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Page 4 Oakville- Trafalgar Journal Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association Published Every Thursday Morning in Oakville, Ont, by Oakville-Trafalgar Publishers, Ltd. 7 DUNN STREET NORTH Vincent H. Barrey Advertising Manager S. Casey Wood, Jr. Managing Editor Bill Cotton, Editorial Assistant PHONE 1298 Thusrday, March 29, 1951 It's That 10th" Year Again Census time is here again, and from a govern- ment bulletin we've learned a number of interesting facts about this method of standing all of us citizens up so we can be counted. Moses numbered the Children of Israel in the 15th century B.C. But statistical investigations were made many centuries earlier. In Babylonia, 3800 B.C. China, 3,000 B.C., and in Egypt 2,200 B.C. A census taken by King David in 1017 B.C. achieved evil no- toriety in history from the Divine wrath which it provoked, and w: used argument against scien- tific activities for generations. The Doomsday Bool of William the Conqueror, 1086 A.D. was a celebrated mediaeval census. Few people know that credit for taking the first census of modern times belongs to Canada. It was 1666. In the United States, no census of the country was taken before 1790. The first Dominion Census Act was passed in 1870, and the first census was talk- en in 1871. Similar comprehensive censuses have been taken at ten year intervals, namely 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911, 1921, 1931 and 1941. The census to be taken this June is therefore the ninth comprehensive decen- nial census to-be taken since confederation. Originally the census was no more than a means of mustering men for foreign wars and of enabling kings and oligarchies to tax their subjects. Today we are a long way from such a conception of the pur- poses of a census, for it is now expressly forbidden to use census answers for any such purpose. So any who worry about their answers being used for some purpose other than merely a single unit in a compila- tion of statistical data need worry not at all. In Canada the basic legal reason of the census is to determine the representation in our Federal Parliament. In other words, we have representation in the House of Commons in proportion to our popula- tion . . . thus insuring thickly settled parts of the country being in proportionate control of the acts and laws which their government passes. Possibly, in these days of Federal grants, of even more value to all of us is the fact that all grants are based upon the population figures secured in the census. But the census has wider uses than these two. Tt is, under the modern system, nothing less than a great periodical stocktaking of the Canadian people, designed to show from the widest possible angle the point which has been reached in the general progress of our Nation. The mechanics, various breakdowns and uses to which they are put, have been outlined in a govern- ment release. While it is somewhat lengthy, the sub- ject is one that we believe all Journal readers will find to be of interest. We are therefore going: to pub- lish "The Story of the Census" in serial form, the first installment appearing on page 10 of this issue. Dangerous . A dangerous situation with regard to the warn- ing lights at the C.N.R. crossing on Kerr Street needs immediate attention by that company. When a train is in the station, the blinkers operate. Motorists ap- proaching the crossing, and seeing the train stopped in the station, were passing over the tracks. While there is every likelihood that these motorists will look in both directions, there is an equal, or possibly better chance that they will proceed across the tracks once they see the station train. By doing so, they could place themselves immediately in the path of an Hast- bound train. : The signals at this crossing should not operate when a train is inithe station, as their operation.should be dependent on a train approaching the crossing. The confusion that can happen can also cost a life. The C.N.R. should immediately set about righting things. -Laws A zoning by-law serves several purposes, but principally is designed to preserve the, qualities, by district, of a town. When a district is restricted to res- idential dwellings only, then people who buy houses in that section do so in the belief that they will enjoy the surroundings that have been established there. They may buy a vacant lot, and erect a house in keeping with the requirements of homes in that area. If there is a vacant lot next to them, they expect that whoever purchases it will do'likewise. Oakville now has such a by-law. People have built hones, have bought homes on the basis of this by-law. But practically every council