B.C. LUMBER WORKER

From Page 4

“MORRIS”

one. I am sure that all of us
would oppose the use of the
schools for the propaganda of
any political party or for any

» sectional interest. It is important
that our children should be al-
lowed to gain an objective point
of view on the issues of the day,
with the right to make their own
decisions intelligently, and with
freedom,

TV a Public Service

Returning now to the issue of
private TV stations, let me state
some of the facts, that are often
overlooked. Television is not
simply an industry, it is a public
service. Hitherto, the policy pur-
sued by the Government has been
to deal with TV as a national
service. Television should not be
regarded as merely a means of
entertainment, ‘a sort of by-pro-
duct of the advertising business.

It is in a very real sense a
medium of communication which
is a public trust to be used for
the benefit of the nation, in the
education and enlightenment, as
well as the entertainment of the
public. This view has always
been taken in Canada and Brit-
ain. In all countries, because the
air channels are limited in num-
ber, and normal competition in
any air-channel is impossible,
these channels are recognized as
part of the public domain, and
broddcasting stations, either for
radio or television may operate
only with the permission of the
Government.

BBC Plan

In Britain, broadcasting is not
regarded as an advertising indus-
try, but a service provided by the
British Broadcasting Corporation.
Actually there is no government
or political interference with the
programs. The Charter of the
Corporation is reviewed every
five years by a special committee
of Parliament. On the last occa-

sion, the report released in 1951
recommended the continuance of
the present system.

The evidence with regard to
broadcasting in Canada has
been carefully assembled by
several Royal Commissions as
well as Parliamentary Commit-
tees. The recommendations of
the Commission, headed by our
Rresent Governor-General His
Excellency, the Rt. Honorable
Vincent Massey, recommended
“That direction and control of
television broadcasting in Can-
ada continue to be vested in the
Canadian Broadcasting Corpor-
ation, and that no private tele-
vision stations be licensed until
the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation has available na-
tional television programs and
that all private stations be re-
quired to serve as outlets for
national programs.”

As far back as 1929, the Aird
Commission found that “Cana-
dian radio listeners want Cana-
dian broadcasting.” At first Can-
ada experimented with privately
owned broadcasting. Results then
ensued which caused emphatic
protest from the Canadian public.
Canadian broadcasters showed
an increasing tendency to exces-
sive advertising, importing most
of their programs from outside
the country, and catering almost
exclusively to the cities.

Action Demanded

The Government of Canada
was then forced to take action in
the interests of Canadian listen-
ers and in the national interests
of Canada. In 1932, Parliament
with full jurisdiction over the
whole legislative field of radio
broadcasting communication, es-
tablished a Commission to carry
on the business of broadcasting
under a system which made the

private broadcasting stations a

part of the national broadcasting
system. All those familiar with
the situation then quite freely
admit that Canada was in real
danger of cultural annexation by
the United States. Action taken
to establish a national system, on
an Hast-West basis enabled Can-
ada to maintain her cultural in-
dentity.

‘The advantages of this national
system are today so obvious that
we are in danger of forgetting
the advantages in welding to-
gether the people of Canada with
greater unity. We should note the
great value to those who live in
remote communities lacking a
daily newspaper. Through their
national system of radio, they
have been present at great Cana-
dian events, and they have listen-
ed to discussions of Canadian
problems by Canadian authori-
ties. It has also proved a great
stimulus to the development of
Canadian talent.

Advertising Control

I have referred to the Cana-
dian experience with radio broad-
casting, because all these factors
have still greater importance,
when we consider television. Be-
cause of the vastly greater capi-
tal investment required, and the
greater operating costs, the ex-
cessive control by the advertising
sponsor will be all the greater.
For that reason the pressure
would be almost irresistible to
make the private television sta-
tions mere channels for American
commercial material.

It is also clear that once chan-
nels were established on a north-
south direction, it would be prac-
tically impossible to make the
change to east-west channels. We
know that Canadians want to see
good American programs, but
they do not want this entertain-
ment at the complete sacrifice of
the right to develop a purely
Canadian system. I also believe
that they do not desire to be
limited only to those programs
which present a predominantly
commercial point of view.

Present Situation
Let us examine exactly what is

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icy. There are now eight CBC
TV stations, spaced across the
country so as to provide the basic
coverage, at Vancouver, Winni-
peg, Toronto, Ottawa (English
and French), Montreal (English
and French), and Halifax. In
addition there are 21 licensed
private stations. The CBC has
pursued the policy of ensuring
that Canada gets a national sys-
tem, with Class “A” coverage in
all the major centres of popula-
tion. +

In this way all Sections of Can-
ada have been assured of cover-
age, under a plan, which also
takes into consideration coverage
forthe more remote sections,
either now or later. The plan has
been carried out also with the
purpose of preventing any undue
burden upon the Canadian public
with regard to the costly experi-
ments often faced in the televi-
sion field.

