“_ORRENOCO in Siempre (Mexico)

NE ~~ LATIN AMERICAN VIEW OF U.S.-CUBAN RELATIONS

crude plan for a new,
™Tmed aggression against
Uba organized by the U.S.
‘‘Vernment, and in which
‘eVeral Latin American gov-
denetts are involved, was
“nounced in Mexico City by
© Cubon ambassador to
€xico, Carlos Lechuga.
Na statement to the mag-
Zine Siempre, Lechuga said
€re is proof that mercen-
Nes are being trained in
ied de Coban, Puerto
eto, Bengue Viejo, Me-
thes, Campo Flores, Santa
Osa de Copan and the zone
t Peten in Guatemala.”
€ said mercenaries are
a being trained to attack
oe ba in Nicaragua, Panama,
4 and the Dominican Re-
c.

a
~~ nvasion

London

(Con’t. from pg. 1)
a of the Common Market.”
t also criticises him for
bringing “forward any
alternative: His call for
°rld economic conference,
Cifically excluded the
Cialist world with its grow-
8 market composed of one
_ of humanity. It ignored
© newly developing nations
Tica and Asia and sig-
lcantly made no reference
atin America.”
itting at the failure of
leaders to take a stand
pinst the Common Market,
© editorial calls on the
oa movement and all pro-
“Sive Canadians to press
representatives in par-
nt to come forward at
D Dig ical moment with a
Y based firmly on Can-
a interests, breaking with
fS: domination of our mar-

will be a

lame

LAN TO PROVOKE
UBA WAR EXPOSED

major one,” said Lechuga.
“In Guantanamo, bellicose
preventations are being car-
ried on with feverish activity;
there are constant provoca-
tions against Cuban guards
outside the base.”

Lechuga charges that Cu-
ban mercenaries, trained by
the U.S. Central Intelligence
Agency, have been arriving
at the base, and many have
already infiltrated into Cu-
ban territory.

“Eyerything points to the
fact that a strong aggressive
force will strike from Guan-
tanamo.” :

Planes were being dis-
guised to look like Cuban
airforce planes, he declared.

The “capture” of a ship
laden with “Cuban arms”
would probably follow and
it would be announced that
the ship’s destination was
Venezuela and its task was to

provoke an anti-democratic
invasion.

Perhaps the “capture”
would take place in Mexican
waters to provoke an inter-
national incident with a
country that firmly follows a
policy of non- -intervention.

Lechuga referred to mane-
ouvres of the American fleet
in the Carribbean, and said
that without taking the
trouble to prove it, “the Yan-

kees say Cuban ships fired

on an American reconnais-
ance plane over international
waters.

“The next step in their
line of aggression will be to
feign an attack by Cuban,
forces against one of our
neighboring countries, thus
opening the doors to a mer-
cenary invasion, supported
by U.S. armed forces.”

~Agy CO eA LOD 2. o5As

LABOR’S VOICE ABSENT

UBCM conference airs crisis
facing civic governments

WILLIAM E. STEWART
KAMLOOPS—Five hun-
lred delegates, Mayors,
Reeves. Aldermen, Com-
nissioners, City Clerks and
Village representatives
speaking for more than one
qundred municipalities con-
stituted the largest-ever
Annual Convention of the
Union of B.C. Municipali-
sies which met in the city
»f Kamloops Sept. 12-13-14.
Meeting in this fascinating
B.C. city at the confluence of
the North and South Thomp-
son River, the delegates rep-
resenting the municipal in-
terests of a majority of the
people of B.C. chewed
through 106 resolutions plus
a number of key reports
from the executive commit-
tee of the organization, and
elected a new set of officers,
with no upsets, to guide the
work during the next year.

Sandwiched in _ between
these events were banquets
and liquor flowing receptions
sponsored by such commun-
ity minded organizations as
the Royalite Oil Compony,
B.C. Telephone Company,
and the Canadian Bank of
Commerce.

To a labor representative
the most startling effect of
the convention was the as-
sembly of such a large body
of civic officials, from the
grass roots area of the politi-
cal struggle, with so little

-representation of the work-

ing class.

Those few workers who
were in attendance as elected
officials, and believe me they
were few, failed miserably
to distinguish themselves
from the cruel deception

. delegates;

. stitute an 80/20 (80%

practiced by the convention
that civic politics are above
classes.

