Breathing Spell

In the six weeks since he upset Canada's 22-year-old Liberal government in a form-shattering election victory, Prime Minister John George Diefenbaker has been one of the world's busiest statesmen. At a Commonwealth Conference in London, Tory Diefenbaker plugged hard for brisker Canadian-British trade, proposed that his fellow chiefs of government meet next in Canada; back in Ottawa, he presided over sessions of his brand-new Cabinet to chart Canada's new political course. Last week, in his first breathing spell since he took office, John Diefenbaker flew to home town Prince Albert (pop. 21,000), Sask. and a heart-warming homecoming from his constituents.

Many of the 2,800 friends and neighbors Who filled Prince Albert's sturdy old red brick armory have known John Diefenbaker since he was a lanky prairie lawyer, using a shrewd judgment of human nature and an effective bag of courtroom theatrics to win difficult jury cases. When the welcoming speeches ended, Diefenbaker responded: "Our house will be in Ottawa, but our home will always be in Prince Albert."

Next day the Prime Minister and three companions flew north to forest-ringed Lac la Ronge and a few days' fishing. As a concession to Diefenbaker's new job, his companions excused him from his customary chore as cook. Trolling the glass-smooth waters for lake trout, Diefenbaker hauled in a six-pounder.

The Prime Minister's respite will be brief; knotty problems are piling up on his agenda, and many of them are tied to Canada's relations with the U.S. To identify and examine such problems, the National Planning Association, a privately supported U.S. research agency, last week set up a committee of top-level U.S. and Canadian businessmen, educators and labor leaders for a thorough study. The committee is headed by Quaker Oats Co. Chairman Douglas Stuart, onetime (1953-56) U.S. Ambassador to Canada, and Montreal Lawyer Robert Fowler, president of the Canadian Pulp & Paper Association. Among the likely points of focus for research:

P: Conflicts of interest in the international sale of wheat.

P: Toll rates on the St. Lawrence Seaway and the allocation of revenues. P: Canada's lopsided trade deficit with the U.S., and ground rules for U.S. businesses operating in Canada.

P: International hydroelectric developments in the Pacific Northwest.

Said one member of N.P.A.'s staff: "America, on the whole, has the attitude of a slightly dense, wholly confident husband who is positive that his wife is happy, even though he never listens to what she has to say and seldom takes her to dinner." Added Canadian Co-Chairman

Fowler: "Good relations between the U.S. and Canada are not just automatic. They need attention. There has been a lot of talk about how much alike we are. We need to talk about our differences."

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