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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1955-05-04, Page 9I I £ I I I In prder to serve this community as fully as possible CHUCK’S TAXI and CAR WASH B has opened a MODERN DRIVING SCHOOL ■ COMPLETE WITH DUAL-CONTROL VEHICLES Jj Expert Instructor at your service. ■ School open Mondays and Saturdays ■ for local residents. S For appointments phone Jj LEE'S DRIVING SCHOOL | 185 ■ Wingham ■ Professional Radiator Cleaning — Repairing FOR WINGHAM AND DISTRICT , R^eport a from PARLIAMENT |HILLi< By W, Marvin Howe, M. P, Wellington-Huron Marvin Howe, M.P., for Wellington- Huron, made a plea for decentraliza­ tion of industry in a debate on the budget in the House of Commons last week, He said that the spreading out of industry would not only assist in civil defence problems, but would aid considerably the Canadian National Railways which last year had a de­ ficit of 28 million. The text of Mr. Howe’s speech fol­ lows: Mr. Speaker, in rising to take part in this debate I do not intend to delve Into any particular aspects of the budget. They have been dealt with very ably and efficiently by some of the other members of our party. However, I should like to deal with one or two problems that are partic­ ularly applicable to my own riding and constituents and which, if promptly acted upon and dealt with in an effective way, could have a great economic effect on the whole of Canada. I do not wish to belabour an issue that has been debated from time to time in this house, but I do notice that issues that are continually brought to the attention of the gov­ ernment sometimes do find their way into legislative measures. The quest­ ion I am going to discuss was men­ tioned in the latter part of the second great war, and has been mentioned so often since that I cannot understand why some concrete policy has not been advanced by this government to assist in the decentralizing of indus­ try. A great deal of the buoyancy of our financial position in the world today is due to the fact that foreign capital is being invested either in the devel­ opment of our natural resources or in the creation of new industrial empires, I feel that consideration should be given and planning should be done to see that those empires will be set up under conditions that will be in the Canada as a whole, I feel that there departments of our would be' economically affected by planning of this kind. The first de­ partment is that of transport. Indica­ tions are that our railroad systems have been operating at a tremendous deficit for the last year. In fact we know that in the year 1954 the Can­ adian National Railways had a deficit of $28,758,098. They find that some of this deficit arises from the fact that quite a number of their branch lines are not paying. I feel that if in­ dustry, which is being centralized in and best in locations interests of three main7are government that The Wingham Advance-Times, Wednesday, May 4th, 1965our metropolitan areas, could be dis­ tributed throughout the entire width and breadth of pur country it would naturally give more business and bring more revenue tp our transportation systems. I also feel that if many of these branch lines are discontinued the possibility of smaller communi­ ties getting any of these industries will become practically nil. Another department that is involved is the Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources which, through co-operation with the pro­ vincial departments of planning and development, should take some steps to see that great industrial empires do not encroach on our very valuable agricultural lands. I speak particular­ ly of the lands in southern Ontario, where we have been endowed by old mother nature, with fertile soil, a moderate climate and all the natural attributes to make that one of the most productive fruit and vegetable districts in the world. Man can never replace these natural resources which have been given to us, and there are many districts where soil and natural conditions make it impossible to carry on agriculture economically, yet' where it would be feasible to build manufacturing plants* Then We have one other department of the government which is directly involved, namely the Department of National Health and Welfare, which has the task of promoting and de­ veloping civil defence. We hope and pray that these tense periods will pass and there will not be another great war, but we know that we must look upon this matter with a sense of real­ ity when all the great nations of the world are doing their utmost to keep ahead in the creation of new weapons of destruction. To thi3 department falls the task of looking after the safety of the citizens of our country in case of attack. When so many people are gathered