Tee Me mT Te ee TT Export company will ceelan Soviet orders for seiners ~ : ") : i) l- TA ie a tee FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4) He NIE ; HULA DNanatsan nC A | | \s | : Ruasenavavesscnnedd lls Pda)... bee }s} Week in the House By NIGEL MORGAN The third session of British Columbia‘s 24th legislature is go- ing into the home stretch. With the budget debate nearing its end, and no major legislation left to be introduced, Premier Bennett is driving for an early prorogation. Best guess in the press gallery and among MLAs, already thinking about getting home, is that the session will probably be over by the second week in March. Interest in this session has been less than usual, partly because there is no major legislation be- fore it (other than the new cost- sharing formula for schools and municipal governments), and partly because there is no vig- erous opposition to press for full debate of major issues the gov- ernment is trying to evade. CCF Leader Arnold Webster set the pace during the Throne Speech debate when he declar- ed, “In this debate I wish to as- sure the House on behalf of the official Opposition, that we will cooperate in every reasonable way to assist the government. . .” Magnaminous indeed and all very fine — provided you close your eyes to the give-away of our natural resources which this gov- ernment is carrying through. Yet in spite of the giveaways. of gas, hydro and forest resources (that literally dwarf the infamous _ Dunsmuir railway gift of half a century ago), the CCF Opposi- tion voted for the Throne Speech. However, if the Socred cab- inet’s strategy was to soft-peddle opposition to the giveaway of natural resources during this se- sion, it has not succeded. Public opinion today is more agitated on this issue than it was when ithe session convened. x * 235 Lands Minister Sommers’ at- : tempt to explain away the Kaiser Fare hearing opens March] - Appeal of several “mainland cities against the B.C. Electric transit ‘fare increase is schedul- ed to open this coming Tuesday, March 1, in Vancouver Court House. The public will be -al- lowed to attend the hearing. , The appeal was originally to have been held in Victoria, but B.C. court of appeal set the case back and shifted the hearing to this city. Vancouver and most of the Lower Mainland municipalities, as well as the Local Council of Women, will make strong repre- sentations against the unjustified ' fare boost. All parties in House duck giveaways deal has only added fuel to the fire. So much so that even though Sommers took two sittings to explain the government’s think- ing during the Throne Speech de- bate, he felt compelled to come back to the subject again in the Budget debate. The LPP placard demonstra- tion outside the Parliament Buildings last week sharply chal- lenged the giveaway of natural gas. Certainly the government’s handling of the affair provoked iby the burly ex-boss-logger, Gor- don Gibson, has done anything but increase the public confidence in the government’s handling of forest management licenses. Gibson‘’s charge that “money talks” when- applications for for- est management licenses are be- ing considered precipitated his being named and ejected—brief- ly—from the House. Asked by the Speaker to retract, the belig- erent Liberal member for Lil- looet flatly :refused either to withdraw or deny newspaper reports. The following day, be- fore packed galleries that were expecting the sparks to fly, Gib- son returned and calmly took his seat. No one said or did -any- thing about a retraction or about his being there. Instead, Attorney General Rob- ert Bonner announced the ap- pointment of Judge Lord of Van- couver to inquire into the alle- gations “that there has been im- propriety in connection with the issuance of forest licenses.” If the judge should find “impro- prieties”’ it will indeed be em- barrassing for the government. But if he finds no “improprieties” (which is more likely) it will be plenty embarrassing for Gibson. To many (who know the real story of the Liberal handling of forest management licenses be- fore the Socreds took over ad-— ministration) it’s simply a case of the pot calling the kettle black. The real question is not “im- _ proprieties,” ‘but a giveaway in perpetuity of vast resources to a. handful of monopolistic concerns, practically all of which are U.S.-- owned or controlled. That’s the question the Labor- Progressive party is going to focus its fire upon when it makes: representations to the Sloan for- est enquiry, which commenced hearings in Victoria this week. That's the question that needs to be fought out in the legisla- ture, not only for our forest re- sources, but for natural gas, oil, and hydro as well. And that, of course, is the question all par- ties, with the exception of the Labor-Progressive party, are try- ing to sidestep and evade. Editor to speak Speaking at a Lenin-Stalin an- niversary meeting in Pender Au- ditorium this coming Sunday evening, February 27, Pacific Tribune editor Tom McEwen (above), who recently returned from a visit to the Soviet Union, will deal with the subject of peaceful coexistence. - Marshall A. Johnson, president of East-West Export Import Company, announced this week that his firm intends to seek Soviet orders for Canadian-built seiners, tugs and — barges, despite Ottawa's refusal to grant a permit for the jobs for an estimated 3,000 Van- couver shipyard workers. In the