mT 2 Ci] d Cheeseman yall mn Se DIOS ENN IPN “FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 1955 Morgan wants probe of PUC Nigel Morgan, LPP proviricial leader, has wired Premier W. A. C. Bennett demanding “a full public inquiry into the organization and administration of the mecitiayon and control of public utilities.” The action followed charges made in B.C. Court of Appeal Continued ernment’s measures to control the drug traffic, it found no re- flection in his articles. But if Wasserman had read the current newspaper files while he was in New York, he would have found, in the New York News of February 13, a report from that paper's correspondent in Singapore quoting a British customs official as, stating that Thailand was “the centre of . . . Southern Asian opium peddled by international racketeers (and) Red China’s contribution to the drug racket appears to be smallest of all.” As an on-the-spot report it should have been worth quoting, if the: Vnacouver Sun is sincere in its campaign to halt the drug traffic. in Vancouver, where hearings on _ the B.C. Electric 15-cent fare are now in their second week. For the past several days BCE spokesmen have been attempting to answer accusations made by T. G. Norris, counsel for City of Vancouver, concerning irregulari- ties in the PUC decision which allowed the company to boost fares. Norris also. asserted that PUC chairman Percy George has shown “a very strong bias” for the B.C. Electric during the hearings. Effie Jones, long-time leader in the battle to halt B.C. Electric gouging of the public, said this week that the evidence which has been presented at the cur- rent fare hearings “backs up what I said long ago — that the transit fare increase was not only exorbitant, but also illegal.” Upsetting of the 15-cent fare would be ‘a vindiction of my position and a victory for the people,” she added. — Enter the Pacific Tribune CONTEST FIRST PRIZE Your choice of 21 or 17-inch TV SET 50 other prizes All you have to do Describe in not less than 50 and not more than 200 words what feature or features you like best in the Pacific Tribune, and what new feature or features you would like to see, and why? : Deadline for entries is May 10. A panel of three iudges will award a first prize and 50 honorable mention prizes. The judges’ decision is final, and the winning letter will be published in the Pacific Tribune. Nigel Morgan’ PROVINCIAL LEADER \ LABOR PROGRESSIVE PARTY CBU AND NETWORK STATIONS Monday, March 14 - 10:15 on imran io Ren When machines like this lay Westcoast Transmission’s 640-mile long natural gas Pirelli from the Peace River, will 3.C. be able to exercise its right to control exports? Continued from page I Bennett intervenes as Sommers © pressed on export co in order to get more for local use. Liberal leader Arthur Laing wanted to know who would be responsible for cutting off ex- ports if B.C. needed more gas in a few years. At that point, Premier Ben- nett abruptly jumped up, brush- ing aside Sommers who was pre- paring to answer. Bennett referred to the West- coast application for a U.S. per- mit to export natural gas to the Pacific Northwest and California that is now before the U.S. Fed- eral Power Commission. “We don’t want that applica- tion to fail,” he said, asking the members not to say anything that would hurt the company’s chances. On the question of the pro- yincial right to put export re- strictions on natural gas, Ben- nett said “the wrong impression might get abroad if the minister made certain statements,” pre- sumably meaning that if, Som- mers spelled out the province’s power to cut off the flow of gas, then the Federal Power Commis- sion might again refuse a licence. Bennett also referred to “ad- ditional guarantees” given to the U.S. by the federal government. (These are in the form of legis- -jation introduced in the House of Commons under which Canada gives up its right to cut off the - export of natural gas by revok- ing export licences.) The debate ended with Hard- ing warning that “you can’t pull the plug” on U.S. cities and in- -dustries built on’ Canadian gas. “You just can’t stop export without the Americans looking on it as an unfriendly act,” he said. et Harding cited the case of On- tario and Quebec electricity ex- ports prior to the First World War. These exports had to be continued despite the fact that Canada needed the power for it- self because the U.S. government warned Canada that cutting them off would be considered “an un- friendly act.” When Laing persisted in try- ing to get an answer to questions about federal responsibility for cutting off U.S. exports, Bennett snapped “the minister is not call- ed on to make that statement,” and Sommers sat glumly in his seat. eae x * The debate just lifted the corner to the most gigantic give- away in the history 2 the prov- ince, one that makes the CPR and E and N land grabs look like small-time operations. Co- conspirators in the sell-out are the B.C. Socred government, the Ottawa Liberal administration and the U.S.-backed Westcoast Transmission Company. Westcoast has the complete backing of the two governments in its plans to build a $100,000,000 pipeline to take natural gas from the Peace River to the U.S. Paci- fic coast. The B.C. government has sign- ed an agreement with Westcoast covering the construction of the line to the U.S. border at Sumas. Ottawa has brought in special legislation to guarantee no inter- ference with the flow of gas across the border. In this legislation, Canada gives up both its right to tax export of oil and natural gas and its present right to cut off export on “reasonable notice’ to the licensee. Westcoast’s second application for a permit to export gas to the U.S. is before the U:S. Federal Power Commission, which is ex- pected to deal with it shortly. The first application was refus- ed by the FPC on the grounds that the supply of gas from Can- ada was uncertain since ,it could be cut off by federal authorities. Now that Ottawa has obliging- ly removed that obstacle Premier Bennett is obviously worried that it will leak out that there is one last loophole by which this prov- ince can control exports of naft- ural gas. Hence Bennett’s almost fear- ful interjection in the debate in case it should become public knowledge that the provincial government has the power to control exports under the-lease system. The weakness of the opposi- tion in the House is apparent, Merger agreed by TLC, CCL OTTAWA Welding of the Trades and Labor Congress and the Cana- dian Congress of Labor into a single million-strong organiza- tion was agreed upon at a closed meeting here this week of TLC and CCL labor leaders. The historic decision follows. closely the signing of a merger memorandum by AFL and CIO heads in- the United States. Merging of the 600-000-mem- ber TLC and the 400,000-member CCL into one union centre is ex- pected to pave the way for event- ual unity of all Canadian labor, including Catholic and Indepen- | dent unions. PACIFIC TRIBUNE — MARCH 11, 1955 ntrol rights | despite a recognition of the im portance of the issue by some CCF members. With the sessio® near an end, there has been n0 demand in the House for tabling of the agreement with Westcoast Transmission. In Vancouver this week, Nigel Morgan, provincial leader of thé Labor-Progressive party, has Te peated his party’s demand that the agreement be made public.) Earlier in the session, Arthur Turner, who is the CCF’s mail spokesman on elstric power at natural gas questions, propose? — that natural gas should be dis tributed in the province by the B.C. Power Commission. But Turner's position is that B.C. gas should be exported 10 ihe U.S. Pacific Northwest, US: gas should be imported to Ot tario and Quebec. He opposes 4 trans-Canada pipeline to c gas from Alberta to eastern Can ada. \ His stand has weakened thé ability of the CCF as a whole conduct a. vigorous fight against the sellout and rally public opi ion against the Bennett gover™ ment’s deal. So at this crucial moment — there is no one in the House 1 — speak up clearly for the futut@ of the province and the vital in terests of its people. HUB HUMOR [i "This sure beats the hair brush!" You'll always get a good deal at the HUB in Men’s Clothes an4 Furnishings. Buy for cash At use the HUB/S FREE CRED! PLAN at absolutely no extré charge of any kind. 45 EAST HASTINGS. — pace ?