eases as | SUPPORT | WEEK IN THE HOUSE By HAL GRIFFIN CCF turns about _on the sales tax __VICTORIA, BC. Hf Bas significant statements on the sales tax have been made in the legislature during the past week. Neither of them is likely , to win the confidence of the representative 15,000 people who have signed the Labor-Progressive Party’s petition for repeal of the un- popular levy. The first was the almost defiant pronouncement made by. Finance Minister Herbert Anscomb in presenting his record $92,000,000 bud- get to the House last Friday. Perhaps he has heard, in fact they could hardly have escaped his ears, some of the comments on his sales tax now current among the public, ranging all the way from the storekeeper’s “Three cents for Anscomb” to the customer's varied references to “Heartless Herbert.” In any event, Anscomb -went to considerable pains to convince the public that the Coalition government and not he per- sonally was responsible for imposition of the sales’ tax. “There are some,” he complained, “‘who seem to think that the estimates presented to the House represent the fiscal policy of the fi- nance minister only, and that he is solely responsible for the quantity, | variety, purpose and the cost of services described. They also appear to think that he alone is responsible for every single taxation device or monetary impost inscribed in our statutes. The actual fact of the matter js that the main responsibility rests on the legislaure and through it on | the people of the province... .” Having thus involved the entire government in culpability to his own satisfaction, Anscomb stated~that the sales tax, revenues from which have exceeded all expectations, would bring in an estimated $18,000,000 in the coming year. It was, he declared, here to stay, and, looking directly at Harold Winch, he challenged the CCF to state its position without ‘beating around the bush. On Monday, Harold Winch obliged him. He gave as fine a display of beating around the political bush as the galleries have ob- served in a long time, accustomed as they are to legislative diffusion. 2 The CC leader stated that his party proposed the sales tax be transformed into a luxury tax, with the consequent drop in revenues made up by heavier taxation on development ef resources. Then, the better to obscure his point, he launched into a denunciation of the hardships caused by imposing the tax on such necessities as meals, clothing and shoes and wound up with the biting observation that the Coalition, by bringing in the sales tax, had reverted “‘to medieval taxation which swings the burden away from the rich to the poor.” His eloquence might have been more convincing had it not been designed to vlothe the skeleton in the CCF policy closet. As predicted: by this column last week, Winch said, in. effect, that the CCF has no intention of dropping the sales tax should it become the government party and therefore the present right wing leadership in the House will not fight for repeal of the levy. All the statements on the sales tax made in the legislature by Harold Winch, Herbert Gargrave and others, with the exception of Sam Guthrie, have been advanced more with the purpose of embarrassing the Coalition and providing election propaganda than with any serious intention of fighting for the people's interest in repeal of what the CCF itself terms an “iniquitous tax’ — ‘but not so iniquitous apparently that the CCF will not keep it. ‘ All this will, no doubt, be highly dismaying to CCF supporters ‘who last year took Gargrave at his word when he stated that he and other CCF leaders would take the issue of the sales tax to the people of the province and continue fighting it until it or the government was removed. It would appear that in order to’ get the sales tax removed now, CCF supporters will also have to remove both the Coalition and ‘some of the right-wing CCF leaders, or at least to force them by their indignation into fighting for ‘its repeal. Suan RS SR NS RS, ' PACIFIC TRIBUNE ADVERTISERS 4 Support Your Interests vf It’s in Your Interest to PACIFIC TRIBUNE ‘with distributing read: ADVERTISERS ects, i aS SAO SS A Ra CNC Arrest Nanaimo man, » gave out handbill _ —NANAIMO, B.C. Nanaimo, which since the end of the war has seen laundryworkers tried for striking and a coal- a man a quisling’ and a fascist whom he had reason to believe was just that, now sees another worker in court on an equally amazing charge. miner given six months for calling street, to wit, Victoria Crescent in the City of Nanaimo, a handbill.” This charge is comparable to that laid against a French-Canadian worker recently in Duplessis, Que- bec—that he had “transported cil- culars.” : The hand-bill Lindal is charged “No war commitments for Canada! Speak- er, Nigel Morgan—public meeting, Miners’ ,Hall, Nanaimo, February 4 27,8 pam.) é The bylaw under which he was charged was passed last fall by a council headed by Mayor George “Dollar-Forty” Muir (so-called be- cause of his thwarted efforts to slash the wage gain made by last year’s miners’ strike). Muir became sensitive to criticism by oppon- ents who had to use leaflets while he had newspaper backing. It forbids giving a “handbill, dod- ger, circular, card or other adver- tising matter” to any person “in or upon any street.” Lindel was questioned at the police station as to how long he had been in Nanaimo, where he worked, was he a member of the LPP and where he obtained the leaflet. He was also asked,“If you don’t like this country why don’t you go back to where you came from?” (Lindel was born in Mani- toba). Clerical influence is seen as lying behind attempts to accuse him of wanting to torture priests and ad- vice ‘to read Budenz (renegade American Communist). _ Jehovah’s Witnesses have also been warned about their leaflets here. , / This is the first attempt in re-| cent years on the Coast to chal- lenge the people’s right to spread ideas by one of the only means open to those who do not have large organs of propaganda. Unless fought for, this right will be chal- lenged elsewhere, especially against unions. Nanaimo labor will not tamely accept this step towards the vest- pocket police state dreamed of by SALES TAX