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The purchase of a defined piece of railway property is one thing. The buying of stock in a company with unascertained assets and unknown liabilities is another. Once the Gov- ernment becomes the principal owner of the common stock, it must provide out of loans or taxes for all the debts of the railway due or to become due and for all future losses in operating: The estimates of expenditure still necessary to be made run into en01‘-; mous figures. No one knows whatl the real extent of its obligations are.’ a burden of unknown magnitude. One certainly greater than any ever be- fore imposed upon this country. with the exception of the war debt. The Government bill to authorize the purchase by it of the capital stock of the Canadian Northern Railway is’ half-way through the House of Com-l moms and will shortly be in the Sen- ate. If it becomes law, it will impose on Canada, at a. time when the coun- try is under an unprecedented strain,_[ The following criticism of the poliCy of the Government in respect of the Canadian Northern Railway is made: Acquisition of Canadian Nor- thern Imposes Burden of Unknown Magnitude. RAILWAY PWCY IS CRETECESED a kettle of slightly salted boiling wa- ter which should not stop boiling at all for twenty minutes. No two grains should adhere together, and each ought to be swollen to twice its natural size. When it is soft turn out into a colander, shake it up lightly and set in the oven a moment to dry. Stewed tomatoes added to the water in which the rice was boiled will, if properly seasoned, make a delicious soup. Cold boiled rice added to scram- bled eggs will piece (.11? that dish so Wash the rice well through one or two cqld waters, then sprinkle it into Rice should be more appreciated than it is, for it can be served in so many ways. Polished rice is of less value as a food than that which is un- polished, because in the polishing the vitamines, which are an essential life principle, are ground ofl’. The latter also has the advantage of being less expensive. Rice cooked thus should look like a mound of snow. Rice 3 Valuable Food. that two eggs will serve several peo- Food experts are urging a wider ple. The housewife will find that rice use of cereals, and suggest that theygmay be added to many diShesv in‘ may appear in some form at every meal. With a high food value and no waste, the housewife should learn how to cook them properly and serve theml Trench Cake- so that their use does not become One-half CUDfIll 0f Shortening, one monotonous. ' ICUDful of sugar. (mp. cunfnl of water, creasing their bulk and reducing their cost. Fish The protein of fish is similar in character to that of meat. It differs in structure and composition. Fish may be cooked by boiling, broiling, Milk may be heated to the scalding point, using a double boiler. Slow cooking at a temperature just below the boiling point will give better re- sults when cooking foods that conâ€" tain milk. When combining milk with acid fruits or vegetables, if a quarter teaspoonful of baking soda is added to the fruit or vegetable to neutralize the acid. the milk will not separate. This amount is for one pint of milk, or you may blend one tablespoonful butter, one tablespoon- ful flour, two cupfuls milk. Cook until boiling is reached. Now slowly‘ add the fruit or vegetable. Bring! to the scalding point and use. Wheni cooking puddings and custards al-l ways stand the dish or pan containing the mixture in a larger pan contain- ing hot water, then bake in a moder- ate oven. When milk becomes sour the sugar content of the milk changes to acid. This acid will also cause the milk to precipitate. Casein is also clotted by ferments or digestive juices which are present in the stomach. Methods of cooking milk, fish, cereals, peas, beans and lentils are given this week. The protein of milk is in the form of casein, which pre- CiDitates when acid is added to the milk, as in the combination of toma- toes and milk. DOMESTIC SCIENCE AT HOME Eighth Lesson (Cont inued).â€"I’roteins. No other railway company nor any other group of business men would consider such an acquisition except after elaborate examination and re- ports from accountants and apprais- ers on the assets and liabilities, and then only subject to a solvent guarâ€" antee that all supposed assets would 'be delivered and that no undisclosed debts or obligations would appear. To find out these things, where such >examination and guarantee cannot be had, the usual course in the United States has been to place the road in} the hands of a receiver, whose statfl can ascertain them and place themi before those interested in an accurate1 and clear statement. Systems quitei as large, notably the Union Pacific," the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe and i the Rock Island, have in the United! States been through this process and‘ have emerged from it with capital written down to correspond to the Oneâ€"half cupful of shortening, one cupful of sugar, one cupful of water, one-half cupful of