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Gommentary on the Highlights of the Week's THAT SALES TAX: The 1938 Budget just brought down in the, House by Finance Minister Dun- ning pleased a lot of people, manu- facturers of builders' supplies par- ticularly. But others, 'who 'had hoped to see that 8 per cent. sales tax reduced were not so pleased. The sales tax, nicknamed "nuis- ance tax," originated in the teens of this century as a war tax. In the boom years of the twenties it dropped to 1 per cent, then fol- lowing the depression, it made three successive jumps till it got up to 8 per cent. Now the situa- tion has reached the point where 26 per cent. of all revenue collect- ed .by the Dominion Government comes from the sales tax. Every man, woman and child in this country is affected by the tax because it ups the price of all the property and merchandise, etc., that we buy--everything except food. IN DIFFICULTIES: Mussolini's diplomatic representatives are pushing like anything now to have the Anglo-Italian agreement of April 16th brought into action at once in spite of the fact that the war in Spain is nowhere near a conclusion (withdrawal of Italian "volunteers" from Spain at the end of the war was one of the terms of the treaty). Reason for the haste on the part of Italy: Mussolini is hard-pressed for cash, wants to borrow some from Ing- land; drought pretty well ruined Italian crops this year so Italy will have to buy grain(from Rus- sia; thirdly, Mussolini wants real- for-sure recognition made of the new Italian Empire (meaning sov- ercignty over Abyssinia). RURAL HYDRO: Ixtension of Hydro service in rural areas to two services per mile, instead of three, is beginning to show defin- ite results More farmers are installing the _ service and enjoying the benefits of electric light now that the old "guarantee" contracts (under which if two farmers wanted to have hydro service they had to sign a third contract and pay a charge of $1 per been cancelled. Soon we won't have to go to the city to see the brights lights . ... when every farm home in Ontario is electrified. month) have ® timated throughout Ontario. . News . . . By Elizabeth Eedy READY FOR ACTION: The situation in France? Very com- plex, we asSure you, as usual. But here are the highlights: Premier Daladier's "Radical Socialist" (not radical at all) government which came into power in April has gained a free hand to rule the re- public by decree until November, has adjourned parliament 'and silenced all effective opposition for the time being. . While making the utmost diplo- matic efforts to stave off a Euro- pean conflict, the government is nevertheless organizing France on a war-time basis, ready for ac- tion. France's mobilization orders' .are printed and ready for use if necessary, in every commune of the republic. The Maginot line of defense along the eastern borders is thought to be impregnable against invasion (But not so the Spanish border--there is cause for worly about that, with German and Italian armies on the other side of those mountains). FOURTEEN DAYS: What of France's ally, Czechoslovakia? Pledged to go to her aid, it Is es- it would take fourteen days for French armies to find themselves in a position inside Czechoslovakia where they could repel any invader . . . . It has leaked out within the past week that the plan to invade Czecho- slovakia most favored by the Ger- man military staff schedules a swift, overpowering series of at- tacks on the Czech front crush all opposition, end everything before fourteen days are up. IRISH ELECTIONS: Prime Minister Ilamon de Valera of Eine went to town on the issue of his new sweeping agreements with England, won the June elections (second in Eire within a year) with an overwhelming majority. Now Prime Minister de Valera has what he has been wanting for seven years, In 1931 when de Valera's group, the Fianna Fail, became the Government party, it had a precarious majority; for the last five years it has been dependent upon a small Labor group to hold office. Now for the first time Mr. - de Valera will be independent of all small groups, and he is free to pursue his policy of reconstruc- tion and national defense. VOICE THE WORLD AT LARGE of the CANADA THE EMPIRE PRESS CANADA No Camouflage Job There seems to be more to the railroad problem than just fixing a locomotive to look like some- thing clse.--Sherbrooke Record. Cat Out Of The Bag That Japanese admiral who in an unguarded moment, admitted that there is a war on over in Asia, let the cat out of a cello- phane bag, so to speak.--Strat- ford Beacon-Herald. The' Real Patriot The real patriot is the man who, without fear or favor, not only disinterestedly supports what he believes to be right in public matters, but takes the trouble to inform himself, to the very best of his ability, upon all questions of public moment.