Private stations have been li-
censed, when the necessary re-
quirements have been fulfilled. A
private operator must show that
he has sufficient capital to oper-
ate a TV station satisfactorily
and provide programs up to the
required standard. There must
not be unnecessary duplication
that would cause interference.
The private station must conform
to national standards, and utilize
national programs, and Canadian
talent in a reasonable degree.

On all counts, the Canadian ex-
perience makes a good case for
national control, and for public
ownership in the basic system,
which ensures control in the in-
terests of the Canadian public.

Trade Union Threatened

There is one more considera-

tion, that should weigh heavily
with trade unionists. If Can-
ada abandons the system of
public control of broadcasting,
and gives control of this field
to the private stations, a vital-
ly important medium of infor-
mation and propaganda will be
completely in the hands of
those interests which are op-
posing trade unions, the big
/corporations. We may expect
that the medium of propaganda
will be employed by these same
interests, which today are
spending vast sums to under-
mine and destroy, if possible,
the free trade union movement
and its objectives.

We have great cause for com-
plaint today with regard to the
employers’ control of almost all
media of informaiton, and the
ethics which they practice in di-
recting such influence against the
interests of the trade ‘unions.
Once we surrender public control
of television, and turn control
over to the large American cor-
porations, as some of the would-
be private station owners plan,
the difficulties of the trade unions
in working for better living stan-
dards for the workers would be
enormously increased. I urge
every trade unionist to note the
menacing features of the Bur-
naby incident, and continue to
back national control of a na-
tional broadcasting system, for
one simple reason, and that is the
defence of his own bread and
butter. .

CANADIANS
TALK MOST

MONTREAL (CPA) —Can-
adians led all the rest of the
world on the number of tele-
phone calls made last year. Al-
though they ranked third in
the number of phones in use
and the ratio of phones to
population, they were way
ahead in the talking stakes.

Canadians averaged 417 phone
conversations in 1954 to 394 for
Icelanders and 393 residents of
the U.S. Canada had 3,857,400
telephones in service, or one for
every four persons in the popula-
tions.

happening under the present pol-

UNITY
PLANS
WIN

NEW YORK (CPA) — The
determination of the leadership ~
of both AFL and CIO that the
new merger of the two organ-
izations will stick and succeed —
has already meant that ob-
stacles that seemed insuperable
before this joint convention in
the 71st Regimental Armouries
are being rapidly surmounted.

The AFL Meatcutters and the
CIO Packinghouse Workers, af-
ter being at loggerheads over
details for many weeks, officially
announced the merger of their
two food unions before the con-
vention was three days old. The
agreement is subject to approval
of their separate conventions. De-
tails of unification have not yet
been announced, but with the
CIO-CCL Packinghouse Workers
dominant in the packing and food
industry in Canada, it is almost
certain that UPWA Canadian
Director Fred Dowling will re-
main as head of the joint Cana-
dian group. ‘

Despite earlier rumblings from
the Teamstérs Union against
certain steps to set up the In-
dustrial Union section, this im-
portant branch of the AFL-CIO
was adopted in special session
without dissenting voice. Walter
Reuther was elected president
unanimously. The new section
will represent about seven mil-
lion AFL and CIO members. The
Teamsters settled for the admis-
sion of about one third of their
membership (400,000) after stat-
ing that they would enter for
700,000 at a minimum.

The Transport Workers Union
headed by Mike Quill has been ©
the only holdout. It is now very
likely that Quill will lead his
union into the merged AFL-CIO
soon.

Democrat
Leader
Favored

NEW YORK (CPA)—Former

Democratic candidate and again

prospective candidate Adlai Stey-

enson received a standing ova-

tion from the packed AFL-CIO

merger convention hall. It is

clear that at this momeht he is

organized labor’s “favorite son”

for next U.S. President.

The nation myst recognize,

said Stevenson “the bitterly iron-

ical fact that in this age of

abundance there remain today 30

million people in America who

are still seeking freedom from

want .. . some eight million

families are trying to make ends

meet on $2000 or less—hardly ~
half of what is required”.

“If we want to keep today’s
relative prosperity,” went on
Stevenson, “Everyone must share
it...”

And supporting labor’s slogan
of “All colors—all creeds”, Mr.
Stevenson said “I hope with all
my heart that there will be in
this united labor movement no
compromise with this essential
basic principle.”

Pastor: “Your daughter is
quite young to get married. Do
you think she is ready for the
battle of life?”

Mother: “Well, Reverend, she
ought to be prepared. She’s al-
ready been through three en-
gagements.”

8

Oddly, a wife who has horse
becomes