IN ELEVENTH MONTH. Pickets at Sandringham Hospital in Victoria.

Parliament must meet

Cont'd from pg. 1!

Ottawa’s own figures (which are
low) stood at 514,000 in mid-July.
The ‘‘seasonally-adjusted”’ -rate
showed that 6.3 percent of the
labor force was jobless in
Canada. In B.C. the situation is
even worse. Here the jobless
total stood at around 60,000 or 7.3
percent, according to Ottawa.
The real figure is probably much
higher.

Premier W.A.C. Bennett was
whistling in the dark this week ,
when he said that the 10 percent
surcharge would not harm B.C.
as much as eastern Canada and
added there would likely only be
marginal increases in lumber
export prices. The fact is he
doesn’t know. Nor does he know
what effect the U.S. action would
have on Japan who is now B.C.’s
second largest market.

The U.S. action is mainly
directed at Japan. It is expected
that Japan will lose about $3
billion worth of exports to the
U.S. Our growing reliance on
Japan’s purchase of raw
materials in B.C. compounds the
danger the province faces since
we may be hit by both the U:S.
action and Japan’s trading crisis
brought on by the U.S. action.

Whichever way you look at it,
B.C. and Canada face extreme
difficulties as a result of present
policies. What is needed now is a
new economic policy for Canada
which will see the rapid
expansion of manufacturing and
processing industries in Canada
and B.C.

The argument that we must
remain a raw material exporter
because we don’t have a big
enough market for our own manu-
factured products has_ been
proven a lie by recent events.
Last week Prime Minister
Trudeau in a nation-wide TV
.address admitted that Canada is
the biggest market in the world
for U.S. manufactured goods,
buying more than the four
leading capitalist countries com
bined.

We can process our own wood,
oil, ore resources to meet
Canada’s need for manu-
factured goods. And why can't
we expand trade with other
countries like the Soviet Union,
China, the German Democratic
Republic and other socialist
states, as well as the countries of
Asia, Africa and Latin America?

There are things we can-do in
B.C. which immediately come
to mind. We can make a start,
and ask Ottawa to join us, in
creating a merchant marine so
badly needed on the Pacific
Coast. We should get moving on

_ a copper smelter which has long
been promised us by the Socred

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 1971—PAGE 8

government. We can stop tne
export of raw logs and semi-pro-
cessed wood and create wood
processing and manufacturing
industries in B.C.

We have all the resources
needed for a vast petro-chemical
industry based on our endless
supply of oil, natural gas and
forest resources. AS an
immediate measure to stim-
ulate the construction industry
we should take action on a vast
housing program and other
needed construction such as
schools and hospitals.

Premier Bennett’s proposal
this week that Canada should
join in a common market with
the U.S., integrating our
country completely with the U.S.
economy, would not solve the
crisis; it would deepen it and
permantly turn Canadians into
hewers of wood and diggers of
ore for the U.S. monopolies. It is
the path of betrayal of Canada’s
independence.

The new economic policies
announced in the U.S. which
are acts of economic aggression
against Canada (and other
countries) should and must be
met by new economic policies
which will end the present dis-
astrous one-sided dependence
and domination by the U.S.

in Sandringham hospital strid

“The Sandringham strike now
in its 11th month is a clear indi-
cation that the provincial
Minister of Labor, James
Chabot, has failed to measure up
to his responsibilities,’ Harry
Greene, president of the B.C.
division of CUPE said this week.
He was in Victoria to attend a
top-level meeting in connection
with the Sandringham strike.

Greene charged that the
owners of Sandringham were
“Jawbreakers from the begin

- ning.”

‘‘When we formed the union at
Sandringham, the owners
dismissed two active union
members. Later, the Labor
Relations Board ordered them
reinstated. When it came time
to bargain for a first agreement,
the owners absolutely refused to
negotiate. This constitutes an
offence under the law, but
Chabot does nothing but wring
his hands in despair.”’

Green said he had been told by

normally reliable sources that
Russel J. Shepherd, the princi-
pal owner, is an active Socred
Party member.

He asked, ‘‘Is this why the
minister is taking no action? Is
the government placing narrow
party politics above the inter-
ests of the people?”

The meeting decided to
mobilize the maximum amount
of public opinion in order to
compel the minister to speak out
against the owners of the hospi-
tal.

