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THE COLBORNE EXPRESS. COLBORNE, ONT., THURSDAY, SEPT. 13, 1928 Prosperity and Financial Freedom for Canada ' So close aTe the economic ties between us and our Northern neighbor, that recent reports of Canada's present prosperity and coming financial independence arouse nearly as much interest an this sidi? of the Canadian border as on theother. Here we have an expert of our own Department of Commerce predicting that Canada will, "at no very remote future," join the United States as one of the creditor nations of the world. And this is backed up by the announcement of the Canadian Minister of Finance that government loans maturing this fall will be paid off out of the treasury, instead of through borrowing from the American market. At about t*i« same time a Toronto dispatch appears in the New York Evening Post, bo-ginning as follows: Unprecedented mining and buildin? activity, increased employment, a note worthy volume of external trade, heavier carloadlngs, and, most important of all, the prospect of a bumper wheat crop, all contribute to an unusually bright outlook for the second half of the year in all five of Canada's Canada's record of prosperity during the present summer has seldom been equaled in any similar period in the Dominion's history, declares J. C. Royle, in one of hi3 financial dispatches for the Consolidated Press. To a large extent, he explain?", "this is due to the production of grain, and the prospect for the remainder of the year is exceedingly bright." Indeed, this authority hears that in the wheat-growing prairie provinces, "employment has reached a peak of 127.3, taking one hundred as the five-year average from 1922 to 1926." "So far as the future is concerned, Canada is 'sitting pretty,'" writes Charles L. Shaw In Forbes: " Its most serious problem of all continues to be sparsity of population and the lack of an immigration policy that gets Immigrants, but the people now resident in Canada are, by and large, enjoying a moderate but sound prosperity. The exodus from the industrial centres to the United States, which threatened alarming consequences a few years ago, appears to have petered out. Labor conditions sre better to-day than they have been in years, the tide of industry is rising fast, and almost every sign worth rot ing points to a continuance of business betterment with out Northern neighbour. Raw materials furnish the key to Canada's. future greatness, we read ■on. "for there are few countries in the worn! with access to such a colossal treasure chest of undeveloped re-spirces, we are reminded. It has been ev-timaW that $3,031,000,000 of United ?:-,t.9s- money is now invested in Cans'-,., as against British investments of $2,110,000,000. Nearly half a billion dollars of American money went into r.i'.idian investments last year, and, , - <■ l iv t -e-.rs a single ) (.;•.,* Canadian securities hi New York worth $1,200,000,000." One Am-<r!.-3« financial group, according to Mr. Shaw, is planning to spend $50,-000,009 in what has hitherto been re-i;.., ,.• .is a barren stretch of wilderness--the so-called Flin-Flon mining area in northern Manitoba. Much of the Dominion's recent prosperity is due to its mines. In fact, "the value of the country's mine output was $240,-■000.000 in 1S26; it has trebled since 1907." But Canada's mining development makes a long story by itself, and Mr. Shaw goes on to note the extent to which United States dollars are be-in.? invested in Canada's pulp and paper industry. An unnamed Canadian business man Is quoted as say- Vv'e are already the dominant factor in the world wheat market, and supreme in the production of pulp paper and several other commodities of increasing importance to humanity. No popular in the United States to-day. Further evidence of Canada's increasing economic importance is set In 1914 Canadian citizens owned no government securities; to-day a large percentage of Dominion and Provincial government bonds are. held by the people. Spectacular evidence of the present prosperity of the country is seen in the purchase by Canadians during the past year of 159,000 motor cars, valued at $150,000,000--a fact which in itself demonstrates that Canada, besides being a ready absorber of American investment funds, is a customer of no mean consequence. A nation's backbone of prosperity is usually to be found in its farm lands, and in this respect Canada rr ~s-true to the usual form. For three Successive years the farmers of the Canadian West have enjoyed reasonably good harvests and have received fair prices for their produce. Canada labors under the disadvantage of not having a cheap coal supply near its main industrial zone, but this is offset in part by the great possibilities of water-power, and, besides, "the oil and tar sand deposits of northern Canada are promising as a factor in the country's Industrial future." And yet, Mr. Shaw says: Canada is not booming. Prosperity is based on something sounder and more lasting than a boom. In fact. AMID r for these young won SUMMER SNOWS IN PARADISE VALLEY vho are going fo r a ride in the dog taxi in Rainier National Park, Washin 5,557 feet above a boom is the last thing that Canadians want. Mr. C. E. Neill, late President of the Canadian Bankers' Association, has issued a warning against overspecula-tion, and is reported as saying: As yet there is no boom in Canada. The future has not been overdiscount-ed, but let us keep a true perspective and endeavor to direct the development of our country along sound lins, thus paving the way for permanent stability and good times. Returning to predictions of Canada's coming financial independence, we find the New York Hertald Tribune noticing the announcement of the Canadian Finance