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n ^iSWS ^(^(Jt^S Oommentar/ on the WOmmeniary on mc D CI- L iL C C J HighlighU of the Week*. Newi . . . tJy CllzaDeth t. tCCly AVIATION HISTOHY: 1938 should b« A baniicr year for aviutioo in Can- ada, If we read the signs aright. The Trans-Oaiiuda Air Lines iietworlt will be completed west of Montreal to the Pacific (.'oast. lOxperimontal mall CllKbts over the I'ratries and llockici are beinf; -inade this uionlh. Sehedulei •all for tlip MCS'tnile flixht from â- Winnlm'K to Vancouver, with stops at Reglna and Lcthbridge, to be made In t lioure and 15 minutes. Trannatlantic mail fllghta by the •nd of the year are also contemplated, accordingMo Transport Minister C. D. Howo. While euch developments are tak- ing place in Canada, Imperial Airways promises In Liondon. England, this week, that new planes put into service Within the next few months, by mid- •ummor in fact, will make the 206- milc nir trip from London to Paris in axactly one hour. SABOTAGE: A word of compara- tively recent origin wblch Is being 'Oaed more and more frequently In the newspapers these days Is "sabotage". fiuBslun engineers are arrested On charges of sabotage; the blowing OP of the Breda factories in Milan is laid to sabotage by Italian workers; nystoriouB fires In French ships are traced to sabotage; and now sabotag- ing In Britain's Royal Air Force comes to light when It is discovered that two of the newest type bombing pianos have been tampered with at the factory. ''Sabotage" comes from tbe French noun "sabot", (wooden) ahoe. and was first used when a re- bellious Fifnch factory-worker threw a boot in (he machinery to wreck it. â- We moan the same thing as "sabo- tage" when we say, "throw a monkey â- wrench In the works". In countries such as Italy and Oer- niany where workers have no voice in the Government, sabotage Is fre- quently chosen as a method of pro- test, of Keltinfr back at the powers- that he. It is an attempt to slow up a aysteni which they believe to have tbe worst interests of the working peopU' at heart. DIVORCKS UP: An Increase of twenty per cent, over 1936 is shown in the number of divorces granted to Canadian couples during 1937. Tlie total icaibed 1,870 altogether, 596 of Which were talcen out in Ontario. British Columbia ran a close second. While in proportion of population, (Juehec scored the lowest, 43. Intcrestiii;; sidelight on the statis- tics; men must still be chivalrous since twice as many wives sued for divorce as husbands. Or Is it that tha man In the case is more often the guilty party? Food for thought, there. AMERICAN HOUR: It is an amus- ing game these evenings to tuno In on the short-wavp set to the broadcasts in Bnglish that are coming out of Rome. Italy, and Zeesen, Germany, under the guise of news summaries. From 2R0, you hear an American girl's voice on the "'American Hour," giving the news as Mussolini would like you to hear it and Interpret It. The game isn't so amusing, though, when you stop to figure how many people there are In the world today who are being forced by a rigid press cnnsorsblp to see events in Just that distorted and untrue light. The same spirit which is attempting to smother all free thought In other countries is now moving to influence people on thb Continent to accept the same biased outlook, narrow view of life and world affairs. It will be disastrous if that spirit continues to gain hold. BALKANS BOW: The small na- tions of Central Europe feeling them- selves left in the lurch by Great Brit- ain and the League of Nations are scrambling (with the exception of Austria, Czechoslovakia) under the "protective" wings of Germany and Italy, the nearest big powers. Last week the four Balkan entente coun- t.Ies (Greece, Jugoslavia, Rumania and Turkey) bowed to Italy, ngj-eeing to recognize the conquest of Ethiopia and grant belligerent rights to the Spanish rebels. When it's a case of every man for himself and devil take the hindmost, we could hardly expect the small Bal- kan powers to have acted otherwise. MAYORS THREATEN: A repres- entation of Ontario's mayors met last week In Toronto's City Hall to (iKht the announced opposition of Hon. Nor- man Rogers, Minister of Labor, to In- creased relief payments from the Do- minion Government. Declared Mayor H. R. Cory, of Trenton: "It has come to the point where either you are going to have a rebellion of the unemployed, or you are going to have a rebellion of the ratepayers because they can't pay more." The small taxpayer indeed Is not to be envied In these days of heavy relief expenditures. It comes to the point In some cases that a man with a tiny piece of property hag to help keep his next-door neighbor who Is al- most as well off. A serious situation, and the Ontario mayors are right in becoming exercised about it. Democracies Dominate By Sea And Air But Land Forces of Dictator States Outclass France, Britain AnJ U.S. by Three to One. WASHINGTON.