meeting dele- gations or individuals appear before council asking that exceptions be made for a block, or a lot so they can build something which does not meet the require- ments of the bylaw in that zone. Council has earnest- ly discussed each of these requests, and the individ- uals have in several cases gone to considerable trou- ble to obtain petitions to support theri requests. This by-law took years to prepare. It has been on the books only a short time. Everyone had an op- portunity before it was passed to argue against any of its provisions. The finalized by-law seemed suit- able to all purposes. Council should inform all real estate agents, builders and residents that it will not even consider any changes for a set period. Much time is consumed at council meetings with listening to these pleaders, and to those who appear to object. The objectors have to take the time to appear. The possibility that council may change any zone in any way means that every citizen must constantly be on the watch with respect to his zone. Citizens should not be required to do such things. They are entitled FACE WH CoM A' KOREAN | Hrmy z TIMEE HARD SAVE = EN STOMACH GONE! IT SEEMS T0 ME BY P. W. THOMPSON 'Throughout tory, the peoples of the earth have been plagued with dictators. In every age and clime there have been some individuals who, by virtue of their strength or cun- ning, and their ruthlessness, have exerted a tyrannical sway over large numbers of their fellow-hu- mans. The monstrous extrayagan- ces, the cruelties and atrocities practised by these autocrats at the expense of their unfortunate victims comprise a black record. Generally speaking, the condi- tions of human society seem to have improved somewhat during the past several centuries. Peo- ple have become more humane in their dealings with each other, laws are less harsh. But the dictators are still with us. The present generation has seen the rise of a number of vile and brutal despots, two of the course of his- whom, Hitler and Mussolini, met well-deserved fates. In Russia, the corrupt. regime of the czars was overthrown, to give place, not to a reign of freedom, but to another tyran- ny. Today, Spain and Argentina are both writhing in the grip of despots, and a number of other countries are. under some form of dictatorship. Dictatorships vary in their de- grees of severity. Not all dictators hold power by means of the scourge and the firing-squad. Mo- dern methods of government can be used to coerce the populace. As governments become more DOw- erful, there arises a danger that we may all become strangled by the tentacles of bureaucracy. All over the world governments are extending their sway over the liv- whom they govern, con- tributions from them in the form '| of taxes. es of those exacting larger and larger This extension ernment function out some beneficial the possession of power it. In the words statesman of the power corrupts. last This urge to control and coerce others presents one of the most difficult human problems. Ob- viously, if society is to be kept from falling apart, some people must be given a certain mea- sure of authority over their fel- low-citizens. In democratic coun- tries such as Canada there are checks upon the degree of au- thority a governing power may exert, although a government may find ways: of i of goy- is often made with good intent, and is not with- results. Yet it presents a grave danger. In there is always the temptation to abuse of a British century, BY BESSIE CAIRNS TRAFALGAR TALES LAND O' THE BAG-PIPES The other evening we had as a guest a young student who' had served in the American, Canadian and British armies during the last war. He had, as a result, seen a considerable part of the world in- cluding Scotland. Talk of Scot- land naturally led to heather and bagpipes. Our guest said, "act: ually the bagpipes come from Egypt" A treasonable statement to make to a Scot, though I had a vague idea that I had heard of them in ancient Greece and lo arouse my curiosity is to send me searching, 1 received 'a further incentive this week when on read- ing Life I found that a toy bag pipe is now on the market and a full-scale' invasion may be expect: ed to surge over the normally peaceful 49th parallel any day. High time we located. the na- tional home for that instrument of torture and if need be start a campaign to resettle it on its native heath. Persia, according to my references, seems the most agreed upon spot and a dandy one at that. A bag-pipe serenade of the Iranian might settle the oil question once and for all. I can imagine them willingly paying the pipers with Anglo-Iranian stock and speeding them with Allah's blessing to At- lee and Truman. How the bag-pipe came to