CANADA TODAY

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 63, 16 March 1933, Page 11

CANADA TODAY

AN ACADEMIC DEBATE'

MARKETS FOR.TIMBER

•BRITAIN & AUSTRALIA

(From "The Post's" Representative.) VANCOUVER, February 16.

The House of Commons at Ottawa devoted two days at the beginning of the current session to a discussion of social revolution and its prospects. .The- debate arose from a proposal of one of the apostles of the new party, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, which is led by the four Labour members in the House and supported by the Farmers' Party on the Prairie and one or two Radicals. The Conservatives are labelling it "diluted Communism." The Liberals are sitting back, neither supporting nor condemning it, but enjoying any success its sponsors may achieve in embarrassing the Bennett Government. The "C.C.F." is trying to repudiate both Communism and Capitalism in the same breath, but is finding it difficult. Into the breach comes ' Henri Bourassa, the Quebec demagogue, who takes the opportunity once or twice in every session to give the House some candid advice; On this occasion he urged his fellow-legislators to forget about Communism and Capitalism and get on with the business of pulling the country out of the mire. The House saw his point and got down, to its job.

CANADA TURNS TO THE EMPIRE.

Two years ago the United States tariff closed the door to Canadian lumber, which had enjoyed a market there since the first trees were felled. About 80 per cent, of the lumber exports of Canada were left without a market. Almost incredible thpugh it sounds, the lost leeway has been made tip in the British Empire. The reciprocity trade treaties with Australia opened new markets, which have been canvassed to the extent that Australia now takes from Canada nearly all the timber she formerly imported from <\ie Pacific Coast States. The United Kingdom, responding to the trade agreements signed at the Ottawa Economic Conference, has 'given orders for Canadian timber in such quantity as to make up the balance of the trade hitherto done with the United States, and promises to take considerably more when differing standards of measurement are harmonised. To accomplish this happy result Canada has .sent lumber trade delegations to Australia, New Zealand, and. the Motherland, and the industry will maintain a permanent delegation in London. This is perhaps the most notable instance in the whole Empire of what may be achieved in a short time by adherence to the spirit of intra-Empire trade. In the case of British Columbia alone, the export of lumber last year was only 10 per cent, below that of 1929, the peak year of prosperity.

MENINGITIS GERMS FOR AUSTRALIA.

A consignment of meningitis germs has been shipped at Halifax for Melbourne, to the care of the Commonwealth Serum. Laboratory, travelling on the Canadian Constructor by way of the Panama Canal. The germs have been sent by the Rockefeller Foundation to replenish a "family" fast disappearing in the Australian laboratories.

The microscopic passengers .were not asked to pose for photographs like other distinguished folk. A ; Nova Scotia physician saw them off on behalf of the Eockefeller Foundation. Captain Faulkner promised to take good care of them.

Similar shipments' by other routes died on the way, but the Halifax consignment 'will receive special care. Travelling betrtteen seasons, and avoiding the hottest period of the Tropics, they should enjoy the voyage—although it has not yet been proven "whether germs suffer from lnal-de-nier.

PAYING THE PRICE

"We are hearing a lot in Canada these days about debt and its burdens. The House of Commons is being asked .by Prairie representatives, who' seem to lean more on the1 Government than men from any other part of Canada, for the sealing down of debts and the reduction of interest rates. The ; cause of all the economic distress lies, in popular opinion, in th 6 machinations of that mythical monster, Depression. But few men, publicly or privately, have the moral courage to admit the truth, that is, that the country is now paying for the spending orgy of the brave years between 1926 and 1929, ■when money was five times as plentiful as now, and when credit was universal. In those days only 4 per cent, of buyers paid cash for such luxuries as motor-cars. • '

But credit is very difficult to obtain nowadays, as money, the medium of exchange for wealth, is becoming more rare. The public debt was raised until it is now seven times its pre-war volume. A sum of 700,000,000 dollars is paid, out annually in interest on private, individual financial transactions, quite apart from the hug© sum that must be met by the Federal and Provincial Governments and the municipalities. But 1932 saw few debts piled up, and 1933 will see fewer still. A few more years like- these, and the people will come back to a sense of real money values, and there will bo a wholesome respect for the slogan of our fathers: "Pay as you go."

TRAINING YOUNG FOLKS.

The work of religious education has been developed ift Canada in recent years until it has become one of the most important phases in the activityof the Church. Through organisations of youth, known as "Trail Bangers," "Tuxis Boys' Parliament," "Canadian Girls in Training," and, nioro recently, "Explorers," for younger groups, the Church is training young people to take an active part in community life. The various denominations co-operate in this work, and each year at this season a campaign for moral and financial support is carried on throughout Canada. By demonstrations, father and son banquets, or mother and daughter teas, or such like, the young people call attention to their work, and their appeal, even in these lean times, never fails to realise a_ substantial sum to enable them carry oh for another year.

TREASURE HUNT FAILS,

Another bid for the fabulous mythical treasure at Coeos Island has failed. This time, the experience of spending large sums of money in the search that has baffled fortune hunters for over a century fell to the citizens of Vancouver, who invested £25,000 in the project. The venture was supported by the presence on the^sland of a new wireless device, known as the Metallophone, said to be capable of detecting ore bodies. The members of the expedition,- numbering about twenty, have left the. islands, which is' owned by Costa, Rica. The directors arc not at all disturbed at their failure up to the present. In fact, they announce publicly that they have discovered the general areas where the treasure is located on this mountainous islet, whose circumference is not more than eleven miles. Believing in the presence there of treasure valued at one hundred million dollars, they will make another effort to locate it, subject, of course, to the generosity of the investing public. '

FOR LESS THAN COST.

Some years ago, a Peace Biver farmer sent a truck load of oats to the Ontario market. His agents replied

that the sale did not realise enough to pay freight of 1500 miles, and sent him a bill for the difference. Tho farmer, regarding tho matter as a joke, replied that ho had no 'money but plenty more oats. _In the good old days this was regarded as a joke on the farmer. But, recently, an Ontario farmer trucked six head of beof cattle to the Toronto market, and was out thirty dollars on the venture. Nowadays it is not regarded as a joke. It is a tragedy. Why tho difference? According to the present humour of the farmer, with his industry not paying cost of production, it is becoming more and more likely that the city dweller will have to bear a share of the farmer's loss. But tho city dweller replies that he is already over-taxed, and that his business is not returning enough to pay a working percentage. If tho farmer carries out his threat to declare a holiday from production, the problem will have a third side which will test the ingenuity of tho economist to the utmost.

EMPIRE CONFERENCE INFLUENCE.

The influence of the Empire Economic . Conference is already seen in the trade of Canada. The Motherland has. supplanted the United States as Canada's principal market. Despite lowered prices, Canada's exports to the United Kingdom in the last half of 1932 were 13 per cent, above the same period of 1931. In other words 65 per cent, of Canada's exports to the United Kingdom for 1932 went in the second half of the year. Canada's exports to United States, in 1932 were valued at 163,000,000 dollars, compared with 396,000,000 dollars in 1930 the year of the Smoot-Hawley tariff' The same trend is observed in' Canada's .trade with other parts of the British Empire. The present year's figures are expected to enhance the Empireward trend of trade still further.