â€" The three major democraoios hold by far the world's dominant sea power and have a slight edge in air strength, but are badly outweighed by the land armies of the Fascist .powers, a survey revealed. The combined navies of the United States, Great Britain and Franch, ship for ship, are more than two and a half times stronger than the fleets of Japan, Germany and Italy. Ratio, Two To One On completion of the naval rear- mament programs of these six pow- ers tbe ratio, roughly, will be two to one in favor of the democracies. A fuiubliirttluu of the Fascist pow- ers against the United States alone, however, would find the American fleet honvily overwhelmed. In the air. the democracies could send out a combined aerial armada of approximately 12,000 fighting air- planes to beat off a theoretical Ilal- iBn-Qernian-Japanese combination of ll.OUO airplanes. It Is on the groundâ€" with the armies which -muMt conquer and hold land and bear \\w. major brunt of any war â€" that the Fascist powers hold an over- whelming superiority to the pre.sent armies of (he domocratic countries. Armies More Efficient This advantage Is nearly three to one. it Is further enhanced by the fact that one of the powers, Japan, is now engaged in a major war, and Italy ha.s juiit rmishod putting Us mili- tary machine through combat service in conquerliiK Kthlopla and In giving aid to 'the insurgent army in Spain. Japnii'.s army approaches l,.500,0OO. Nippon is known to have 1,000,000 men on the Asiatic continent, fighting in China and acting as a bulwark in Mnn- choukuo against possible Soviet inter- ference. Tlic men under arms in .Jap- an (>roper are estimated as in excess or 400,000. Half As Many Mtn Italy, *t tile end of the Ethiopian campaign, hid 1,331,200 men under arms and, in addition, an air force personnel or 2A:I..^9R. Of the l,n31,200 there were S.TRS.l'OO called up from the reser%ex. How many of these hare been deinobilited is not known. The German army is conservatively A-0 Canada's Revenue Shows Increase Rise of $66,304,779 Shown For Ten Months' Period OTTAWA. â€" Total national reve- nue fuj t!i6 first 10 months of the current fiscal year amounted to $438,065,893, an increase of $66,- 304, "779 compared with the same pe- riod last year, according to the monthly statement of the comptroller of the treasury. Total ordinary expenditures for the same period (.April 1 1937, to January 1, 1938) amounted to $320,- 072,951 a decrease of $11,860,686 compared with the same period a year ago. But when cost of relief for drought and unemployment, re- lief works, expenses in Government- owned enterprises and capital expen- diture is a(jded the total disburse- ment for the period amounted to $414,296,027, an increase of $8,1/0(3,- 820. Balanced Budget Nearer Every source of revenue showed an increase and the general total in- dicates that every month Finance Minister Dunning is drawing nearer the possibility of a balanced budget, while the rei)ort fur IIjc 10-riionth pe- riod shows a surplus over all cxpen- iiturca of $2.3,000,000, this may be wiped out by the heavy special ex- nenditures for various forms of re- lief and the Canadian National IJail- ways deficit before the end of tlio fiscal year, March 31. Heaviest increase in revenues came in the excise and in:;omc. tux branches which were .$29,000,000 an i $18,000,000 higher, respectively, Ks- cise had accounted for $l.'')0,52f..799 56 the 10-month period and was the greatest single source of revenue. As there is no Stale tax in Hoi- lund, costs of radio programs arc paid for by voluntary subscriptions. By taxing private rice mills t'le Government of Panama will have power to control the country's rice market. Czechoslovakia's trade with other countries is the greatest In five years. estimated at f.50.000 with lOO.ono. In eluding an antiaircraft force of 40. 000 In the separate airforce. Against this array of n.:;8l.2no armed men, the United Sites, llritain and Francs hara a combined total of 1,44),0»*. 