Toronto Globe and Mail

PEACE

Peace Council protests
Mayor Campbell's action

The B.C. Peace Council sent the following letter to Mayor T.
Campbell last Wednesday protesting his action in approving the

purchase of 150 riot sticks:

“Your recommendation to Chief Constable John Fisk that 150 riot
sticks be purchase for the use of the City Police force was an
irresponsible and potentially dangerous move.

“Also it is quite apparent that you gave such approval without
discussing the matter with City Council. Your disregard of the demo-
cratic process in this instant is much to be deplored:

“If you, as Mayor of Vancouver, act in an undemocratic matter,
how can you expect the citizens: of the city to have respect for

democracy and respect for others.

“Tt is to be fervently hoped that others.in a position of power in our
city will not follow in your footsteps. Should they be so arrogant and
undemocratic to do so, then law and order in Vancouver will surely

give way to chaos and violence.”’

Rule-by-decree charge
made by Communists

The Vancouver Regional Com-
mittee of the Communist Party
of Canada, in a letter signed by
William Turner; Secretary, this
week assailed the unilateral
decision of Mayor Campbell in
authorizing the police depart-
ment to increase supplies of riot
equipment. The letter said:

“The mayor’s action smacks
of rule-by-decree in that it
usurps the democratic process
vested within city council to
administer as elected representa-
tives of the people the functions
and responsibilities of
government.
~ “What is the point if voters
exercise their franchise to elect
a city council if the mayor is

allowed to arrogantly assume
sweeping powers to make
decisions and ignore council?
“To brush aside this basic
concept of self-government,
which the mayor has done,
establishes a dangerous
precedent of rule by star-
chamber decrees and autocratic
decisions that are incompatible
with democratic government.
“We Would therefore strongly
condemn and censure this
undemocratic action by Mayor
Campbell as being a flagrant
abuse of the powers of his office
and a violation of the rights of
decision-making vested in City
Council through the democratic
processes of local government.”

Help Vietnam Children

A good way to celebrate
Father’s Day is to take him and
the family to the Pancake
Brunch being held, rain or shine,
on Sunday, June 21, at the home
of Mr. and Mrs. C. Crosby, 1331
West 50th Ave., Vancouver,
from 9:30 a.m. to2 p.m.

White elephant table and good

clothing for sale on the spot; add?iog1162959. 194) bobrotis gaived bas candid
PACIFIC FRIBUNES- FRIDAY: JUNE T9, 1970 Pagé

all proceeds will go to purchase ~

emergency medical supplies for
South Vietnamese children now
living underground. For
information, phone 263-4173, or
733-9018.

A bulletin issued this week
announces ‘that to date the
Canadian Aid for Vietnam
Civilians has collected

BAF

Three foot long sticks

won't silence dissent |

BY ALD. HARRY RANKIN

The three foot long riot sticks
demanded by chief constable
John Fisk and __ illegally
authorized by Mayor Tom
Campbell are not intended for
public protection.. Protection
equipment consists of items like
riot helmets, face shields and
neck guards.

Three foot long riot sticks are
to break heads with. And they’re
aimed at intimidating not only
dissenting youths protesting the
criminal war being waged by the
U.S. in Vietnam. They are also
intended for use against un-
employed groups demonstrating
for jobs and against trade union
picket lines.

Mayor Campbell knowingly
overstepped his powers when he
went behind Council’s back on
May 15 and. secretly instructed
chief constable Fisk to order
riot sticks before Council had
authorized them. His public
announcement of his action
weeks later was not only grand-
standing for headlines, although
he successfully achieved this.

It had ulterior political
motives — it was a provocative
act aimed at inciting and en-
couraging those bigoted
elements in our community who
hate all youthful dissent, who
hate labor unions, who label all
criticism of the Establishment
as ‘‘Commie-inspired.”’

We have had no incidents in
Vancouver warranting the use
of three foot riot sticks.

As for the May 8 youth de-
monstration in front of the city
police station, chief constable
Fisk informed the board of
police commissioners — that
‘‘dispersement action was taken
by the police and this without
injury to citizens or police. Why
then this sudden haste to get riot
sticks?

Chief Constable Fisk also in-
formed the board that earlier the
protest group ‘‘moved to the
Burrard Building, where the
doors to the office of the U.S.
Consulate were forced and an

Ratepayers Urge

Taxes Removed

A major aim of the Central
Council of Ratepayers in Vancou-
ver will be to have school taxes
removed from property of
elderly people.

The group, which met last
week, say they will contact the
candidates representing the
various civic groups before this
fall’s city elections in an attempt
to gain endorsement for their
progran’.