raisins, chopped fine. Place in a saucepan and bring ~ to a boil. Cook for two minutes and . then add: Three-quarters teaspoonful , of baking soda, oneâ€"half teaspoonful , of cinnamon, one-quarter teaspoonful - of cloves, one-quarter teaspoonful of mace, two tablespoonfuls of cocoa, two cupfuls of flour. Beat well un- til cool and then add two teaspoonfuls - of baking powder. Pour into a greas- ed and floured pan. Smooth the top of the cake with a knife dipped in water. . Cover the top of the cake with the following mixture: Four tablespoon-; ifuls of sugar, eight tablespoonfuls of flour, four tablespoonfuls of shorten- ing, one teaspoonful of cinnamon. Work the mixture between the hands until it is fine and crumbly. Spread lsmoothly over the cake and then bake 'for forty minutes in a moderate oven. This delicious cake is just the thing to send to the men in the trenches as it keeps indefinitely. The railway has bonds outstanding and debts unpaid; so have its sub- sidiaries. There are guarantees given by it to other companies, unpaid bal- ances on contracts and upon ac- counts, but to what extent is unknown. What its assets are is equally un- known. It operates and is interested in railway companies, land companies, telegraph companies, tunnel compan- ies, lumber companies and hotel com- panies, but no one knows how far it owns them, what their assets or lia- bilities are, nor to what extent thei railway company is responsible for their liabilities. ' Use a double-fold wire broiler when broiling; also lay the fish on a fine {wire rack when baking. This permits 'easy removal from the pot, fire or pan Iland makes the appearance of the fish ‘much better when served. Cereal: 1 The length of time required for cooking cereals depends entirely upon ‘the amount of cellulose the cereals lcontain. Steel-cut oatmeal will re- quire much longer time than the flak- ed oats, which are first crushed and then steamed. Lentils are very nutritious, easy to digest and are considered a valuable article of diet in Europe. Dried peas, beans and lentils should be soaked first in plenty of cold wa- ter for twelve hours. They should then be steamed until tender. They may also be boiled gently. Hominy will require longer to cook than cornmeal. Long, slow and con- tinuous cooking is the proper method for cooking all cereals. Legumes Fresh peas and beans are cooked in boiling water, boiling gently, so that the vegetable will not break or become mussy. Use barely enough water to cover. baking, sauteing or frying. A steady, even heat is required and an allowance of twenty minutes to the pound after cooking starts may be considered a fair time allowance. Owing to the de- licate texture of fish, always wrap the fish in a piece of cheese cloth to broil. lows .sible protests be made befc‘e it is too - the belief of foreign bankers that good , money will not be sent after bad, and that speculative enterprises will be allowed to find the financial level called for by their intrinsic merits. The undersigned, all of whom as in- vestors have a stake in the prosperâ€" ity of this country, desire to call the attention of their fellowâ€"countrymen to the grave risk they all are run- ning of having their own earnings di-‘ verted for the purpose of securing. profits to bondholders and stockhold- ers of a concern, the equity in whose enterprise has been declared by the only people at all in a position to form an opinion to be of no value. It is also urged that the strongest pos- late to all senators and members of Parliament. Montreal, August 20, 1917. F. W. Molson, James Law, H, R. Drummond, Geo. E. Drummond, Ar- mand Chaput, Ferd. Prudhomme, Zeph. Hebert, A. J. Brown, C. S. Garland, H. A. Ekers, Chas. Chaput, A. Guy Ross, Joseph Ainey, C. Mere- dith, C. S. Campbell, W. R. Miller, George Caverhill, Wm. McMaster, H. W. Blackwell, Andrew J. Dawes, , Robert Hampson, George R. Hooper, . George W. Sadler, W. W. Hutchison, ‘ Wm. c. Finley, F. H. Wilson, G. F. ‘ Bensc Morgl 23rd. two years netted only $96,111,111. In other words, the country is borrowing money at a charge of more than 8 per cent. per annum. Noteâ€"Accord- ing to the Monetary Times of August :17th, Sir Thomas White stated the net proceeds to be $96,250,000, not $96,111,111, and that the commissions and charges were 1% per cent. He was speaking of a two-year 5 per cent. loan. The cost would be 8 per cent. if the 1% per cent. comes out of the $96,250,000, but not otherwise. Its future credit may depend entirely on THE RAILWAY POLICY. We print in another column a pro- The credit of the country abroad is less than it has ever been. The last loan of $100,000,000 at 6 per cent. for ing has been made public which would justify the taxing of other lcitizens of this country for' the pur- pose of giving fictitious value to these bonds and stocks. The interest and other charges on Canada due to the war increase every day and even now are so great that it is difficult to say from what source they can be paid without an economic strain never hitherto undergone and a cutting down of expenses