a | ee || | PROTEST HITS U.S. TAKEOVER tT | | en cre or ‘Bring Canadian hockey back to Canadian people’ ““They’ve taken over our resources, they've taken over our industries, they’ve taken over our foreign policy, and now the Americans have taken over our national sport, hockey.”’ This was the reaction of most Canadians in the past week as strong protests mounted against the decision of the National . Hockey League to reject Vancouver's application for a franchise and to add FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1966 VOL. 27, NO. 8 ject. Giant Vietnam protest set for city March 26 A giant march to protest the war in Vietnam will be held in Vancouver on March 26 as part of the International Day of Protest called for by U.S. peace Groups.This was decided when more than 75 delegates from many organiza- tions met last.week in the Vancouver Labor Temple to discuss and plan the pro- Sponsored by the Vancouver co-or all peace groups in the city, it was agr through downtown Vancouver and world c well-known speakers and folk singers will be invited to appear at the rally. dinating Committee which represents eed that the march route would be ulminate with a mass rally. Several $20,000 goal set by Vietnam C’ttee The Canadian Aid For Vietnam Civilians, headed - by Dr. A.M. Inglis of Vancouver, has set its Sights on raising $20,000 to pro- Vike medical aid for civilians in Vietnam, Close to $1500 has already been raised for this pur- Pose, Dr. Inglis reports a wide and favorable response to the appeal of the committee from all parts of the province, Letters of sup= Port and financial contributions are coming in at such a rate that it has become necessary to ap-- Point a number of voluntary sec- Tetaries to answer correspon- dence, The teamster of the committee ‘S_H. J. C, Walker, a retired businessman, = seat five people attended a os ing conference called by the ee in Vancouver on Feb- = y 11. The meeting endorsed is aims Submitted by the pro ue Officers and elected a com- ae of directors, headed by + Inglis and Walker, The followin i i Citizens g distinguished car. have allowed theirnames cca used as sponsors of the aren: an Aid For Vietnam Civili- (listed in alphabetical order): Dr. J, Blumes, dentist, Van- a Mrs, Hilary Brown, Yr, Hornb Devito” y Island, B.C. F.E. in » €X-alderman and chair- aa Of the Town Planning Com- ISSion, Trail, B.C, he ar] Erickson, financial secre- ¥, United Brotherhood of Car- penters & Joiners, Local 452, Bertrand Galloway, Vancouver businessman, ; Jack Henderson, declared Freeman of the City of Vancou- ver in 1964; Citizen of the Year, 1965; member of Vancouver school board for 22 years; de- clared “Good Citizen,” 1961, by Native Sons of B.C.; active trade unionist for 70 consecutive years. Dr, Dwight L. Johnson, M.D., Gibson’s, B,C, Dr. V. A. John- son, M.D., Prince George, B.C. Garfield A, King, Vancouver bar= rister. Dr, James A, Lindsay, » M.D., Burnaby. J. L. Prior, school principal; former president of the Cana- dian Teachers Federation; Fer- guson Award winner, 1965, Charles Stewart, Jr., Business Agent, Amalgamated Transit Union, Pioneer Division 101. G. E. Trasov, Vancouver barris- ter; NDP federal candidate in Vancouver Quadra, 1965, Rev. Bryce H. Wallace, retired United Church Minister; Presi- dent of the Retired Ministers Association of Vancouver. Dr. H, Winrob, M.D., Vancouver. Mrs, Sheila Young, Vancouver peace worker, While concentrating on medi- cal aid for civilians at this time, the committee will participate with other Canadian organizations in promoting friendship between Vietnam and Canada, It will lend See VIETNAM, pg. 8 six more U.S. teams to the League. The protest against the National Hockey League’s decision to by-pass Vancouver, the only Cana- dian city seeking a franchise, for six U.S, cities, one of which didn’t even apply for a franchise, reached a high point this week with a committee of prominent citizens sponsoring a mass public meeting Thursday in the Exhibition Gardens, The citizens committee includes Frank Bernard, leading hotel man; Ernie Broome, alderman; Jack Henderson, 1965 citizen of the year; Frank Fredrickson, former alderman and NHL player; Tom Alsbury, alderman; Bob Williams, alderman; Bob Bardsley, pres., Canadian Amateur Ski Assoc.; Dave Mathews, pres. of Garibaldi Olym- pic Developments; former MP John Taylor; Paddy Neale, Labor Council secretary; Prof, Robert Osborne, head of UBC physical education depart- ment; Father David Bauer, coach of Canada’s National hockey team; Bob Hindmarsh, UBC hockey team coach; and Les McDonald, of the Electrical Workers Union and prominent local sportsman, : Chairman of the committee, Les McDonald said Monday that “Canadians in all walks of life are dismayed and resentful at the attitude shown Canada, and particularly Vancouver by the NHL Board of Governors,” A meeting of the committee Sunday decided to launch a petition with the aim of 100,000 names to protest the action of the NHL governors, The petition addressed to the president and govern- ors of the NHL. points out that Vancouver is Canada’s third largest city and has made a major contribution to the development of Canada’s national sport, and protests passing over Van- couver for six American cities, It declares that the undersigned “express severe disappointment in such action and earnestly re- quest early reconsideration to correct a deci- sion which could have grave consequences in the years to come.” The committee also decided to ask the federal government for a royal commission on the NHL’s contract arrangements with teenage Ca- nadian amateurs, It asks Prime Minister Pear- CLEAN UP THIS POLLUTION! Picture shows pollution tom the Trail smelter pouring into the Columbia River. The B.C. Pollution Control Board has authority to deal with waste being dumped into our waters but it is failing to en- son and other party leaders to intervene with NHL governors and decided to wire other cities asking them to declare their support of Van- couver’s fight. Speaking in the B,C, Legislature last Thurs- day, Vancouver MLA Pat McGeer charged that a few powerful and greedy promoters principal- ly in the United States have an iron grip on both professional and amateur hockey in Canada, H» urged the setting up of a royal commission. **T want to see that royal commission bringing in specific recommendations as to how we can give hockey back to the Canadian people,” Charging that Canadian hockey is now dominat- ed by U.S, interests, McGeer singled out Jim Norris, owner of the Chicago Black Hawks, and said: “What is good for Chicago’s Big Jim Norris is supposed to be good for Canada and Canada’s national game.” McGeer said that a handful of promoters have established a slave trade of hockey players for their own financial gain by ~ drafting young Canadian players for life, The new decisions of the NHL would give the U.S, financial groups overwhelming control of the league, with 10-U,S, teams to Canada’s two, Followers of the game have known for some time about the vicious exploitation to which young Canadians, who comprise almost ali the ‘ players in the NHL, are subjected, The recent action by the NHL has spurred a demand for a full public airing of this exploitation, The take-over of Canada’s national sport by U.S, promoters, with the complicity of some Canadian operators who are mainly concerned with profits and not the good of the sport, follows the pattern of U.S, takeovers in Canada since the end of World War I, It is a blow at Canadian independence and to the national pride of Canadians, The NHL decision shows that unless Ottawa stands up to the U.S, takeover of everything Canadian it may not be long before our national identity disappears along with our resources, culture, independence and national sport, force its authority. Maybe it’s b these poli are too powerful. Meanwhile, the big Alberni petition, which passed the 6,000 mark at press time, is expected to be presented to the provincial government this week.