PAGE 4

TERRACE HERALD, TERRACE B.C.”

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 1971

| Terrace

Business Address: 4613 Lazelle Ave.,

Pamz—Zol

EDITOR KAYCE WHITE:
Phone: 635-6357" J

OUR OPINION

We like ours best

The great and complicated issue of
press freedom vs. the government’s
right to secrecy in delicate official
business, raised by the New York
Times’ publication of still classified
documents about the Vietnam war, has
not yet been resolved.

Emphasized for Canadians are the
vast differences between the functions
of a president and a prime minister -
differences that are worth considering
when some Canadians imagine that a
presidential system has something to
offer to this country.

As outlined in the article on the other
side of this page, the immense power of

the U.S. president to decide great
issues of peace and war have no
counterpart in the parliamentary
system. Any prime minister trying to
exercise them would be called to
account before Parliament and very
likely find himself a statistic in the
jobless figures.

The American record is much
different, for many presidents have
directed their nation along courses far
from nationally popular without
having to account to Congress. This is a
significant point of difference between
the two systems that Canadians should
not ignore,

White paper tatters

Finance Minister Edgar Benson’s new
budget for 1971-72 is both popular and
inflationary.

His white paper for tax reform starting
next Jan. 1 lies in tatters, with the major
exception of the new capital gains tax
and even it has been cut back by half
and eased in its application.

The great exercise in participatory de-
mocracy that kept business off balance
for 19 months and investors on tenter-
hooks has proved to be largely a waste
of time, for most practical purposes.
About the best that can be said for the
drawn-out debate is that it finally dis-
suaded the minister from making too
many egregious mistakes. For this nega-
tive virtue, much thanks.

This is not to say that a huge amount
of tinkering and changing has not been
done in the 597-page bill tabled by Mr.
Benson for discussion at the fall session
of Parliament. .

Tax lawyers and accountants will be
‘sorting through this grab-bag during the
intervening months. They won't he
blamed for locking for legalistic fish-
hooks after theirs experience with the
white paper in its original form.

The Canadian Press summed up the
present version with admirable terseness:
“In essence, all the major features of the
1969 proposals that enraged the business
community and aroused some provincial
gavernmerits have been dropped or sig-
nificantly moderated.” The features that
remain could have been inserted easily
into the normal budgetting process with-
out making such an embarrassing pro-
duction of it.

Fublic attention will naturally focus
first on the abolition of the three per cent
personal and corporation surtax effective
at the end of this month. This fulfills a
promise now three times postponed. It
could have been done just as readily in
the revised budget of last December, had
Mr. Benson's thinking been as clear as
he says it is now.

The general downward revision of per-
sonal and corporation income taxation
starting next year will also be welcomed,

together with Mr. Benson's promises of
more of the same in future years. ‘The
underlying principle, however, is hardly
revolutionary. It has been conceded for
years that the scale of personal exemp-
tions has been too Jaw and that millions
of disadvantaged citizens shouldn't be
paying income taxes at all.

It is also gratifying that special tax
concessions available to small business
are not to be discontinued, as was first
threatened. Instead. they are to be in-
creased, but with a cut-off point at which
profits will be taxed at normal rates on
the assumption that the business should
no longer be small. Mr. Benson certainly
backed away from that confrontation.

His emphasis-has now shifted from driv-
ing business in tighter harness to giving
it its head in the hope it will speed up
and employ more people. After under-
mining business confidence with his un-
realistic schemes, he now wants to en-
courage forward planning in the private
sector. He also-wishes to stimulate.con-

Herald |

The Terrace Herald is a member of the Canadian Weekly Newspaper
Association, The B.C, Weekly Newspapers’ Assocation, and: Varified Cir-
culation. Published every Monday and Thursday at 4613 Lazelle Ave.,
Terrace, B.C. Postage paid in cash, Return postage guaranteed. Second
class mail registration number 1201. °

GENERAL MANAGER : GORDON HAMILTON
ADVERTISING MANAGER: BILL GROENEN
‘Terrace, B.C.

sumer spending to guard against “RA-

pause” in the economic expansion which
he says is already under way.

The minister is certainly going ta do
his part in the spending department, with
the biggest planned deficit in Canada's
history. After going into the red hy $418
million in the fiseal year ended last March
31, Mr. Benson is now shooting for a
$750 million deficit. in the present fiscal
year, This takes some doing, when it is
realized that his revenues were up by
$443 million Jast year and are projected
to rise by $895 million this year.

The combination of increased federal
income and higher deficits means that

the minister plans to spend $1,224 million '

more this year than he did last—better
than $100 million more per month. He
is undertaking this massive program at
a time when inflation so far in 1971 is
running at an annual rate of about 5.3
per cent and coming up quickly. At this
rate, the drop in the purchasing power
of the dollar will soon be more important
to the average Canadian than the tax
relief that. Mr. Benson holds oul so temp-
tingly now.

