Victory for labor

ettlement of the Alberni Valley strike this week is an

S important victory for all B.C. labor. The issues in-

volved transcended the small number of workers directly

on strike. The giant MBPR company knew, as did the

unions in B.C., that if a victory was won here it would open
the way to organizing thousands of office workers in B.C.

The company not only tried to beat this small group
of valiant workers into submission, but it also sought to
strike a blow at the whole labor movement by using the
anti-labor legislation in B.C. to force unions to scab on
their brothers and sisters.

Solidarity and militant labor action blocked this giant
monopoly from having its way. Now labor in B.C., learn-
ing the lessons from this struggle, should move forward to
organize the unorganized office workers and lay plans for a
giant campaign to wipe out anti-labor legislation in B.C.

There is one other important lesson for labor and the
public in the Alberni strike, and that is the length to
which the big monopolies will go to impose their domina-
tion. Rather than concede the right to organize they pre-
ferred to see an entire community deprived of a livelihood
and the economy brought to a standstill. The Alberni
events prove the need for public control over monopolies.

Parliament must act

Ae oe STATEMENT last week by the Communist Party
that Parliament must act on pensions, the flag, and
medicare before adjourning for the summer recess should
be supported by all Canadians. This is made all the more
necessary in recent days by strong indications that some of
these issues may not be acted on at this session.

Strong forces in Parliament, and out, would prefer to
see the House rendered sterile and caught up in endless
wrangle, rather than act on these major social measures.
Particularly in danger of being pushed aside is the Royal
Commission report on medicare. If this should happen it
would be a crime against the Canadian people.

The Canadian Medical Association has directed cau-
tious fire against the scheme. They have attempted to find
all kinds of reasons why the scheme should not be acted
upon. Much of the opposition in the big business commu-
nity is not publicly expressed because of the overwhelming
public endorsation of the proposed plan. But it is there
nevertheless, and influential circles are working mightily

to hold up any action by Parliament on the health plan at -

this session in the hope that, given time, they would be
able to scuttle it as they have earlier health plans.

The public must not let them get away with it. The
measures before Parliament this summer are critical. And
Parliament must act on them before the MP’s are allowed
to return home for their summer holidays.

McE WEN |

ps

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—Pulp and Paper Worker

Modern King Canute

. country’s economy,

National power grid

Kanes WEEK Resources Minister Laing said in Parlia-
ment that the government had received an initial report
on a national power grid. This was in reply to a question
what Canada was doing in view of U.S. plans to build a
high-voltage transmission line from California to the Cana-
dian boundary to handle Columbia, ‘Peace and Yukon
power when it is developed.

While Ottawa “studies” the need for a national power
grid, which would strengthen the east-west links across
Canada, the U.S. is acting on.a “north-south” line. The
U.S. aims to get its hands on all the Canadian power it can.
Ottawa must be pressed to get on with the job of building
a national power grid to tie together our vast hydro re-
sources for Canada’s benefit before it is too late.

Premier Bennett’s recent announcement to build
dams on the upper Fraser makes action by Ottawa on an
east-west grid even more urgent. Unless B.C.’s vast hydro
resources are ear-marked for Canadian use, Bennett will
see to it that it goes south to serve U.S. interest.

a horse or two just think of the.

their time at race tracks,
giddy-up it would give to the :

The way we visualize it, tens
of thousands of citizens will want
to do their bit in “encouraging”
horse racing,

And even though this might
seem like a lot of money to give
for “encouraging horse racing” it
makes better sense to give it to
the horse race instead of the bil-
lion and a half each year that

* * *

We’re going to write our letter
asking for $40,000 worth of “en-

Tom McEwen is away on holiday
for a few weeks. In place of his regu-
lar column the PT will, over the next
few weeks, bring our readers guest
columns. This week's column is by
BOB WARD, who writes a regu/ar
feature for the U.E. News. His col-
umn is entitled: “What’s Good
Enough for E. P. Taylor Is Good
Enough for Me.”