--Guelph Mer- cury. Horror a La Mode Gas Masks are chic, according to latest reports. London society has taken them up and everybcdy that really matters is attending gas-raid salons. The best-known leaders of the haut monde are holding smell-soirces. Vials of liquid that smell like the real gas are passed around and delicately sniffed, masks are worn, and classes in raid-behaviour -- exclu- sive classes--are held. You can almost hear the screams of amuse- nient over here.--Quebec Chron- icle-Telegraph. ---- Not By Lazy Women A woman's convention a8 plac- ed itself on record as favoring the appointment of more women to the Senate of Canada. With all due respect for the ladies, we think this is a lazy woman's plea. Women, if they want to get into blic life, should be willing to go nto the arena and toil for their A--0 political honors, and, by fighting elections, prove their ability. Ag- nes Macphail and Mrs. Black, we feel sure, would not ask to be ex- cused from struggle and demand a place in the Senate that can be won by mere appointment, and not by hard work. -- Fort William Times-Journal. Let's Sing More No, this is no tirade against radios and phonographs. It is an appeal for more singing. Yes, £nd, incidentally, it is a plea for more whistling. Singing ard whistling drive away the blue devils. They heal neighborly quarrels and pro- mote domestic felicity. The old Methodist church won her way to dominance in the world and to a special service at untold value by her singing. When she degenecrat- ed to having her singing done by proxy, she lost pround. No nation 13 preat, or remains great long, ppizss her people ave singers. Denniark was saved by her songs and her religion.--Exeter Times- Advocate. The Deep Waterway Project But, while nature invited this project and it is obviously right thut it should ultimately be car- ried out, the new treaty will have anything anything but an easy path in either country. In the United States there will be contin- ued opposition from the States in- terested in developing . a ' water route from Lake Michigan to the Gulf of Mexico, from the inter- ests that seek to protect the traf- fic between Buffalo and New York by the Erie Canal, and from the power corporations and others, In Canada, opposition has been expressed to the project in the Maritimes, in Quebec and in Brit- ish Columbia; and Premier Hep- burn, of Ontario, has been, and still is, opposed. There are many friends of the project in Ontario, however and that Province and the Prairie Provinces which would | chiefly benefit, have a little over half the population of .Canada. Canada's Only Pet Cemetery Located Near Aurcra Is Abloom With Flowers on the Graves ----Dogs, Cats, Canary, Horse Buried There, Sweet peas, tulips, daffodils and hyacinths bloom "in Happy Wood- land, Canada's only pet cemetery where $50 caskets and plain graves mark the burial places of favorite animals. A soldier's horse lies in the cemetery and a canary whose body was sent from Winnipeg rests be- neath a spreading shade tree. But dogs and cats occupy most of the plots. The cemetery wag laid out 11 years ago by Mr. and Mrs. Victor Blochin as a burial place for their pets, but gradually it has become a public place. As its fame has spread the bodies of animals have been sent to Aurora from many parts of the Dominion. Collie and a Monkey A 10-year-old boy brought his collie. Soon afterwards the collie's friend Peter, a monkey, followed. Most of the owners ask only that their pets be buried in simple shrouds with plain headstones over the graves, There are many ex- pensive caskets and memorials, though, among the long, soft grass and swaying flowers. Plan Developing Canadian Drama C. B. C. Manager Encourages Writing Plays for 'Radio -- Drama to Interpret Carada The great field for endeavor open to Canadian authors in the "drama of manners, a drama to interpret Canada to Canadians," Major Glad- stone Murray, general manager of the Canadian Broadcasting Copora- tion, told delegates attending the 17th annual convention of the Can- adian Authors' Association, in the city of Montreal, last week. The C. B. C. was encouraging Ca- nadian writing and asked that the scripts be submitted, he said. "It we succeed in establishing a Can- adian dramatic presentation, it will serve a double purpose, Not only will the position of the Canadian author be consolidated but broad- casting will get away from imita- tion of other large network ideas." Readings and spoken essays if authentic and well-done are a very worth-while advertisement, he be- Heved. What Constitutes Drama "Canadian drama is not necessar- fly the historical events of the time of Jacques Cartier, General Brock and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police," he said. "If you are inter- ested in writing for radio, put your history books back on the shelf and write something perplexing, amus- ing