THE STRATFORD MIRROR Friday, June 15, 1945 « > R.A.F. BOMB JAPANESE ESCAPE ROUTE IN BURMA Photo shows the Myitnge bridge, which crosses the river Myitnge, -~arrying the main railway line from Mandalay to Rangoon, after an attack by R.A.F. Thunderbolts. Its destruction was part of the R.A.F.'s work in support of the 14th Army which, following its capture of Mandalay, has routed the entire Japanese 15th Army in Burma. Seven- teen thousand Japanese dead were reported in April in one area alone. ee * Post-Mortem of An Election It must be reported at this time that almost as much interest, if not more, as the developments in the general election itself of 1945 has been the sur- prising disclosures backstage along Parliament Hill of the urgent need for a rearrangement of the whole method of choosing the people's representa- tives in general elections so that a much better order of things in the general election system may be cre- ated for future tests of public opinion or the present order of things may be reconstructed in a new form in the interests of the people. For a long time there have been re- curring outcries against some imper- fections in the general electoral sys- tem of this country but no real lasting improvements have been introduced once the smoke of the electoral battle in any year had cleared away. In- deed, at times much heat has been generated on Parliament Hill by such charges and counter-charges of op- posing politicians that one side or an- other was responsible for the state of affairs, though nothing was really done to bring about sound, lasting improvements in the methods for choosing the people's representatives, including claims of wrongs in the fin- ancing of some political campaigns, in the lassitude of the electorate, in the election of representatives who actually represented a minority of the electorate, and other similar serious encumbrances that hindered possibly the smooth operations of the demo- cratic system of electing a parliament. With a multiplicity of candidates in 1945 such as never seen previously in a general election and many different political parties or groups, the neces- Our Capitol Correspondent Written exclusively for The Stratford Mirror By Dean Wilson. OTTAWA sity for reform in these matters has been accentuated so that the great prominence given to these wrongs may be followed by pressure for action in the new parliament. Foe nO Behind the Whispers During the political campaign across Canada odd stories were heard behind the scenes in Ottawa about the sup- posed problem of amalgamation of the Canadian railways, with the alleged support in this matter of certain po- litical interests in this campaign. Now another odd story is heard that high ranking officials from Ottawa are visit- ing London in order to discuss the ex- tension of credits by Canada to Bri- tain so that the: trade between these two nations may be continued in the post-war era, with the comment that the oddity is provided by the angle that in time there might be a possi- bility that the British Government may decide to buy and to return to Canada the $500,000,00 to $600,000,000 worth of Canadian railway securities now held privately in the United King- dom as an aid in such arrangements for credits. If such a decision should be made by the British Government, the Canad- ian Government could either keep such railway securities as more gov- ernment-owned properties or sell them in this country, this meaning a possi- bility of more government-owned rail- way or the continuation of one gov- ernment-owned railway and. another privately-owned as it exists at the present time in this country. * bd * This Is the Truth There has been widespread publicity throughout the United Nations about the fact that the United States has spent about $39,000,000,000 on "lend- lease" in World War 2, but it has not been properly publicized that, if; the national incomes of the United States and Canada are compared, Canada's mutual aid would be comforable to an expenditure of over $50,000,000,000 by the United States. This is the truth, CDS. You'll Find Many Fitting Gifts For Father FOR JUNE 17th C.D.S. Days .. June 14, 15, 16 « CANADIAN DEPARTMENT STORES simiren and it is not always realized by the average man or woman even in Can- ada. So far the Canadian Govern- ment has spent about $2,800,000,000 on mutual aid to the Motherland and other United Nations, and another $500,000,000 will probably be spent in the current fiscal year for such pur- poses, with the additional sum of $700,000,000 having been loaned by Canada to Britain without interest. ee Favorable Facts At a time when the United States Government and others are seriously worried about meeting their domestic meat requirements, it is most interest- ing to report that information in Ot- tawa seems to indicate that Canada's domestic meat needs are being met in a relatively satisfactory manner, though there may be shortages in some sections, especially in the big cities. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that, under present conditions, Can- ada has not even considered continu- ously a policy of meat rationing. Fur- thermore, other food requirements in this country are being met fairly well,. including eggs, fish, butter, fruits and vegetables. a" * * Charges of Waste A spokesman in Ottawa has made: the charge that about 200 temporary houses built under wartime housing scheme cost an average of about $3,200: and these houses, he claimed, would. probably be torn down in time after the war, lacking furnaces, founda- tions, and other conveniences, though: in the same area private contractors were offering solid permanent type dwellings, complete with furnaces, foundations, etc., at prices ranging as low as $3,800 so that he alleged that the government had paid a few hun- dred less, getting no comparable values to those offered by the private contractors. NEXT MON. - TUES. ERROL FLYNN "OBJECTIVE BURMA" FRI. See Moe Their NEWEST and GREATEST FUN! ri PHIL SPITALNY ane te | HOUR OF CHA ALL GIRL ORC. feoturing EVELYN ond her Magic Viohn oe POs, ele A UNIVERSAL PICTURE : as