ILLAM. BEECHING

A — In a dramatic
th highlights the agri-
bate in the House of
four Saskatchewan
wave launched a court
force Ottawa to pay
g the farmers. Sup-
WY the Saskatchewan
Mt, the farmers have
@ writ of mandamus
ould compel Federal
ister Edgar Benson
Bytoney due to the farm-
§,' the Temporary Wheat
71S Act.
thes at a time when the
; U the Prairies is being
4 'D. It is a good harvest,
« delivery quotas for
4, Still light, and the
ees that Canada’s agri-
M deep trouble. With-
nt eessive alternatives to

Npulicies, the government
a t-and-run sales, with-
bus able to assign a ratio-

ay Of delivery quotas

Ju

» Or to give and pro-
bankruptcy for the

‘ *centre of attention is
Ent of some $62 mil-
Way? Should have under
a Mien on Wheat Reserves
Fit Was passed in 1956.
| ‘hen Provisions, Canada’s
; Recin is required to turn
Ta; a Sums of money to
“Wy, 22 Wheat Board for

Ment to the farmers.
son for the govern-
Ry, qivency, as Officially
the © Hon. Otto Lang, is
t, S°Vernment wants an-
Be seed which would
" atmer close to $100
ii Payments, instead of
i ‘s He claims the Op-
; Nesas 8uilty of holding up
hich of the new legisla-
Sty would make the
Op RA obsolete.
Thy Position parties claim
WU administration has
T the :
$ law in not paying
injgrs, Million and that,
Th. T the old act which is
" eovernment owes $92
the farmers at this

Live up to Law
a ai eS it would be easy
iy, . ©-244 aside for the
me what is owing to
bate 8, and then return to
Solid ey say that, under
til; ated Revenue Fund,
Hy, is owing to the
‘tion €rs under existing
Nitone July 31; 1971, plus
tt a $26 million for the
‘ate P year 1971-72. (Crop
lye yC@lculated from Aug-
| € given year to July

i

“THE MAN WHO

31 of the following year). Thus,
the government, under existing
laws, could pay the farmers
over $90 million. immediately.
The debate cannot be dis-
missed as being solely political
mumbo-jumbo — just another
struggle for political advantage.
This is a fight to compel the

-government to live up to the

law of the land. Therefore, ob-
jectively, it is a struggle for the
preservation of the limited
democracy we do have, and is,
simultaneously, a struggle to
put more money into the hands
of the farmers, and to work out
more progressive policies for
agriculture.

The debate is a focal point
for the entire agricultural prob-
lem, which is of a. much bigger
dimension that the media is
ascribing to it.

Playing Politics

In a naked political ploy —
aimed at winning political sup-
port from Western farmers: ——
Lang threatens to pay out only
the $62 million if the Opposi-
tion continues to hold up the
new legislation. He claims that
the government is delinquent in
its payment only because it
wanted to give the farmers
more than they are entitled to
under existing legislation.

The bill Lang is pushing, Bill
C-244, The Prairie Grains Sta-
bilization Act, is supposed to
guarantee the farmer the level
of income equal to that of the
last five years. The farmer will
have to contribute 2% of their
gross incomes annually to the
fund. The National Farmers
Union has described it as a bill

CAME TO, DINNER”

eat farmers demand cash

perpetuating depression. The
president of the Alberta Wheat
Pool says that farm income has
dropped by 44% since 1967.
Some farmers have little or no
dollar income at all.

No wonder the Prairie elec-
tions resulted in a complete re-
jection of the ‘governments in
power. That protest vote swept
the old-line parties out of office
in both Manitoba and Saskatche-
wan although in Alberta the
monopolies were able to divert
the protest vote.

Need Protection

The National Farmers Union,
in its submissions on Bill C-244,
wants a bill which will protect
farmers from rising costs and
declining incomes, with floor
prices. |

The NFU is asking for a cash
payment of $270 million which,
it claims, represents the short-
all in grain income in 1969-1970.
The - notorious conservative
Canadian Federation of Agricul-
ture in its brief on Bill C-244
stated that Prairie agriculture is
operating at a net loss, with the
only net income coming to agri-
culture from livestock and from
income in kind. The fact is that
net Prairie farm income fell
from $1.1 billion in 1966 to $500
million in 1970. To show how
drastic the decline in income on
the Prairies is, the value of grain
marketing slipped from $1.4 bil-
lion in 1966-67 to $742 million
in 1968-69, and down to $682
million in 1969-70.

