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PLAIN HORSE SENSE By F (BOB) VON PILIS One of the most interesting meetings we ever attended, was the farmer-labour conference, held last week in the MacDonald Hotel at Edmonton, Alberta. Over one hundred leading personalities of Agriculture and Labour had convened in closed ses-iion to freely discuss their worries, problems and headaches. After some preliminary feeling Out of each other's position, the two groups soon settled down to an objective and very matter Of fact discussion of the relationship of farmers and labour. The first conclusion reached was that prosperity of one group was dependent on prosperity of the other. It was agreed that the considerably reduced purchasing power of the farmers was at the root of increasing unemployment in industry and that both reacted on each other. Two Panels The meeting further agreed that there were certain spheres In which tension between the two groups could develop which in the interest of both should be prevented, e.g. in food processing plants at times of price or wage negotiations. In view of the limited time at the disposal of the conference, it -was decided to break up into two panel groups, each to discuss one Of these subjects for one hour and then to reconvene the plenary session for an exchange of views. The main result of the discussions was a recommendation for closer cooperation between organized labour and organized producers on a local level. It was found that worker and producer would fare better if they would coordinate their efforts to improve working conditions and increase financial returns. Cooperative Action It was reported by representatives from British Columbia and Nova Scotia that in these two provinces starts had already been made and joint committees established. As the first field in which attempts at cooperative action should be made, the dairy and the fruit and vegetable canning industries were mentioned. It was decided to contact the labour and farmer organizations concerned and to work towards the establishment Of farmer-labour coordinating committees in these industries, on a regional basis. The meeting also found that one of the main reasons Of misunderstandings between the two groups was lack of information. To close the gap, a permanent committee was appointed which brought in as its first recommendations a) the exchange of speakers, b) the holding of regional conferences at regular intervals. Hopefully we shall watch for further developments. This column welcomes criticism, constructive or destructive, and suggestions, wise Or otherwise. Address all mail to Bob Von Pilis, Whitby, Ont. Britain Moves Out Of Famous Canal Just below Port Said a giant statue of the French engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps towers above the salt marshes of Men-salash. Beyond to the south a ribbon of his handiwork shimmers in the distance until swallowed in the desert haze. Millions upon millions of tons Of shipping carrying uncounted wealth have threaded this link between the Mediterranean and ♦he Red Sea in the 85 years since the Suez Canal was opened. On Nov. 12, 1869, its inauguration was celebrated with Oriental pomp and pageantry in the pre-> sence of many crowned heads, who were far more numerous then than now. That epochal event marked the fruition of one of mankind's oldest and boldest dreams. The canal had its forerunners in ancient times. First the Pharaohs and later the Romans devised and operated a circuitous waterway between the seas via the Nile delta, but this filled up with sand long ago. The idea of a direct route across the Isthmus of Suez was first seriously considered by the Venetians in hopes Of relieving the growing pressure of competition from the Atlantic seafaring nations for the trade and wealth of the Orient Realization of this project might have saved Venice from decline and ultimate downfall. Napoleon revived the plan and actually had ground surveyed. But not till the, second half of the 19th century did another Frenchman actually start digging, having first cut his way through political and financial obstacles quite as formidable as the natural barrier he proposed to pierce. The completed canal was not only a tribute to de Lesseps' vision, courage and sheer persistence. In a broader sense it was a triumph for private initiative, as the capital which financed the venture was subscribed by private investors, who thus became "SWAN LAKE"-Phillies' Herm Wehmeir does an imitation of a swan any danseuse might envy, tossing Dodgers Roy Campan-ella's grounder to first for the out at Ebbets Field. Flop which followed throw wasn't in best ballet tradition. "Snow" Fooling, It's Hot--Ten-year-old Brenda Eyler took advantage of the heat to open her own business (selling snowballs). She got the snowballs right out of her mother's freezer, and they were going quickly at five cents each. First in line