i A a me — HS FEBRUARY - MARCH, 1977 THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER 11 IN LOCAL 1-363 SCOTT, LIDBERG WIN RE-ELECTION Election of Local Union officers and trustees for a two- year term was confirmed at the recent general meeting of Local 1-363 in Courtenay. Heading the administration of this Vancouver Island Local are: President Lorne Scott and Financial Secretary Karl Lid- berg, who serve as full-time staff and who were returned by acclamation, together with 3rd Vice-President Helmer Soder- holm and Trustee Warren Ban- nerman, while Warden, Greg Bryan and Conductor Ben Sabal won their new posts also by acclamation. Elected by membership ref- erendum were Rudy Van Den Brink who turned back the challenge by Jim Kretz for the position of First Vice; and Emil Knodel who defeated Sy Pederson for the position of Second Vice-President. The post of Recording Secretary was won by Bill Hislop over J. Rushton. The meeting held in the Mexicana Inn, also featured the formulation of the Local’s programmatic resolution and elected delegates for the coming Regional Wage Confer- ence. Elected to represent the Local at the top level meetings during the Wage and Contract Conference are Bob Prentice, §; Karl Lidberg, Bill Hislop, Nick Chernoff, Jim Kretz and Alternate Helmer Soderholm. The delegation will be headed by Lorne Scott who will serve as the Local’s Regional Executive Board member for a new two-year term. Karl Lidberg will serve as the Alternate Board member, these positions having been also determined by the course of the election procedures. PROTEST B.C. TEL’S By Alderman HARRY RANKIN B.C. Telephone has made an application for another rate increase. This has become almost an annual .event with this American owned monopoly. Although already providing the poorest service and charging the highest rates of any major city in Canada, B.C. Telephone is not yet satisfied. With its vampire instincts it is now demanding another exhorbitant and completely unjustified rate increase. Rates for private residential phones in Vancouver would go up by “approximately 15%”’. The present rate of $8.05 a month would go up to $9.25. Service charges for residences would go up 25% (from $12 to $15 where a visit not required) and 50% (from $18 to $28) where a visit is required. B.C. Tel’s' rates are regulated by laws. The com- pany is limited to a profit rate of 9.5% to 10%. Allowable rates to achieve this profit were previously decided on by the ~ Canadian Transport Com- mission, Now this duty has been turned over to the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, appointed by the federal government. B.C, Telephone is owned by Anglo-Canadian Telephone Company which in turn is owned by General Telephone and Electronics of New York. The companies which own B.C, Telephone also own the companies which supply B.C. Tel with and equipment, Automatic Electric, Lenkurt Electric and Canadian (B.C.) Telephones and Supplies. There is a nice cozy little arrangement whereby the parts companies charge B.C. Tel inflated rates for equip- ment, B.C, Tel can then always show it needs rate increases to ANNUAL RATE HIKE © bring its profits up to the allowable amounts. Meanwhile the parts companies ship their huge and excessive profits direct to New York. That this happens is common knowledge. Yet the govern- ment regulatory agencies in the past would not permit any public examination of the financial records of the companies which supply parts and equipment to B.C. Telephone. The result, as far as many people are concerned, is a strong conviction that the government regulatory agency was nothing less than a rubber stamp for the multi-national telephone corporation that has such a strangle hold in B.C. The Anti-Inflation Board too, turns a blind eye to B.C. Telephone rate increases, although they are far above the government’s own so-called anti-inflation guidelines. Which is just one more proof that the Anti-Inflation Board is there only to regulate wages, not to control prices or profits. Public hearings will be held in Vancouver on B.C. Tel’s application for a rate increase. Anyone and everyone, in- dividual or organization, has the right to make a submission opposing the increase. I hope the CRTC will be inundated with demands for the right to appear to oppose this unjust increase. B.C. Tel rates are far higher than rates in the prairie cities where telephones are municipally or provincially owned. Yet these publicly- owned telephone systems are able to show a good profit each year which goes into the public coffers and helps to offset tax increases. When B.C. Tel, over a year ago, applied for and was granted a rate increase of 20%, it practically black mailed the public with phony propaganda to the effect that if needed the increase to improve its ser- vice, to avoid laying off 1500 employees, etc. And what did it do as soon as it got its increase? The first thing it did was to increase its dividends to shareholders (read General Telephone and Electronics of New York) by 20% If this isn’t conning the public, I don’t know what is. And this is the sort of thing that is countenanced by the Federal Government and its regulatory agency. Furthermore,.as a result of the 20% increase in rates B.C. Telephone profits for the last quarter of 1975 went up by 88%. And now it has the gall to apply for another rate increase! A circular sent out by the CRTC (and delivered by B.C. Tel to all its customers) states the following: “Tf you have a comment or matter which you feel the Commission should take into account in reviewing this application, you can write directly to the Commission. Send your comments so_ they will be received on or before February 15, 1977 to: Guy Lefebvre, MEMBERS during Wage and Contract Discussion. LUMBER RISING IN JAPAN Imports of tropical and North American lumber have increased sharply in Japan since last summer and overall 1976 lumber imports are expected to top $3.6 billion. Lumber ranked third among imported commodities in 1975 — behind crude oil and coal — because of a sharp drop in value and price brought about by the slump in housing construction and public works. Large imports began again after July because of the resurgence in housing construction since the start of 1976 and because of higher producer prices. Consequently, lumber is expected to become second in importance ahead of coal. Secretary-General 100 Metcalfe Street OTTAWA, Ontario K1A 0N2 “Your comments should contain a clear and concise statement of the relevant facts CRTC, 2 NEW EXECUTIVE L-R Front: E. Knodel (2nd V-P), H. Soderholm (3rd V-P), L. Scott (Pres.), R. Prentice (Balloting Chairman), R. Van Den Brink (1st V-P). Second Row: Greg Bryan (Warden), Bill Hislop (Rec. Sec.), Karl Lidberg (Fin. Sec.), Ben Sabal (Conductor), W. Bannerman (Trustee). and the grounds upon which your support for, opposition to or proposed modification of the application is based; and you should state whether or not you wish to appear at a hearing on this matter’’. TAX CONCESSIONS WON'T HELP ECONOMY Increasing tax concessions to business won’t add much stimulus to the Canadian economy, according to a recent ‘report from the C. D. Howe Institute. A study prepared by two In- stitute economists disputes traditional thinking that tax breaks for business will neces- _ sarily result in increased in- vestment and jobs. “Tax breaks are unlikely to be the major determinant of investment” the authors say, and ‘‘in a stagnant economy, or one fraught with uncertainties, any positive impact from further concessions is likely to be quite limited.” The effect of business tax in- centives, they say, is especially limited in Canada not just because of the present excess industrial capacity but also because of the high degree of foreign ownership of the economy. Tax reductions in Canada only serve to benefit U.S. in- vestors, and if tax rate falls below U.S. tax rates then the U.S. Treasury picks up the difference anyway, the report notes. ‘From the Canadian stand- point, this has the effect of reducing the incentive effect of tax concessions” the authors state, urging a “fundamental reassessment”’ of Canadian tax concessions to business.