PROTEST U.S. SHIPMENT

~ NERVE GAS THREATENS

By MAURICE RUSH
“Oregon Governor Tom McCall said he has been
advised by scientists recently that the proposed
shipment contained enough gas to wipe out twice the

world’s population.”’

The above news item which
appeared in a-U.S. newspaper
recently underlines the grave
danger facing the people of the
U.S. Northwest and B.C. as a
result of the massive shipments
of deadly nerve gas planned by
the U.S. military.

U.S. freighters are already
standing by at Okinawa ready to
load their deadly cargo for
shipment through the Juan de
Fuca Strait, near Victoria, for
unloading at a Washington port
for shipment by train to the
Umatilla storage depot in
Oregon.

Involved in the shipment are
many tons of the incredibly toxic
and volatile GBand VX. gases.
Last week sixty University of
Washington scientists signed a
statement opposing the shipment
of nerve gas. Branding these
weapons as ‘‘the most horrible of
all’ the scientists said that ‘‘a
hundred pounds would be lethal
for five million people.”’

Earlier, the U.S. National
Academy of Sciences warned
that studies “indicate clearly

that transportation through
populated areas is an
indefensible risk The

Teamsters’ Union Journal in the
U.S. has said that there were
more than 8,000 accidents
involving railroad - transport
goods in 1968, and poirts out that
“‘over 50 cities and towns have
had to be evacuated as a result of
accidents involving hazardous
materials.”’

A massive campaign in Oregon
and Washington has demanded
that the shipments be cancelled.
An estimated 200,000 people have
signed a petition. The
Washington State Senate has
adopted a resolution to the
President and Secretary of State
which says, ‘‘such nerve agents
(VX and GB) constitute a grave
hazard to people’’ and asks that
immediate consideration be
given. to prohibiting the
shipments through populated
areas.

The Governors of Washington
and Oregon have protested the
shipments, and expressed grave
concern last week when their
state administrations were
instructed by the Pentagon to
make plans for large scale
evacuation of the population
along the route the gas is
scheduled to travel. Governor
McCall said this week that these
instructions show that the

Pentagon does not even have
confidence in its own vaunted
safety plan precautions. Attempt
by a group of prominent citizens
in Washington and Oregon to
seek a court injunction halting
the gas shipments was turned
down by the court this week. The
plaintiffs charged that ‘‘the

shipment and storage of the’

nerve gas deprives the
plaintiffs of their constitutional
rights of life, liberty and
property.”

Meanwhile, despite strong
protests from many groups on
Vancouver Island, and NDP-
MLAs, the Socred government
has refused to ask the U.S. to call
off the shipments or to protest
them. B.C. Resources Minister
Ray Williston has passed the
buck to Ottawa, stating that any
Canadian protest should come
from there:

In the meantime, demands for
Canadian government action
came last week from Opposition
parties in the House. On this, as
on the Amchitka test and other
issues affecting U.S.-Canadian
affairs, Ottawa prefers to tread
lightly and not ruffle U.S.
feathers.

Indicating the attitude of B.C.
government agencies, B.C. Civil
Defence Co-ordinator John Erb
won top honors for the most
stupid statement of the week. He
said. “It is an. American
problem. It’s American shipping
and American gas. It is outside
our scope of activity.”

The fact that the highly
dangerous gas will be shipped
through the Juan de Fuca Strait,
that it will be unloaded only a
few miles from the major
populated centres of B.C., and
stored in the U.S: Pacific
Northwest poses a most serious
danger to life and limb for all
residents in southern B.C. Gas is
no respecter of the US. -
Canadian border, and its unlikely
that immigration officials will
be able to stop the deadly gas if
an accident or disaster allows
the gas to escape.

At press time reports are that
the U.S. plans to start shipments
within the next month. Public
pressure must be increased to
demand that Ottawa and
Victoria lodge the strongest
protest with President Nixon,
demanding that the shipments be
halted and that stocks of deadly
chemical and _ bacteriological
weapons be destroyed.

CUPE signs contract;
tug crews take vote

The Canadian Union of Public
Employees (CUPE) on Tuesday
of this week announced the
terms of a settlement made
with six Lower Mainland
municipalities.

Employees will receive a 7
percent increase based on 1969
rates effective January 1, 1970; a
5 percent increase based on 1970
rates effective January 1, 1970
and a 2 percent increase based
on 1970 rates effective July 1,
1971. The 1969 base rate was $3.02
per hour for the majority of
employees, with a top rate of
$4.13 per hour.

