I
i

TANGANYIKA INDEPENDENCE. On Dec. 9 Tanga-
nyika became the 29th newly independent country in
Africa. The occasion was celebrated everywhere with

Songs and dancing. Picture

above shows Tanganyikans

discussing their new-won freedom in a happy mood.

Pres., Bud Hodgins,
(defeated); 3rd Vice Pres.,

Cttee., Orville Braaten, 90,

tion Cttee.,
dentials

John Haywood,
Cttee.,

Abracrombie 65. (defeated).

tion and control of meats.

VLC holds election

Vancouver and District Labor Council gave: President
Ed Sims and Secretary Paddy Neale acclamations in. the
annual elections held Tuesday, January 16,

Here are the other results of the elections:

Ist Vice Pres., Syd Thompson, acclamation; 2nd Vice
84 (elected),
Bill Black, acclamation.

Chairman Organizing Cttee., Mel Kemmis, 80, (elected);
Orville Braaten, 75 (defeated). Chairman Legislative Cttee.,
Jack Henderson, acclamation. Chairman Public Relations

(defeated), Chairman Grievance Cttee.,
78 (elected) W. Dunsmuir, 75 (defeated), Chairman Educa-

Bob Cook;
Municipal eer Cttee., A. Hansen, » 80 (elected), AS

Council delegates also called for 100% Federal inspec-

Carl Erickson, 77

(elected); W. Chalmers, 66,
Jerry LeBordais

acclamation. Chairman Cre-
acelamation. Chairman

K ey issues at Victoria:

Cont’d from pg. 1

Equalization is meaningless
—it is nothing but, a sham

and a delusion unless. em-|

bodied in it are provisions
for a basic ‘Homeowner Ex-
emption’, a graduated busi-
ness tax to provide a bigger
return, and fairer treatment
of small business people; and
taxation of machinery for

Weekly | Radio
commentary by @

f NIGEL MORGAN
|. Sponsored by. the
» Communist

Party

7:25. p.m.
Every Sunday

CKWX.

1130 Kilocycles

‘general’ as. well. as. ‘school’
purposes.

. “Secondly; even: though
the government may be suc-
cessful in keeping the lid on
debate of its takeover of the
B.C. Electric by declaring it
‘ultra vires’, the government’s
power policy and the ques-
tion of rate reductions. for
the government-owned sys-
tem is bound to create some
bitter debate.”

“Socred policies of selling

| B.C.’s_ vital interests. to. the

U.S. trusts — and particular-
ly of surrendering Columbia
River power to the newly-
planned national U.S. grid—
are exposed in all their -nak-:
edness. Justice Minister Ful-
ton’s announcement of Ot-
tawa’s intention of. proceed-
ing with the draft. Treaty is
hardly likely: to lessen popu-
‘lar opposition to either the
Bennett or Diefenbaker
plan,’

“The Legislature must
“speak out for B.C.’s and Can-
‘ada’s interests. This biggest

a | of all giveaways must be}

| stopped. Instead the Legisla-

Mi ture should call for an im-

mediate start on an all-Cana-

} dian national: grid; for Fed-
| eral- Provincial co-operation

40 develop the Columbia and

s '|the Peace for jobs and the

maximum benefit for Canada;
for scrapping the draft

‘Treaty and development of.

the Columbia in line with

S recommendations of General).
: McNaughton,”

Morgan — con-

\ cluded.

'PITCHFORKS . AT. READY’ SAY, FARMERS .

Will picket city hall to

fight taxes say ratepayers

Vancouver Central Council of Ratepayers is considering a tax-strike if city

owners this year.

Council. secretary, .- Mrs.
Alice. MacKenzie, announced
that the ratepayers will con-
sider picketing city hall if
taxes go up.

The Ratepayers Council
held a mass protest meeting
last Wednesday at the Man-
hattan Ballroom, Vancouver,
where plans were discussed
to block any hoist in taxes.

This action by the ratepay-
ers stands at the head .of a
swelling protest movement
in. Vancouver and the rural
districts. A mass demand for
new civic tax policies is gath-
ering steam as it becomes in-
creasingly obvious that muni-
cipal governments are using
the new provincial tax equal-
ization law to shif the burden
of municipal taxes still more
on to the homeowner.

