—VICTORIA, B.C.
Coalition Premier “Boss” Johnson
at press time had announced the
government’s flood rehabilitation
proposals to the special flood ses-
sion of the provincial legislature.
His government fully intends to
jeave thousands of flood victims
stuck with income losses arising
from the floods.

No responsibility was acknowl-
edged by Johnson for the govern-
ment’s failure to take emergency
measures in time and of sufficient
scope to head off the bulk of the
ruin. Nor did he admit to prolonged
negligence of old-line govern-

ments through the years in failure
to establish full river control. This
attitude of blamelessness raises ser-

s
ious doubts in many quarters as to
what kind of a dyking job is being,
planned and how far the govern-
ment is prepared to go in river con-
trol.

No plans have yet been an-
nounced for curbing speculation
and unwarranted profiteering at
expense of farmers and public.

Terms of authority for the Fraser

For weeks residents of the Boun-
dary Road district of Vancouver
and Burnaby have been actively
campaigning against the BCElec-
tric’s scheme to run overhead power
lines from the Second Narrows to
its Horne Payne substation in east-
central Burnaby.

Their contention is that 230,000-
volt lines carried on 140-foot pylons
straddling the boulevard will be a
major hazard, frustrate future
town planning and depreciate the
value of homes in one of the most
scenic residential areas of Greater
Vancouver.

How the district will be disfigur-
ed is illustrated by pictures repro-
duced here. Specially prepared for.
the Pacific Tribune by Art-Ray
Photos and Fraser Wilson, well
known city artist who lives. in the
district and is a member of the
committee representing residents,
they show Boundary Road as it is
now and as it will appear if the

Like these on your front doorstep?
Boundary Road residents fight scheme

BCElectric scheme is
through,

Concern expressed by residents of
the area immediately affected is
shared by residents in other east
and south Vancouver and Burnaby
districts. It is widely rumored that
the scheme is only part of an in-
tended project to extend the over-
head lines across Vancouver to the
George Kidd substation—a project
that woudl be harder to defeat if
the PUC were to allow the present
scheme.

Reported attitude of the PUC
lends strength to offtherecord
boasts that “everything is already
settled except what shrubs Vancou-
ver Parks Board will plant at the
foot of the pylons.” There are well-
founded indications that the PUC
may attempt to deny the committee
elected by citizens, some 1,000 of
whom have signed a demand that
the power lines be placed under-
ground, its rights as an interested

carried

party under the Public Utilities Act.
This it might do by taking refuge
in a clause governing objections to
service on the ground that there
is no service as yet. As an interest-
ed party, the committee can read
its brief and subpoena witnesses;
otherwise it can only table its brief
with the PUC. The committee’s only
alternative if the PUC refuses it
recognition at the public hearing to
be held this Friday will be court
action to force recognition.
Vancouver’s @on-Partisan City
Council will make a submission,
contents of which it has refused to
divulge, but residents have little
confidence that it will.take any de-
cisive action to protect their inter-
ests in view of the council's past
sweeping concessions to the power
monopoly over public protest. Bur-

Valley Rehabilitation Commission
state flatly that victims will not get
any compensation for lost crops,
cattle or income.

Example of what government
callousness in this regard will mean
is case of John Kolek of Matsqui.
Kolek and his family moved there
April 5 from Kamloops. He bought
six acres for $19,000—his life sav-
ings. He borrowed $5,000, brought
in his two brothers, and planted the
six acres in berries. This crop
would have sold at $6,000. He built
a barn for his four cows and with
his first returns planned to buy 12
cows. He planned to live off milk
checks and use crop returns to pay
the mortgage.

Now his home, crops and land
are ruined. Government will help
restore homes, farm buildings and
fences—though not fully. It will be
a long time before he gets good
crops, even if given new plants,
and he’ll haye no compensation for
loss of income in the meantime.
The government will give him hay,
sometimes a little rotten, till the
emergency is declared over. Land
restoration, he will hear from Vic-
toria, is to be “studied” and, “recom-

| mendations submitted to the gov-

ernment”.

_Strenuous efforts of Goalition
cabinet ministers and local heelers
to dampen criticism in several val-
ley areas have not prevented fresh
protests bubbling over as hundreds
face ruin or semi-ruin. Reeve Mus-
salem of Maple Ridge has resigned
from the rehabilitation commission,
whose heads, Col. D’Arcy Baldwin
and W. L. Mackin seem to have
been chosen for being furthest in
personal status from being able to
understand the problems of the lit-
tle people on both sides of the
river.

