“It's an absolutely sensational reduction, it's being
reduced to its proper price!”

EDITORIAL
There is still time

T he B.C. Legislature is now in session. The Speech from
the Throne, as the government's legislative program is
termed, has been delivered. The opposition parties, | NDP and
Liberal are honing up on their oral blasts at Socred stewardship
of/and on B.C. affairs. Only B.C. labor, that mighty giant and
producer of all wealth, with more right and need than all else to
raise a storm of anti-government protest, sits silent as the
proverbial church mouse.

In this Speech from the Throne there is the promise of a Bill
of Rights, part of which Bennett has already conferred upon
labor when he gave it Bill 33, his own and big monopoly’s
“right’’ via compulsory arbitration, to tell labor for how much,
and under what conditions it must sell its labor power in the
creation of vast new wealth for the benefit of others.

The Legislature, which can make or break such ‘‘laws’”’ is
now in session, yet there are no signs anywhere that the leaders
of labor in B.C. have any effective plans or desire to bring the
moral weight of their tens of thousands to bear upon this session
for the annullment of Bill 33.

No mass demonstration of labor on the steps of the
Legislature to jar Socredia out of its smug complacency and
cocksureness; no work stoppages to remind the government
and its monopoly bosses that restrictive anti-labor legislation
and exparte injunctions ‘‘butter no parsnips”’. Nothing except
an endless repetition of idle words — to which “Prime
Minister’’ Bennett and his Socred cohorts are long immune and
oblivious.

_ That is not to say that the rank-and-file of B.C. labor are not
ready or willing to do battle with this Socred dictatorship — to
put the kybosh on Bill 33, its mediation commission, its
threatened compulsory arbitration and the rest of its foul
spawn.

The IWA’s Regional Board's (representing over 30,000 lumber-
workers) recent unanimous rejection of regional president Jack
Moore’s proposal to ‘‘co-operate’’ with the mediation
machinery of Bill 33, indicated a readiness to do battle, as did
B.C. labor's almost unanimous condemnation of those elements
in the leadership of labor who sold themselves, their fellow
trade unionists, and their class for a fat Bennett salary bribe as
“commissioners’’ and ‘‘mediators’’ — and who now seek to
cloak their treason to labor by preserving ‘‘old friendships.’
with/and for labor. .

All the potential for a united and determined labor
movement, pledged to and intent upon annulling Bill 33 and its
Slave concepts of compulsion are still apparent. All that is
lacking is a leadership endowed with that measure of courage
and integrity, equal to its responsibilities to its members, its
class, and its democratic community.

B.C. labor fully mobilized on the doorstep of the Legislature
at this session could not only write finis to the Socred hierarchy
which sired it. The stakes are high — but labor has nothing to
lose except illusions!

In his last conscious moment of life as a delegate to the
Vancouver and District Labor Council, that was the final plea of
Steelworker Coray Campbell. It is still not too late for labor in
B.C.to honor that plea — and itself, in settling Bill 33, its
designers, its bribed tools and apologists — at the door or
Parliament itself.

* “On-To-Ottawa”’ in 1931 won unemployment insurance from
one Bennett; ‘‘On-To-Victoria”’ in 1969 will hasten a quick burial
for Bill 33— and another Bennett!

Ci,

‘West Coast edition, Canadian Tribune

Editor—TOM McEWEN — Associate Editor—MAURICE RUSH
Published weekly at Ford Bldg., Mezzanine No. 3, 193 E. Hastings St.,
Vancouver 4, B.C. Phone 685-5288.

Subscription Rate: Canada, $5.00 one year; $2.75 for six months.
North and South America and Commonwealth countries, $6.00 one year.
All other countries, $7.00 one year. Authorized as second class mail by the
Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for payment of postage in cash.

‘PACIFIC TRIBUNE— JANUARY 31,.1969-—Page

pF--- SE! (eb YAAUM AL —JMUdIAS Dales

1¢ Tribune

‘Limit City Council

salary boosts to
what employees get’

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

Members of Vancouver City
Council and the mayor want an
increase in salary. Under
provisions of the Vancouver
Charter, salaries have been
frozen for some time at the
allowable maximum of $4800 a
year for aldermen and $16,000 for
the mayor.

It doesn’t appear unrea-
sonable to me that an increase
could be considered, especially
for aldermen. However, I think
the amount of any increase must
also be reasonable. That's why I
voted against a motion in Council
last week requesting the Pro-
vincial Government to amend
the Vancouver City Charter in
line with the Municipal Act.

‘Such an amendment would

remove all limits on increases
that Council members may vote
for themselves.

I moved an amendment that
we limit salary increases in
Vancouver to those received by
the city’s employees - outside
workers, inside workers and pro-
fessional staff. That seemed
only fair to me.

When Council negotiates with
unions representing civic
employees, it argues about the
danger of inflation, the need to
hold the line and that the City
can't afford more than a six or

seven percent increase for its
employees. If these arguments
are valid for city employees,
they are valid for aldermen too.
Council should apply the same
yardstick to itself that it does to
others. Aldermen and the mayor
are also civic employees even if
they are elected.

