OPEN FORUM Reply to Sir Michael — ALFRED C. CAMPBELL, New Westminster, B.C.: Reading the Vancouver Herald of November 17, I was surprised to find that paper has an authority on High- land dress and Highland dances on its staff. His name: Sir Michael Bruce, Bart. In his column Sir Michael Bruce stated. “The sporran is not worn by ladies and the travesties of male attire worn by dancers at High- “land gatherings are an affront to the Gael... « _. I know that what I have said will be unpopular with some doting mothers, but I am quite certain that most sensible people would prefer to be cor- rectely dressed rather than a laughing stock to those who know what’s what.” Travesty and affront are very strong words to use when dis- - cussing Highland dances, wheth- er by Sir Michael or his men- tor, whom he quotes. At all the Highland games where I have played for danc- ers (and they have been: many) I have never seen one dancer incorrectly dressed or one who did not conduct herself like a lady. It has always been my firm belief that “doting Scots mothers” were responsible for that. — . There are very good reasons why Highland dancers should wear a sporan unless Sir “Michael feels they should dance ‘in their pyjamas. He doesn’t say what should replace the sporran he so strongly objects to. That information would be most interesting. However, I have seen pictures of rent-collecting Scottish bar- onets at Highland games who looked as though their valets had thrown their kilts on them with a pitchfork — too far up in the front, too far down in the back. What about them, Sir Michael? You could hold a field day of advice to them sufficient for several columns. It is regrettable but true that we cannot all dress with the opulence and elegance of baron- ets. Many a famous Highland - dancer has won first prize at Braemar in the kilt her mother used 20 odd years before. Sir Michael asks: “Why, oh why do doting mothers dress their little girls up as they do for Highland dances?” The answer is because they konw what they are doing. If there happens to be one does not know there are always other “doting mothers” at the games who will help adjust the little girl’s buckle or plaid. Quite simple. Says Sir Michael: “The great- est authority on Highland dress today is Sir Thomas Innes of Learney, Baronet and Lord Lyon King at Arms... he is the authority under the Crown for anything pertaining to High- land clans, families, badges and dress.” Quite a handle cutting quite a swath. It is extremely doubtful whether half-a-dozen Scots mothers in Vancouver’ ever heard of Sir Thomas or even ‘care to, but they have been dressing their kids up for High- land games these many years without his or Sir Michael’s assistance. Vancouver and ad- joining districts since the pion- eer days have been the home of many famous pipers and dancers who know “what's what.” When Sir Michael and Sir who : Thomas can approach with proud step and eager fingers at the games to play for some smartly dressed lass while her “doting mother” looks on they may find themselves more in- terested in how well she dances rather than how well she dresses. But unfortunately for them they will never have that thrill. They can neither dance nor play Monymusk, only write rubbish. When Sir Michael wanders in- to the realm of Scottish history and gives advice which is im-- pertinent, presumptious and eondescending he is treading on dangerous ground. He should not be surprised if he provokes much the same outcry the Van- couver civic authorities stirred up when they first forbade and then wrongfully incarcerated old John Sutherland for play- ing his pipes on the streets. Figures prove need DR. JOSEPH BLUMES, Van- couver, B. C.: “This year a Royal Commission on milk confirmed that the consumption of milk by Vancouver children was the lowest on the North American continent. School children are drinking ess than half the minimum requirement recom- mended by nutritionists. This situation could have dangerous consequences for the children of this city. As a den- tist, I have vivid evidence daily of what lack .of calcium foods ean do to children’s teeth. You can’t force milk down children’s throats, but you can educate and encourage them to drink it.. This responsibility falls on such civic bodies as the school board. Drinking milk in school should become as regular a habit as learning arithmetic. A _ daily milk break should become’ as as much an institution among school children as the coffee break has become among adults. Most major cities have begun to solve this problem by provi- ding free milk in the ‘schools. I cannot see why a rich and growing city like Vancouver couldn’t do likewise. Let's have fluoridation J. D., Vancouver, B.C.: Al- though Vancouver citizens won't be voting on fluoridation this year, I notice that the opponents of this health measure are bombarding newspapers with letters denouncing it. Flouridation has been endors- ed without qualification by all leading medical and dental bodies in-Canada and the United States. About 11 percent ofthe total. population of the U. CY drink fluoridated water, and Wisconsin leads in the number of communities using fluorides (70 percent of Wisconsin resi- dents get fluorides in their water). “Sheboygan, one of the first three cities of the U.S. to add fluorides to its drinking water, has just completed its eighth annual check on.the results of fluoridation,” says the Milwau- kee Journal. “It reports that the number of missing, decayed and filled “teeth among. senior kindergarten pupils has drop- ped from 4.8 per child to 1.78.” Opponents of flouridation spout a lot of nonsense about adding “rat poison” ‘to our water. This silly argument was answered by Alan Brown, con- sulting physician at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children and professor emeritus of pediatrics, University of Toronto, in a let- ter to the press some time ago. He wrote, in part: “To state that public health authorities propose to put rat poison in the water in merely an indication of ignorance of the fundamentals of chemistry and physiology and provides an excellent example of the sub- stitution of vituperation for