Social Credit Defaults

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 210, 4 September 1943, Page 2

Social Credit Defaults

(To the Editor.) Sir, —In your sub-leader of 24/8/43 last under the above heading you assert that a “Canadian official statement advises that Alberta was defaulting on a two million dollar issue of bonds due for payment on July I.’’ I wonder if you will disclose to your readers the source of your information? This is the eve of our Parliamentary election and it will be remembered by all Social Credit advocates that on a similar occasion in 1938. exactly the same report concerning Alberta was published tlwoughout our Dominion, which was afterwards proved Ito be uttexiy false, but no excuse was offered, nor was any apology'- made by the press for having circulated this false propaganda. It is significant to note that on June 9, 1943, was published a full column article in a New Zealand paper describing the amazing results produced by the Social Credit Government of Alberta, as taken from their budget 19421943, wherein it was shown that their national debt was reduced by over 2,000,000 dollars for that period, and by over 15,000,000 dollars in the previous six years (Albert being the only Government in the world that reduced their national debt during the war pei'iod). The budget also shows that there is no sales tax, but a bonus of 5 per cent, is given to consumers, without debt, pensions raised by 7s 6d per week at reduced age, and no means test—-the only province in Canada to do this. Other grants, benefits, loans to acquire homes and business premises, provisions for members of the Armed Forces and their dependents have been made, and many other benefits too numerous to set out here. Please note that the bond issue you refer to was made exactly eight years before the Social Credit Government came into power. The people of Alberta must be well satisfied with their Government when they reelected it in 1940 for a further term of five years by a majority of 45 in a House of 52 members.—l am, SOCIAL CREDIT. [The extract referred to was from an Ottawa message published in the Christian Science Monitor on June 30 of this year. The Monitor has a worldwide reputation for accuracy and impartiability.—Ed. M.D.T.]