House of Commons the ban on sale of freighters to the USSR was condemned by Harold Winch (CCF, Vancouver East) who suggested that the govern- ment’s refusal to take advantage of this east-west trade was a re- sult of U.S. pressure. oe “Our shipyards are going to fold unless we can get contracts for shipbuilding from outside Canada/’ Winch warned, adding that he believed the attitude of’ the government is “completely wrong and detrimental to Can- ada.” Johnson, whose firm is acting as brokers for Sudoimport, Mos- cow, said the permit for export of a general cargo motor ship was vetoed because the hig ‘sale of a 10,000-ton motor ship which would have provided freighter was classed as “strat- egic.” “The Russians also want seine boats worth $150,000 each, and barges and tugs,” he said. “We now intend to seek orders for seiners and plan to make an- 5 other application to Ottawa in the very near future.” John Dickey, parliamentary assistant to Trade Minister C. D. Howe, claimed Canada has fol- lowed the same practices as the United States, Britain and sev- eral other countries in specify-. ing what types of vessels may be sold to the Soviet Union. He said that big- fast freight- ers fall into the “strategic” cate- gory but if East-West Export Import Company wanted permits | for trawlers and fishing vessels it would receive cooperation. ; Squire will question MacMillan assessment VICTORIA, B.C. Fixed assessments on. MacMillan-Bloedel property in Port Alberni ‘that let the giant lumber monopoly get away be raised in the legislature Squire told the House t ing the amendments to the Assessment the government gave some clear answers on the question of the fixed assessment of the big Mac- Millan-Bloedel pulp mill and other plant. Earlier, Squire said that he had not had any representations about the fixed assessments from Port Alberni since the amendments were brought down by the gov- ernment two weeks ago. But in December, he and the mayor and clerk of Port Alberni had failed to get ‘any satisfaction from. a visit to Victoria. The fixed assessment agree- ment was originally made in 1945 with the Bloedel interests and has another ten years to run. It was confirmed by the B.C. legis- lature under the Port Alberni Enabling Act. : When the Assessment Equaliz-_ ation Act passed in the fall of 1953 the municipality hoped that it would ‘be able to get more from the property, now valued at $30 million, despite conflicting legal opinion as to whether the act took precedence over earlier leg- islation. Continued ATOM “They demand that thelre should be set up now a system of wider international coopera- tion atomic energy.” It made these proposals, it said, to supplement the disarm- ament proposals it put to the United Nations last year, which are to be considered by the UN disarmament sub-committee in London. in the peaceful uses of This year’s amendments are designed to remove all legal doubt that. MacMillan is exempt ri). “some fun” when the bill contain- — Equalization Act came up for discussion, unless with paying taxes on only $800,000 of a $30,000,000 plant will by John Squire (CCF, Albe hat there was going to be from any changes in his fixed assessment, even under asses ment equalization. House douses hope of public gas pipeline VICTORIA, B.C: It took the legislature only 17 minutes just before the suppe! hour to close the door for this session on the possibility of a pro vincially-owned pipeline bringing natural gas from the Peace Rivet In the short discussion on amendments to the act governils © the B.C. Power Commission, not one member raised the question the export of B.C. natural gas to the U.S. under the agreement with the Westcoast Transmission Company. _ In his four-minute introduction of the legislation, Premier Ben- nett made it clear that the gov- ernment sought authority only for the commission to distribute natural gas in areas it serves along the route of the West- coast pipeline. ‘ Increase in borrowing power of the commission would raise its total to $110,000,000 only $30,- 000,000 of which was not already * pledged. This would be used to expand electric power capacity chiefly on Vancouver Island. In a nine-minute speech Arthur Turner’ (Vancouver East) only CCF member to speak, welcom- ed the bill: He said that natural gas was a “natural” for public ownership and expressed the hope that the commission would take over the retailing of gas from Westcoast’s line all across the province. : Turner questioned the granting of franchises to the Inland Gas company to serve interior towns. He said commission operations could return a profit to keep PACIFIC TRIBUNE — FEBRUARY 25, 1955 — PAGE 2 of down taxes. : Liberal leader |Arthur Laine — spoke for three minutes, not:abou the bill, but about the need £0? | a report on Buttle Lake. The question was called at one” minute ot six and the bill passé second reading without a voice of dissent — and the memb got away to supper on time. Travis resigns from Mine-Mill DENVER - ~ Maurice Travis has tendered his resignation as secretary-trea™ urer of the International Unio? of Mine, Mill and Smelter Work ers, and has been replaced by Albert Pezzati, it was announ¢ here last week. ; “This action is necessitated yy an order of the Taft-Hartley lab? board which denies our union ! right to participate ‘in election® and use other facilities of “, National Labor Relations Board. Travis said in a letter given 4 president John Clark.