Victoria shows the way

- ‘Students fight rising education costs

Cost of fina rises
faster than wages

By EGBERT
The cost of living has lately
been rising ata somewhat alarm-
ing rate,

In the two months ended De-
cember Ist, the Consumer Price
Index jumped 1,2 percent, the
highest two month increase in
the past five years,

This is not just a routine price
increase, The fact is that since
1952, the average increase inthe
index per full year has been 1,5
percent, so the two month in-
crease has been almost equal
to a normal year’s increase,

Moreover, the rise does not
seem to have stopped. There
have been omjnous portents
abroad in the shape of the United
States steel price rise, the
steep increase in the prices of
base metals such as copper, lead
and zinc, and so forth,

But getting closer to the aver-
age man’s cost of living, there
have been three significant mea-
sures since January lst — just
a little over a week ago — that
will show up in higher living
costs,

These are the two cent rise
in the price of butter and the half
percent rise in National Housing
Act mortgage interest rates (both
announced on January 8), and the
imposition of the Canada Pension
Plan tax,

The butter price, taken by it-
self, will not greatly affect the
average consumer, unless it is
indicative of a trend in other
food prices. The change in the
interest rate, on the other hand,
‘will cost the buyer of a $12,000
house $43,30 a year on his pay-
ments, based on a 20 year mort-
gage, And the Canada Pension
Plan will take about one and
one-half percent from each wage
earner,

- Of course, wages have also
been rising, But the effect of the
_ price increases is to deprive the

*HE ONLY WAY THESE STUPID WORKERS
CAN RAISE THEIR LIVING STAN bee?
ISTo TAKE A WACECUT! *

worker of benefit from his wage
increase,

To show the effect, let us take
the case of the average Vancouver
manufacturing employee, whose
wages last year rose by 13 cents
an hour, If he was employed for
a full 40 hour week, all the year
round, his earnings would work
out as shown in our treadmill
chart below,

As can be seen from a perusal
of the figures, the benefit of his
13 cent an hour raise has already
been reduced to $26in 1966, from

_ $271 in 1965,

Now, if he happens to be bor-
rowing money for a new home,
the half percent rise in interest
rates will cut his net income
another $43,30 a year, leaving
him $17 worse off than he was
before he got his raise!

1965 was a record year in
Canada, The Gross National
Product increased by nine per-
cent and, even after allowing for
price changes, total production
increased by six percent,

But for the average Vancouver
worker, as can be seen, the
benefit of this national affluence
has been cancelled out com-
pletely,

It would appear, therefore, that
workers who hope to gain some
modest share of our country’s
vaunted prosperity will need to
win increases of 25 cents an
hour — or more,

Gross wage

two dependents )

The treadmill

Less Income Tax (married with

Less Canada Pension Plan Tax ....
Less increase in Consumer Price
Index (three percent)

Net Spendable Income

1965 1966
$5053 $5324

440

414
=a 70

140

$4639 $4665

By NYL SITRUC a

VICTORIA—University of Victoria students are withholding part of their tuition fees as a pro-
test against rising costs of higher education.

One thousand, five hundred and

sixteen of the university’s 2,973 ~

students have signed pledge cards
promising to withold $56 of their
second term fees,

The $56 is the amount of the
fee increase imposed this year
by the university’s Board of Gov-
ernors, Last year’s fees were
$402 including student union fees,
This year fees are $458. Stu-
dents will pay fees at last year’s
level,

The university calendar states
that all fees must be paid in
full by January 10, At this time
a $5 fine is imposed, If fees
are still not paid by January 17,
a $10 fine is imposed and the
student is liable for expulsion,

On January 5 the Board of
Governors met and decided “that
Owing to confusion in the minds
of many students, the Board has
instructed the officers of the
university to waive tiie $5 penalty
for late payment of fees, and that
as of January 17th, the usual
penalties will come into effect,”

On January 6 the students’
council met and decided to urge
students to continue to withhold
the $56 until January 27, the day
the provincial legislature con-
venes,

In a letter to students. the
council stated “This date (Jan-
uary 27) was chosen because our
object is to focus attention of the
public and the MLAs on the prob-
lem of financing higher educa-
tion in British Columbia,

“Our intention in withholding

-the $56 is to bring forcefully

before the provincial government
the financial problems of post-
secondary education including
excessive fees, If we pay before
January 17, we will not have
accomplished this aim,‘
Board will have extended the time

VICTORIA STUDENTS CONTINUE FEE FIGHT. Student pre-
sident Paul Williamson (with beard) leads University of
Victoria students in a recent demonstration through the
‘Streets: - downtown Migtega: Use demonstration was

The |

for payment, but the issue is not
fee deadlines; it is crippling
cuts in requesting operating
grants,”

Student president Paul Will-
iamson said, ‘‘Tuition levels de-
pend on the amount of operating
grants,”

He said the students’? council
had no intention of becoming
embroiled with the Board of Gov-
ernors,

“Our action is designed solely
to awaken the provincial govern-
ment to the needs for higher
operating grants,” he said,

According to council vice-
president John Thies, student
reaction to the fee withholding
program has been more than
satisfactory,

The only complication arose
on the second day of university
when the administration began
asking students to sign a card
guaranteeing that they would pay

‘their fees on time or risk loss

of their Canada Student Loans,

The forms said, *I understand
that if my full fees are not paid
by the established dates, the

Bursar will notify my bank that

I am no longer properly enrolled
as a full time student,’’

As soon as the cards were
discovered, university president
Dr. Malcolm Taylor was notified
by the information booth staff
and arrangements were made to
have the date clauses removed
from the forms,

Student activities co-ordinator
Gordon Pollard said the forms
were a form of blackmail, “The
students’ council could have
capitalized on the first form in
that it would have discriminated.
against those students who donot
have enough money to attend
university and who require
loans,” he said.

The Victoria Labor Council has -
passed a resolution supporting
the fee withholding action, At
a recent meeting the council voted
to support the stand taken by
the students,

Three represenatives of the
students’ council attended the
meeting and outlined the students’ |
position, The motion of support
came from the executive com-—
mittee and was voted on by repre- —
sentatives of all member unions. —

Student vice-president John —
Thies told the meeting, ‘Sure
roads are good, And ferries are’
good, too, Bennett keeps talking
about a dynamic society but first
we have to have dynamic people,”

Student president Paul Will- —
iamson said he received sup-
port for the action from 26 out
of 27 member universities at
the recent Canadian Union of
Students meeting at Banff, Al-
berta. The only university to
withhold support was U.B.C,

“I am glad to say that Simon
Fraser was one of the first
universities to come out in sup-
port of us,” Williamson said,

(*U.B.C, student president)
Byron Hender obviously does not
reflect the attitude of many stu-
dents at U.B.C. Byron Hender
stands as the last holdout of
1950ish student conservatism as
evidenced by the vote at Banff,”
Williamson said, ;

The fee fight also gained the
support of many student news-
paper editors at the recent Can-
adian University Press confer-
ence in Calgary,

The University of Victoria
Martlet editor presented a brief
to the conference outlining the fee
issue and asking for editorial
support from the papers repre-
sented,

held on National Students Day and was called to protest
and fight against increased tuition fees. The students are
demanding greater grants from the pening governments.

January 14, 1966—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 12