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EDITORIAL

Bomb threat moves closer

ast weekend Canada’s External Affairs Minister

Mitchell Sharp ‘‘warned’”’ the U.S. government that
its projected nuclear bomb tests in the Aleutian Islands early
next month will be “‘your baby’’; that any damage or injury to
Canada which may result from such tests, the U.S. ‘‘will be
held responsible.”’

While this ‘‘warning’’ manifests (on the surface), some
slight awakening on the part of official Ottawa to the recurrent
dangers of ‘U.S. Uber Alles’’ in matters affecting the
economy, peace, independence and sovereignty in Canadian
affairs generally, it is still far from what is required to let the
warhawks of Washington know that Canada is not as yet a
tawdry docile trollop in the hands of the U.S. nuclear maniacs
to be kicked around at will.

A “warning” is it?

Amchitka Island in the Aleutian chain, where these U.S.
nuclear underground tests are scheduled to be made, is only
some 2,200 miles from Vancouver, and as radio-activity,
earthquakes and tidal waves travel — much as ‘‘the crow
flies’’, Vancouver and the whole of the B.C. coast and inland. is
definitely in the ‘‘danger zone.”’

Of course, U.S. ‘‘experts’’ of one sort or another are
reported to have given Canada ‘‘every assurance’”’ that the
nuclear explosions on Amchitka will have ‘‘no repercussions
outside the immediate area of the bomb site.

On the other hand Canadian seismologists and other men of
science are not.so sanguine, and have expressed grave fear on
the numerous dangers resulting from these nuclear explosions;
the possibility of ‘‘touching off’’ a devastating chain of ©
earthquakes, with the added possibility of great tidal waves
following, together with the fearsome’ spread of radioactive
contamination.

(The disasterous Alaskan earthquake in 1965. which not
only all but destroyed the City of Anchorage in Alaska and wide
surrounding areas, but sent a great tidal wave sweeping down
upon the Vancouver Island coast and ccastal cities of the U.S.
Northwest, with material damage running into millions of
dollars).

While such disasters can be. and often are explained away
as “‘an act of God’’, Canadians haven't entirely swallowed the
myth that ‘‘God’’ has now taken up permanent residence in
Washington with Richard Nixon as his “‘prophet’’, hence such
“assurances” hold no more validity than his ‘‘peace”
overtures in the current UN General Assembly sessions.

Entirely separate and apart from the people's efforts
towards a nuclear test ban, or the banning of all nuclear:
stockpiles, this projected U.S. nuclear test in the Aleutians is
very much Canada’s affair. It is not enough for the Trudeau
government to administer a gentle wrist-slapping and say to
these nuclear maniacs that any damage or injury happening to
Canada as a result of such test. that the U.S. ‘‘will be held
responsible’.

Responsible to whom? The political Trudeaus of U.S.
imperialism who operate from Ottawa, or the Canadian

people?

If ever a mass protest of the Canadian people was needed.
it is now; not to tell Washington, ‘‘it is your territory’. hence
your “‘responsibility’’, but our safety, security, and yes, even
the lives of Canadians that are at stake in this madness.
External Affairs Minister Sharp may ‘“‘feel concern’’ about
U.S. warhawks playing with nuclear bombs on Canada’s
Pacific back-door step. But the Canadian people must demand
nothing less than no bomb tests in the Aleutians.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPTEMBER 26, 1969—PAGE 2

FINANCE PLAN HIT

UBCM parley fails to
meet municipal needs

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

The 66th annual convention of
the Union of B.C. Municipali-
ties held in Kamloops Sept. 17-19
and attended by over 600
delegates was an exercise in
futility and frustration. At least
this was the case for those
aldermen and mayors who
wanted action on the key issues
such as. holding the line on
property taxation, pollution,
relations and
housing. :

Even on convention pro-
cedure, the way the convention
conducted its business, it would
be hard to devise a more inept
and time-wasting method.

The convention had over 100
resolutions to consider, with
often several on the same
subject. They were gone over
slowly and painfully, one by one,
like peeling potatoes. Speakers
were only allowed two minutes
each. Amendments from the
floor dragged out the discussion
endlessly.

But what is of much greater
importance, the convention
never did get down to discussing
most of the major issues facing
B.C. municipalities. No leader-

_ ship came from the executive in.

the form of policy statements or
resolutions. There wasn’t even
one resolution on the acute
housing shortage! If the UBCM
has a policy on major issues such
as the need for greater grants
from senior governments or a
program of action to bring

pressure on them, it remained a _

well kept secret.

A few of the delegates who
spoke on the urgent issue of tax
reforms received a good hand.
The Alberni resolution asking
that all properties be assessed on
‘the principle of equalization at
a set percentage of actual value”’
(an obvious protest against the
under-assessment of big com-
mercial and __ industrial
properties) passed, but this was
the exception.rather than the
rule. A resolution asking that
‘educational costs be removed
from real property and be borne

by the general revenue fund of |

the province’ was killed by
referring it to the executive.

