ince U. S. President Nixon’s announcement of his S intended visit to People’s China to play a political game of ping-pong with Chairman Mao, there has been much speculation pro and con among “‘lefts,” ‘‘ulta-lefts’”’, Maoist circles, and other alleged “‘revolutionary’’ groupings on just how to cope with this problem. How will it affect their own “political lines.’’ Will it seve to take out some of the kinks— or will it tend to put more? A very profound dilemma indeed. How can we rant about U.S. imperialism as hitherto, with Chairman Mao and his benign “‘thoughts’’ succumbing to the Kissinger-Nixon bland ishn ents? However, the situation is by no means hopeless yet. In Chinese publications where the ‘‘thoughts of Mao’’ take priority, the condemnations of ‘‘U.S. imperialism’’ hasn’t slowed up. Nixon or no Nixon, which is all quite correct and proper in a revolutionary sense. Moreover, for the Trotskyite elements and other ‘‘ultra revolutionary” sects, there is always the political antidote of “Soviet imperialism’’ to fall back on, and which, should Nixon’s projected visit to Peking materialize, he too will undoubtedly seek to heat up, Should this happen a “meeting of minds”’ will have been effected between the ultra-Right and the ultra-Left agaimst tte world’s first socialist state, the USSR. Of course, such a ‘‘meeting of minds’’ will not be the first time in history such ‘‘alliances” have occurred, nor will it likely be the last. And if the ‘“‘political lines’ of both resemble the twists in a boar’s tail, the ‘‘analysts” can have a field day. A recent editorial in the Soviet newspaper Pravda hit the nail square on the had: “Our Party and State come out for normalizing relations between the USSR and the People’s Republic of China. . . at the same time we are conducting a consistent struggle against the anti-Leninist platform of the Chinese leadership, its splitting actions aimed at undermining the anti-imperialist front, the socialist community, the world Communist and working class movement. “It goes without saying that any designs to use the contacts between Peking and Washington for some kind of ‘pressure’ on the Soviet Union, on the states of the socialist community, are nothing but the result of a loss of touch with reality. “We proceed from the fact that the political decisions of states must be aimed not at complicating the international situation, but rather at easing tension. . . decisions promoting stronger peace and security, not political combinations aimed against other states ... such combinations, as historical experience teaches, turn in the long run against their initiators.”’ Nixon doesn’t “‘journey for peace,’’ to China or any where else. Nor is he motivated by any desires for domestic tranquility and general wellbeing in his own U.S. baliwick. Hense whatever he carries in his bag of tricks to Peking (other than his political ping-pong balls) his gestures of “‘friendship”’ towards the Chinese people can only be on a par with his gestures for ‘‘peace’’ in Vietnam, and Indochina generally. So, there is only one subject upon which he and Chairman Mao can find an area of “‘agreement”’ upon how to harmonize (sans harmony) the respective ‘‘ideologies’’ of aggressive imperialism and anti-Sovietism against a ‘‘common enemy’’— the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The multiple ““Marxists-Leningists,” trots and similar “revolutionaries” (in quotes of course) are in for a spate of mental seances in an effort to get their respective ‘‘lines’’ straightened out. It promises to be a fascinating exercise in eclectical semantics. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1971—PAGE 2 a Cea “He took the wraps off our secret weapon!” ELECTED BOARDS URGED All hospitals should be put under public contro Alderman Harry Rankin said in his weekly column this week that ‘“‘control of the Vancouver General Hospital and all other hospitals should be restored to the public.”’ He said he favored the election of hospital boards by popular vote in each munici- pality or regional district. “The most important issue of all, however, is increased health expenditures, especially for hos- pitals, by the provincial govern- ment. A resolute stand on this issue by the doctor’s association would be decisive,’’ said the Van- couver alderman. Commenting on the con- troversy following the adoption by the cabinet of its order-in- council last week, Rankin said: “Officials of the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons are highly incensed over an order-in- council giving health minister Ralph Loffmark authority to grant, restrict or deny hospital privileges to doctors. Some are even talking of ‘withdrawal of services,’ that is, of strike ‘action. “On almost