SOCIAL CREDIT

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3812, 23 September 1936, Page 7

SOCIAL CREDIT

SCRIP IN ALBERTA. PREMIER’S THORNY PATH. Vancouver, August 12. Signs of active revolt among members of the Social Credit Party in Alberta are indicated by a movement to persuade Major Douglas to come to Alberta and introduce Social Credit along the lines he advocates, which are in conflict with those being put in force by Mr. Aberhart. The movement to replace Mr. Aberhart was initiated in Edmonton, the provincial capital, where Dr. Henry Hall, one of two of his followers elected to the Legislature, got in touch with Major Douglas when the issue of scrip money in Alberta was mooted. Major Douglas has not yet indicated his intentions, although it is known that he has kept in-close touch with developments in Alberta, and believes his brand of Social Credit would be accepted by the people. When the scrip money made its appearance last week-end the “Edmonton Journal,” which has the largest circulation among Alberta newspapers, sent a representative with one and five dollar scrip certificates to tender them for purchases in the stores. He returned to say that of sixteen stores he visited only one offered to accept the scrip. It is reported that scrip was issued to all workers on relief projects in various parts of the province. Members of the Cabinet have been notified by 'the Premier that they must accept portion of their salaries in scrip. It is expected that the same order will be issued to the Civil Service. The bills are similar in appearance to the Bank of Canada notes, which has led to- confusion, especially in the rural centres. Boards of trade, chambers of commerce, wholesalers, and retailers, through their organisations, have indicated that they will not accept them. Strong Opposition. The Government has asked its followers in \the Legislature (55 members of a total membership of 63) to arrange with municipalities in their constituencies to take the scrip, to be paid to relief workers. Several have agreed to do so, but the municipalities are not responding, believing that such action might involve them with the Dominion Government, which has undertakensto arrange conversion of municipal indebtedness, subject to being clothed with powers of control, in the matter of future borrowing. Many cities and> towns on the verge of bankruptcy are prepared to adopt the Federal plan, which is, however, being strenuously opposed by Mr. Aberhart. A self-contained province that will produce all its needs and be independent of the rest of Canada is the objective of Mr. Aberhart. He is not deterred by the fact that of the nine provinces Alberta has the fewest factories. He has undertaken to establish a factory each week until his objective is attained. In these factories a “just” wage will be fixed by law. Scrip money will be used, and Mr. Aberhart promises that the Government profit, by way of stamp duty, will be hypothecated to pay the first instalment of the Social Credit dividend. Outside Alberta, little if any interest is taken in the progress of Social Credit in Alberta. Mr. Aberhart, on a recent visit to British Columbia, conferred with Mr. Pattullo, the provincial Premier, in the hope that he might co-operate. Mr. Pattullo, who is ardently wooing the Dominion Government for financial assistance, flatlyrepudiated Mr. Aberhart’s plans, declaring his policy to be one of “sound money” or orthodox public finance. In the other prairie provinces, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the Social Credit leader met with the same rebuff, although, in the Manitoba elections just held, four Social Credit adherents were elected.