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,,~... _-- THURSDAY, NOV. 4th, 1943 THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO Dracken andKing State Their Post War Aims and Planks For Trade and Farm Equity (Continued from page 1) of Agriculture, a man who is trained in the practice of agri- culture. And in addition we shall appoint an under secretary of ag- riculture, who also shall be train- ed in the practice of agriculture. ShoulUhe minister be from East- ern £eada, the under secretary will be from Western Canada and vice versa. It is in the interests of both Eastern and Western Agri- culture that both be fairly repre- sented in the administration of the Department. Plan of Production 4. We shall place under the Ministry of Agriculture the re- sponsibility for developing a co- ordinated plan of production and marketing for Canada. We shall place under that Ministry not only the administration of ail produc- tion and marketing plans, but also the growing responsibilities recognized by the Governments of the Allied Nations at the recent Conference on Food and Agri- culture, with respect to food and its distribution. We shall provide for Canadian agriculture a special foreign agricultural service, the personnel of which will be locat- ed at strategic food importing points, and to occupy itself with the enlargement of the markets for Canadian agricultural pro- ducts in other countries. 5. We shall appoint a board of livestock commissioners, in which shall be vested power to regulate and direct ail aspects of livestock marketing, in somewhat the same manner as the Board of Grain Commissioners regulates t h e handling of wheat. 6. To do away with the risk of the ail too frequent ruinously low prices for agricultural products and, at the sarne time, reach high- er standards'of living for ail, we shall raise farm prices, not by de- creasing the supply of farm pro- ducts but by increasing the de- mand for them; we shall set out to build not a world of scarcity, but a world of plenty. In the interest of agriculture itself and as one means of guarding against indus- trial unemployment, we are de- termined to see that the purchas- ing power of Canada's farmers, as well as her workers in other spheres, is maintained at a rea- sonable level. 7. In the interest alike of agri- culture and of Canada and of world peace, we shall deal with the problem of low prices arising from agricultural surpluses by, amongst other things, expanding our export market to the fullest extent that we can. In pre war days there were 30 million acres in Western Canada devoted to the producL'on of products for export. There; ,ere only seventeen mil- lion acres of crop land in ail five provinces of Eastern Canada. If Western and other Canadian farmers are forced through fail- ure to obtain export markets, to enter into competition with East- ern farmers for Eastern markets, what will happen to the prosper- ity of Eastern Canadian farmers, who now supply those Eastern Canadian markets? The answer is obvious. It must be clear that the problem of agriculture in Canada is one of equal concern to both Eastern and Western farm- ers. It is not a Western problem only. It is one of our outstanding national problems. Expand Export Markets 8. To bring about an expansion of our export markets and there- by higher standards of living generally, we shall be prepared, in accordance with the principles of the Atlantic Charter, to pro- gressively lower the barriers to trade; we shall set up a special export agency charged with the responsibility of promoting inter- national trade, maintaining and expanding export markets for primary products, ensuring that domestic prices shall not be de- pressed because a small surplus may happen to result in making low export prices apply to-both; and developing a positive pro- gram of international collabora- tion, on the part of both exporting and importing countries, with a view to furthering the exchange of commodities and better inter- national understandirig and good- will. 9. To find additional outlets for our surplus products, we shall ex- pand our home markets by in- creasing the purchasing power of our people, raising the average standard of nutrition, developing industrial uses for farm products, and by instituting, if necessary, a "stamp" plan . for low-income groups. 10. In order to prevent wide fluctuations of farm prices; we shall in the case of our major ex- port products, provide a floor price below which they will not be permitted to fall and we shall allow to the producers the benefit of any advance thereon. Since price ceilings are now being main- tained to prevent farm prices from rising to high levels in war- time, we shall see to it that price floors are provided,. to prevent farm prices from dropping to un- fair levels in peacetime. There ,should not be price ceilings on farm prices to prevent inflation in wartime, without price floors to prevent deflation in peacetime. We shall pass such federal mar- keting legislation as may be necessary to provide for orderly marketing. We shall so revise.our market- ing system for wheat as to retain those features that perform a use- ful economic function and elimin- DANGER OF INFLATION ate any that may be merely to the advantage of the professional speculator. For this purpose, we shall, by legislation, provide for any necessary supervision. 