CIVIC ELECTION ROUNDUP:

or Vancouver to Grow
—The NPA Must Go”.
his slogan, which appears
the front cover of the pro-
m of Mona Morgan, can-
ate for alderman in the
Rcouver civic elections
lednesday, ° December 12,
s up the politics of the
Mcouver election this year.
This is the 25th anniver-
of NPA: domination of
hall in Vancouver, and
fre is no solution to the
crisis besetting the city
of burying the NPA
with it the reactionary
business civic policies it
resents.
While this has been true
many years, this year it
become critical.
e civic. austerity pro-
advanced by William
ie, millionaire NPA can-
te for mayor of the city,
axes it clear what they
Ve in store for Vancouver.
Just so long as it was pos-
de to continue upping ex-
Nditures in the city and
ging them off in the form
increased taxes to the
mMeowner, the NPA wnder
Sure, carried through cer-

ae

MONA MORGAN
Independent candidate
for alderman

city-building projects,
luding schools, Queen Eliz-
eth Theatre, etc. _

Not at a rate commensurate
the: deterioration of the
Eity, however, so that the
is actually dying at a
faster rate than it is
“Ng born.

tt has become obvicus now,
it is impossible to heap
estimated 38% tax in-
“ase over the next two
®ars (Rathie’s own figures)
ed to maintain the ‘pres-
t IMadequate rate of ser-
and replacement in Van-
on to the backs of the
a €owner, and still be el-
“€d to civic office.
TERNATIVES

he alternatives are to: (1)
fer a big part of the tax
to big-business and real
ate interests in the city,
“ (2) organize an_ irvesist-
demand for senior gov-
ents to pay a much big-

and education costs.

ce the NPA is a crea-
Or these very big busi-
nterests, and connected
the senior governments
ugh the Liberal, Tory

Share of civic improve-—

and Social Credit
they cannot accept either
these alternatives.

Therefore, it is austerity
for Vancouver, says Rathie.

This is why the slogan of
Mona Morgan in this election
is so timely. :

It is precisely growth that
is needed in ‘Vancouver to
solve the deep municipal
crisis affecting the city.

In her program Mona Mor-
gan holds out a vision for
Vancouver. She speaks of
combining the rich natural
resources of B.C.; cheap pow-
er from Canadian develop-
ment of the Columbia River
and trade with all countries
of the world.

Such a program would.
transform our port the
life blood of our city and its
economy—and make our city
into one of the industrial
giants of North America, ra-
ther than a service centre
which it largely is today.
SHIFT TAX LOAD

In her pregram she sets
forth a full set of demands
for shifting the tax !.ad on-
to big business and also for
raising additional revenue
for the city. She spikes the
CPR as the power behind the
throne in Vanccuver civic
pclitics and calls for steps to
clip the wings of this giant
monopoly.

She advances a set of pro-
posals for democratizing the
electoral system in Vancou-
ver including a return to the
ward system and the election
at large of a Board of Con-
trol. A mass rapid transit
cystem at cheap rates which
would encourage people to
travel by bus and relieve
traffic congestion.

Her program says. that
much of the money needed
for civic improvements can
ccme from a 50% cut in arms
spending and the use of the
billions saved on the needs of
the people.

But that which really sets
Mona Morgan’s program
aside from many other can-
didates, who are . presenting
honest alternatives to the
homeowner gougir® policies
of tne NPA, is her develop-
ment of an overall policy for
Vancouver, a vision. :

In the millions of words
which will be spoken . by
politicians, and printed in
the slick public relations doc-
uments issued by the candi-
dates for the NPA, the shin-
ing future of Vancouver will
be best illustrated in this pro-
gram which cal!s on the voter
to “Vote Fer Vancouver on
Wednesday, December 12 —
Vote for Mona Morgan.”

parties,
of

oters in British Colum-

bia’s 122 city, town, dis-
trict and village municipali-
ties, and its 97 school board
districts, will go to the polls
within three weeks to de-
cide WHO from their num-
bers shall represent them in
this important level of gov-
ernment.

-Much more than who will
represent us is at stake, of
course, in the December bal-
lotting for these 1,299 - odd
elective offices; for these 219
administrative bodies deter-
mine the raising and spending
of taxes, which in their total-
ity amount to a sum more than
three quarters of the B.C. pro-
vincial budget.

