few weeks back many areas of B.C. along the route
of its great rivers were very concerned about flood-
ing; of those great rivers overflowing their banks and dykes
and bringing disaster and perhaps death in many communities.
Happily by a sequence of circumstances, mainly climatic
conditions regulating the runoff, all these communities were
spared from such catastrophies. In some areas of the U.S.
these floods took a terrible toll in human life and property loss.
But on the whole we fared very well in B.C. And that fact had
nothing to do with the ‘‘fore-sightedness’ or other occult
powers of the “‘late’’ Social Credit incubus of the William Alex-
ander Cecil Bennett (WAC for short) government.

Now just supposing we were residents of Vietnam instead,
and it is purely an accident of birth that we aren’t, and we were
looking to our vast dyking areas in the Mekong Delta, and
thanking whatever Diety we thank that these sturdy ramparts
were holding tight against the flood waters that would ensue
should they break when suddenly, without warning, squadrons
of big B-52 bombing planes bearing the insignia of U.S.
imperialist genocide, should unload cargo upon cargo of great
destructive bombs upon those dykes, and turn a vast area of
quiet rice paddies and teeming peasant villages and hamlets
into a seething cauldron of roaring flood waters and mass
death. A “‘personalized”’ war of genocide that swept all toa
watery grave.

How would our own concern about our own flood danger
and its consequences stack up against that? Should we be
deeply worried about the one, and mildly complacent about the
other? Is the life of a Vietnam peasant of less value or
consequence than that of a Fraser Valley or a Similkameen
farmer? We may not be ‘‘our brother’s keeper,’’ but that does
not provide us with a clean conscience as an accomplice, even
albeit, an unwilling one, in this deliberate war of genocide in
Vietnam — by the destruction of Vietnamese safeguards
against Nature, painstakingly built by long years of hard toil
and effort; then demolished in one blinding flash of detonating
explosions — to teach the ‘‘gooks’’ the meaning of Yankee
“know-how.”’

Of course the Pentagon has denied this dyke bombing.
“These dykes’”’ say some U.S. warhawk brass ‘‘are not on
target,’’ and consequently couldn’t be ‘“‘deliberately’’ bombed?
Washington ‘‘credibility gaps” are limitless in their horizons
and scope. Compared to the Nixons, Herr Doktor Goebbels and
his Nazi colleagues were novices. And the vast flood waters
keep their silence and their secret well, without benefit of the
oft-repeated official Pentagon ‘‘Viet Cong body count,”’ which
includes all the countless mothers and babies obliterated!

But all that’s in far-away Vietnam, far from the Fraser, or
North Thompson or Similkameen rivers, and therefore not a
pressing problem on our own conscience, as we contemplate
our own flood problems, and thank our respective ‘‘gods’’
Jehovah or Bennett, that nothing of a flood happened here!

Just a few nights ago a CBC-TV program listed a number
of Canadian firms who have been taking in fat profits produc-
ing the numerous gagets now being used by U.S. imperialism in
its stepped-up ‘‘electronic’’ war upon the Vietnamese people.
This is nothing new of course. Our big monopoly concerns have
been cashing-in handsomely in producing and patenting new
weapons of death and destruction for U.S. use in Vietnam and
other areas of Indochina. Obviously our ‘‘better’’ people are
not averse to a lot of blood on their profits, just so long as it
isn’t their own blood that is being wantonly and ruthlessly
spilled? As the man said, ‘‘it all depends upon whose ox is
getting gored.”’

The same on the issue of floods and flooding; it all depends
upon whose home, area or community is getting swept
downstream. By natural causes it is understandable, and thus
often so minimized by the collective ingenuity of man. In the
case of deliberate heavy bombing of the river and Delta dykes
of Vietnam it is an act of genocide, an act of criminal
desperation by a war-craved imperialism; an act at which
even Hitler balked at when only the canals of Holland barred
his path to his ‘“‘welt anshauang”’ (world outlook).

Genocide by bombing Vietnam dykes — and we worried
when the Fraser waters were making the old barnyard a bit

soggy?

FRASER VALLEY PICNIC

Sunday, August 13, 1:00 P.M..

at Fred Bianco’s
10246 — 132nd St., North Surrey

King George H’wy — turn West
on Hjorth Rd., South on 132nd St.
$1.00 Admission includes Raffle, Refreshments
All Day
Barbeque Salmon Supper at 5:00 P.M.
($1.00 Adults — 50¢ Children)
Games for Young and Old

EVERYONE WELCOME =

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 1972—PAGE 2

Rankin exposes need
for housing elderly

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

Plans for new senior citizens
housing projects are now almost
at a standstill. Only 10 new
projects totalling perhaps 600-700
units are now under discussion.
Since the period between discus-
sion and the actual completion
of building is usually several
years, the outlook isn’t good.

Here is a brief summary of
senior citizens housing in the
Greater Vancouver Regional
District.

At the end of 1971 we had 6372
units with another 2573 units
under construction or com-
mitted, making a total of 8945
units.

When all the projects are com-
pleted, Vancouver will have 54
percent of the total. The only one
of the 12 municipalities in the
GVRD that hasn’t a single senior
citizens housing project is North
Vancouver District.