The vacation formula

. negotiated provides for 4 weeks

paid holiday after 13 years, in
contrast to the 14 years service
required in the last contract. .

CUPE spokesman Jack
Phillips said because the North
Vancouver local voted to accept
the offer of the Lower Mainland
‘Municipalities, the negotiating
committee no longer felt it had

a mandate from. all the
members, and thus recom-
mended acceptance.

He said this in no way

constitutes satisfaction with the

‘Block coal shipment through U.S.’

Provincial leader of the Com-
munist Party Nigel Morgan this
week urged the Board of Trans-
port Commissioners in Ottawa
to reject the applications of the
Great Northern and Kootenay
Elk railways to carry coal from
the Kootenays via the U.S.A. to
the seaport at Roberts Bank.

In a telegram to the chairman
of the federal transport board,
Morgan said, ‘‘We_ urge
rejection of Great Northern and
Kootenay Elk railways
applications to carry coal via

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—APRIL 17, 1970—Page 12

US. rail systems to Roberts
Bank. :

“Your approval would worsen
bad deal which already robs
Canadians of needed jobs as a
result of shipment of resources
in unprocessed form. Put
Canada first! Refuse surrender
of Canadian jobs involved!’

The Board is to deal with the
applications later this month.
Early in April, the provincial
house heard similar protests at
any deal to allow the coal to be

carried over U.S. railways. Bob
Williams, MLA for Vancouver
East, charged that it. would
mean the loss of more jobs for
Canadians.

He told the Socred government
benches, “This will mean that
there will not be jobs for
Canadians at our own superport
in B.C. — you will turn it all over
to the Great Northern Railway
and you will allow American
trains to go through using
American workers.”

agreement, particularly in light

of the current pattern in wage

increases in private industry,

and in view of the upward trend

in the cost of living.
RK

Captain C. Rhodes, secretary
of the Canadian Merchant
Service. Guild, said this week
that crewmen are _ presently
voting on a conciliation board
award which he called totally un-
acceptable. Ballots are to be in
by April 30, and a strike could be
in the offing.

In the meantime, heads of the
union are meeting with top labor
people in the province to assess
their position in relation to a
total work stoppage in the
towing industry.

“Tt is my opinion that a strike
in our industry would cripple the
province of B.C. and have a
serious effect on the economy,”’
Rhodes said.

END WAR

Cont'd. from pg. 1
doubtedly do their best to egg
them on. Some persons, misled
by the petty-bourgeois,
‘radical’ slogans, give them the
benefit of the doubt as: mis-
guided ‘‘militants.”’

Sabotage of the unity of the
peace movement whether by
conscious agents or ‘‘misguided”’
individuals, is not radical but re-
actionary. -Anything that aids
U.S. imperialism extend its
aggressive war by one day is
vile, regardless of its form or
label, and must be challenged.

Actions and slogans that will
stimulate and help forge the
broadest possible action by Van-
couverites and Canadians_ to
END THE WAR NOW is what's

needed. and what the Com-
munist Party supports and

works for.

LOCKOUT —

CLRA could bring its coffers ¥P
to $1,000,000 annually.

The real purpose of this fund Is
obviously to enable CLRA to pay
lockout benefits to its mem
similar to the large paymer
given to Pacific Press 11 th
current shutdown at the Sun alm
Province. Similar anti-umle
funds are being set up amon
forest companies in currel
northern interior negotiations
with the IWA, according Mu
reports. oe

At the last sitting of the se
legislature Bill 22 was paras
with very little opposition. A
Bill, which was originally ask 4
for: s=by= the constructl@
contractors, is designed ame i
other things to drive small ent
prises out of business OF BS
them into line with the anti-um
drive of the big employers: at
Employers Council was 4 str
advocate of this legislation.

CLRA can now be expected
play one union negotiating ©° fe
mittee against another to oe
confusion and division. iW
instance, contractors recen ‘fe
settled with electricians [0 fal
per hour plus 1642¢ in fridge Pee |

fits and union control oe
health and welfare plan. ai
amounted to approximately
percent increase.

Yet CLRA is attempting
foist a 7 percent increase :
other trades. This is no acc! 1
because the magic figure cial
percent has the full uno
approval of federal and PP of
cial governments aS P@” pig
their austerity program ig
business representatiVe> jh
government are carrying at's”
ball for the employers ~ fh

plain for all to see. vo :

The most important "job
for the construction unions ihe
for all unions — is to rele ite
bosses splitting tactics an ke
on the widest scale to be@ ip tte
the bosses’ offensive an@ ~~)

_ public to their cause. ,