logic. Many of the normal con- stituents of the human body, of which fluorine in one, would be poisonous if given in ex- cessive quantities. This is true, for example, of iodine and chlorine. _ Iodized salt and chlorinated water are now accepted as normal means for preventing certain diseases.” “You can’t force milk down: children’s throats, but you can educate and encourage them to drink it,” says Dr. Joseph Blumes, independent candidate for Vancouver School Board, in a letter on this page. He adds: “Most major cities have begun te solve this problem by p roviding free milk in the schools.” By BOB WARD The sad, sad story of Zillionaire ASON Z. (for zillionaire) Forsooth was a_ successful tycoon. And although the press referred to the fact that his headquarters was in the largest financial centre in the country; it could be said that his hind- quarters were all over the country. Jason Z. was a man of many interests. He was a director of 39 companies. He was chairman of the board on more boards than there are in a long board walk. ” He also dabbled in stocks, bonds, mortgages, real estate, and sundry other things. Every time there was a big drive to raise funds for starving orphans anywhere in the world (except Canada), or on any Worthy Cause, Jason Z. was high on the list of sponsors. It was said about him that his exception to Canada was based on the fact that he felt that no one in Canada had the right to be either starving or an orphan. Jason Z. refused to sponsor just one project. He maintained that the Community | Chest sounded too much like a word that made him shudder and he proposed that they change the name to Neighborhood Bosom and that the symbol be a white, rather than a red feather. When those in charge refused to do this Jason Z. showed that this is indeed a free land by re- fusing to sponsor it. Yes, Jason Z. had his finger in more pies than a pastry chef at a large pie making establish- ment. Of course, he was a dir- ector of the pie making company too, and could go around any old time and put his finger in any old pie he chose. xt xt The strange thing about Jason Z. was that despite all. of the jobs that he seemingly had, he never worked. Now. that statement isn’t exactly right because sometimes just to test themselves several of the boards of directors that he sat on clipped bond coupons with dull scissors. Oftimes this arduous task would put a cal- lous on Jason’s finger, Jason Z. used to display those calloused fingers to business “men gathered at businessmen’s luncheons. “Hard work,” he would say to great applause, “never hurt anyone.” And the reason everyone at the luncheon applauded, it might be said, was because none of the people there had ever worked either. “What this country needs to get back to,” Jason would: say, “is ~good old fashioned hard WORK.” And he’d spell it out like that to make the word sound like hard work. 503 at 5 og Whenever Jason Z. spoke of labor he always spelt it with Forsooth a Capital letter. “Labor,” he would tell his overstuffed ls- teners, “wants everything. First they want toilets in the-plant — _ then they want them to flush. “Labor,” he’ would go 0; “is never satisfied., They 0 only want bread; they want butter on it.” orig Sometimes Jason would be moved almost to tears when he spoke of the demands that Laber was making. And his business: men listeners would also she a bitter tear onto the tails ° their $25 shirts and vow that Labor must be put in its place: Naturally when Jason Z. made his little talks about Labor need- ing to roll up its sleeves and &€ back to WORK, there were al- ways a flock of reporters aa sent. And just as naturally al of his speeches found promun- ent place in all of the papers in the land. i The papers called Jason ‘A Authority on Labor Matters: And this was possibly due to the fact that the firms he W4* connected with had tried break more strikes than @BY other companies any other placé in the world. Also Jason own® the newspapers. ‘A cdito Whenever Jason spoke © businessmen the newspapers would declare “Forsooth Fore ~ sees Foreign Forces Foredoom ing Forefathers Formula.” |. Jason Z. pounded out [is theories on WORK, the ® for Labor to use its BRA 3. while bosses used their BRAIN : He wondered how long bo could go on not only wanting — but demanding — that * eat regularly. f He rhapsodized the ide@ ° the fairness of. Industry ™@*" ing all of the rules — and Lab0" - obeying them. He eulogized the institu that reaped in the profit. _. Labor, he saw, as somethiné z which needed to use its BRAY Yes, Jason Z. really laid 7 on. “Workers should appret ate all of the things we 4° 3 them. They must stop sei ing things; they must get Pe”, to good—old fashioned WORK. ; Then one day while een was making one of his speech about LABOR to the Coupe” Clippers Cocktail Club, 2 Oe senger boy came running 1? © te door with a telegram. The W* was speedily dispatched 0 speaker’s table. re: Jason got out his readin? \ glasses, disposing with the ised which he usually used for fie turing with. He read the ¥* and fainted. Apparently the “Workers throughout C0 your plants refuse to ike stoy Have all gone on sth” stop No Work no profits ‘sto You'd better stop talking sto?’ It sure stopped him. @ Reprinted from Canadian UP News . tions ? d re rea! wl untry fo aren Te Senha families in Canada’s Eastern Arctic may soon be a little better off because the age-old problem of how to clean eider down quickly and efficiently has been solv- ed by an Icelandic inventor. A new machine is being tested by officials of the Arc- tic division of the depart- ment of northern affairs and national resources and results to date show that it cleans eider down better than any other known method. Plans Invention benehic Eskimos — are being made now to CO} duct experimental field tests next summer. 3 The tedious and messy job of cleaning eider down been the reason that Easter? Arctic Eskimos have not a ; tempted to satisfy the f demand for the soft insulat- ing material. Under prese? primitive methods the 40 is heated to carbonize forelé® matter in it and then t 1 Eskimos rub it across pat aller lines of sinew. es PACIFIC TRIBUNE — DECEMBER 2, 1955 — PAG? :