“Bargaining units like Sand-

ringham need the full protection.

of the law. If the government
would say to Shepherd, ‘sit down
and bargain or we’ll cancel your
license’, he would soon be
brought to heel.”’

Greene also charged that ‘“‘the
cabinet does not want to move in
the strike because if all private

Public hearing should demand
council finalize rapid transit

By MABEL RICHARDS

Reports, studies, surveys,
plans; engineers, economists,
architects city planners, etc.,
etc., and we are still not a bit
closer to finalizing a rapid
transit system for Greater Van-
couver than we were 20 years
ago.

But as someone pointed out,
ten years ago the NPA would
have rammed through a freeway
system without a by-your-leave
from the public. That day is
gone, never to return, for the
people have become involved
and no way will they approve
more freeways for this city.

The scheme considered by city
council this week was for a link-
up between the Georgia Viaduct
and highway 401. The con-
sultants who brought in that
particular report received
$250,000 for their services.
Heaven only knows how much
Swan Wooster received for their
voluminous’ studies, and
assorted other engineering
firms and planners have been
brought in by one level of govern-
ment or another. Suffice to say
enough money has been spent to

make a start on rapid transit if
the powers-that-be would get
down to business.

The important item is that city
council will hold a public hearing
on alterantives to the freeway
through the east end of the city.
Pressure should be placed on
council to get with it, and soon,
and quit messing around with the
freeway idea which every
alderman admits will have no
financial backing from either
provincial or federal govern-
ment.

Ald. Rankin said at Tuesday's
council meeting ‘“‘we have to
look at the freeway report and in
my opinion discard it.’’ Ald.
Phillips said, ‘I think it is clear
the freeway will not be built now
— if ever.” Ald. Brian Calder
said, “The chances are slim it
will be built.” Ald. Earle Adams
said **council should drop the
idea of a freeway completely
and take no further action on the
report.”

Clearly. the gentlemen are
getting the message. What is
needed now is a demand from
the people for action now, not
tomorrow, on rapid transit.

f UNION CHARGES:

Chabot fails his responsibilll

hospitals in. B.C. were union-
ized, there would soon be heavy
pressure on government to sub-
sidize the owners.”

* *K *

The Leaflet, organ of the Pulp
and Paper Workers of Canada,
charges that in the very near
future chips will be sent from
Crofton Pulp and Paper and
other B.C. mills to Japan.

“Across the line. construction
has started on special type
carriers to transport chips over
the ocean.” In no way, says the
union paper, can the PPWC
condone the exporting of chips.

“There is next to no second-
ary industry in the province of
British Columbia and to sell the
life blood of our main industries
is in essence cutting our own
throats ... Logs are being

exported by the ship
Raw aluminum, stee
and coal are being expol™
neither unions nor govel
are doing a thing to SUP i
LisS CNIS aces om

bandsman Dal Richal
football hero Joe Kap?

A spokesman-delegat gif
Beverage Dispenser: oll
their attempts to U
new establishment hi?
brushed aside and it W
that Wall and Redekeh
intent on keeping theif pla!
union. This is the same
Redekop who have relt!
deal collectively
tenants.

In a bad way...

over the economic situation.

Pacific Coliseum.

keeps many people away.

Communist PN
booth popula

The Communist Party booth at the Pacific Nation?
bition is attracting wide attention. Hundreds of peoP ee
the booth to pick up literature and to look at the
photo display and large relief map of B.C. sho
province's vast resources and industries.

The booth is highlighted by a main banner whi mn
‘Jobs and guaranteed income for all” A second bant
“Use our coal, iron, gas and pulp for jobs in B.C

Prominently displayed is the Communist P Com
which calls for a million jobs now, and a Young
League poster calling on youth to unite for jobs.

: e.
Visitors to the booth show particular interest 1 a
display showing scenes from B.C.’s labor struggles

display is a tribute to labor’s role in the Centennial.

Last weekend hundreds of copies of the Pacific of
with its headline on the crisis in the U.S. and its effé ‘i
were eagerly grabbed up by the public. Those who § co!
talk with attendants at the booth showed particui®”

In addition to the PT, there is a wide assortmen™ ~..
literature on display. The Communist Party boot face
Market Place building, space No. 4. The buildin8

In the last few days the PT office has received
protests from the public over the increase in admis 05
to PNE grounds from one dollar to $1.50. The
courages people on low incomes from attendin

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