RS em de Sei ae # tones cifie At of see Str) VOL. 19, NO. 7 Phone MUtual 5-5288 <=s°9 Authorized as second class mail by the Post Ortice Department, Ottawa. 10° VANCOUVER, B.C. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1960 Fight Socred sellout ‘on Peace River power’ “Social Credit scheming to give priority to Wenner- Gren’s Peace River development would result in a 60 per- cent boost over present power rates,” said Nigel Morgan, Communist Party provincial leader, in a public address Sunday night at Norquay DB.S_ figures show B.C. Electric rates are already higher than the rates of 126 out of 131 of the largest cities and towns across the country. “The present debate in the legislature shows clearly that the people’s interests are in grave danger of another gi- gantic Socred giveaway,’ he continued. “Victoria’s bickering with Ottawa over use of the Colum- bia, Williston’s threat that the Mica Creek development would increase the provincial debt, Bonner’s claim that cheap Columbia power would hurt B.C. trade and Socred re= vival of the scheme to develop the Columbia for storage rath- er than power, all part of the campaign to deliver the Peace . to Wenner-Gren and his assoc- iates, . Community Hall. “Such a course of action would be disastrous for B.C. It would place the people in the clutches of the Wengren —B.C. Electric monopoly and further undermine develop- ment of this province’s pub- licly-owned power system. “Such a surrender must be fought,” Morgan Concluded. “We must give priority to the publicly-owned development of the Columbia for cheap power, and bring the power services of the whole province under a unified power grid to provide electric service at cost.” PICKET NG DISARMAMENT © MENT OTTAWA — Two hundred picketers organized by the Commu- nist Party and carrying signs calling for disarmament and peace, circled around in frosty, sunny weather before the entrance to the Parliament of Canada on Saturday, February 13, the day on which © France defied world opinion by testing an atomic bomb in th Sahara desert. Men, women, young peo- ple and children, led by a veteran in a red beret and wearing his medals, came from Toronto, Hamilton, Montreal and St. Catharines and were joined by residents of Ottawa. By car and train they travel- led to the capital and prompt- ly at 11 a.m. paraded from the Union: Station to the Parlia- ment Buildings. To wind up the demonstra- tion the picketers gathered on the the steps of the great en- trance and sang O Canada. Half an hour before the pic- ket started a deputation from the national executive commit- tee of the Communist Party in- terviewed the Under-Secretary of State for External Affairs, Norman A. Robertson. The dep- utation consisted of Leslie Mor- ris of the party, Bruce Mag- nuson, Ontario party leader and Sam.Walsh, organizer in Metro Toronto. _ Leslie Morris introduced the deputation to the under-secre- tary and then read aloud the party’s brief, which is headed “Disarmament and neutrality, a new basis for Canadian for- eign policy.” . Robertson thanked the depu- tation and said that he would transmit the party’s brief to the government. He noted that the debate on foreign policy in the House of Commons would continue into the following week and that the brief was a basis for a great deal of con- versation. (Continued on page eight) See: 200 PICKET Gershman fo speak Joseph Gershman, editor of Vochenblaii, Jewish Canadian weekly, will speak at a ban- quet in Vancouver, Sunday, February 21, 6:30 p.m. at 1173 West Broadway. Subject of his address will be: “Anti-Semit- ism Today — its Source and Challenge.” committee. elections. WLC jobless rallies Vancouver Labor Council Tuesday night decided to hold monthly meetings for unemployed during the winter months and to request from the B.C. Federation of Labor that postcards on unemployment addressed to the government be made available. Ed Sims, council president, announced that all local unions will be circulated asking for names of people who will actively serve on the council’s unemployment Orville Braaten, Pulp and Sulphite delegate, said foreclosures on homes were increasing and more work- ers were faced with having their possessions seized. - Next meeting of VLC will hear a report on the civic ‘eried. The youth parade attracted considerable attention.. City youth demonstrate against nuclear war “Education — not cremation,” “Playgrounds — not battlegrounds,” “Stop nuclear tests” were some of the slogans carried by 40 young demonstrators last Saturday in a downtown demonstration organized by the Socialist Youth League. Led by pallbearers carrying a black coffin, representing the outcome of atomic war, the young people marched for three hours through the busy downtown streets of Vancou- ver. A great deal of attention was won by the youth, who ranged in age from seven to 25. Many people cheered them and and one labor veteran, noticing the number -of police watching the demonstration, “Don’t let the cops frighten you! We didn’t in the Thirties!” es, Some reactions from spéc- tators: Gordon Lavioletie: “Doggone good idea. I have a daughter and I want playgrounds, not battlegrounds.” Paul Carlson: “I’m a student and I think it is a good idea to speak up for peace.” G. Stevenson: “I’m a sales representative. Your slogans seem to represent the opinion of quite a few people in this country.” Socialist Youth League spokesman Bert. Johnson told reporters that “the SYL organ- ized _this _demonsiration _to show Ottawa and the Canadian people that Canadian young people want peace, not war.” Johnson, a shipyard worker, continued: “As ‘young people just beginning their lives the question of peace is especially important for us. Money now spent on armaments should be spent for peaceful purposes, such as education, recreational activities, and many other needs of the people.” Student Nadine Stowman, a demonstrator, said: ‘Nuclear tests and war threatens hu- manity and taking part in this peace parade is my way of pro- testing.” Johnson said the SYL dem- onstration “is only the begin- ning of a youth campaign for peace that our organization is conducting. We'll be out again, wherever there are people to see us, and we hope, to act with us to ensure a peaceful future for all.” CBC television carried films of the parade on the late night news, and local radio stations gave it good coverage.