CANADA: New Viceroy; General Election

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C. C. F. Not a new party, but this year for the first time giving the old ones headaches, are Canada's Socialists, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation led by that poor organizer but "Great Humanitarian of the Prairie Provinces." Mr. James Shaver Woodsworth. Opposed to violence, but favoring a non-bloody Canadian revolution in the sense that the State would nationalize all property except farms and homes, C. C. F. ran 118 candidates last week in Canada's 245 constituencies, offering the nation its choice of Socialism.

Reformists. Next, with 174 candidates running last week, was the Reconstruction Party of a Conservative turncoat, the Hon. Henry ("Harry") H. Stevens who was a member of Premier Bennett's Cabinet until he became convinced that "something is wrong" (TIME, Nov. 5). Not gifted with any great powers of analysis, Mr. Stevens was vastly shocked when, as the most active member of a Government commission on Canadian business practices, he learned that these practices are those of laissez-faire. Because big Canadian firms, when Depression enabled them to slash wages, squeeze marginal producers and crush competitors, did all these things ruthlessly, Mr. Stevens raised a great howl, founded what he calls the Reconstruction Party. It offered voters their choice of mild reform measures to be carried out by the more sympathetic wing of the Old Gang.

Social Credit. Forty-seven candidates were run, exclusively in the West, by the not-yet-national Social Credit Party of Alberta's new radiorating Premier William Aberhart, a great admirer of Father Coughlin, a restive disciple of the calm British originator of the Social Credit theory, Major Douglas, and a political bigot who makes his followers take vows to read nothing and listen to nothing uttered by anyone against either himself or Social Credit (TIME, Sept. 2 & 16). The Aberhart party, victorious in Alberta, offered to pay all Canadians $25 per month in credit if and when a Social Credit Government is established inOttawa.

The Reds.

Since Premier Bennett has for years been more alert to Communist preparations for the World Revolution of the World Proletariat than any other North American statesman, Canadian voters know that the Comintern of Moscow is not that funny kind of Russian cabbage soup with sour cream in it. Exceptionally enlightened as to Communists, Canadians were offered a chance to elect Red M. P.'s last week by Incendiary Tim Buck who rushes about trying to win workmen's votes by showing them cablegrams of encouragement received from the World Communist Party Congress in Moscow (TIME, July 29, et seq.). Presenting candidates in only 15 ridings last week, the harried Communists offered Canadians a small chance to vote Red.