Notable is the fact that to-
day there is less labor rep-
resentation in B.C. municipal
and school board administra-
tions than for many a year.
Big business and real estate
speculators are having a field

_day. Problems are becoming

compounded. As a result dis-
satisfaction is growing with
the policy and apparent lack
of efficiency in many city and
municipal administrations.
Actually, it is not ineffici-
ency” at all, but calculated,
deceptive class policies that

impose severe hardships on |

the working people and small
businesses. It is Liberal-Tory-
Socred policy which is delib-
erately aimed at shielding big
business interests from hav-
ing to pay their rightful share
of taxes and frustrating the
widespread popular pressure
for greater financial aid from
the senior governments.

At the heart of municipal
politics is the struggle be-
tween the reactionary forces
who endeavour by all means
to protect and prolong big
business’ privileged position,
and those democratic forces
that are fighting to extend
civic democracy, defend our
living standards and advance
the interests of the working
and farm people of this prov-
ince.

FINANCIAL CRISIS

There are considerable dif-
ferences between various B.C.
municipalities. Yet, for all
their diversity, one all-impor-
tant problem they face in com-
mon. They are in financial
crisis, and that crisis is being
deepened by the Liberal-Tory-
Socred policy of U.S. “‘inte-
gration” and the Federal gov-
ernment policy of austerity
which flows from it. Educa-
tional facilities for our child-
ren are falling behind today’s
requirements, civic services
are not measuring up
needs, welfare costs are
mounting as a result of fed-
eral and provincial govern-
ment policies. And, at the
same time, municipal ratepay-
ers are being forced to as-
sume _ responsibilities, which
under existing methods of
taxation they cannot possibly
carry.

Municipalities are going.
deeper and deeper into debt.
Interest charges on. that debt
increase the already overbur-
dened tax load. Dollar devalu-
ation will force further tax
boosts to repay interest and

to.

B.C. municipalities need new

INPA must go for city to
grow’ says Mona Morgan

By NIGEL MORGAN

It’s civic election time

again! In scores of B.C.
cities and municipalities
the contest is raging to
elect civic governments.
On Thursday, December 6
most B.C. municipalities,
which come under the
Municipal Act, will vote.

In Vancouver, which
has a separate City Char-
ter, election day will be
Wednesday, December 12.

In the article on this
page, Nigel Morgan, B.C.
previncial leader of the
Communist Party, discus-
es the major issues in these
elections.

In 1901, the rural popula-
tion of Canada was 62.5% of
the country’s population, and
the urban population was
37.5%. Today, the percentage
of urban Canadians to rural
is just the reverse, and by
1980 it is forecast that fully
80% of our total population
will be living in our cities
and municipalities.

In 1901 there were only
nineteen communities in Can-
ada with populations of over
10,000. Vancouver, with its
port and railway terminus,was
mainly a centre of mercantile
activity with a population of
only 27,000. Today there are
106 municipalities with popu:
lations of over 10,000 (in
which more than 40% of all
Canadians live).

With every passing year the

pressures for urgent and cost-

policies

ly programs of local improve-
ments and facilities (traffic,
transit, education, health,
water, sanitation, libraries,
parks, recreation, etc.) con-
tinue to mount. Projects ac-
complished, even though tax-
ing homeowners and tenants
to unbearable levels, are
small compared to the mag-
nitude of things that will have
to be done. The undeniable
fact is that the rate of ob-
solescence in our urban cen-
tres is preceeding at a rate
faster than the best renewal
rate yet achieved by any Can-
adian municipality.

ARMS BURDEN

The basic contradiction is
that a few monopolies appro-
priate the profits from ex-
panding production and in-
creasing urbanization, while
the costs of necessary social
services to keep society grow-
ing and reproducing falls on
the people.

The problem is greatly ag-
gravated: by the colossal fed-
eral spending on armaments
and military undertakings.
While Canada’s so called ‘‘de-
fence structure’’. is increas-
ingly criticized as largely ob-
solete and as the recent Car-
ribean crisis clearly demon-
strated, there is no defence
today short of peace, Ottawa
continues to waste $114 per
man, woman and child on
so-called defence”; Com-
pared to $90 for the United
Kingdom; $78 for France; $42
for Belgium, and $30 for West
Germany.

With nearly half the Fed-
eral revenues going i
such unproductive purposes,
municipal aid is cut short. A
50% reduction in arms spend-
ing and diversion of that
amount to municipal grants
would make it possible to cut
the average municipal tax bill
by half.

WHAT IS NEEDED?

Among proposals which
need to be pressed in the
forthcoming elections to re

See MORGAN, page 10

>