| | nil bia Responding to the call of the Quebec Federation of Labor, about 125,000 workers joined in demonstrations on May 21 to support the striking United Aircraft workers, 35 of whom were brutally beaten by police and arrested. Photo shows a demonstration in Montreal. The British Columbia Tenants Organization has accused provincial rentalsman Barry Clarke of “obvious bias and in- competence’’ and of “a clumsy . attempt to fly the landlord’s kite by calling for the end of rent controls Cee "8 Oe The BCTO statement issued this week indicated strained relations between the rentalsman and the organized tenant movement prompted by~Clarke’s public statement last week in Vernon where he said he ‘wants the freeze on” The BCTO has demanded a meeting with the rentalsman to seek a qualitative change in its policy. “In the event there is no swift change in policy,’’ the executive statement warned, ‘‘we plan a massive public campaign including picketing of the ren- talsman’s office to force govern- ment intervention.”’ Clarke’s statements in Vernon added to the growing rift with the BCTO stemming from the rentalsman’s arbitrary refusal to enforce class actions in enforcing the Landlord and Tenant Act.: Section 56 of the Act allows for. “collective action’’ by tenants in ~ placing complaints with the ren- talsman and the Rent Review Commission. Clarke has repeatedly refused to recognize the right of tenants to make collective actions, demanding instead that each complaint be dealt with on the, basis of an individual tenancy. Latest examples of the ren- talsman’s bias in favor of the landlord are at the Parkwood Terrace apartments in East Burnaby and the Croatian Villa apartments in Vancouver’s Kit- silano district. In both instances, tenant associations have been formed under the leadership of the BCTO following illegal rent in- creases. Social conditions, mass repairs and civil rights are also at issue in both instances. At Parkwood the _ tenant association has compiled a list of 400. individual repairs which are required on the premises, while at Croatian Villa tenants have made formal protest over denials of civil rights. They claim harassment from management which issued 11 eviction notices following the formation of the tenant association. In spite of repeated appeals from BCTO president Bruce Yorke, the rentalsman’s office refuses to hear representation from the tenant associations which have appointed Yorke as their spokesman. “The rentalsman’s office has become an open agent for the landlords,’’ Yorke told the Tribune this week. “‘We’re getting a bit fed up and if there are not some changes soon we will have no alternative but to boycott the entire structure.” Of particular concern to the BCTO is that the clear shift to the right in the operations of the rentalsman reflects the thinking of the right wing members of the provincial cabinet; who are at- tempting to create an atmosphere in the province for acceptance of a watered-down landlord and tenant law, and removal of rent controls. That fear became more real this week in Vancouver when the im- portant test case against Richard Dolman, executive director of the landlord organization, was thrown out of court on a technicality. Originally brought into the Can you help? The . Women’s ° History Project, set up by the Women’s Auxiliary of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union to research and write a booklet on the part played by women in the building of the trade union movement, is asking for the cooperation of unionists and individuals for information. They are searching for information about Alberta ‘Robinson, a woman activist in the early 1900’s up to the 1940’s. She was involved in picket line activities in early longshore, CPR struggles, and the women’s auxiliary o* the International Machinists Union (OBU). Send information to: Women’s History Project, 138 E. Cordova St., Vancouver, B.C. or phone 684-1744 or 684- 3254. public eye by the BCTO, Dolman faced charges of issuing illegal rent increases to tenants in a house in Vancouver. The case was ‘thrown out last Tuesday on the basis that the words “knowingly and wilfully’? were omitted from the official charge. “Tt had to be deliberate,” Yorke said. “It is a monstrous miscarriage of justice.’’ He placed the blame on the attorney-general for allowing delay after delay in processing the case. Information charges were first laid in November 1974. After being referred from one office to another no less than five times, Dolman is now free from any further action. Under the Statute of Limitations charges must be brought against an individual within six months of _ the crime committed. It has_ been seven months since the commencement of the Dolman affair. An additional quirk to the Dolman case was a last minute change in the trial date which moved the trial ahead one day. Clarke, Brewin, Yorke and the press were not informed of the change. ~ On the more positive ‘side, the BCTO has welcomed the move by John Brewin’s Rent Review Commission to appoint two junior investigators who will process complaints of illegal rent in- creases. According to Yorke, the investigators have already begun their work and are presently gathering evidence in the Park- wood and Croatian complexes. The