or vitally.real." Highways In Dominion Now: Total 400,000 Miles That "Something" Smilers Win the Best Jobs, Says Expert It's the people who smile who get the best jabs. tion of Mr. Herbert Trevell, grey- haired, kindly-eyed man who in- terviews hundreds of applicants a week for a big Birmingham (Eng- land) business house, "Smilers stand a much better chance than the glum ones," he told me. "I see so 1 'ny men and women ifn my little office every day, as I have done for years, that I can tell at once whether the applicants have got that 'something' that is the dif- ference between success and fall ure. al "And the smile goes a long way towards that 'something'." So keep smiling. It may get y a raise or a better job. The standardization of fruit and vegetables is'being studied by the British agricultural depart- ment. > - > Raging Yellow River Drowned Chinese and Japanese Both : Invaders can be stopped by shell and bullet, well directed and in sufficient quantity, but China has never been able to curb the Yellow river--that is why the great waterway, at once a blessing and a curse, is called "China's sorrow." The Yellow river again in revolt and already has claimed an estimated 150,000 vic- tims over hundreds of square miles -of Honan province. Scenes like the ABOVE, once more are the rule Here you see a railroad rendered useless by the flood. The river plays as refugees. flee the raging waters. no favorites, either, for it is reported Ontario's War On Ragweed Plant Is Responsible for 80 Per Cent, of Hay Fever--You Can Help Eradicate It TORONTO. -- In an effort to eradicate ragweed, the pollen from the flowers of which is believed . to be responsible for 80 per cent. of Ontario's hay fever, a joint letter has been sent out by the Department of Health, Education and Agriculture of the Provincial Government to municipal clerks urging that war be waged on this ~ weed. Spread Increases The communication which bears the signature of Harold J. Kirby, Minister of Health; Dr. L. J. Simpson, Minister of Education, and P. M. Dewan, Minister of Ag- That makes the project one of na- tional importance. If half the country benefited directly, the rest of the country would assured- ly benefit indirectly. -- Winnipeg Free Press. The EMPIRE Why China Must Be Helped Germany has annexed Austria. From the Baltic to the Adriatic they now cry in frenzied passion "Heil, Hitler!" What next! II Duce is now the head of an em- pire and he dreams visions of the glory of ancient Rome. Spain will soon be a complete Fascist State. All that is lacking now is a Jap- anese victory in China, That would be the signal for real action by the dictators. Fortunately, China by her own determined efforts has prevented the fulfilment of that aim so far. Far from being crushed and beaten, China's spirit burns more luminously than ever. Her will to win remains as strong as it ever was and she will main- tain the resistance and make any further sacrifice required by her. In return China asks, and the * democracies must give her, every assistance to continue the strug- gle until vietory has been achiev- ed, The defeat of China is the surest way to put the clock back fifty years and to ensure the visi- tation on humanity of the greatest horrors it has endured since the dawn of time.--Hong Kong Press. riculture, reads in part: "The several interested depart- ments of Government have during the last few years been reminded of the increase In the spread of ragweed. This plant. is apparently found with increasing frequency - in all parts of Southern Ontario. ' Three Per Cent. Suffer - "While hay fever is not consid- ered to be a serious form of ill- ness, it is extremely disturbing to those who are affected by it and its complications are frequently serious enough. that somewhere in the neighbor- hood of 3 per cent. of the popula- tion are susceptible to various manifestations of allergy, with hay fever due to ragweed as the most important single item. "The plant can be easily iden- tified, and as it is listed among the noxious weeds, suitable ar- rangements should be made to en- sure its destruction in all com- munities, both rural and urban, before' the plant begins to flower in late June or early July. The second growth of the cut stalk should be again cut down late in August or early September." Accident Toll Outranks War U.S. 1937 Fatalities More Than Double Number Killed At Front. ¢ The U. S. National Safety Council announced last week that accidents claimed 106,000 lives in 1937 -- a total gmore than twice as great as the number of American lives lost in the World War. Injuries from accidents disabled 9,900,000 persons during the year-- - at least one member of every fourth 'family. 