NO FUEL SHORTAGE HERE

Petition hits
Chile terror

The Vancouver-baed
Canadians for Democracy in
Chile committee has sent a peti-
tion with over 3,000 names on it
to External Affairs Minister
Mitchell Sharpe. The petition
urges that parliament condemn
the violation of democracy in
Chile. the persecution and
slaughter of Chilean patriots, and
the outlawing of trade union and
political opponents of the
military dictatorship.

It also asks parliament to
revoke the cabinet’s decision to
recognize the junta as the official

government of the Chilean people.

WELFARE

— Cont'd. from pg. 2
organizations strong and active
and to demand representation on
the Community Resource Boards
as well as on the governing body,
the Vancouver Resource Board.
No one knows better than welfare
recipients themselves what their
problems are. The establishment
of elected community’ resource
boards won't by itself solve their
problems, anymore than- the
election of a City Council solves
problems for Vancouver citizens.
It all depends who is on the
Resource Boards and what
policies they have been in-
structed to carry out.

* * *

I would like to extend my
thanks to the dozens of people
who phoned me offering money,
furniture and lodging for the Car-
dinal Native Indian family that
was evicted earlier this month.
The response of Vancouver
citizens to their plight was a fit-
ting answer to the sleazy
editorial attack on them by the
Vancouver Sun titled, ‘‘Backfire
on Harry.’ which tried to make
out that this was a ‘‘shabby evic-
tion melodrama.” between.
‘*slovenly tenants.’ and a
“clean, industrious: landlord.”
The issue then, and the issue now
is the lack of rental accommoda-
tion at rates people can afford.
and the fact that City Council is
doing nothing. I repeat
NOTHING, about it. And this in-
cludes the Vancouver Sun.

TAX LOAD

Cont'd. from pg. 1

total revenues from these

sources.

“There is a growing concern
and impatience that among the
many legislative improvements
your government is introducing.
such vital measures of tax
reform have not been included.

“It is time to radically revise
assessment methods: to remove
all escape clauses being utilized
by corporate interests to escape
their responsibilities at the ex-
pense of homes, such as artificial
assessment limitations which are
being demanded now even by the
Union of B.C. Municpalities.

“Removal of the cost of educa-
tion from homes and the family
farm would cut the average
ratepayers municipal tax load in
half. And if B.C.’s_ highly-
profitable industries were paying
their rightful share for the use of
the people's natural resources, it
would make possible repeal of
the onerous sales and consumer
taxes which would cut the cost of
living of British Columbians by
some $409 million.

-*‘Unless such measures are
adopted now, and costs of
educations, welfare, health and
recreation — that is costs other
than services to property — are
taken off homes and assumed by
senior governments with wider
taxing authority, local taxes with
galloping inflation will reach the
point where thousands of
ratepayers will be forced to
abandon their homes.’ Morgan
declared.

TENANTS

Cont'd. from pg. 1

While most of the 400-odd
tenants at the meeting were dis-
appointed with the failure of
TEAM aldermen to take decisive
action on behalf of the tenants.
the fight was not diminished.
Tenants at Block Brothers
apartments who have spearhead-
ed the recent campaign are con-
tinuing their negotiations with
Block. Tenants organizations are
continuing their campaign for
legislative action in the spring
session. And the NDP govern-
ment still has a program to fulfil.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 1974—PAGE 12

By MAURICE RUSH

A full probe into B.C.’s forest
industry by the provincial
government is long overdue. The
last time we had one was in 1956
when Chief Justice Gordon Sloan
conducted his Royal Commission
inquiry into forestrv.

One of Sloan’s main proposals
was that because uf the rapidly
changing nature of the industry
and the sweeping changes pro-
jected in his report, that a full in-
quiry should be held every 10
years. Eighteen years have
elapsed .since then without a
serious look at B.C.’s number one
industry on which our economy
depends.

Neither the Socred government
or the forest barons wanted the
spotlight put on the forest. in-
dustry which a new inquiry would
have done. Now the NDP govern-
ment has come along and an-
nounced that a three-man task
force will undertake a review of
forestry policy. The announce-
ment came from Resources
Minister Bob Williams last
Wednesdav.

The launching of an inquiry
into the forest industry will be
welcomed by. the public. This
paper, the Communist Party and
other organizations. have
repeatedly called for a full public
inquiry into the industry. But
there will. be some concern
whether the three-man task force
with its limited powers will be
equal to the task.