The Central Council’s presi-
dent Jim Cork said their group
was interested particularly in
the field of taxation. They plana
drive to ease the tax burden on
homeowners, particularly the
small homeowner and_ the
elderly who find the new tax rate
a heavy burden.

“If we can succeed in getting

one of the organizations in the .

civic field to uphold policies
which are satisfactory to us in
the field of taxes, particularly,
we will endorse _ their
ates’, Cork saith’

American flag~*stolen and
subsequently burned on Georgia
Street.’’ Fisk also used this
incident as a reason for renewing
his demand for riot sticks.

But Fisk hasn’t explained why
he didn’t order the police to
guard the door of the US.
Embassy and prevent it from
being broken down. Not a few
people have voiced the suspicion

silence dissent or prevent strikes
or stop picket lines. The right to
dissent, to assemble and
demonstrate can’t be limited by
police clubs.

The vast majority of those who

demonstrate and parade in our
city do so peacefully. The
actions of a small minority of
ultra left elements who provoke

incidents can’t be, used as al -

the

wosicibitesa

: ! hat. : gO
sdmuloa tat sic esmit €€ wor zi voc **

excuse to take away
democratic rights of all.
The social ills of our society
war, poverty, unemployment
inequality, discrimination —

that this demonstration was
allowed to continue because
some people wanted arguments
to use against anti-war
demonstrators and for the
acquisition of riot sticks.

Three foot long sticks won’t

must be protested if they are '
be changed.

—_—

‘hen Federal Minister of Finance Benson announced his
“restraint on wages” on June 5, he was quite frank
about it. In polite parliamentary lingo, Benson declared his
“restraint” essential to breaking the inflationary spiral,
“imposed over the heads of labor because of the continuing
refusal of the unions to co-operate voluntarily”’. a
Stripped of its polite jargon, what Benson actually meant
was that if labor continues to refuse to hang itself with the
“suideline’’ rope provided by the Trudeau-Benson Simon
Legrees, the latter themselves are ready to pull the noose —
tight.
Every hard-nosed boss negotiator, arbitrator, conciliator ~
or what have you, who pull down fat salaries for their efforts to
set the economic and social standards at which a working man
and his family may exist, got the Benson message:
Governments at the lower levels swallowed the Benson sIx
percent ceiling bait like a hungry cod, and spilled it over the
pages of their news media. WAC himself was profuse in his —
praises of the Benson six-percent diktat on wages, but not a re
cent more.
On the same day as the Benson ukase for keeping the
worker’s pay envelope at or below subsistence level, another
_ facet of the class tableau was being enacted in a Vancouver .
courtroom. Towboat negotiator Captain Arnold Davis was
being sentenced to a six months prison term by Mr. “Justice
T.A. (Tommy) Dohm for a contempt of court rap, because
Captain Davis and the Canadian Merchant Service Guild he
represented at the bargaining table, declined to break thelr
own strike, by compliance with a scab-herding exparte court
injunction.

(It may be added that these court instruments of coercion,
intimidation and violence are being handed out to union me?
‘throughout B.C., much like bargain-basement flyers
advertising a $1.49 day at a local emporium).

Moreover, in case a lot of people may not have noted the fact,
well over two-thirds of B.C.’s productive work force, the only
people who -have a right to the vast wealth their, labor al
sweat produces, are idled by deliberately provoked strikes or
sweeping lockouts by a so-called ‘‘private sector” of powerfu
monopoly enterprises, backed to the hilt by subservient,
corrupt and subsidized governments.

Should any worker be interested in honing-up (and they
should be) on just who the bull moose drivers of this «private
sector’? are, they should read and re-read Maurice Rush $
expose of the 13 men of the Employers Council of B.C. in the
June 5 edition of the Pacific Tribune. These and their kind aré
the people for whom Benson speaks— and the courts act. These

-are the people who should be in the prisoner’s box, not the
representatives of working men and women, whose labor al
such parasites fatten upon. :

In addition to jailing Captain David for six months, the entire
assets of the CMSG were ordered seized, i.e., frozen to the —
point where these basic union properties are not denied t
union in its struggle for decent wages, working conditions, and~
the safety of the lives of its membership on their hazardou
jobs. In this, as always, the courts did a job— for the bosses- f

..It is often said that ‘‘Justice is blind’’, a definite untruth ¥
ever there was one. But she can be, and is, ruthlessly raped ant
ravaged at time by a ruthless exploiting class who rate profits
far above human well being, and who find injunctions a ham ye
instrument to commit an act of rape upon Justice with— a? i
course, to smash unions within the process.

In the final analysis, it should be noted even at this late :
date, that Bensonian blurbs nor court injunctions do anything
to keep the wheels of industry turning. Only workers can

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