4 Cost $3,600,000,000 The calculable costs of all acci- dents ran to $3,600,000,000 which, the council said, was enough to build 76 Empire State buildings. Motor vehicle accidents during 1937 caused 39,600 deaths, 1,360,000 personal injuries and an economic loss of $1,700,000,000. The trafic fatalities represented a four per- cent, increase over 1936. Ordinary colds cost England $126,000,000 in the last twelve months in lost work, treatment and other expenses, It is estimated | {NAMES 7s that thousands of invading Japanese troops were among its victims, Domestic Pig Is Slandered We often say someone is "a dirty pig," but little do we realize that we are slandering the poor pig. This little animal is natural- ly clean and will not wallow or sleep in filth unless nothing better is available. Pigs are among the cleanest of all farm animals if allowed to be so. Most pigs are "pigs" because their owners force them to live and bathe in dirty places. Neither is the pig more lazy than other animals, if al- lowed his freedom. Germans registered with the police of England number 9,000 men and 11,000 women, That is the declara- Canada's Vast Network Is One Of Outstanding Develop- ments of Present Century-- Cavalcade of Four Million Tourists A Year, Canada's vast network of high- ways, comprising more than 400,- 000 miles, is among the outstanding developments of the present cen- tury. In addition to providing ar- teries of trayel for more than a mil- lion motor cars of Canadian regis- tration, these highways also carry a great cavalcade of more than four million tourist automobiles a year from other lands. The surfaced highway mileage in Canada ex- ceeds 99,360 miles, while unsurfac- ed roads totalled more than 311,000 miles. Early Travel by Water In the early days of settlement roads were auxiliary to water routes as avenues of transportation, They were used during the sum. mer season when portages were ne- cessary to avoid obstacles in river and lake travel, and in winter when fice prevented navigation. With the spread of settlement and the de- mand for means of communication between centres of population, overland routes became necessary and road construction got under way in the pioneer stages of the de- velopment of the country. Road building in Canada receiv- ed additional stimulation with the advent of the automobile, which re- volutionized the- mode of travel of the nation. This gave birth to the motor tourist industry, which has . been an incentive to governing bod- ies to improve trunk roads and scenic highways within their juris- dictions. Today Canada's highway systems link modern cities with re- glons of almost primeval wilder- ness, and serve a land blessed by an indulgent Nature with an unriv- alled wealth of travel attractions. Parks, Scenic Wonders From east to west, there is the scenic beauty of the Maritimes, the old-world charm of Quebec, the On- tario lake regions, the world-famed Niagara, the Great Lakes, the park. lands of the prairies, and the grandeur of the mighty Rocky and Selkirk mountains, to mention only some of the more outstanding while countless lakes, river and forests provide facilities for fishing, hunt. ing and summer and winter sports. Among Canada's greatest attrac- tions for travellers by highway or - other means are the - National Parks, comprising twenty separate units with a total area of about 12,626 square miles. 'Within the National Parks are almost 600 miles of all-weather motor. = high- ways and more than 200 miles of secondary scenic and historic asso- ciations, 5 Head-Hunters Are Sent Down MANILA, P. I.--Five Kalinga head-hunters drew minimum sen- tences last week for lopping off the heads of two Christian youths. The court was lenient because the .head-hunters were uneducat- "ed, lived in wild country and be- longed to a non-Christian tribe. The ruling of the Philippine Court of Appeals upheld the trial court. Each of the Kalingas was sentenced to 12 to 16 years in prison and to indemnify the heirs of their victims $1,000. BE YE REET TLE TITER TS Es 3 : 2 aa oe * ha 200, EWS 2000000000000 00000 00000000 EILAIEIIEITELEIPIE0EE REV. GEORGE A. LITTLE Addressing a Temperance Rally in Trinity United Church, Toronto, last week, Rev. Dr, George A. Lit tle, a well-known official of the United Church of Canada whose picture appears at the head of this column, inaugurated. a Province- wide campaign against the bever-/ age rooms of Ontario, - Dr. Little charged that both Lib. erals and Conservatives in Ontario had been "plastic as putty" In the hands of the Moderation League. The Moderation League, he sald, "had more Influence with the Gov- ernment than all the churches." Térming beer "the danger spot in the Ontario alcoholic picture," Dr, Little called for a vigorous cam- paign to restrict its sale. The speaker charged that campaign funds from brewers to politicians, - ag well as the liquor profits in the Provincial Budget, were responsible for the continuance of beverage rooms. ' Controversy Rages The suggestion was advanced that Liquor