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.” e BECOME A PT SUBSCRIBER © RENEW YOUR OWN SUB Cut out and send to the PT office Mez 3-193 East Hastings, Van. 4. Enclosed is a Money Order fora. . . Year renewal of my subscription. Enclosed is a Money Order fora. . to the PT. | | - Year Subscription (New) { | ‘(One year $5.00, Two years, $9.00, Three years, $12.00) | ; | | ! ! | NAME ADDRESS 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