Women’s news
& viewpoint

By MARY KARDASH
Member, Winnipeg School Board

When I agreed to write this
guest column for my dear long-
time friend Peggy I little rea-
lized it would not be as simple
as she told me: “just a couple of
pages on. education, Mary.” Hav-
ing served for a term on the
Winnipeg School Board herself
Peggy is aware of the manifold
and very complex problems of
education, but as a columnist
facing restricted space she no
doubt felt that an elected labor
(Communist) school trustee
should be able to say something
even in two pages,

I'll try—so here goes, ...

No sooner did I take my seat
on the Winnipeg School Board in
January of this year than we
headed into the task of adopting
a budget that would enable the
Board to cover at least the most
pressing expenditures of agrow-
ing school system, The draft
budget brought in by the School
Division administration showed

that our expenditures would be'

over $2,000,000 more than in
1965,

As was to be expected from
past performances most repre-
sentatives of the Civic Election
Committee (made up of Conser-
vatives .and Liberals) attacked
the budget literally with axe in
hand, having only one aim—to
cut and chop down expenses, while
at the same time talking about
making our educational system
the best and most modern,

In debating the specific esti-
mates I and the four NDP
trustees, as well as a couple of
more forward-looking CEC
trustees, stressed the need for a
bold new approach to meet the
demands of quickly upgrading our
whole educational system in view
of the vast advances in science
and technology. We pointed out
that to hold back in introducing
many needed changes would only
penalize our children and seciety
as a whole in the long run,

When, for example, I insisted
that our School Division pro-
ceed at a faster pace in intro-
ducing pre-kindergarten or
nursery classes for four-year-
olds a two-hour debate ensued
on my amendment to increase
the number of such classes from
two to three! All trustees agreed
that the need was most urgent
in establishing these classes in
the most depressed areas of the
city and_giving the children of
destitute families an earlier start
in education, yet ridiculous argu-
ments were given opposing my
amendment. However, reason
finally prevailed and it was
passed by a vote of nine to five.

At the very first meeting of
the new School Board this year
a motion made by NDP trustee
Andrew Robertson and seconded
by myself was unanimously
adopted to ask the provincial
government for more financial
assistance, It was very obvious
that having to adopt a larger
budget under the present set-up
would only mean a heavier tax
load on the municipality.

+S

The record of the Manitoba
Conservative government re-
garding financial aid to the Win-
nipeg School Division is a most
backward one, Since Premier
Roblin came to power in 1958
and introduced his new school
grant formula in 1959 Winnipeg
has been receiving less in gov-
ernment grants with each year.
In 1960 the provincial grants
covered 26 percent of Winnipeg’s
education costs and in 1965, 18
percent,

A White Paper on education,
introduced at the present session
of the Manitoba legislature, in-
cluded among the many good, but
long overdue proposals increased
government grants to school
boards, But no actual figures
were given, thus keeping the
Board in the dark at a time
when the teachers of the Winni-
peg Division are asking for better
salaries and better working con-
ditions, and are quite justified in
doing so,

To add insult to injury Roblin’s
cabinet will hear the Winnipeg
School Board’s brief on Feb, 24
—nine days after the board’s
budget had to be finalized, But
at time of writing this, the matter
is still not closed, and efforts
are being made by the labor
group of trustees to resolve the
question of the teachers’ de-
mands favorably.

This thumbnail sketch of our
problems in Winnipeg points up
the main problem that most
school boards all across the
country are facing—the urgent
need for greater financial assist-
ance from our senior govern-
ments if we are to improve our
whole educational system, and
take the burden off the munici-
palities,

There are, of course, many
other vital problems on the edu-
cation front, such as the shortage
of qualified teachers, the need
for curriculum revisions and
others, But, possibly, more on
that some other time, as my
space is up.

Fellowship, and

NEW WESTMINSTER
ANNUAL INT’L WOMEN’S DAY TEA

SUNDAY—MARCH 6th—2 P.M.

DREAMLAND HALL—Church St.
(opp. Eaton's—New Westminster )

Hear
@ MRS. MABEL STANLEY — of the Coqualteetza Indian

@ Mr Harry Rankin—CUBA REPORT.
Come and enjoy a nice lunch and interesting programme

Admission 50c—Everyone Welcome

Shipyard workers demand

aes

action on merchant marine

By WILLIAM STEWART
Sec. Marine Workers’ &
Boilermakers’. Union

Support for a Canadian mer-
chant marine is growing. Alder-
man Halford Wilson has suggested
to City Council that when they
meet with Transport Minister
Pickersgill, the question of ship-
building and a merchant marine
be raised,

The International Longshore-
men and Warehousemen’s Union
meeting in their Candian Area
convention in Vancouver recently
adopted a resolution calling on
the federal government to devel-
op and maintain a merchant ma-
rine,

Our foreign trade is growing
by leaps and bounds; our harbor
is littered with ships, the over-
flow now stretching from Point
Grey to the mouth of False Creek.

