negation Saw pola casuiticin PEERY TRIO ARNE mm eRe EON: no De HE RE AROS INT on ERE ORIN Ts ont WA TESTE TERN me ET LONE COT BENE NOR - roe Menger ener ~ See LO NE SO NEREAT THe hens : aoe cn rn we - AIR ORE A NE yl Mvvacurvesie Silt iia uses oyu I] [ay cif ni _ SIETINIE) ilhcsussereeneall Mm im E wosrt ttt tvssethinrictt Hiuctitsesirnsl FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 1953 . . 2. MICTORIA;.£.C. Np debate on the budget, now nearing its end, indicates Premier W. A. C..Bennett’s de- termination to have his new gov- ernment stand or fall on the “s weeks ago. budget proposals outlined two The Social Credit administration is taking on all comers head-first, despite the fact that it is a-minority govern- ment, and despite a few loud pro- tests from the logging and min- ' ing corporations and’ opposition - of the Union of.B.C. Municipali- ties to the Rolston Plan for _ school financing: Nevertheless, a , crisis is building up which could explode at*any moment and on - the smallest issue. “Whether the government will * sueceed in getting dissolution by ’ March 13 (the latest date for a ; mid-May election) is now. ques- tionable, but in any case no one in the legislature doubts an early provincial election, timed to pre- ‘cede a federal contest, is in the offing. 4 At every opportunity, three or four times a week, the premier or some member of his cabinet challenges the CCF and Liberal opposition to “vote us out.” So far there have been only two divisions. On the first, rising out of the throne speech, both the CCF and — the Liberals voted with the gov- ernment. On the second, last week, over a minor technical is- sue of continuation of debate after the prescribed adjournment hour of 6 p.m., the Liberals vot- ed with the government and the CCF and Tories against it. The vote was 24-19. Charges and counter charges help to maintain an electric at- mosphere. But the real political issues of vital concern to the people of British Columbia — peace or war, trade and jobs or mass unemployment, reduction of BCHIS rates, and. amendment of the labor legislation and the Workmen’s Compensation Act, are getting scant mention with but few honorable exceptions. — Premier Bennett has made it clear he is seeking a chance for early dissolution and an election on the grounds that he needs a majority to carry through his new policy and commitments. CCF leader Harold Winch is studiously trying to avoid giving him a chance, making much of small issues and ducking the big issues on which his party’s fu- | - ture in the next election will de- pend. Both the Liberals ‘and Tories feel despondent at even the thought of an early. election. * * * Two aspects of the Socred, budget in particular have come under intense and. justified fire: the drastic slashing of the gov- ernment grant necessary for the maintenance of Pro-Rec, and the new plan for financing education. The fact that all opposition ‘parties, a majority in the House, ~ have sharply disagreed with the projected cut in the Pro-Rec srant, and that even certain gov- erriment members have intimat- ‘ed they are anything but happy about the public reception of this proposal has raised hopes that Pro-Rec grant may be re- tored. Public pressure in the few remaining days before the estimates come up for individual vote can be decisive. A point driven home by op- position debaters this week is } that financing plans fall short in two important aspects. Fact that the grant basis for future | years is to be the 1952 budget, ather than the 1952 per unit of ervice provided, means the in- evitable increase in enrollment will produce a cumulative an- nual incyease in local mill-rates. The increase on various school districts will be inequitable be- cause some school district popu- lations are rising sharply, while others are static or even declin- ing. The rapidly-growing dis- tricts will face uncontrollable in- creases and will have to meet one half of the increase out of local taxes. And because the cost of the budget increase is divided percentagewise between ‘the province and the district, a district poor in assessment will face a bigger increase in mill- rate than one whose assessment wealth is greater. Again under the new plan, municipalities like Burnaby only receive 25 per- cent of any increase from the provincial government because they come in the “over 50,000” dlass, while much _ wealthier neighboring districts like West Vancouver, will get a 50 percent share of any additional costs. Education Minister Tillie Rol- ston’s guarantee that no muni- cipality will receive less finan- cial return than they did under the former basis of computation means that in ;a number of muni- cipalities (six or seven in num-: ber) like the little city of Green- wood, which has consistently re- ceived in sales tax receipts alone a greater amount than its pro- portionate share of the school district’s gross ordinary expendi- tures, ratepayers will have no school tax whatever in 1953. At . the same time, it is estimated: that the rural ratepayers in the same school district will be pay- ing a school tax of sore ten to fiteen mills. It follows therefore that the $500,000 to be distributed in con- sequence of this guarantee will. go, almost in its entirety, to the municipalities whose need of ex- _tra assistance is least. Much of this nae SS could be avoided if the grant basis was set on the basis of 1952 cost per pupil, or per teacher employed, or per classroom maintained. — The others aspect is that, ins stead of promoting the desirable objective of equalizing educa- tional opportunities for all child- ren, the new policy will tend in some ways to perpetuate past discrepancies. Inequitable dis- tribution of school funds, oper- ating over a period of years, has, produced a situation, in which some school boards have spent as high as $180 per pupil, and others as low as $120. Both can now run their schools on a 9-mill levy, but the one district will have an established standard of 50 percent more per pupil to run its schools. St x * Reference in this column in last week’s issue to the cut in estimates for the British Trade Commissioner was an editorial error.. The budget cut referred to was for the Trade Commis- sioner’s Office in Victoria. Fishermen poll organizations on trade issue | ‘ _United Fishermen and’ Allied Workers Union is polling British Columbia trade unions, farmers’ . organizations and co-ops regarding their opinion of a conference “to discuss in a general way the question of expansion of export markets, with particular reference to the British Commonwealth.” : The UFAWU annual convention