The people's voice., 1939-12-13
Drastic Laws Curb
Canadians, But
Industries Collect
By CLAYTON LAWRENCE

| TORONTO. = (FP) - Canada h Is
been put under stringent restrictive
regulations since war was declared
although few have been enforced as
yet. These laws were passed, moi
after parliamentary discussion as in
england, but by Order-in-council.
Most dictatorial of all the DEGREES
passed under the war measures act is
section II of the defense of Canada
regulations, which permits the min.
lister of justice to imprison without
trial anyone who, he believes, needs
to be prevented from acting Gin any
manner prejudicial to the public safe
ty"
During such Imprisonment, the vic
tim shall be deemed to be in legal
custody And that does away with
recourse to the safeguard of habeas
corpus. The only protection is in ap-
peal to committee appointed by the
minister and reporting to him.
| Another interesting provision is
that no one shall spread reports or
make statements, false or otherwise,
intended or likely to cause disaffec-
tion to His Majesty or to interfere
with the success of His Majestys
forces or the forces of any allied
powers 4"
Although this sweeping order has
not yet been used against labor, it
has been applied to Frank Watson, a
restaurant worker, who publicly de-
nounced Hitler Stain and Sending
our boys across as cannon fodder"
He was sentenced to three years, but
the case is being appealed. The gov
ernment also considered furnishing a
group of rs pacifist clergymen who
denounced all warfare including the
present war, but shrewdly decided
that the men would become martyrs
So the ministers escaped with be-
smirching from laymen and from
many colleagues of the cloth.
There's plenty of profiteering in
Canada, although the government has
received labor's commendation for a
fairly successful application of a war
time prices board to control it. Sta
pie commodity prices have settled
back to mere SO or less above pre-
war prices.
Concerted protests by labor and
housewives organizations have helped
to curb profiteering. When house
wives bought cheap cuts of meat, the |
price of one choice cut of beef |
dropped from CSC to 27c in a week |
Labor has also complained against |
taxes on commodities such as tea, |
coffee and tobacco
Big business avowed loyalty to the |
British Empire was shown in its true
colors at the outset of the war when |
a cabinet minister announced that the
legal limit of $50 on munitions profits
had had to be raised to 1919 because |
Of "sitdown strike" by industrialists
They simply refused to bid for war
contracts at the old rate, but when
he percentage was doubled Ottawa
vas overrun with eager bidders.
The Financial Post, which accuses
he critical Conservative party of be-
ng just as eager for patronage as
he in-power Liberals, reports that
hree firms received 16 war contracts,
worth S2,000,000, and that 10 of them
vent to two firms in which a per-
onal friend of the then minister of j
efense, Ian Mackenzie-still in the
government, though transferred to an
ther department - had a large in |
crest /
The Financial Post also notes that /
rentals could be charged s
yithin the terms of certain of these {
ontracts which would pay for the
outright within five or six |
lonths" The same journal cites a g
ase, allegedly typical, of government c
urchase of Montreal building for a
$4,000, seven months after its sale O
" $12,000-a 500 profit. t