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FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1954

Petition sponsor exposed

Capital book-burner
now on witch-hunt

VICTORIA, B.C.

A petition calling for 4 McCarthy-style “Un-Cana-
dian Activities Committee’ which is being circulated in

Vancouver and Victoria ‘is sponsored by an undercover

_ group which. refuses to identify itself in public but which
is undoubtedly the ‘‘Canadian AntiCommunist League’

led by notorious ,red-baiter, Ron
Gostick. Among the most ardent-
ly promoting the campaign are
individuals identified with the
“Douglas” purist wing. of the
Social Credit movement.

Object of the petition is un-

_. doubtedly to rally support for the
attempt to import McCar-
thyism into this country be-
ing made by John Black-
more, Social Credit member
of parliament for Leth-
bridge and former leader of
the Social Credit group in
the House of Commons.
The’ only sponsors of the
petition who have so far
been identified in public are
Mrs. Doris Lougheed, mem-
ber of the Victoria Library
Board and prominent in a
recent “book-burning con-
troversy, and her husband, Mil-
lard F. Lougheed. :

The Lougheeds refused to iden-
tify other sponsors of the petition,
saying that they were merely “a
group of interested citizens who
spontaneously got together to do
something about Communism.”

Both Lougheeds are long-time

Social Creditors and have run for .

. public office under the Socred
banner. They are not members
of the main Social Credit organ-

Civic workers
accept offer

Vancouver Civic Workers

Union, Outside Workers, voted
Wednesday night this week to ac-
cept the wage increase and bet-
ter working conditions offer made
recently by the city.
‘The new one-year contract
boosts wages by three percent,
which will mean a 4% to 6-cent
hourly increase.

Elimination of the starting rate
gives laborers an extra four cents
an hour in their first six months
of employment.

The agreement also. includes
improvements in the annual vaca-
tion plan.

It was agreed that the city will
bring down a pension plan for
the majority not already covered.

: sere) <1 :
Show new Soviet film.

Only public showing ef a new
Soviet movie, They See Again,

will be held Friday, March 26 at

.8 p.m. in Pender Auditorium
here under the auspices of the

Canadian-Soviet Friendship So-.

ciety. In addition to the feature-
length film there will be several
shorts in color. Tickets are 50
cents.

.

ization in B.C., but are identified
with a split-off group of “200 per-
centers” under Major A. H. Jukes
of Victoria who claim that they
alone carry the true Social Credit
banner of Major Douglas.

Printed copies of the petition
now circulating bear the address
“1406 Douglas St., Victoria, B.C.”
This is the address of the Lough-
eed Banquet Hall which adver-
tises “complete facilities for cater-
ing,” and has been operated by
the Lougheeds for some seven
years.

Millard F. Lougheed was a So-
cial Credit candidate for Victoria
in the 1945 provincial election
when he trailed all other candi-
dates.
~ Mrs. Lougheed was one of three
Union. of Electors candidates for
Victoria in the 1949 provincial
election, losing out to the Coali-
tion and CCF nominees.

The Union of Electors section
of the Social Credit movement
has indulged in much of the anti-
Semitic and anti-trust sentiment
characteristic of fascist demagogy.
Its basic’ platform and opposition
to thé party system smacks of the
corporate state ideas of Musso-
lini.

Running mate of Mrs. Lougheed
in the 1949 elections was William
Clark, manager of the Dominion
Hotel in Victoria, who is said to
be the local contact man for Gos-
tick’s Canadian Anti-Communist

- League.

Gostick has been sponsored dur-
ing at least one of ‘his tours by a
group seeking to identify itself
with the Social Credit movement
but disclaiming connection with
any Social Credit political party
in this country. It says its affili-
ations are with a similar “Social
Credit Secretariat’ in Britain.

Gostick is currently in British
Columbia on a speaking tour org-
anized by Rev. J. G. Sproule of
the British Israel Federation of
Greater Vancouver. The British
Israelites’ Anglo-Saxon chauvinist

propaganda has an appeal for a_

small section of the Social Credit
movement and at one time count-
ed Eric Martin, now provincial
minister of health and welfare,
among its. supporters.

Mrs. Lougheed is a close friend
of Victoria’s Mayor Claude Harri-
son, who appointed her to the
Victoria Library © Board. The
Lougheed Banquet Hall was the
scené of meetings for Harrison
during his unsuccessful bid for a
seat in the legislature last year

when he contested the multi-mem- -

ber Victoria constituency as an
Independent. ~

The Socred nomination in Vic-
toria had previously been sought
on Harrison’s behalf by his hench-
man, Alderman Brent Murdoch.

Premier W. A. C. Bennett. is trying to help the ees monopoly, Aluminum Com”
pany of America, gain a foothold in the rich Yukon River hydro project through a back

door deal with the rival Frobisher interests.

This became evident this week following a hush-hush meeting here Tuesday be
tween Premier Bennett, Lands and Resources Minister Robert Sommers and the prest

Ambassador attends frendshin banquet

‘Dmitri S. Chuvahin, Ambassador of the’ USSR to Canada, was
the guest of honor at a banquet in Toronto last week tendered by the

Canadian-Soviet. Friendship Society.

in photo Chuvahin (left) is

shown with Governor-General Vincent Massey and Defense Minister

Brooke Claxton.