Scot- land is an old story. Nero didn't fiddle while Rome * burned, he played the "tibia utricularis," an instrument consisting of an air- tight leather bag having several apertures each containing a short- tube. When the Romans came to England in the first century B.C. they brought tu. along presum- ably to frighten the natives. Cen turies later' when the Roman le- gions were recalled they left t.u. behind, no doubt with grets. The unarmed and- defense- less Britons in. turn used it for protection against the new in- vaders, the Anglo-Saxons. On the level the Saxons could take it but when this weird unearthly sound heightened to an 'unholy pitch echoed through the Scottish highlands their stout hearts quail- ed. To-day as the Scots raise their voices demanding home-rule, they recall with pride how. the lungs of their ancestors assured thelr freedom long centuries ago. Let's compromise. "Home Rule For Scotland" on the condition that the bag-pipes be returned to their native home-land . . . or would this sound off the third world war? these obstacles to the free sway. of its powers..And in some othen countries there would seem to be no limit to the authority of the ruling bodies, which exer- men who get to the top appear to be totally free from a certaln lust for power. To get rid of any individual dictator may not be too difficult. The trouble seems -- COT1 There is no snob like a jazz snob, friend Frank Tumpane main- tained stoutly in his popular Globe and Mail column one day last week. And_the jazz snob is here fo.stay, claims Frank, even though people over 50 are ex- remely reluctant to admit it. Peter Agrees Mr. Tumpane's observations were made after some restless prowlings through Toronto mus- ic shops, cabarets and such. But according to Peter Watters, they are just as true here. And amiable Pete should know. Not only does he live, work and breathe record- ed music in his spot behind Lof- quist's Record Bar each day, but his Watters Wax Works, musical source of Teen Town frolics, giv- es him ample opportunity to keep well abreast the tempo trends. If Frank and Peter 'are correct, and the jazz snob HAS become an integral part of our alleged civilization, perhaps it would' be well to make an effort to under- stand him and, as Frank puts it," integrate him, if possible, into our social structure." Nothing Really New While jazz snobbism must have existed since the turn of the cen- tury, our miodern edition came in- to his own about 15 years ago. Usually he is young, although he may have reached the age where his hairline is receding and his tummy isn't. He has a positively uncanny knowledge of jazz his tory, jazz bands, jazz musicians and jazz music. He always owns a record collection which he dis- cusses, at the slightest opening or no opening at all, with other jazz snobs who have record col- lections which are gloated over in much the same manner as a stamp collector will gloat over a rare find. According to Frank, the degree of a jazz snob's snobbery may be gauged by the magnitude of his contempt for the music of Guy Lombardo, whose Royal Canadians have been popular for some 25 years. The jazz snob despises Lombardo's music be- cause it is termed "the sweetest parliament just now few re-| music this side of Heaven" and is played that way. Something is wrong with a person's rhythm, claims the jazz snob, if he admits he likes to dance to Guy Lombar- do. Lombardo, says the jazz snob, sounds terrible. So does Freddie Martin. And Gordon Jenkins. In PUFFS FROM THE ON Gl n | fact, the jazz snob has a burning scorn: for, anything melodious thay can be played or sung easily ang naturally. No Fool, Hell Don't go getting the mistaken idea that the jazz snob is an ili. erate, though. Brother Watters Will vouch fof the fact that ne isn't. The jazz snob knows the malkeup of all the jazz bands that play the particular type of stuf he likes, what bands they're with now, where they played last year, He knows all about the goings and comings of Louis Armstrong, who he always affectionately re. fers to as Satchmo, of Jack Tea. garden, of Dixielanders Phil Zito and Irving Fazola. And talking of Dixieland, he'll even admit a pre. ference for the old Crosby. The old Bob Crosby, that is. NOT the old Bing Crosby, who sings sweet and is therefore corny. He would not be caught dead, perish for- bid, listening to Bing. Never try to bluff a jazz snob by faking a knoweldge of jazz. He has a deep appreciation for his art, and can detect a biuffer at 50 paces. Plea For Understanding Personally, I think the easiest way to cope with the advent of jazz snobbery is to take the toler ant stand. After all, the jazz snob has his moments of tolerance, when he'll even admit that an old classic like "Till We