not yet even be-‘ gun. The Canadian Northen. Railway was built as a private speculation. Its bonds were sold to financiers at a discount. No money was received i153 its treasury for its stock. Noth- No agreement or obligation to pur- chase is produced. In fact, nothing has transpired except verbally and then between members of the Govern- ment not named and persons whose names are not disclosed. In fact what is to be paid, who is to get paid for it, what the cost and the at- tendant obligations are, no one knows. The smallest transaction in common life could not be concluded in such a way, and any attempt to do it by trustees responsible to a court would unquestionably be a breach of trust,3 and this is the largest and most on- erous undertaking ever contemplated by any Canadian Government, and the most risky. It is safe to say that no road capitalized above its earning power can ever be a useful public servant, nor can any road bought by a Government for more than its worth ever be anything but a continuous drain on the tax payer. value may be, the unsecured debts are more than enough to prevent its be- ing sold to any reasonably prudent purchaser. In view of the fact that no money was paid to the company for the stock and that the company has never been able to earn anything upon it, there was and is no reason to expect any other result from ex- amination. The only examination so far had into the affairs. of the Canadian Northern has resulted in the opinion of two out of three railway experts that the stock proposed to be pur- chased was Worth nothing. This means that whatever its nominal actual values, in a solvent condition and able to perform their duties as public servants. an Gazette, Montreal, of August comments on the above as fol- Craddock Simpson; James flowers are three bulbs soil should with a little florists use This method can be undertaken in Canada by many organizations. Hitherto, owing to our wasteful hab- its, the saving and collecting of rags has not appealed to us, but the war has brought about'many changes, and, it is incumbent upon all Canadians to do their bit toward averting the seri- ous shortages that otherwise are sure‘ to result. ' ;temoer in pots for winter flowering. The bulbs are inexpenswe and the flowers are delightfully fragrant. Pot three bulbs in a five inch pot. The soil should be leaf mould and loam with a little sharp sand. Such soil as florists use from a compost heap is the best. Set the pots in a sheltered place in the garden and cover the tops with spaghnum moss until the foliage appears. Plant every two week for a succession of bloom. Plant free: tember in p( The bulbs a: “on account of the large stocks of clothing needed for the British and allied armies, efforts are being made to save the maximum quantity of rags for use in shoddy mills. The aid of women’s societies has been invoked in conjunction with urban and rural of- ficials. The collection is largely de- pendent upon the patriotic spirit of ‘the people, but large supplies of old ‘clothes and rags will be called for. Central depots are provided for stor- age, and whenyenough rags are on hand for shipment they are forwarded to the district centre, where they are sorted and sold to mill owners, the profits going to the Red Cross or other war charities. An especial appeal is made to the tailors and dressmakers to keep their cuttings for this pur- pose. Discarded clothing is separated into three classesâ€"all wool, all cotton, and cotton and wool." By Saving Rags Canadians Can Help to Avert Serious Shortage. In all the warring countries the de- mand for rags, to supply the world’s ‘shortage of wool, is insistent. Canada is no exception, and appeals are be- ing made throughout the country for the savings of rags and old clotlflE’S that they may be again used in the manufacture of shoddy, to relieve the strain upon the wool supply. In Great Britain, the Local Government Board has called attention to the varied means by which this material may be saved, as follows: To Government ownership We are opposed. A reorganization of the cap- ital liabilities, through the medium of receivership, is the other recourse. The liability of Canada in either event remains, the Government and the provinces having guaranteed the great sum of $211,000,000 of bonds of the company. It is, however, neces- sary to learn the extent of the lia- bility taken over by Canada in the bill now before Parliament. What as- sets are acquired? What obligations incurred? If there be a margin on the debit side of the account, if Can- ada is assuming a debt over and above existing guarantees, the public may not unreasonably ask why. The railway is a fine property with ex-l cellent prospects, but after all is said, it is a business venture which should be allowed to face the con- sequences of all business ventures. :One thing is certain; the country should not be saddled with any avoid- able liability. The debt created by the war is already large, and constantly increasing. New sources of taxation have to be tapped. ‘The outlook