is Jimmy Bush, while brother Cher, 2, waits his turn. shareholders in the canal company. While the company has remained in charge of the canal, "Operation Tug of War" for control of the canal zone started the day after it opened. It culminated in September, 1882, when British troops stepped ahsore at Ismailia, midpoint on the canal, where they have remained ever since. During more than threescore and ten years of occupancy, though always looked upon as an uninvited intruder by the Egyptians, Tommy Atkins in his khaki became as much an integral part of the local scene as local inhabitants in their flapping galabeas, as dusty mud villages, scraggy wind-scorched palms, shifting sand ridges, and ships gliding through the canal at a top speed of six knots, writes Edmund Stevens, Chief of the Mediterranean News Bureau, Christian Science Monitor. Ismailia was transformed from just another mud village into a restful oasis of western civilization and amenities, with spaciou^ billets for officers ft and otherl ranks, clubs set in cool green] lawns in the shade of date palms, and tennis courts and cricket grounds for those steadfast Englishmen who refused to let sweltering desert heat cheat them of their accustomed forms of exercise. Only once during World War I did fighting actually reach the canal when a Turko-German force tried to capture the railway bridge at El Qantara. They were repulsed by an Anglo- r Egyptian force under Allenby. Canal traffic was interrupted for one day only--the day of battle. While the Suez Canal has played a major role in almost every war since it was opened, it achieved its culminating strategic importance in World War II. During the period when passage through the western Mediterranean war virtually closed to Allied ships other than heavily armed naval units, supplies and reinforcements for the entire mideast theatre, including British forces in the western desert, came by the reverse route around Africa, up the Red Sea, and through the canal to Port Said and Alexandria. Axis power in the area concentrated its main efforts on the canal, which was within convenient striking distance of its bases in Dodecanese and Crete. Night after night planes came over and dropped not bombs but mines into canal lanes, hoping vessels would hit them and sink, thereby blocking the channel. COPS HAMBLETONIAN CLASSIC - Light rig wheeling behind, Newport Dream crosses the finish Hne, taking the first heat at the Hambletonian Stakes at Goshen. Newport Dream also won the second heat and with it victory in the 106-thousand-dollar classic. Del Cameron was the»driver. Time for the race was 2.02 4/5. Princess Rodney finished 2nd and Vicki Hanover placed 3rd. It was a battle of wits and ingenuity between rival technicians. After every raid defending forces would drag the canal for mines. Those which floated on the surface were comparatively easy to detect and detonate. Accordingly, attackers resorted to mines which would first go to the bottom and lie there for a period until sweeping operations had ceased. Sometimes, especially in the early period of the war, they scored successes, and the canal was clogged for as much as 10 days. But as the war dragged on the defenders improved their detection. In the final period of the North African fighting there was virtually no interference with canal traffic, for by then the Germans badly needed their planes elsewhere. Because of its vulnerability to nuclear weapons, never again is the Canal likely to play as important a strategic role as it did in World War II. This, in fact, is one of the main arguments used by the British Government to justify the present agreement to pull out. While this is largely valid, it by no means tells the full story. In the past, in peacetime no less than in war, the Suez Canal was the vital crossroads of the British Empire--the gateway to India, Burma, and other lands ■ now independent. Today the empire as such no longer exists. New relationships between Britain and its former colonies and dominions no longer require this form of physical contact to enforce and reinforce them. Thus Britain's basic excuse and incentive for holding onto the Suez Canal is no longer valid, especially in the face of rising Egyptian nationalism. -During the next few months until they go the British officers and troops can hold social gatherings in Ismailia without posting sentries with poised tommyguns to guard all approaches lest some local terrorist try to toss in a hand grenade or spray the interior with bullets. The state of siege is being called off, the barbed wire disentangled and roadblocks removed. Soldiers and civilians alike sleep easier. But nobody, including the British themselves, seriously think they will ever come back, even through the loopholes provided in the agreement--in case of attack on the Arab states or on Turkey. For Once the troops have departed, the remaining installations and