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-r- Pages from the Editors Notebook It is sad to relate that there will be only one pantomime in the London theatres this Christmas writes Adelphi in the Financial Post I can re member when there would be half a dozen and more but now there is only a solitary sur vivor says The de mon that comes up through the trap door is called Rising Costs The fairy godfather is tired of putting up the money The holiday public wants well known names and that means cash The season is short and the initial expendi ture on production just cannot be recovered so it is said Newmarket then is keeping pace with London this year be cause one pantomime is being produced at the town hall be tween Christmas and New Years by the Newmarket Dra matic club and the Betty Gor don Dancing Class It will be staged Monday Tuesday and Wednesday after Christmas The first pantomime was staged in Newmarket last year by the organizations Last year they presented Jack and the Beanstalk This year Al addin has been chosen to amaze and further thrill its spectators as well as its partici pants says the holiday public wants well known names and that means cash Aladdin has those well known Newmarket names as some of the veteran members of the Dramatic club will be in the pantomime such as Laurna and Nick George John Kudelka Joseph Dales and Ken Learning What more could the holiday public want Members of the council are working hard up to the end of the year A meeting was held Monday night and another special meeting will be held on Friday Council has had a lot of business to finish up before the new representatives take over From the Files of and 50 Years Ago DECEMBER If Mr and Mrs C Turner of McGregor Manitoba bro ther of Mrs P J Anderson and Mrs Morrison who was called east left for home on Wednesday evening Dec Mr and Mrs S daughter Nora mo tored up from Toronto on Tuesday afternoon and had dinner with her father and mother and in the evening she had a short visit with her little daughter June Hill on Queen St Prof J Dales of mont spent a few days in town with his son Dr Dales and attended the evan gelistic meeting last Friday night The many friends of Mrs J Thompson Park Ave will be pleased to know that she is able to be out of the house on Sunday the first time in Siva weeks While assisting in the kitchen at Trinity United church supper she was lifting a couple of large hams from a boiler the con tainer upset spilling the hot grease over her The scalding was so severe that a trained nurse had to be employed for two or three weeks However the worst is over and she will toon be around again as usual She is always so active that ve are sure she has been greatly missed in church work as well as in the choir The public schools are to give their Christmas music in the hall on the afternoon of Friday Dec beginning at two oclock Tins will allow parents and others interested to hear their programs in com fort For the last ten days friends in Toronto have been decorat ing the rooms at with lovely flow ers Mrs J of Peter borough nee Miss McCall spent a few days with her friend Miss Smith Mrs A Thompson of Niagara Falls spent the weekend with her daughter Mrs Curtis Mr and Mrs McKcwon motored to Roches Point last Sunday and called on Mr Miss Ruth Kinley of Toron to spent the weekend with her friend Miss Eileen Boyd Mr Harry of Glidden is home to spend the winter with his parents DECEMBER Miss of Toronto formerly of Newmarket will leave next week for Vancou ver she will visit Mrs and afterwards go on to stay with friends in Seattle Miss Ethel accomp anies her sister and after the marriage of Miss Ashworth and Mr Townley vhich is to take place early in January intends making a short round of visits to Vancouver before returning to Toronto Miss Clara who has suffering from a severe attack of typhoid fever is im proving nicely and Miss a recent graduate of To ronto General hospital who has been nursing her returned to Toronto last Tuesday for a days before returning to her home in Chicago Miss who has been in at tendance will remain until af ter Christmas Mr Jos Bell arrived in town last vcek from California and thinks of locating in this vi cinity He informs us that his father after trying British Columbia and several ports on the Pacific coast down to Cali fornia thinks of coming back to Newmarket to reside Mr G A men report that they have been exceed ingly busy this season They have just finished putting in five furnaces including a new one in the Royal Hotel and they expect to finish the plumbing in Hon J Davis residence next week There were a large number of callers at Mrs Dr Clarks reception last The rooms were tastefully decorated with chrysanthemums carnations and palms Mrs Clark received in her wedding dress and was assisted by Mrs Lloyd Miss and Miss The bride received many con- on her comfort able and wellappointed home Mr J formerly manager of the Ontario Bank in Newmarket is in town for a couple of on business for the Canada Life He is just recovering from a severe ill ness that kept him in the hos pital for a year and seven months Mr Boyd of Roches Point has been appointed a County constable and was sworn in by Col Lloyd one day last GIFT TO HOLLAND FROM CANADA MEMBK feS Sftrvfng Newmarket Aurora and Newmarket Bra of North Yerlt TheExpreM NEWSPAPER Published every Thursday of St Newmarket by the Newmarket Era and Express Subscription 4 for two for one year in advance Singh copies ore 5c each Member of Class A of Canada Canadian Weekly Association and fhe of as Second Ca Mail Post Office Ottawa JOHN E Managing CAROLINE ION Edfror GEORGE Spurt Utter LAWRENCE RACINE Job Printing and Production THE EDITORIAL PAGE TWO WEDNESDAY THE SIXTEENTH DAY OF DECEMBER NINETEEN HUNDRED AND FIFTYTHREE CONTRIBUTION TO METRO TORONTO The two and a half million dollar home for the aged to be built by Metropolitan Toronto on Eagle St Newmarket will be the largest institution of its type in North America The Newmarket town council in its collective wisdom to use the words of Mayor Joseph Vale decided to give the eight or nine acres of land on Eagle St as a building to the Metropolitan coun cil There had been a standing offer on the part of the town council to give the land to the County of York Before the suburban municipalities left the county to join in the metropolitan federation the county had planned to build a home for the aged at the same site In return for its gift Newmarket was to receive a smaller piece of land south of the Armitage Heights subdivision where it could extend Cawthra Blvd and enlarge the residential subdivision of Armitage