together in great metropolitan areas the task of protecting or removing them from these areas becomes well nigh possible. We shudder 4to think what could happen. We have seen it happen before when our weapons of destruction were many times less de­ vastating than they are today. Had more thought and planning been given to this situation the expensive projects that we find in our larger centres to relieve traffic congestion, Fare Ntae STAIRSSASH[ 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE"] FRAMES SCREENS CUPBOARDS HARDWAREGLASS Carpentry We Specialize In HEAVY COMMERCIAL EQUIPMENT RADIATOR REPAIR TRACTORS . BULLDOZERS GRADERS, ETC. HOBBS SAFETY GLASS INSTALLED NEW AND USED PARTS Wingham Auto Wreckers Wingham Joseph Clark, Prop. Phone 229 Cec. Walpole MONTCLAIR COUPE it pays to owns mERCURY V-8 - A. PRODUCT OF FORD OF CANADA PITTSBURG PAINTS Custom Woodwork Telephone 260-w Building Wingham (and it costs less than you think New ’55 Mercury is bigger all over-in length, width and wheelbase. Completely new bodies! Completely new styling! Compare Mercury’s luxuri­ ously long, low silhouette. This is a dream on wheels —in 3 magnificent series—the all-new ultra-smart Montclairs; popular Monterey and Custom models. Mercury’s dramatic new colour-harmonized interiors are more thrilling than ever before! Compare Mercury’s smoother, quieter ride— exceptionalhandlingease—resultingfromnew improve­ ments in Mercury’s ball-joint front suspension. And -compare new Merc-O-Matic Drive with brilliant “low gear” getaway. It’s optional, as are power steering, power brakes, 4-way power seat and power-lift windows. \ MAKE A DATE WITH YOUR MERCURY DEALER Mercury’s new overhead-valve, SUPER-TORQUE V-8 engines give split-second getaways—instant response at all speeds! Compare performance! See for yourself how Mercury puts high horsepower to work at normal driving speeds giving you super pickup the instant you need it. All ’55 Mercurys are powered by new overhead-valve V-8 engines—products of the builder of more V-8’s than all other makers combined —198 Hp. in Montclair models; 188 Hp. in Monterey and Custom models. . See your Mercury dealer—and compare the new Mercury for value. You’ll quickly see why so many people are saying “It pays to own a big, beautiful ’55 Mercury!” such as subways and through express- that when beef prices drop, when Jiog« ways, might not have been necessary, j poultry, I feel that if more direction were given, many industries would settle in smaller communities to the mutual advantage of both the industries and the communities. Today we find that people living in those smaller com­ munities are demanding and getting all the facilities provided in more thickly populated areas. If they had more supporting taxpayers the burden of municipal taxation on property owners would be less oppressive. The second matter I wish to speak about is also one that has been given considerable publicity in this house, but it is also one about which I feel not too much has been done. I refer to the condition of the farming indus­ try in our country. When one looks over the budget one finds that as re­ gards the farmers as a whole very little relief has been given to alleviate the trying circumstances in which they find themselves. It is true that the average farmer may pay a few cents less in income tax, though when I spoke tp a couple of my constituents during the Easter recess I found that one indicated that his reduction in revenue from the sale of his hogs over the past year was $2,500, while in the case of the other the reduction was $1,500. Therefore I think they will find that 'their reduction in in­ come tax will be very small this year because a lot of them will not have to pay any tax. The farmer may get his tires a little cheaper. If he has a car to turn in he will likely little less for a new one than before. A survey by Dr. McFarlane, of the Macdonald agricultural college, dicated that according to the bureau of statistics a year’s work by an ag­ ricultural worker was worth only $3,600, while a year’s work by workers in other occupations was worth almost $5,000. The explanation is that while the prices of farm products have been steadily declining for several years, the prices being charged for other products of our agricultural products are not getting an undue share of the national production. I am sick and tired of the fanfare and headlines that follow declines in agricultural prices. So much has been said about our high-cost economy OVERHEAD- ■ VALVE ENGINE COME DRIVE THE MERCURY THAT'S WAITING FOR YOU! Crossett Motors Limited Mercury, Meteor, Lincoln Cars Phone 459 ♦ pay a he did in- or any other agricultural products go down in price, headlines proclaim that according to the indeM of 'the bureau of statistics, the cost of living