ee } m88@ and the recommendations ae Borden report. Vancou- ity Council, Civic Reform Sociation and other organi- “ations have all asked that the “ating be set back. Whenever the Public Utilities ing ssion does open its hear- lot will be said about the mee price spread between the B.C. Electric pays st Coast Transmission and € tates the BCE charges to Useholders. fn BCE buys natural gas 4 average 30.5¢ per thou- Cubic feet and charges neouver householders an aa $1.41 per thousand ier feet — a mark-up of al- 500 percent. Another issue at -the™hear- . The Borden Commission report, made public this week, 8s already affecting the public hearing on natural gas rates set or November 4 in Vancouver. Its immediate affect has been '0 increase the demand for postponement of the hearing to fnable all interested parties to study both the B.C. Electric’s U.S. distributors pay for B.C. gas compared to that paid by B.C. distributors. The Borden Commission’s report draws attention to the fact that B.C. distributing com- panies pay almost 50 percent more for Westcoast gas than the American Pacific North- west Gas. In evidence presented before the Borden commission it was shown that U.S. distributors WHAT STAND Wille PUC TAKE? Borden report bares gas scandal .02c below the cost of produc- tion. The report hits at the huge profits made by the promotors of West Coast Transmission Company in its accusation that company backers received “potential capital profits be- yond any amount which could be considered as reasonable for adequate compensation for the risks involved.” If anything, the Borden Commission criti- cism is too mild. Evidence brought out before the commission hearings gave sordid details of the financing methods used by West Coast Transmission: It was disclosed, for instance, that most of the shares were sold privately in New York and that Canadians had little chance to buy shares in the new company which was to exploit one of our richest natural resources. Snocking examples of profi- pay .22c a-thousand cubic feet at the border while B.C. dis- tributors pay .32c a thousand cubic feet. Borden Commis- sion counsel showed at the hearings that it costs .24c to deliver gas to the border at Huntington. This means that B.C. natural ne will certainly be the price gas is exported to the U.S. at teering were brought out \ > ae SUBS OBTAINED: 715 i a Se 35 14 GREATER VANCOUVER signee tc ah 24 Victoria _.---------- 40 e PRESS CLUB TARGET ACHIEVED PRESS CLUB TARGET ACHIEVED Advance ____. Biers 20 10 : roadway eee 30 25 PROVINCE a (CLO ee ase e 20 VW Aldergrove --=----- 5 2 “S15 OY (dee 10 1 Remieet & es 10 3 Electrical 5 23 eae Oa Be Ral 5 weal -------_- 35 Ft. Langley ------ --20 ONS ESS eee 10 3 Haney te 20 7 Granayj 35 21 cae Si te 0 10 ae CW -+---45>4 Kamloops ---------- 2 ae SS BOAS LG Aa. 35 27 Tannen. 6-6 see 10 =— a meton 94. 35 22 Maple Ridge ------ 20 9 fe weasant ------ 25 6 Michel-Natal —----- 5 2 me Makela ..___- 10 3 Mission’ =- a. -o- == 20 14 01 ‘quay Ae ae Sai 15 18 Neilson... 3 cee 25 6 ae eee ee ate 10 4 New Westminster -. 40 21 Beecurey +:-------- 40 26 Notch Hill _------- 10 5 ‘athcona eon oes 15 10 Powell River ------ 20 34* ‘etory Square ____ 30 17 " Steveston. ---------- 5 1 nerfront hepa [5 13 North Surrey ------ 20 12 ai ce ae 10 21" South Surrey ------ 5 2 5 tth Burnaby _.._ 40 32 Trail-Rossland —_~-- 25 5 Cuth Burnaby SE NI) 30* Vernon ------------ 15 13 al Wan: City... 20 20* Correspondence ---- 5 — fe Van District _ 30 2 Y Miscellaneous __ 35 29 PROVINCE TOTAL ACHIEVED 380 MISCELLANEOUS ‘Prince Rupert ----- 5 + VANCOUVER ISLAND Seimon Aim ee 5 3 Albernis vigsedebesis _ 30 22 Sointula --.