oe een GyNTIL recent times it has generally been accepted, and implicit in current labor legislation, that labor reserved the sole right to settle its own internal affairs; that work- ing men and women had the unquestioned right to join a union of their choice, and to democratically elect their own official personnel, without outside interference or pressnres. co 5 Mr. Justice Clyne’s recent decision in Supreme Court of B.C. while not too: clear or specific in any of its stated’ opinions, nevertheless is contrived to cut clear through the right of trade unionists to run their own atfairs. The steelworkers union, under the lead- ership of the splitters, moved into. Trail nearly two years ago with the sole purpose of splitting and destroying an old established union, the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smel- ter Workers — certified bargaining agency for 4,000 smelter workers in Trail. The raiders were roundly defeated by the membership of Mine-Mill, who held their union against all attacks and won the widest support of all sections of the trade union movement, both CCL, and AFI,. De- feated by the workers themselves, the steel raiders sought aid through the courts to put the stamp of legitimacy on their splinter groups and to pressuré the Labor (Relations Board into authorizing a vote on certifica- tion, in a situation where an old-established union was already certified as the bargaining agency. 7 The B.C. Labor Relations Board, under attack by the splitters in alliance with other reactionary forces, based its decision on two 4/4 main premises: one, that Mine-Mill, already ge almost universal opposition to its Hospital Insurance amendments, which in essence negate the purpose of its scheme, the Johnston-Anscomb cabinet was able to cram its unpopular “co-insurance” and premium hoist swindle down the throats of many MLA’s. Never perhaps, in the his- tory of the B.C. legislature, has dictator- ship shown its ugly face in such an arrogant, blustering fashion. > In the House debate on the scheme, one Coalition member ~bolted the government entirely, while three other Coalition members, together with veteran. Labor member Tom Uphill and the whole CCF group, voted against the bill, which now becomes the most anpopular law of an increasingly unpopular zovernment. e Finance Minister Herbert Anscomb, tory bower in the Coalition and master brewer, made his usual big play about “socialist measures” and social security, making his familiar plaint that social security measures are driving the “prosperity” of this province to the dogs. / Carefully avoiding Coalition pre-election promises which have since served as a laun- ching platform for many of his subsequent tax raids upon the people, Anscomb’ berated the people of B.C. for wanting e#ficient use of, and a fair return for the millions in taxes so extorted. it has been suggested’ by hundreds of citizens. and organizations, that pending « full inquiry into the maladministration of BCHIS, premiums, should rémain as they were, and that any deficits accruing be paid out of consolidated revenues. That is what the Coalition supposedly introduced the sales * tax for. , CCF-CCL Mvsher-Millard | ‘Labor must fight this ruling the certified bargaining agency, held a maj- ority of the Trail smelter workers as speci- fied by law; and two, that although a num- ber of smelter workers had signed applica- tion cards to join the raiding steel group, they had paid no initiation fees or dues. Basing his ruling on a prior court de- cision by Mr. Justice Coady, given September 19, 1950, to the effect that an employee can become a member of a union and in good standing, even if no.dues have been paid (a ruling challenged by the constitution of every trade union regardless of affiliation), Mr. Jus- tice Clyne now renders a judgement which in essence gives the Mosher-Millard-Gargrave steel raiders the green light to continue their efforts. to win a vote for “‘certifica- tion.” His judgement also implies rather than states that the Labor Relations Board should extend every facility in the exercise of its “discretion” to aid the steel raiders in their union-splitting campaign. : The court ruling is pregnant with dis- aster for good labor relations in B.C. It would reduce the LRB to a pawn of the courts, rather than an instrument for the just and efficient implementation of legis- lation as it affects labor organization and objectives. It also implies that the courts, rather than the workers themselves, are to determine by ill-conceived judgements, who and what sort of a union will represent them in the daily struggle for economic and social! progress, It cuts across the right of workers to choose their own union and their own representatives. It is a judicial green light for union raiding and disruption. As such it must be opposed with the full strength of organized labors: : , Probe hospital insurance But this is not the only source of rev- enue, although it may so appear to the Coal- ition tax gougers. B.C. can count powerful corporations such as the Consolidated Min- ing and Smelting, MacMillan Export, the BCElectric, whose net profits and dividends to absentee coupon clippers total hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Revenues to provide hospitalization enough and to spare for the people of B.C. could be secured from this source. Doubtless the idea would never occur to Anscomb and his Coalition cabinet col- leagues. Their forte is not to give to, but to take from the people, as they have taken millions of acres of public land, mineral re- sources, and potential hydro-electric energy and handed them over to Yankee-controlled corporations., ae 3 Anscomb’s. claptrap about “financing ‘ventures into the realm of socialism” and hanging this onto hospital insurance is sheer humbug. A government that has demonstrat- ed its readiness to hand over the people’s resources to monopoly capital, at the same time demonstrating its brazen ‘partisan con- tempt for soeial security and health needs for the people, is courting disaster despite its overpowering majority. _ Hospital insurance ‘should remain as was, despite dictatorial’ and unjust amendments until a full public investigation has been conducted into its administration and account-~ ing from the day of its inception. Then, and then only, if it is found that additional revenues are needed to assure the people of B.C. the right of hospitalization .and health, such revenues should be derived from those interests whose profits and dividends | are wrung from the people’s sweat and toil. As We See lt [* THE current