Commissioner E. G. Odette "plants beverage rooms" near Protestant Churches. and avoids putting them "near a. Roman Catholic church or near the home of a Roman Catholic Priest." "We need not hope," Dr. Little said, "that the traditions of English Pro- testantism will be familiar to a man of French-Canadian, Catholic ex- traction." ' A great stir was created in the Ontario press by Dr. Little's state- ments chiefly by virtue of the con- troversial issués raised. Aside from the liquor question, whether one is an adygeate of temperance or not, one 'deplores the unfortunate refer- ence to a man of French extraction which is likely t~ arouse feelings of antagonism in this day when Can- ada needs all the "hands" towards national solidarity she ¢'n muster, .tion by explorers ° "they do not need baths. Some say Earthquake Is Big Surprise To Great Britain -- Scientists Say Latest Occurrence Is > Most Unusual In "British Isles Toronto scientists expressed sure prise when informed of the earth- quake which rocked Great Britain last week, and claimed three lives in 'Belgium, says the Globe and Mail, "I had always believed England to lie outside the so-called earth- quake zone," John Patterson, Direc- tor of the Meteorological Service of Canada, declared. Mr, Patterson could not recall having heard of an- other earthquake in Great Britain, Frank O'Donnell, chief weather forecaster for Toronto, explained that the Meteorological Service no longer has a selsmograph in Toron- to. "It was transferred to the De- partment of Mines and Resources more than a year ago," he declar- ed. "So we would have no record of the quake here. It is most un- usual for England to experience an earthquake," Out of the Zone Dr. T. M, Millman, lecturer in astronomy at the University of To- ronto, said the British Isles' had never been considered in the earth- quake zone, "Chief earthquake cen- tres," he sald, seem to be on the Pacific coasts of North America and Asia, I cannot recall a severe tre- mor in Northern Europe." Dr. C. A. Chant, Director of the Dunlap Observatory at Richmond Hill, declared England had been notably free from earthquakes. "The British Isles," he said, "en- joy the same immunity from earth- quakes as Ontarlo. There have been few tremors worth recording in England for the past 100 years." Eskimos Have Perfect Teeth | Dental Condition of Eskimos Is Best In World Because They Live On Hard Meats, At a conference of dentists in Montreal the other day, a pro- fessor of that science at Columbia University who had worked for 15 years in the Labrador and Alaska regions stated that the Eskimos have the most perfect teeth in the world, says the St. Thomas Times-Journal. It ig a rare thing to find an Eskimo who has not the full number of 32, and their dental condition is due to the fact that they chiefly subsist on hard meats. If an Eskimo develops teeth trouble it is invariably due to association too much with white men and acquiring a liking for the white men's soft foods, includ- ing bread and sugar. : No Toothpaste Needed - Eskimos do not need tooth- pastes. And according to observa- and hunters, the Eskimos never go into" the water unless chance tips over their kyaks. 'Mr. Steffanson, who knows the Eskimos better than anyone else, asserts they do go in the water for a swim. Be that as it may, they never go in the water for the avowed purpose of having a bath. The water where they live is invariably too cold. They are a very healthy race, however, so long as they adhere to their own ways of living, and in these two respects--no teeth cleaning and no bathing--they go contrary to cherished principles of white men's hygiene. The only Eskimos with poor teeth are found among old women whose molars have been worn down by -many years of chewing leather to make it pliable. There is a lesson in this for "parents. Give your childran plen- ty of hard, chewy foods and dis- courage them from . taking too much food that can be swallowed easily and from eating too much starchy and sugary articles of diet. Visit To Dentist Soon A Pleasure New Anaesthetic Will Work Wonders--The Perfect Anal- gesia Described at. Conven- tion, Dentists gathered for the an- nual convention of the Northeast- cern Dental Society at Swampscott, Mass, last week, heard of anaes- thesia which might permit removal of a patient's teeth and replace- ment with false teeth in 50 min- utes, and analgesia which one dentist said would make visits to the dentist "a pleasure", This type of anaesthesia was described as quick, safe and easily 'controlled and without ill effects on kidneys, heart or lungs, and causing no illness afterward. Administered As Vapor Dr, Joseph Tibert of Fitchburg announced that virtually perfect- ed analgesia, administered as a vapor, would deaden nerve ends in a tooth being filled. He des cribed the vapor as stimulating and not affecting consciousness. -