Heights When Metropolitan Toronto was created by feder ation taking away the heavily assessed southern the County of York dropped its plans for a new home for the aged The Metropolitan administra tion took up the proposed project where the county left off The county administration with the permission of Newmarket town council then extended the offer of land to the metropolitan council under the same arrangements When the request came to Newmarket council there was opposition Councillor Joseph Dales chairman of the property committee could not see giving the land to Metropolitan Toronto at least not without some provision that county patients be accepted at the new home Mayor Vale in particular was in favor of giving the land to the metropolitan council and the resolution was carried Council has been criticized for its action since that time On the negative side Newmarket will receive no taxes from the home and property the land would have been suitable for a light industrial plant it would have been suitable for houses On the other hand a model institution will be located in Newmarket it will be the largest of its type on the continent Many professional people and other visitors will come to Newmarket be cause of it There will be a staff of this may mean employment for some residents of Newmarket or some of the staff members will be new householders in New market with an increased residential assessment the result It is doubtful that the institution itself will mean much to business in Newmarket as most of its supplies probably will be obtained from Metropolitan Toronto It is difficult to say whether Newmarket council was wise or not in giving the laud to Metropolitan Toronto Certainly the taxpayers arc making a con tribution to this new homo for the aged The satisfac tion that this community has made a contribution to ward better care of old people even though the patients will not be from the local district may be enough to say that it was a justifiable decision Then on the other hand one could be a little selfish and say that the metro politan council required the land and would have paid for it but through the generosity of the municipality of Newmarket it found free land and saved a considerable amount of money It may be that the taxpayers of Newmarket will receive compensation in other forms for their contribution WHAT ABOUT SWEEPSTAKES From time to time the question of whether or not sweepstakes on the model of those hi the Irish Republic should be legalized in this country comes up for discussion It is not our purpose to take sides one way or the other but merely to ask a few questions pertinent to a subject discussed by almost everyone One might begin by asking what the objections are to the legalizing of sweepstakes modelled on the Irish system Is there a fear that such legalized gambling would imperil Canadian moral standards Having re gard to legalized betting in this country is such a danger it real one No one is liable to a summons because lie or she makes a bet on a race course News papers which publish belling results and provide news on horseracing are not censored or confiscated Innumerable draws are permitted and there is no penalty inflicted on the lucky person who wins an auto mobile because he or she has had the courage to risk quarter or a dollar on the outcome A person may win a turkey or a goose in a draw at a church bazaar All these results are the outcome of a gamble It is of In gambling one wins a turkey or in cash A bet made with bookie or through the agency of a quarter spent on a ticket on a church draw is not different in principle Both undertakings are gambling To try your hand at the luck of the game appears to be an inherent instinct in humans Millions of dollars have gone out of Canada through furtive methods to the Irish Free State In spite of all efforts to stop these outlets the flow of money to another country still continues and will continue at the magic call of the luck of the game Would it not be better to keep this immense sum of money at home by legalizing sweepstakes and applying the revenue to a national purpose as is the case in Ireland NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE It is a matter for regret that the government finds itself unable to introduce legislation concerning health insurance The question of hospitalization is one of national importance Hundreds of thousands of Cana dian families live in fear of possible illness involving lengthy periods of hospitalization and their heavy costs The lifesavings of a family may be wiped out by a long illness which necessitates hospitalization Health insurance was in operation in Germany many years before it was introduced into Britain in the year by Mr Lloyd George Its adoption formu lated on the German system caused great controversies in Britain It was met with great hostility by employers and by the medical profession Employers claimed that they were being asked to subsidize the health of the nation and the medical men said that their incomes would decline as a result of cheap medical services In the face of intense opposition from powerful groups animated by various forms of selfinterest the British government carried through its national health insurance plan embracing millions of workers In practice none of the fears expressed by opponents of the scheme were realised On the contrary the health of the nation was improved with the result that there was a decrease of absenteeism on the part of workers and the medical profession enjoyed an increasing pres tige and income Some years before the outbreak of World War the then prime minister of Canada the late lion Mac- King indicated that his government had under consideration a comprehensive plan of national health insurance With the outbreak of war in 19119 the health plan was delayed Since then constant reference has been made to it but nothing positive has been done It is unfortunately true that Canada so far advanced in many other social measures is behind many oilier countries in the care of its people through the medium of a broad comprehensive plan of national health insurance from Canada totalling attributed to Holland Flood society In Toronto loaded farm ma Is not tit fn righto in International and national It of state to of cwfMtfffi Office Cat Reports PUBLIC INFORMATION Finances assessments bylawn and other informa tion about the affairs of a municipality are public and when electors and ratepayers are interested in any facts concerning the municipality they may to the town hall and find the information themselves may be citizens who not aware that it is their right to