Clear arms,

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1965

VOL. 26, NO. 48

aS

W. Germany demands
larger nuclear role

The West Germany govern-
Ment is becoming more brazen
and vocal in its demands for nu-
Last Monday in
Bonn, government and opposition
deputies joined in demanding an
active German role in nuclear
decision-making, including the
final word on how U.S, atomic
Weapons located in West Ger-
Many would be used,

Significantly enough, the latest
demands come shortly before
Chancellor Erhard leaves for a
Series of top level meetings with
US, President Johnson, The
action in the Bonn Bundestag is
thus seen by many as a West
German pressure play.

As these demands were being
formulated British Foreign Sec-
Tetary Michael Stewart was pre-
Paring to leave for Moscow in
an attempt to find some joint
British-Soviet grounds for non-
Proliferation of nuclear weapons,

The Soviet position has been
Unalterably opposed to granting
these weapons of mass destruc-
tion to West Germany under any
8uise whatever, but the British
Labor government has been
Vacillating on this topic,

On the eve of Stewart’s ar-
Tival in Moscow, Pravda pub-
lished an editorial warning that

those who thought the Soviet Union
could be induced in some way and
for some price to accept the
atomic armament of West Ger-
many were “gravely mistaken.”

“These questions are worrying
the British people and they are
also of interest to the Soviet
people,” Pravda stated, ‘They
would like to see London taking
the international situation ser-

iously and soberly assessing the -

possibility of future develop-
ments,”

Also on Monday, reflecting
world wide concern over the pos-
sible proliferation of nuclear
weapons (especially into hands
like those of West German ex-
Nazis) the United Nations voted
112-0 to hold a conference on
world disarmament before 1967,

Even the United States was
compelled to vote for the confer-
ence despite the fact the reso-
lution plainly called for the par-
ticipation in such a conference
of People’s China, Only France
and Nationalist China abstained
from the vote and no country
dared vote against.

The action was hailed by UN
Secretary General U Thant as an
important victory for the concept
of an all-inclusive world body,

Govt. should
take over

B.C. oil industry

The Government of British Columbia should immediately move to nation-
lize the oil industry in this province. This can be the only logical response to
the latest announcement by oil monopolies that, as a result of the strike settle-
ment formula reached last week, they intend to once again boost the price of

gasoline in B.C.

It was only last summer that
prices were boosted by a cent
a gallon in anticipation of wage
increases, but while negotiations
were still going on, Now, the
public is being held up for an-
other handout,

And both raises arrogantly an-
nounced while a Royal Com-
mission is “investigating” the
industry, its price structure in
different parts of the province,
profit picture, etc, It’s been a
long time since a Royal Com-
mission received such shabby
treatment in public,

Among the more outrageous
claims of these monopolies re-
cently is that the Oil workers
strike settlement of 35 cents per
hour is inflationary and this has
necessitated the latest increase,

Well, let’s look at the situation,

What does a one cent per gal-
lon boost mean?

The refinery production of gas-
oline in B.C. is 420,000,000
gallons a year — apart from
aviation gas, furnace oil, diesel
fuel, and numerous other by-
products of this scientific age,

One cent per gallon — on gas-

VISIT ‘CEMENTS RELATIONS’

Wonderful, warm greeting

for Canadians in Vietnam

As reported in last week’s edition

of the PT our Associate Editor,

‘Qurice Rush, is visiting North

letnam as a guest of the people

there. Below is the first report re-

Ceived since the delegation of which
is a member left Canada.

By MAURICE RUSH

HANOI —
Tim Buck, Rae
Murphy “and I
will never for-
get the wel-
which
us
as we stepped
off the plane at
Hanoi’s Gia
Lam airport,
Nov, 27,

Waiting to receive the Can-
4dian Communist Party dele-
8ation were leading members
Of the Vietnam Workers Party,
Cheering crowds of colorfully
dressed women, militiamen, and
Oung Pioneers who kissed us
and presented us with flowers,

It brought tears to our eyes

to be welcomed by these won-
derfully warm people who are
today holding the front line in
the fight against U.S. Imperial-
ism and for national inde-
pendence,

