Mr. Aimé Godbout of Aroostock, New Brunswick, recounts the following example of Crediters at work applying political pressure in approved Union of Electors style. A delegation from Victoria County had a two hour interview with our federal member, Mr. Gage Montgomery, at Woodstock. The delegates asked our member of parliament to take adequate measures to stop the widespread, existing depression.
Mr. Montgomery appeared surprised to hear that there were hard times among many of his electors, but after a short discussion he admitted that the times were not rosy, and said that the federal governement would do all that was possible.
One of the delegates asked what the "possible" he had mentioned would be. He replied that there would be municipal works such as the repairing of streets and post offices and so on, for which the federal government would bear half the cost.
To this, one of the men replied that, with today's modern machinery these project give work to only a few men. Mr. Montgomery asked then what should be done to help the unemployed. The delegate told him there should be a dividend so that everyone could look after his own affairs without so much bureaucracy.
"I will not support that," replied Montgomery. "I do not believe in giving money to anyone for nothing. This will make lazy people. We offer ther work at five dollars a day and they refuse it. (Mr. Godbout: But he, the deputy, is getting thirty dollars a day) And when they get a few cents they drink it or go to the show. They don't pay their taxes. I am for taxes," the M.P. concluded.
A delegate mentioned to him that there were many families living on rabbit and potatoes; that all the money they had was their family allowances. Montgomery retorted that family allowances were not for taking care of the family but for education. The delegate answered that there was no use in trying to educate starved children.
Mr. Montgomery appears to be a Socialist because he is for taxes, because he wants to dictate to parents how to spend their family allowances, because he wants full employment which is impossible in a world of automation, which replaces men; he is a Socialist because he is for state control as exemplified through compulsory health insurance — as if people don't know themselves when they should go to the hospital!
Mr. Montgomery is at Ottawa now for the 1959 session. It might be wise if his electors let him know that they don't want any of his controls, they want no depression such as that of the thirties, when hundreds of thousands starved in the midst of an abundance of products.
This cannot happens again. There are too many Canadians who know how unnecessary such a calamity is.
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