7 t t FASCISTS REBUFFED FRIDAY, MAY 30, 1958 Continued from page 1 B.C. profit and loss basis,’ Norman pointed out that “elderly peo- ple need telephones now more than at any time in their lives, to call in times of distress, doctors, fire departments, in- halator squad and for medicine, fuel and even food. “We urgently petition you to give some thought to the plight of the elderly folks in their declining years. Further, we say the present telephone rates are too high for the aver- age elder citizen to pay out of his small fixed income.” The Federated Legislative Committee represents eight groups: Canadian Pacific Pio- neers; Canadian National Vet- erans; Senior Citizens, Super- annuated Civil Servants; Old Age Pensioners; Friendly Aid Society; Happier Old Age and B.C.E. Retired Employees. On Wednesday morning, Cy- rus H. McLean, B.C. Tel presi- dent, read a prepared state- ment answering CRA charges, after Farris had complained bitterly about the amount of publicity given the CRA brief in the newspapers. Emil Bjar- nason did not cross-examine the witness and the company reply, which largely dealt with matters not contained in the brief, sputtered out like a damp squib. The CRA brief compared monthly rates in Winnipeg, Regina and Edmonton with Vancouver rates. Individual residential rates showed: Ed- meonton, $3.25; Regina, $3.50; Winnipeg, $3.90 and Vancou- ver, $5.35. B.C. Tel financial statements are “suspect,” the brief said. Citing the funnelling of pro- fits to related companies through supply contracts and other means, it pointed out that “since the manufacturing and supply companies involved are private corporations, it is not possible for us to examine their profit picture.” The brief gave figures to show that while B.C. Tel only had a 6.4 rate of profit in 1956, its parent and grand- parent companies, Anglo-Cana- TELEPHONE ‘day to judge everything on “a dian Telephone Company and Associated Telephone and Tele- graph, made 8.9 and 24.6 per- cent respectively. “In these circumstances, we contend that the operating statements of B.C. Telephone Company, considered separate- ly from those of its related companies, cannot be consid- ered a satisfactory basis for rate-making, and that any claims of the company as to inadequacy of profits must be disregarded,” said the CRA. The brief charged B.C. Tel failed to provide citizens with up-to-date facilities and ser- vice. “As of a year ago, almost one-half of all the residence telephones connected to mu-_ tual switchboards in Canada were located in Vancouver (62,159 out of a total of 139,958). “Furtherfore, in 1956, more than 95 percent of the resi- dence telephones in B.C. were on party lines. No other prov- ince has more than 75 percent party lines. “It is clear, therefore, that we are being asked to pay the highest rates in Western Can- ada for the most antiquated service in the whole country.” On labor costs, the brief said: “The company complains that its payroll increased by 64 percent in five years, How- ever, during the same five years the number of phones in service increased by 59 per- cent (from 284,947 to 452,157) and the yearly volume of in- vestment in plant and equip- ment from $9 millions in 1952 to over $35 millions in 1957, an increase of nearly 30 per- cent. Obviously, therefore, the labor cost per unit was lower in 1957 than in 1952. This is a decrease, not an increase in labor costs.” The hearing, which is ex- pected to continue for some time, is being conducted by Chief Commissioner C. D. Shepard,. QC, and Commis- sioner H. B. Chase, CBE, in Room 305, Vancouver Public Library. Left wing gains in Italian vote | ROME—Results of the Italian general election last weekend confirm the continulft ward trend. Extreme right-wing parties lost heavily while lef both in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The ruling Christian Democratic party, which gained 11 seats at the expense of extreme right-wing parties and will continue in 9 support of the Liberals and splinter groups. It will face an even stronger challenge from the Commu- nists and left-wing Socialists, reinforced by the increased percentage of the total vote cast for their candidates. Final returns for the Cham- ber of Deputies gave this standing: Christian Democrats 273, gain of 11; Communists 140, loss of 3; Socialists 84, gain of 9; MSI Fascists 25, loss of 4; Social Democrats 23, gain of 4; Monarchists 23, loss of 17; Liberals 16, gain of 2; Re- publicans 7, gain of 2; South Tyrol and Aosta parties 3, no change; others 2. Socialists gain seats TOKYO — Prime Minister Kishi’s Liberal Democratic (conservative) party was re- turned to power in the Japa- nese general election last week, but with a majority short of the two-thirds it re- quired to revise the constitu- tion, which now restricts Jap- anese rearmament. In face of the government’s repressive campaign against popular organizations oppos- ing its policies of continued subservience to the U.S. and rearmameant, the Socialist party gained eight seats and the Communist party retained the Osaka seat held by Yoshio Shiga. The Liberal Democrats won 287 seats as against 290 in the old lower house, the Social- ists 166 as against 158 seats, independents 12, Communists 1 and minor parties 1. A record 77 percent of Jap- an’s 52 million voters went to the polls the highest per- centage in any of the coun- try’s six post-war general elections. OVALTINE CAFE 251 EAST HASTINGS Vancouver, B.C. QUALITY SERVICE Continued from page 1 ; : ; a t-wing parties made mo est 8 has held power since the end of g let the wa {fice ¥ UNEMPLOYED growing appeals, to confine its aid to family units only. “Single men who come in with a job ticket we still try to help with transportation to the job, “she explained. “But, you understand, our help in this regard is also limited.” “With all the rumors of un- employment easing up, have you many calls from families now?” I asked. Again the harassed and worried look, and the answer in a few words. “It’s terrible. We have more families than ever seek- ing our help.” Another church mission, but in this case a Red Feather beneficiary, declined to give any information, other than to gay that appeals for aid were still ‘quite heavy,” which itself speaks louder than the optimistic claims of those politicians who play down the plight of jobless workers. Claims by Conservative spokesmen in recent weeks that unemployment is rapidly declining and that job appli- cations at National Employ- ment Service (NES) are drop- ping at the rate of 40,000 a week, are not consistent with realities and are designed primarily to mislead the pub- lic. Letters in columns in the daily press often reflect the real situation far more truthfully than government spokesmen. Thousands of job- less workers whose unemploy- ment benefits have expired and who do not come under the government’s seasonal ex- tension of benefits, are simply dropped from NES lists, with the asumption created that added to their books: otk they have returned t0 ‘yen? Jobless workers whose ®” | rece! fits expired before the 1” 4 six-week seasonal extensio? benefit payments, 4° "a qualify until another pet! months’ stamps hav in That means they must a a job before these stamps ies be added. But the 10h man over 40 who has 4 his job cut short, face double handicap — the a 4 age of jobs, and age partie A survey of charitable wi of all Greater Vane churches and missions, W7 nts without social services & righ! might serve to bring 1 the real gravity of the ployment situation. al With very few excep? the trade unions are ee not sufficiently grappliné fat this situation, despite thé nif that every union mem a is directly affected bY ravages of unemployme? Kot Conservative pre ~- lea “promises” and Prime we ie Diefenbaker’s pledges tha iat will see that “no Cama 109 suffers through unemy 4 ment” have not material! 1a Juggling with figures ' stu down the gravity of the oh tion, rather than inaugul? 9 large scale constructio® at jects to take up the slack as ’ only aggravate rather remedy the situation. F | Thousands of familie’ iw individuals are sufferiné it 8 ( from unemployment aB© de the responsibility of the 10 unions, churches, and @° | ig gressive organizations am fo dividuals to let the ot! baker government knoW yne™ LAKE COWICHAN FIX-IT SHOP Ltd. LARS FURNSETH, Prop. May 30, 1958 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PA Ge?