Men, women and children along
the route from the airport waved
as the cars carrying the Canadian
delegation travelled to the official

EXCLUSIVE

welcome by President Ho Chi
Minh at the former palace of
the French Resident-General,

President Ho warmly re-
ceived us and proposed a toast
to Canadian- Vietnamese friend-
ship. Tim Buck, chairman of
the Communist Party of Canada,
said the delegation had come
to Vietnam to cement closer
relations between our two peo-
ples and to do everything pos-
sible on its return to tell the
Canadian people about the heroic
struggle of the Vietnamese

people,

The delegation was met at
the airport by Le Duan, first
secretary of the Vietnam Wor-
kers Party and leading mem-
bers of the political bureau and
central committee, Members
of the VWP central committee
met with us during supper and
plied us with questions about
Canada, the life of the Can-
adian people, and the movement
in North America against U.S,
aggression in Vietnam,

They told us they attached
great significance to the visit of
the Canadian delegation since it
was the first delegation from
North America to visit their
country.

An extensive two-week pro-
gram has been arranged which
will include tours of factories,
farms and meetings with the
Vietnamese people. Discussions
with North Vietnamese leaders
will also be held and an oppor-

tunity will be given to the dele-.

gation to observe the damage
wrought by indiscriminate U.S,
bombings,

oline alone — amounts, therefore
to additional revenue of $4,200,-
000 per year,

Increasing automation has re-
duced the number of oilworkers
in the province to 540 production
workers, Assuming that each
worker will work a full 40-hour
week for a whole year and also
assuming the 35 cent raise comes

B.C. has the natural resources, skilled
manpower and necessary legislation
to take over and operate the oil in-
dustry. All that’s needed is the will
to do so.

into effect immediately (which it
does not) the total cost to the
companies would be about $393,-
000 per year — or about one-
tenth of a cent on every gallon,
Simple arithmetic will show that
$4 million divided among the 540
workers in the industry would
provide each of them with an an-
nual raise of $7,500, instead of
the $728 which the 35 cent an
hour boost gives them, Broken
down on an hourly basis, this
would be a hike of $3.70 per
man hour!

For that matter, the average
oil worker does not earn any-
thing like $7500 per year, Itis
obvious therefore that the oil
industry. pays its entire annual
wage bill — including the recent

increase and all other employees

not directly connected with gaso-

line — out of a one cent a gallon
raise!

And no negotiations, no con-
ciliation boards, no rigmarole
to go through, Just announce
publicly that gasoline prices are
going up by one cent a gallon
and pay your entire wage bill in
one shot!

Of course, such open, high
handed robbery would be im-
possible without havinga govern-
ment sitting in Victoria that is

‘favorable to big business and is

prepared to look the other way
when the time comes for these
monopolies to intensify fleecing
the public,

What is needed to operate the
oil industry? It seems there are
three indispensible items: (1)
The crude oil must be present;
(2) Refining equipment and skil-
led labor to operate it; (3)
The will and determination to
make this industry serve the
needs of the people and be of
some direct benefit to them,

The first necessity has ob-
viously been met, Many auth-
orities are of the opinion we
have only scratched the surface
in our oil explorations in B.C,
and are sitting on vast reserves,

The second pre-requisite also
cannot be argued, Labor produc-
tivity in this industry in B,C,
is second to none,

But it’s on Point 3 that we
stumble, While legislation ex-
ists on the statute books of B.C,
which gives the provincial gov-
ernment the clear right to take
over and operate the oil industry,
the Socred government of Prem-
ier Bennett has ignored its exis-
tence,

And without a mass movemen.
by the people of this province
it’s unlikely the Premier’s out-
look will change, Such a move-
ment would of course have to
start in the Provincial Legis-
lature, spearheaded by New Dem-
ocratic MLAs,

It would have to have the
backing of the labor movement,
of consumer groups, of every
progressive and democratically
inclined organization and body
of public opinion, It would take
a large dose of unity and deter-
mination to see the struggle
through — but it’s certainly pos-
sible,

The B,C, Hydro & Power Auth-
ority is living proof of that,