Lk till

CF
—_.

T he CPR’s most recent application before the Cana-

dian Transportation Commission for *‘permis-
sion’ to discontinue passenger service on a number of its rail
operations including the Montreal-Toronto-Vancouver train,-
“The Canadian’’. is just one of many similar actions of the
powerful CPR monopoly octopus against the Canadian people
over the past several decades.

Whatever the Canadian Transportation Commission (CTC)
may decide on this particular application is not immediately
important. On all such questions involving monopoly versus
public interest. the CTC has invariably decided in favor of
monopoly.

The paramount issue today flowing from this latest CPR
breach of contract is just how long the Canadian people are
going to sit idly by and permit this multi-monopoly to rook
them. not only in transportation. but in every key resource in
which the welfare of the people is inseperably bound up: real
estate. housing. transit (land. sea or air) not to mention their
rich natural resources such as mining and smelting. lumber.
etc. You name it. the CPR is in on it. if there are big profits to
be harvested.

Back in 1881 the CPR made an ‘agreement’ with the
people and government of Canada of that day. an agreement
guaranteeing rail transportation “in perpetuity. In return for
this the CPR received at the time. approximately $30-millions
plus some 25-million or more acres of rich virgin lands. almost
tax free. A land grant which now serves as a CPR club in every
major Canadian municipality — Vancouver not excluded. by
which to rook the people of more millions— for their own land.

Of course. in this latest attempted double-cross of the
Canadian people. the CPR has a less noisy but equally grasping
partner — the “publicly-owned"’ Canadian National Railways
(CNR) with its**me too” application to the CTC to terminate a
major portion of its trans-Canada services: both on the same
pretext — that they are “losing” too much money annually by
the provision of such public services.

- On the question of the millions of dollars in government
subsidies. paid for by the Canadian taxpayer. the CPR remains
studiously silent— with its grasping hand out for more.

Periodically when the CPR has arbitrarily closed down
branch lines thereby condemning such communities to
isolation and economic dislocation. our farm people have said:
“Okay. close down your line — but return all the subsidies.
bonuses and lands you extorted from the Canadian people on
your original agreement which you now reneg onat will.”

Now it becomes evident. in face of this most recent
attempt by the CPR to cancel \out its trans-Canada rail
services, with the CNR in close tow. that the people of Canada
must take up where many farm and rural communities left off:
the return of all CPR subsidies and lands to the people who
were robbed of this vast material wealth — the Canadian

people, as preparatory to the nationalization of the Canadian
Pacific Railway.

Not a “nationalization” that will provide CPR stock and
bondholders with a form of government (read taxpayers)
security on their annual dividend payments, as at the
formation of the CNR. but one that will eliminate for good
these CPR monopoly leeches from the backs of the Canadian
people for all time.

By such a move even the people of Vancouver and the
Lower Mainland would benefit to the extent of millions of
dollars by the return of valuable and publicly required CPR
“owned” lands.

- cause of peace.”

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success. that

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOVEMBER 14, 1969—PAGE 2

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

More and more frequently
cases are coming to my desk
involving excessive car
insurance premiums. The most
recent concerns a lad who was
involved in a hit and run acci-
dent last spring. He was 17 at the
time, charged in juvenile court,
found guilty, fined and had his
driver's license suspended for
six months. The accident was not
serious and he was guilty only in
a technical sense.

Now he’s 18 and needs insur-
ance for a car of his own (he was
on his father’s policy last
spring).

You may find this hard to
believe but insurance will cost
him $902 a year plus another $17
for filing proof of financial
responsibility. All he’ll get for
this enormous premium is
$50,000 public liability coverage
— nothing else.

The explanation given by the
insurance company for this
fantastically high premium is
that his normal premium (for a
boy of 18) of $451 is being doubled
because he was convicted on a
hit and run charge.

This lad is no more of a risk for
car insurance than any other boy
who has been involved in an
accident. Yet the insurance com-
panies take advantage of his con-
viction to fine him all over again
and then pocket the fine.

USSR fete
hears Phillips

An overflow crowd filled the
Nordic Center in New West-
minster, Saturday, November
8th for the Banquet and Dance to
commemorate the 52nd Anni-
versary of Socialism and
Lenin’s Centenary.

“A rousing success’ was the
feeling of the organizing
committee, The Fraser Valley
Region of the Communist Party.
Following a large smorgasborg
banquet. Jack Phillips, trade
union leader, paid tribute to
Lenin and the _ Socialist
community of nations that
Lenin's. brilliant leadership
helped to found. Phillips said,
When we speak of founding of
the first Socialist state we can
speak from the heart of the great
series of achievements that
Socialism has brought to this
earth--their decisive influence
throughout the world for the

Nigel Morgan, Provincial
leader of the Communist Party
of B.C.. brought greetings from
the Provincial Committee. Also
present were six members of the
crew of a Soviet ship. one of
whom brought greetings from
the Soviet people.

Linda Chobotuck rounded out
the program with three songs
which she had composed herself.
The social content of her
numbers was rovdly applauded
by the guests present and showed
the depth and ability of this
young girl.

