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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1947 beginning of a process which un- tons appears in sight, electricity {and replacement were below par. - 'Winning By Default By JOSEPH LISTER RUTLEDGE Some pertinent phrases emerge from the report of the American Committee on Foreign Aid. They dispel the suggestion, always im- hex in the word "foreign", that es do not affect our individual interests or influence our business or éur life. The report states plain- ly that underneath all the altruis- tic ng to restore a. world lies the imperative fact that our sur- vival is also in jeopardy. report reminds us that fail- ure doesn't leave us just where we were, as we so hopefully believe. It leaves us with a world turned Therein lies the vast strength of the communistic propa- ganda, It wins by default whenever misery and chaos become great enough. Yes, it is our business. "A progressive decline in the produc- ing and buying power of 270,000,000 people in Western and Central Eur- ope, would have a powerful impact upon American prosperity," We can broaden this to include, as it in. evitably must, our own prosperity. The European recovery program is an investment in a peaceful and stabilized world, where religious freedom, economic opportunity and individual liberties are respected and assured. Opposed to this is the belief that that ideologies as op- posite as democracy and commun- ism cannot live together in one world. We must recognize our side now. Ofr choice is a world re- stored for the benefit of all, rather than a program of sabotaging this effort that misery and chaos may play into hands of those who would 'promote a créed that thrives on misery. This is the "cold war" of which people have been speaking; a "cold war" because the guns are yet sil- ent. But let no one be deceived by ithe truce. If despair should drive 'Middle and Southern Europe into the ranks of communism, it might not be too long before the rest of Europe followed. Then what will 'happen to Britain? And what will happen to the,world should Britain 'falter? ; 'The challenge of communism is Not just a challenge to capital. It is ,® challenge to our whole way of {life, to our ethical and religious be- ;liefs, to our recognition of the new Place of: labor, to our freedom to achieve individual success, to our traditional right to govern and speak for ourselves, and to be free from fear in doing these things. The battleground is Europe. Fail there, and we may not save our world, "Work and Wait" John Bull Urged As Year Closes. By JOHN DAUPHINEE London, Dec. tage of dollars has replaced shor- tage of coal as Britain's most urgent problem, That is the most significant change in the country's position las 1947 ends. i Last February the coal shor- itage, coupled with the worst win. ter weather in half a century, temporarily wiped out half Eng- land's production. This winter the outlook is more favorable, with stocks in good shape and mine output higher, But now the dollar shortage has brought austerity which, in some respects is worse than dur- ing the worst days of the war. Rations have been cut, goods diverted from home to export markets, new taxation imposed on individuals and business, pri. vate motoring and foreign travel for pleasure banned, and capital expenditure -- such -as home and factory construction -- severely , limited, ' Slow recovery of British export jtrade, rising costs of essential imports, and a rush by some for- eign countries to change sterling for dollars during the short-lived summer period of free converti- bility caused a frightening drain on the Canadian and Wmerican loans, Limited Resources Today Britain's dollar re- sources are limited, in effect, to about $350,000,000 of the Cana- dian loan, the treasury reserves and whatever can be earn by direct and indirect exports fo the dollar area, It is not enough, The Brit. ish Government, while seeking sources of supply in the Common. wealth and Empire and soft-cur- rency countries, relies on the Marshall Plan for a financial. lift during the next critical months, Sir Stafford Cripps, minister for economic affairs and chancel. lor of the exchequer, has warned there must be sharp new cuts of dollar imports unless there is some ""'new dollar availability within the quite near future." And that, he said, would be the At this may we wish all our patrons health, happi- ness and a glorious New Year. : * | | OSHAWA CLOCK SHOP § 5044 Simcoe 5. Phone 4602) | less rapidly arrested, would lead to gradual economic strangula- tion, The February fuel crisis set back export trade by at least six months, The government's aim to boost exports to 140% of pre-war by the year-end. The target date had to be set back to mid-1948. Sales abroad during October, la- test