e

he news that E, P, Taylor

had been given a government
hand-out of about $40,000 for * en-
couraging horsé racing” raiseda
bit of a stink in racing stables
throughout the nation, Some fol-
lowers of horses reckon that E,P,
needs the 40 grand like he needs
another foal in his shed, Others
feel the government couldn’t have
“encouraged” anicer millionaire,

Of course government hand-
outs aren’t exactly new to mil-
lionaires,

Politicians, it seems, would
rather give money tothe rich than

to the poor because the poor are
improvident anyway, and who
ever met a poor man who could
give you a real good tip on a
horse, or appoint you to a vice-
presidency of some company or
other when politicking days are
over,

We read somewhere that the
moral of E,P, getting this hand-
out was that old age pensioners
should start raising horses, Of
course, this advice might well be
passed along to all citizens as
$40,000 is a bit more than most
of us make in a year,

* * *

Raising horses as the way to get
along in the world would be quite
a switch on things, We feel it’s
an idea worth plugging,

If government would kick out
$40,000 a year to those of us who
take the bit in our teeth and raise

goes to the arms race,

ape ak

With more of us being “en-
couraged” to raise horses we'd
need more race tracks and this,
of course, would create a real
boom in stables, pavilions,
grandstands, and all of the other
things connected with the track,

All of us new-born horse-own-
ers would also need to buy tall
silk hats as we notice that this
is what fellow horse - breeders,
like E,P,, wear at the races, The
clothing industry will get a lift
too as orders pour in for riding
habits, racing colors, and the
like,

Saddles, harness, riding crops,
and knee length boots will give a
spur to the leather industry, Hot
dogs, popcorn and soft drinks will
skyrocket in production when
most of the nation spend mast of

couragement” right away,

It’s surprising that we never
thought of it before, After all
we've had a lifetime of interest
in race horses but our interest
has rarely paid off, Maybe this
was because our concentration
was on one part of the horse,

| Worth
Quoting |
-

The Russians made no secret seit
they expected a stocktaking pati ip
orientation from the new gover mi
in Bonn. They were willing test's
Chancellor Erhard a chance. cad
why they went slow in Germany ©
still are doing so. ig

fi;

Nobody took advantage % —
break. Erhard continued the < ke
against Russia — though his 4 a ale
stopped it long ago — as if ba

tions with Russia were of the 9 There
importance for West Germany:
have been incomprehensible eP!

wise.

Or the scornful reply to the Ro
after they had proposed to rer a
force — and its manner: ee ote
from a truck to the guard at t his Dé
of the Kremlin. How else can ae
explained except as an infern 1 bad
demonstration of hostility (99°
manners)?

in
... Do the responsible people
Bonn not recognize that they or¢ t
ed in the United States of ‘don’
Senator Goldwater and that they iat
have any backing at all in Beipon
Even relations between Paris a”
have cooled down considerably:

— SEBASTIAN Rpg
Leading We er
political! commentato’ ;

*

federal sales tax on prescrip 42
in Canada. Canada is the only i
in the world that puts such 9 ry
drugs. Canada is the only core hurts
earth that kicks a man when ! pa

the most and when he is least COP"

of fighting back—when he is se

druggist “‘sick’’ costs the ill
ed people of this country % + fed
million annually. The 11 perie é
eral sales tax is applied again® uli,
of all drugs except cortisone, '”
radium, poliomyelitis vaccine, ape ane
corticotrophin and liver extract T° —
emia.
such

But all the others — including ge
vital necessities as antibiotics 9" oo
stimulants—are subject to @ oe
high as the one imposed on cigar? ;

—ELIZABETH GRAHAM,
in Independent Bus!

tir"
its nose, rather than the &
anatomy, .

Why don’t you write and ne
the government to send yous to
000 too? Getting more Peet val
“encourage horse racing ¥”
help curb unemployment,
wages and other ills of out
ciety, :

Jo¥
30°

More important, if thous
of us get into the track We
envisage a multi-million do”
program of buildings to housé
the horses we'll be breeding: ° iti
such a program we might 1
mately achieve the aim %
politicians, a stable governm\

i

Editor

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July 10, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PO9*