Evening star., 1936-10-14
BY DE WITT MACKENZIE.
EDMnNTnN Alberta October Il

BY DE WITT MACKENZIE.
EDMONTON. Alberta, october IA
R.-Provincia Premier William
Aberhart's profit-sharing social credit |
plan, which contemplates making a
gratuitous state income available to
every adult citizen in his province.
has all Canada guessing as to just
what is happening.
During an investigation in Alberta,
and a 5.0O0-mile swing through the
dominion, this writer did not find a
single person, outside Aberhart's own
cabinet, who could say just what is
in the mind of Canada's most sensa-
tional personality, who is called the
man of destiny" by his admirers and
a dangerous potential dictator by his
opponents. This was true even In
the capital of Alberta.
Bankers and other economic ex-
perts, and business men of all classes,
with whom I talked, are running
around in circles. They admit freely
that they are in state of nerves as
Aberhart, backed by the acclaims and
votes of the masses, proceeds to WELD
the big stick to drive his program into
operation.
The only thing they claim to see
clearly, through their dark glasses of
condemnation, is that the scheme
projects the scrapping of orthodox
economic ideas and the substitution |
of regime which means $50 they |
asSert) an arbitrary leveling of of |
the wealth of the province, with the |
moneyed citizens footing the bill in |
the long run.
Got Ideas From Douglas.
Aberhart is understood to have got |
his initial ideas from the works of |
Maj. c. H. Douglas. the English |
economist. who is said to be the father
of the social credit theory. Just how |
closely the premier is trying to follow |
the teachings Of Douglas Is not ap-
parent.
Aberhart is still in the process of |
working out details and constructing
the machine through which he hopes |
to make social credit function. 1t is
planned to start payment of monthly |
incomes next month. Meantime, he |
has made striking moves in cutting |
interest on provincial Indebtedness
and in reducing private debts.
Social credit will have to be put |
into operation-if it is put into opera
tion-by series of experiments, since
it never before has been tried by any
government No one can say in ad-
vance just what all the intervening
steps will be, but Aberharts ultimate
goal is not hard to see.
Objectives Of System.
Here is the objective OF social credit,
as set forth under his name in this
years Canadian Almanac:
The objective of social credit is a
more eficient distribution of the goods
and services which our modern indus
trial and commercial system is capable
Of producing. Social credit aims to
bring consumption into line with
actual and potential production by
increasing effective purchasing power
The scientific principles upon which
social credit is based, are calculated to
solve the problem created by the
existence of abundance on one hand
and poverty on the other.
THE two major instruments upon
which social credit relies for the at
,ainments of this objective are the
oasic dividend and the just price The
oasic dividend is monthly credit to
"a 10 f1o hi 70 lt,Jf al |
zen. This credit gives claim to goods
md services, thereby increasing pur-
chasing power and stimulating distri-
oution. The just price is scientific
means Of effecting price control so as
70 prevent exorbitant profits from
iepriving the consumer of the benefits
10 be derived through the credits
ssued through the basic dividend. The
purpose Of social credit is to return
20 the consumer the full benefits
accruing from mass production which
nave been made possible by our
collective form of society,""
Film Begins to Blur.
Now the film begins to dance and
blur. The objective can still be seen
in the background, but it is partially
,bscured by a foreground that repre-
'ents constantly changing views as the
feel their way. If you
see the picture run over and over, and
analyze it, you begin to get this view,
f confusing technical terms are
;heared away.
Aberhart's plan would turn the
province into a huge profit-sharing
in which every citizen
would be a shareholder and draw
actual dividends monthly. These divi-
dends would not be in cash, but in
credit, which would have the pur-
chasing power of cash. They would
be large enough to pro-
vide everybody with the necessities Of
life, and, in due course, with many
luxuries.
The credit Is based on the natural
resources of the provinces. It applies
only to operations within the province
and not to external deals.
With credit in the hands OF every
body, the thing theoretically will OPP
crate like this: A laborer will tender
q draft on his government credit to
the grocer for food; the grocer will
use this credit to purchase q suit Of
clothes from the clothier, who in turn,
will employ 1t for some need Of his
own.
Thus the credit will keep circulate
ing, with actual cash not needed for