My amendment received a
frigid reception. Not even one
alderman would support it. It
was about as welcome as
another snow storm would be
right now. Apparently I touched
a very sensitive nerve — I didn't
realize that heart strings were so
closely tied to purse strings.

The motion for removing all
limits on salary increases for
aldermen and the mayor passed.
However, that does not close the
issue by any means. The Provin-
cial Government must pass the
necessary amendment to the
City Charter. This may be done
at the current session of the legis-
lature in Victoria. Only then
can Vancouver City Council
take any steps to increase
salaries.

When the matter does come up
again, my stand will be the same
— that salary increases to alder-
men and the mayor be the same
as those granted to other civic
employees.

’ Kashtan writes Sharp:

WHY NO REPLY?

William Kashtan, national
leader of the Communist Party,
wrote the following letter on
January 23 to Hon. Mitchell
Sharp, Minister of External
Affairs, dealing with Canada’s
membership in NATO:

You have said that you have
never heard a convincing argu-
ment as to why belonging to
NATO is not good for this
country.

At the same time, you have
asked the Canadian public to
make its opinions known.

Thus you have sought to create
the impression that the govern-
ment is engaged in a genuine
review of foreign policy, and that
in this you are challenging the
public to present convincing
arguments as to why belonging
to NATO is bad for this country.

What then are we to make of
the fact that on December 18, the
Communist Party of Canada
wrote you requesting the oppor-
tunity of meeting with you in Jan-
uary “‘to make a presentation to
you setting forth the reasons why
we consider the best interests of
Canada would be served by with-
drawal from the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization;’’ yet,
neither this letter nor a sub-
sequent telegram sent on
January 10, has received as
much as an acknowledgement
from your Department.

Are we to conclude from this
that your government has
already made up its mind to stay
in NATO, and is engaged in delib-
erate deception of the people of

this country in claiming to be.

seeking expressions of public
opinion?

If we together .with other
,

es A eet

Se ee ee

public organizations in this
country, are not to draw such a
conclusion, when may we
expect a reply to our letter of
December 18 setting a time at
which we may meet with you?

We should advise you that we
deem it to be in the public
interest in these circum-
stances, to release this letter to
the press, and to forward copies
to all members of parliament.

Rally Sunday

To protest
assessments

on homes

A public meeting to protest
increased assessments on
homes will be held at the
1.W.A. Hall, 2859 Commercial,
on Sunday, February 2nd, at 2
p.m, Sponsored by the Central
Council of Ratepayers, the’
gathering will be addressed by
Aldermen Walter Hardwick
and Harry Rankin; Norman
levi, M.CA. for Vancouver-
South; Professor Ed Gibson of
Simon Fraser University;
Frank Kennedy, and other
trade union and community
leaders.

All homeowners concerned
about increased assessments

and taxes are urged to attend.

papers Monday
for the Feb. 10 Federal byelection
in Nanaimo-Cowichan-The
Islands. Federal liberals are
sending in their top guns in the
hope of defeating the popular
NDP leader. Last weekend three
Cabinet members were in the
riding: Consumer Affairs Minister
Basford, Postmaster General
Kierans ond Fisheries Minister
Davis. Unionists in the riding are
backing Douglas’ campaign in
what is expected to be a tough
fight.

Gala Burns night
draws large crowd

By EUNICE PARKER

A capacity crowd of 200 packed
the Fishermans Hall last
Saturday night to celebrate the
annual tribute to the immortal
bard, Robbie Burns. The event
proved to be one of the most
successful affairs ever held,
combining a delicious
smorgasborg supper, a fine
musical program with a
spontaneous, amicable crowd.

William Stewart, acting as
Master of Ceremonies, called for
the presentation of the haggis
and Pete Munro gave the address
to the haggis.

After the groaning tables had
been relieved of their food, which
included some of the traditional
Scottish fare, the musical
program began with songs by
Carol Ann Powers and Shawn
Griffin.

Following this, the M.C.
introduced the speaker as
Alderman MacRankin, who gave
the tribute to Burns. After poking

ee ee

some fun at the Scots and their
national dish ‘‘haggis’’ — Rankin
spoke of the heritage and life of
Burns, who was born of a peasant
family and in his poems reflected
his love and sympathy for the
working class and their
hardships and the contempt he
had for the pomposity and
arrogance of their exploiters.

The program was rounded out
with Burns poems, very ably
recited by Elspeth Gardener and
finishing up with Scotch tunes on
the accordion by our young at
heart, Pete Munro.

The gathering was honored to
have present four crewmen from
the Soviet ship ‘‘Orekhov’’
including the Captain, Alexander
Fatianov, whose boat has taken
many of our Canadian shipments
of medical aid and clothing to
Vietnam.

The sponsoring committees,
Frank Rogers and Coquitlam
clubs, extend grateful thanks to all
those who helped to make the
evening the resounding success
that it was. _

og e+ Ba i?) sen
-"8 ‘