11. As part of the policy of es- tablishing agriculture on a sound economic basis, we shall inaugur- ate a vigorous policy of better land utilization and, through it, facilitate the transfer of sub- marginal farm lands to more economic uses; and we shall, in- sofar as Dominion jurisdiction will permit, avoid the error all too common in the past of allow- ing the settlement by land-hungry settlers, by state aided unemploy- ed or by state assisted war veterans, of land incapable of providing a decent living for a family. Fair Prices 12. During the process of secur- ing wider markets and of achiev- ing more economic uses for sub- marginal lands, we shall guaran- tee fair prices to those who pro- duce the nation's food. By fair prices, we mean prices not out of line with the. prices farmers have to pay for their manufactured goods and services-prices that will bear a fair relationship to wages in industry and other call- ings-in other words, fair prices mean prices that will give to farmers their fair share of the nation's income. 13. To help reduce the cost of producing farm crops, we shall reinforce existing legislation to curb combines in restraint of trade; take steps to insure that the prices farmers have to pay are truly competitive; inquire into ways and means of increasing the efficiency of manufacturing and distributing industrial and other goods; encourage farmers to pur- chase as well as market goods on a co-operative basis; and general- ly assist them to produce as well as to buy more efficiently. 14. To increase the efficiency of marketing, we shall make provi- sion for a thorough and impartial study of the relative merits of existing and possible marketing methods and costs; provide for continuous investigation and con- trol of price spreads in the in- terests of producers and consum- ers alike; put into effect a Federal Co-operative Act that will, among other things, clarify the position of co-operatives with respect tQ taxation of savings and promote in every legitimate way, the prac- tice of co-operative marketing and cooperation generally. 15. The above are constructive measures toward the establish- ment of a sound agricultural economy. We mean to take these and any other steps that may be found necessary to assure to the agricultural population all the es- sentials. of an average Canadian standard of living, based on the objective of equality for the in- dustry within the Canadian econ- omy. That much no reasonable person can deny to agriculture. Less than that, no reasonable per- son can wish to perpetuate. 16. To guard against a shortage of supply of food for human con- sumption in Canada, we shall plan, In the general interest of all, to maintain a reserve of sup- plies of the major storable food products; and we shall encourage the establishment of private as well as co-operative cold storage facilities for the more perishable products, such as fruits, vege- tables, meat, poultry and eggs. Other reserves - international in character - for insurance against shortage of human food will be needed, if the world out- side is to be fed adequately. We shall help to produce a generous share of these reserves, but we shall regard it as the responsibil- ity of the co-operating nations- including Canada-to provide and carry tle cost of this protection against human want. 17. Since the provision of re- serves to insure against possible future shortage of the more im- portant food product is clearly the responsibility of the state, we Donald Gordon, Chairman of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board, in a re- cent address made this statement which affects every Canadian: "The cumulative effect of short- ages of civilian supplies and raw materials, machinery and man- power is exerting more pressure now than at any time since the be- ginning of the war. Many people, fed up with restrictions and con- trols, are tending to let selfishness rule their judgment, forgetting that in so doing they not only weaken the drive needed for the knock-out punch to our enemies, but as well they risk losing the benefits they have achieved by their forbearance and co-opera- tion up to the present time. . . "I say definitely that inflation is no imaginary condition-we have all the circumstances and pressures which create inflation right here-now! We must fight tooth and nail to prevent those pressures being translated into a price inflation. We are in the greatest possible danger of failing to do so." Beat inflation by buying Vic- tory Bonds today. seasons by encouraging the de- velopment of complementary en- terprises and as far as may be practicable by promoting rural electrification and otherwise en- courage the decentralization of in- dustry, and the location in rural areas of such small-scale in- dustrial enterprises as may be suited to the locality. 