ae me oy ns mn

ain tisseadinbindaitinten dette 0

nasi stool il

r
aikciehennsnacaailshcls ila

3

s

Farmers demand controls on monopoly

By W. C. BEECHING

WINNIPEG — Highlights of
the Fourth National Farmers
Union Convention were two re-
solutions, both of which arose
out of an address to the con-
vention by Hernan Ortega, a
refugee from the Chilean fascist
junta, who spoke to the NFU
convention in place of Mrs. Hor-
tensia Allende.

Not only was Mr. Ortega’s
address very well received, but
also, arising out of what he
said, two resolutions — one
calling for the outlawing of the
CIA in Canada (see box); and
the other calling for the resto-
ration of fundamental rights of
Chileans, for a list of all politi-
cal prisoners, for the junta to
end its murder and abuse of pri-
soners — were endorsed. The
resolution also called for the
dismissal of the Canadian Am-
bassador to Chile, Andrew Ross.

The convention, held in Win-
nipeg, was well attended. It re-
elected Roy Atkinson as its na-
tional president, and Evelyn
Potter as its national women’s
director.

NFU president Roy Atkinson
demanded that ‘‘we do not allow
our energy resources to be wast-
ed or exploited for the benefit
of others,” and said that Can-
adians must have sovereignty
over all their energy resources.
“Control over energy,” he said,
“is the key to the future.”

He said the most efficient
form of transportation is rail

transportation, bar none. He
called for total integration of all
transportation systems, and for
the massive allocation of capital
into the railroad system which
should be nationalized, and
placed under the control of the
people of Canada. He said that
the most recent example of the
arrogance of the CPR is its re-
fusal to repair box cars in order
to transport grains.

He warned the convention
against what he called an over-
simplified approach to changing
governments in order to secure
what you want. Under the Die-
fenbaker government the feed
mills were released from the
control of the Canadian Wheat
Board (CWB) to buy feed in the
open market; and under the Tru-
deau government, the move is
for an open market in the do-
mestic market.

For Control over Monopoly

The convention reflected the
the complex currents in life in
Canada. Just as the new trends
in the strike struggles of today
reflect a stronger trade union
movement, a growing conscious-
ness, with a mood that indic-
ates that the workers are striv-
ing to express something more
than a wage demand, so.the pro-
positions brought up at the NFU
convention also indicate that
the farmers are increasingly dis-
satisfied with the growing lack
of freedom to decide. the way
the currents of life will flow.

The content of the demands
of the farmers, taken as a whole,
are demands for controls over
monopoly, and for a better all-
round life for the farmers. Key
questions raised at the conven-
tion were proposals for price
stabilization, orderly marketing,

and Canadians, and

serve

Farmers denounce CIA

WHEREAS the intelligence arm of American international
capitalism, namely the CIA, has been proven, to our satis-
faction, to be directly involved in thwarting the democratic
efforts of the people of other countries, such as Chile, and

WHEREAS the CIA has, in the past, been involved in dir-
ecting the social, economic and political future of Canada

WHEREAS any serious political, social and economic
changes in Canada, by Canadians could incur the wrath
and repercussions of the CIA and those masters whom they

“THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the National Farmers
Union demand of the government of Canada, that all activi-
ties of the CIA in Canada be rendered illegal by legislation.

Calls for cheap energy

HAMILTON — William Stew-
art, Ontario leader of the Com-
munist Party of Canada, speak-
ing to a public meeting here
last week on the energy crisis,
said that after issuing a pro-
gram of 43 steps to save fuel
and energy, lo and behoid, the
Canadian government has dis-
covered there is no oil shortage.
Overnight they found we had
thousands of barrels of oil out
west.

Following that, they learned
that the Come-By-Chance refin-
ery in Newfoundland can pro-
duce enough oil to keep us go-
ing as well. :

Stewart asked the audience to
remember that this is the same
government which scuttled our
maritime shipping, which would
not adopt an east-west energy
grid, and which agreed to an oil
pipeline from Canada to the U.S.

We also export to the U.S.,
he pointed out, 1,362,000 barrels
of oil, while we consume
1,700,000 barrels. We sell to the
U.S. oil at $5.90 a barrel and
they in turn sell it to the Euro-
pean market at double the price.

At the same time, he pointed
out, the U.S. has capped off
wells and built up a tremendous
reserve.

Cheap Energy For All

Stewart also described the
existence in. Canada of oil re-
serves in the Athabasca Tar
Sands which would supply us
for a thousand years, and bil-
lions of tons of coal good for
5,000 years, along with the fact
that there is no shortage of
natural gas.

He told the audience that the
Communist Party has been to
the Ontario government time
and time again with briefs on
the development of a policy of
cheap energy for everyone, not
just the multi-national corpora-
tions.

What is needed, he said, is
for the working class, the NDP,
the trade union movement and
the Communist Party to join to-
gether to fight for a national
energy policy to serve the needs
of the industrialization of Can-
ada and to provide equitable
standards of living for all.

Energy Program

‘In conclusion, Mr. Stewart

said, the Communist Party of
Canada calls for public owner-
ship of all natural resources.
The Party’s program includes:
e Natural resource develop-

ment to take place under crown
or joint crown—private corpora-
tions subject to general govern-
ment planning.

e Planned systematic repatri-
ation of major Ontario-based in-
dustries now under U.S. control
and ownership. Guarantees
against any further U.S. econo-
mic penetration into the pro-
vince.

Mr. Stewart was speaking in
Hamilton as part of a provincial
tour which has taken him to
Thunder Bay, Windsor and
London. é

‘HURRY, NANOOK, BEFORE HE DECLARES AN ICE SHORTAGE!’