200 Canadian Pilots Fly With Royal Air Force In Great Britain â€" But An All Time Record Vat Set In Canada In 1937, More Than 3S0 Licenses Being; Issued to Pilots â€" ^ToUl Flying Mileagre 1,680,000. ^CSJSC An all-timo flying record was estab- Il8h»<l by Canadian flying clubs In 1937 as club activity continued on the upswing, with more than 350 licenses Issued to pilots. Many of these pilots took positions with commercial avia- tion companies, while others joined the Royal Air Force in Great Britain. This exodus of Canadian flying club pilots to tbe R.A.F. began several years ago, and has continued. Q. M. Ross, executive secretary of the Can- adian Flying Clubs Association, esti- mated there are more than 200 Cana- dian pilots who obtained licenses through Canadian flying clubs now with tbe R.A.F. He said there was no preconceived plan in this movement of pilots to Britain. A surrey made by the association last year showed that more than 150 club-trained pilots and air engineers were gainfully employed In commer- cial flying operations, and since that time the number has increased. 21,000 Flying Hours The association reported total time flown by the clubs in 1937 was close to 21,000 hours, which is about 1,680,- 000 miles, or approximately equivalent to 65 flights around the world at the equator. This represented an Increase of 21 per cent, over 1936, 52 per cent, over 1935, and 100 percent, over 1934. The Toronto club headed tbe list with 2,034 hours flown by members, Winnipeg was second with 1,878, Ilam- ilton third with 1,558, and London fourth with 1,3GG. Ottawa members flew 1,170 hours, and Edmonton 1,148. The clubs are subsidized by the Government. Membership fees aver- age $10 a person a year. Flying In- struction fees an hour on the aver- age are $12 dual, $10 student solo and $8 advanced solo. Only licensed In- structors and air engineers are em- ployed by the clubs, and all equipment Is certified by the Government as to airworthiness. News In Brief | Arnny Increased MADlilD. â€" Government Spain drafted youths of 19 and men of 30 oeesnc w ktarihisee t this week to increase its army from an estimated 650,000 to a possible 780,000. Government Carries It PARIS. â€" The sliding wage scale provision of the labor code was re- adopted by the French Senate last week and with speedy approval of the other articles the code was sent back to the Chamber for action on Senate changes. The Senate vote was 194-82. An amendment which would have taken the force out of the sliding wage scale provision was defeated. Pre- mier Chautemps reniaiiieu in ulTiCc after having threatened to resign if the provisions were not readopted. Naval Race Continues LONDON. â€" British and American naval experts were reported reliably this week to have completed plans for building battleships exceeding 40,000 tons, but to be awaiting final decisions of their governments be- fore carrying out technical tests for actual construction. Air Raid on Valencia HENDAYE, Franco-Sp.-\nish Fron- tier. â€" Insurgent air raiders made two attacks over the week-end on Valen- cia and environs, and inflicted heavy damage on the town of Gandia, 40 miles to the south. Five reliel planes dropped several bombs near the port of Valencia and nearby hamlets. Will Go To Aijf Conference OTTAWA. â€" Caiiaiiu will juin in a new intrn-Enipire Air Tr.mspoitation (Conference next month, when a Ca- nadian delegation will lie despatched to Ireland to consult with overseas â- â€¢uithoritics there. Excellent Training Program "Our club-flylng plan has proved the most useful and economical plan for pilot training In the world," Mr. Koss said. ''We believe, however, ti:at a program should bo launched to train at least 10,000 more pilots in Canada, It would provide a ruserve for military purposes besides provid- ing a stimulus to general flying inter- est. At present there are about 1,200 pilots holding active licenses and about 80O others whose licenses have lapsed." I\^ineral8 Top Fishing Crop Production Last Year Totals Ten Million In Newfoundland ST. JOHN'S, Nfld.