&

The Civic Reform Associ-

ation in Vancouver. distribut-

ed 10,000 copies of a leaflet
to homeowners this week
calling for public action to
beat back the threat of a tax
increase. The leaflet set forth
a five-point plan to put the
tax onus on big — business.
These demands ask Vancou-
ver city council to:

(1) Establish a graduated
business Tax. (If Winnipeg
business taxes were applied
in, Vancouver we would get.
about: four times our present
revenue from business tax—
a gain of over $13 million:
It would: not increase taxa-
tion.on small business.) _
‘(2) Recind the | “gift”: of
$300;000:to CPR for Shaugh-
nessy Park subdivision ser-
vices and sewers.

(3). Act -to eliminate un-
equal and favoured treatment
to big landowners (CPR, etc.),
big commercial
ments and. palatial homes.
Stop the tax gift to commer-
cial and industrial property
by removing their 50% ex-
emption on improvements.

(4) Seek a $2,500 exemp-
tion. on homes.

(5) Secure from Victoria

Communist Party
To Hold Weekly
Radio Broadcast

A capsule report on the}:

week's happenings in the'B.C.
Legislature, will be provided

by the B.C. Committee of the| |

Communist Party every Sun-
day evening, commencing on
January 28th.

The commentary, which
will be given by ‘Nigel Mor-
gan B.C. leader of the Party,
will be heard over Vancou-
ver’s ‘'most-listened-to” sta-

tion CKWX (1130. k.c.). at}.

7:25 p.m. each Sunday. The
-Communist Party is the only
political party . to provide
such, a service to the labor
and farm movement in B.C.,
and this.will mark-the tenth
consecutive year for. this

improve: |,

| series of broadcasis,

.| council’s assessment policies result in an increase in taxes for Vancouver home-

the distribution and retail
sale of electricity and gas.

(6) Apply the general pur-|

pose mill rate as well as the
school mill rate to machinery
assessment.

“Write Council, get friends
neighbors, ratepayers, unions,
pensioners» and every other
organization :.to...write city
hall demanding no. tax in-
crease on homes,” the leaflet
concludes.

e

Vancouver Ratepayers are
organizing mass _ appeals
against the increased assess-
ments and have circulated
thousands of copies of a
leaflet setting forth the basis
for.such. an. appeal.

The leaflet. singles out
eight large properties. . in
downtown Vancouver where
they point out assessments
have. not been changed since
last. year. These. properties
are: The. Hall Bldg., 789: W.
Pender; Hotel Vancouver,
900 West Georgia;- Pacific
Press, 500-510 Beatty; Amer-
ican Can Co., 611 Alexander;
Henry Birks, .720-728 Gran-
ville; 900 West Hastings; 618
West Cordova and 780-790
Dunsmuir St.

Also named in the leaflet
are the residences of nine
millionaires;. Austin Taylor,
J. V. Clyne, Don .Cromie,
Gordon Farrell, P. T. Rogers,
H.R. MacMillan, Dal Grauer,
George ’ Feifel,:) and) Frank
McK. Ross. ‘The average: as:
sessment;.on: the “homes” of
these nine millionaires ' is

-.20¢ per square foot of land.

“It then names five home-

veil

; owner properties giving the

addresses. in the east and
west ends of the city.. The
average assessment: : per
square foot of land on these
properties is .56¢ per foot.

Meanwhile, as has been
reported in the daily press,
farmers in. the lower main-
land have their pitchforks “at
the ready” if there is -any
move to increase their taxes.

In Richmond farmers have
agreed to assess themselves
so much per acre to fight
their case before the court of
revision. Their . assessments
have jumped: 110% in some
cases,

The North Surrey Commit-
tee of the Communist Party
presented a brief to the local
council » detailing . proposals
which are required to pre-
vent tax increases for Surrey
homeowners.

These are the main propos-
als contained. in their brief:

(1) A graduated business
tax, which would bring sub-
stantial revenue from those
most able to pay and relieve
the load on the homeowner.

(2) Make application to the
provincial government for a
$2,500 tax exemption on
homes and: increases in muni-
cipal grants.

(3) Federal and Seiacial
responsibility for the full cost
of education,

The Surrey brief indicates
that» home assessments’ have
gone wp'ias much as 400%
while the» assessment. .on_ in-
dustrial. property, commercial
and rooming houses had been
cut.

Crisis in France.

POLICE BRUTALITY IN PARIS. This photo shows brutality

of Paris police in clubing workers in earlier demonstrations,
which was repeated again recently. Faced with the growing
threat of violence against democrats and. the danger of
right win coup d’ etat, France’s largest trade union federa-
tion, the C.G.T. a few days ago called on its members to
be ready for an immediate general strike in the event. of
an attempted right wing takeover. It also called on all, trade
unionists to step up their actions against the fascist Secret
Army Organization (O.A.S.) and for peace in Algeria.

January 19, 1962—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 3