Alberta is Very Much Amused

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22949, 29 January 1938, Page 15 (Supplement)

Alberta is Very Much Amused

Social Credit Provides No But Gives

"LAND OF MILK AND HONEY" IN SPITE OF THE GOVERNMENT

i By H. R. HARVEY, of Toronto Copyright

'"W/ITHIN a y ear '" exulted V\/ Major Clifford Hugh Doug- * * las, of Fig Tree Court, London, father of social credit, "'Alberta will be n land flowing with jmilk and honey." The major's prediction was made on the occasion of •the landslide victory of Premier William Aberhart and his Social Credit party in the Alberta general .election of August, 1935. People who like statistics may note that Alberta's dairy production this "vear will put 16,000,000 dollars into "the pockets of her farmers —u new record—while tho honey total is likely to run about 1,500,0001b Money in Advance However, tho cows and bees, not social credit, must be given the credit for this. And while it hasn't ns yet got much in the way of the promised basic dividends, Alberta has been showing a .dividend or two in laughs at the lighter side of social credit. For example, a young man wrote to the Premier's office asking if he could have his first dividend in advance as he had a "swell chance" to buy a second-hand automobile for just 22 dollars, which would leave him three dollars to- buy gasoline. A tffcsident of Coronation, scoffug at Social Credit promises, sold his first four 20-dollar dividend cheques for five dollars cash —Bank of Canada money—and collected in advance, agreeing to turn over the dividends if, as and when paid. After seven or eight months, tho unemployed of Edmonton began to get restive about the matter of dividends. One afternoon a largo delegation of jobless people paraded to tho legislative buildings to present to Premier Aberhart an eight-foot-long imitation of a fountain pen. A Shrewd Scheme They recalled the Premier's frequent pre-election assertion. Asked where he would get the money to pay every adult citizen of Alberta 25 dollars a month, he would exclaim: "Why, I will get it out o| the end of a fountain pen, tho same as the banks do." An ingenious resident of Edmonton made himself somo "dividends" by forming the "Alberta Basic Dividend Association" after Premier Aberhart

announced that citizens shortly would be registered preparatory to paying basic dividends. Everybody who joined was assessed one dollar registration fee. Premier Aberhart protested, but the organiser blandly pointed out that he was facilitating the registration and assisting the citizens in collecting what the Premier had promised. Quite a number joined. Social Credit doubtless lost one stout adherent when a man in Edmonton had to push a peanut with a toothpick lor two blocks along the main street of Edmonton during Saturday afternoon rush period, displaying a sign on his back: "1 bet Aberhart would pay 25 dollars a month basic dividends within 18 months." "Secret Missions" But the hopes of Social Crediters for their basic dividends never were permitted to bog down completely. In the summer of 1936 Social Credit officials were sent on "secret" missions to various small towns of the province

declared at a meeting that ha«ic dividends would be paid within two months." One "state credit house" really was set up in Bentlev. On Hallowe'en last year several festive spirits moved the' largest piece of exterior plumbing they could find on to the main street and nailed to it a big sign: "State Credit House." Prosperity Certificates Like state credit houses, prosperity certificates, as the Alberta issue of stamped scrip was called, had a short life and a meriy one. A Chinese lauudryman in Medicine Hat accepted one of the prosperity dollars from a taxi-driver. It looked all right, but on the back be noted the lined squares, all ready to receive tax stamps—a cent a week. In a moment he was running down the street after his customer. "Hey, hey." he shouted. "You takee this back. Only dollar on I one side." A store in Rocky Mountain House offered one of the certificates to an Indian customer as change. He spurned it with: "Ugh. No good. Flour sack money." He thought ic was a gift premium certificate found in tacks of flour. However, n #rv good grade of mucilage, appeared to have been used for the tax stamps which became otherwise valueless after the scheme was scrapped. Recently a package mailed from Stettler was discovered sealed with the scrip tax stamps. "Plenty of Horses" A horse owner in Flanders. Ontario, hearing about all the work that was going to be possible under Social Credit in Alberta thought this was an opportunity for 70 work horses lie had idle. He shipped them out to Alberta with Eric Poole. Social Credit member of Parliament for Red Deer, looking after the Alberta end of the project. The move was soon discovered, and the newspapers pounced on the story, claiming there were plenty of farmers, plenty of horses and plenty of teamsters in Alberta to do any work available. A number of efforts were made to move the horses secretly in the dead of the night to parts unannounced. But the outcome was that most of the horses spent a very enjoyable summer in lush Alberta pastures and finally were shipped back east, somewhat heavier than they wore. A few of the horses wero put to work. "Two Cents for Abie" Annoyance, tempered by a of amusement, attended the imposition by the Social Credit Government of a two per cent tax on retail sales. One