In Saskatchewan, where a
large number of farmers are
grain producers, net farm in-
come dropped in 1970 to just
under $195 million from $462
million in 1968.

U.S. Surcharge

Farmers and politicos point to
the fact that the Ottawa govern-
ment is handing out $80 million
to industry, most of which the
workers will never see, and
most of which will be handed
out to business concerns located
in Central Canada.

The 10% surcharge imposed
against imports by the U.S.
government, which gave rise to
this action, has also hurt Cana-
dian agriculture. It has been. im-
posed on almost all agricultural
products with the exception of
feeder cattle which, if sold in
quantity on the U.S. market,
could result in a growing com-
petition in red beef on the Cana-
dian home market.

As more shops close down,
bankrupties mount and more
and more farmers are driven to
to auctioneer, the farmers know
that they want action, and they
want it now.

Arrogant Imperial Oil must
consider needs of people

REGINA — The following let-
ter was sent to Allan Blakeney,
premier of Saskatchewan, by the
Communisty Party on Oct. 1:

“The announcement by Im-

perial Oil officials that they plan
to close their Regina plant is an
example of how big business
places profits before people.
Nothing the company officials
have said justifies their action,
which will ‘create further unem-
ployment and economic disloca-
tion.

“We ask that your govern-
ment inform Imperial Oil that it
will not be allowed to unilater-
ally decide the economic future
of our province, nor will it be
allowed to take steps which will
worsen unemployment.

“According to the company’s
own statements, when the refin-
ery went on stream for the first
time during the First World
War, it employed a total of 400,
and its capacity was 1,500 bar-
rels of crude a day. Its present
capacity is about 32,000 barrels
a day, and it employs less than
200. In plain words, its produc-
tivity has increased by over
2000%, while the number of em-
loyees has fallen by 50%, with

the value of its plant jumping.
_ from an original investment of

$2.5 million to over $20 million.
It has done very well indeed!

“From these figures, it is ob-
vious that the plant, using mod-
ern technological and scientific
advances, plans to make not just
ordinary profits but super profits
by establishing a new giant re-
finery in Edmonton, capable of
using the very latest technology.
It is this same policy of U.S.

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owned monopolies operating in
our province that has already-
turned Moose Jaw into a dying
city. It is the same quick arro-
gance that imposed a 10% sur-
charge against Canadian exports
to the USA recently.

“The challenge before us is
to. insist that the employees and
people living in communities
shall not suffer from either new
technological innovations or
from arbitrary decisions made
by U.S. monopolies operating in
our country.

“Imperial Oil should be told it
cannot shut down its plant, and
that if it proceeds its refinery
will be kept open through na-
tionalization. It could be oper-
ated as a Crown Corporation.
With two NDP governments in
neighboring provinces it would
be possible to create sufficient
demand so as to require its ex-
pansion.

“Tf the refinery were to oper-
ate without making money while
providing needed consumer
goods and giving employment, it
would be sufficient. justification
for keeping it open.

“Any further industrialization
of our province would require
the expansion of the capacities
of existing refineries — and we
should be planning on further in-
dustrialization now. In addition
it is possible for the operations
of a Crown-owned refinery. to
be integrated with those of the
co-operative refinery to the mu-
tual advantage of both, and for
the benefit of consumers and
employees.

“Imperial Oil arrogantly tells
us, just as it has many Latin
American countries, that it will
do what is best for its profits,
not what is best for the people.

“The argument of Imperial Oil
officials that it is taking these
steps because it is trying to
solve pollution problems is an
example of how big monopoly
has seized upon a problem, cre-
ated by monopoly in the first
place, to justify all its moves to
obtain super profits, regardless
of the consequences.”

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1971—PAGE7 |