has dropped, I do pot think, Mr, Speaker, that when, it is caused by only one segment of our economy, it is too much to shout about, and I feel It is a very selfish way of looking at this question, No part of our national economy can live unto itself today. If farm prices drop, the things the farmers buys are fewer, and believe me, he is willing to buy when he is making a profit on his operation, He is willing to buy such products as farm imple­ ments, clothing, electrical appliances, automobiles and many other ordinary commodities of everyday life. When* the farmer stops buying the manufac­ turers of all those commodities find that production soon catches up with the .demand and there are lay-offs that are not all caused by the dump­ ing of commodities by other countries where labour costs are lower. They are caused partly by the falling off in the purchasing power of one of the basic industries of our country. I say that part of the fluctuation in the farmers’ prices and in our agri­ cultural returns results from the fact that today we have no definite, gen­ uine market on which we can depend from year to year. The United States of America has from time to time been a good customer, but under ordi­ nary circumstances and in an average year the United States produces more agricultural products than she herself can use. The budget gave no indication that there would be any increased promo­ tion of trade in agricultural products with other countries. There was a time When we enjoyed access to and even preference in the British markets where, because of their tremendous population, there are approximately 30 million people to be fed every year, and which is one of the most perma­ nent and stable markets in the world for agricultural products. There was a time when our cheese ranked first in demand by the people of Britain. How do we know that the newer gen­ erations who have grown up and who have developed an appetite for this product from other countries will have the same preference as the rank and file of British people? In those days not only did our cheese go to Britain but our butter, our pork and our heavy steers went to that market. We do not send any beef today, and in that connection it might be interesting to note that Brit­ ain buys 70 per cent of the beef pro­ duced in the world. I feel that a great deal of the uncertainty in our agri­ cultural economy is due primarily to the loss of this market. This great Liberal government tells us that one of the reasons we had to give up the British market was that Britain did not have the dollars with Which to buy the products of our farms. But did this government leave no stone unturned to see that every possible dollar’^ worth of defence pro­ duction was spent in Britain? The report of the Department of Defence Production, January 1 to December 31, 1954, indicates that materials pur­ chased in the United States in the period April 1, 1951, to December 31, 1954 totalled $493,731,000, whereas those purchased in Great Britain amounted to only $104,255,000. Had more dollars been spent in Britain she might have had dollars could have been used to agricultural economy. This government has business, which has been circumstances for years, are faced with another buyer’s mar­ ket. This applies not only to business in Canada but to ternational field, our country felt adequate markets and that when they were ready for market there would not be a surplus they could produce more than they are producing of cattle, hogs, poultry, butter, cheese, etc., and their cost of production would be reduced while our gross national product would be increased. In the face of continued drops in agricultural prices there is one other thing I should like to mention, a phase which was applicable not only to my own riding in 1954, but because of excessive rainfall during the har­ vest season applied equally to many districts, particularly in southern' (Continued on Page Ten) which stabilize our been telling in straitened that they business in the in- If the farmers of that there were for their products You cant qo ALLDUT IF you Feel ALLINI* Mercury Trucks Wingham, Ont. FOR A SAFE BUY USED CAR SEE YOUR MERCURY DEALER These dayi most people work under pressure, worry more, sleep less. This strain on body and brain makes physical fitness easier to lose—harder to regain; Today’s tense living, lowered resistance, overwork, worry—any of these may affect normal kidney action. When kidneys get out of order, excess acids and wastes remain in the system. Then backache, disturbed rest, that “tired-out” heavy- headed feeling often follow. That’s the time to take Dodd’s Kidney Pills. Dodd’s stimulate the kidneys to normal action. Then you feel better—sleep better—work bettor. Ask for Dodd’s Kidney Pills at mis drug counter, 33