CN tower is world’s highest TORONTO—tThe giant Sikors- ky S-64E Skycrane helicopter placed the last section of the television mast on the CN tower April 4 making it the world’s highest free-standing structure at 1,815 feet — surpassing Mos- ccw’s Ostankino Tower by 67 feet. It is a unique structure which has attracted as much interest from architects and engineers as from the public. It’s Y-shaped foundation sinks 50 feet below ground and contains 9,250 cubic yards of concrete as well as a maze (500 tons) of reinforcing . steel. ; The concrete in the tower pro- ject uses more than 80 miles of steel cable and has the strength . of 6,000 pounds per square inch. A two-shift system enabled the power to grow at a rate of 20 feet * day. At the 1,100-foot level a 7 storey sky pod will contain pub- lic ‘observation decks, revolving dining room and broadcast trans- mission equipment. The 335-foot high transmission mast, which took 55 lifts by the helicopter over 30 days to complete, will carry TV and radio antennas. Its total weight is 300 tons. 1800 _ 1900 _ 1500 1500 __ 1200 1200 ae. 900 £00 ay SKYLON COMMERCE EMPIRE STATE WORLD TRADE MOSCOW .- CN en Court BUILDING CENTRE . : TOWER NIAGARA YORK MOSCOW TORONTO The recently concluded rotat- ing strikes by 18,600 blue-collar members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada was the opening shot in 1975 bargaining between the federal government and some 200,000 of its em- ployees. The president of the Treasury Board admitted the government was using this particular con- frontation to set an example of “wage restraint” for the private employers when they enter into negotiations with more than a million workers later this year. “Federal settlement” said Mr. Chretien, “have always been the trigger for inflated wage in- creases in the private sector. Be- sides, we can’t be the highest paying employer in Canada, just because we have access to un- limited resources. We would be setting patterns that other sec- tors of the economy couldn’t fol- low.” Far Behind None of these assertions are true. The fact is that the blue- collar workers employed by the federal government have been, and still are, far behind workers doing comparable work in pri- vate industry. The officially an- nounced settlement provided for 18% increase for 14 months plus ~ a $600 lump-sum to cover retro- activity, and another 11.25% for an additional year, for a total of 29.25% for 26 months. Because of the particular criteria used in. distributing the increases and its relationship to disparity in pay- roll costs, some workers will get more and some considerably less than the stated overall figure. This must also be viewed against the need for at least a 41% in- crease needed to pull these workers up to 90% parity with workers in private industry. This explains the mixed reception BY BRUCE MAGNUSON LABOR SCENE A stern lesson— | | labor be on guard! and the narrow margin register- ed in the vote of this particular settlement. During the strike the Treasury Board issued threatening letters to postal workers who refused to cross legal PSAC picket lines, warning these workers that they were acting in ‘an illegal man- ner,” and ordering them “to re- port for work as_ assigned.” Moreover, it stated that ‘‘Failure . to report for work will make you subject to disciplinary action, legal action up to and including discharge from the public serv- ice”: Disparity Deepened This particular crackdown and provocative stance was further punctuated by Premier Minister Trudeau’s hard-nosed rejection of the PSAC’s request for con- tractual living-cost clauses, on the spurious ground that such automatic protection against ris- ing living costs “would tend to aggravate the upward trend of. costs and prices which -Canada is trying to combat.” This is clearly a most unjust and totally ' unacceptable argument. The ab- sence of cost-of-living provisions in contracts of government em- ployees maintains and deepens the disparity in pay rates be- tween government employees and workers in the private sec- tor. The argumentation for such ~ treatment of the workers in the. public service is also totally in- consistent with the lavish hand- outs by government to oil com- panies and ather multi-national - corperation, not to speak of fat salary increases to members of Parliament. Prime Minister Trudeau per- formed a noble act when he dis- patched a telegram of solidarity with 3,500 striking asbestos werkers in Thetford Mines in Quebec sent on behalf of Gerard Pelletier, Jean Marchand PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 1975—Page 8 and himself. But justice and con- sistency ‘demand that postal workers in Montreal and else- where, civil servants and all public employees, longshoremen in B.C. and Quebec, indeed all workers subject to heartless ex- ploitation by our state-monopoly dominated society should all be treated with equanimity and re- spect. Unless this is done, and is clearly shown to be done, work- ing people cannot but draw the conclusion that they are merely being used as pawn in a ruthless economic and political power game aimed to keep them down- trodden and exploited. Actions to Combat Crisis There is a warning here for all those in the NDP and the trade union movement who talk about some. mythical ‘“‘equality of sac- rifice” and that “labor is willing to do its part.” The present up- surge of the strike movement is due to the fact that right wing policies of class collaboration are being undermined daily as a direct consequence of the deep- ening of the general crisis of capitalism, and for which labor cannot accept any responsibility, © much less can afford to pay for. While the majority of Cana- dians are not yet ready to opt for socialism, they are increas- ingly ready to support and work for policies which could check inflation, growing unemployment _and the threat of depression. What is yet lacking is united action of the working class and all democratic forces. It is for these aims and for such unity that the Communist Party works. The strengthening of the Party, of its influence and orga- nization has become a decisive