ON COLUMBIA TREATY SCANDAL

LABOR SCENE:

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‘7c Tribune

FRIDAY, MAY 19, 1967:

City labor backs Gordon
stand on Vietnam war

Delegates to this week’s ses-
sion of the Vancouver and Dis-
trict Labor Council voiced full
support to its executive recom-
mendations for the cause of peace
in Vietnam,

This included approval of the
public rally to be held in the
Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Van-
couver on May 28 at which the
guest speaker will be Mrs, Ver-
dum Perl, noted British worker
for peace, and recent visitor to
North Vietnam under the aus-
pices of the World Council For
Peace, Mrs, Perl’s visit to Can-
ada is sponsored by the Canadian
Aid to Vietnam Civilians,

Also approved by the VLC
delegates was the appointment
of VLC secretary E, P. “Paddy”
Neale and Amalgamated Transit
Union business agent Charles
**Chuck’’ Stewart to the June 23
Tag Day Committee, VLC dele-
gates also voiced strong criti-
cism of Vancouver Mayor Tom
Campbell’s behavior on a recent
TV program,

The Mayor was urged to ob-
serve more decorum and dignity
when dealing with delegations
whose views he may disagree
with, ‘‘Anyone who points the
finger of McCarthyism at the
tag day delegation should be sub-
jected to the severest criticism,”
stated VLC secretary Paddy
Neale,

Supplementing the executive’s
recommendations relative to the
Vietnam campaign, a motion by
delegate Al Clark (Pipefitters)
that “the VLC give full support
to the position presented by Privy
Council chairman Walter

COAL

Cont'd from pg. 1

southeastern B.C, under Can-
adian control,

“Combined with our reserves
of gas and petroleum, it could
create an industry that would
provide many thousands of addi-
tional jobs in B.C. We need an
effective mining commission
(with labor and people’s repre-
sentatives on it) to regulate and
promote the development of our
mining resources and maximize
the return to the people of B.C,

“Wherever private industry is
not prepared to do the job a
government agency should be set
up to get what we need — more,
* secondary processing and manu-
“facturing industries,” Morgan
concluded. :

Gordon” was unanimously en-

dorsed,

So also was a letter from the
Marine Workers Union address-
ed to Prime Minister Pearson,
drawing attention to the grow=-
ing war crisis by mounting U.S,
escalation, and demanding that
the government instruct its dele-
gation at the UN to demand an
end to the horror in Vietnam.
In addition to approval, the letter
was also referred to the Cana=
dian Labor Congress for further
action,

The CLC was also requested to
make representation to the gov-
ernment, demanding it refuse to
grant any recognition to the mili-
tary-fascist junta dictatorship in
Greece and its destruction of the
democratic institutions and free-
doms of the Greek people,

The VLC session opened with
an address by John Hayward of
Division 101, Amalgamated Tran-
sit Workers Union on the pollu-
tion and flooding of the Fraser
River.

The speaker emphasized that
pollution was the prime problem
of the Fraser River, and urged
that all applications from now on
to dump more sewage into the
Fraser should be rejected, even
to the extent of citizens taking
out injunctions prohibiting furth-
er dumping, The Fraser, stated
Hayward, “is already a huge
sewage lagoon” which shouldnow
be under the strict control of an
efficient pollution control board,
allowing no more dumping to
further endanger public health,

Hayward urged the extension
of the height and width of all
Fraser dikes, and ascribed the
present imminent flood danger
on the Fraser River to the
**stupid unilateral neglect of pro-
vincial and federal governments”,
On both issues of Fraser River
pollution and flooding the Amal-
gamated Transit Union submitted
comprehensive resolutions on
prevention and control which were
unanimously approved by the VLC
delegate body,

The Council voted support for
a petition sponsored by the Van-
couver Central Council of Rate-
payers calling for the setting
up of a Lower Mainland Utility
Board to take over distribution
of hydro, gas and transit,

* * *

One of the highlights in the
Officers’ Report delivered by
President Roy Smith to last

-week’s Ninth Annual Convention

of the Canadian area ui tne In-
ternational Longshoremen’s and
Warehousemen’s Union in Vic-
toria, was the issue of anti-
labor exparte injunctions,

Himself one of the 10 ILWU
presidents imprisoned for con=
tempt arising out of a court in=
junction order, Smith stated; “The
injunction fight is far from over,
The employers and government
through legislation andthe courts
are nullifying the traditional
rights of labor to withdraw its
labor as a weapon for improving

working conditions, wages and —

pensions”,

Among the many policy pro-
posals contained in the Officers
Report and placed before the con-
vention for approval, include:
Support of the Carter Royal Com-
mission on taxation; A govern-
ment program of low rental, low
cost housing for low income
groups; Removing the cost of ed-
ucation as a tax on homes and
‘taking it instead out of federal
revenues; Federal legislation to
control air, water and ground
pollution, with stiff penalties for
violation; Legislation to protect
the privacy of the individual
against bugging; Protesting the
‘‘frame-up, persecution and jail-
ing of Jimmy Hoffa”, leader of
the International Teamsters
union; Legislation to control gim-
mick advertising; and a govern-
ment program for conservation of
resources and expansion of sec=
ondary industries,

ceed the...

