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‘Merger tightens US grip

on BC forest industry

Monopoly control of B.C.’s forest industry took a big leap forward when MacMillan- ;

By MAURICE RUSH

Bloedel-and the Powell River Co. merged into one under the name of MacMillan-
Bloedel and Powell River Co. Ltd.

‘Through this merger two
of the five biggest corpora-
tions in the forest’ industry
joined their forces to establish
even greater control over
B.C.’s basic industry which
accounts for more than forty
percent of total production.

The extent of timber hold-
ings by this new giant is fab-
ulous. At the time of the Sloan
Commission in 1955 it was
stated that between them they
held timber reserves totalling
17 billion board feet. Add to
that more than a million acres
of the most choice public for-
est lands handed over by the
government under forest man-
agement licenses. Also add to
that the network of pulp mills,
paper mills, plywood plants,
sawmills, logging camps, etc.,
owned by these two corpora-
tions and one gets a staggering
picture of monopoly control.

A most sinister feature of
the new merger is that it esi-
ablishes greater control by
U.S. capital over B.C.’s No. 1
industry. When MacMillan
was on his own, the capital in
his company was mainly Can-
adian. His merger with Bloe-
del represented» a partnership
with U.S. capital in which ma-
jority.control rested with «the
MacMillan Company. Now,
the merger with Powell River
Co.. which is owned by the
giant Brooks-Scanlon interests
ini the U.S.;. established a
greater measure of control by
U.S: .capii@l in this newly-
formed: company.

Recently the pulp workers’
union. paper, Western Pulp

_ 8nd«Paper. Worker listed the
members of the Board of Dir-

The Harmac pulp mill plant (above) near Nanaimo is only one of scores of pulp mills,

ectors of the new company.
They are: Hon. J. V. Clyne,
chairman of the board of dir-
ectors, H. R. MacMillan, hon-
orary chairman, M. J. Foley,
president, Harold S. Foley,
vice-president, R. M. Shaw, ex-
ecutive vice-president; Pren-
tice Bloedel, J. M. Buchanan,
Mark Collins, A. E. Grauer,
John Lecky, E. S. McCord, R.
D. Merrill, H. T. Mitchell, E.
G. Shorter, S. G. Smith, G. T.
Southam, W. J. VanDuesen,
Fred Wilson, C. B. Wright Jr.,
E. C. Austin, Anson Brooks,
Conley Brooks, W..S. Brooks,
Frank H. Brown, R. L. Foote,
John M. Hollern, Major-Gen.
H. F. G. Letson, J. E. Liersch,
G. W. O’Brian, W. C. Riley,
OBE., J. S..Sample, Col. Hon.
C. Wallace OBE, and A. H.
Williamson, OBE.

The directors of MacMillan-
Bloedel and Powell River Co.,
are all men who hold immense
economic power and are mem-
bers of boards of directors of
95 other companies which
reach into every: economic ac-
tivity in the country. E

Space doesn’t permit the
listing of all companies but a
sampling of some will show
the octupus-like character of
monopoly control represented
by the group of men who
make up the board of directors
of the new company. ;

In the field of finance th
new company is directly con-
nected: with the Bank of Mont-
real, Royal Bank: of Canada
and the Canadian Bank of
Commerce, as well as Sun
Life Insurance, Great West
Life, Crown Life, Montreal

Trust, Royal Trust and Nation-
al Trust Company.

The dominant position of
these men in other industries
besides forestry is shown in
the fact that among them are
directors of the following
well - known © corporations:
Ford Motor Co., Argus Corp-
oration, Western Steel and
Bridge, Dominion Bridge, B.A.
Oil and Home Oil, Canadian:
Liquid. Air; International Nic-
kle, Canadian Vickers, Neon
Products, B. C,.Packers, Yar-
rows Ltd., Wallace Shipbuild-
ing, Pacific Drydock, Sydney
Roofing, B.C. Leather, Bucker-
fields Ltd., and a host of pulp
and paper companies includ-
ing Kitimat Pulp and Paper
Co. :

Other companies on which
directors of MacMillan-Bloe-
del and Powell River Co., are
also directors are so diverse as
Southam Co. Ltd., (the news-
paper monopoly), B.C. Drugs,
B.C. Power and Electric, Mit-
chell Press and Eyans Cole-
man and Evans.

Free enterprise indeed! One
sees here a clear picture of
how a handful of powerful
men control, through director-
ships on numerous companies,
a very large slice of B.C. and
Canada, |

Is it any wonder Western
Pulp and Paper Worker states
“next time you hear the argu-
ment raised by big business
that labor is too powerful, and
needs to be curbed, think of
the companies mentioned here
and see who needs to be curb-
ed — the unions or the com;
! panies.”

paper mills, plywood plants, sawmills and logging camps of the MacMillan-Bloedel and

Powell River Co. monopoly.

With over one million acres of the choicest lands held
under Forest Management Licence and over 17 billion
board feet timber reserves, the new giant wood monopoly
poses a threat against the welfare of B.C.’s people.

Ukrainians ask Ottawa
take stand for peace

An appeal was sent to Prime Minister Diefenbaket
last week by 135 delegates to the 9th national pi-annual
convention of the Association of United Ukrainian Camna-
dians which met in Toronto March 3 - 6.

The appeal, which will be
published in advertisements in
newspapers across the country,
welcomes the prime minister’s
statement that war under pres-
ent conditions is unthinkable
and congratulates. the govern-
ment on its ‘forthright declar-
ation. against atomic tests.”
However, it expresses appre-
hension over recent interna-
tional trends and sounds the
warning: “Don’t let a renewal
of cold war. policies lead us
back to the brink of war—and
the abyss!”’

_The appeal concludes with

| a, call to. the government. to.
| “introduce and-have adopted in}

the House-of Commons a _-dee-
laration that Canada. stands
completely and without equiv-
ocation for . complete. world
disarmament and instruct our
representatives on the UN dis-
armament commission to be
guided by that consideration.”

Following an_ enthusiastic
discussion, the convention ap-
proved plans for extensive cele-
brations in 1961 of the 100th
anniversary of the death of
the Ukrainian national poet,
Taras Shevchenko. These will
include:

@ A national festival of
Ukrainian songs, music and
dances to be held in Toronto,
July 1, 1961. This will be pre-
ceded by provincial and re-
gional festivals in the other
cities.

March 18, 1960—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 2.

sr

© Outdoor ceremonies and-
celebration at the site of the
Shevchenko monument at Pak
ermo on July 2. ;

® Mass pilgrimage by hun
dreds of Ukrainian Canadians
to the poet’s grave in Ukraine

® Publication of a film,

including translations of Shev-
chenko into English.

calendar, records, and books; |

Murphy speaks —

“Students owe it to them
selves and their country t©
study socialism and commun —
ism thoroughly’and then judge
which of the two systems 18 —
better, capitalism or social .
ism,” said Rae Murphy, S0¢
ialist Youth League natio
secretary, to students at. Vit
toria College last Friday.

It was one ox the largest
turnouts the College had seen
for any speaker as nearly 500°
students packed the auditor
ium to hear him speak on
peace and socialism. _ a

Although the meeting Was
marked by considerable heck-
ling and bag-throwing, others
were genuinely interested. }
ter his: speech..was over ang
time was up in the auditoriut
a large crowd followed him t
the cafeteria where they ques
tioned: him for two hours”
about his subject: