UAW urges actio

to stop mass layott

Continued from page 5
between Canadian and U.S. au-
tos; ‘

—A reduction in the Canadian-
U.S. deficit in auto parts.

Dodging Responsibility

. After the meeting, the points
that most of the cabinet minis-
ters felt compelled to deal with
were the removal of the 12%
_ sales tax and the removal of the

Canadian-U.S. price differential.

Alastair Gillespie, the trade
minister, explained that there are
several reasons for higher Cana-
dian auto prices, but added: “We
have ben working at reducing it
.very assiduously and the price
differential has been narrowed.”

Bud Cullen, a parliamentary
secretary to Finance Minister
John. Turner complained that a
removal of the sales tax would
cost the government $400-million
annually. “And that’s just too
high a price to pay,” he said.

During the interviews it be-
came apparent that cabinet min-
isters were not prepared to take
responsibility for genuine action
to solve the layoff crisis.

Many of the delegates felt that
they were going to be back in
Ottawa soon for a mass demon-
stration if nothing happens to
reverse the slump. “The statistics
are grim and they tell the story,”
one delegate said.

The statistics for the week of
February 17, were indeed grim.
In the Big Four in Canada there
were 14,300 workers on tempo-
rary or indefinite layoff, or 26%
of the work force. In the inde-
pendent parts industry, 8,000
were on indefinite layoff or 22%
of the work force. In the auto
industry as a whole there were
22,500 laid off, constituting 25%
of the work force. And in non-
auto, but represented by the
UAW, there were 5,200 laid off,
or 21% of the work force. -

The Syncrude payoff

Continued from pageS :
ing oil that it could not sell —
at a profit — to its own refining
subsidiaries,

Furthermore, the Canadian
price of crude oil has been frozen
at some $5.20 less than the U.S.
price of $11.70, which made the

international oil monopolies’ Ca-
nadian operations. less profitable
than those elsewhere. :

Following the withdrawal, the
three remaining Syncrude part-
ners sued Atlantic Richfield’ for
several hundred million -dollars,
as sort of a backstop in case
~~ next blackmail scheme fail-

Peter Lougheed, . meanwhile,
launched a series. of investiga-
tions into the new $2-billion
price tag — he had been caught
by surprise, it seemed.

But those investigations turn-
ed into a whitewash, as the next
sequence of events revealed.

Blackmail Successful

Syncrude produced a devastat-
ing ultimatum. The consortium
demanded $100-million in ‘new
capital, plus the right to deduct
all its paymenst to Alberta from
its federal taxes, plus the right
to sell Syncrude’s oil at world
prices,

-In swift succession, Alberta,
Ontario, and the federal govern-
ment let it be known they would

e
Youth Festival
e e 6hU06Ff ;
in Cuba in ‘78
By FILS DELISLE
BERLIN — For the first time
in history the democratic youth
of.the world will meet in Ame-
rica when the 11th World Youth

Festival takes place in Havana
in 1978.

That was the decision of the
Preparatory Committee for the
llth Festival which met here
last week. It was unanimously
supported by delegates from 50
countries and 70 organizations.

The meeting was the climax to
a week in which youth domin-
ated the scene here, featured by
preparatory festival consulta-
tions, a week-long Festival Inter-
national of young political sing-
ers and groups, and a conference
to prepare the GDR’s Sixth
Sports Spartiakade.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1975—Page 10

never be blackmailed by such a
scheme, and then immediately
caved in to all the demands.
The new Syncrude deal sees
Ottawa contributing $300-million
to the companies, for a 15%
ownership share. Ontario kicked
in $100-million, for 5%, and Al-
berta $200-million, for 10%.
‘That’s only $600 million of the
$100 million demanded, but Al-
berta is loaning the companies
another $200-million. Alberta

will also build the pipeline and

power plant for the Syncrude
plants, at a cost of another $300
to $400 million. Hundreds of mil-
lions of public money are also
being spent on roads, utilities,

’ housing and other services in the

Fort McMurray area, where the
plant is-being built.

That’s about $1.2-billion being
spent by the three governments,
on a $2-billion project, which
buys then 30% ownership in the
project.