â€" Newfoundland's mineral prospects are revealed In offi- cial figures released here that showed production in 1937 had surpassed the $10,000,000 mark for the first time in the history of the island. Announcement that the value of minerals In Newfoundland totaled $10,559,782 was accompanied by notes that revealed the fact this represent- ed double the value of the codflshery, long recognized as the Island's leading industry. Continued Expansion Seen Predicting continued expansion of mining In Newfoundland, It was re- called that the island's mineral pro- duction In 1854 was $2,298 worth of copper raised at Tilt Cove, the only operating mine In the country at that time. Lead-zlnc-gold-copper ore from Bu- chaus and Iron ore at Bell Island ac- counted for $10,000,000 of the total production last year, and small opera- tions for limestone and fluorspar were carried on at Aguathuna, Humber- mouth and St. Lawrence. The new development in Empire air service was revealed by Transport Minister Howe as the House of Com- mons gave third reading to a bill to enable Trans-Canada Air Lines Lim- ited to become an integral part of the company which will eventually control Empire flying. Germany Threatens BERLIN. â€" Germany's only ac- tive field marshal, Herman Wilhelm Gocring, last week-end rattled the sabre as he warned the Reich's air force was ready to protect the "10,- 000,000 Germans on our borders." Highlights of his address: 1. Warning Hodza to treat the Su- deten Germans in Czechoslovakia as Hitler thinks they should be treated. 2. Warning von Schuschnigg to give Austrian Nazis the liberty of ac- tion Hitler demands for them. 3. Warning Chautemps not to en- courage Czechoslovakia too much by, as one semi-oflRcial commentator put it, "clinging to the doctrines of Ge- neva and adhering to military pacts with other powers." Fascist Inspiration Dies GARDONE RIVIERA, Ltaly. â€" Gabriele d'Annunzio, Italy's great warrior-poet, symbol of Italian na- tionalism and President of the Aca- demy of Italy, died unexpectedly last week in his Villa Viltoriale. A cerebral hemorrhage caused his (loath. He would have been 75 on March 12. D'Annunzio was the sym- bol of the nutiunalial uieaia uf Fas- cism, and the inspiration of Musso- lini, it is said. Defends "Back to Niagara" TORONTO. â€" Denying sharply that any secret deal had been made with the tjuoboc power companies, Pre- mier Hcpiiurn, before the Lcgisla turc, defended the reversal of his "bai'k to Niagara" power policy last week by placing responsibility direct- ly upon the King Government at Ot- tawa. VOICE CANADA THE EMPIRE THE WORLD AT LARGE o/ the PRESS CANADA Only "Me" Remains In view of the Nlemoeller trial, and the recent Nazi purge, one remarks that when Kaiser BUI resigned It was Me und Qott, but with Hitler now tt is only Me. â€" Hamilton Spectator. World's Worst Threat This Is tbe really most dangerous condition in the world today â€" namely, that the people ruled by dictators do not get either truth or common sense from their newspapers.- Ottawa Jour- nal. The Disappearing Salmon People on the Pacific coast are at last getting an answer to that old question, "Where do the salmon go?" It seems that they go into a floating Japanese salmon cannery. â€" Toronto Star. Rural Fire Protection An English inventor has produced a "fireplace" which carries exlinguish- urs, a motor pump, sectional ladder and gas "bombs" capable of suffocat- ing flames. This may ultimately pro- vide a solution to the problem of rural Are protection. â€" Woodstock Sen- tinel-Review. Financially Able to Drive It seems to be a reasonable princi- ple that no one should be allowed to take a car on the streets or highways unless he is in a financial position, through insurance or otherwise, to meet reasonable claims on account of any damage his machine may do, either through his own carelessness or indifference or through mechanical deficiency of his car. â€" Windsor Star. If They Stood Together Secretary Ickes of Washington has been telling the world that the democ- racies must stand together. They all know It. But the trouble is that large and possibly controlling influences In each of them are not yet convinced that the time has come for them to "stand" anywhere. They could have stopped Japan, without firing a shot, by making a "stand" in front of Man- churiaâ€"now Manchoukuo. They could have stopped Germany by making a "stand" on the Rhine and negotiating a just and orderly revision of the Ver- sailles Treaty. Once they had prestige ^noush to win without war. Whether they have today Is doubtful. Whether they will have on some black tomorrow is not. â€" Montreal Star. Canada's Lost Visions The national vision of plenty has been so far lost, the national policy of abundance in Canadian homes has been so completely forgotten, the Gov- ernment is no longer concerned with the ability of the Canadian fishing villages to buy Canadian apples. Al- most the entire concern of party poli- tics is with the exporting business to the British or some other distant mar- ket. The Conservative vision of na- tional policy has been lost as com- pletely as the Liberal vision of freer trade. There is no longer any real dif- ference between the parties, as the Minister of Labour's admission about the key place of the protective tariff would show. Under straight party politics, the Liberals would lead along the path ot freer trade: the Conserva- tives would take new steps in the na- tional policy to see that the Cannlian tpeople have purchasing power in the home market to luaiulaiu ecuuumio security. Straight party politics has come to mean nothing more than the sham flght between Tweedledum and Tweedledee.