FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1970

HALT PRICE BOOSTS

MONOPOLIES TO UP PHONE, GAS, CAR RATES |

ALDERMAN HARRY RANKIN

monopolies have their way.

Imperial Oil, Texaco and Gulf
Oil companies and B.C.
Telephone companies are but
the first of other corporations
which have announced their
intention of raising prices to the
public.

The move heralds a new attack
on labor.

In a statement which reeked of
hypcrisy, Dr. John Young of the
federal Prices and Incomes Com-

mission said last week the
federal government would
abandon its ‘‘voluntary guide
line’’ program because of
organized labors’ ‘‘boycott.’’ He
inferred business leaders had
been faithful to his aiins, but
could no longer be restrained
from raising their prices since
labor had been unco-operative.

What is the real truth?

In 1969 prices rose close to 5
percent. During Dr. Young’s 10
months of “‘restraining’’ prices,
the cost of living in Vancouver
had risen 4.1 percent in less than

Voters boost Rankin total,
cut Mayor Campbell’s vote

With final election results not yet in as the Pacific Tribune went to press,
popular COPE alderman Harry Rankin was running at the top of the poll for council.

Conceded on all sides on the eve of the election
as a top runner, the overwhelming vote for
Rankin was a powerful demonstration of
confidence by the people in his courageous fight
against the big business establishment in
Vancouver.

A record turnout of voters, 45.2 percent — the
highest since 1938— saw the voters reduce Mayor
Tom Campbell’s majority of 55.8 percent which
he got in 1968 to 45.3 percent of the popular vote.
The drop of about 10 percent in the popular vote in
face of weak alternative mayoralty candidates is
seen as a blow to the Mayor and a show of loss of
confidence in his administration and the NPA.
Obviously, his ‘‘law and order’’ issue didn’t help
him. es

The NPA vote ran generally lower. In previous
years NPA aldermen ran at the top of the list.
This year they were further down. In the school
and parks board race did not show up as well as
past years. :

The powerful showing of Alderman Rankin and
the weaker showing of Mayor Campbell and the
NPA generally was a demonstration of the
desire for change, and reflected a growing lack of

_confidence in the NPA.

Running far down the list in each of the races
were the NDP candidates, none of whom were
elected. In an election night interview Rankin
said the lack of unity caused by the NDP running
its own slate and campaign had an adverse effect -

and that labor and democratic forces in the city

“‘will be in the bind until we cure that.”’

At the end of the 1968 election Rankin said in a.
statement that the NDP should join with COPE
to form a cohesive force in the next civic
election. This advice seems even more pertinent
in face of Wednesday nights results.

Rankin said although-the NPA appears to be
electing a majority on council its vote generally

has slipped.

By MABEL RICHARDS

The Canadian consumer, already burdened by a cost of living far beyond his
means, is in for another huge rise in price of products and services if the giant

12 months, and in April, 1970,
was the highest in Canada.

As every housewife knows,
there has been no evidence of
price restraint reflected in

consumer goods during the past .

11 months. The opposite in true.

Imperial Oil, which was the
first company to announce a
price increase, had a net earning
of $69 million in the first 9
months of 1970. They are asking
for another .01 cent a gallon for
gas, diesel and heating fuel.

B.C. Tel “‘needs’’ more money.
Their net earnings in 1969 was a
mere $19 million. This company
is part of General Telephone and
Electronics and their related
giants in the electronics
industry in the U.S.A.

B.C. Tel blames the “‘high cost
of borrowing money”’ and the
rising cost of materials and
equipment. The fact is they buy
all such materials and
equipment from companies

_within their cartel, which means

the profits fall into the same pot.

In 1964 labor economist Ben
Swankey revealed the trick in
this in an article he wrote for the
Fisherman. ‘‘They (parent
companies) simply arrange for
their supply companies to charge
B.C. Tel higher prices — then
B.C. Tel goes to the federal

Board of Transport Com-
missioners and shows that
because of increased costs, it
must have arateincrease. ..”

Early this week car insurance
companies jumped into the ‘“‘me
too” grab for price increases.
They are crying their way to the
bank when they say they are
paying out more than they are
taking in.

Last year the insurance
racketeers received ap 11.8
percent increase. This year they
are asking for a minimum of
another 11.8 percent. : =

This is the industry which,
according to reports, poured
close to a-million dollars into
Manitoba in an attempt to defeat
the NDP government’s takeover
of car insurance. If the Socred
government in B.C. were to be
forced into taking the same
action, the insurance moguls
would do the same thing here,
screaming of dictatorship and
the threat to “free enterprise’.
If it is so unprofitable, why do
the automobile
companies wish to keep control?

The real truth as to
corporation ‘“‘need”’ for higher
prices is revealed in a story in
the Toronto Globe and Mail of
November 3, 1970 which stated

See MONOPOLIES, pg. 12

A BES Ge pp

€

¢

“JOBS: &

“QUEBEC NEEDS JOBS, NOT THE ARMY,” reads this placard carried by

members of the Communist Party in their lobby on Parliament Hill Nov.
30 to demand Federal action to create a million new jobs to fight
unemployed in Canada. The protest, led by national leader William
Kashtan, attracted nation-wide attention.

insurance —

i