* the price they felt was
banks of the St. Lawrence,

as ec ee fe oeae aS
When the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority refused to meet
fair for their 63-acre farm on ‘the
Louis Diablo and his wife staged a
sitdown strike. Finally the authority gave in. Here the couple
hold the $70,000 cheque they received in settlement.

Attended CPSU congress

Dewhurst back from |
visit to Soviet Union

LPP provincial ,organized Alf
Dewhurst has just returned from
a two-month visit to the Soviet
Union, during which he attend-
ed the 20th Congress of the Com-
munist Party of the Soviet Union
as a guest.

‘

“T paid a short visit to Kiev
and the surrounding district, but
spent most of my time in Mos-
cow, including three weeks at a
sanatorium in the suburbs where
I received medical treatment for
high blood pressure,” said Dew-
hurst.

His impressions of Moscow
were of a huge, fast-growing city,
jammed with busy people who

Seemed eternally on the move.

“Russians like crowds,” he told
the Pacific Tribune. “That's a
good thing, for there are crowds
everywhere, on the streets and
in the stores, at the. theatres,

‘operas and hotel cabarets.

“They . are a good-natured
People, and don’t seem to mind
the shoving and jostling in buses,
Street cars and department stores.
They smile and laugh, appear to

enjoy it all.”

Other comments by Dewhurst
on life in Moscow:

Traffic: Heavy, with streams
of buses and trucks, and a con-
Stant battle going on between
drivers and pedestrians, who
ignore traffic lights and dare
taxis to run them down. The
drivers accept the challenge and
step on the gas. “We found sitting
in the front seat a nerve-shatter-
ing experience, yet oddly enough,
We saw no accidents.” The world-
renowned Moscow subway does
a roaring business, and on a quick

trip to Leningrad the Canadian

group had a ride on that city’s
hew subway, a cross-town line
Somewhat similar to Toronto’s.
Moscow buses are modern, are
Operated by women — a driver
and conductor on each bus.

Clothes: It was winter, and the,

Citizens of Moscow were dressed
“much better than we Canadians
to stand the cold.” Visitors were
Immediately supplied with over-
Coats and other warm clothing.
“The Russian women are quite
Style conscious, and to my un-
discerning eyes

2

smart.” Store windows carry
attractive displays of goods; shop-
ping methods are not as stream-
lined as here, and this question
was discussed at the CPSU con-
gress.

Homes: “I was in a few homes.

One chap I met, named Boris,
makes 2,500 rubles a month. His
wife, a school inspector, makes
1,700. They live in a comfortable
three-room flat, with radio and
TV, and pay 100 rubles a month
rent. That includes light, heat,
gas for cooking.”

At numerous meetings through-
out the province
future he’ll report on his trip,
amplify the impressions briefly
sketched out here, and deal with
the momentous economic and
political decisions reached at the
20th Congress.

Continued

PIPELINE

© In handing down his judg-
ment extending Trans-Canada’s
permit, Mr. Justice Kearney,
chairman of the Transport Board,
commented on the LPP presenta-
tion opposing extension and in-
sisting on public ownership. “If

| parliament should come to be-

lieve that a wholly-owned Crown
corporation is desirable it doubt-
less will be drawn to our atten-
tion,’ he said. But in the mean-
time, he added, the board had to
go along with government policy.

@ - The LPP, which has pion-
eered the fight for the all-Cana-
dian ‘pipeline, announced last
week that in the national interest
it would continue its campaign
through newspaper advertising,
leaflets, public meetings and let-
ters to MPs, to mobilize public
opinion behind a government-
owned project. “Public opinion
is overwhelmingly in favor of
Canadian ownership, control and
operation,” said LPP national or-
ganizer Leslie Morris. “If the
full weight of this demand can
be brought to bear upon Ottawa,
a great victory for Canada can

they looked very be won.”

in the near}

worth $70 million in premiums
last year to the companies, with
the forecast that there’s lots more
yet to get. It also declared that
if the government entered the
field of hospital insurance it
‘would be pushed to extend it to
full medical coverage — as pro-
posed by both the CCF and the
LPP. The LIOA believes this
would lower medical standards.

The association, however, agrees
that the government should pro-
vide for those who cannot afford
to pay their premiums. It declar-
ed: “We recognize that some seg-
ments of the population, notably
those people . . . who have not

‘(the means to pay premiums must

be provided with hospital ser-
vice.”

Altogether, these life insur-
ance corporations, many of
them with headquarters in the
United States and Britain, hold

$26.5 billion worth of insurance
in Canada. Canadians per cap-
ita are the highest insured peo-
ple in the world.

ee | WL
Z i i

Insurance companies
oppose health plan

TORONTO

Life insurance corporations and leaders of the Canadian Medical Association have
taken the offensive against the proposed federal-provincial hospital insurance plan. At the
same time, federal Health Minister Paul Martin joined Ontario Premier Leslie Frost in a
“we must go slow’’ declaration.

The Life Insurance Officers Association attacked the plan because it invaded a field

governments have been referring
health insurance to committees
‘for further study.’ It is one way
of throwing it in the waste bas-
ket.” »

The LPP, he said, was insisting
that the cost of medical services
be included in the plan, and in
addition, eye glasses, dentures,
drugs, and sickness benefits. Al-
berta, he said, is including medi-
cal care. Ontario could do the
same.

