_ —Sean Griffin photo
Some of the delegates to the YCL provincial convention in Vancouver last Sunday.

YCL outlines new policies

Only three months ago, the
Young Communist League of
Canada held its 50th anniversary
convention and the many delegates
there, in the course of outlining
policies for the two years ahead,
looked back briefly on the profound
changes that the previous half
_century of history had brought
about. |

_ Yet that was only July. And when
the 40 delegates to the B.C. con-
vention of the YCL met in Van-
couver last weekend, it was with
the realization that even the
preceding two months had brought
substantial changes — and con-
siderable responsibilities for the
League. ~

The provincial council report
noted the recent events in Cyprus
and the cracks in the NATO wall
that those events had caused; the
historic resignation of Richard
Nixon and the achievement of
independence by Angola and
Mozambique, long under the
colonial yoke of Portugal.

Closer to home, the report
pointed out that increasing
economic deterioration had
followed in the wake of the federal
election, marked particularly in
this province by the layoff of some
10,000 woodworkers, most of them
young people and a deepening
housing crisis that has been felt
most severely by young families.

In response to the housing crisis
which the report termed ‘‘the

number one social problem’’,

delegates unanimously adopted a
resolution calling on the provincial
government to maintain the 8%
ceiling on allowable rent increases

achievement to its credit.

There is also an emerging world which imperialism has

TOM
McEWEN

here is a socialist world embracing almost half of the
i race, much of it with over half-a-century of -

until a thorough study is carried
out with particular reference to the
plight of tenants.

The resolution also emphasized
the need to offset the crisis
precipitated by private developers
and called on the government to
live up to its election promises and
provide massive programs of low-
cost public housing.

Another resolution noted with
alarm the decision of the govern-
ment to strike all ‘unemployed
employables”’ off the welfare rolls
and called it ‘‘a blind response to
the pressures from the most
reactionary elements of the

community” and ‘‘a further
erosion of social security rights.”

The resolution called for the
immediate reinstatement of all
social benefits to those affected by
the government action and em-
phasized the need for the govern-
ment to initiate programs and
policies to provide employment.

Delegates also Mapped out
policies for the next year including
new activity in the cultural field as
well as the greater organization of
the universities and colleges.

A new provincial council of seven
was elected with Fred Wilson
elected provincial secretary and
Sean Griffin, provincial chairman.

Tenants leader to run
in Victoria civic race

The Greater Victoria Tenants’
Association has decided to back
tenant leader Anne Tarasoff as a
candidate for council in the Vic-
toria civic election in November.

Speaking in support of her
nomination, Bill Best, a prominent
member of the association, said it
is obvious that the present
members of city council are not
interested in the problems of
tenants despite the fact that they
are 100,000 strong in the Greater
Victoria area.

He said that the disclosure
recently of the financial holdings of
present council members showed
that almost all of them are un-
sympathetic to the tenants’ side of
the story.

Anne Tarasoff, who is president

ages. A few minutes glance at cor
with Establishment policies will

And yet, despite all
still have an abundance of assorted

In this week’s current wa
than five application for
“unity’

of the tenants’ association, said the
main issue in her platform will be
the construction of non-profit
housing accommodation in the
city. “There is almost a no-
vacancy rate in Victoria now and
because money is available to
municipalities for housing, we feel
that if we are not represented on
council the issue will not be
brought up. All councils need
tenant representatives on them.”

HAVE YOU

RENEWED YOUR
PT SUB YET?

d of junk mail, we had no less
ms to join Social Credit. With
as the catchword, we are informed that ‘the fight
is on’’, and for a paltry $5 membership,

“count me in’’.
One Grace McCarthy, president of the Social Credit Party

is far out

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

City Council voted 9-1 on Sep-
tember 25 to increase the salaries
of aldermen! from $7,920 a year to
$13,200 a year. It won’t go into
effect until next January which
means the new Council elected on
November 20 will have the final
Say.

I was opposed to, and voted
against the increase. My reasons
were several.

Not a. single member of this
present Council is dependent upon
his or her aldermanic salaries for
their living. Every one of them has
an income from private business,
professional jobs, or government:
grants. Aldermen spend ap-
proximately half their work week
on Council business. :

Secondly, an increase of 67 per
cent is far out of line with increases
granted to civic workers, which in
the last collective agreement
amounted to about a 12% increase.

