MOTOR SCOOTERS

Will they be answer
to traffic problem?

S the European motor scooter
due to hit the streets of big
Canadian cities now jammed
to the breaking point with
ever-lengthening motor cars?

It’s too early to make such a
prediction. But there are more
and more of them to be seen
around our major cities and
particularly Toronto, where
traffic Jams morning and night
get worse every day; where
there are more trucks and cars
than the streets can accom-
modate;.where parking is a
daily headache.

In Paris, where the streets

are much wider, but where
gasoline and cars are véry ex-
pensive, there are tens of
thousands of these little scoot-
ers. In Italy even more so;
that’s where the idea first took
hold.

Guys and gals take-their gals

and guys to the movies on
them. There’s no parking prob-

lem — just wheel ’em up on
the sidewalk or the nearby
lane,

Mothers take the youngsters
shopping — and the latest
Paris head creation is not by
Dior — but a plastic crash
helmet, in all colors and sizes.

Now they’re getting more
popular in London — jammed
even worse than New York
with cars and buses. Scooters,
“mopeds” and the miniature
bubble cars are beginning to
find a market for Londoners
weary of bus and subway
travel.

OPEN FORUM

Correction sustained

E. R. FAY, Wainwright,
Alta.: There are two errors in
your April 5 issue that should
be corrected. :

In your editorial, “Ban the
H-tests,” you place the forth-
coming British tests on the
wrong Christmas Island. There
are two islands named. Christ-
mas, both British-owned. One
is in the Indian Ocean, some
200 miles south of Java. The
other is in the Pacific Ocean,
some 1350 miles south of
Hawaii. This latter is the one
from which the tests are be-
ing conducted.

Your second error is in des-
eribing John Decore as Social
Credit MP for Vegreville in
your story, “Parcel agency
nails Socred MP’s charges.”
Decore is the Liberal MP for
Vegreville.

In 1948 he was unopposed
by the CCF and LPP in order
to defeat Anthony Hlynka,
then the sitting member, who
had held the constituency for
Social Credit. since 1935.
Hlynka was a_ pro-fascist
Ukrainian Nationalist and a
rabid reactionary.

Decore -is himself very re-
actionary in his views. That
is why Frank Maricle is op-
posing him as an LPP candi-
date in the forthcoming federa]
election.

e Reader Fay is right on

both scores and we stand
corrected.

Manipulating news

ANONYMOUS, Vancouver,
B.C.: It seems that your paper
is that only one that does not
manipulate the news for the
purpose of the financiers of the
stock exchange. That is, by
creating rumors about a certain
situation the small investors
sell their stocks low and the
big boys buy in. Then, by either
disproving the rumor or mak-

Prizewinning letters

Each week the Paci-
fic Tribune will present
a book to the writer of
the most interesting, en-
tertaining and _ topical
letter published on this
page. Contributors are
urged to keep their let-
ters to a_ reasonable
length.

The prize-winning let-
ter in our last issue was
written by L.S., Vancou-
ver, B.C., whose initials
were dropped from the
letter headed “Time for
leisure” through a print-
er’s error. Writer of the
prize-winning letter in
the April 12% issue was
Thelma Stevens, Hilliers,

B.C.

ing out that the situation is
well in hand, the big boys sell
their shares high and reap a
profit or, if they have a lot
of money in a certain: stock,
they sell short and make a
profit.

I often think that these inter-
national crises are interfered
with for the purpose of unload-
ing or grabbing up shares on
the market.

In the meantime a lot of
people suffer from unnecessary
anxieties, nervous breakdowns
and collapses due to the inter-
ference of the stock exchanges
in manipulating the news and
influencing the course of in-
ternational crises.

Knowing your “sympathy”
for the big business man, I
think you would be well ad-
vised to expose the big head-
lines in the daily press, and the
dishonest politicians and diplo-
mats who juggle with the
security of civilization so that
they and the big boys may
profit.

Protect our treasures

ROBERT CLARIHUE, Na-
naimo, B.C.: The recent fire
which destroyed Government
House at Victoria, raises some
questions.

How is it that nothing was
saved? Was no attempt made
to save any of the historic trea-
sures which were the property
of the people of this province?
At least in the 1903 fire a din-
ing room suite was saved. In
this fire nothing was saved, not
even the guest book containing
the signatures of many famous
personages.