-------- 10 cimpbell Fite 15 6 Miscellaneous ----- 40 24 °urtena 5 LO 2 Cumberian eee oe mS TOTAL ACHIEVED 335 Pim 15 51 : Parksville Coy ie 3 GRAND TOTAL 715 @ Drive for 1,000 new subs and renewals concludes November 15 when it was revealed that West Coast promoters sold over 600,000 original shares or .05c each in 1955, which two years later were worth almost $50 — a 1,000 percent gain. The report also noted that Pacific: North West Gas Com- pany, besides having the bene- fit of its gas contract with Westcoast, under which it gets the gas below cost of produc- tion,also holds 25 percent of the Canadian firm’s capital stock bought at $5 a share. The report correctly states that it would “not be in the public’s interests” for Pacific North West to benefit two ways; as a shareholder and from prices which are below those paid by Canadian dis- tributing companies. The PUC hearing on natural gas rates will have to cope with the fact that Lower Main- land users of natural gas are compelled to pay the highest rates in North, America: for these reasons: ® The BCE is making an ex- horbitant profit by its price spread. @ The greater part of the natural gas is going to the U.S. Bert Whyte ‘2. SPOR Bx in 1955 -B.C. Lions had a chance to pick up quarter back Ronnie Knox for $1,000 a game. The directors. busy pouring money down half a dozen drains, thought Ronnie wanted too much. This column disagreed, vigorously, and said Knox could have put Lions in the playoffs. In 1956 Knox and his ob- noxious stepfather were still available, and Calgary deep in the cellar, hired the boy won- der. He showed at Empire Stadium and only some butter- fingered pass receiving kept the Stamps from licking the Lions? The following week Ronnie led his mates to two victories. The Stamps won only four all season. On October 26, 1956, I wrote in this column:: “Put Ronnie Knox in the quarterback slot and Lions could wipe the floor with Regina or Winni- peg and play on fairly even terms with Edmonton.” Since* then, at one time or another, Knox has been wan- dering around loose, to be had for the asking. So far as I know, Lions never made him an offer, at below cost of production prices and B.C. users are being forced to subsidize these exports. ® West Coast Transmission’s capital structure has enabled speculators to make pheno- menal profits at the expense of the consuming public. However indignant they may be over this new evidence of how they are being gouged by the B.C. Electric, the people of this province have even more at stake in the PUC hear- ing than their concern as con- sumers. The biggest steal of all is one that is not imniediately ap- parent — the jobs that are being lost. This is what de- mands the united action of the entire labor and progressive movement. The gas now being exported to the U.S. at below cost prices would provide jobs for Canadians if it were used to bring new industries, now handicapped by higher prices, to this province. Instead, Can- adian consumers are being compeled to subsidize the ex- port of natural gas — and their potential livelihood — to the U.S. ILIGHT This year Toronto Argon- auts, after a disastrous start, borrowed Knox from the Chi- cago Bears. In their last three games, with Ronnie at the helm, the Argos whupped Ottawa 41-0 demolished Hamilton 37-0 and _ licked Ottawa again, 42-24. Knox had the opposition dizzy with his expert forward passing in all three games. When he didn’t pass and de- cided to run with the ball himself, he looked as good as Jackie Parker. Right now the Argos have only a mathematical chance of making the Big Four playoffs. If they squeeze in, Knox might pitch them into the Grey Cup. And should that miracle hap- pen, my friends, we might see a duel between. Knox and Parker at Empire Stadium — for the galloping Esks are better than an even bet to beat Winnipeg in the WIFU play- offs. The above is just a dream. This column thinks it will be Hamilton vs. Edmonton. But Argos against the Esk§ — Parker versus Knox — is the tussle we’d really like to see. October 31, 1958 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 7% s naa