Third, the wages of aldermen
should not be settled without taking
a look at the whole picture. One of
the arguments used by aldermen
for the increase is that it would
enable working people, who would
have to depend on the salary for a

Council's pay boost ;

of line

living, to run for office. None
Very few working people ee
steady job would give it up for a
job of an alderman, wie e
only for two years at a ume:
What Couneil should do is malt
provision that any working peh ‘a
elected will be guaranteed his ee
back if and when he or she se
to be an alderman, complete W
seniority and pension rights. an
Fourth, this city needs 4 ay
system so that aldermen can ret
serve their constituents. Its 3
not possible for an alder is
serve 450,000 constituents as Z
expected to at the present ae,
ward system with each ae
representing about 25,000 citi

(or 12,000-13,000. voters) pies)

enable him to do a much bette

for his community. y
an of

If and when a working ™ ds 00
woman is elected who depen» af
the aldermanic salary for 4 ee
I’ll be the first to move a m0 ;

~that will provide a saleG a
keeping with the importan thal
sponsibility an alderman Bee, A
isn’t the case now and so t tis
crease that Council voted inn
out of order as far as 1m
cerned. Se re

Crist runs in

Ernie Crist, prominent North
Vancouver district community
leader, who has been active in the
Seymour Planning Association and
the North Shore
Association, announced recently
he will be a candidate for alderman
in North Vancouver District in the
upcoming civic election.

In a press statement Crist said
that, “while I have been active
around many important issues,
including the struggle to give each
citizen the right to appear and
speak before Council, I now feel
that in order to fight for correct

Tenants

when the first premier of a socialist Bulgaria, yy
mortal Georgi Dimitrov, admonishing some comra
excessive document writing, quietly observe’ es and
Shreibt und shreibt, aber nicht auskomm.” (He wri
writes, but nothing comes out).

; yen

In today’s changing world, with the past behind US: f =
though many of its scars remain, and its de :
Criminal sellouts of life-giving resources pile afin aly
common people of the capitalist world are not WI" Ap
ready to be dragged back to more of the same.

North Van

policies, I must declare myse
candidate for alderman 1
District municipal election. Fi

Crist outlined an eight new
program which includes 4 f
people-oriented approac the
growth and development ee the
North Shore;”’ preservation 0 ting
natural environment . by oe :
regional and provincial pat we
the District with taxPay
reimbursed by GVRP a
provincial funds; extension oe
democracy to planning W! for
rezoning of residential areas
high density development ee -
private development on F pot
lands and no development W}
citizens’ approval. of

His Sean also calls for at 3
District land to senior go wit!
ments for mixed nous take
emphasis on co-op housing; i ting
full advantage of or inds
provincial and federal ons
available for District eV zale
ment; for use of money from nity
of land for worthwhile cone Al
projects, and increased ee
support to sports and onan |
groups. He also urges crea
adequate daycare facilities. anda

Crist is a shipyard worker ort
member of the Marinewor
and Boilermakers’ Union.

jm
s for

eficits fre e

with all

tried hard to stifle since its infancy, a so-called “eolonial’”’
world, now very much awake to the urgency of freedom
and independence, determined to live its own life in its
own way.

Then there are ourselves, the so-called ‘“Anglo-Saxon”’
product, the alleged ‘‘Caucasian’’ race.

We are the “enlightened’’ and “‘democratic” people,
highly educated yet abysmally dumb, to whom
‘democracy means the ‘‘choice” to vote Liberal, Tory or
Socred, but nothing else, on peril of being branded some
sort of subversive.

We are the “‘affluent” people, fabulously rich in untold
natural and mechanical resources, yet poverty-stricken in
their need or use. The butt or target of every prices

hijacker or gouger, from the big powerful monopoly
robber barons down to the petty porch climber seeking to
swipe the baby’s milk. In short, we are the ‘‘sucker’’ of the

ss

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1974—Page 2

of B.C. will attend to all other detail
This membership

probably the weightiest thing that came out of last w

hankering to “count me in.

Nor did the Liberal Andersons or the Tor
the Saturnine Bonners, unmoved by the “unity”
been noisily yodelling, manifest any enthusiasm

me in”. Socred “unity”

S—ifany.

y Wallaces or
they have
to “count

had a good slogan in the last election and it will fit
emphasis into the next: “Enough is enough!”

oplé
That is not to say that the NDP is all that the Petre
desireor deserve. Far from it. Its many achiever g and
often marred by its more numerous errors, evasl ginitelY ¢
Surrenders to an established status quo. But it is Mount! ‘2
better for the people, for B.C. and for this whole pinatio®
than any Bennett, Anderson, Wallace or any com et
of the three.

Social Credit “unity” — intended to hoodwink
the people of this province — was stillborn. Not &
exuberant rhetoric, the devout prayers or the 0
from a quart of B.C. Distillers best could prod it +f,
Nor did the Liberal or Tory political tricksters W: was 1
there, mourn its passing. Their main thought
“count me out.” shes!

Politics can be a squalid business — even at the P°
hotel!

urthet
yen iM
d owib
nto jife.

ese ae