NOTES AND COMMENTS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 219, 11 June 1943, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS

1 Protests made against the Government’s refusal to include in the earthquake repairs subsidy, provision for relief in the case of people who had the work carried out by private contract instead of under the municipal scheme are reasonable and justified. The earthquake was a visitation Hint struck the community as a whole. In dealing with the question of relief there should therefore be no distinction between sections, especially as the distinction drawn in this case is between those who took advantage of the municipal scheme and those who took the initiative, and by setting matters in train for their own repairs actually made a contribution to the solution of a difficult community problem. By doing so the municipality was relieved of part, of its burden. It seems unfair that those people should now be penalized for their initiative and prompt, action. There can lie no good reason why their expense accounts could not be submitted for examination and check witli a view to (lie granting of relief in similar proportion to others who are to benefit by Hie Government’s subsidy.

No crime committed by the Nazis, and there is an appalling list, so shocked the conscience of the world as tile complete destruction of the Czech village of Lidice. Not one of Hie 4S.i ir.liabitants escaped. It was not tin act of war but of sheer brutality, wanton slaughter of non-combtit-ants. In the United States a town in Illinois changed Its name to Lidice in honour of the martyred village and the ceremony was attended by the Vice-President of the United States, Mr. Wallace, by Mr. Wendell Wilkie, and other prominent citizens. Dr. Benes. President of Czechoslovakia, conferred the Czech War Cross on the little mining town. The British trade union movement, however, lias resolved, when the time conies, to rebuild Lidice ns a model mining village to stand as a memorial to the victory over Nazism and Fascism. It is the sort of decision that will appeal as being right. It means that those who were massacred will have a living memorial, a symbol of the victory of a just cause over ruthless oppression.