fl locals of the United Elec-
ge Radio and Machine Work-
wl a a America are distributing
“ongipeeee pamphlet, entitled
ce The Great Medicare
titi €,° as well as 30,000 pe-
on Postcards .
os, aim of the U.E. is to put
ec On the Ontario govern-
any to end the robbery and in-
Ices contained in the On-
“3 Health Services Insurance
say and to win genuine, fully
“oMprehensive medicare.
a a petition postcard calls
ame Ontario government to
that its plan immediately so
it will provide:
paymeimination of premium
be Soe Required finances to
fact ae through ability-to-pay

as additional medical
wh, ES to subscribers over
ag OHSIP pays.

OHS] Tovince to administer
ee ee

No private carriers.

The pamphlet, written by
UE’s research department,: out-
lines the reasons behind the
Ontario medicare fraud as:

e to disenchant the people
with the concept of medicare
and direct their displeasure
against those who support me-
dicare and other social measures.

e to provide the insurance
companies with a lucrative in-
come through acting as agents
for the plan.

e to appease the money-hun-
gry medical profession.

e to obtain more revenue
from sources that can least
afford it, thereby continuing to
bonus private enterprise at the
people’s expense,

The plan will provide a guar-
anteed income for the doctors,
and will give the private insur-
ance companies a guarantee of
about 6 percent of the premiums
collected for handling the paper

work, without any risks of loss,
since it is a government scheme.

On the basis of governmental
and press reports, UE’s research
department estimates that for
the last fiscal year the cost of
OMSIP, the province’s volunta-
ry forerunner of OHSIP was
$145 millions. Coverage was re-
ported to be over two million
persons.

The average cost per person
therefore equals $145 millions
divided by two million which is
$72.50 per year or $6.04 month-
ly. Under OMSIP the single pre-
mium rate was $5.90 per month
and the federal government did
not share the costs as it will
under OHSIP.

For the coming fiscal year,
Premier Robarts estimates the
federal contribution to OHSIP
to be $176 millions, which he
says covers 44 percent of the
costs of the plan. The full cost
of medicare therefore will be
$400 millions for the year.

From this figure we can de-
duct the federal share ($175
million). plus. $41 millions alrea-
dy budgeted as a subsidy to
OMSIP to cover costs for peo-
ple requiring financial assist-
ance, and being paid through
taxation. This reduces the net
costs of the plan in Ontario to
$183 millions.

Mr. Wells, the provincial
minister of health, estimates
that between six and seven mil-
lion people will be covered by
OHSIP eventually. If we use

a figure of 6.5 million people, -

then the average cost of medi-
care per individual will be $183

millions ‘divided by 6.5 million ~

which equals $28.15 per year or
$2.35 per month.

The Robarts government
steadfastly refuses to agree that
the excess of OHSIP income
(estimated at $253 millions) be
used to reduce the announced
premium rates.

20th ANNIVERSARY

Socialist Germany's
amazing success

The 20th anniversary celebra-
tion of the German Democratic
Republic lasted for four days
with the whole population and
guests from 84 countries taking
part. In East Berlin 400,000*peo-
ple marched through the Marx-
Engels Square, while other hun-
dreds of thousands crowded in
jubilant throngs about the
square. Similar demonstrations
took place in all big cities, with
over 200,000 marching in Leip-
zig, and as many in Dresden and
Magdeburg.

Demonstrating the socialist
Germany’s amazing success to
the world, the celebration was a
challenge to those countries,
like Canada, which have not yet
recognized the G.D.R., to face
up to reality, particularly since

’ the Republic is a bastion of

peace in the heart of Europe.
Addressing a huge anniver-

sary meeting in Berlin, Walter

Ulbricht, chairman of the State

Council and first secretary of the -

Socialist Unity Party, declared
that the G.D.R. will do its ut-
most to ensure that war will
never again be launched from
German soil, ;

“Our socialist state is the
conscience of the entire German
nation because we do everything
in Our power to prevent a war
ever starting again from German
soil and because we block the
intrigues and plans of West Ger-
man imperialism, militarism and
neo-nazism,” he said.

“The German Democratic Re-
public is the first state in the
history of Germany the people
of which have made the foreign

policy serving the aims of so-
cialism, mutual understanding
among nations and the ends of
security, a principle written
down in its Constitution. This
fact, as well as the persistent
elimination of the reactionary
past and fulfilment of the duty
of all Germans in eradicating
militarism and neo-nazism and
restricting the power of a big
monopolies, as defined in the
Potsdam Agreements, have built
for the G.D.R. the reputation of
the German state of peace,
democracy and socialism.”

L. I. Brezhnev, general secret-
ary of the Communist Party of
the Soviet Union, told the meet-

ing that “we are proud that the

Soviet army brought peace and
liberation from nazi tyranny to
the German people.” Speaking
of the dedication of both coun-
tries to internationalism, the
Soviet leader declared:

“We are, as it were, doubly
your allies —by the treaty be-
tween our two countries and by
the Warsaw Treaty. Anyone har-
boring an intention to test the
firmness of our friendship and
the inviolability of the borders of
our states had better know in
advance that he will meet with
a crushing rebuff by the entire
might, I repeat, the entire might
of the armed forces of the Soviet
Union and of the whole of so-
cialist community!”

Leaders of socialist states and
representatives of the progres-
sive people that celebrated the
G.D.R.’s 20th birthday together
with the German people included
Harry Hunter and Elsie Beech-
ing from Canada.