BCTO plans to step up its ~ series of public tenant hearings in the Lower Mainland area. The last of the series held in Vancouver’s West End heard representation from more than 40 tenants who placed their complaints with a panel of BCTO officers. The next hearing has been set for Monday, June 16 at the Resource Board Centre at 1720 Grant Street in Vancouver’s east end. Tenants can bring their problems or ideas to the. hearing between the hours of 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. or from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Dates for a series of public meetings in Kelowna, Penticton, Prince Rupert, Victoria, New Westminster and Richmond will be announced soon. : Cont'd from pg. 1 burden of the crisis on to the backs of the working people through rising unemployment, curtailment of social services, rising prices on housing, rents and’ food, a deterioration of living standards.”’ Kashtan said: “The economic crisis has placed the government and monopoly on the horns of a dilemma. Which policy to pursue? Policies to curb inflation or policies to-curb unemployment? To try to curb inflation under capitalism leads to growing unemployment. To try to curb unemployment under capitalism leads to inflation. Today as we can see, chronic in- flation and chronic unemployment have become an integral part of the capitalist economy. They are expressions of a deepening crisis of capitalism and its inability to satisfy the needs of. the people.” The Communist Party leader said that ‘‘clearly monopoly wants to slow down inflation through rising unemployment and by cutting back living standards.” He warned that the government and monopoly are engaged in a skilful campaign to convince the workers that it is in their interests to go easy on wages in order to protect their jobs. ‘‘The cry is_ being raised: either high wages and high unemployment, or high em- ployment and wage restraints.” Welcoming the fact that the trade union movement has rejected wage restraints and advanced a program of its own? full employment, the protection of standards and incomes, decent! housing, regulation of prices % rents, oil, gas and a curb on profils Kashtan said, ‘‘the Communi Party of Canada welcomes th program as a useful basis around which to unite the working clas and democratic movement {@ policies of jobs or incomes for a» Communist Party leader Willial ‘Kashtan, who last weekend call for united action behind t™ CLC’s 9-point anti-inflatio” program. Food chains blamed — Cont'd from pg. 1 meatcutters following their bid for a breakthrough on the 40-hour week. - “That was the last time a pact was organized and it was done on instructions from Safeway’s head office in Oakland, California,” he stated. ‘‘And the purpose wasn’t to negotiate — it was to fight the union.” He added that there was some importance to the fact that the lawyer conducting the current negotiations for the food council is from the same firm as the late George Robson who sparked the — strike-lockout in 1969. After the 3-1/2 month strike- lockout in 1969, meatcutters were successful in winning a time-off provision which allowed them to accumulate some hours off during the course of a week’s work. Johnston also commented on statements by the food industry that steps were being taken in contract talks to cut back wage higher prices. settlements in order to prev] another round of inflation. ' “It’s ironic — in i hypocritical — that these knigh! f from the food industry are 1 getting on their white chargers protect the interests of the © sumers,”’ he said. od He added that the newly-form council would probably us¢ “, current negotiations a§ fo! “smokescreen” to blame labor “But we don’t accept that kind? gobbledegook economics.”’ _-— SIHANOUK THANKS SOVIETS FOR AID Prince Norodom Sihanouk, Ce of state and chairman of a National United Front of a) bodia, expressed ‘‘gratitude tO i Soviet people for their pow? 4 support given to the just caus struggle for the national liber@ of Cambodia,” in a telegram ie 23 to the heads of the Sov government and Commu? Party. a tio! | NEED $10,000 MORE : We're counting on you Only two weeks remain before the 40th anniversary banquet June 14 which will wind up the drive for $40,000 for B.C.’s figh working elass weekly. The Tribune takes this opportunity to thank the thousands of working people across B.C. who have already contributed to ch drive. As we went to press this week the total stood at $30,000, whi is a tremendous achievement. But our job is not yet over! _ In the next two weeks we must raise another $10,000 to em that the drive will go over the top and that the June 14 banquet be a real victory celebration. ’ Time is running out. We urge all our readers and supporters “ rush their contributions to the Tribune office without delay. If ¥ have already given, ask yourself: “Can I give a little more?” To our press clubs all over the province we send this final a ye Make sure that no opportunity is lost in the closing days of the ari tof to collect every available dollar to put your press club over the ¥ “ by June 14. fret See you all at the Tribune victory celebration at the Renff? a Community Centre on June 14._ oT peal! LL, ; 1 PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 30, 1975—Pad?