In January 1964 Bennett hailed
the Columbia River Treaty as
“The greatest day in the eco-
nomic history of B.C.” But last
week he said, “The treaty missed
out. The thing that’s at fault in
the Treaty is that it was signed
too quickly.’’ According to the
Sun, Bennett blamed federal au-
thorities,

This “coverage” by the Sun
and the glib half-truths and out-
right falsification of Columbia
River Treaty history by Premier
Bennett, are all designed to con-
ceal the facts,

In the first place Bennett does
not reveal the extent to which B.C,
will be in the hole, that is, the
extent of the subsidy B.C, tax-
payers are being called upon to
provide the United States. On
the basis of the estimates filed
by the B.C, Hydro before the
U.S. Securities and Exchange
Committee it can be authoritat-
ively determined that so: far it
will be $109 million,

In second place history will
show that the main author of the

‘Treaty, apart from the U.S, Corps

of Army Engineers, was Premier
Bennett. The main quality of the
Treaty was determined when in
open sessions with the United
States government in 1960 his
representative, without the prior

-knowledge of the chief Canadian

negotiator Davie Fulton, vetoed
the McNaughton Plan for maxi-
mum power production in Canada,

This paved the way for the in-
famous High Arrow storage mon-
strosity (the key feature of the
Treaty), a dam which it has now
been revealed will cost at least
three times its original estimate,

Bennett tries to minimize the
‘*disaster” by talking about addi-
tional payments during the second
30 years period of the treaty be-
ginning in 1994, These payments
are not defined in the Treaty,
They will be subject to negotia-

‘tions, But with the dams having

been built and control ofthe river
having been surrendered the ne=-
gotiations can only be a farce,

_ Already according to U.S, ‘‘cal-.

Bennett conceals facts from publi

By BRUCE YORKE
Premier W. A. C. Bennett's recent interview Wi
couver Sun showed according to the Sun that,
costs on the three Columbia River Treaty dams in B.C:
cash payment by the U.S. and the interes
earning while the dams are being built.”’

th the ¥@
“eonsttudl |
will@
+ this!

culations” these penefit

ra
disappear in 5 years pan
and their valuation 1

As far as the added sat

tions at Grand Coulee ee
cerned, Bennett admits mee
ance, maintaining it t0 ne i.
nical matter, But no ™ 1s?
technical, his governmen’ jy
responsible, The added Ig
tions now planned at conte
deliberately concealed we
of signing, andno technic ai
can be blamed for that ©
failure to warn about}
uth

As for Ottawa’s respi
they are far from
B,C, and Ottawa signed
ment in late 1963 which
whole arrangement vn
possible some 9 mone yf
Neither government © 5 gt
consumated the ‘sell? ger
out, the other. since ah
British North AmeriC’ gt
federal government has sottl
tion over treaties wit! ‘si
country while the prow? at
jurisdictions over
source development.

ait!

at

It is abundantly cl@?) sgt
whole truth is far st
revealed, The mee” ogi
provincial government at,
tures on social welfafé nol
cation along with the ity
increased in electri? ng
shows who is realm
for a ride,

ear th
from

The demand by Fee
member Bert rer
External Affairs CO gi
the Commons be TC™ rot
the facts about the id
cost being foisted re :
payers of B.C. in ® 98
sidize U.S, interest?
the swindle at GF
needs to become am d
throughout the len
of British Columbia

v
pot
$
If suitable redress pi
tained then the peoP wise)
aM ie

Columbia andCanae’
that all those reset
be repudiated alone vet 3
famous Columbia R

CENTENNIAL CONCERT. These two choirs will be fea-
tured at a concert program at Queen Elizabeth Theatre,
Sunday,. May-21. at 8-p.m.. which will tell the story of
Russian immigrants to Canada over the past 60 years in.

song, dance and tableaux. Above is oro" yu
tennial Choir 67, which will repres
Kootenay area at Expo. Below is #!
. Centennial Choir.

May 19, 1967—PACIFI

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