equipment soon will be disposed of by that sizeable population which lives entirely by • pillage, mainly of British Army stores, and which even while armed troops were there had developed their profession to a fine art. Under such conditions no civilian maintenance crew can perform its job without powerful enforcement machinery, for which no provision has been INGENIOUS The Eastman Kodak Company of Rochester, New York, has an inflexible policy on pictures of nude subjects. If photographers enclose such pictures for finishing, the company refuses to return them lest they become subject to Federal Post Office censure. Transmitting indecent pictures is a crime. A man in Bridgeport sent in some studies of nudity and, with them, a brace of carrier pigeons. 'If you're the good sports I think you are, you'll develop my pictures." The pigeons came home two days later with the pictures. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING BAB) CHICKS n chicks and turkey; Nichols New Hampshires, non-sexe, lets, cockerels. Turkey Poults. ' and laying. Cat; TWKDDLE Nic] ive quantity discount for yearly contracts. HATCHERIES Ltd. DOMESTIC HELP WANTED ng. particularly clean. NEW 1954 Bvinr Bargain Sporting Pant Cloth. Mackina HERRGOTT THRESHERS HERRGOTT THRESHER ( How Can I ? Q. How can I prevent sticki-nesss of a waxed floor? A. Try washing up the floor with ice water after waxing it, and then go over the floor with a dry cloth. If this does not help, it is proably due to the fact that the varnish has not dried properly. Q. How can I remove grease from trousers or other fabric? A. Saturate with turpentine; then place the spot between two pieces of blotting paper and press a hot iron over damaged part a few minutes. Q. How can I make lavender sachets? A. By mixing sixteen ounces of lavender flowers, four ounces gum benzoin, and two drams oil of lavender. How can I make a pineapple plant? A. Cut off the top Of a pineapple and place in a glass jar, with water. It will soon take root. Then place it in a flower pot, and the result will be a pretty, inexpensive plant. Q. How often should the lawn be watered? A. During a dry spell of weather it is far preferable to soak the lawn thoroughly every two or three days, than to sprinkle it lightly every day. Q. How can I remove water spots from varnished furniture? A. By rubbing the surface with a cloth or feather dipped in camphor oil. Q. How can I distribute the wear of a rug? A. When taking up a rug for cleaning, turn it around before replacing it and the wear will be distributed. So place a safety pin in a certain corner, that you may know this corner of the rug should go to the opposite corner of the room. Q. How can I remove tar stains from fabric? A. Rub a little lard, kerosene, sweet oil, or butter on the spots; let them stand a few hours, then wash with soap and warm water. Q. How should paint brushes be washed? A. A paint brush can be cleaned washing it thoroughly in hot soda water and soft soap. Q. How can I easily paint screens? A. Instead of using a paint brush to paint the screens, try covering a small block of wood with an old piece of carpet, tacking it securely to the edges Of the block, dipping this into the paint and rubbing over the mesh. NO SHYSTER Two small businessmen were arguing very loudly and very excitedly over a deal. A third happened to walk by and overheard part of the conversation. He tapped one of the combatants on the shoulder. "Lee," he said "I've known you forty years and never yet have you paid a bill. What are you trying to cut the price down for- Whatever it is, you know you're not going to pay it." "Sure, I know," said Lee. "But he's a nice guy. I want to keep his losses down." ARTHRITIS MEDICAL NATURE'S HELP - DIXON'S REMEDY FOR RHEUMATIC PAINS, NEURITIS. THOUSANDS PRAISING IT. MUNRO'S DRUG STORE 335 ilGIN OTTAWA $1.25 EXPRESS PREPAID *) FEMINEX m associated with 889 QUEEN ST. EAST PRICE $2.50 PER JAR POST'S REMEDIES t Post Free on Receipt of Price Queen St. E., Corner of Logan TORONTO ell-paid secure Jobs. Box 1575. Ladysrc r*ETHERSTONHAUGH Patent Attorneys. Esta! ■University Ave,. Toron COLLECT Air i selection on appi The Golden-Westi TEACHERS WANTED PROTESTANT t Radcliffe, Renf begin with Fall tary, stating qu expected. Verner TEACHER for PSS r. IT MAY BE YOUR LIVER bile ft day to keep your digestive tract in top ihftpel If your liver bile is not Bowing freely ~i bloats up ipated and your stomach . . . you fi all the fun and sparkle gc Liver PUb. These femouTvtge^blo^puls'hdp itimulate the flow of liver bile. Soon your digestion starts functioning properly and you feel that happy days are here again! Don't ever stay sunk. Alwayt keep Carter's LittU Liver Pills on hand. 37, at vour druggist. ITCH -ritation, chafing--other itch trouble :ss, stainless. 43c trial bottle must RELIEVED IN A JIFFY t use of soothing, cooling, liquid t Yo'^D.dT EXPORT CANADA'S FINEST CIGARETTE ISSUE 34 -- 1954