Minister, Mr. J. A. Robb, that "instead of refunding some $5?,000,000 in maturing loans through borrowing in the American market this fall, the Dominion will pay off these obligations out of the surplus in its treasury^ he intimates further that from now on, for the next five years at least, the Dominion will be in a position to take up all of its loans in the same way." On which The Herald Tribune comments: Canada has had its financial difficulties in the years since the war, but to-day, from a financial standpoint as well as from an economic standpoint, it stands on the threshold of the greatest prosperity that it has known. The present step in its debt-financing is a definite recognition of this fact, signifying as it does, that the Dominion has not only been able to balance its budget without borrowing, but to pay off, as well, a substantial volume of maturing indebtedness. To those who have watched the progress of Canada economically in recent years it will come as little surprize that the Minister of Finance is able to report that, while taxation is being steadily reduced on the one hand, the Government is thus able to discharge its outstanding indebtedness as it matures, on the other. The conclusion that Canada has reached the capital-exporting stage is based on the rectn statement of Ray Hall of the United States Department of Commerce that Canada's present position "is very similar to that of the United States during the last years prior to the World War"; it is "the position of a so-called debtor nation which is reducing its old debts to foreign investors or is making new foreign investments of its own in an aggregate volume eceeding that of its new borrowings from abroad." As The Herald Tribune remarks, "no clearer indication could be asked of the Dominion's approaching financial independence."--(Literary Digest.) Two Interesting Letters Appear in Listowel Standard The Walter Boys, Members of the Olympic Team, Gave a Personal View of Amsterdam That Throws Much / Light on Conditions There South African Item of Interest Here A clipping from a South African paper covering a recent visit to Rus-temburg, Transvaal, of the Governor-General of South Africa and Princess Alice includes a paragraph of interest to residents in Vancouver. The paragraph reads: "Her Royal Highness Princess Alice has accepted a sketch of the Governor-General and Her Royal Highness from Miss Carrie Hicks* daughter of Mr. F. Hicks, formerly a well-known member of the criminal investigation department and now of Rustemburg municipal staff. This gifted girl of 17 'has had no instruction in her art, yet, she has already won a London Miss Hicks has relatives in Canada, an uncle, Mr. Adam Hicks, a well-known pioneer of Vancouver. In a recent letter from his niece, Mr. Hicks received a snapshot of Princess Alice taken while she spoke a few words with her. Men are not flattered by being shownthat there has been a difference of purpose between the Almighty and them.--Abraham Lincoln. STRANGE CUSTOMS The Philadelphia company which has established an office In a monoplane shows that it is not disturbed about a firmer foundation for the business of aviation. Knowing that the following letters from Graham and John Walter, members of the Canadian Olympic team, will be greatly enjoyed by the public generally, we are pleased to publish them for the benefit of our readers. We are indebted to the boys for the privilege: (Listowel Standard.) Amsterdam, Monday, July 28, 1928 ' ' Canadian Olympic Team: What a time we have trying to find time to write letters! We work out twice a day and have to be in bed at 10 o'clock, so with a bit of sightseeing our days are more than full. Amsterdam is a very interesting place and I've seen more things to wonder at in this place than y<}u can imagine. On Sunday Jack and I took a canal boat through the caxfiHs and harbor of the city. We saw the oldest parts where the houses hang perilously over the water and the only approach to the front door is a small boat of some description which they anchor'to the door knob. The streets are all very narrow and the mass of humanity that struggles up and down them every night is unbelievable. Every third person, man, woman and child, rides a bike and how they ride! This is the queerest place with the queerest customs. Imagine -seeing a cart on the street with a jar of living, squirming esls in it and on asking the pusher of the cart what the eels are have him swallow it like a raw egg or an oyster. That's what they do over here. Another common sight is to see an old woman in Dutch costume cleaning small fish on the street which she sells to passersby for 10 cents, who eat them raw as we would a chocolate bar. On my slight acquaintance with the Dutcher I would say that his chief pleasures are to be found in beer parlors and in music. Every third place is a saloon and every saloon has its orchestra; that his chief characteristic is inquisitiveness; crowds collect and follow you everywhere; that his favorite pets are dogs (you have to watch your step); that his best food is bread and butter; that the day of the wodden sho6 is passing but not gone; that their hospitality is second to none and the warmth of their reception never to be forgotten. I've been taking pictures at the stadium of Americans, "Australia:!:;, Turks, Poles, Hungarians, Esthonians, Irish, Finns, and a lot oLothers whose countries I cannot spell, but it is a wonderful sight and the "sign" language is the universal language around Since ely, GRAHAM. Amsterdam, July 2S, 1928. The last^ time I wrote you a letter I guess we were on the S.S. Albertic. We docked at Southampton and took a train to London, where we put up for the day at the Hotel Cecil, about the finest hostelry in London. We