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By FILS DELISLE

Tribune Berlin

Correspondent
BERLIN — Western
propaganda mills are once
again grinding out weird
tales about new border regu-
lations agreed to by the
German Democratic Repub-

lic and Poland.

Germany, where political
leaders have never given up
the hostile anti-Polish de-
mand for reincorporation of
Polish territories into a new
imperialist Germany within
the borders of Hitler's reich
of 1937, the cry has been
Taised that the GDR is
somehow. acting against
Polish interests. The claim
is being made on the basis of
new border regulations
under which citizens in both
Poland and the GDR will
now have to apply for visas

the other country.

” Zens of both countries could
cross their joint border
Merely on presentation of
their identification papers.
Now they will require
invitations from someone in
‘the other country to get
their visas.

The claims in the West
that the new regulations are
somehow a GDR act inimi-
Cal to Poland are refuted by
the facts. Firstly, the regula-
tions were agreed upon
jointly by the GDR and
Polish governments in the
interests of both sides. Sec-
ondly, they are clearly
Stated to be provisional and
based on developments in
Poland recently which have
created a new situation re-
quiring new regulations on
Visits and tourism between
the two countries. Thirdly,

the GDR has already in-

“neighbor.

In the Federal Republic of .

in their own country to visit

“"““During the 1970’s, citi- ~

‘land. To strengthen the

-on the: undiminished sup-

creased its normal ship-
ments of foodstuffs in re-
sponse to Poland’s food
shortages and pledges itself
to continue its policy of ren-
dering all possible aid to its

Fourthly, all unbiased
observers are aware that it
is neither in the interest of
the GDR nor of Poland for
masses of Polish citizens to
keep coming into the GDR
daily to purchase foodstuffs
and other things which are
in short supply in their own
country. That will obvi-
ously not adequately solve
the problem of shortages in
Poland and could only have
a disorganizing effect on the
plans for food supplies in
the GDR. A_ com-
mentary in the newspaper
Neues Deutschland em-
phasizes the provisional na-
ture of the new agreement.
It also says: “‘additional de-
liveries of goods to Poland
agreed on by the two coun-
tries in recent weeks are an
expression of our active
solidarity with the efforts to
stabilize the situation in Po-

socialist workers’. and far-
mers’ power there. The lift-
ing of the temporary
changes in travel between
the GDR and People’s Po-
land without passports or
visas will depend on the
progress made along this
road. ;
‘*Polish communists,
with whom we are bound by
a long and tested commu-
nity of struggle, and all
Polish patriots can depend

port of the German Demo-
cratic Republic in the solu-
tion of all existing and com-
plicated problems and in the
strengthening of - social-

ism.

BAC

Bs

After 185 days aboard the Salyut-6
Soviet cosmonauts Leonid Popov and

K ON EARTH

orbitting space station,
Valery Ryumin returned to

@arth Oct. 11. They report it took them less than 24 hours to get re-

time in space.

ACcustomed to Earth's gravity. The 185 day flight marks a new record for

PHOTO —T

Canada to increase
grain sales to SU

MOSCOW (APN) — The:

statement by Canada’s State
Minister Hazen Argue that
Canada does not consider itself
tied by the embargo on grain sales

to the Soviet Union, introduced

by the United States, and is wil-
ling to sharply increase its grain
supplies, has been welcomed in
the USSR as evidence of a realis-
tic approach to the questions of
international politics and trade.
The decision to limit trade,
economic and cultural coopera-
tion with the Soviet Union, taken
by the previous Conservative
government in January 1980, was
a clear departure from the spirit
and the letter of the Helsinki
Agreements. To please. the U.S.

Administration, the Conser-

vatives intended to destroy every-
thing positive that had been
achieved in relationships between
Canada and the USSR in the
1970s. °

The nine months that have pas-
sed since the adoption of this
short-sighted decision have
shown once again that attempts to
return to the time and norms of
the cold war entail many sacri-
fices, first of all, on the part of
Canadians themselves. The in-
itiators of the grain embargo plan-
ned that it would deal a telling
blow at the USSR. In actual fact,
it caused losses for Canada. —

— INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

Nuclear death
by the Royal bomb
Princes of old, say history
books and movies, would lead
the charge of their armies into
battle. It was glory time,
fighting hand-to-hand for profit
and honor.
Today’s princes seem to
have it better. They sail and jet
about the world, - mere
shadows of their predecessors,
living the good life.

urge for battle beats in the pr-
incely breast; the longing for
glory lives on. It’s a rather
pathetic sight.

