A reluctant —

bride

very few days press stories titivate political gossip by con-
E cocting variations on a single theme: a hoped-for marriage of
the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party,

Just as frequently indignant denials are made by NDP spokesmen
that anything of the sort is contemplated, which does not stop the
leader of the NDP in Manitoba from announcing that he has written
Tommy Douglas to say that if it turns out that there are discussions
and the wedding is on, he willresign his position as leader and mem-
bership in the party, "

Be all this as it may, there have been voices from the trade
union affiliates to the NDP openly advocating a ‘‘reconsideration of
things’’ and a demarche in the direction of Mr, Pearson,

; This is not new, Whenever the going is tough for Labor, Mr,
Faintheart is heard in the land advocating retreat from Labor’s prin-
ciple of independent political action,

And how well the capitalist politicians know it,

If Sir Alex Home does the Tory hattrick and pulls victory out of
the coming British general election, it willbe because he has learned
from his predecessors Churchill and Macmillan that nothing defeats
Labor like appearing to grab Labor’s program and mixing the politi-
cal mash so that one can’t tell the Tory program from the Labour
Party's,

* * *

It has been done here, too, _—At one time in Manitoba the CCF
was in a coalition with the old parties,

At critical junctures the CCF has come to the rescue of the Li-
berals, as it did when ithelpedto put across the armaments program
(it voted for the arms budget, asdothe NDP MP’s) and supported the
Liberal Party’s ‘integration with the U.S.” policy in 1947,

The political marriage brokers can get to work (there have been

talks behind closed doors and deliberate news leaks thereafter) and

discuss the marriage settlement between the Liberals and the NDP
precisely because there is a grey no man’s land of policy between
the two parties that is anybody’s territory. After all, Mr, Pearson
brought in a flag (to Harold Winch’s chagrin) and, who knows, Mr,
Pearson might flirt with Medicare now,

With weak leadership, weak policy, a weak organized base among
the unions and only a small army of activists; and with the Saskat-
chewan defeat haunting them - why should not some NDP’ers think
of merging with the Liberals in one way or another,

Hazen Argue and Ross Thatcher were not wholly individual re-
megades from the NDP; they represent a trend, Labor history is
filled with such episodes, :

* * *

If this idea gains ground it will set back the NDP and the cause
of independent working-class political action,

There are some who say: ‘‘Let it happen, and we will get rid of

the wolves in sheep’s clothing,’’ But that is shortsighted and bad
politics, :

A breakaway, even if it is limited in scope, would weaken Labor
at this juncture, make it harder to unite the potential Labor vote,
spread cynicism and perhaps wreck the NDP,

When the NDP was formed, we Communists said, that it was a
good thing and ‘‘might’’ become at long last the vehicle for labor-

farmer political action, The word is still ‘‘might*’; it is not yet
will.’

Peace and disarmament, automation for the good of the people
and not for the monopolies, the repatriation of our industries and re-
sources from American hands, a new constitution and. justice for
French Canada, a special platform for Young Canada now entering
the Age of Industrial Uselessness if the capitalist ‘‘Planners’’ have
their way - and leaders who will crusade to win the uncommitted (as
well as the committed) votes in thenext federal election - why, there
is a wealth of political capital and plenty of room for militant labor
leadership right to hand, if the NDP members insist upon it,

What the NDP needs is a fighting program and a fighting leader-
ship, not backroom marriage brokers,

Two picnics coming

A gala family basket picnic is
being planned by the Greater
Vancouver Committee of the
{ommunist Party. It will be

- labor leader,

The annual Labor - Farmer
Picnic at Bear Creek Park, spon-

‘held at Central Park on Sunday,
July 26, at 1 p.m. Sports, games,
folk songs are planned.

Children will get their fill of
ice cream and pop and there will

be good: prizes awarded in the-

children’s games, GuestSpeaker
will be Jack Phillips, prominent

sored by the Delta constituency
of the CP, will be held on August
9, Winners of the ‘*What Peace
Means to Me and Canada’ essay
contest will be announced then,
All entries (for anyone up to 18
years of age) should be mailed
to C, Stewart, 14335-72nd Ave.,
North Surrey, by July 31.