which opens March 9 will-discuss ways and means of develop- ing =e ae Sa campaign for restoration of Commonwealth canned salmon markets. : at e baie letter, which has gone out to hundreds of organizations over the signature of Homer evens on behalf of the Fishermen’s union executive board, proposes that the conference be held Killing must | be ended, says CCF MLA : VICTORIA, B.C. A second CCF MLA has raised his voice in favor fo immediate cease-fire in Korea and has called on Premi : ; ) emier W.A.C. Bennett and his Social Credit followers to speak up for Canadian Siononge ie During the budget debate in the legislature, William Moore (CCF, , Comox) declared that “this killing has got fo be brought to an end.” “He urged the Social Credit gov-- ernment to bring pressure on the federal government “to re- tain the autonomy which is rightfully theirs, but which we have seen slipping below the line so frequently of late.” _ Endorsing a previous state- ment on a cease-fire made in the House by Leo Nimsick (CCF, Cranbrook), he called for fhe peace negotiations in Korea to be taken out of. the hands of the military and placed in the . hands of statesmen who would -be more directly responsible to the people. : Moore sharply disagreed with — an opinion expressed by Capt. D. J. Proudfoot (Lib., Walon: that a third world war was inev- itable. He called such an aitti- tude “defeatist.” At the same time he charged that the action of the Eisenhower administra- tion in the so-called “de-neutral- ization” of Formosa brought such a global war much closer. “It is all very well,” said the youthful Comox member, . “for - the Hon. Lester B. Pearson to stand up in the House of Com- mons and say he does not agree with the latest moves of the U.S. in withdrawing the 7th Fleet from Formosa, thereby opening the avenue for more and bigger wars, but when he says in the next breath that Canada won't. ae re action, then I say we aré losing o t ieee : ur autonomy as Moore called the recent acti of the Canadian Colleries in ee ing their No. 8 mine at Bevan peer repent “a callous dis- gard of the mi i families’ walter apr ane ' He charged that the closi was not prompted by lack of eon or its inaccessibility and urged ae EU ment to do all in its er to get th i i ty ge € mine operating He attacked the attitud Hospital Insurance Satie ae wards low-income groups. He cited the case of a veteran now in ‘the Veterans’ Hospital, Vic- toria, who attempts to support’ a wife and three school-age child- ren 0n a pension of $98 a month. ase In reply toa request by Moore for consideration of the case by BCHIS, Commissioner Lloyd Det- willer said, “The Hospital In- surance Service and the govern- ment are well aware of the ex- istence of a group of individuals who find it difficult to meet these Payments as they fall due, and I can assure you that no legal proceedings will be taken for the recovery of unpaid premi- ums. : “However, if the premium re- quirements of the Service are not met, and hospital expenses are incurred, then the payment of all such expenses must re- main a matter of settlement be- tween the individual and_ the) hospital concerned.” Commenting on this, Moore said, “In other words, the hos- pital can sue or go broke.” Walsh never | LPP member < _». TORONTO The statement of Pat Walsh quoted in L’‘Action Catholique about alleged ‘sabotage’ plans of Canadian Communists is a shameless fabrication designed to slander the Labor-Progressive ‘party and ‘justify’ the passage by .parliament of the anti-labor Bill 93,” says a statement issued here by the LPP national office. The statement continues: “Walsh was never a member of the LPP — much less an or- ganizer of the party. His avowed reason for not joining the LPP was the claim that he was a member of the Irish Republican. Army and that the condemnation. - of terrorism in the program the LPP conflicted with the Res of the IRA. It is ironic that he now seeks notoriety by attribut- ing to the LPP the very views that were the basis for his ex- clusion from our party. ; Walsh’s fabrication about ‘Sabotage’ and plans for terror- ist action is pure delirium. The labor movement will treat such slanderous attempts at provoca- tion with the co: deeenies ontempt that they PACIFIC TRIBUNE — MARCH 6, 1953 — PAGE The letter reads, in part: “We have noted the decline of export markets for canned salmon to British Common- wealth markets as being the major obstacle to maintenance of the fishing industry on @ healthy basis, capable of return iny a reasonable standard of liv- inp to our’ members. : “In past years, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zea- land and South Africa provided the most important market for Canadian canned salmon. In 1937, we exported 910,000 cases to the British Commonwealth; in 1949, we exported 549,000 cases; in 1951, 399,000 cases and in 1952, although final figures are not yet available, the export figure will undoubtedly show a further decline. Less than 60> 000 cases were exported to Com- monwealth countries in the first ‘10 months of 1952. “According to recent press T& ports, it would appear that other basic industries such as lumber, fruit and vegetable, wheat grow” ers, etc., are being affected by similar export problems. Whe? the basic industries suffer it al- ways follows that the whole economy of our province is af- fected. Workers in all indus — tries are therefore vitally con: cerned with the problem maintaining healthy export mat- kets for our basic industries. “The United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union has ove the past three years, adopte many resolutions and has Pre sented briefs to both the Pro vincial and federal governme? calling for action to regain our normal markets. We have stat ed that we favor the removal © all currency restrictions in tr@ between Canada and the sterling countries of the Commonwealth the arrangement of barter agte@ ments; the provision. of lome” term credits in order to regal? these essential markets. “we know! that many othef trade unions and farmers’ org . anizations have made represe? tations along similar lines. JUS” recently the Victoria and Cam adian Western Farmers Confer ence adopted resolutions almos” identical with those adopted by our union. ; “Nevertheless, we feel that ‘ more concerted efforts will hav” to be made to convince the wi adian government that imme ation action is required.” The letter concludes with be proposal for a conference, a suggestion raised for StOUb) a long distance from Vancouv that they send their propos? | to the conference in wit form even if unable to send d@ gates. 3 ae