mr.

Social assistance cases

need ‘new deal’ in 1960

By JACK PHILLIPS

Hundreds of Vancouver families are on the verge of starvation, as a result of
neglect by senior governments. These are workingclass people who, because of their
misfortune, are forced to live on relief.

‘Let those who shout so much
about -our “western civiliz-

ation’? examine the rates for

citizens compelled to live on
social assistance:

Single person,
month.

2 persons in family, $86.50
a month,

‘8 persons in family. $104.50
a month

For each additional person,

$55.60 a

~~ $18.00 a month.

Normally, these allowances
are payable only to those term-
ed “unemployable.” However,
workers who have lived in B.C.
for 12 months or more are
eligible to receive social as-
sistance if they have exhausted
their unemployment insurance
benefits and are destitute:
Free medical and prescription
service is provided after a
waiting period, but no clothing:
The three levels of govern-
ment split the cost 50-—40—10,
with the federal, provincial
and local government paying
in that order. The provincial
government has full authority
to establish the amount of as-
sistance paid to recipients.

In 1959, the Community
Chest and Council of Vancou-
ver (Red Feather) made a sur-
vey and publicly recommended

percent in order, to provide a
minimum subsistance.

Even if Victoria granted the
entire 30 percent, recipients
would still be condemned to
live on the verge of destitution.
An increase of at least 50 per-
cent is more in keeping with
basic needs. No single man can
hope to survive on the present
allowance. No family can buy
clothes, pay for fuel and eat
properly unless they reccive a
substantial increase. A 50 per-
cent boost will leave no room
for luxuries, but it will pro-

‘vide more basic necessities and
a better family life. Children-

will have a better chance to
prepare themselves for man-
hood.

Without such a boost, many
who could become self-support-
ing would certainly deteriorate
physically and mentally.

Of the 1,297 heads of fam-
ilies in receipt of social: assis-
tance in Vancouver, more than
half are women. They are
widowed, separated or divorc-
ed. Many have small children
to raise and put through school.

A married war veteran in
receipt of the federal old age
pension can obtain an addition-
al. grant from the Department
of Veterans Affairs to bring

his total monthly income up
to $145, as compared with
$86.50 for the man and wife
on social service. Nn wonder
trained social service workers
are protesting the hodge-podge
in social welfare legislation!

In 1957 the government
paid out slightly more than $35
million to the provinces to-
wards old age assistance and
other form of relief. In that

same year, Ottawa spent $520

million tc meet the interest on
the national debt and 1,760
million on “National defense.”

We have been told for many
years that we can’t have a rad-
ical improvement in our social
security legislation because
Ottawa needs billions for
“defense.” For this reason, all
of us should welcome the thaw
in world relations. The time
has come for a major shift in
federal spending, with less
going for war preparations
that nobody wants- and more
for security and a better life
for the people.

When the legislature opens
on January 28; the demand. for
a new deal for these forgotten
people should be given top
priority. The rates must be in-
creased by at least 50 percent
across the board!

that all rates be raised by 30

Thousands cannot become citizens

By JOHN WEIR

hecause of govt's cold war policy

By withholding citizenship from Canadians who were born in other lands because
of their progressive views or connections, the Diefenbaker government is not only
guilty of injustice towards the victims but flouts the basic freedoms of the Canadian

people.

‘Recently, ,jthe Association of

United Ukrainian Canadians

began a registration of its
members and their acquaint-
ances who have been denied
citizenship because of their
progressive associations (this

has to be surmized because the

Department of Citizenship
gives no reasons for its re-
fusals). Here are some typical
cases:
3 “ * *® *

Nick Pashkiwsky of Leth-
bridge, Alta., came to Canada

- in 1911 and has been applying

for citizenship since 1926. His

gon served in the Canadian

Army. Pashkiwsky _ believes
he is being victimized because
he once took part in a demon-