question for explaining the causes of the crisis, promoting actions to combat it and for an anti-monopoly alliance based on an anti-monopoly program. Alberta elections—, a-no issue mandate By WILLIAM TUOMI Alberta Leader, Communist Party of Canada The Alberta election ¢ampaign ended with the re-election of the Tory government but at no time in the five weeks that preceded voting day was there a campaign ' on issues. That Lougheed won a. decisive victory is not in doubt. Sixty-nine seats out of 75 in the Legislature cannot be challenged. - The election was called by the Tories “to get a mandate” on the handling of resources policy of the province and on the project- ed Heritage Trust Fund that will be set up by the new legislature. Resource policy in Alberta meant, in the main, the handling of the Syncrude swindle in Feb- ruary. The Heritage Trust Fund is a projected $1.5-billion fund to be used to diversify Alberta’s' ’ economy and guarantee the fu- ture we turn over to “our chil- dren and our grandchildren.” Questions Avoided It was this placing of the is- sues by the government when: it called the election that could have made the campaign into a meaningful one. But the cam- paign became one of non-issues. The central questions were avoided by the Tories, Socreds, Liberals and much too often by the New Democratic Party. Only the largely youthful contingent of 14 Communists took up the challenge. The Tories rode the campaign on the illusions of the boom in the province. Only . Lougheed made the public appearances. And he followed a carefully re- hearsed script in every public meeting. His press secretary ar- rived first to place his speech on the podium and retire to the wings. As if on cue, Lougheed would make his entrance, shake hands with the party faithful on his way to, the platform and would then deliver the one speech that was used for five weeks. When he finished he ‘ would head for the exit, shaking hands on the way out; his press secretary gathered up the speech and followed him out. No ques- tions. No discussion. All. that voters needed to hear was that they lived in the best of all pos- sible worlds, led there by the Tories. . : ‘Zero Growth’ The Liberal campaigners, after denouncing the federal Liberal machine, were for “zero growth” in Alberta. We should have no industrialization because indus- try brings pollution and disturbs the quiet pastoral countryside. Industrialization, said the Liber- als, brings increased population and hence more crime. ; They pleaded for a “post- industrial society” where Alber- tans will only grow food “be- cause the world needs. it,’ and provide the “expertise” for the multi-national corporations that strip the province of its re- sources. As a result, the Liberal Party emerged from the elec- tions, again the party “that can hold its provincial conventions in a phone booth.” ‘Social Credit, living in the Aberhart-Manning years, went. through its death-rattle in the campaign. What was left of the party after its defeat in 1971 was picked over by the Tories and only a skeleton remains. With four members elected (24 in the last Legislature) and only 15% of the vote, they proved that there is no room for two Tory parties in the province. ee _| “on will be a “Syncrude-tyF ‘ing of crude oil? Did Alber ~The dry statistics of the V? . NDP Campaign F The NDP campaign develo into one for a “strong OPP tion,” and on this basis H called for 25 NDPers to be el@t! ed to replace the Socreds in ¥) legislature. In effect, they *| that the Tories will win, ”) make the. NDP the second cholet Their campaign was afot needed reforms of housilt health, education and only, ei ey in passing, the Syncrude st was labelled a “bad deal.” #1” 7) managed to hold the one § they had in the last legislatul® | Out of that campaign, Tories won 69 seats and are government. The oppositio# to made up .of four Socreds, ‘t independent {a Socred who ed) and one NDP. ; Syncrude Style / That was the election. But oy comes the campaign. The iss¥") even as they were posed by "| Tories when the election \) called, remain very much i? centre of politics. ; Syncrude, smothered d th campaign, will crop up 25 4 full deal. becomes public kn} edge. Every development if ©] tar sands at Athabasca from 2”) and the issue of public oe ship will come to the fore every proposal to open lants there. aa ‘ The Syncrude style is alte? evident in the petro-chem! giveaway at Nevis, Alber There, Dow Chemical of the U will receive grants, investme? loans and concessions from Alberta government to | amount equalling 85% of ' cost of a billion dollar plant. Was the election “a mandat to the Tories to pursue give-away program and g° the energy conference this W” to dictate increases in the Pi) né consciously vote for an “Albé against the rest of the coun” stance? No. That was not de ed in the campaign. Fewer Votes indicate that the “mandate” be questioned. Compared t0 holiday-time vote in August ) 1971, 43,000 fewer votes ™' - east in March than in the *) election. Added to that figu’ the fact that some 80,000 vot had been added to the list si” the 1971 election. , The Tory vote increased 1 78,000, but Social Credit 156,000 votes: As a result . combined Tory-Socred vote 4°) ped nearly 80,000 between last two elections. a The NDP did not gain noti4, ably. Running in all 75 seat’) the province, their vote incr ed by 5,000 only. ie The striking result of the ©) tion is the number of Albe! "| who “voted with their feet.’ if that is not only a condemnat of the government but als? . the Liberals, Socreds and ND!) The Communist vote 11 | way measured the impact 0 . Communist Party in the @) tions. Only where Commu?'} contested seats was there a @ paign in which issues were © cussed. The enthusiasm of candidates, mounting with ev® meeting they addressed, has © | ried the party into post-electl campaigns where they are det@ mined to become “the real OPF). sition” to the Lougheed line. The Communist Party, figh one of the tightest black-outs | the media of many years, fieldé 14 candidates. Of these, * | were in .their teens and 20) Three of the candidates were years old.