By NIGEL

[Ir IS 86 years since Canada Day

was first celebrated in British’
Columbia. As long ago as July
1, 1868, a thousand citizens gath-
ered in Barkerville, the “gold

capital,” for a 24-hour long dem- *

onstration, ‘and, sparked by the
Cariboo miners, unanimously re-

corded their demand for union .

with Canada. That was an his-
toric event, for it helped to turn
the political tide in Victoria in
1868 against betrayal to the Unit-
ed States, and very shortly after-
wards led to British Columbia
entering Confederation.

Never since that time has the
Canadianism of British Columbia,
the welfare of our people and
responsible government been
threatened as it is today.

Instead of insisting that Ot-
tawa adopt Canadian -policies of
Peace and friendship with all
nations, which would expand
trade and pave the way for this
province’s ports becoming the
golden ‘gateway to Asia, the
world’s greatest market, the So-
cial Credit government in Vic-
toria has buckled under to the
dictates of U.S. monopoly inter-
ests.

Instead of Canadian develop-
ment of the vast resources of our
province to expand industry, and
provide jobs, control of our rich
heritage is being surrendered to
the Yankee trusts.

7

%

.C. gas
pipeline

MORGAN

A fierce struggle is developing
over British Columbia’s newly
discovered natural gas reserves.
The outcome of that struggle will
have a profound bearing on the
future of our province. It will
affect hundreds of communities.

There is no disagreement about
the need for a pipeline to tap
the fabulous Fort St. John-Peace
River reserve, estimated to be
one of the largest in the world.
The big question is by whom is
it going to be developed, and for
whose benefit?

This new source of natural gas
could provide a tremendous stim-
ulus to the industrial development
of our province, laying the basis
for new industries, new job op-
portunities for B.C. workers, new
markets for B.C. farmers and
businessmen, and at the same
time reducing the cost and light-
ening the task of heating our
homes. 2

But, there is a powerful con-
spiracy afoot to deprive us of the
full benefits that should accrue
to us, the people of this province.

A group of financial promoters *

in the southern U.S. is spending
a small forttune in a campaign
against the development of an
all-Canadian pipeline stretching
from coast to coast. Their aim
is to block the development by
Canadians of B.C. natural gas for
Canadian use and get this rich

i i i 2 ; Pacific Fort St.

® Flowing wide open, this natural gas well, the
John No. 23 in the Peace River district, could produce enough
gas in 24 hours to supply the entire needs of the city of Van-

country.

couver. It is among the largest ever to be discovered in this

eos SSS
® A bright future awaits his-
toric Fort St. John, founded
long ago by the fur traders
and now the centre of one of
the world’s largest natural
gas discoveries.
prize diverted south, as they have
already done with a large part
of our crude oil supply.

Dv

It’s all very fine to make
speeches. about the great re-
sources awaiting development in

. B.C. Premier W. A. C. Bennett,

Robert Bonner, his attorney gen-
eral, and Robert Sommers, his
minister of lands and forests, like
their predecessors, Byron John-
son and Herbert Anscomb,’ make
lots of them, But instead of en-
suring that these resources are
developed for Canadian use and
benefit, the Social Credit govern-
ment is surrendering them to big
U.S. monopolies.

Export of fuel and power are

- completely different to any other

exports, for, in letting them go,
we are giving up a prime essen-
tial for industrial and communi-
ty development and thereby
agreeing to permanently stunt
the growth of our province.
These resources can never be re-
placed or renewed.

The Texas gas interests got»the
U.S. Power Commission at Wash-
ington, D.C., to reject the West
Coast Transmission’s application
to export natural gas to the US.
Pacific Northwest in order to
pressure the Canadian govern-
ment into abiect surrender of
control over this precious re-
source.

What they really want was re-
vealed recently by Henry Gillert,
vice president of Seattle Gas,
when he declared: —

“T don’t want to be in the
position where an _ increased
need for gas caused by the
growth of Canadian industrial
development might cut off my
supply from the Peace River
area. Under the proposed set-
up (that is the one just rejected
by the U.S.), such a proposition
is entirely. possible, and I
wouldn’t blame Canada one bit
if at some time she took this
action. What I would like to
see is a grid, and then a pool,
made of natural gas resources of
both countries so that it could
be piped anywhere.”

A wonderful scheme indeed for

the U/S. since the gas happens to

be located in Canada and the
U.S. supply is running short. But,
doesn’t that statement clearly in-
dicate what’s involved?

Obviously, if the U.S. gets what
it wants, it will retard our in-
dustrial development, rob us of
jobs and give them a hold on
our gas like they have on our iron
ore, crude oil, aluminum, asbes-
tos and other resources.

Those politicians and monopoly
interests that are out to make a
fast buck through the “fire sale”
disposal of our resources are try-

Concluded on next page

© What the B.C. gas pipeline would look like is illustrated by the

24-inch pipeline shown in ton picture. Its construction would
Provide iobs immediately, as’ the oil pipeline, shown in bottom
picture did. But unlike the oil industry, which emplovs relative-
ly few workers in its refineries, industries based on natural gas
would employ thousands. :

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — NOVEMBER 5, 1954 — PAGE 9