In Quebec, 40 LPP candidates
campaigning for votes in the
June 20 election, have made
health insurance a key issue.

Frank Brenton, in Westmount-

St. George, declared on nomina-
tion:

“The people of our province
can have this health-plan free,
no increase in taxes need be paid
by our people. The federal gov-
ernment is prepared to contribute
60 percent of the cost; the rest
can easily be paid by the huge
American companies which are
taking forever our natural re-
sources with Duplessis’ coopera-
tion.

“Surely it is not unfair to help
our own people first by collect-
ing a small royalty of 15 percent
on the profits of American capi-
tal produced by the toil of Cana-
dians from the soil of Canada.”

Before the Ontario legislative
health committee Ontario CCF
leader Donald MacDonald, argu-
ing for the plan and the addition
of medical care, pointed out that
in Britain, complete hospital and
medical care costs the equivalent
of only three percent of the gross
national products. Canadians cov-

were already paying over four
percent. Therefore, he maintain-
ed, the addition of medical care
to the hospital plan would not
cost more as some claimed.
Citing government figures,
MacDonald told the committee:
“Tf we are going to use the com-
panies as carriers on the basis
of experience they will pay
back from 30 to 61 percent (of
the premiums collected) leav-
ing them a sizeable profit .. .
Blue Cross pays back over 90
percent of premiums. Private
carriers are uneconomic.”

To this statement, John Tanti,
representing the Mutual Benefit
Health and Accident Association,
cried out angrily: “It’s not an un-
economic basis — it’s our way of
life!” ES

To this MacDonald retorted:
“The insurance companies are in
this for profit. They say: we’ll
cover the profitable (to us) area.
The non-profitable area they are
ready to hand over to the gov-
ernment.” . :

Now red-faced and wildly ges-
ticulating, Tanti pleaded: “You're
asking us to throw out our com-
missions!”

Dr. Arthur Kelly, general sec-
retary of the Canadian Medical
Association, declared the opposi-
tion of his organization at a panel
discussion in Toronto. If the gov-
ernment launched such a plan
“we would break this country
completely,” he said.

Paul Martin, whose government
has promised health insurance
‘since 1919 an& which actually
brought down a plan in 1945,
only to shelve it, said in Toronto
last week that he advocated the
“sradual approach’ which had
characterized approach to health
and welfare measures in this
country. :

But Stewart Smith, Ontario LPP
leader; declares: “For 40 years

ered by various private plans}

would “have an electric effect’

BRIEFS

The three members of the con-
ciliation board met privately this
week to discuss evidence and ar-
guments presented by both sides
in the dispute .between Vancou-
ver Civic Employees Union, Out-
side Workers, and City of Van-
couver.

If the findings of the board are
not acceptable to both the union
and the city, the union negotiat-
ing committee will recommend
that a government - supervised
strike vote be applied for.

* * *

Jack Phillips, secretary of Out-
side Workers, will take part in
the Town Meeting panel discus-
sion on “What Room is there for
Individualism Today?” this Fri-
day at 846 Howe Street, 8 p.m.

Station CJOR will broadcast
the program Saturday night from
| 9 to 10 p.m.

| Others on the panel are Pro-

fessor John Norris of UBC and
lawyers Ian Shaw and Les Bew-

ley. Guest moderator, is Don
Lanskail. :
x * x

Fish Story: When Fisheries
Minister James Sinclair was in

; Moscow he was guest at a 12-
| course, all-fish banquet arranged
| by his counterpart, Soviet Fisher-
ies Minister Alexander Ishkov.

Between courses the guests,ate
caviar — all except Sinclair, who
doesn’t like caviar. Ishkov not-
iced this, seemed concerned; and
was told by Sinclair that he just
didn’t care for the stuff.

“Well,” said Ishkov, “that’s too
bad, but perhaps you don’t like
this kind. When I send’you down
to the Volga and you go out with
one of my fishermen, and he
catches a sturgeon and pulls it
over the side, and rips its belly
with a knife, and takes a spoon
and spoons out the living caviar,
you will like that!”

APRIL 13, 1956 —

Peace pact ‘would be
electric’ says Endicott

STOCKHOLM

Delay in agreeing on disarmament would cause serious
harm internationally, but agreement to end the arms race
’ everywhere, the World Peace

Council was told here last week.

LABOR

The speaker was Canada’s Dr.
James Endicott making the open-

ing statement to the special coun-
cil meeting, presided over by Dr.
Kitchlew, veteran Indian Congress
party leader, and entirely devoted
to the single question of disarma-
ment.

The meeting was attended by

450 delegates and visitors from
nearly every country.

Friendly messages to . the
council came from Ernest T.
Weir, president of the U.S.
. National Steel Corporation, C.
Rajagspalachari, former gov-
ernor-general of India, the
‘American Friends’ Service Com-
mittee and others. .

Dr. Endicott spoke of the need
to end tests of nuclear weapons,
to reach “solemn agreement”
never to use them, and to control
international traffic in arms.

Theories of the “great deterent”
and the “balance of terror” were
false, he said. The slogan to use
was: “In time of peace, mobolise
the people for peace.” The coun-
cil’s faith_in the possibility of
peaceful coexistence was being
slowly and surely vindicated...

“We have struggled through
some difficult and-. dangerous
ways, but now 7ur feet are set
firmly on a hignway leading to
a warless world,” he said.

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 7