saw a great deal of London from the baek of a cab. We had a good workout at Stamford Bridge. The trains here are really fast and we go! to Harwick in a hurry. There we ,em-barked on the good ship "Archangel" for Rotterdam. It was on this ship that we got our first taste of second-class passage. It seems that we were booked to sail the following evening first-class, but the committee were anxious to land us in Holland as early as possible, and as a result we slept in places over the propeller. A bunk room with two portholes is plenty hot for n for it. , but n r the windmills shooting their great fans like arms up into ttie sky. The Dutch people are both very modern and very ancient. Down the 1 narrow shipping streets you see a j sheik dressed in the height of fashion ' followed by a fellow-countryman with a little tight coat and pants at half-mast, or a workman dressed in a leather suit and knee pants and wearing big wooden shoes; and what wooden shoes they are. Some are plain, some are varnished, and some have steel laces riveted into the wood which make them real snappy. They are very curious and follow us around with monotonous regularity. The other night a number of us parked in front of a big theatre and sang some of our team songs. The crowd got so largo that when the theatre people began to come out they could not get past the doors. The cops were called and, with their swords, not batons, they managed to clear a pass-One of the boxers we used to train with in Ottawa "Y" met me in the hall to-day. We were both surprised to see each other so far from Metcalf Street. Don Carrick is a mighty fine chap. We have had a great deal of fun on the square in front of the Queen's palace with a Dutch "artist?" who attempted to draw a sketch of Carrick. I saw the new stadium yesterday, and it is undoubtedly the finest of its kind in the world, although I believe the track is slow. We took a trip to Utrecht yesterday, the city where the English and French settled their aa-gument over Canada many years ago. We were in an old Church which was built about the time that Old King John( one of my namesakes) signed the Magna Charta. There is a tower in this city built in 1300 and is something like 386 feet high. A bus took us through Zeist to Dome, where Kaiser Bill lives. We did not see old Bill, but got a picture of hi3 groundsman, and stole a rose from his spacious estate. We were afforded a wonderful opportunity to see the country life of Holland in a drive from Utrecht to Amsterdam. The landscape is dotted | with Holstein cattle, and not a single j fence separates the many herds. It appears that many of the little sluice3 or canals are quick sand at the bottom and at the calf age the animal is thrown into the water and given an eperience with the treacherous quick sand, a hard lesson but a lasting one. The little canals can hardly be seen, but they are all over the land. Yesterday I saw what was very funny to me. A herd of cattle was grazing on the land at the bottom of a twenty-foot cliff. At the top of the hill all types ! of ships were moving along the canal. A tree had fallen across the road and it looked like a long delay as the Dutch workers in their wooden shoes j proceeded to out the tree in Several sections in order to clear the highway on which the traffic was already piling up. The 30 odd Canadians with pioneer initiative peculiar to_ the race (*that's good) toolc hold of the tree and dragged it off the road, leaving the Hollanders standing in their wooden shoes with their mouths open, staring at us dumbly as we whisked by in our big bus. Since the above was written some" time has intervened in which yours truly has beheld the greatest spectacle of his young career. The "Parade of Nations" in the Olympic Stadium at Amsterdam was beyond a doubt one of the greatest in the history of athletics. Every seat in the vast stadium was filled and the bleacher section was one huge mass of human- ity. The Prince Consort arrived in State and the affair began to m All the nations lined up on the c pus outside the stadium. Then the parade began with the countries filing in in alphabtical order, with the exception of Greece, whose athletes were the first to enter the great stadium in recognition of the fact that they were the sous of the founders of the Olympic games. Canada filed in about third and I think that we looked about as hot, if not hotter, than most of them. The crowds gave ua a wonderful reception. There were 47 countries in all represented, and it was most inspiring to us of the British Empire to see our flag appear in so many different forms and carried by so many different races of people: Australia, Rhodesia, Ireland, Scotland, England, India and Canada, all belonging to one great family and all recognizing in each other one great fraternity of nations. Yes, the old Empire will take a stiff breeze to shake it, and wherever the flag flies the sympathy of all and the good wishes of all are centred there. Waiters, yes they have them in Holland, but they are the worst in the world. Must close now. Best to all. JACK. Scots Excavate Picts' Village Site of New Archaeological Discoveries Is Skail Bay, in Orkneys Glasgow.