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1973—-PAGE 8

and control over profiteering
and inflation.

The central policy position
was a declaration of opposition
to the goveérnment’s intentions of
returning feed grains to the open
market, embodied in a Com-
prehensive “Grains Policy State-
ment.” Speaker after speaker
stated that this must not be to-
lerated, that it will integrate
farmers more deeply and inex-
tricably into the planning sys-
tem of the big corporations who
seek only profits, regardless of
the consequences.

Grain Policy

The “Grains Policy State-
ment” brought before the con-
vention, pointed out that there
is concern over short supply of
some kinds of grains; that the
railways are moving grain very
slowly; that farmers are con-
cerned over the rapidly rising
costs of production. The NFU
contends that the farmers,
alone, are being compelled to
bear the entire cost of subsidiz-
ing domestic policies of the
Liberal government, which keep
the selling price of wheat in
Canada depressed below the
-world price, by at least $1.75
per bushel.

The broad outlines of the
grain policy were: A price, plus
a”~“reasonable profit” — price
controls over those things the
farmer has to buy — price sta-
bility through an orderly, gov-
ernment-controlled marketing
system — policies of selling to
the whole world — reconstruc-
tion of rural communities —
domestic planning, which main-
tains growth in the production
of livestock, dairy and poultry
— and so forth.

Combined Struggle

At one point, the grains pol-
icy statement says that “if ade-
quate world food stocks are not
maintained, (it) could lead to
world conflict flowing from fa-
mine or near-starvation.” - This
erroneous theory about the
cause of war, is popularly held
among the reformist - minded
people who support the NFU. It
dulls the need to-combine a
general anti-imperialist struggle
— the real source of wars —
with the programmatic demands
of the farmers. By implication it
blames the peoples of the third
world for causing wars, and
could be used to justify support
for Israel against the Arab
states.

In addition, a draft resolution
which would legalize collective
bargaining was endorsed.

What was probably the most
pointed and pertinent remarks
made were those made by a

young farmer in his early twen-_

ties. Instinctively, he under-
stood the continuing weakness
of the NFU. He said, “As I see

it, here’s our policy. We have.

it all on paper. Here we are as
an organization. Now, how are
we going to get that policy?”
Certainly the future of the NFU,
and successes of’ the farmers,
rests in how well it answers in
everyday struggles, the ques-
tions he posed.
Whelan Challenged

There were a number of guest
speakers. Eugene Whelan, fe-
deral minister of agriculture,
gave his typical performance —
one which claimed that his sole
aim, and that of his government,
was to give the farmers a square
deal, to provide adequate food
at reasonable prices, and with
a good return to the farmers.
He played on the theme that the
price rises of food stuffs in
Canada are as a direct result of

increased prices being paid to -

farmers.

Mr. Atkinson challenged him,
stating that the policies advoc-
ated by Mr. Whelan were simp-
ly excuses for a further rip-
off of the farmers. However, the
key question: that high prices
in Canada are caused by profit-

eering-created inflation by the — 7:

big corporations, wasn’t dealt
with. This ommission, unfortun-
ately, tends to mesh” with the
idea held among wide sections
of the people that the sole pro-
blem_ is
rather than the deeper question
of planned production, for
wheat, and political control.
Another speaker, Dr. Gordon
MacEachern, president of the
Agricultural Economics Research

Council, Ottawa, made a num-—

ber of good points, all of which
were distorted and negated by
his conclusion. He pointed to the
unequal sharing in the boom,
the serious problems in rural
areas, the continuing uncertain-
ty and insecurity among the
masses of people.

‘World of Insecurity

He called for an
strategy for Canada and, at this
point, introduced his “inter-
mediate technology” theories

which claim that the average —

farmer could take waste by-
products, manure — the bio-
mass created through farm
operations—convert it into me-

thane gas, which could then be ~

one of distribution,

industrial —

used by the individual farmer

for power and heating purposes.
He told the farmers that in Tai-
wan such technology is being
used.

“There are no such things as
solutions any more,” he said,

“only problems; and the prob- —

lems are messes.” There is no
security in a world of insecur-
ity, so therefore we must create
stable farm communities our-
selves. How to do it?” Erect a
manure digester yourself!” he
said. —

His proposals reflect the in-
consistency of the middle class.
First of all, there is not a world
of insecurity but insecurity in

the capitalist world; there is

security not insecurity, in the
Communist world. Secondly,
and just as important, manure
digesters are not solutions to
the farm problems. The farmers,
themselves, in order to cope
with the crises affecting every
facet of their lives, need to
adopt the positions of the work-
ing-class, so that farmer-labor
unity in a_ struggle against
monopoly and for new progres-

sive policies can be won in both ~

economic and political strug- —

gles.
It is only such an approach

that would put content into the |

- words spoken at the convention
by NFU president Atkinson
when he said,
change; for the kind of social
change which will bring social
‘justice to the people of the
world.” =

Workers and Farmers
Stan Little, national. presid
of CUPE addressed the cone
tion, as well. His theme was:
What has organized labor got in
common with the _ farmers?

While many misunderstandin,

still exist, he said, the workers
and farmers are both victims of
inflation and “we are subject to

the wage-price squeeze, just as |

you are subject to the cost-price
squeeze.” He said that farmers
and workers need to act collec-
tively if “our voices are to be

heard and our individual inter-

ests protected.” He called fo
exchanges between farmers and
unions “so that we can hear
from the grass roots level as to
what they think.” ee

“I stand for -