Companies Make Millions

The royalty deductibility
clause agreed to by the federal
government will further save the
companies ‘untold millions in
taxes. And the world price clause

will ‘create at least $6-billion.

more in revenue than the pres-
ent Canadian oil price would
have.

While some of that revenue
will flow to Canadian govern-
ments,. because of their owner-
ship shares and because of the
profit sharing deal with Alberta,
the companies now readily ad-
mit that Syncrude has become
the kind of profitable project
they’ve been looking for all
along.

Furthermore, the three govern-
ments have no guarantee that the
cost of the project will not in-
crease again. But they have
committed themslves to pay for
a part of such increases.

They have ensured that in-
flation will continue to plague
Canadian working people, who
can now be sure they will have
to pay more and more for gaso-
line and other petroleum prod-
ucts. :

And they have set a dangerous
precedent — using public money
as cheap capital for monopolies,
instead of using it to nationalize
resource industries and finally
begin to use them for the benefit
of all Canadians.

British-USSR
relations aided
by Wilson visit

MOSCOW — The visit of Brit-

-ain’s Prime Minister Harold Wil-

son to the Soviet Union, and his
talks with Soviet Communist
Party general secretary Leonid
Brezhnev, has -broken a seven-
year pause in such summit meet-
ings between Britain and the
USSR.

Britain, which was once the
USSR’s main trading partner in
the capitalist world, and a pio-
neer in the development of such
ties with the socialist world, slid
into an anti-Soviet stance under
the Heath Conservatives.

But to use the words of Soviet
news analyst Spartak Beglov,
who has served in London, “‘Af-
ter the Labour Government
came into office last year, it be-
came clear that the intention
was to correct foreign policy, as
necessitated by the urgent de-
mandé of the times and the spe-
cific interests of Britain.”

In 1974 the two countries sign-
ed a 10-year agreement on eco-
nomic, scientific and technical,
and industrial cooperation, in-
volving building industrial com-
plexes in both countries.

During the Wilson visit, which
the two sides interpreted as
strengthening the efforts toward
detente, Brezhnev urged a “real
turn to long-term, fruitful and
mutually beneficial corporation
between states with different so-
cial systems on the basis of full
equality and mutual respect.”

The two sides pronounced
themselves in support of:

Completion of the work ‘of
the Conference on Security and
Cooperation in Europe;

e Working out principles of
undiminished security for each
party in realizing the Reduction
of Forces and, Armaments in
Central Europe;

e United Nations resolutions
on Cyprus, recognizing the one
lawful government headed by
Makarios;

e@ Non-proliferation of nuclear
weapons;

e A Mideast settlement based
on UN Resolution 338; recogni-
tion of the interests of all states
and peoples, including the Pales-
tinians; and reconvening the

Geneva Conference for these .

purposes.

Manitoba YCL

outlines plans

WINNIPEG—On Sunday, Feb-
ruary 2, the Manitoba section
of the Young Communist League
of Canada held its annual con-
vention here. .

Discitssion centred around the
main report, delivered by Harold
Dyck. The report evaluated the
past year’s work and outlined a
plan of work for the new year.
Based on the slogan “For a life
with a future,” the plan _pro-
mises a new peak of activity for
the YCL in Manitoba.

A new executive was elected
to direct activities in the coming
year. Harold Dyck was unani-
mously re-elecetd Organizational
Secretary.

Greetings from the Communist
Party of Canada were delivered
to the convention by W. C. Ross.
Mr. Ross pointed out that the
key tasks of the YCL were to
“learn Communism” and to win
the ycuth of Canada to the cause
of socialism.

Two new members were wel-
comed to the YCL at the conven-
tion. It was generally felt that
this is an indication of the things
to come.

Continued from page 5

little. In Vancouver, for in-
stance, a laborer working for
the government would have.
to win an increase that al-
most doubled his hourly rate
before he would achieve par-
ity with a laborer in the pri-
vate sector. The 32% that we
are asking for is still a long
way off from that goal of
parity.”

The union’s plan is to con-
duct rotating strikes through-
out the country. Only govern-
ment workers in the “non-
designated” category would
be on strike. According to
the government’s definition
“non-designated” is a bureau-
cratic euphemism of “non-
essential.” Among the work-

~ MAIL AIRPORT STRIKE |

- were felt almost immediately

‘first of the rotating strikes be-

ers listed in the non-designat-
ed category are the runway
cleaners at international air-
ports, postal workers who
maintain equipment and the
automated devises, and grain
handlers.