know the facts about the administration of their community Employed officials of a municipality are asked to refrain from controversy The town dork probably receives more complaints from residents than any other official of the town and one of tho requisites of his office is an even Lemper AH ho is permitted to do when ho receives complaints is out facts and keep his opinions to himself There times when a civic official would let his opinions be heard far and but bettor judgment prevents him from doing so of council citizens or candidates ask publicly at meetings of council or at nom ination meetings An employed official might why the questions were being naked in public when tho answers may he found by an enquiry at tho town There are times when questions about municipal finan ces asked for a political purpose to draw public to important facts on town affairs Thorn are times when lono of a question seems to have dnrk and sinister significance No matter how an employed official may resent such questions ho can only bo silent and patient And there are times when questions asked publicly by a citizen who Is merely Ignorant of facts and has not trouble previously to enlighten himself through regular information channels Catnips By Ginger Up in Comers people wanted Mayor Maynott out of the municipal picture reports our correspondent Slim in his summary fol lowing the elections in that municipality Writes Slim Maynott has been onto the town council now for years and one of the chief contestants in this here con tentious election up In the heart of township has been a bitter cam paign agin Although wag re elected has figured it out that of the electors wan ted out At the last moment Horace Sombre a dark horse third candidate entered the contest and it was former councillor Colin De- Hoggs and Horace Sombre for the At the last moment Sombre distributed leaflets statin that had established what Sombre believed to be an old mens retirement association of members of the municipal coun cil and that he was out to break up What do they think this is the Senate Sombre was quoted as sayin As this here correspondent has fleered it out continues 722 people wanted Maynott out and wanted him in Results of the polls show that received votes and Horace Sombre 101 That there shows that more people wanted May out We Jiggered it out at the clerks office on an machine Political winds blew Sombre no good this year in the Cor ners Even though may not be popular hes mayor We expect trouble In Corners politics this year trouble People are all stirred Up about political favoritism be cause Mayor hired cousins wifes half brother janitor at the fire hall Said Candidate Sombre on the nomination platform This here is but one example of the favoritism thats on into our civic affairs and it is high time that such things come to Let the people decide by ballot I says So we dont know what kind of excitement will be in Corners poli tical affairs in 1954 says Blig gens Cuttin Corners is where pol itics is in the rough It is only in the rural communities such as at the Corners where you gets the real silver tongued ora tors like Mayor and Horace Sombre None of this here smooth suave stuff like in the city They calls a spade a spade and they calls cm as they sees em i by Dairy Farmer The Top Six Inches There is much said these days about the symptoms of hard times in farming and about the squeeze the farmer is in between rising costs of production and falling prices These developments coming after the favorable years of the late forties make us all feel like the man who came out of the bright sunshine into a dim room and having been used to the bright light gropes around blindly The question is is it not time to start seeing again instead of just diagnosing the symptoms A speech made at the closing banquet of the Cooperative conference seems to give some light on the possibilities ahead The speaker very strongly sug gested a stronger cooperative action We suppose this means more than just buying feed and small supplies or the odd co operative marketing scheme other words trying to influence the cost of production in our favor It should really mean a very vigorous extension of co operative action to recover a greater part of consumers dollar that is now our share In this respect it might be a good idem to reexamine the part coops play in farmers economy Most coops started as small venture to with local businesses of the same sort Some were origin ally buying clubs and they wove mostly very successful There were several reasons for it First little was spent in first yen is on advertising or on display Business overhead was held down and the customer was usually tho local farmer who was loyal and who knew advantages resulting from co op buying In many Instances he had money in the venture too Also a lot of the socall ed executive decisions were made by men who gave of their time freely private business had to pay for this sort of effort As we said the coops pros pered and grew especially through the war and in most localities they became very large and in some instances little different from other simi lar businesses They became farm supply department stores and sold on a competitive mar ket with small overhead ex tended credit and paid a pa tronage dividend The is is this effort enough to assure continued prosperity in farming It seems to us that we should try to grow out of this stage and get into the field of marketing on the one hand and on the other hand get into some part of purchasing and retailing which has been so neglect ed It should go into field of marketing not only to do a job cheaper than done thus far and so save the farm dol lars but also get the profit in volved marketing for the fanner Those who remember early clays of coops will re member the difficulties in per suading farmers to lend their money and become members We me sure that any extension of cooperatives can only come from the farmers them selves and will run into same troubles But just as tho coop store prospered the other coop ventures will pros per too If the members will put the effort into it if they will invest the money into it and if they have the to help themselves This latter seems to us the real issue today The difficul ties that tho milk producer coop is having to raise from the moat prosperous part of the community seem to in dicate that farmers have grown complacent and soft In good times and refuse to face is sues which is very simply the old saying that God will help those who help themselves PLAN ATLANTIC TELEPHONE CABLE in York of lata mnUMBtil on which wo now rtarttof It will loanit fete