25. Since in Canada, education depends upon land taxation for shall see to it that, either directly or indirectly the state, and not the farmer, shall bear the carrying charges of thus insuring itself against any shortage of human food. Credit for Farmers 18. In order to help make the use of credit available to farm- ers who require it, and to co- operative institutions which need it, at as low rates of interest as are economically possible, in an effort to serve agriculture with the same efficiency as the com- mercial banks and other lending institutions are now serving busi- ness,-we shall enquire into the success and experience of the Farm Credit Administration of United States and other countries, assess the success and scope of present loaning services with a view to promoting their effici- ency; and we shall see to it that such additional credit institutions as are needed, especially equipped to serve agriculture, are provided through the agency of a central farm bank. 19. In order that losses on farm loans may be lessened and in- terest rates thereby reduced, we shall see that the state gives con- structive aid by surveying and classifying all lands in farms or likely to be farmed, so that the most efficient soil and cropping practices may be developed, the respective capacities for economi- cal production made more accur- ately ascertained; and potential losses on farm loans thereby avoided. 20. To meet the problem of land debts in areas where it has been or can be demonstrated that they arà beyond the earning capacity of the land, under good manage- ment, to meet, adequate provi- sion for readjustment and reduc- tion, where necessary, of such debts, by federal legislation, will be made. It will not be the intent of such legislation to make pos- sible the avoidance of obligations by inefficient or incompetent bor- rowers but rather the adjustment of only such debts as an examina- tion by independent and com- petent persons reveals could not be met in full even by efficient farmers. If in any province this legislation should not be desired by its provincial legislature, we would be disposed to accede to its recommendations with respect to the matter. 21. In the interests of both ef- ficient production and increased uses for farm products, we shall extend the facilities for agricul- tural research. A national Re- search laboratory is already lo- cated in Eastern Canada at Ot- tawa. To deal with agricultural research in the West, including that relating to new uses of agri- cultural products for industrial purposes, a branch of the National Research organization will be established in that area; to deal specifically with the annual wast- age of livestock through disease, we shall establish, through the Health of Animals Branch, addi- tional and adequate facilities for a thorough study of contagious animal diseases; for research work on general agricultural, horticultural and livestock prob- lems, financial assistance will be extended to universities and agri- cultural colleges; and to supple- ment the very valuable and prac- tical but too little appreciated work of the county and district a g r i c u ltural representatives, every measure of co-operation will be given. Low Freight Rates 22. In view of the great im- portance of transportation in the Candian econamy, the desirabil- ity of keeping freight rates as low as possible in order to help compete with other exporting countries and more particularly the necessity of prevenfing waste due to overlapping of different forms of carriers, such as the rail- ways, water carriers, trucks and buses and air services, provision will be made to enquire into the creation of a fully integrated sys- tem of transportation in Canada, adapted to furnish the nation with the cheapest and most efficient service possible consistent with the maintenance of the independ- ent identity of the two great rail- way systems and without any amalgamation or unification. 23. In view of the normal in- crease in population in rural areas at a time when the agri- cultural industry is overdevelop- ed in relation to markets and when increasing mechanization of farming is lessening rather than increasing the number of work- men required for farm work with the consequence that youhg peo- ple from the farms are pressed into service in urban centres, sometimes with but little or no specialized training, we shall, through co-operation with the Pro- vinces assist in providing voca- tional training for rural young people as well as urban; and we shall provide opportunities for those seeking work or changes of employment, through the more effective organization of employ- ment agencies. 24. In order ta preserve the family farm in Canada, a unit which is now threatened by the competition of larger units in this and other countries, we shall speed up and systematize the use of plans by which the overhead cost ta farmers of securing the advantages of mechanization may be lowered; by co-operation and by co-operative ownership and ta the extent it may be advisable by state or municipal ownership of power equipment, we shall de- velop and encourage plans through which fewer machines (and therefore less overhead) will be required ta do the work for which under present practice more are needed; and we shall plan for supplementary employ- ment for farm workers in off- This space is contributed in the interest of the Victory Loan Campaign by the Municipality of the Town of Bowmanville a large part of its revenue, and the rate of taxation on land in many areas is excessively high and not within the jurisdiction of the Dominion Government to re- duce, and yet does not provide sufficient revenue for educational needs, often resulting in unjusti- fiable inequity to children in many parts of Canada, in view of this condition we shall see that the Federal Government, without interfering with provincial juris- diction, provides a measure of fin- ancial assistance in order that the provinces may make possible a higher standard of instruction in the financially weak school dis- tricts of Canada. 