WESTCOAST PLANS NEW GIVEAWAY

Big deal to export B.C.
natural gas to Japan

By MAURICE RUSH

huge deal is underway be-

tween Westcoast Transmis-
sion natural gas company andthe
giant Tokyo Gas Company, Japan's
largest utility, for the export of
50 million cubic feet of gas a
day to start with, rising to 150
million cubic feet each day with-
in three years,

This giant deal follows recent
large-scale increases in exports
of B,C, natural ‘gas to the U,S,
Westcoast Transmission, whose
board chairman is Frank Mc-
Mahon, pal of W, A, C, Bennett,

is now extending its pipeline
systems in B,C, at a cost of
$57.5 million,

When the deal with Japan goes
through, B,C,’s natural gas, for
which residents now pay the high-
est rate in Canada, will be ex-
ported largely to the U,S, and
Japan, Extent of the deal with
Japan is seen by the fact that in
1963 all of B,C, consumed only
100 million cubie feet a day.
Under the contract now being
negotiated with Japan, that coun-
try will take fifty percent as
much gas as is now used inB,C,,

Concentrates from B.C.’s mines for Japan’s hungry steel

mills and manufacturing industry being loaded at a B.C.

port...

B.C. logs Being loaded aboard Japanese freighters for
manufacture and process in Japan... :

And Deisun cars, shown being unloaded in Vancouver,
and other manufactured goods made from our raw mat-
erials. Now Japan will also get vast quantities of B.C.

natural gas.

July 10, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—

ill be
and within three years we
using 50 percent MORE ee
amount used in B,C, last yee :

Natural gas from B,C. ie
used to provide cheap fuel on
processing the mining and on
products now exported to Jap .
They will use B,C. natural &
to manufacture goods from Pa
natural resources and nee
them to B,C, consumers . is
ished products, This fact ei
trates the utter ridiculoust
of our present economic PO
in B.C.
: o Japa

in t0
re it

The plan for export t 4
calls for gas to be pumpe
a plant in Vancouver, whe

7 ‘ rm;
would be turned into liquid fo d
and pumped directly for

Japanese ships being buil
this purpose, The gas ae a
pumped from the ship, 0? LE
ing Japan, directly into Japan
mains,

eo.

This deal marks the
stage in the drive by vee
Japanese financial intere® rces
exploit B,C,’s natural resou
to the full, The natural 83
be added to concentrates
hungry Japanese steel ™ nef
manufacture steel and ch of
manufactured products.
it will also be used for P saree
ing logs now exported in a
quantities from B,C, to Jap

Jatest
d

Riding on the crest
ural resources giveaw4
from which Canadian 4? jquings
monopolies are making 4
Westcoast Transmission ° ont
a profit for the firstthree™ ont
of 1964 which was up 27P® oo,
over the same period last ¥

: a

Terms of the agreement Ben
Japan have so far bee? US:
secret, However, since '°
now pays less per thousam” ns
feet of gas than B,C. co
pay, it is expected that Wee sas
Transmission will make ese
arrangements with the J@P
monopoly involved,

U.S. spreads

-H=bomb

know-how

I

U.S, President Johns oy
week announced that the ue
pand. the flow of atomic wi nse
information to NATO, 10 # ose
a wider allied role in the?” gg
strategy, In a message ‘
ress he said that the new Ee nba
ments were ‘‘necessaryY _ndés
‘military and political 8”

for

The agreement covers” fe
ation only and bars the a lve"
of nuclear weapons the™” gy
Under U.S, law, stratesl® (4 se
ons built by Americans ™ ats

superseding an accord in ot
would have two broad

e5 j
1, It would extend the tH oul

information which the Uw. no
exchange with its allies cle
more effective use 9
delivery systems, 40
_, NA
2, It would permit aye
members individually ie ne
information which the itn pe
been exchanging only
NATO organization itself.
pag