--Archeological discoverers of great interest have just been made on the Skara shore of Skail Bay in the Orkneys. A prehistoric village of huts connected by winding subterranean streets has been laid bare. The Office of Works is conducting the excavation^operations on a gorup of - Picts' houses under the direction of Prof. V. Gordon Childe of Edinburgh University, an archeologist familiar with prehistoric Scotland. The latest find is a new chamber or hut, which is in a better state of preservation than the one examined by Petrie in 1860. For the first time the relics and the construction of one of these wonderful structures have been accurately observed and photographed. Much pottery has been un-eartled, including a number of quaintly ornamented sherds never previously seen, but which are expected to help th approximate dating of the site. The excavations when completed will probably reveal an entire village with streets, passages and galleries, i Industries Increasing in Old I Country? In the course of his presidential ad-j dress at the annual meeting of thej Chamber of Shipping of the United' Kingdom at Rugby, Sir William Seager said there were signs that aj revival to a state of comparative j prosperity might be expected before. long. If the heavy industries were i moving slowly toward prosperity^ they were none the less moving. The j expansion of thirty-four new indus-j tries, involving the additional employ- j lent of 874,000 people, was a most en-1 juraging sign. Crime in London Only 4 Per Cent of . New York Total Britons, Celebrating Center. >• ary of Scotland Yard, pT Point to Speed of i_ Justice ' "Bobbies" Are Unarmed Successful Solution of All Murders in 1927 is Cited London.--The celebration of Scotland Yard's one hundredth birthday has furnished the occasion for an exhaustive analysis of England's victory The metropolitan police force was organized a century ago by Sir Robert Peel, whose name is preserved in the popular appellation "bobbies." It has been built up into an institution of such efficiency that England now claims to be the least criminal nation in the world. How great is the difference in crime between British municipalities and those of other countries may be seen in a comparison between the two largest cities of the world, New York and London. Cites New York Crime The total of all crimes in New York, with a population of 6,000,000, during one fiscal year was 333,083. The total for London during the same period was 15,662, out of a population of 7,-746,000. In other words, London's weight of criminality was practically 4 per cent, that of New York. Closely associated with the Londoner's exultation in this low figure is his belief that it is caused by moral rather than armed force. The London policeman does not carry a revolver. His only weapon 13 a truncheon, or stick, which he uses only when he himself is attacked. The "bobby" is a respected member of the community and usually a magnificent specimen of manhood. He walks unarmed into the most dangerous quarters of the East End of London. He has been known to arrest six men who attempted to attack him merely by wielding his baton assiduously. Swift Justice in Britain The Londoner believes that much of the crime in America is caused by the fact that the police are an armed force. Violence, he thinks, breeds violence. In England the two undoubtedly major factors which conduce to the reduction of crime are the successful detection of crime by Scotland Yard and other police organisations, and the prompt justice meted out to the offenders. In the metropolitan area of London last year not a "single mur- the murderer was uncovered and brought before the court. Criminal justice is far faster in England than civil justice. It is no unusual event for a criminal to be tried, convicted and hung within four weeks of the commission of his crime. Such rapid-fire punishment deters prospective criminals from Insurring the risk of a like fate. The apple crop of Canada for 1928 is estimated at 3,157,360 barrels, an increase over 1927 of about 350,000 No motorist will contend that the petrol retailer should not be granted a reasonable profit. Grace: "I'm going to enter Fido in th !o lO-A n si 'ear." Mabel "Do you think he'll win?" "No, but he'll Wholesale Moving Great 1 500-Mile Trek of 300 Families Across South Africa to Take 1 2 Months Barkly West, S. Africa.--Within next few months there will begin what may be regarded as the last of the great trscks that have mad» South African history. Some 300 families, comprising 1,842 persons, with 340 wagons and 15,000 animals, who for the past two generations have suffered hardship, will make a new beginning. They are the Angola Boers in the Portuguese West African territory, whom the Union Government has graciously allowed to settle in South West Africa. Only a small number are well off. The greater number are needy. They will receive a loan of £350,000, free of interest. Each family is to get a farm of about 16,000 acres in extent. For the first five years of occupation they will be lessees, and thereafter the purchase may be paid in 30 years. In cash each family receives £400 to £800 for house, bore-hole, windmill and dam. The cattle advances must be repaid within five years. The few who possess £1,000 or more, are allowed to take up land on the same conditions as.any ordinary scitlor. .! Some of the families will have ta trek 1,500 miles by wagon before reaching their allotted farms. No farmeif*may introduce any live stock from Angola, so that when the KunenS River is reached all animals must be disposed of. At the drift the Administration of South Africa will assume tlie responsibility of the continuance of the trek, a further distance of 700 miles, truly a formidable undertaking, Wheft tyg d-^ ^t^e tbo Jerri tqry to be crossed is considered. ' The trek will then be continued in batches of three groups of five wagr ons each, every fortnight. According to t{ie prepared schedule the greatt risk ivili' occupy about 12 months to complete. An international expedition organized in Russia plans to explore the unknown territory of the highest mountains in that country! Salesman (to man buying complete gardening equipment)--"You'll want She of these syringes for green fly.'^ Amateur Gardener--"Yes -- er -- Ij see. Now--er--where do I get the green fly?"