WE CAN'T AFFORD iT: ple NS FLASHBACKS FROM THE COMMUNIST PRESS 50 years ago... MURDERERS WELCOME A self-confessed Russian mur- derer sailed into New York the other day without a current pass- port and yet had no trouble, from the immigration officials. He was Prince Youssopoff, and if he did not have a valid passport, he had a slip of paper which he said was a diplomatic pass, dating from the good old days of the Czar. As the Berengaria steamed down the harbor, the prince could look at the red roofs of Ellis Island. He probably did not know that several hundred compatriots of his were locked up in one room waiting for Washington to decide whether they might be ad- mitted —- and that they had been | in that room for weeks without toilet facilities. But then, they were third class passengers, peas- ant women and Jews — and he was a prince and a murderer and a good counter-revolutionary. The Worker, December 15, 1924 25 years ago... JAILED SEAMEN MONTREAL — Harry Davis, president of the Canadian Sea- men’s Union, greeted the news of the release of nine CSU members from federal penitentiaries - and urged the labor movement to re- double efforts to make the slogan “Free the Imprisoned Seamen Be- fore Christmas” a successful one. Liberation of the nine CSU ‘mémbers leaves 13 men still in Kingston Penitentiary and two in the United Kingdom jail on charges arising out of the East Coast deep-sea strike. The names of those still im- prisoned are familiar to the labor movement and are _ associated with seamen who spent long months on the pickét line is who courageously performed their strike duty in the face of armed strikebreakers and gun- toting policemen. Tribune, December 19, 1949 Profiteer of the week: You may have heard those voices from Ottawa saying that the big food stores are not making excessive profit. However, our awards bocrd. managed to find one—Can- ada Safeway Ltd., Winnipeg—which man- aged.to keep its head above water with a profit figure of $21,348,000 for the 36-week period énding Sept. 7. For the same period a yeor before, it cleared $15,497,009. Not bad for a business that claims it only makes a penny here, a penny there. Editor — MAURICE RUSH Published weekly at Ford Bldg., Mezzanine No. 3, 193 E. Hastings St., Vancouver 4, B.C. Phone 685-8108 ‘ Business & Circulation Manager, FRED WILSON Subscription Rate: Canada, $6.00 one year; $3.50 for six months; North and South America and Commonwealth countries, $7.00 All other countries, $8.00 one year Second class mail registration number 1560 PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1974—Page 4 The North American Air Defence agreement can place Canada at war on the decision of the U:S. Pentagon’s hawks. That is the hair-raising reality of NORAD. The right to scrap NORAD, whose current term ends in May, rests with the Canadian people. But the question is: will they ever be consulted? With typical arrogance, Prime Minister Tru- deau announced in Washington recently that instead of the already unjustified annual 7% increase in Canada’s mili- tary budget, the Cabinet had decided (Parliament be damned!) that the arms budget for the 1975-76 fiscal year would be upped by 11.2%. Is that the course planned for rubber stamping NORAD on orders from the U.S. brass? Is the squandering of tax money to continue to keep war-ready: planes in the air over Canada, to con- tinue the ancient fairy-tale about pro- tecting us from hombers coming over the North Pole? The profit bins of the camouflaged military industries are the only beneficiaries of such a deal. In the face of growing resistance to NORAD’s renewal, not even Parlia- ment can be excused for approving: it. For the Cahinet to do-so in a back-room “ceremony” would be defiance of the electorate. Responsible organizations have con- It cost us millions cost us to please oil bosses The Province of Alberta has decided to give financial assistance to the multi- national oil monopolies, and will donate back betweep $800-million and $500- million annually, about half the money jokingly taken in taxes. The monopolies felt better right away and began re-assigning gear and personnel. And oil stocks rose on the Toronto Stock Exchange. That, along with the fact that the oil price of $6.50 a barrel, frozen since April 1, will be allowed to jump at least $2 in the . spring, re-establishes who is running the show. The federal government, which in- creased its take on oil for the purpose of equalizing consumer prices in East- ern Canada (by giving money to oil ‘corporations dispensing foreign oil on the east coast) seems not too perturbed at threatened rises in consumer prices to those using Alberta oil. The Alberta, Saskatchewan and fed- eral governments are all reported to find price increases acceptable, with the proviso that they will go on debating matters of princinle. And a group of economists at the C. D. Howe Research Institute want. Canadian oil prices to - rise to the world level — $12 a barrel. What all these friends of the people seem to overlook is the fact that these resources belong to the peonle of Can- ada — not to the Tories. the Liberals, the NDP or the multi-national corpora- tions. What ahout that principle? Until snch time as the industry comes under vnublic ownership, which is the enlv solution to this embezzlement, the federal xovernment hears the respon- sibility for ensuring that oil monopolies are not permitted to raise nrices at will, to thrust this added burden onto the consumer who, in the end, foots the bill. cal Comment... Start count-down to end NORAD “has insisted that Canada get out. The demned Canadian participation in NO- -RAD. The Canadian Labour Congress New Democratic Party, centrally, an in important provincial councils sue as Saskatchewan have done the same,jme the Ontario and B.C. Federations of Labour take the same stand. And the National Farmers Union voiced similar j; demands. The recent Assembly for @)1 New Canadian Foreign Policy made} this one of its concerns. The Canadian Peace Congress, in 4 crash sienature campaign, noting that) “NORAD comes up for renewal in May (1975)” urges backing for the cam paign against renewal of the agree ment. The Communist Partv of Canada at its 1974 convention, declared that. “Ca- | nada’s withdrawal from NATO and NORAD would serve to break U.S. im perialist military and political domina- | tion over Canada and the lives of Cana Aianse seo. The facts are plain enough. The urgency is clear enough. The govern ment may make its decision at any time The broadest and loudest possible pub= Jie campaign is needed to remove this inroad of the U.S. military into Cana dian life — downgrading our sovereign” ty and our living standards. It. is an issue which crosses party Jines. Manv sunnorters of the Liberals; Tories and NDP. and those parties spokesmen should be called unon oppose any furtherance of NORAD. The need is to organize. Hypocricy personified — Hypocrisy is the word for the Libera! | Government’s parading of a massivé 50% pay increase for Members of req liament, with extra plums for Cabinet | Ministers-and the Prime Minister. Government indifference to inflatiot unemployment and the recession taking | shape, contrasts grimly for the work ing people. with this self-agerandize” ment readily concurred in by Tory chief Stanfield, while his Ontario lie tenant Davis offers underpaid publi¢ servants an insulting 20% raise. i For workers it’s a record-breaking 1.1% cost-of-living iump in Novembel making this. vear’s rise 12%. In Novem ber 5.5% of the work force was unel | ployed. For pensioners it’s measlv pet” | nies to face the winter of hardening | conditions. : i But for the aristocratic Mr. Trudeal) his (who intones about the need for wage restraints), for their Cabinet buddie? © * Hy who back monopoly’s bosses in everY | t self-righteous finance ministe! | Mees ad teens Gel Oe te tot Oot dirtv anti-labor attack, it’s a pay boost | to $27.000 a vear nlus an increase 0” $15.000 to $25.000 for “expenses,” ply a $2.000 car allowance, and whateve? — donations gangland throws their way, — Is the workine class exnected to hol still for a straitjacket of inflation an wage restraints, take the cost-0 a living’s punch in the belly while thes placemen of monopoly are dipping 11” — the public treasury? er to The working class has all it takes show the Ottawa crowd hoth in nore tiations and in mass public actions !” the months ahead that priorities at | going to be put where they belong.