By Rev. P. Horsfield

Do we careP

In 1961 it was, just ten years
ago. An English lawyer, Peter
Benenson, was collecting
information about people who
were being arrested, treated
harshly, imprisoned,
sometimes tortured, and
occassionally killed, all because
they lived in places where
governments, for one reason or
another, would not tolerate any

_ form of dissent, nor even words
of critism.

Mr. Benenson was 50
concerned about what he was
discovering that he wrote an
arlicle for the Observer, a

_ London weekly newspaper. He
" envisioned a campaign for the
release of men and women in
every part of the world who
were imprisoned solely, on
account of their convictions. As
a result of the article a group of
London lawyers, publishers,

writers, and academics began

wark on the problem.

A year later they had
compiled the case histories of
1,200. prisoners,
committee of legal experls had

drafted “a. code of conduct

towards prisoners of conscieice

which could serve both as:an .

_ideal, and a guide for consistent
actionfor the, working people on
the case histories. All work was
‘done by. unpaid: volunteers,

- “Today there are about 150.

“groups working in Britain,

- nearly 300in Wes! Germany and ©
umare. -than. . 200.- in
’ ‘Scandinavian pountries, ‘These

high led. groups : are

and a

the.

called Amnesty International,
headquartered in London.
There is a paid professional
research staff.

The strength of the
organization lies in the groups
where most of the work is done.
A group consists in a dozen or

‘more people who want to help.

It must have enough resources
to look after the needs of at least
three prisoners of conscience,
who are assigned to it by the
organization’s national or
international offices. Groups
never handle cases of prisoners
in their own countries, so the
members do not clash with their
own governments. Groups are
kept, and expected to. stay
strictly neutral.

Quite obviously, Amnesty
International can be a credible
force in the world only if its
politics and Its ideology are
neutral, If this were not done
the association would soon find

that it was unable to operate in

mest of the countries which
have political prisoners. Yet it
is also obvious that. the
‘members of Amnesty are most
likely to be people with strong
political and religious (or anti-
religious) ‘views. . 7
Each’ group is expected to
work for three prisoners; one

- imprigoned 'in-a ‘free world’:

country, one a prisorier in‘a
commiunist country, and one in
the “third world." .. --

at

- Itusually. means more /than ”
‘the ‘three in prison, . because |
._ often the families are.destitute,.

or children need higher
education. It always requires
both imagination (how do you
persuade -a government like
that at present in Greece or in
the Dominican Republic-to let
you help one of its opponents

‘when they have at last got that

man in gaol?) and staying
power, Some Ammesty cases
have gone on for ten years with
noend insight: It also requires
resources, Sometimes there is
a need for knowledge of two or
three languages - other than

_ English, Sometimes there is a

need to go lo the country
concerned and to visit the
prisoner, or to attend a trial.
Always there is‘ a need for
research facilities which are
supplied with the help of the
permanent staff which costs”
money which the groups have to
pay by shares. 7

A christian pastor like myself
cannot refrain from preaching
to the extent of asking why we.
fat cats in Terrace aren’t doing
anything to help. Christ told us
that one of our duties is to help
the prisoner. We :have the
resources.. We can find the

money. We have citizens who -

ean speak many languages. We

have people who"use’ their’

holidays to travel far and wide. ©
If anyone cares, that person
can write tor. 20 raF
The International Secretariat
‘Amnesty International: ..
Turnagaln ‘Lane...
_ Farringdon Street...
London E-C.4, England,

A

i

ae

“, ~. 80 much for your setting store by

a

1 precedent. Where’s our tax cut retroactive to last
year like the tax-free allowances the MPs gave themselves?” ‘

ANTHONY LEWIS

Press freedom is our righ

“Those who won ovr
independence believed ... that
the greatest menace to freedom
is an inert people, thal public
discussion is a political duty and
that this should be a
fundamental principle of the
American government ,,, they
eschewed silence coerced by
law. :

Mr. Justice Brandeis.

LONDON - The press is no
more perfect than any other
institution, Newspapers can be
vulgar or silly or craven; they
can ery “freedom of the press”
when nothing is at stake but
their desire to sensationalize for
a profit.

But one need not romanticize
the press lo understand that the
Constitution and. history..of.the
United States have..giveniit.a
special function. That function
is the real issue in the case of
the United States vs. New York
Times.

