SSC andle deal No giveaways, say CCF, LPP Premier W. A. C. Bennett's offer to exchange Col- umbia River power for a Canadian outlet through the Alaska Panhandle has been coolly received both in British Columbia and Alaska — but for very different reasons. In this province both the CCF and LPP immediately denounced Bennett’s offer as another proposed giveaway of resources. ““Why is he so anxious to give away the Columbia?” asked Robert Strachan, newly elected CCF provincial leader. “It’s quite obvious that Bennett hasn't abandoned his plans to alienate our power resources to U.S. trusts,” Maurice Rush, LPP city secretary, commented. Bennett made his proposal in a prepared speech given Neier VOL. 15, No. 20 VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, MAY 18, 1956 U.S. domination alarms TORONTO _ “I want to see Canada free of American domination,” M. J. Coldwell, CCF national lead- er, told a York South federal nomination meeting last week. “I. am alarmed at American domination in our industries, resources, economics and inter- national affairs. Political dom- ination will follow.” _. Coldwell said he was surpris- “ed that federal and provincial governments say they are un- able to afford further aid to education, when Ottawa can find $72 million and Ontario $35 million for the pipeline. (Ot- Coldwell {awa is supplying another $80 million in the form of a treasury loan to enable the U.S.-control- led Trans-Canada Pipelines to build the prairie section of the line.) Speaking on the trans-Can- ada natural gas pipeline, Cold- well said that Ottawa is turn- ing over Canada’s natural gas resources “to a gang of Ameri- can buccaneers.” He called on the government to let one of its own agencies build the line as a publicly-owned enterprise. (In the House of Commons Continued on back page See COLDWELL First merger victory-- sawmill is organized By BERT WHYTE “Organization of the tens of thousands of unorganized work- ers in Vancouver is one of the key *tasks of this united labor council,” president Lloyd Whalen declared in his opening remarks at the first meeting of Vancouver, Lower Mainland Trades and Labor Council this week — and before the meeting adjourned delegates were given a dramatic illustration of how this program has already been brought to life. Reporting for the organiza- tional committee of the merged labor body, Gerry Bell told how Teamsters and IWA had set up z joint information placard line at Silvertree Sawmills Ltd., foot of St. George, and within 24 hours the company capitulated, agreeing to sign a contract with both unions. “This is a company which my union, Local 217, IWA, has been trying to organize for 10 years,” Whalen told 500 applauding delegates. “This is a clear-cut example of carrying the merger into real life.” Continued on page 7 See LABOR Soviets ‘end restrictions on workers leaving jobs From SAM RUSSELL : MOSCOW ' The Soviet government has given workers the right to leave their jobs without first asking permission, It repealed wartime laws un- der which workers had to ask Permission to leave, which was often granted, but could be re- fused and workers even pun- ished for leaving without per- mission. Now all this has been wiped out, all prosecutions under the _ old laws have been revoked, all persons convicted under these laws are to be freed, all prose- cutions pending are cancelled and all previous convictions can- celled. In, future if a worker wants to leave his employment he must merely give a fortnight’s notice. Except for industries like rail- ways, where there are special rules, managerial powers to deal with persistent absenteeism are restricted in future to depriva- tion of long-service bonuses for up to three months, dismissal or reporting a worker to a tri- bunal of workers in the enter- prise which has power to give a public reprimand but nothing more. to 300 U.S. and Canadian businessmen attending the 35th Pacific Northwest Trade Association conference in Victoria. See PANHANDLE 28 PRICE 10 CENTS Continued on back page ae YZ Meee O Nn: <4, fp TiS" -—-— ge WAY TLIN dj / Xtaxe x ; ey / 9° & VA 2 aY DEASE LAKE ¢Y EAU sal e : & = : = Ve r ” . & A&Q 1s* BY ART % % qY 2 CANADIAN SEAPORT T CE PRINCE RUPERT ee . IMAT Nass River site possible seaport A possible site for development of a seaport on Canadian territory is at the mouth of the Nass River. While this would avoid the international complications posed by any outlet through the Alaska Panhandle, it would necessitate construction of long and costly highway communica- tions to serve the huge section of northern B.C. cut off from the coast when the U.S. imposed the 1903 boundary agreement on this country. 4