Credit cost-cutting.

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VANCOUVER GENERAL HOSPITAL...

suffering from Social

‘Victoria could have
averted VGH crisis’

Continued from pg. 1

the VGH trustees and appointing in
their place, a public administrator,
former RCMP deputy com-
missioner Peter Bazowski.

Bazowski’s appointment came
only a day after hospital ad-
ministration released the contents
of a report by the prestigious U.S.
consulting firm Medicus which
recommended that VGH hire an
additional 181 nurses — bearing out
the urgency of demands voiced
earlier by nurses themselves.

In commenting on the govern-
ment’s action, Maurice Rush noted
that appointment of the ad-
ministrator and the dismissal of
the elected board of trustees
“would not solve the problem.”’

Socred government cost-cutting
which has forced hospitals to “‘cut
staff to the bone’’, is the main
source of-the problem, Rush

charged.

The Communist leader was also
critical of VGH president Truitt
who he said, has refused to give
recognition to the need for nurse
input into patient care and has
rejected the appeals of the nursing
staff.

“His arrogant dismissal of the
nurses’ demands and his attempt
to run the hospital like a business
rather than an important service to
the public, as well as his attempts
to impose .cost cuts in line with

government policy has brought the .

crisis in patient care to its present
near catastrophic level,’’ he said.

Rush pointed out that the actions
needed to resolve the crisis at VGH
“have already been spelled out —
by the nurses and by others con-
cerned with patient care.

“The Communist Party supports
those demands he said, and urges
that the following demands be
acted upon:

e The immediate — im-
plementation of the recom-
mendations of the Medicus report
for the addition of 181 nurses, with
the provincial government to
provide the necessary funds.

e The appointment of a vice-
president of nursing responsible to
the administration.

e The dismissal of hospital
president Larry Truitt who has lost
the confidence of the hospital staff,
nurses and the general public.

e The termination as quickly as
possible of administrator Peter
Bazowski’s appointment and the
restoration of control to the
democratically elected bodies.

Rush also noted, “The entire
structure of VGH needs to be
reorganized with greater input by
representatives from labor and
other public organizations.

“The list of hospital directors now

reads too much like a who’s who
of big business in the province,” he
said.

At Tuesday’s Vancouver Labor
Council meeting, UFAWU delegate
George Hewison told delegates
that pressure would have to be
brought to bear on Victoria to
compel the government to make
the funds available to hire ad-
ditional staff and upgrade patient
care.

“‘We’re talking about first class
patient care,’’ he said. ‘‘That’s
what the nurses want, that’s what
the public wants — and that’s what
the labor movement wants.”

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

The problem of __ street
prostitution came up again at city
council on July 25, 1978.

To West End residents street
prostitution has become more than
just a nuisance. It’s a disturbing
and disrupting factor in the lives of
local residents what with sqealing
tires, blowing car horns and traffic
disruption that goes on into the
small hours of every morning.

Politicans like mayor Jack
Volrich like to make speeches
about prostitution, trying to create
public images of themselves as
noble moral crusaders who are
determined to stamp out sin and
vice. But mayors and aldermen
have been talking like that every
since Vancouver was incorporated
in 1886 and nothing much has
changed except that prostitution is
now a bigger problem than ever.

Any politician who promises to
wipe out prostitution is not only
just fanning himself with his own
hot air,, he’s being downright
hypocritical. Prostitution, as every
citizen by now knows, or should
know, is endemic to our free en-
terprise system. That’s because
there’s money in it and profit and
I’m not talking about the girls and
their tricks. I’m referring to the
businesses that profit from the
night life trade and the exploitation
of sex — from liquor stores to night
clubs.

The only thing that can be done
about prostitution in our society is
to try and exercise some control
over it.

Police chiefs across the country
want laws that will give the police
more power, laws, for example,
against loitering and vagrancy.
They claim that under present
laws they are virtually handcuffed.
Their motives are suspect, as far
as I’m concerned. Once such laws
are on the statute books it will only
be a matterof time before they’re
used against the unemployed,
against demonstrations and
against picketing.

I rather suspect that the police
chiefs right now are sitting on their
hands, and not doing very much to
control prostitution, in the hope
that an aroused citizenry will give
them the new laws they want.

There are a few things that could
be done now, which would help to
some extent to deal with the
problem.

One would be to close all night
clubs at 2 a.m.

Another would be to keep out the
prostitutes and pimps who came
across the border from the U.S. in
such great numbers, especially
during events like the PNE. The
police across the line know who
they are, the RCMP here know who
they are, the city police know who
they are, so why aren’t they kept
out?

Thirdly, the police should be
instructed to enforce the law
against those people whose noisy
behavior interferes with the rest of
West End residents.- ~

Fourthly, the governments of

HARRY RANKIN .. police don't
need added powers to control
prostitution.

this country should take another
look at laws against soliciting for
purposes of prostitution. Why this
one-sided approach? If it’s wrong
for a woman to sell sex, why
shouldn’t it be wrong to buy it? We
have laws not only against stealing
but also against receiving or
buying stolden goods.

If there is to be a law at all on the
subject, it should not discriminate
against just one party to an
agreement.

I know that none of these
measures will stop prostitution,
but they could help to remove some
of its features that disturb the
peace and quiet and enjoyment of
our streets by people who are not
involved in any way in the
business.

MOTOR VEHICLE
TASK FORCE
INVITES YOUR VIEWS.

HOW CAN ROAD SAFETY BE IMPROVED IN OUR PROVINCE?

To answer this question, the
government of British Columbia
has established a task force to
review all laws, regulations and
administration governing motor
vehicles and other road users.

The Attorney-General, Hon.
Garde B. Gardom, has named
to the Task Force specialists in
law, insurance and motor vehicle
administration from the Ministries
of the Attorney-General, Energy,
Transport and Communications,
the Insurance Corporation of
British Columbia and the
“Counterattack Drinking-Driving”
programme of the Ministry of
the Attorney-General.

The broad mandate of the Task

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—AUGUST 18, 1978—Page 2

Force will include study of driver
and vehicle licencing, the “point”
system, licence suspension, ad-
ministrative procedures, the role
of criminal and provincial laws
and any other matters relevant
to the safety and convenience

of those who use the roads.

The views of individuals, pro-
fessional and private groups will
greatly assist the Task Force in
making its recommendations.

Proposals in writing before
September 30, 1978 are requested,
and should be addressed to:

Ministry of the Attorney-General
“Motor Vehicle Task Force”

525 Fort Street

Victoria, B.C. V8W 1X4

Province of
British Columbia