The Committee wishes to
thank all who worked so hard to
make this affair the tremendous
it was. Special
thanks to those who made the
banners and the beautiful floral

arrangements.

i Public is taken for ride
by car insurance scheme —

My contention is that: (a) A
premium of $451 for a coverage
of only $50.000 is excessive to
begin with— at least three times
higher than it should be. (b)
Insurance companies have no
business fining an applicant all
over again, by doubling his
premium, if the applicant has
been involved in this type of
accident.

It seems to me the driving
public in B.C. is being taken for a
ride by the insurance companies
with the full backing of the pro-
vincial government.

When insurance companies a
couple of years ago boosted rates
by changing the under-age cate-
gory from 21 years to 25 years
the government went. right
along with it.

On January 1 the govern-

Company town tenants |

_ increased.

ment’s new
insurance legislation goes
effect. You may be sure
premiums will again
Drivers
more, the coverage will be less
and insurance company profi
will be increased by millions.
While the scores of insurance
companies in B.C. compete 0!
business, their rates don’t vary @
great deal. And since these rales
are excessively high, peoPe

into
that

naturally draw the conclu ;
that price-fixing is bel
practiced.

The obvious solution to er
odious situation is a governme®

owned and operated insurane
plan on a non-profit, basis. tt
had that in B.C., rates Cow
come down to one half or om
third of what they are today.

fight absentee gouge —

The town of Gold River, in the heart of Vancouver Island, i§ @
modern day “‘company town’’. The population of some two thousa™
pulpworkers and their families are Wominated by the

Farris and Herbert Charles

Tahsis is owned jointly by the
International Paper Company of
New York and the East Asiatic
Company of | Copenhagen,
Denmark. The former is the
largest monopoly in the pulp and
paper field, with assets of $2
billions and 1968 net profits of
$107 millions. The latter is the
largest corporation in
Scandinavia. .~ It is a
conglomerate with heavy Danish
government backing. In 1966 it
had 35,000 employees and sales
of one billion dollars.

The Gold River pulp mill was
made possible by the granting of
Tree Farm License 19 by Socred
Robert Sommers in 1954 and its
extension in 1965 by Socred Ray
Williston. The license covers
approximately 200,000 acres of
forest land with an allowable
annual cut of 20,800,000 cubic
feet. This is a classic example of
a giveaway of B.C. natural
resources to de-facto foreign
ownership.

In 1965 the Socred government
passed legislation which allows
for so-called instant
municipaities to be formed. The
net result in Gold River was that
a company dominated council
was appointed - - the reeve was
the plant superintendent, and all
the council members were high
officials of the company - - the
two key ones being residents of
Vancouver.

All the land in the municipality
was originally owned by the
company and it dictates who
comes in. The municipality has
no land of its own. The company
dominated council has saddled
the citizens with an enormous
debt structure, accounting for
92 per cent of all taxes raised for
general purposes.

Gold River has two apartment
complexes, a 108 suite block
called the Goldcrest and a 64
suite block called the Garden. By
and ‘arge the tenants are pulp
workers

Most of the action at the
present time centers around the
Goldcrest Apartment.

This is owned by
Vancouver lawvers, Arthur Boyd

t

OS EEE ee ee MMe pee oe ee

two

Vancouver Island town.
, +4 ARE ee eae

Millham, both of them member
of the big Vancouver corporal
lawyer firm of Davis 4?

Company (28 partners, 3 of them

Queen’s Counsel). -. °

On the average rents are Oh@

Vancouvel
Vancouvel
ie. Gol
d to

par with those in
BUT unlike:
apartment dwellers the
Crest residents are require
pay extra for their heating 2”
limited television receptio?:
This additional cost comes 4
approximately $25 a month mom
than Vancouver.

There has been considerable
complaints by the tenant
originally because of ce
structural faults and latter
because of attempts to increas
the rents. The tenants ha
resisted the attempts to increas 4

the rents and have formedaG?,

River Tenants Association ¥" ss
100% membership. For j
months they have refused t0 Be :
the increase and in Novem
they refused to pay any re?
all! the
The real explanation for
attempted hike is the fa 1ek
the lawyers bought the comP :
from the original owne?)
Dawson Developments, an
were obliged to obtain a ae
mortgage for $213,881.50 at 9” 4
interest, payable monthly
installments of $3000. ers
Early this month the awe
wrote a high handed letter 1 © +
tenants demanding payme? 40
the increase. They threaten?
go to court under section age
the Landlord’ and Tenant a
But the tenants did not SC’
knowing that their cause ™ és
just, and that behind kind
stood the power of the wor ul?
people organized into the
and Paper Workers of Canada. |
The lawyers abruptly chang nd

their tune. and on Monday #

: ey
Tuesday of this week, a fo

finally came to Gold Rive the
negotiate. Details of. é
outcome are not known at Pre
time; but the independent act ell
of the tenants could very ©
serve as a spark which will on
the monopoly domination 0

ie ES

will pay

a

Tahsis
Company, whose modern pulp-mill is some nine miles away.

compulsory

sion i ;

4

[a