Meet Again" can be transformed from the corny class into an acceptable music form if it is taken over by jazz musicians and rendered in such a way that it becomes prac- tically unrecognizable. If he can do that much for you, surely you can afford to unbend a bit for him. You don't have to sacrifice your principles. You can still en: joy music, follow the symphony and the hit parade, and live a nor- mal life. All you have to do is accept the fact that the jazz snob is here to stay, and endeavour to take his foibles, his new jazz slanguage, and the weird caterwaulings he loves so much strictly in your stride. After all, although it has 'been made from time to time, no one has yet been able to prove the statement that a jazz snob is not a human being. Yours For More Tennesee Waltzing, BILL COTTON Seed that produces grass which stops growing when two inches high, thereby saving you the trouble of mowing the lawn sounds attractive, doesn't it? But if any- one offers to sell you any of this wonderful seed, don't 'buy. Be: cause if you do youll be disap- pointed. Yowll still need to do your stint with the lawnmower, because it's just ordinary grass seed, and the grass it produces will keep right on growing. This timely information was imparted by a man who is wise to this and other rackets in the course, of a talk to the March meeting of the University Wo- men's Club of Oakville in the high school 'auditorium Wednesday evening last week. The speaker was A. R. Haskell, general man- ager of tue Toronto Better Bus- iness Bureau, and his subject was "Fashions in Fraud for 1951." An- other fake hé warned his hearers GRASS IS GRASS IS GRASS, HASKELL REMINDS U. W. C. to beware of was a special fertl lizer that is in reality nothing more or less than coal dust. Dealing with the history of fraud, Mr. Haskell stated that the first recorded case of fraud was practised in 3400 B.C., when some enterprising racketeer sold a "hair restorer" that was proved to be simply goose grease. Coming down to the present he referred to the case of the pyramid clabs, a popular craze which was stop ped a-month ago after being ln vestigated by the Better Business Bureau, Many appeals on behalf of charities and missions are fraudnent, the speaker warned. The Bureau, Mr, Haskell stated, is a non-profit organization which receives fees from 1700 firms, and is affiliated with other bur eaus of a similar nature across Canada. Its motto is "Before you invest, investigate." Just when you think you've seen everything, along comes motorcycle racing on ice. And, although there's something reminiscent of six-day bike races about it, to see in the arena. Maybe we enjoyed it immensely. As we sat and listened to "No smoking commands over the loud speaker system, while breathing deeply of carbon monoxide fumes, we began to wonder what other new features we're liable a tennis game or a nice game of spin the bottle, maybe? Much talk of a Provincial election in June. Now it 100s cise powers over their subjects. To free humanity from the grip of despots is a task that challeng- es the most brilliant intellects. Few | Ish. to be, that from the ranks of those who overthrow the tyrant, another tyrant arises to replace him. So it is that dictatorships, of one form or another, continue to flour- of life and death to live in peace and security in the protection of the . by-law. Council expressed this feeling last week, when 3 an appeal was made for permission to put an' apart- ment house in a zone where such is not permitted. We suggest that council consolidate this feeling by milking a positive statement that amendments to the zening by-law will not be considered for a definite period of time. Certainly until a new council is elect- ed next year, when it can decide if the period is to be extended. as if the C.C.F. party, if there is an election, will be fighting it on a platform of artistic matters. Imagine, if you can, for We can't, the erudite C.C.F. members lecturing their adherents on composition, form and tonal values of an abstract work of art Certainly the C.C.F. party thinking is abstract enough, and 88 hard for the layman to understand as is the modern school of artists . . . but one can't help but feel that future generations will find more lasting good in the work of the artists than in the efforts of the C.C.F. group. Certainly, there'll be less mud: died colors on the artist's canvas, Nothing can be done about it department, but we're sick of it: The weather. We'd like to see the taxi companies in town clamp dov? on their drivers, We've seen some rotten driving, too fast and too carless, in Toronto whenever we've gone there--but ti taxi drivers are away out in front even over Toronto drivers for bad! driving, fg -- 1h