hold the co^ together.” The Reader Comments A '• letters. to tlie editor published hereunder .represent the views ‘ of individual persons, We invite Opr readers to make use of thin column, Regina, Saskatchewan 2268 Halifax Street, •June 13, 1949, The Editor, Exeter Times Advocate, Exeter, Ontario, Dear Editor, Your editorial in the issue of June 2, 19 49 with regard to the C.C.F. astonished m e since I know you to be one1 who wants to be fair, truthful .and a sup porter of Christian t ideals. The editorial indicates that you have been mislead oi' misinformed about thO true .aims and object ives of the Co-operative Com monwealth Fedei'ation. I have been a member of the C.C.F. for ten years, and I joined the party after long and careful consideration of the platform and performances of the various political parties, I tried to study these with an open mind but it was obvious that my thinking would be in fluenced by my early training. My family had been, £or genera tions, traditionally Liberal fol lowers, but it was also a Christy ian family and my ea^ly thinking was also influenced by my.edu cation at S. S. No. 3 $,tephen, in Exeter High School and in the ■Sunday School of James Street United Church. .With this train ing and the overall influence of the individuals who knew me in that community in those forma tive years, I went out into life, and I am sure that I can ad equately prove that the political stand that I take today ,conforms to the Christian teaching that I received in Exetei* community. The second and last, sentences o f this .editoral suggest that before we look at the icing offered by the C.C.F., we look at the cake itself. I suggest that you carry this idea forward publishing in your paper before the coming 'federal election, at least a summary of the Regina manifesto of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation. , The C.C.F. does'4 not oppose the whole organization of our present economy. The C.C.F., believes in the private ownership of land and small businesses; in the principle of 'Crown Corpora tions to administer certain public utilities as does the present government; in the encourage ment of co-operative enterprises where it has in the Province of Saskatchewan established a sepa rate portfolio in the Cabinet for this purpose. You may say the C.C.F. rep resents socialism, hut this term dpes not convey much to the reader because .it has been ap plied alike t0 the Nazi dictator ship of Germany and to the completely democratic govern- met of Great Britain. Then you draw n o distinction between socialism and communism. Com munism may be a type of social ism but it nevertheless is Violent ly opposed to any other type of socialism including that advocat ed by the C.Q.F. Provincial and National conventions "'of , the C.C.F. have always rejected invitations to joint action with the Communist Party and its successor, the Labour Progressive Party. Nevertheless .it is true that the Communists have, in some elections, advertised that they were supporting the C.C.F., just as in the 1945 election ,tliey supported the Federal Liberal Party. Governments similar to that advocated by the C.C.F. have come to power in New Zea land, Australia, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Holland, and in these countries political democracy has prospered while economic democracy .was being -advanced. In none of these countries was a Socialist Govern ment guilty of suppressing other parties, banning newspapers, o r otherwise preventing those who disagreed with it from expressing their opposition. The economic planning “which Was enforced b y the Liberal Federal Government during the last war put more severe restrict ions Oii the lives of individual citizens than would be done by C.C.F. in peace time. Economic planning is not opposed by the common citizen if he understands it, but is opposed by those who prospered by the discontinuance of economic planning, as it ap plied to price controls, excess profits, etc. The degree of economic planning satisfactory to the C.C.F? can be achieved without having control of alt business of the nation in the hands of ths state. You say, if the Government controls the economy it must control t h e politics of the country, but I say if economic monopolies control the politics of our country tliey also control the government and we actually have hot political freedom. The C.C.F. is not .fin anced by large businesses but by the small subscriptions of in dividual members who have a vote at a convention in the formulating of its policies and whose vote cannot be vetoed by the representative of a business which has mad© a large donation to campaign funds. You say, - the inherent quality of man to get the most, for the least amount of work cannot be embraced by the com bination of economic planning and democracy”. I consider this statement correct if it refers to the quality of selfishness in man which I was taught was an un christian quality. The 'C.C.F, does mot wish to perpetrate a system based on selfishness and greed. You say tne C.C.F. philosophy is based on the teachings of Karl Marx but I challenge you to show in what particulars the philosophy of ilie C.C.F. is based on any teachings of Karl Marx which are in conflict with the teachings of the New Testament, I note in a book called, “This is Our Faith” published by the United Church o f Canada in 1943, on Page 145, “Social service follows preaching as the right foot follows the left, in the process of making headway”. The C.C.F. Government in Sask atchewan, during its first term o f office, inaugurated m o r e social service legislation than was dope by the previous old line parties in Saskatchewan in the previous generation. I believe a"C.C.F. Government in power at Ottawa would, in its first term of office, inaugurate a National Health program. The Liberals promised national Health Insur ance in 1919 and thirty years later had. not fulfilled the promise. In 19 39 the report ' of the Committee of Social Service of tlie United Church of Canada stated, c“We are driven to the conclusion that the only ‘thing that will solve ‘our. present day social and economic problems will be the absolute Christian Socialization of the means of production and distribution of all the necessities of life”. The twenty-first annual report of the Eoard of Evangelism and Social Service of the United Church of Canada, 1946 said, “This Board recommends the control of1 the Federal Government, any indust-( ries in Canada whose degree of t concentration o r monoply is such that it can enter or has entered into cartel agreements believing that the holding of such concentrated-" economic power in private hands is con trary to the interests of the Canadian people”. From the foregoing quotation I think you will understand my reason for being astonished at your publication of this particu lar editorial. The C.C.F. could not state its stand more clearly than has been done in these quotations from the United Church of Canada. I wonder if our clergymen of Huron-Perth are dealing with the issues of the day with sufficient courage and frankness,that their listeners may be able t0 decide how Jdsus would cast his ballqt if . he had a vote in the coming election. You make a charge that there still remains a considerable ele ment of communism within the C.C.F, This we are well aware I of, but it is not a new situation in the political field. Freedom of opinion applies within the C.C.F. party, nevertheless the majority opinion prevails. It is not long ago that the Liberal Provincial. Government in Nova Scotia dis agreed with the policies of the Federal Government a t Ottawa. You will, remember, a long stand ing disagreement between Mr. Hepburn of the Provincial Libe rals and Mr. King of the Federal Liberals. These disagreements are not important to the voter as the stand of the C.C.F. party on these issues has been -deter mined in national convention. If elected to power, the p.C.F. members can be depended upon to follow out the instructions of this convention. This letter is already long, and I will hot deal with the other points in- your editorial unless specifically requested to do so. For the past year and a half I have had some small part in the administration x of pro vincial affairs under the C.C.F. Government In Saskatchewan and at the present I hold the position of Safety Director in the Govern- / ment Insurance Office and sit as a member of the Highway Traffic Board, My close association With the elected representatives of this Government have increased my confidence in the C.C.F. I commend its program to you for further study. Yours truly, J. A. Christie. ROBERTSON’S Condition Powder 3 lbs-$1.00 9 lbs.-$2.45 Guaranteed No Filler Results considered, you will find this powder un equalled as a tonic for all farm stock. Your Drugs ait ROBERTSON’S Phone SO Exeter CEMENT WORK Foundations Sidewalks Free Estimates Doug Triebner Phone 17rl2 Crediton J .1.............................. Bl