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Public pressure forces issue
of BEG swimming pool site

back to council for decision

Public pressure has dumped the question of a British Empire Games swimming pool location in
central Vancouver right back into the lap of city council, which side-stepped the issue last week by |<

referring it to the park board and the BEG committee.

When representatives of 31 organized groups

bombarded a joint meeting of park board and BEG committee with a demand for a central city site
for the pool, the officials caved in and agreed to recommend such a site to city council.

City council will have to make

a decision next Wednesday,

April 8. Meanwhile the cam-

paign to shift the pool location

from UBC to the city is gaining
momentum, with a_ citizens’
meeting scheduled to take place
at the Electrical Workers Hall,

111 Dunsmuir, Sunday, April 5,
at 8 p.m.

Percy Norman, well - known
swimming coach and chairman of
a newly-formed Citizens Commit-
tee For a Central Vancouver
Swimming Pool, this week sent
a letter to organizations and in-
terested individuals explaining
the purpose of the movement. He
wrote, in part:

“Our committee was formed by
representatives of 31 Vancouver
organizations for the purpose of
guaranteeing the citizens that the
British Empire Games swimming
pool will be built in a central Van-
couver location. We are opposed
to the spending of $300,000 of the
taxpayers’ money for the building
of a pool in the. university® area.

“The people of Vancouver, and
our young people especially, are
in need of more public facilities
for sports and recreation. The
building of a central pool for the
British Empire Games would lay
the basis for a permanent public
pool easily accessible to the peo-
ple of Vancouver and open 12
months a year. |

“On Monday March 30, a dele-
gation of 25 from our committee
met with the Board of Park Com-
missioners to request that the
pool be built in. Vancouver and
to oppose the placing of the pool
in the University of British Col-
umbia area.

“Next day, it was Srapinced in
the press that the park board and
the British Empire Games com-
mittee had agreed to place the
pool in Vancouver, providing the
city council will agree to certain
conditions. These conditions are:

| A plebiscite on the question

of putting up the money to

enclose the pool after the Games.

TED HARRIS

Painters’ and Paperhangers’
: Supplies
Sunworthy Wallpaper
reg. 45¢c — Now 19c:a roll
757 E. HASTINGS HA. 2973

Golden Gate Cafe

186 E. a penae st.
“OPEN FOR SERVICE”

Vancouver
Second Hand Store

@ Stove Parts and Repairs
‘ @ Used Plumbing Supplies

Tools Kitchenware
588 MAIN ST. _—PAcific 8457
PACIFIC ROOFING
Company Limited
2509 West Broadway
=N. Bitz - B. Kostyk

pr A yearly grant for the op-
eration of the pool.”

Norman called for a large turn-
out at the April 5 meeting.

Ernie Lawrie, provincial leader
of the National Federation of Lab-

or Youth, an organization which |

has fought against the UBC pool
site since it was first announced,
told the Pacific Tribune this week
that the NFLY is urging other
youth organizations and groups
“to get into the battle and fight
for a pool located in Vancouver.”

He believed such a pool could

operate without any financial defi-
cit, if properly run.

“In ‘any case,” said Lawrie, “it
should be remembered that just
a few days ago city council ap-
proved a budget which calls for
the spending of $89,917.16 ‘for
Civil Defense in 1953. The maxi-
mum deficit figure given for oper-
ating the pool is $25,000. Com-
pare these figures and consider
whether the health of our youth
isn’t worth spending such a sum
—which is only a drop in the
bucket when you look at the over-
all budget estimates.”

Text of press statement

Winch outlines talk
with Lieut.-Governor

VICTORIA, B.C.

Following is the full text of the
statement released to the legisla-
tive press gallery by Harold
Winch, CCF leader in the legis-
lature, outlining the constitutional

grounds on which he based his |,

claim to form a _ government.

“The Lieutenant-Governor fol-
lowed custom and precedent and
called me in at 9.30 this morning.
I spent 45 minutes with the Lieu-
tenant-Governor, who informed
me Premier Bennett had asked for
dissolution.