In Metro Toronto the ef-
fects of the rotating strikes

as pick-up drivers honored
the PSAC picketlines and re- |
fused to collect mail from |
many corner boxes.

On Feb. 17, jiist before the |

gan, the PSAC bargainers re-
jected a conciliation report
calling. for a 15.4% increase
in the first year and a 10.6%
raise in the second year of
the two year contract.

| Morris urges tax cuts,
pension increases —

Joe Morris, president, Cana-
dian Labour Congress, last week
urged that the federal govern-
ment immediately implement
major tax cuts for lower income
earners and a hefty increase in
cld age pensions to stimulate the
country’s lagging economy and
curb spiralling unemployment.

Reacting to the latest unem-
ployment statistics, Morris said:

“Unemployment figures for
January are shockingly up from
the previous month and indicate
only too clearly that Canada is
in for heavy unemployment in
1975 unless drastic measures are
undertaken.

“With. 817,000 unemployed,
this represents an increase of
220,000 jobless workers in just

_ one month. Ontario had a spec-
tacular increase of 30% in the
past month. ;

“The continuing drop in the

Alberta's new budget
geared to monopolies

EDMONTON — Cheap capital
for industry and crumbs for
working people characterized
the 1975. Alberta budget, tabled
in the Legislature by Provincial
Treasurer Gordon Miniely last
week.

Miniely made much of $123-
million in personal tax cuts
which he said was the highlight
of the record $2.4-billion budget,
and: which the Alberta Tories
will use in the next election cam-
-paign; in late spring or early
summer.

The tax cuts will lower the
average Albertan’s tax bill by
$140 this year. Other crumbs in-
cluded several millions to raise
old age pensions to $235 a
month, and small increases in
health spending, education fund-
ing, and most provincial depart-
ments’ budgets. :

But in typical Tory fashion,
Peter Lougheed reserved most of
the goodies for private industry.

The budget established an Al-
berta Heritage Trust Fund, which
will contain an astonishing $1.5-
billion by the end of this year.

Miniely claimed this fund will
“ensure the future prosperity of
Albertans.” In the same breath
he revealed the money will be
used to encourage secondary in-
dustry in Alberta.

The secondary industry will be

output of goods and services) |
which has been going on since
last August, together with all
ever rapidly expanding labot
force, account for these high un*)
employment figures in the ab
sence of appropriate policies. —

“What is needed is a sharp
stimulus to the economy in ordet)
to achieve a rapid rate of]
growth. We therefore strongly)
urge an immediate increase of at
least $50 a month for old age
pensioners. These are the people
who are the neediest in ouf
seciety and therefore have the
greatest propensity to spend any ||
additional income which they
receive.

“Such measures would not)
only inject a quick stimulus t0},
the economy, but would also}
help alleviate a distressing situa-
tion for so many Canadians,” Mr. |}
Morris. concluded. 4

energy-based. And rather than
working to develop a reasonable
national energy policy to benefit
all Canadians, the Alberta Tories
are using hundreds of millions
in oil and gas royalty money t@
line the pockets of their favorite
industrialists.

The Syncrude project tells the
story. With the help of the On |
tario and federal governments,
Lougheed has used public money ©
to finance more than half of thé |
capital cost of the $2-biltion pro” ©
ject and related installations.

That was done with little re
gard for Canada’s future energy
requirements. Those require:
ments, in fact, were the Syn
crude companies’ chief weapon
in perpetrating their massive
blackmail scheme.

The Alberta Heritage Trust ©
Fund is expected to be used in
the same way. New industry, eS
pecially petrochemical industry:
will be bribed to settle in Al
berta. :

I a

ee

. Agreements Reached

The first such project will be -
announced in the next few
months. Alberta Gas Trunk Lin®,
which holds a near-monopoly 0 —
Alberta’s natural gas surpluseSy —
has reached tentative agreement
with the giant Dow Chemical
Company to build a series of:
petrochemical plants near Red
Deer. Ee

AO eT A NBEO gS AIO A eB a SRN OE ST