spate of governmental budgets ,this is much less than half the story. The,man’s name is John Q. Public. Finance ministers and similar jugglers who do their lying with statistics, often refer to him as “Mr .Average Canadian”. They feed him on vital indexes and jet-propelled percentages, and try to kid him into the idea that butter is derived from long-range guns instead of cows. By and large, John is an ardent advocate of cradle-to-grave social security. The feeling is often instinctive rather than scientific ,but it stays with him. He is confirmed-in this worthy ideal by the knowledge that he produces wealth far in excess of the cost of such cradle-to-grave : = security. Also, he needs only look at the profits and dividends of any dozen corporations, (which may permit him a job to earn his bread and 90-cent butter) to know that the wherewithall is there to provide a higher measure of life, as a compensating balance to high taxes. * | \ As the tax-paying cornerstone of “our demo- cratic free-enterprisé way of life’, John has achiev- ed (or it has been achieved for him) one cradle-to- grave certainty: to pay taxes! From the moment of his birth ,;when the Doc held him up by the heels and administered a smart wallop on the buttocks to stt the vigor of life in full motion, John became a taxpayer. In fact, already well in arrears with his taxes. With his first squawk he owed the national debt anything from one to two hundred dollars. In 1951, Finance Minister Douglas Abbott says John owed the national debt $256. Winanee Minister Anscomb added ‘another $100 or so, with the proviso that it wouldn’t be used to “finance ventures into the realm of socialism’! When “your friendly undertaker” picks John up at the end of the © trail (an eventuality which can be hastened in British Columbia by virtue of a hospital “insurance” scheme which collects a heavy tax, but defaults on the “benefits”), the tax-gougers take a final toll in sales _ taxes, ground fees and other essentials for a final sendoff. Even the latest St. Laurent $5 cardboard coffins, procurable in bulk and sym- bolizing a forward-looking “economy” against the devastation of atomic war, are subject to an 8 percent tax levy, doubtless to provide more cardboard coffins.in keeping with our stepped-up “defense” program. X In the interim between the two major events of birth and death John pays taxes, gobs of taxes. : Property taxes, sales taxes, poll taxes, excise taxes, direct taxes, hidden taxes, income taxes, taxes for the “right” to live, and taxes to stave off the inevitability of death. Dog taxes, gas taxes, taxes for the water he drinks, and half the food. he eats. His legislators talk to him in billions—but when they finish with ; John’s pay envelope, which may contain the prescribed: measure of existence from one weekend to another, it resembles the thin gruel Mr. Bumble used to dish out to his protesting Oliver Twists. .John seldom worries about what a billion dollars would look like, but he is painfully conscious of having to blow his last $10 on current weekly tax boosts. : When John sits back (if he can afford to sit back) with his favorite pipe to relax from this tax epidemic, the tobacco he smokes is approxi- mately 5 percent tobacco and 95 percent tax levies and profits. Strictly speaking, John smokes taxes labelled “tobacco”. His fluids, especially tea and coffee ,which rate him a straight dime per cup in most eating houses, consists of one-half of one percent tea or coffee, 68% percent in direct and hidden taxes, plus a 31 percent clear profit to some “free enterpriser” on hot water. , Should John purchase a quart of “Anscomb’s Best” as mixed and purveyed by the B.C. Liquor Control Board (and according to Coalition _ Statisticians he downed $70 million worth in 1949-50), he drinks a budgetary cocktail consisting of ten’ percent of what he thought he bought, to which has been added 90 percent of well-watered taxes, If he gets caught drinking ‘this concoction he bought from the govern- ment in @ place other than that designated by law,:the tax levy com- pounds faster than his mortgage interest! ¢ ‘ “With a government war policy based on providing John with a gun, but restricting his inherent desire to a better life, a battery of de- partmental tax sleuths are on the job day and night searching out old and new sources of “hidden revenue” to boost the annual tax rake-in. Columnist Chester Bloom, who serves as hatchetman in, the Ottawa press gallery and press apologist for new tax gouges, simplifies the problem for John: “Since the major object of the government is to cur- tail spending, the quickest way to achieve that is to put taxes on every kind of goods except the absolute necessities of life...” In short, to reduce John Q, Public to a robot whose labor will produce profits and taxes — leaving him just enough to keep alive — to pay taxes. In fact, this tax business has’reached the point where John must pay an annual tax for the “privilege” of collecting his own taxes. (Many busi- — ness firms must pay an annual $2 tax for their “right” to collect the federal government’s 8 percent sales tax from their etisipriers!) Small wonder that only professional tax gougers get all het up about “provincial rights” and constitutional amendments,as these affect , taxation. As far as John is concerned, the present state of the nation being what it is ,it is largely a matter of which will be first, federal, provincial or civic tax gougers, to take him. to the cleaners, Despite a Vancouver Sun warning headline, to the effect that “the Coalition must get closer to the people”, John Q, Public is already damn well con- - vinced that distance rather than closeness is what is required as an initial remedy for his tax enidemic 7 With topheavy majorities in Ottawa and Victoria, no one, and least of all John Q. Public, will argue that we lack stable government. On the contrary. With taxes covering everything from the cradle to the grave, John will readily agree that the government is so stable it begins to smell like & stable, staffed by \non-pari-mutual ostlers. : Paci il (mms, esl MC eal | Hine 7 Le) esieenecesail ben. — na BUN. ass tdi eric Alticnviaavanndll Published Weekly at Room 6 - 426 Main Street, Vancouver, B.C. By THE TRIBUNE PUBLISHING COMPANY LTD. : ‘ Telephone MA. 5288 . !} Tom: Mcoliweni:atvice ic: > anew ee Oe a Subscription Rates: 1 Year, $2.50; | : Printed by Union Printers Ltd. 650 Howe Street, Vancouver, B.C. Authorized as second class mail Post Office Dept., Ottawa Editor PACIFIC TRIBUNE — MARCH 23, 1951 — PAGE 8 4 ¥ ne Be onths, $135. - -