\

| Quebec—danger signals for | democracy

+.. anarchy... mortal
Used’ These were the epithets
“Men i Politicians and spokes-
tify at the ruling class to jus-
- city BF itary occupation of the
& Montreal, when police-
and firemen called a pro-
SS penouE meeting to dis-
aWard * protest a_ binding
dealin Of an arbitration board
Securit with Salaries. One top
as saa Official was even quoted
an « aking of the beginning of
eae revolution.”
cannot } anti-social rowdyism
Ponsib} © condoned by any res-
Telativer citizen, and while a
nsibl y small number of irres-
F + tage € adventurers take advan-
a serial disorder to
fe 3 Olence and crime, the
Pts thetttention must be directed
“Song j €al criminals—those per-
listen 4 authority who refuse to
oe complain’ to heed legitimate
aa eaters ss of wage and salary
; is Who bear the heavy bur-
Poseq anti-social policies,. im-
- behals Y political authority on
‘ally oe a small but economic-
POlyridace nt slass in our mono-
Ox €n capitalist society.
€ root of the present dif-
S In Montreal, and else-
Mm Quebec, is open and

Promote yi

Heultie

unjustified economic discrimin-
ation. Particularly in the public
services, those who administer
governmental and public insti-
tutions have long since abandon-
ed any and all attempts at equal
and meaningful collective bar-
gaining. .

Instead of bargaining, in the

ordinary and customary sense -

of two parties arguing out their
different positions as far as they
can in good faith, officials table
their proposals on a take-it-or-
leave-it basis. This position has
been stated again by Mayor
Drapeau, after the recent events,
when he insisted that the city of
Montreal is not prepared to go
beyond _ the arbitration award
which is binding by law on both
policemen and firemen. His jus-
tification for this intransigent
position is that the city has al-
ways “followed the policy of
making fair wage offers from the
start of negotiations with city.
employees andesticking to those

cffers until the final settlement.” .

A first-class constable in Mon-
treal is now getting $7,300 per
year, while first-class constables
in Toronto are being paid
$0,113. The policemen asked for
an increase of $1,900 for a two-

-year agreement, which would

have brought them to $9,200 for

1970. Even if they got all of that
increase they would probably be
far behind Toronto again, once
the 1970 negotiations for a new
contract are concluded in Metro
Toronto. Yet, the binding arbi-
tration award, with the police-

“men’s representative dissenting,

gives a first-class Montreal po-
liceman $8,030 for this year and
$8,480 for next year—a figure
far behind Toronto salaries, and
even many municipalities in
Quebec, some on the outskirts
of Montreal itself.

The cost of living in Montreal
is among the highest anywhere
in Canada. As one policeman
told Andrew Salwyn, Toronto
Star reporter: “. .. guys like me
can’t make it any more. We
either have to send our wives to
work or moonlight, which is
against the regulations . . . I
don’t think we deserve that .. .”
Talk about being fair!

In the case of members of the
International Firemen’s Asso-

ciation, another arbitration
board went, out of its way to
break tradition of wage parity
between Torento and Montreal
firefighters. The binding award
gave firefighters an increase of
15 percent, bringing those with

three years’ service $7,600, ret-
roactive to Dec. 1, 1968, and
$8,000 per year by Dec. 1, 1969.
This compares with Toronto sal-
ary scale of $9,009 for this year,
or over $1,000 less annually. And
this after wage and salary parity
for decades as between the two
Metropolitan areas. Is it any
wonder that ‘men object with
any and all means at their dis-
posal, which in this case can
only be withdrawal of services
as the ultimate step. ‘

The struggle is not over by
any means, unless there is a
change—and a drastic change at
that—in social policy and atti-
tude towards working people.
Hydro workers may be on a
province-wide strike. An uneasy
peace prevails in schools, with
teachers’ strikes breaking out
here and there sporadically. Hos-
pital workers are in a terrible
state, with wages as low as $59
per week. Some 84,000 workers
in 200 hospitals have been work-
ing without a contract for 17
months. Unless this kind of a
situation is rectified speedily,
all the holler in the world about
maintaining so-called law and
order, is not going to be heeded
very seriously.

_ There is a real danger here,

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—OCTOBER 17, 1969—Page 5 _
b spod--2a@! XI] AIEOTIO—SMUSIAT DWDAI

with legal counselors of the Que-
bec government, reportedly
studying possible disciplinary
measures against the Montreal
police and firemen’s organiza-
tions and members. The law as
it now stands provides fines and
imprisonment for strikers in
these services. Fines can run
from’'$25 to $100 a day for each
individual, plus jail terms of a
month. Union leaders may be
fined from $5,000 to $ 50,000 a
day and suffer jail terms of one
year. “When a climate of anar-
chy is created, the state doesn’t :
have the right to falter. It must
act” said Premier Bertrand in
the Legislative Assembly.

The real question is, how long
can the state continue to act
against the interests of the ma-
jority without perverting demo-
cracy, destroying civil author-
ity and civil liberties, and ‘in its -
place put the repressive power
of the open and terroristic dic-
tatorship of monopoly and fin-
ance-capital? The alternative
can only be a curb on the power

‘of monopoly, of the corpora-

tions and the politicians who
serve them. Indeed many of
these politicians are apologists
for those who thrive on crime —
and exploitation.