itunye nl 2 The t 7 3 f er PR i onetnies ; : if { - Published Weekly by the Stratford Mirror Press, 1253 Ontario St. BENSON JOHNSTON, Publisher DAVID RAE, Manager Vol. 24 Circulation 4,200 STRATFORD, SEPT. 13, 1946. No. 37 Where Are The Bathtubs? It must afford house-hungry cit- izens of Stratford a great deal of}. satisfaction to stroll past the Hous- ing Enterprises site in Strudley Park and note the splendid progress being made in the erection of new homes. Already over a dozen houses have reached the roofed-in stage, several others have walls up, and foundations have been poured for many more. It is an encouraging sight to those who have been hunt- ing in vain for a place to live. But the large pile of bathtubs, ly- ing crated and piled in a muddy field, must be an aggravating sight to many other citizens. For, strange as it may seem, bathtubs have be- come the stumbling block in many a returned man's dream of a "home of his own'. The supply of bathroom fixtures is simply not adequate to the demand, and no home is habit- able without one. In this city alone the shortage has caused postpon- ment or abandonment of several building plans that would have help- ed relieve the housing situation, and every plumber in town is waiting for delivery of bathtubs to install in new or remodelled homes. Under these circumstances it is unfortunate that the available sup- ply of bathtubs should be lying in fields waiting, in many cases, for houses that will not be complete for months. It has been estimated by one competent authority that it will be weeks before any of the Strudley Park houses are ready to receive a bathtub, while many other homes are in urgent need of them now. Of course, the high priority rating 'under which Housing Enterprises obtained these plumbing supples, is very necessary. It is in the quick completion of such projects that the solution to the housing situation lies. But surely there is no need'to com- mandeer all the supplies 'available now just to ensure that there will be no delay months from now. When it is remembered that these tactics are being duplicated by the Wartime Housing company, and that similar piles of bathtubs are accum- ulating wherever these companies are operating, it is a moot question whether the bathtub shortage isn't artificial after all. HOME SERVICES APPEAL STARTS MONDAY The annual United Home Services appeal, made on behalf of the Y.M. C.A. and the Salvation Army, affords the citizens of Stratford the oppor- tunity to aid in the great and nec- essary work carried on by these two organizations. It has for several years had the wholehearted finan- cial and moral support of the com- munity, and will no doubt this year continue to find favour. The work of the Salvation Army among the underpriveliged and eco- nomically insecure sections of the community is something of which every thinking person approves. The Army asks few questions of people in need and is slow to pass judg- ment, but is always ready to help and encourage those whom life has bullied and defeated. The activities of the Y.M.C.A. are of an entirely different character, but are equally deserving of support. Every movement for the betterment (Continued on page 4) poe. ork IT BY ELMORE PHILPOTT OUR PRIME MINISTER NEVER RENDERED A MORE TIME- ly service than when he stamped so effectively on the war-monger- ing campaign to which the press services are too often making them- selves accessories. The Canadian Press report, dated Halifax, September 3, quotes Mr. King on several important points: 1. That the Paris Peace Conference was headed for success, not failure, and that he personally was "more optimistic about conditions in Europe than when he left Canada six weeks ago." 2. That the wrong kind of publicity was harming the work of the Conference and the cause of world peace. 3. That too much of the press was "placing a false emphasis on sensational events" and even manufacturing sensational events when there was no basis in fact for such invention. - j * * * THERE WOULD BE A REAL LAUGH IN ONE POINT MADE by Mr. King--were the whole situation not so grave. The Prime Minister pooh-poohed the wild story about a fancied insult to Can- ada, when Mr. Molotov left the room during his own speech. "T do not think there was anything in it at all," said the Prime Minister--thus sawing off the limb onto which many Red-baiting newspapers had climbed. But Mr. King's speech raises a much more serious issue. That is--why are the great wire services, such as the Associated Press, carrying so many irresponsible and inflammatory dispatches on the very subjects covered by our Prime Minister? The Associated Press carried a cable from Paris, dated August 30, and written by Relman Marin, which read in part: "The peace conference appears now to be headed. for failure and people in Paris, both foreigners and French ...are more pro- foundly impressed. . .. They feel a third world war is already in sight. ... If Versailles bred a second world war in 20 years, how long will it take the conference at. Paris to start a third?" The above can only be called astounding. It violates all the ethics of responsible newspaper reporting. It even ends up with Hitler's favourite lie--that it was Versailles which "bred" the recent war. It quotes an anonymous "foreign minister of one country" to substantiate the blue-ruin, all-is-lost conclusion. Yet it ignores our own Prime Minister, Mr. King, who had given public statements the © very reverse of those quoted by the Associated Press man. . * * * THERE WAS A TIME WHEN RESPONSIBLE NEWSPAPERS and especially the press wire services, drew a deep and clearly vis- (Continued on page 5) ~ BOYD'S SPECIALIZE IN FITTING Many styles are available in or- thopedic types. These shoes are. built weak feet only. to fit weak feet and Thus "abnormal measurements" are not even ex-. pected to fit normal feet--but they're g-r-rand if your feet need them. < GOOD SHOES 99 PROPERLY ONTARIO FITTED Sven ------ ST. River Drainage Reveals Debris Some weeks ago we devoted @ column to the preservation of the natural beauty of the Avon river. At that time we made strong accusa~ tions about the abuse that some cit- izens use to the river. A brief inspec~ tion of the river bed, now that it's drained, will certainly substantiate our claims. The river has become the resting place of old tires, empty bottles and allied junk. It is to be hoped that, while the drainage is in effect, steps will be taken to clean out the mess. More important, we hope that, when the citizens see the mess that's been created, they" ll use a little more re- straint in the future. Stratford is indeed blessed with a beautiful natural setting that every~- one should desire to preserve, both: for our own advantage and for something to point to with pride when we have out-of-town visitors... We had company recently from De-- troit who were practically drooling: with envy over the good time you! ean have in Stratford. We took them: canoeing on the rever to the accom- paniment of a continual hymn 'ou ii praise for its beauties. We were & little ashamed of its tawdriness, but they thought it was beautiful. We wonder what they would have said' if it had been in the condition that it: should be. . Next summer let's all make a par=- ticular effort to keep our river and: parks as beautiful as they can be. And don't forget the wild life: either. We must treat the swans, ducks and geese with kindness. And, most important of all, give them am: even break when their nesting time arrives. That. brings up another point, one on which we're not really qualified to talk, the subject of fish. We observed, last' Spring, that @ good number of fish of all sizes were vainly attempting to get over the dam into the upper part of the river. As we said, this is a subject about which we're technically uninformed. However, we believe that the in- stallation of a fish ladder is defin- itely called for. Perhaps some of the local fish enthusiasts could contrib- ute more ideas on that subject. FALL FAIR . MAJOR ATTRACTION Next week is a banner week in Stratford, for it is Fall Fair week, a time to which both children and adults look forward to with great anticipation. The annual Fall Fair of the Stratford Agricultural Society has for years been the highlight of the Autumn season, and this year, more than ever, will deserve the title, "Western Ontario's Largest Fair." : The Fair will run for three days, opening Monday, September 16, with the Flower Show and Women's In- stitute exhibits the feature of the day. But from the opening of the gates on Monday till the final fan- fare Wednesday night, there will | not be a moment when something of interest will not be going on at the Fair. Tuesday has been designated "Rural School Children's Day", with the city kiddies having their inning on Wednesday. What with the wide variety of exhibitions and the side show and amusement attractions, it is questionable whether the children or their parents will enjoy them- -- selves the most. :