What the NDP government has
actually done is to by-pass the de-
mand for a full public inquiry
into the forest industry. Instead
it has set up a task force to con-
duct an inquiry and has denied it
power to hold open hearings, or
to subpoena information it may
need from the giant forest com-
panies.

Responding to public concern
at the announcement that there
will be no public hearings, Dr.
Peter Pearse, University of B.C.
economics professor, who is
heading the task force, said ‘it is
not within our authority at the
moment to hold public
hearings.”

He added that: *‘It may be that
we will come to problems that we

Knott to run

The Vancouver Island regional
secretary of the Communist Par-
ty. Ernie Knott. has been
nominated to contest the federal
riding of Nanaimo, Cowichan,
the Islands.

In a press statement Knott said
galloping inflation, the mounting
energy crisis and growing un-
employment are rapidly under-
mining people's living stands.

“Steps must be taken to curb
the actions of the giant
monopolies who are taking ad-
vantage of the situation to
manufacture artificial shortages
of food and fuels so that they can
jack up prices and engage in
ruthless profiteering.’ said
Knott.

‘Pointing to the threat of U.S.
control of our economy and the
erosion of Canada’s in-
dependence, Knott said the best
way to protect the working peo-
ple is to vote Communist and
elect a large progressive bloc in
the next election. J

think will require public
hearings. If and when we get to
that stage we will request the
minister (Williams) to change
the arrangements under which
we are operating.”

It should be a matter of grave
concern that the government has
failed to open the forestry probe
to the public. It appears to be
deliberately shutting out public
organizations concerned with the
forest industry and who may
want to present briefs or cross-
examine company represen-
tatives to bring their operations
under public scrutiny.

Although Resources Minister
Williams said in his announce-
ment that the inquiry will go into
all forms of forest tenure and
policy. the mechanics of the task-
force and its composition, as well
as the groups it has invited to
submit briefs. indicates the
government wants to keep the
probe within the industry and
within the general framework of
present overall forest policies.

The make-up of the task force
is itself revealing. It is headed by
Pearse, who is an active Liberal
who failed in a bid to win a
Liberal nomination in the last
provincial election. Another
member is Arvid Backman,
director of planning and forestry
for Canadian Cellulose Co. Ltd..
which was part of the Columbia
Cellulose Co.. until a few months
ago when the B.C. government
bought into it.

The third member is Ted
Young, assistant chief forester in
charge of operations with the
B.C. Forest Service. None of the
three have ever distinguished
themselves as having any desire
to see a basic change in B.C.’s
forestry operations.

But most notable by its
absence is any representative of
the workers in the industry. The
unions in the forest industry are
completely excluded from the
probe as if it was no concern of
theirs.

An important insight into the
limitations the task force is im-
posing on itself is to be seen in
the list of “interested parties” it

Forest probe must
be open to public

‘is inviting to present sub
missions. These include the Cou
cil of Forest Industries, the
Truck Loggers’ Association, the
Interior Lumber Manufacturels”
Association and other produce!
associations. But nowhere 1s 4
single labor organization invit
to make a submission — not evel
the unions in the industry or the
B.C. Federation of Labor, which
is the legislative arm of the labo!
movement. :
If the intention of the NDP
government is to open up a basl€
review of the forest industry it ®
going about it the wrong way
with the present composition all
limitations of the task force. —
What is needed is a full publi€
inquiry into the changes need
in B.C.’s forest industry. Such al
inquiry should be open to-al
citizens groups who have a view
to put forward. It should invil€
opinions on the basic issues SUC”
as: Who is to control the publit
(Crown) forests, the monopoll@*
or the people? How should oul
forest economy be organized
bring the maximum returns @
the public and what forms &
tenure are most suited to tht
end’? What policies are needed
turn the forest .industry fromm
primary production to manufae™
turing? _
Of all these, the most decisiV©
issue for the future of th(
province is who shall control an®
operate the 95 percent of B.C.
forests which are Crown propel
ty, but which under presel
policies have been most
alienated to a handful of giatl
forest monopolies. most!
foreign owned. This has bee!
achieved under a system ?
licences and permits some 0)
which go back to the turn of tht
century and others which welt

adopted after the last Sloa!

Royal Commission inquiry.

Unless the task force opens
this whole issue for public revie®
and brings down proposls 10
change which would restof
Crown forests to publif
ownership, the present gigantlé

rip-off will continue in the fore
industry.»

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