British Prince Phillip is one
example. Speaking recently
to the Men’s Canadian Club in
Ottawa, Phillip moralized
about ‘‘human nature’’ and
war. “It’s unrealistic,” said
this prince, “‘to think that
people can be made to see that
peace is better than war, love
better than hate and com-
promise better than confronta-
tion.”’

He then spelled it out:
‘Provision for war and na-
tional defence and the concept
of nuclear deterrent may be

idealists. But to the practical
realist they are the price of
peace and independence...
and let me remind you that
price is a good deal less than
the cost of war.”

The technological age has
brought on many innovations,
but perhaps the strangest we’ ll
see is the evolution of the pr-
incely sword into the princely
nuclear bomb. :

But, some may say, Phillip
speaks about the price of peace
(defence budgets and atomic
weapons). What he didn’t do

In some cases, however, the .

unattractive and irrational to

According to the Canadian
press, the farmers of Saskatche-
wan alone lost about $50-million.
The drop in farmers’. purchasing
power lowered demand for farm
machinery and this resulted in
plant closures and layoffs.

It would be wrong, however, to
say that Canadians alone have
suffered losses as a result ofthese
‘‘sanctions’’. Announced at a
time when the onslaught against
détente, launched by the USA,
was in full swing, the sanctions
have also played a role in a gen-
etal aggravation of the inter-
national situation. ‘

It is a fair guess that in this.con-
text Canada’s rejection of the
embargo on grain sales to the
USSR reflects a shift towards a
constructive approach to the
questions of international co-
operation, an approach which will
doubtless tell both on the rela-
tionships between the two coun-
tries and on the improvement of
the world situation as a whole.

As for the Soviet Union, the
development of foreign trade rela-
tions with all countires on the
basis of mutual benefit is viewed
here as a major state task.

This was said specifically at the
session of the USSR Supreme
Soviet last month which adopted
a plan for the country’s economic
and social development for 1981.

As was noted at the session,
deferred-compensation deals
with be further developed in the
Soviet Union's cooperation with
industrialized countries next
year. Equipment and materials
for building industrial plants will
be delivered to the USSR on the
basis of compensation agree-
ments, while the products of
these plants will be supplied to the
countries participating in their
construction. The list of the most
active foreign trade partners of
the USSR includes West Ger-
many, Japan, France, Finland
and Sweden.

v |
fa *

Saskatchewan farmers alone lost
an estimated $50-million during
the Conservative. ordered grain
embargo.

was tell us how much of his (or
his wife’s) royal budget he was
willing to ante up to pay for
them.
Maybe he -should stick to

polo.

When in St. Louis _
carry lots of cash

The Gage Canadian dic-
tionary describes indigent as
“poor; needy”.

Barnes Hospital in St.
Louis, Missouri, last week de-
scribed 36-year old Theotis
Little as ‘‘indigent’’ and re-
fused to remove a steak knife
from his back unless he could
put up $1,000. ;

Little arrived-at the hospital
following ayquarrel with the
blade of the knife embedded in
his back wedged against his
spinal cord. Hospital officials
took x-rays, but refused
surgery because the man had
no insurance and no cash.

They refused his uncle’s
cheque claiming they couldn't
tell if it could be covered. The
man was finally taken to an-

other hospital where the knife
was removed. His left leg was
paralyzed and he is presently

undergoing out-patient
therapy.

Replying to questions about
the incident, a_ hospital

spokeswoman said the policy
may seem ‘‘cold-hearted’’ but
defended it saying that’s why
other hospitals exist — to take
care of indigent patients. ‘‘If
the man was dying or needed
something done right away, we
would have done it,’’ she
explained.

The mind boggles at what
**needed something done right
away’’ could mean.

What Little obviously re-
quired was $1,000 cash in his
pocket to prove he wasn’t indi-
gent. Can you just imagine the
surgeon discussing billing with |
Little as he sat in agony? And ©
he was in the hospital for three
hours as this went on.

What a commentary on
privatization of medical care! |
And what an insight into the
Land of the Free, the world’s
defender of human rights.

MERCY
COMMUNITY

SORRY. rs WE DONT TAKE CWEQUES

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOV. 14, 1980—Page 7