Berry growers, dairy farmers and

Gov't offers shoddy flood deal

poultrymen from Matsqui area
have sent a delegation to Victoria.
Reeve Alex Hougan of Sumas, Bert
Mutch and Jack Little are seeking
to place before the cabinet a de-
mand for full compensation of all
losses, full river control and anti-
flood safeguards, and end of specu-
lation,

These are substantially the same
demands as those laid before the
government by the B.C. Federatiog
of Labor, backed by a comprehen-
sive brief.

Harold Winch,. CCF leader, has
blasted the government for the red
tape that is iring Valley residents
and stifling action.

Hundreds of Valley residents ag-
ree they won’t go back “till the
dykes are repaired so that there is
absolutely no danger of them break-
ing again,” according to one inspec-
tor assessing damage. “Many homes
will never be habitable again,” he
said. ?

George Cruikshankg (Lib., Fraser
Valley), at Ottawa blasted the fed-
eral grants “Boss” Johnson had ac-
cepted as satisfactory. “Five mil-
lion is not enough for rehabilitation
of fellow citizens, pioneers in ‘this
country who did not inherit silver
spoons or make their profits in
wartime companies.”

BCElectric’s propaganda organ,
The Buzzer opened up a campaign
against joining public power devel-
opment with river control, claiming
power and flood control don’t go
together. But Works Minister E. L.
Carson had already let the cat out
of the bag ‘when he boasted, “one

tributary of the Fraser is already

being brought under control, name-
ly the Bridge River, which will be
main source of supply for the B.C.
Electric.’ Water surveys are al-
ready complete on half a dozen
other key river situations.

line for a decent settlement,
tinuing to pour in and will likely

soon shoot over the objective of
$200,000.

“Its absolutely certain that the
woodworkers are ready to take any
showdown action necessary——mem-
bership stands higher now than at
any time in the union’s history.”

Latest IWA proposal, made in ef-
forts to speed settlement, was that
the union would recommend accept-
ance of a 25 cent hourly increase,
with no comedown on proposals for
contract workers and length of
work week, union shop to be refer-
red to final and binding arbitration
and all other points settled on basis
of last year’s agreement.

Stuart, who in view of record
profits does not plead inability to
pay, did not move from his previous
10 cents or 8 percent offer, already
rejected by a 95 percent member-
ship vote. While prepared to make
minor modifications for fallens and
buckers, he rejected arbitration on
the union shop, He also turned down
the 40 hour week in five consecutive
shifts, though offering to allow last
years’ work week to remain.

District leaders will tour camps

naby Council, however, has already
protested the scheme and this week
voted to appear as an interested
party to régister its opposition.

and mills to clarify the situation,
and a big campaign for public sup-
port is to get under way.

IWA holds as funds,

membership increase

Salient feature of continuing IWA negotiations is the
operators’ stall being conducted by their spokesman, R. V.
Stuart, IWA District President
Pacific Tribune at press time.

Ernie Dalskog told the
“The union is holding the
while the strike fund is con-

Peace theme
of contest -

By W. CAMPBELL

The preservation of world peace,
an issue close to the heart of work-
ing people everywhere, will be the
theme of a poster-drawing contest
sponsored by the United Labor Pic-
nic to be held in Confederation
Park August 1,

In face of big business’ drive to
war and the King government's
dangerous foreign policy, the peace
poster contest will give expression
to the growing awareness that only
a united fight for peace can pre-
vent a third world war. Already
many aspiring artists in the labor
movement have signified their in-
tention to enter the contest.

All entries in the contest must
be non-professional, and these will
be divided into two classes: (1) Up
to 16 years. (2) 16 years and over.
Entries must be submitted on card,
paper or any other material 14 by
22 inches: Each entry will be judg-
ed on interpretation of idea, qual-
ity of craftmanship and neatness.
Material should be in the United
Labor Picnic office, 104 Shelley
Bldg., Vancouver, B.C., by 12 ‘mid-
night, July 28. Fifty dollars in
prizes will be divided among the
winning artists.

So come on, labor artists, here is
a challenge to your imagination
and skill—and an excellent oppor-
tunity to speak out for lasting

peace.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JULY 9, 1948—PAGE 12