“I informed fhe Lieutenant-
Governor that in my opinion the
premier was not entitled to dis-
solution and based my main argu-
ment on the fact that when he ac-
quiesced as Lieutenant-Governor
to the Social Credit forming a
government, he did not require
them to have more than 19 votes
on the floor of the House, and
that I would give a guarantee
that, if he called on the CCF to
form a government, we would deal

+ Strictly with public business and

not introduce before an election
what might be termed ‘a ‘Socialist’
policy.

“This presentation was made to
the Lieutenant-Governor in the in-
terests of carrying on the public
business of B.C. and was made
strictly on a personal basis as
House leader of the CCF. I ac-
cept full responsibility for this
presentation to the Lieutenant-
Governor because, as stated on the
floor of the House when the gov-
ernment was defeated on Bill 79,
I feel that the public business
transcends political advantage,
he has followed constitutional pro-
cedure and I want to give to him
my personal thanks for calling me
in before making a» decision. 4
tactics and personal glory.

- “T appreciated very much the
attitude of His Honor in having
given interviews with the premier

CERES EEE

Home Fancy
Sausage Co.

254 E. Hastings St.

TA. 3613
Specializing In All Fancy
Ukrainian Sausages
and
Scandinavian Imports
Proprietors:
EDWARD AND W. POLOWY

 Lieutenant-Governor.

WEES Aes E
HAROLD WINCH
Tired

before he arrived at his decision;
that he gave me the courtesy of
consultation and that he called
upon me to be with him before
he made his decision.

“As previously reported to the
Lieutenant-Governor I reiterated
a CCF contention that as at the
time of inviting Premier Bennett
to form a government, he had not
demanded he have a majority. I
could not understand why now
when the Bennett government was
defeated on a bill which the pre-
mier himself called a confidence
bill that he should now insist that
the CCF should command a ma-
jority. :

“This point in my estimation
is important because I know that
I can even at the present moment
have a greater voting, support on
the floor of the House than that
of the previous government.

“However,. the decision rests
completely in the hands of the
On _ behalf
of the CCF, at this morning’s meet-
ing I informed His Honor we were
prepared to form a government
and to carry on, on a non-controv-
ersial basis the business of B.C.
“The Lieutenant-Governor has
in his official capacity told me he
will not call upon the CCF unless
the CCF can command a majority
vote. This is the prerogative of
the Lieutenant-Governor and I
would like it to be known that
brief caucus meeting, Randolph

Harding made the formal an-

nouncement that Winch had ten-
dered his resignation as CCF
leader.

Continued

from an unhappy government on
its promise of “voluntary” hospi-
tal insurance and its withholding
of a major part of the municipali-
ties’ share of last year’s sales tax.
This success infyriated Bennett
and he took the unprecedented
step of forcing a night sitting in
“punishment.” 5

Winch was badly out-manoeuvr-
ed:by Bennett at the time of the
government’s defeat. In a drama-
tic and apparently spontaneous

| gesture when the Socred govern-

ment’s defeat. was imminent he
offered the cooperation of his par-
ty in passing non-controversial
bills. In doing so he undoubtedly
hoped to side-step the charge of
obstructing all legislation which
Bennett had already hurled at
him.

When Bennett accepted, Winch
called it a great victory. But it
removed any pressure on the Lib-
erals to back the CCF in order
to get the minimum of public busi-
ness done. _ With removal of the
pressure Winch lost whatever
chance he’ had of getting a Liberal
commitment. of support to any
government he might form.

In a desperate attempt to re-
trieve his slipping fortunes, Winch
offered to the Lieutenant-Govern-
or and probably to the Liberals,
a pledge not to introduce “social-
ist” measures. In his press state-

_| ment he said his offer was “strict-

ly on a personal basis.” It was
this “personal” pledge which pre-
cipitated the much-publicized row
with Arthur Turner, CCF whip
and Winch’s running mate in Van-
couver East since 1937, and result-
ed in Winch’s resignation being
made public.