However, in spite of the
lack of working class repre-
sentation, in spite of the ob-
viously business bias of the
overwhelmingly majority of
in spite of the
Royalite Oil Company, the
UBCM convention was forced
to reject a whole number of
reactionary proposals ond
support a number of emin-
ently progressive solutions to
the acute problems of civic
finance and government.
CIVIC CRISIS

This fact is a_ startling
testimony to the irresistable
pressure that the overall
Canadian crisis is exerting
at the level of municipal
politics. Both because it is
their fond wish to be re-
elected and at the same time,
because the very business in-
terests they represent are
caught in the bite by the
growing municipal crisis,
most municipal officials find
themselves compelled to sup-
port some proposals similar
to those for which the left
has campaigned for years.

Here are some of the major
policy decisions of the con-
vention:

e Through a system of re-
allocating the present home-
owner grant to apply it to
the cost of the basic educa-
tion program, and by restor-
ing to the municipalities their
former share of the sales tax
(without increasing it), to in-
Pro-
vince 20% city) cost sharing
formula for education costs.

e A motion to re-examine
the possibility of the poll tax
submitted by the Executive
Committee was defeated al-
most unanimously by the

delegates after less than
three minutes debote.
SOCIAL WELFARE

A report from the Social
Welfare Committee adopted
by the convention unanimous-
ly called for:

® Unemployed Employ-
ables be removed from the
Welfare Offices and become
the responsibility of and ad-
ministered by the National
Employment Insurance Office
under the jurisdiction of the
Federal Government. (Trans-
lated this means that social
assistance as it now applies
should -be abolished and un-
employed workers should
remain on unemployment
insurance for the full term
of their unemployment).

e Proposal of thé commit-
tee for establishment of a
“hostel farm” for “drifters”
be established where they
shall work for their wages
was sent back to the commit-
tee and brought back in a
modified form to read re-.
habilitation centre to. train
such people for productive
labor.

e Requested the Federal
Government to include muni-
cipal financing within thei
scope of the recent Royal
Commission announced to
study Provincial Federal tax
revenue distribution.

e Passed three resolutions
calling in effect for a step-
ped-up provincial winter
works program to help solve
the unemployed problem.

On the more negative side
the convention gave assent to ~
these proposals.

e The present exemption
on the first $1, 000 for farm
land be removed and applied
rather to the second thousand.

See CIVIC, Pg. 8

IWA DEMA

(Con‘t from pg. 1)

gional President Moore tak-
ing a _ particularly strong
stand in favor of the resolu-
tion. (This received unani-
mous endorsation);

e A resolution in which
the IWA went on record as
“vigorously condemning all
nations who, at present or in
future, test nuclear devices,
and supporting “a policy of
world disarmament and the
development of a program
which will insure peace and

- security for all the people

of the world”;

e A separate disarmament
resolution which stated that
the union reaffirms “‘its op-
position to the arms race be-
ing waged by the major
powers of the world today,
and that we impress upon
our Canadian government
‘with every means at our dis-
posal, to withdraw from
this arms race and use the
so-called defence budget to
provide housing, medical
care and educational facili-
ties for Canadian people.”

A number of other reso-
lutions had not yet been dis-
cussed as the PT went to
press. Among the _ subjects
they deal with are trade with
all countries, austerity, pub-
lic works, Canadian with-

DS 35 HOUR WEEK

drawal from the arms race,
and many more.

Last Tuesday, . Vancouver
Labor Council indicated that
the 35-hour week will be
prominent in the discussions

at the coming B.C. Federa-
tion of Labor convention by
adopting a resolution on the
question, to be forwarded to
the convention.

Communist Party to
back Tommy Douglas

“The Burnaby - Coquitlam
Constituency Committee of
the Communist Party has de-
cided to forego nomination of
a candidate in the October
22nd _ by-election,

and con-

NDP LEADER DOUGLA

centrate its efforts on ensur-
ing defeat of the old line
party candidates,’ William
Turner, constituency organ-
izer; announced Wednesday.

“The interests of the elec-
tors of Burnaby-Coquitlam
and all Canadians will best
be served at this time by
election of NDP leader Doug-
las to the seat vacated by
Erhart Regier.

“Certainly the echoing of
Pearson’s advocasy of British
entry into the European Com-
mon Market, and appeals for
support of Diefenbaker’s aus,
terity program can only en-
danger a labor victory. We
urge the NDP to press for a
genuine democratic, progres-
sive alternative that will
unite the people to defeat the
Liberal, Tory and Socred
candidates in this little gen-
eral election.”

Repl: 21, 1962—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 3

Pre So ye vs oe