26. In view of the heavy drain upon the fertility and productive capacity of Canadian farm lands caused by the exhaustive type of farming many producers are forc- ed to follow, we shall put into operation plans for the conserva- tion as well as the development of the vast store of wealth in our greatest heritage, the upper foot of the nation's soil. That wealth is being detrimentally drawn upon .today to the nation's great disadvantage, because the in- comes of many of those engaged in the industry do not permit them to do otherwise than mi,ne the soil. This applies to every province in Canada. Although damage from soil erosion by wind has been particularly severe in parts of Western Canada, where more than 2 1-2 million acres of land once cultivated has been abandoned, soil erosion by water is becoming an increasingly ser- ious problem in many parts of all other sections of the nation. A national soil conservation policy including reforestation in certain areas must be established if in- creasing numbers of farms are not to be forced into abandonment. 27. In view of the inadequate medical and hospital services now prevailing in many rural districts, due chiefly to unfavorable econo- mic conditions, we shall co-oper- ate with the provinces with a view to placing and keeping the health services of rural areas on a par with those of urban areas and to raising the standard of both. 28. In order to help bring more modern conveniences to the aid of women in rural homes and to farmers in their productive activ- ities, at the lowest possible cost, we shall co-operate with the pro- vinces, through work projects for providing employment, in an ef- fort to extend such self-liquidat- ing project as the distribution of electrical power, the improvement of rural homes and the construc- tion of better roads, to as many as practicable of the rural farm- steads and communities as are in need of these services. 29. In order to remove the fear from men's minds that surpluses hanging over markets may recur and again drive farm prices to un- justifiably low levels, we must see that these surpluses are allowed neither to impoverish their pro- ducers nor to be withheld from serving their possible humani- tarian functions in a hungry world, they must be so managed that they will neither unduly de- press farm prices nor yet be de- layed in the service of their pro- per function, the feeding of the human race. Export of Food To some countries in early post- war years, a part of the food sur- plus will have to be given away, even as it is now, but the state will have to do the giving, not the agricultural third of the state; in the case of some other countries they can be paid for, which is the condition toward which the world's economy must be brought. Let us determine to use our for- tunate position as food producers to accomplish three things much needed in Canada and in our sis- ter nations: (1) Acceptance of equity for ag- ricultural producers .as a funda- mental right; (2) Feeding of hungry nations in post-war years as a humani- tarian duty; (3) Restoration of world amity and world trade on the foundation of goodwill and understanding as an international necessity for world order, world progress and enduring peace. 30. In order to secure for the farming population, which is not well organized, equality of status in the Canadian economy, with organized labor, and organized in- dustry, and other classes which are well organized, we shall, by decentralizing administra t i v e functions and controls as much as possible; by promoting district, municipal, and county considera- tion of local adequate financing of effective agricultural organiza- tion possible; and by giving the industry itself a large share of re- sponsibility for working out its own salvation-in these ways, we shall help agriculture not only to promote a larger measure of equity for itself but also to defend its own as well as the general in- terest when public bodies are giv- ing consideration to such demands of any group as cal for larger contributions or concessions from the state, of which agriculture is such a large part and in far too many instances not an equal ben- quire basic treatment. Until such eficiary of its policies. time as it is possible for agricul- In its relatively unorganized ture to achieve something like full condition, agriculture has not organization for itself, the state been in a position to speak with must see that its legitimate in- a united voice and its appeals terests are protected in order that have yielded but temporary and the inequities of long standing sometimes unsound expedients will not be still further unneces- for the redress of ilts which re- sarily perpetuated or increased. PAGE FIVE MilMiiiiii US A WA R WEAPON ? Black light-invisible rays thrown by specially designed Edison Mazda lamps-is "lighting" the fluorescent in- strument panels of night fighting planes, serving in black-outs, detecting flaws in castings, helping in prospect- ing and ore sorting. A valu- able weapon of war todoy, Black Light Lamps will find many applications in peace- ime. For details contact your n o # .., - in - L nearest C.G.E. office. d' ppd in luorticent solution, surplus io wq>ed off, btack Iigt e rnuJ aoy tel isu su.ace hiaws. MADE IN CANADA EDISON MAZDA CANAIANGENRALELETRI C.73 ~ Y±I~1 V± ~ W L I I VIwT i Iu Îef I 1