COMMUNIST-SOCIALIST ALLIANCE SCORES LARGE GAINS PARIS — The Communist-Socialist electoral alliance polled better than 51% of the votes in nation-wide municipal elections held over the past two Sundays. The. alliance now controls three-quarters of Fr- ance’s towns and cities with a population of more than 30,000. The “‘center-right’’ candidates polled 47% and six of president Valery Giscard d’Estaing’s cabinet ministers were defeated in local elections. The Communist-Socialist alliance’s victory sets the stage for the ha- tional elections scheduled for 1978. MEXICAN COMMUNISTS JOIN NEW ALLIANCE | MEXICO CITY — The Mexican Communist Party has joined the new Mexican People’s Alliance (Alianza Popular) which includes the MCP, the Mexican Worker's Party, the Socialist Revolutionary Party and the Socialist People’s Party. Among the Alliance’s demands are the legal recognition of all the parties so they can participate in the elections, a general amnesty and the nationalization of banks and key industry. FURTHER COOPERATION BETWEEN POLAND AND THE GDR WARSAW — High school and college diplomas awarded in Poland and in the German Democratic Republic will now be valid for both countries. Furthermore, Poland and the GDR now mutually honor all documents relating to one’s level of education and scientific titles earned in each country. An agreement to this effect was signed here Feb. 24 between these two socialist neighbors. Secondary school graduates in either country are now also eligible to apply for college entrance in schools of either country. : A similar arrangement between Poland and the Soviet Union has been on the books for a long time. SHEBA, Libya — Amidst an enthusiastic welcome, Cuban premier Fidel Castro enters the session of the Libyan’s People’s Congress March 3 accompanied by Colonel Muammar El Khadafi. In a speech welcoming the Cuban leader, El Khadafi said, “We are joined together In the struggle against imperialism, capitalism and foreign domination.” He also expressed appreciation for the assistance Cuba had given Angola. About 11 thousand students are now studying at the largest educational institution of Madagascar Democratic Republic — University in Antanarivo. A group of Soviet teachers is working here to help in preparing the national specialists. Japan, Europe win GDR trade, Canada stays home By FILS DELISLE- BERLIN — U.S. President Jimmy , Carter has hailed the Leipzig Spring Fair ‘‘as a centre of international trade’’ and is looking forward to expanded con- tacts and trade with the German Democratic Republic. In a message to the Fair, which this past week brought 9,000‘ exhibitors from 60 countries to Leipzig, President Carter de- clared: ‘‘I want to greet all visitors to the American exhibit at the Leipzig Fair in the name of the American people. The Leipzig Fair has won for itself an excellent reputation on a world-wide scale and is a symbol of the role of _Leipzig as a centre for interna- tional trade. “‘Expanded international trade — including the growing trade be- ' tween the United States and the German Democratic Republic — reflects the mutual dependence of nations and peoples in today’s world. We in the United States look forward to future oppor- tunities for an exchange of ideas and further development of the trade relations with the GDR.”’ Carter’s message underlined the significance increasingly at- tached to the Leipzig Fair by socialist, capitalist and Third World countries. Present ‘at the current fair are visitors from 100 countries. A curious exception to the interest of capitalist countries in the Fair and in trade with the GDR is Canada. Canadian authorities and businessmen are not displaying the zeal with which businessmen from other capitalist countries are looking for business here. But while Ottawa and Canadian busi- ness seem to be asleep with re- gard to the Leipzig Fair, other capitalist enterprises are busily signing contracts here. One of the biggest has been the deal between the GDR and the Italian firm of Danieli and Company. The latter will not only build. an ultra- © modern steelworks in the GDR for half a billion marks (over $200-million) but will get steel from the mill at profitable terms. The Swedes are at Leipzig, as ever, mindful of the juicy con- tracts they have had for the build- ing of hotels here. The Japanese, half way round the world, are also building a commercial centre in the GDR and are looking for other business at the. Spring Fair. The Italians, it was announced, will triple their trade with the GDR by 1980. Leading West German concerns, ignoring cur- rent anti-GDR diatribes in their own media, are realistically work- ing at Leipzig to increase the bill- ions of dollars of trade they en- gage in with the GDR.. By TOM MORRIS Trudeau entered the building ! 