Knowing the megalomania of
some of our Social Credit lead-
ers, a sinister thought crosses
my mind.

Right after the old building
that housed our first legislative
assembly is razed by fire, Gov-
ernment House burns down.

What is this? An attempt by
the Social Credit government
to destroy our century - old
heritage, piece by piece, until
all we have left dates from the
Social Credit era?

Personally, I think the fires
should be thoroughly investi-
gated and an equally thorough
review made of fire precau-
tions in others of our historic
buildings and provincial in-
stitutions.

Too many of our historic
treasures have been destroyed
by fire over the years. I am
thinking of the fire that des-
troyed the old museum at New
Westminster (I think it was in
1906), in which priceless col-
lections from the very first
days of the province were des-
troyed.

The approaching centennial
should emphasize the import-
ance of the government taking
better care of what we have
left. ;

eae

Here’s what a skeptical cor-
respondent in London wrote
the other day:

“T had no idea, until the ex-
perience of this past couple of
weeks, to what an extraordin-
arily high pitch the scooter
people had brought their one
great quality — convenience.

“They are the most handy
things you can imagine. Riding
to work by scooter is vastly
easier than by any other means
I have ever tried — bus, train,
ear, motorcycle or bicycle.”

He figures he knocked six
hours off his regular working
week. As for ease of handling,
this tyro writes:

“I was able to take all the
twists and corners. Slow-speed
steering was quite remarkable:
it was dehghtfully easy to
trickle along in a traffic jam
at well under walking-pace.
With a little practise I could
come to a complete stop and
then get going again without
putting a foot on the ground.

“At no time did I come any-
where near a skid, wet or dry.
Braking was as good as any
ear. Better, in fact.

“With the big windscreen
provided weather protection
was excellent. The only change
I made from ordinary going-
by-bus clothing was to wear a
hard hat instead of a soft one.
I never wore or wanted gloves.

“The overwhelming charact-
eristic of the scooter, however,
was its sheer handiness. It was
ridiculously easy to start. A
boy of 11 and an old man of
80 both managed this first kick
from cold. ‘Kick’ is the wrong
word — a gentle prod will do.

“It was easy to manoeuvre,
easy to park, easy to man-
handle. There was somewhere
to put things and a shopping
basket can be carried if you
want. I am told they are eas

to maintain, too.” :
504 =

hy

wT ease Poy

Speaking }

briefly

MUtual 2222

Nella Bogart, self admitted
call girl, who testified that]
General Electric Supply of
ficials hired her to attend col
ventions and entertain prospe®
tive buyers, has been ordered
deported from the United
States to her native Poland
But it's doubtful if Poland wil
accept her. Besides Miss Bo
gart doesn’t want to go there:
You see, she’s supposed to be
a “long time anti-Communist

$04 6° 5

NOBLESSE OBLIGE

Executives of the U.S. firt
Bart Schwartz International
Textiles Ltd., have been OF
dered to take a week off every
seventh week, with full pay

Company spokesmen said thé
mandatory holidays, which
start May 1, are designed to
cut down on the number
heart attacks, strokes 8
ulcers among its key personne

Non - executive employe’
will continue to get regula |
paid two-week vacations one
a year,

xt it so
OBVIOUSLY

“We saw some very shady
characters. They gate-crash
the party, and nobody knew
who were the guests and whe
were the outsiders,” — Mis
Sally Spencer Churchill de
cribing a debutante’s party-

ce bo 50

MOONST RUCK

Frank Anderson of Andersot
Laboratories, told a Genett
Electric engineers’ meeting 4
short while ago that the tre ;
of the socialist world we
downward. How did he know"
Where did he get his inform®
tion from? Anderson. said i
based his calculations on ape
Jones Stock Market averas®
in relation to the position © '
the moon.—Poughkeepsi¢
Yorker.

at 5S tt

DOUBTLESS

After looking at the financidt
pages of the daily papers 2%
reading the yearly stateme™
of the large corporation® ,
have been convinced that
now have prosperity in nat
country. The only thing 1S t al
with the high cost of li 308
the high rate of taxation 1
my short time work .- ~~
wish I could appreciate it-_

R. C

APRIL 26, 1957 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—-PAG®