for an extension of the BCElectric franchise for another 20 years on the grounds it would help bring public ownership. That’s pure pop- pycotk. Harold Winch knows that the CCF membership want and what the people of B.C. want is out- right repeal of the sales tax.” As alternative sources of revenue, Morgan proposed increasing stump- age and mineral royalties and tax-, ing the big wealth producers “so as to make possible elimination of the 3 percent ‘nuisance tax’ and | benefit the public whose resources produce the fabulous incomes of the big mining and lumbering con- cerns. That is what the voice of the. people would say if it could be heard in the budget debate.” Referring to the fact that “press- ing’needs of the municipal councils and school boards have not been | solved,” Morgan stated: ‘Despite the fact that the muni- cipalities were used as bait to ob- tain the sales tax, the four million dollars this year has been a bitter. disappointment and left most of them in a furore. Costs of education ‘are continually increasing and be- cause the provincial government’s share remains fixed in relation to assessments the municipalities have to meet the constantly expanding difference, ; “B.C.’s municipalities are entitled to a new deal and the only solution to the problem of the municipalities lies in democratic tax reform and a shifting of the tax load in ac- cordance with the recommendation of the Goldenberg Commission. which condemned the sales tax, or to those best able to pay—the cor- porations.” Ragnor Lindal was remanded this week on a charge that he * ‘did give to another person upon a Martin’s application for admis- sion twas rejected by the Law Society because he is a member of the Labor-Progressive Party. Senator J. W. Farris, appearing at the hearing for the Benchers, discarded reasoned argumentation for emotional red-baiting, smear tactics, innuendoes and injection of extraneous matters (including the Cardinal Mindszenty case). Garfield King, representing Mar- tin, pointed out that the Benchers are carrying out the ‘vicious the- LPP candidate Ben Swankey, Labor-Progress- ive leader in Alberta, has been nominated as the party’s candi- date to contest the federal con- stituency of Edmonton East. A veteran of the Second World War with a long record in the labor movement, Swankey told the nominating meeting: “To carry on the fight of the common people for a Canada at peace with the rest of the world, for preservation of our democrat- ic rights, to work and win a greater measure of economic se- curity, is my main purpose in accepting this nomination. “At the present time there is no party either in or out of par- liament, except the Labor-Pro- gressive party, that is fighting for them. I want to carry that fight right into the House of Commons on behalf of the people of Ed- monton East.” HONOR ROLL VANCOUVER *Percy Budd (Commercial Dr.) *Dulce Smith (Fairview).......-. *Roy Lawryniuk (E. End No. 2 *Norman Smith (Bill Bennett... *Ray Masse (Victory Sq.)....- *W, H. McConnell (Victory Sq.) Fel Ashton (West End)........ Frank Politano (Grandview). . PROVINCE ‘ *Geo. Stevens (Ladner)......... 3 *], Tellier (Extension)........ 2 *Les Fillmore (Kamloops)..... 2 Ethel Mickelson (Ladysmith)... 2 Connie Hudson (Victoria)..... 2 2 2 10 wnwnnwss we *John Donaldson (Courtenay) .. “Sam English (Michel-Natal).. OU Bi ak Leal niin yee ey Decision reserved on Gordon Martin appeal More than a week ago, Justice J. M. Coady reserved judgment in the appeal of UBC law student Gordon Martin for admission to the bar. As the Pacific Tribune went to press there was still no indication of when his decision would be given. ory~of guilt by association.” As for the Mindszenty trial, he was will ing to discuss it at any time with Senator Farris, but it had nothing to do with the political persecu- tion of Gordon Martin. “The Benchers are saying you can’t nold political opinions not held by the Benchers,”’ said King. He read two articles from the United Nations declaration of hu- man rights. “Under article 18 everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. “Under article 19 everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression.” oly ; Senator Farris ignored this. He was all for a ‘witch-hunt patterned on the U.S. model. “President Tru- man has rid the U.S. civil service of this type of person,” he cried. “All the big labor unions have ‘cleaned’ their personnel of these — people.” Warned King dryly: “Let us not slip into fascism by a greasy skid.” SHOWLER —that records of debate during trouncing of Hall at Victoria TLC convention last year be expungeds —that Congress stamp out “Com- munism.”’ Congress executive unanimously repudiated charges of “shocking” Communist influence, decided to call a meeting of representatives of all affiliates and to prepare a reply to the AFL. : Showler revealed that such inter- nationals as Hotel and Restaurant and Beverage Dispensers were holding back Congress per capita submitted by locals and suggested local membership turn on heat to. avoid “unpleasantness.” “The Congress was not charter- ed by the AFL and no man on its executive will be dominated by an international with headquarters in another country,” he said in com- menting on threats of some inter- nationals to withdraw. He said Congress constitution al- lows election of delegates of any race, creed, or religion. Executive has agreed, however, to write to affiliates asking them not to elect Communists. He denounced CCL president Mosher’s appeal to TLC locals to switch to the CCL to escape “red domination.” He urged all locals to get paid up in their 25-cent Congress organ- izational assessments, and to pre- pare to send full delegates to the Calgary convention. LPP to nominate Labor- Progressive candidates will enter the field in two Great- er Vancouver federal constitu- encies at nominating meetings to be held this month. On Sunday, March 13, 7:30 p.m., at Capitol Hill Community Hall, Hastings and Howard, an LPP candidate will be named to con- test the new Burnaby-Richmond riding. A second nominating ‘ to be held Wednesday, Ste 16, will place a candidate in Van- couver Center. — : PACIFIC TRIBUNE — MARCH 4, 1949 — PAGE 12 .