I would like to hear more about the proposed voucher system. Of course, if the banks will not accept them for deposit and the government is prohibited by the federal authorities from accepting them for taxes, there will be problems of "acceptability." If the banks will not go along with the program, it basically means you will have to set up an alternative banking system, perhaps through the post office. The existing banks will see them as competitors and do everything possible to suppress them. It means you have to assert sufficient sovereignty to take control of the situation, which Alberta was unable or unwilling to do.
Bill -- --------- Original Message --------- DATE: Fri, 1 Aug 2003 22:55:15 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Social Credit <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [Joe wrote:-] --> Bill, didn't the Aberhart government try to have a 'ticket system' similar to what you're describing? Wasn't there some problems with its acceptance by merchants? ---------- [Bill Ryan replied:-} The Social Credit government issued stamp scrip notes called "Prosperity Certificates." See the attached photocopy also archived at http://www.geocities.com/socredus/compendium . I think their biggest problem--apart from the fact they were based on Silvio Gesell's harebrained idea of "disappearing money"--was that the banks wouldn't accept them for deposit or in payment of debt to the banks. I think the federal authorities prohibited the Alberta government from accepting them in payment of taxes. They nevertheless did circulate somewhat in facilitation of trade, as should be evident from the visible wear and tear to the note in the photograph. It is definitely not in "mint" condition. -- Hello Bill, Thanks for sending the photo re:- the "Prosperity Certificate". As I recall reading somwhere this wasn't a Douglas idea at all, but something Aberhart had picked up from reading Gesell. And introduced on his own, after disregarding Douglas's advice. I believe it was brought in early on in Aberhart's first term, and there were several problems with acceptability. Later on though, after Byrne came over, I believe they attempted to introduce a 'voucher' system that was more in line with Douglas's 'tickets'. There was still a problem with acceptability, but apparently some headway was being made. Until the wartime restrictions and rationing interfered. Manning apparently abandoned the effort after he became Premier. There were a couple of good books out a few years ago about this whole period. One was called "Major Douglas and Alberta Social Credit", in which the author, Bob Hesketh, makes some conclusions I don't particularly agree with, but does a credible job of documenting the events. The other was "Politics and Public Debt: The Dominion, the Banks, and Alberta Social Credit." This was written by a fellow then employed as an auditor by the Bank of Canada, and showed just how serious the private Banks viewed the advent of Social Credit. And some of the efforts undertaken by them to try to contain and destroy it. Joe ____________________________________________________________ Get advanced SPAM filtering on Webmail or POP Mail ... Get Lycos Mail! http://login.mail.lycos.com/r/referral?aid=27005 --^---------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84IaC.bcVIgP.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TOPICA - Start your own email discussion group. FREE! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/create/index2.html --^----------------------------------------------------------------