The American system of
government places ultimate
faith in the judgement of the
public and its elected
representatives. The president
is not meant to rule; the
Framers hedged his great
power about, in their
conception, with legislative
restraints.. The Constitution
commits even the gravest of
foreign policy judgments, a
declaration of war, to the
popular assembly, Congress,

The assumption underlying
that democratic faith is that
Congress, and behind it the
public; will have — the
information on which to base
informed judgments. But
unlike Parliament, Congress
cannot directly question the
head of the executive. Its
ability to get the facts from his
departmental subordinates is
also limited; when they resist or
evade there is seldom any
effective way to compel
-responsive answers. And the
president's personal assistants.
are generally immune from
questioning allogether - even
when, as now, one is the
principal adviser on a vital
national policy.

ft is in this informing. role
that history has cast the press in

’ American democracy. And not
u

only history t the

YOUR
OPINION

Dear Editor:.

The Salvation Army wishes to
express at this time their
appreciation to those who have
so generously contributed to the
1971' Red- Shield Appeal in
Terrace-Kitimat.

’ These contributions, together

with the efforts of each
. eanvaéser,.has brought ‘about

the ‘successful total of $4,872.93
an all-time high.

The whole effort has been an

. operation in happiness for we

trust, that those who gave, or:
worked, have ‘received a
measure of happiness in
knowing that the Salvation.
Army will be able to carry on its
many services in the Terrace--

Kitimat areas) os

“Thank you and God bless you.

Phe rived BULL Vota;
-.. Salvation Army,”
(Terrace, BC.

Constitution: the first
admendment’s protection of
speech and press extends to
literary and artistic matters,
but its prime purpose was to
safeguard freedom of political
discussion.

It is no accident, therefore,
that great issues in the United
States are often framed in the
press, when in Britain the
forum would be Parliament.
The responsibility given by the
first amendment is not always
met, but sometimes the press
does play the essential part in
making possible informed
consideration of some large
question - a nomination to the
Supreme Courl, say, or the
value of a supersonic transport.

All that is in the background
of U.S. vs. New York Times.
The immediate context. makes ©
the issues even more
compelling, for it demonstrates
how presidential behavior has
strained beyond belief that
assumption of congressional
access to information essential
for decision on issues of war and
peace,

In 1964, President Johnson
suddenly asked Congress for a
resolution allowing him to take
“all necessary measures’,
against the Communists in
Vietnam.. He did so on the basis

‘The way

to revolt

Who really are the good and

-bad guys in society, the rebels

or the conformists? Since good
and bad are at issue, the non-
violent, humanitarian type of
rebel is considered.

This man, out in the
mainstream, fights to remove
injustice, protect our rights,
increase our freedoms. He
attacks prejudice, deception
and fraud and in so doing
speaks for all of us.

He brings out in the open,
hidden evils. Rachael Carson
exposed the dangers of
pesticides, Ralph Nader unsafe
cars. Some challenge old
attitudes and values, suggest .
radical new: ideas, Should the
country be run on service rather
than profit? Is war legalized
murder? This sparks healthy
controversy, keeps thought
moving, avoids stagnation. The:
rebel pricks the conscience of
the nation by publicizing -
racialdiscrimination, the
degredalion of poverty and so
on, Thus he promotes
tolerance, keeps love and
compassion alive, ,

theconformist? His personal .
life is his main concern, the job,
snowmobile, the cottage. He
may complain bitterly about
injustice but does nothing. Calls -
to “rise up in outrage” against,
pollution and other evils, are

-mostly met with apathy and .

silence. Sometimes he even —
boasts, “I keep out-of things.”
Asked to join and supporta good.
cause he may say "I'm not a“
joiner.” He is likely to cali the

rebel a troublemaker. . a

"But surely.the confotmist’is-.”~
_ the! troublemaker, | the~foe ‘of:
. progreds,. "By ignorlng and *

rongs,,-he - an

accepting sociely’
perpetuates ther."tt is:he who.
keeps the urijust society'and he

‘paves the, way, fox, revolts, eo

aan)

of an alleged attack on
American navy vessels. He told
members of Cangress that
passage of the resolution would
prevent. enlargement of the
war,

We now know that the entire
presidential argument was a
tangled web of deceit. The

-circumstances of the American

vessels’ presence in the area
were concealed, and the fact of
any attack was at best doubtful.
Far from preventing
enlargement of the war,
Johnson had ordered plans to
enlarge it and was looking for
an occasion to get the necessary
authority, Thereafter. he
carried the resolution in his
pocket and treated it as a
declaration of war.

war without being aware if was
doing so, without the barest

" facts and, worse, on the basis of

blatant lies as to the situation in
Vietnam and the intentions of
the president. So much for the
exercise of a grave
constitutional responsibility.
And now the United States
government tells us that seven
years later, it can prevent
publication of the truth about
how the U.S. slid into a self-
destructive war. If that view of
the Constitution is right, then
there is _no effective check on
the power of the president.
For what is involved here is
not military secrets - ‘‘the
number and location of troops,”
in the example given by the
Supreme Court of an exception
to the rule against censorship.
What is involved is national
policy, which the Constitution

