Evening star., 1941-08-04

soil. eating away hillocks Of rock
and gravel, leveling off the ground
Elsewhere round-bellied batch
mixer trucks are rllmbling along the
road back from the big concrete
plant, digesting their loads of
crushed rock, sand and cement as
they go along, ready to disgorge
them wherever concrete is being
poured today.
After watching the activities of
these mechanical brutes for a while
1t is a shock to see flock of sheep
scampering across the new asphalt
of an airplane runway. The sheep
looked shocked, too; their old graz
ing ground is being pulled out from
under them.
The Observation-Disclosures are as
founded. most of them pleasantly,
for all this construction work means
jobs. and more jobs are being passed
out every day.
Not far from the Navy's base an
Army base is under construction.
1t seems to be under siege by an
armada of some go or 10 fishing
smacks.
The fishermen and their friends
are looking for construction jobs.
Each boat sleeps half dozen men,
and nobody is going to go out to
see and look for fish until this little
matter of a job is settled one way or
another
Jobs Cause Some Dissatisfaction.
These jobs that are being taken
by NeWfoundlanderS cause more sat-
isfaction in some quarters than in
others. The men who get them
generally are gratified to note they
are making more money than they
have been able to earn in many a
year. On the other hand, friends
of organized labor point out that
workers from the United States are
being brought in for most of the
skilled jobs, and are being paid al
a higher rate than Newfoundlanders
The Fishermen-Worke Tribune
mouthpiece of the Fishermens Pro-
| tective Union of Newfoundland
argues that the Newfoundland gov
eminent is discouraging wage equal
ity because of fear that booming
wages might cause embarrassment
for Newfoundland employers.
There is another side of the
picture.
The Newfoundland government i
waving the right to collect con-
siderable revenue from United
States sources through customs
duties and taxation.
In accordance with the agreement
reached by Britain and the United
States last year. the United States
takes over important land anc
water areas in Newfoundland-not
for the duration of the war but fol
SO years-and in those areas affairs
are conducted just as though they
were part and parcel of the United
States.
Supplies brought into these base!
from the United States, ranging
from structural steel, lumber
plumbing fixtures and automobile
down to cigarettes and razor blades
pay no duty.
Moreover, all the trucks and auto.
mobiles brought to Newfoundland
duty-free for the use of United
States armed forces are operated
on roads anywhere in Newfound-
land without payment of license
fees. The gasoline pumped into
them at base service stations pays
no Newfoundland tax.
This feature of the Anglo
American agreement was something
of a disappointment here; but, as
editorials in Newfoundland news
papers have pointed out, while the
concessions to the United States
may be sweeping, the emergency
facing the British Empire is great
enough to justify them.
Money Pouring In.
However, nobody denies that
money is pouring into Newfound-
land from the United States as a
result of the agreement. Money
is coming in from Canada. too, as
result of the presence of Cana
dian armed forces on the island
This is reflected in the govern
ment's recently published annua.
budget, showing decided improve
ment in the colony's finances.
Canada's part in the defense o!
Newfoundland tshe maintains gar
risons here. and the Royal Cana
dian Air Force operates the hug,
Newfoundland Airport northwest o.
here-said to be the biggest fiyine
field in the world may have 6
vital effect on the colony's future
status. There has been some agita.
ton in Canada for inclusion oi
Newfoundland in the Dominion a,
new province.
How such a move would affect
the status of United States bases
remains to be seen. In the mean
time, any visitor from the United
States who imagines that the spec
tacular swarming of his country
men all over the place means the
colony is practically q United States
possession is quickly disillusioned II
he spends few days outside the
actual United States bases.
He soon learns he is required to
appear before the proper Newfound-
land authorities and register as an
alien.