This failure to come to grips
with the real problems was no
accident. of course. The real
muscle at this convention wasn’t
at the head table nor even on the
convention floor. It was there in
the: person of the minister of
municipal affairs Dan Campbell
and his aides who sat on the
sidelines as active watch dogs.

_ Their job was to. see that the

convention didn’t get out of line
and get after Victoria on any
significant issues.

Dan Campbell should be well
satisfied with the convention.
His government was left free to
continue spending provincial
revenues to help big industries,
while the municipalities will
continue to increase taxes on
homes to meet rising municipal
costs.

The announcement by muni-
cipal affairs minister Campbell
that the provincial government
would introduce legislation to
set up a municipal bonds
marketing authority is one more

example of how the government —

is evading its responsibilities to

the municipalities. Instead of —

granting loans to municipalities
at low interest rates from ils
huge reserves, it will create 4”
authority under which all munick

palities in the province W!
combine their resources
guarantee municipal loans.

If any municipality defau
this authority will have the righ
to levy an additional tax on evel
homeowner in the province
Furthermore _ this authority,
which will be under the thumb ®
the provincial government wil
also have the right to veto amy
municipal plan to raise money ”
means of a loan. This Wi
further erode municipal auto?
omy.
As long as the UBCM remailis.
a puppet of Victoria, ts
situation will not change.

Memorial meetings
pay tribute to Ho

“The cause to which Ho Chi Minh devoted his whole life

freedom for Vietnam and an end to world imperialism —

lives
2 said

today and grows in strength and will ultimately triumph,” S*,

Maurice Rush, PT associate editor, at memorial meetin
Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

Rush, who met Ho Chi Minh on
three different occasions and
interviewed him for PT readers
in December, 1965, told a
meeting in the Pender Aud. last
Wednesday, that Ho’s name
inspired hope and courage to
hundreds of millions fighting
imperialism all over the world,
and struck fear in the hearts of
the enemies of mankind.

‘‘Ho was more than a symbol;
he was one of the great figures of
our epoch. The measure— of
greatness of the man is that on
his death even his enemies had to
pay a grudging tribute to him.

‘“‘Ho was the first Asian leader
to lead his people to winning of
independence and to
establishing the first socialist
state in Asia. He was not ‘a
nationalist who might have been
our friend’ as_ imperialist
spokesman have said. Ho was a
Marxist-Leninist who saw the
struggle for freedom for Viet-

“nam as part of the world

struggle to end imperialism. He
was a Communist leader who
combined patriotism and love of
country with revolutionary
struggle to end imperialist
rule,’ said Rush.

Perhaps the greatest tribute
that could have been made to Ho
was unwittingly made by former
president Eisenhower when he
admitted that if the people of
Vietnam were allowed to vote in
1956 on what government they
wanted more than 80 percent
would have voted for Ho Chi
Minh.”

Relating his personal impres-
sions of Ho, Rush told his
audience that Ho combined great
modesty, simplicity and
humanism with depth of under-
standing and courage. Tracing
Ho's life from early youth when
he took up the struggle for
freedom of his native land. Rush
said. *‘Ho’s_ world-wide. travels
convinced him that the system of
‘oppression which ground down
the people of Vietnam was a
world system and that as a result

rattht

fehl

gs jp
ee
Ho became an internationalist
who realized that imperialls
had to be defeated.” :
“Under Ho’s leadership
people of Vietnam proved i
where a people are willin8 ©
fight for their independence it
no matter how small thé
country may be— they can WiZ
against imperialism becausé a
the world-wide support {f°
socialist states and peace
forces around the world.” af
Rush said the people . °
Vietnam had been twee
betrayed by the imperial
countries, and were determine
this time to win their 1% E
pendence. ‘‘They will not allo
Nixon’s duplicity to rob the™
victory this time.”’
The Vancouver
approved a message to P: a
Minister Pham Van Dong. Fi,
by chairman Harold pritchet”
which expressed ‘‘deep sort?
and sympathy with the £°
ment and people of Vietnam. chi
The message said: “HO j
Minh will be ever remember
in the pages of history as
great leader whose mo
courage and determin
served as an inspiration

meetiné
rime

destY:
ation
all

i
humanity struggling ae
socialism and freedom and !
pendence.”

It said that, ‘as Canadial®
with the true interests ° nt
country atheart, we conde ut
the despicable role played bY eal
own government in its cov!
and cowardly support of
imperialist aggression ‘ih
Vietnam. and pledge the
continued solidarity with
struggles of the heroic peoples
Vietnam.” 10

A memorial meeting was ‘ley
held in the Dell Hotel. wie by
Monday which was address© of
Rush. Chairman of the Frame
Valley meeting was Rod Dots
Both meetings were organ.
by the Communist Pal.
Proceeds from the meet!
were donated to the Medical
Committee for Vietnam. —

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