-

eae PERN

stration and served on a com-
mittee of unemployed.
Since when is it a crime in

Canada to parade, petition or

to a committee?

to be elected
* Lo *

Michael Pawlychyn, a farm-
er living in Chatfield, Man.,
came to Canada in 1928. His
wife is Canadian born, he now
has a» Canadian grandchild,
but’he is denied the right to
bea citiben of Canada (al-
though the judge before whom
he appeared in 1936 assured
him he was being recommend-

ed).
Why is he being discrimin-
ated against? Because the

RCMP officer who visited him
at his farm did not like the
newspaper Pawlychyn. was

reading, he thinks, and also

because he didn’t go to church.

Is there a law forbidding
people. to. read certain news-
papers? Or forcing them to go
to church?

* * LJ

There are hundreds of such
cases. Thousands. Some people
left their organizations, drop-
ped their subscriptions . .
Thus does the government via
its department of citizenship
discriminate: against Canadian
workers whose only crime is
that they weren’t born in Can-
ada, and at the same time il-
legally hits at newspapers and
organizations that are legal in
Canada but of which the party
in power or the political police,
the RCMP, do not approve.

tournament involving 50,000 people was held in Peking.
Photo shows some postmen studying playing skill together

in preparation for the tournament.

Agency photo.)

(Hsinhua News

«

Gert White 2

SPOR

TLIGHT

pion Ingemar Johansson

has been named Sportsman of

the Year by an American pub-
lication, Sports Illustrated.

Curiously enough, Swedish

newspapers rejected Ingemar

and named as top man Russian
decathlete Vasil Kuzentsov.

Johansson’s great contribu-
tion to the sports world: was
not his pulverizing right hand,
but the fact that he removed
boxing’s: prize bauble, the
heavyweight. crown, from un-
der the influence of American
gamblers.

With Ingemar in control of
the title, and apparently un-
willing to do business any
more with the hoods who in-
fest the sport on this side of
the Atlantic, a real hope exists
that boxing may at last get a
real “clean up” during 1960.

* * *

If Johansson was the top
man of 1959, Emil Zatopek
was certainly the oustanding
figure of the decade which has
just. ended.

Stanley Levenson of the
London Daily Worker writes:

“Zatopek of Czechoslovakia
was the greatest distance run-
ner of all time.

“His great achievements on
the track belong to the open-

Wein heavyweight cham-

.|ing years of the fifties, but his

influence and example remain.

“Record after record fell to
this amazing soldier whose
very action on the track—face
screwed up. body rolling —
made. spectators join in his
punishing anguish.

"His greatest feat of all (will
it ever be equalled?) was a
gold. medal in three events at
the Helsinki Olympic Games—

the 5,000 meters, 10,000 metres
and marathon.

“Off the track at all times
the Czech was a modest man,
fully recognizing and encour--
aging talent in others.

"He rose to fame at the?
height of the cold war and his»
work for better understanding
and for young people played
their part in relaxing tension.

“The first time I ever laid
eyes on him. was when as an
unknown he destroyed the
world’s leading distance run-
ners to win the 10.000 metres
at the London Olympics in
1948 and followed that up
with a silver medal behind
Belgium’s Reiff over half the
distance. {

“Four years later at the
Peace Congress, I introduced _
a middle-aged woman to Zato<
pek.

“All she wanted was his®
autograph for her young son,
and when she came away with.
the prize her eyes were moist™
with emotion. That was enough
reward for anyone.”

* * *

And what’s ahead for the:
sixties?

The USSR and the U.S. will
continue to dominate the
Olympics, with the Americans’
gradually falling behind as the®
smaller socialist countries be
gin winning a greater share of
medals.

* * *

On the home front,
about our B.C. Lions?

Seeing through a glass, dark-
ly, it appears that Lions will.
have another so-so season,
scraping into the playoffs but.
that’s all, brother, that’s all.

how

January 8, 1960—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 7