PREMIER BENNETT ROBERT STRACHAN pitta the tS tiny q 1b, No. 32 FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 1956 VANCOUVER, B.C. Authorised as second class mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa *cy which forced the resig- Mion of one of the key mem- rs of his cabinet this spring + Lands and Forests Minister bert Sommers,” said Mor- The government is on hooks over its resources ity. They are afraid to de- a their giveaways to big €18n monopolies of our for- » as, oil and hydro re- a his broadcast Monday E Premier Bennett. took at for a lot of things — j ae bridges, schools and in- p>ties — all very real ach- ments but nothing any of as line parties couldn’t < One with the increased pies available. Why, this ie paiens has $20 million 3 or roads and bridges : eethes than the total pro- a budget amounted to 4 years ago. if wremier Bennett’ obviously n't believe his own flow- ates about the golden B Bc at is Just beginning ot be paenoaee he would ection Bs - haste to get the - Would let the golden tes a little more if he afraid of the future. Bennett trying 'o skirt debate’ Premier Bennett is guilty of a calculated subversion AA democracy in the totally unfair and unsatisfactory ar- mmgements he has made for the provincial election, LPP sovincial leader Nigel Morgan charged this week. > ‘He has called a snap election in order to avoid debate , ft his government’s resources I think Premier Bennett sees the handwriting on the wall. He knows that in spite of the present temporary boom creat- ed by heavy investment in the initial development of gas, forest and hydro industries, there is good reason for con- cern about the future and he is out to get another five years while the getting is good. “The premier has brought forward his promise of $28 per year to those who pay property taxes in order to off- set charges of bribery and cor- ruption that have rocked his government; their handling of the Sommers charges and the Mulligan police scandal has shattered the Socred’s * pre- tense of good, clean govern- ment. Their callous disregard of the needs of B.C. farmers, no less than the favoritism they have shown the B.C. Elec- tric and big U.S. gas, lumber and aluminum trusts, is bring- ing the government into dis- repute. “There is a broad area of agreement today, between the labor and farmer movements of B.C., the CCF and LPP as” well as among many former Continued on Back Page See ELECTION lO¢ ARTHUR LAING ennett DEANE FINLAYSON NIGEL MORGAN 's snap | election scored | Provincial leaders of the CCF, Libe ral, Conservative and Labor - Progressive parties this week blasted Premier W. A. C. Bennett for calling a “‘snap election’’ September 19 and accused the Socred premier of acting through fear of open debate on the policies his government has pursued while in office. They pointed out that Bennett’s asking for ‘‘a mandate’’ to put further plans into operation is nonsense, since he has a mandate until October, 1958. CCF provincial leader Rob- ert Strachan said that Bennett 4s afraid of something,” and continued: “The fact that he had called an election before he had to is an indication that he is afraid the people will find out the truth about the Sommers ‘affair; about the patronage; the promises made by Ben- nett that can’t be fulfilled; about the fact that he can’t control the Social Credit rank and file.” (Forestry Minister R. E. Sommers resigned during the last legislature’ sitting during . sharp criticism from opposi- tion benches over his handling of his portfolio. Charges of corruption led to an RCMP investigation, but no report has been issued. Sommers, who is suing a Vancouver law- yer for libel in connection with statements ‘made before the Sloan commission, said this week that he- would seek the Socred nomination in Ross- ‘and-Trail riding.) ‘ Liberal leader Arthur Laing said he would discuss the Som- mers case during the election campaign, because “the pub- lic is entitled to know if this government is sound.” Conservative leader Deane Finlayson said Premier Ben- nett’s speech announcing the snap election “confirmed my belief that this province is in the grip of a well-heeled dem- agogue trading on the gulli- bility of decent people.” R, E. SOMMERS LPP leader Nigel Morgan said the premier “is trying to avoid debate on his giveaway of our natural resources by staging a snap election.” (For Morgan’s full statement, see story on this page.) It will be the shortest elec- tion campaign held in British Columbia since 1912. Premier Bennett allowed only 38 days, the minimum under the pro- vincial Elections Act, for the campaign when he set the poll- ing date for September 19. His election announcement was made during a radio broadcast Monday night this week. The election is expected to cost taxpayers more than half a million dollars. _ Unlike the 1953 election, a simple majority “X” ballot will ke used. Amendments to the provincial Elections Act in 1553 extended the vote to 19 - and 20-year olds, who will be voting in a provincial election for the first time. cies on the hustings. a little more. Socred election “sweep.” Is YOUR name on list? When Premier Bennett announced his snap election for September 19 he carefully trimmed off all the surplus time the law allowed for electioneering, thereby limiting the rights of opposition parties to challenge Socred poli- Worse was in store, however. closes at midnight, August 21, just six clear days after the Socred election announcement, leaving an estimated 150,000 eligible voters off the list — with no time for the pro- vincial electoral office to complete its enumeration job. Perhaps this too is considered good Socred “strategy”? . If so it will backfire badly. people with a budgetary smile, but another to deprive an eligible voter of his right to vote. Premier Bennett had better think over such “strategy” Meantime phone the Registrar’s Office at 962 Seymour St. (TA. 2348) before Tuesday midnight to find out if YOU are one of the lucky ticket holders in the Registration of voters It is one thing to charm the