man declared that Aberhart had promised to reduce taxes, not impose new ones, and he, for one. would refuse to pay sales tax. Following the purchase of a hat on which, according to his resolution, ho declined to pay sales tax of 10 cents, he was summoned by the inspector of sales tax and, iii tho police court, was fined somewhat more than the cost of the hat. An embarrassing experience for a girl clerk was reported. According to the story, she told one woman customer, as many clerks were wont to do: "That will be 85 cents and two cents for Abie." The customer, informed that "two cents for Abie" meant "Aherhart's sales tax, doncherknow," was revealed us Mrs. Aberhart. ' Some amazement was caused when, in announcing that the sales tax was being lifted, Provincial Treasurer Solon Low declared that a tax was a dividend in reverse and that by lifting the tax, the Government was paying the first instalment of the dividend. "Doesn't That Feel Swell?" Sceptics declared that this statement was like telling a man you were going to give him a good time, taking him into a room and beating him over the head and then saying: "Thorp, now, doesn't that feci swell when I leavo off?" Chuckles echoed through the province when Premier Abcrhart made a slip of speech at a recent Social Credit picnic near Calgary. After a large crowd of Social Creditors gathered around the platform on the picnic ground, had passed a resolution expressing complete confidence in their Premier and the Social Credit Government, Mr. Abcrhart declared with great feeling: "This is the densest crowd 1 have ever seen." . Noticing the look of surprise and chagrin on the faces of the crowd ho quickly corrected himself and added: "1 don't mean it that way. I think the people of Alberta are tho most intelligent in the world." The B.N.A. Act Of late, when the British North America Act has been quoted as an authority for disallowing or reserving Hoyal assent on radical provincial legislation, Social Crediters have made much of the discovery that there wasn't a certified copy of the B.N.A. Act in Canada. Premier Aberhart, though, has discontinued this referenco following a question as to whether he could produce a certified copy of tho Old Testament which he likes to quote and interpret each Sunday. The Premier himself tells a story of an experience while he was returning

to make inquiries about "suitable buildings for the purposes of the government."

It was nil supposed to be very dark and mysterious, but soon almost everybody, including the loquacious town barber, knew that the inquiries related to "state credit houses."' which the Premier had said would be set up to pay basic dividends Options were taken in some cases, and in August Dr. W. W. Cross, Minister of Health.

from a holiday at Vancouver recently. A chance woman acquaintance on the train, learning he was from Alberta, volunteered: "I am from Saskatchewan. We had your Premier Aberhnrt over in Saskatchewan not long ago. J didn't go to hear him myself, but they told me he had a lot of crazy ideas." Mr. Aberhnrt didn't introduce himself. Apropos of chance train acquaintanceship, we will conclude with thiß classic: Train Classic Some time ago a prominent eastern business man was travelling in Alberta. Getting on the train from Calgary to Edmonton ho saw a large man getting on ahead of hi 111. "Good day, Judge," said the conductor. Our business man followed and looking for company asked the conductor who the judge was. The conductor mentioned the name of a well-known Alberta jurist. The coach was crowded, but Mr. X (our business man) saw the judge seated amid a pile of baggage. Very obligingly the judge made room for Mr. X, who sat beside him. Tile Social Credit, hanking and press legislation were the topics of the hour. Our eastern business man wanted to get a local reaction. He launched into a vigorous and at times colourful attack 011 the Social Credit regime and Abcrhart in particular. "Do You Think So?" The judge, as was to bo expected, was very judicial about it all. Queries from Mr. X were met with a lifted eyebrow, or a "do you think so?" For over an hour the denunciation continued. Finally Mr. X asked: "You know what's going to happen to this man, don't you?" "What?" asked the judge, laconically calm. "Somebody's going to 'pink' him; like Hucy Long." The next day Mr. X walked into the rotunda of Edmonton's Mncdonald Hotel with two business acquaintances. The big man also appeared. "There's Judge ," said Mr. X. "What!" exclaimed tho acquaintances. jaws dropping. "That's Mr. Aberhart."