hen Upton Sinclair wrote his classic The Jungle, the first dramatic expose of the powerful U.S. Packing ‘rusts of Chicago and points South, he illustrated (among other things) that the monopoly packers of that early day had already mastered the art of canning and packaging everything on the carcass of a hog, sheep or steer, except the squeal. Horns, hair, hooves and bone, nothing was wasted. Everything went into some package or can as a ‘“‘highly nutritional pre-cooked food for the whole family’, at prices set by the pork barons. Moreover, strongly anti-union and giving preference to “‘green’’ immigrant workers from Central Europe, these packing trusts were totally undisturbed by the lack of safety devices or regulations in their plants. Hence when Jurgen, the hero of The Jungle slipped on the greasy floor and quietly slid into a huge vat of boiling fat, the management didn’t even bother to fish what was left of him out. So Jurgen, together with countless other Jurgens, ‘‘went out into the world (in assorted cans and packages) as Durhams Pure Leaf Lard’’. Of course today we have a lot of new laws and restrictions they didn’t have in those halcyon times of ‘‘devilled chicken’, ersatz hamburger and what not, but one look at last week’s Pacific Tribune front page, featuring ‘‘The Big Beef Gouge’”’ throws us right back to where we were 70-years ago, viz, the easy victims of an all-powerful Meat Trust. Yet if $2.75-per pound is a nice round figure for John Doe’s ‘porterhouse’ steak, or 98-cents per pound for his more ‘economical’ and highly-suspect hamburger or stew, just compare that per-pound with what John is clipped to keep Fido and the house cat ‘“‘happy and contented’’ foodwise. The ‘‘free enterprising’’ Beef Trusts have made this socalled pet food into a billion-dollar concern, with its fancy packaging and content, weight and quality, costing approximately four times what it cost John himself should he develop a yearning for porterhouse or sirloin gastronomics. During the current election spates, a lot of the aspiring candidates are pulling out all the stops about how much they ‘“‘care’’ for the workingman, his stomach and general wellbeing. Some of these lads pour out this ‘‘care’’ like a well- oiled sausage machine, ardent and touching in the media advts or on TV. Obviously however the politicians have no monopoly on this “‘care’’. The commercials tell us hourly how much the canine section of the Meat Trust ‘“‘cares’’ for John Doe’s Fido and house Tabby. No limit to this ‘“‘care’’— at prices per pound that makes the $2.45 for sirloin look like a dollar-forty-nine day “bargain’’. Take “Dr’’ Swallard’s product by way of example. How he came to be a ‘‘Dr”’ gaws only knows. Probably bought it from some Yankee mail-order house which does a brisk business peddling such diplomas. Be that as it may the “‘Dr’’ specializes in fancy packaged slumbullion for dogs and cats at prices well above the ‘PT’ ‘‘Big Beef Gouge”’ display. Fortunately for such profiteering doctors, neither Fabby nor Fido can read or voice an opinion— or pay the shot. So it all comes back to John to fork out those additional millions to the Meat Trust. : As we have said anent the pet-food gouge, as with that applied to Homo Sapiens, fancy “‘packaging”’ is now all the rage, which brings the paper and ink on the package to a price level with the dubious meat mess content inside. All added up, the Big Beef Gouge operates directly against the citizen. whether it be his family or his dog that is being skinned by the packing trust monopolies. ; If $2.75 per pound looks outrageous for a steak with the resilience of an old tire, just remember that Fido’s synthetic hash (described as ‘‘meat’’) works out at approximately (paper and all) $4.00 per pound. The felicitations and ‘“‘care”’ of the manufacturer Fido can’t eat. So “give your cat a treat. . . feed her a kibblit”’ thar’s big profits in them thar fancy-wrapped cans, big as porterhouse profits for the meat barons! HEAR REV. JOHN MORGAN Chairman Canadian Peace Congress UNITARIAN CHURCH 49th & Oak MONDAY, OCTOBER 16 8 P.M. First hand report of World Peace Council Meeting in Santiago, Chile PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1972—PAGE 2 NDP rejection of unity will aid NPA and TEAM © By ALD. HARRY RANKIN The nomination of a full slate of candidates by the NDP for the December 13 Vancouver civic elections will no doubt be greeted with a great deal of satisfaction by both the NPA and TEAM. What it means is that the reform-minded forces seeking a new deal at City Hall will now be split. That will enhance the chances of the NPA and TEAM. The Committee of Progres- Sive Electors (COPE) was initiated by the Vancouver and District Labor Council in 1968 for the specific purpose of bringing together all reform-minded organizations and individuals under one roof and united behind one program and one slate of candidates. COPE has con- sistently worked for unity of all reform forces. In a last ditch effort to prevent a split this year it sent a special message to the NDP nominating convention on October 1 proposing “‘that even at this late . date, you delay any final decision on your election plans until you have explored with us and with labor, the possibility of arriving at an agreement that will unite our two organizations together with labor and other reform groups into one united movement.”’ The COPE message to the NDP convention also pointed out that if both the NDP and COPE run their own slates and compete for the same reform-oriented voters, the labor movement will also be split. COPE expressed the belief that labor would like to see unity of the progressive forces in civic politics because ‘‘in increasing numbers it is realizing that TEAM and the NPA represent the same employers that it faces across the bargaining table or on picket lines.”’ The NDP nominating convention debated the appeal from COPE and then rejected it by about a two-thirds majority in favor of a go-it-alone policy. Whether or not the 100 NDP members present actually represented the feelings of the many thousands of . NDP supporters in this city who want reform, still remains to be seen. The tradition in civic politics is for people to vote for the man or woman rather than for the civic group or party he or she represents. Many NDP members in trade unions and other organizatio™ have spoken out for unity of tt progressive reform forces 4! will be keenly disappointed," not downright disillusioned, #) the unfortunate decision of tt leaders of the Vancouver Ar Council of the NDP to plat narrow partisan advantagh ahead of the welfare of tt citizens who want change. i The Vancouver Area Countly of the NDP will have a lot!) answer for if, because of} actions, the NPA and TEAM elect a majority in this electio® In the circumstances that 00" prevail COPE has no alternatit® but to also nominate a full sla® of candidates at its nominalill conference on October 19. 00: ‘ officers report that COPE” membership is growing and thal | a strong slate will be nominal I I’m confident that COPE™! still elect a substantial num ih . of candidates on Decembe) 5 My regret is that the NU turned down our appeal to ul! all reform forces. If the N. ( COPE and labor were unt, the possibilities of electing | majority to Council, the scho | board and the parks poard, .well as the mayoralty, woul excellent. a COPE's In a last-ditch attempt to achieve unity of progressive forces in the coming civic election, the executive of the Committee of Progressive Electors addressed a letter to the Area Council of the NDP which met last Sunday in the Steelworkers Hall. The letter said, in part: ‘‘We are aware that in your Area Council there is a strong feeling that the NDP must go-it-alone. But don’t we owe it to the people of Vancouver to put their welfare above partisan inter ests?” “The citizens. who want reform are probably in a majority,’’ COPE’s message said. ‘“‘The most active ones are associated with the NDP, COPE, the trade union movement and the many citizen organizations such as ratepayer and tenant. But they are by no means united in the way they vote in civic elections. Some will support the NDP, some COPE and still others TEAM in the mistaken belief that TEAM represents something different or better than the NPA. If COPE and the NDP both run.a full slate of candidates and compete for votes, the reform-minded voters will be = split. The main beneficiaries will be the NPA and TEAM.” The letter pointed out that the increase in the NDP vote in the recent provincial election was Six percent: furthermore that it doesn’t follow that people who vote for a party in provincial elections will vote for the same party in civic elections. ‘It seems to us,’’ COPE’s statement said, ‘‘that we will only be defeating ourselves and helping the NPA and TEAM if we run against each other. And it would also result in divisions within the trade union movement. COPE, as you know, appeal for unity was initiated by the Vancouver and District Labor Council. Some individual unions are affiliated with COPE, others with the NDP but the majority are affiliated with neither. Appeals for support from both the NDP and COPE will divide and dishearten their member ship. “Labor, better than many other groups, knows the need for unity in the face of employer attacks. It would like, we are sure, to see the same unity among the progressive forces in civic me ig sit politics because in incre@® numbers it is realizing the ant TEAM and the NPA repre ces the same employers that ie ot across the bargaining ta on the picket line. y “We feel strongly that inet guarantee of the defeat 0 NPA and TEAM, and victor ref the reform forces, WOU" ip through unity aroune jf program and one slale candidates.” ofthe f At the Sunday meetin8 on NDP in the Steelworker® this call for unity was reJe Rapid transit for meeting with cabinet | Information that the pro- vincial government has announced it will support the construction of a rapid transit system for the Greater Van- couver afea has boosted the hopes of thousands of people in the Lower Mainland that a start can be made in the not too distant future on a practical transit plan. The Citizens Co-ordinating Committee for Public Transit hailed the decision this week and Stated in a press release they had asked for a meeting with the provincial cabinet to discuss further plans. During the past year the group has actively promoted plans to improve the transit situation and has concrete proposals to advance with regard to a transit author- ity, a financial formula and a phased introduction of light and heavy transit routes. In the statement to the press. chairman of the CCCPT Bruce Yorke said there has been a dramatic turnaround in the group asks. bodies following the SUCCT id | campaign to kill te it v2 Crossing proposal. He $4 paist the committee's ©4 tio! especially the colle¢ was 25,000 signatures, decisive. po! Urban Affairs Ministe jet! | Basford has stated ie a is government is intere™ fina providing some form © wan cial help to any plan PY nme by the provincial 89V4 | jist® Municipal Affairs ted v Lorimer has “nel val provincial gover jast #4 | prepared to put at osha million into any PrOP yictr! the Greater Region?” agi. has decided it is time rent Me approach the gover” oui finances and authority, func! take a regional trans, the CCCPT pointed 04” ot : nm ’ thinking of various gover osstl! ‘said.