Of the 104 senior citizens
projects in the GVRD, 62 are
operated by non-profit private
societies (31 of these in Van-
couver) and 15 are publicly
owned and operated by the B.C.
Housing Management Com-
mission. Private societies own
6655 units — 74 percent — with
the remainder — 2290 units —
being publicly owned.

All of these projects received
some form of government finan-
cial assistance for their con-
struction.

Those privately sponsored
qualified for a one-third capital
grant from the _ provincial
government under the B.C.
Elderly Citizens Housing Act,
as well as for a mortgage under
Section 15 of the National Hous-
ing Act. The publicly owned
projects were constructed
under Section 40 of the National
Housing Act under the terms of
which the federal government
pays 75 percent of the capital
costs and the provincial govern-
ment 25 percent. The operating
losses, if any, are shared
between the federal, provincial
and regional governments on a
75 - 12¥2 - 1242 percent basis.

UNFAIR TAXATION

Privately sponsored senior
citizens housing projects do not
pay any taxes; this is stipulated
by the B.C. Municipal Act. Pub-
licly owned projects, however,
must pay full taxes.

An optimist?

Politics has forced the NDP to
abandon its plans for an early
Start on this year’s civic election
campaign in Vancouver, says a
story in the Vancouver Sun.

Area Council spokesman
Brian Campbell said the NDP
would hold their nominating
convention probably about the

second week of September. °

“Once the provincial election is
over,”’ he said, ‘‘there will be
several likely candidates for the
mayoral nomination.”’

Friday peace rally

Friday, August 4, from 6 to 9
p:m. citizens for peace will
commemorate Hiroshima Day.
at the court house square.
Groups within the Peace Action
League invite all concerned
citizens to take part.

The event will mark the rededi-
cation of lovers of peace to the
unfinished job of ending the
destruction of life and environ-
ment in Indochina,

Rents in the various housing
projects are usually about $40a
month in the older units, $30 to
$50 in those constructed
between 1960-68, $50-$75 for those
built in 1969-70, and over $80 for
those being completed this year.
Income limits,in private projects
were $200 for a single person last
year and $347.50 for a couple.
The minimum qualifying age
was 65 years. Public projects are
open to handicapped persons at
55.

The above are some of the
facts of the present situation.
How does the supply of senior
citizen housing correspond to
the need?

A survey made by housing
officials revealed that the wait-
ing list was over 7000, but it was
not in any way up to date. Thou-
sands of elderly people never
apply because they know they
haven’t a chance, due to the long
waiting list, of ever getting into
one of these low-rent units.

The population of the GVRD in
1971 was 1,026,000. Approxi-
mately 5 percent of the popu-
lation is 65 years of age and over.
That comes to well over 50,000.
Most of them are people with ex-
tremely limited means. Many of
them need low rental housing des-
perately, as I know from the
many phone calls I get. Yet, last
year, we had less than 6400 units
for these people.

Something must be done to
prod the GVRD to get going on
more public low rental housing.
The municipalities can show
some initiative too. For exam-
ple there is no reason why
several thousand low rental
units can’t be built in the False
Creek area which is about to be
developed. Why should this hous-
ing all be of the expensive type
for people with higher incomes?

Senior citizens are presently
waging a determined and widely
supported campaign to have
their pensions increased to $150 a
month, which is little enough in
these days of high prices. To this
should be added the demand for
more low-rent housing. Both
deserve the full support of all citi-
zens.

JIM BEYNON

Select Beynon

in Little Mtn. |

Jim Beynon, the 26 year old

marine worker who was nom |

inated last week to contest the
Little Mountain constituency”
the August 30th election has
packed a great deal of expel”
ience into his short life.

Of. native Indian and Uk
rainian-Canadian _ parentage
Jim has worked as a shore
worker in the fishing industtY
and when very young was I?
volved in the fishermen’s strike
in the Prince Rupert area: he
was provincial secretary of Ps
Young Communist League whl
still attending school, 4
within the past few years
travelled in Europe, atte he
B.C.1.T. and is employed int ;
shipyards where he has je
some years taken an active
in the Boilermakers and Mar
Worker’s Union. il:

He is a nephew of the late Wi ;
liam Beynon who was an re
standing authority on the ,
tory of the coast Indiar’
supplying much of the matel,
for the book authored bY
famed Henri Barbusse. the

Jim’s special interests are
fight for a shipbuilding pros!
to provide a Canadian mer
shipping fleet, and to give W
to young people.

He is making a special aPP
to young people to get out a
vote for himself and other oF :
munist candidates as Tet
sentatives of a party whic Pine
up a day to day struggle i

eople’s ‘welfare — 2 ;
which catches fire only at ele
tion time.

part
ne

eal

=

A : : : ck o
Communist editor Tom McEwen with the Lenin Medallion ste dst
the Soviet government last year to honor Communists in ot es s hi
outstanding achievement. Photo taken at McEwen’s home § p

and his wife Rose with Kowalski in the centre.

_G..Legebon?

has
ttended |

chant

nd |

of |
: rary =
McEWEN AWARDED LENIN MEDALLION. On July 8 the first SeCT™ ora!
the Soviet Embassy in Canada, Boris Kowalski, presenté