month for which figures are available, were £108,200,000, ($432,800,000) or 120 per. cent of 1938. Import cuts announced in Sep- tember had not taken full effect in October when purchases abroad totalled £161,:00,000 -- leaving a visible trade "gap of £53,200,000. ™ Serious Shortages While the coal is improved and the 1948 target of 200,000,000 7--(CP)--Shor. |" output is far' below requirements because' of shortage of generating plant. And there are shortages, too:-- Shortage of manpower, which has compelled the government to reintroduce limited direction of labor in an effort to find more staff for undermanned, vital in- dustries such as mining and tex- tiles; Shortage of materials for indus- try, requiring strict priority allo- cation of steel and fuel; Shortage . of transport, caused by insufficient merchant shibping tonnage, * too few aircraft which ean be operated at a profit, and lack of railway rolling stock fol- lowing six years of war and two years of peace during which maintenance and ~ replacement other serious | THE DAILY TIMES-GAZETTE Despite these problems, gov- ernment spokesmen are moder- ately optimistic when they speak of Britain's long-term economic prospects, They warn the imme- diate future is dark. "Our people must endure some austerity and still raise the level of production," said Herbert Morrison, lord president of the council, "We must work and wait." BOOST OILSEED PRODUCTION New Delhi, India--(CP)--The Indian Oilseeds Committee has been firmed to devise a plan for the development of oilseeds in phat country. India already is the the world's largest producer of pea- nuts and second only to Argentina in the production ot linseed. . . . iis LE REN. . SUN ERY - = (a PAS AR IF 3g? 2B 28 CHRISTMAS HOSPITALITY FOR OVERSEAS STUDENTS For 25 years Britain's East and West Friendship Council has been working hard to ensure that students from Africa, China, In- dia, and the West Indies (as well as many other places) shall have an opportunity of seeing how Christmas Day is spent by private families in the United Kingdom. Althoug' it has a hospitality scheme which is in force all the year round, the Counci] introduce as many students as possible to those private residents who will entertain them at Christmastime. This year offers of hospitality have been received from many parts of Britain, BREATH DOESN'T COUNT Elephants like onions as much as they do peanuts, Know Your Friends By JOSEPH LISTER RUTLEDGE A Canadian-United Statés Com- mittee on Education, that for the past two years has been studying the bearing of our educational sys- tems on our understanding of one another, has come to the sobering realization that our friendliness is a matter of chance rather than un- derstanding. The understanding 'is mutually negligible; our educational systems have almost wholly disre- garded the fact that we live in close proximity, We have made no conscious effort to understand one another. The United States dele- gates frankly admit that all the school textbooks of their country ccmbined devote only a little better than one per cent of their pages to Canada. The stray items regarding this country, grouped together, would represent only about 8 pages in a 600-page book, Small wonder that one high school student frank- ly 'admitted that until this year he had quite honestly believed that "Canadians were a fierce and war- lke people, something like sav- ages". Possibly we are somewhat better informed than our neighbour, not because of native virtue, but because informative influences, books, movies, magazines tend to move northward rather than the other way. It is fairly obvious then that the committee is wise in suggesting the seven broad topics that might be included in text books for both i 5 one and all, we wish the joys of the Christmas season and good cheer, good health and much happiness during the New PAGE THIRTEEN: Canadian and American students. (1) the emergence of an independ-: ent United States, (2) the develop ment of Canadian political democ-. racy and its emergence from col= onial status, (3) the technique for! adjusting disputes between our two: countries, (4) the fmportance of: British-American relations on Can-: adian-American affairs, (5) our mutual problems in hemisphere de-- fence, (6) our economic relations and (7) our cultural relations. As the report observes: "These two. democratic Hations 'must continue: to stand as an example to the rest of the world." It will be a lot eas-' jer to maintain that lofty attitude if we see each other clearly as we: are today, without our viewpeints: being clouded by the misty antag- onisms of years past and issues long forgotten. PRICE YARDS LIMITED « NORTH OSHAWA Ia i 2 at 2B AP La La i aS LIP AaB aR ba a A A AT A A A A PA AR AR AT AAT AAR A AR AAA » WHITBY BRP A RA