It is obvious that the CCF cau-
cus had not been consulted before
Winch made the pledge, and that
members of the caucus and of
the CCF provincial executive ob-
jected both to Winch’s failure to
consult them on such a major de-
cision of policy and, in all likeli-
hood, to the commitment itself.

Circles close to the CCF say
that many CCFers consider Harold
Winch a liability in spite of the

; .fact he is the best-known CCF

figure in the province. They say
that he has too many political
enemies both inside and outside
the party, and on both left and
right. He himself says he is tired
after 20 years in the legislature
(he and his father, E. E. Winch,
MLA for Burnaby, are the only
surviving members of the original
CCF group of seven elected in
1933) and in financial straits. .

Among his probable successors,
O. L. Jones, MP for Yale, is being
mentioned as some one who has
been outside recent party contro-
versies in the provincial field.
Others likely to be considered are
Grant MacNeil, who has experi-
ence in both federal and provin-
cial houses, Colin Cameron, for
several years MLA for Comox,
Randolph Harding and Arthur
Turner. Of these MacNeil is most
likely to have the support of M.
J. Coldwell, CCF national leader.

However, observers do not dis-
count the possibility that Winch
might get a vote of confidence
from the CCF provincial conven-
tion next weekend if he chose 2
ask for it.

S. H. BROWN
PLUMBING & HEATING

371 Johnson Road —
RR. White Rock t Phone 5661

May Day
parade set

for May 3

The May Day parade here, to
be held Sunday, May 3, this year,
will follow its traditional route
from Georgia Viaduct to Stanley
Park, John Hines, May Day Com-
mittee executive secretary, told
the Pacific Tribune this week.
Last year the big parade lined up

on Hastings Street near the Post —

Office.

About 20 organizations were
represented at a May Day confer-
ence held March 25 at Pender
Auditorium. The following of-

ficers were elected: chairman, Les ~

Walker; vice-chairman, Bill Stew-
art; secretary, John Hines.

Final May Day conference will
be held in Pender Auditorium
April 22 at 8 p.m. Trade unions

and other organizations are ask- —

ed to send financial contributions
to the May Day committee to
Room 6, Pender Auditorium, 337
West HS:

Sub Ebr
was good

in March

First month of the financial —

drive proved a good month for
subs, too. Many press drive
workers received donations to
the paper while signing up new

| readers or picking up sub renew-

als. Total subs for March reach-
ed the figure of

236

Here’s the box score: Nanaimo
15. subs; Kitsilano, 12; Grand-~
view, 9; North Vancouver, 9;
Victoria, 7; Fairview, 7; New
Westminster, 7; Courtenay, 7;
Philip Halperin, 6; Advance, 6;
Point Grey, 6;

Niilo Makela, 5; Langley
Prairie, 5; Capitol Hill, 4; Cum-
berland, 4; A. E. Smith, 4; Dry
Dock, 4; Electrical, 4; Britannia
Beach, 3; Moberley, 3; Prince
Rupert, 3; Michel, 3; Vernon, 3;

South Burnaby, 2; Hastings
East, 2; Mission City, 2; Camp-
bell River, 2; Maritime, 2; Build-
ing Trades, 2; Olgin, 2; Norquay,
2; Trail, 2; Victory Savare, 2;
West End, 2.

One member of Grandview press
club visited 10 PT readers and
asked them for help during the
financial drive.
donations. An example other
press workers could follow!

ZENITH CAFE

105 E. Hastings Street
r VANCOUVER, B.C.

UNION HOUSE

~ PENDER.
AUDITORIUM

J (Marine Workers)
339 West Pender
_ LARGE & SMALL HALLS
: FOR RENTALS:
Phone PA. 9481

il [EE EUE ECU EERE ee

SUITE 515

PT TT

“STANTON, MUNRO & DEAN

Barristers - Solicitors - Notaries ‘

FORD BUILDING
(Corner Main & Hastings Sts.)
MARINE 5746

198 E. HASTINGS

CaO TL UL ty

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — APRIL 3, 1953 — PAGE 6

He received 10.

Sr)

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