Continued from page I

THIS WEEK

leader Laing’s group was acting
on behalf of the real estate op-
erators in West Vancouver. “But
it was obvious that the Liberals
were playing for bigger stakes.
Their efforts were directed to
discrediting the idea of extend-
ing the PGE, and thus to taking
heat off the federal Liberals for

their refusal to help B.C. go ahead _

with the project. They were also
acting on behalf of CPR interests
who don’t want to see the PGE
tied up at both ends to the na-
tionally owned CNR. .

The Socred tactic in meeting
the Liberals’ charges. was to
quote former Liberal Premier
Byron Johnson’s support in 1952
for the southern extension against
the present Liberal policy.

The result was a foregone con

clusion, but Premier Bennett has

‘shown that he realizes what a

valuable political asset a program

‘of developing B.C. is, especially '

in the Interior ridings. It is clear

that he hopes to make the build- _

ing of the PGE one of his main
election boasts, whether in a by-
election to seat his twice-defeated
former finance minister, Einar
Gunderson, or in the next gen-
eral election.

The trade union movement was
given an indication of the recep-
tion its various representations on
the Industrial Conciliation ‘and Ar-
bitration and Workmen’s Compen-
sation acts will get from the gov-
ernment. Last week Labor Min-

ister Lyle Wicks refused to turn

over to the Labor Committee the
brief pre nted to the cabinet by
the major labor organizations.
The resolution moved by Leo
Nimsick (CCF, Cranbrook) would
have enabled the committee to

-eall labor witnesses and to ex-

plore thoroughly the demands put
forward by organized labor. ;

The government’s refusal will
render it more difficult for labor
to make its views heard when the
expected amendments do come
down. They will be discussed in
Committee of the whole House
but no outside witnesses can be

called.

Z

Union delegations will be re-

stricted to interviewing the cab-
inet (which is bringing down the
legislation!) and seeing private

‘members either in caucus or in-

dividually.
. Wicks made a pretty speech

* joint deal.

about labor being “full partners” .

in the life of the province, but
it’s not likely to cut much ice
with trade unionists so long as
he won’t give them the fullest
opportunity to make themselves
heard by the members of the leg-
islature.

Health and Welfare Minister

_ Eric Martin gave an extended de-

fense of the government’s change
in policy on the B.C. Hospital
Insurance Scheme. He set out to
demonstrate the inequities of the
premium method of collection,

showing how it bore heaviest on

those who often were least able

to pay and failed to cover many
who were in most need of its pro-
tection.

Martin skilfully, attacked the
main weaknesses of CCF policy
on BCHIS—its support of the dis-
credited premium system. He
charged that the CCF proposals
for exemption of low income and

unemployed groups were in fact.

proposals to extend a means test
to them.

' The minister was ile to mae
mincemeat of CCF proposals simp-
ly because the CCF has not adopt-
ed. any alternative plan to the
sales tax for paying for BCHIS

' without premiums.

The only possible plan is that

the money for the new hospital

scheme must come out of consoli-
dated revenue and be raised by
an extension of the program be-
gun last year of taxing the pros
of industry.

‘The fight against the sales tax

increase cannot be won unless the
demand for the money to come

in every popular organization and
the legislature, both government
and opposition, is compelled to
listen to it.

: Ronald TRIBUNE a ieaasigal 19, 1954 _ ne

. from the general coffers is raised’

“trie deevlopment.

Ottawa blamed
for job slump

sible, within its financial lini

tion but ‘the Bennett regime h#

limited jurisdiction at its

-he tried to duck provincié

- VICTORIA, B.C

idents of the two giant concert

The Canadian government turn
ed down flat the Alcoa applic? |

never taken a similar clear<
position in spite of prodding fromm 7
the. LPP. ‘ '

Speaking in’ the a
some time ago, Sommers
that the government would em
courage all companies “to com?
in and investigate,” thus lea
the door open to Alcoa.

‘Following the meeting this
week the Frobisher spokesma! -
indicated that he no longer 1 |
gards Alcoa as a rival, thus 4
pointing up the likelihood of # |

Bennett is thought to believ? |
that cutting Alcoa in on the yds |
development will induce Was!
ington to give B.C. a corid0!
through the Alaska Panhandle:

(An article by Sid Zlotnik #
the February 12, 1954 issue of th?
Pacific Tribune, warned ve 7
Premier Bennett “is setting
stage for the worst betrayal a
British Columbia and of Canad®
since our rights to our northel? |
coastline, now the Alaska Pal |
handle, were surrendered befo! |
the jingoistic Yankee threat, ad
40 or fight? :

(“Our waterpower . should »? |
used for industrial developm®
at home, and only after th#
should ‘sharing’ be considered:”’

(“Our future industrial exP@™ |
sion hinges largely on hydro-ele® 7
To sell 9°
water resources to the U.S. is ®
sell our birthright.’’)

vicrorrA, B& |

The trade policies of the st |
Laurent government were sas |
ed as a cause of rising unemP
ment by Labor Minister iy
Wicks in the legislature. He play
ed excessive imports for depsi |
ing Canadian workers of jobs)

“Some 214 millions ~ of ork
came into Canada during 1988 |
and replaced Canadian worker |
to that extent,” he argued, ! oe
ring to the figure for the ex¢

of imports over exports du
1953.

Wicks said that federal impo
and export policies together a
fiscal policies were “preponde
ent factors in raising or lowé!
unemployment.”

“This ee yeomneat with ¥
mand, is doing everything

tions, to curtail unemploymeF
the labor minister claimed.

sponsibility for leadership i2
trade field and for pressure
Ottawa to change its. poli