â€" Ottawa Citizen. Dean's Luck: On his way home from America in the German liner Hamburg the Dean of Exeter, Eng- land, attended a ship's costume fete. Ho had no fancy dress, so he wore his dean's evening dress â€" breeches, tiilk stockings, and scarlet doctor's gov.-n. He won first prize. THE EMPIRE Universal Vigilance So long as two people ar» klllM on Scottish roads almost every day of the year, the challenge o( the road casualties remains unanswered. At the same time despair of further tit- forts to reduce the casualty list is npt justlQed. These most continue to b* among tbe first duties of every sectlsa of the community. Motorists, for v^ ample, must realize that they contAI, or are supposed to control, a poten* tially lethal weapon; pedestrians mtlst realize that they can go safely only If they go warily; and cyclists, even' If they are travelling on the apeclal tracks they profess to dislike, must remember the dangers of unsteadT and careless riding. The processi of reducing the fearsome total of dead and Injured cannot in the natura. of things be other than slow; but tt could be accelerated If courtesy, ^con- sideration and watchfulness weje so strictly observed as to possess the quality of instinct. â€" Glasgow Herald. Japan's Weaknesses < The British Empire and the United States combined take half of Japan's exports and supply 63 per cent. oH her needs. Then, In so far as Japan's raw silk export is concerned, the TJWted States takes 85 per cent, of it, this being the only Japanese export 'not dependent on imported supplies o£ taw materials. Japan's whole social stru<^ ture. It will be seen. Is dependent on the American silk market. Japaiy la vitally dependent on Imports of oil from the United States and the Dutch East Indies, and of Iron and scrap from India, Malaya and Australia. Amongst other things, Japan's coal consumption ig only a fifth of Great Britain's and her heavy Industry . Is not developed proportionately to her light Industry. A vital weakness ?or Japan in war Is her primitive system of land cultivatiou. The productivity per acre is high, but the productivity per man Is exceedingly low. ISie transfer of large numbers of men to the fighting forces and of women -to the munition factories Is bound to cause a steep fall in production at tha very time when tens of thousands of soldiers have to be provided with' a more substantial diet than they exist- ed on as peasants. â€" Hong Kong News. Clothes Prove Favorite Buy Of Canadian Tourist Visiting the United States Returning Canadians brought Into* Canada $6,303,656 worth of dutiable goods under the $100 exemption clause' in the Customs tariff during the ten' uiuUlua iiviu Apia 1, 1937, iu laal Jnu.. 31, the National Revenue Department, reported last week. Goods from the United States were valued at $5,537.- 765. Clothing valued at $2,974,184 wairf the principal Item in the seven con>* modlties listed, including one for ml»» cellaneous articles, and of this $2,» 611,793 represented clothing from the United States. Second was furniture* and household appliances, with $622,-, 103 coming from all countries, and' $582,094 from the United States alone. . Boots and shoes brought were val- ued at $576,505, with $553,302 from . the United States, while radios total- led $534,833, with $632,293 from the' United States. The other two llsi-.d* Items were automobile accessories to- talling $87,855, with $87,745 from the" United States, and automobile tires. and tubes totalling $80,183, with $79,-, 740 from the United States. Australia has just Jreed 62 per cent, of its import trade from re- trictions. Britain's new census of woodlands i totalling 3,000,000 acres, will keep '' twelve surveyors busy for two years. ' Floods Swell Twenty-foot Creek to Veritable Lake in Spring Thaw „\5««-''«ii*!*rw aja ' \ \ It \ Witn the aJ\ent of an unu.suaJly early spiin^' thaw. Coal Creek, Oklahoma, a twenty-foot stream normally quiet, has been swollen to an abnorm&I m. teot, rising out of its bed to form a small lake completely covering an area half • mils widsw ^^^