is by no means bright in respect of the Dominion finances end before the additional obligation of taking over the Canadian Northern Railway is in- curred, it is necessary at the least that we should know precisely what is being purchased in the way of as- set, and what is being incurred in the way of liability. The Canadian Northern must be carried on as an operating road. It serves a great territory and a large community of people whose welfare is dependent upon the operation of this railway, but having exhausted its financial resources the alternative of Government ownership by acguisition of the common stock, or through the medium of a receivership, is the only one presented. test against the purchase of the Can- adian Northern Railway signed by many of the leading capitalists of Montreal, and this protest is not lightly to be disregarded. The point at issue is this, is the country to take over a burden that other shoulders should bear? Will the ownership of the Canadian Northern impose upon the people a financial obligation avoidable without danger to national interests? If the Government was di- vorced from the enterprise, the an- swer is easy. Like any other busi- ness undertaking the property should stew in its own juice, and undergo the conrse of liquidation through re- ceivership, emerging therefrom in stronger condition in respect of lia- bilities both of current and of capi- tal account. That appears to be the view of the financiers whose state- ment we print, and there is force in the view. SHORTAGE 0F WOOL. ‘ Committee of Workmen's and So]- _ diers’ Delegates, and actually sup- _ ported by a few of the extremists in E that illâ€"balanced body; its effect was 1 practically to smash the mainépring of discipline in the Russian army. ' Kerensky hastened at once to the Executive Committee and procured [ the publication of a modifying “Or- der No. 2," in an effort to neutralize , the damage done. But Gutchkoif, 1 then War Minister in the Provisional Government, seemingly daunted by the extremists, gave the official sanc‘ tion of the War Ministry to some of the subversive provisions of the Ger- man proclamation. Soldier and Statesman. Immediately afterward two events were chronicled by the cables, each in a space of three or four lines. The first of these was a hurried visit of certain famous generals to Petrograd and the Provisional Government. Brusiloi‘f was one of them. The sec- and event was the resignation of Gutchkofi‘, whose place was taken by Kerensky. These two comparatively unnoted events are not unconnected, we may sm‘mise; they were not with- out their bearing on the swift conva- lescence of the Russian army. We can see already, through the early and magnificent result, What statesmanlike wisdom inspired that swift, courageous and decisive action. But without question, Brusiloff's gift of statesmanship is best demon- strated by the fact that, while it was he who led the Czar’s armies in the great Galician drive which began or June 4, 1916', it is still Brusilofi‘ who leads the armies of Free Russia. Brusilofi' intervened in another way, which has been indicated in the press cables, but which has not, in all likelihood, been clearly understood. It will be remembered that German agents, just about the time when Nicholas descended from the throne, scattered broadcast through Petro- grad the famous “Order No. 1," ap- parently signed by the Executive The drive began on Brusilofl" terri- story, between Zlochofi (Zloczow) and Brzezany, along the Stripa River; it was begun with the armies which Brusiloff had held firmly in his own hands while he was commander of the south~western front before his appointment as Commanderâ€"in-Chief. It is pertinent to ask why the Brus- iloff group of armies was chosen to begin the new drive; why this group lof armies was supremely ready and effective. The answer, I believe, is this: During the three perilous months immediately following the abdication of Nicholas II., when the work of German agents in Russia was, at times, seemingly triumphant, Brusilofl’ had given orders that not one of these “Socialist” propaganda- ists should be tolerated within speak- ing distance of any of his troopsâ€" and had seen that his orders were car- ried out. Therefore, it happened that, while the German agents were drug- ging the Kronstadt sailors and sowing discord at Petrograd, the morale of the Brusilofl“ armies on the southwest front was almost wholly unimpaired, their fine discipline was almost wholly unshaken. Less dramatic for the moment, but immensely effective, has been the work of General Brusiloff, the Rus- sian Commander-in-Chief. All honor is due to the heroic young War Minister, Alexander Kel‘eflsk)’. who has played such a splendid part in firing the fighting blood of the Russian soldiers, chilled by the work of German agents in the first days of the revolution. KEPT HIS OWN COMMAND IN CONTROL DURING REVOLUTION. Man of Statesmunlike Wisdom With the Swift and Courageous Action of a Soldier. GEN. BRUSHLQFF RUSSHAN PARROT General Alexafii‘ler Brusilofl"