News
Briefs

ti

long Ptah bh gible
“¢ LOTTAWA, -. The Canadian

‘government has” made two

commits ‘to’ public: ‘discussidn, -
The theory of free debate in‘a :

democracy, Holmes said, “is an
experiment, as all life is an
experiment.” But it is ours.
(NYT)

JUDY EADIE

Tarpaper shacks

Were not the undertones so
deadly, it would be an almost
amusing commentary on our
value system that we dedicate
our best energies to a goal
calculated in terms of square
feel. :

This year the Great Canadian
Debate is again ranging over
the perennial issues of Colonial
versus Danish Madern and
Beige Fleck versus Sandtone. In
the burgeoning complexes of
trailer. courts and housing
projects across the country,
Canadians are devoutly
erecting the aluminum-sided
symbols of their status, their
salaries, and their philosophy of
life. .

The cult of the house may well
have developed as an antidote
to the cult of the soul, as a
protection against the shock of
coming to terms with life. It is
easier to deal with termites in

one's walls than with dry rot in.
one's standards. [t is simpler, .

and earns more plaudits from
the neighbours, to redecorate
the front room than to update
one's mental furnishings, In a
curious form of rationalization
based on the assumption that
shabby, lives dwell in tarpaper
shacks, we have gane.on to

draw the comforting conclusion
that our Ajaxed-and-air-
conditioned Ranch Style is-proof
of our respectability.’ It ts
simply too. frightening to give
up the notion that gleaming
waxed floors are adequate

compensation for grimy
morals.
Perhaps the American-

Canadian fetish for efficient,
spotless homes goes deeper
thana mere love of comfort and
a desire to compete with the
Joneses.
spending .Sundays trowelling
cement and cleaning musty
basements is attempling to buy.
off the guilt of leaving his

family to grovel in a dump of: .

discarded morals, And if it costs
too much to give the kids the
secnrily a “marriage
untermited by cheating, who'll

of

know the difference as long as |

they have a colour-keyed room
and a T.V. all their own? -
Maybe, for all the shining
windows and pleasant patias;
there are more skid: row homes:
in Canada than we'd like to
admit. And perhaps the man
who sweats blood to get a five-
bedroom spHt level and loses his
own soul is' as God says, the
biggest fool of all. ;

Maybe the man.

‘ separate protests to Washington
cover the wholesale Ibikage of
secret American documents

-“pelating to tHe Vietnain! war.
- pAeting Prime, Minister
‘> Mitchell’ Sharp sald the; matter

wa_ of public concern because

the public “revelation” - of
* confidential Canada 4
' dealings
., detrimental effect on relations

U.S.

might have a

“between the two; countries.

a
4

EALS-

Secondary Schoo! - in. nearby
South Porcupine embarked on a

trampoline - - - bouncing
marathon in an effort to set a
North American record. -

.. They hoped to bounce for 25¢
hours, eclipsing a record
claimed’ by an Owen: Sound
school last year. Later, they
aim to beat the 442-hour record
set by an Austrailian group.

* ORKX :

NEW YORK-New York City has
closed its last public bathhouse,
one in the Lower East Side
which provided baths and
showers for 50,000 persons last
year, many of whom live in cold
water tenements , in the
deteriorating area,

XXXXXE.,

OTTAWA - The number of
jebless throughout Canada
dropped sharply in May = to
543,000 from 659,000 in April ---
mainly due to the biggest
improvement in employment
ifor-more than a year. :.-

.aIn B.C,, unemployment in
May totalled 61,000 or 6.8 per
cent of the labor force,
compared with'72,00¢ in’ April,
ar 8.1 per cent, :
..Despite the improvement,
national unemployment was
still running ahead of May last
year, whén the jobless totalled
513,000. a

 ONMMEKXK

‘.. MOSCOW - Soviet cosmonaut
Yevgeny ~— Khrunov has
predicted that “space

factories" of 50 to 100 workers
will soon orbit the earth,
manufacturing technically
perfect ball bearings and metal-
plastic toys.

..Khrunov, who is also a
research engineer, said there
are’ some. manufacturing
~ processes which can be carried
out only in the weightless
vacuum of space. .-:

Centennial.
briefs

When the Big Bend gold rush on

the Columbia (1864-66) petered

out, it was referred to by the
_miners.as The Big Bilk.:|!

XXXX

British Columbia Goyerner
Frederick Seymour: in; 1864,
‘invited ‘the Fraset’ River:
Indians to join. New
Westminster in celebrating the

4

“Queen's .birthday. About 3,500

attended, camping‘theré‘ for -a

week, They cheered as they left.

"  (BLIMEN, CALL THAT AN?
KISS!— ITS ABouT ) °

ite
pikes

4

\F YER: ANG ON A
MINUTE, f'LL GET:

7 TIME L GOT
SOME O THAT Dri ae SRD FATHER
OLD-FASHIONED is:
kevin a

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