But our facilities are quite
inadequate, Two reasons for this
stand out.

First, the absolute disregard
on the part of the CPR, the chief
owner of waterfront property in.
Vancouver harbor for the de-
veloping of existing facilities,

Secondly,

EG jSLATUE RE

the willingness of

7:05 P.M.
SUNDAYS

CKWX

1130 K.C.
COMMUNIST PARTY’S
WEEKLY RADIO
COMMENTARY

SS

by NIGEL MORGAN

the federal government, through
the National Harbors Board, to
kow-tow to the CPR,

The refusal of the federal gov-
ernment to do anything about a
merchant marine makes amock-

ery out of its plea for more -

trained workers-and its search-
ing of Europe for journeymen-
tradesmen,

This is especially so when an
American carpet-bagger can
come here with impunity and re-
ecruit skilled shipyard workers
for the American war machine,
Who can blame a skilled ship-
yard worker for leaving his shaky
job here when he is guaranteed
five years’ work elsewhere?

It should be noted too that
United States has by far the
largest merchant fleet afloat,
subsidized by the government,

We, in Canada, are spending
millions of dollars for war and
not one cent for a merchant
marine which would keep. our
skilled workers in Canada and
provide thousands of jobs to al-
lied industries. ,

The only contribution the pres-
ent federal government made to
shipbuilding was the re-intro-
duction of the shipbuilding sub-
sidy, but on a reduced scale, In

Enjoy Good, Home-Cooked
Meals at

Jennie’s Cafe
335 Main St.

@ Modern equipment

@ Dining room service

re-introducing the subsidy, how-
ever, Ottawa deliberately left out
all provincial government fer-
ries, knowing full well that B.C.
was the only province operating
a ferry fleet.

This is a clear case of the
Liberals, through Pickersgill, —
venting their spleen on the So-
creds, regardless of the fact that
this could mean additional jobs
lost to B.C, workers, Bennett
has already announced he “may”
have subsequent ferries built in
Japan.

Don’t let either of the two”
governments get away with it.
Write your M.P, andM,L.A, now,
demanding positive action on 4
Canadian merchant marine.

—SHIP AND SHOP

Rush speaks

at Cloverdale

More than 70 people attended
a meeting at Cloverdale last
Wednesday to hear PT associate
editor Maurice Rush report on ~
his recent trip to Vietnam, The ~
meeting called by the Fraser :
Valley Peace Council adopted 4 }
resolution urging the U.S, to =
accept the Geneva Agreement a5 — 3
the foundation for peace in Viet-
nam,

Src hae

The meeting also urged that
Canada protest the bombings of
North Vietnam and press Presi= —
dent Johnson to indicate his wil- —
lingness *o include the National —
Liberation Front in any nego- —
tiations for a peace settlement
in Vietnam, :

Chairman of the meeting wa5 —
Mrs, Beverley Gidora, Proceeds —
of the meeting are to be con- —
tributed to medical aid for Viet mi
nam.

ADMISSION:
$1.50 (Adults)
$1.00 (Students)

The MILESTONES cordially invite you to attend
HOOTENANNY
Saturday, March 19 — 8 p.m.
OAKRIDGE AUDITORIUM

(41st Ave. and Cambie St.)

|

TICKETS AT:

Co-op Book Store,

341 W. Pender St. |
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“RUTKA will show slides of
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Bring your family & friends
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SUPPER at 6:30 p.m. Admis-
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AUUC,

REGENT TAILORS LTD, — Cus-
tom Tailors and Ready-to-
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NEST END RADIO — Special-
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COMING EVENTS
MARCH 13 — VANCOUVER
CELEBRATION — INT’L, WO-
MEN’S DAY will be held on
SUN, MARCH 13th at 1:30p,m,
GOLDEN HORSESHOE HALL,
2786 East Hastings St, Guest
speaker — Dr, Inglis, Music
and Film Short, Sale of home-
baked international pastries.
Tea will be served, Everyone
is invited to attend, Ausp: BC
Women’s Committee for World
Friendship,

March 4, 1966—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Pagé

HALLS FOR RENT |

CLINTON HALL, 2605 E. Pende
Available for banquets, me

’ tings, weddings, etc, Phont
AL 38-9964,

RUSSIAN PEOPLE’S HOME ~——
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quets and weddings at reason
able rates, 600 Campbell Aver
254-3430, :

FOR SALE — Kenebec and Re}
Pontiac potatos at $2.75 pet
100 Ibs, Cabbage — 5¢ Ih
Carrots — 6¢ lb, Unpasteul~
ized honey and farm fres!
eggs. A. MURYN, 363 No. |
Road, Richmond,

PENDER
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’ Phone MU 1-9481

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