15, walking on a ‘‘carefully shakél carpet amidst the hand-clapping! fence Department officials. It W first visit to the headquarters a cording to the press, it signalled tht new interest in the military. His new interests in things mil! signalled by much more than a¥ defence headquarters. Over the months Ottawa’s thinking has § ominously. Tnideau the ‘‘pacifis! become Trudeau the hawk. The brass is elated, the corporations bilant. : While more than 1,000,000 Casi pound the pavement looking fo existent jobs and millions more # |, ting ripped apart by inflation, Piel & lidt Trudeau-has decided this a8 needs bigger tanks, faster af H sleeker ships and more troops} > major shift in government thinkil resulted in an increase in Canada$ | spending by 12% per year, pli® year’s inflation rate, up to at least) 2 Canada’s military spending. Fd 1976-77 fiscal year, that means’ billion. But what the military pl and corporations like most abol! new policy is its longevity — alt for bigger guns and bloated profit into the 1990s. The new policy opens the d0 each military department to lobby fi pet project and bigger cash allot Alongside are delegates of arms¢ilt with their catalogues of biggt! weaponry and backroom deals. NATO and the United States m have obviously succeeded in con® Ottawa that bigger arms spending! quired. Canada’s military establist have emerged with all flags flying: Trudeau has become interested i tary matters has been “‘noted with! satisfaction’. at the Defence ment, notes the press. + * * By Ernst Henri Soviet Journalist What would happen if all countries di- verted their military efforts to peaceful construction? The benefits offered by complete disarmament can be assessed in terms of figures. From 1900 to 1953 over $4-trillion were spent in the world on wars and war prep- arations. This money could have been. used for providing with bread the entire population of the earth for half-century or for building residential housing for 500 million families, i.e. a greater part of the world population. In 1974, the world’s direct military ex- penditure amounted to $220-billion. In the early sixties, as estimates show, less than 50% of this sum were enough to finance over 25,000 hospitals for four mill- ion people, or over 50 thousand schools, or thousands of industrial plants which could give new jobs to millions. Over the last decade the world has spent _on military purposes a sum that could have been used for solving the housing crisis all over the world. Today the overall military spending has run into $500-billion in less than two years. This amount could be used for building from 30 to 40 huge in- dustrial centers, like the Ruhr in the Fed- eral Republic of Germany or the Soviet Union’s Bratsk hydro complex in Siberia. One fifth of the money wasted on arma- ments in the early sixties is sufficient for developing from 30 to 40 large-scale power and industrial projects in the Sahara, the basins of the Nile, Niger, Congo and Zam- bezi in Africa, the Indus, Ganges and Mekong in Asia, and also in the foothills of the Andes and on the South American riv- ers. This would signify a dramatic change in the life of nations of three continents and could be carried out in a relatively short span of time. Eight to 10% of the total military expen- diture would be enough to get rid of pan- demic diseases and illiteracy in all the im- poverished parts of the world. Ending of the arms race could also re- sult in the slashing of taxes on people in the low-income. bracket, and earmarking money for scientists working on civilian projects. Moreover, halting the arms drive would bring a benefit that cannot be estimated in terms of money, but which is today of tremendous and incomparable value: psychological stability. If every nation en- joys complete security, peaceful coexis- tence will produce a double effect on man- kind. The psychological effect alone would be a historic accomplishment. The desire to put an end to the arms race is as natural as the desire to wipe out epidemics. But the first objective is im- measurably more imperative because no epidemic can take away as many human lives in a year as a thermonuclear war in one minute. Nor can technological novel- ties offer people as many benefits as a lasting peace. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—APRIL 1, 1977—Page 6 The Feb. 19, 1977 “Financial ! devotes an entire special supplem®, the benefits for big business from tht bonanza. Twenty pages literally) with happiness. Each contract is ¥ and business is provided with de profits to be made, where the big mv is. It points out that the arms rach! lucrative. It sells the lie that guns # Canada’s interest and gives a pa Defence Minister Danson to speak j the ‘‘Soviet threat’’. The. issue with huge advertisements for ships, tanks, guns, helicopters, ( fi b Above is a sampling on headlines f the daily newspapers designed to § ‘defence mania’ among the. public.