every issue dealing with hospitals. and health, I’ve found myself on the opposite side of the fence to health minister Loffmark. His department is responsible for the crisis facing B.C. hospitals today. His policy has been to cut, grants and to cut services. Shoving responsibility for hospitals onto the shoulders of regional government was only one of many methods used by the provincial government: to escape financial responsibility for maintaining adequate health services in all areas of the prov ince. - & . As far as I’m con- cerned, officials of the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons have far too much power today and that power is being misused. Their concern over health minister Loffmark’s action arises less from worry about the health service provided to the B.C. people than from fear that they may lose some of their powers. “While the penny-pinching ~ provincial government must take the main blame for the hospital crises in the provinces, the leaders of the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Canadian Medical Association must take their share of the responsibility too. “We have a shortage of doc- tors in B.C. that is being artifi- cially maintained. The heads of the doctors’ associations delib- ‘erately restrict the number of medical graduates each year, denying entry into the profes- sion of many willing and quali- fied young men and women. “The B.C. College of Physi- cians and Surgeons has done little or nothing to provide enough doctors for outlying areas. “Vancouver General Hospital is a publicly owned enterprise. However, it is administered by a small self perpetiating society of doctors and businessmen com- pletely free of public control. All the public does is pay the bills! This control has been and is used to deny hospital privileges to some doctors. “The heads of doctors’ asso- ciations keep a tight authori- tarian reign on all their members. Doctors with private practices know very well that if they speak out for medicare or other progressive health vibliag /ments and put theif , serve for a period in 0 reforms their hospital PF ileges and livelihood ¢ taken away from them by officials. Be “The leaders of the Canaé Medical Association ™ consistently opposed medlé and other reforms which wo make medical care availabl wider sections of the popula! In Saskatchewan they We f at strike in an effort to ae medicare. The newly wii president of the Cana i Medical Association receml! called for sterilization 9 ~ poor. ed 10 “I’m certainly not opposes doctors receiving 4 sible income. Theirs is a respon sat and exacting professi0n ” cont ' should be adequately te pensated. But I do opp? attempts of a small gr? doctors using their priv} positions to impose thelt ia tionary philosophy on abe ublic jeged eat’ interests ahead of the P interest. “Medical graduates and tors coming into B.C. free provinces or countries, i {0 re i when necessary, be red utlying communities,” -—_"_s B.C. Tel p $9.4 million gift The federal Transport Com- mission handed B.C. Tel a present last week — $9.4 million: gift from the B.C. public. We will ante up our share of this gift every time we pay our phone bill from now on. We will pay $10 to get a phone hooked up every time we move! We will pay more for long distance calls. We will pay more for an exten- sion phone. And lots more. B.C. Tel wanted increases that would bring them additional revenue in one year of $17-odd million. Odd is the word in view of the fact they earned profits last year of $19.05 million, plus being subsidiary to a company, General Telephone and Elec- tronics Company of New York, which counts its profits in billions, not millions. That the Transport Com- mission had no intention of curbing B.C. Tel’s push for profits was demonstrated when they denied the Federation of Labor’s request that profits of sister companies in B.C. from which they purchase supplies be divulged. Dominion Directory Co. Ltd., Canadian Telephones and Sup- plies Ltd., Automatic Electric Canada Ltd., and Lenkurt Elec- tric are some of the companies “affiliated” with B.C. Tel. Each and everyone of them is a big profit-maker. ““But,”’ said the Transport ‘Commission, ‘‘we found nothing wrong with B.C. Tel’s dealings -with two of its affiliates,’ while at the same time admitting that 8.C. Tel’s business operations with its subsidiary and affiliate resented : onific companies played a signif 0 part in the decision to t the 14.8 percent incre@ company had asked for. Labor organizations, munist Party, and § other groups and ind officially —_ proteste ing o increases at all, point! 7s pal that already B.C. custome” ig, the highest rates in ©4 gol “Phone rates should be ©” oop raised!” was the genet@ sensus. ee | More than 200 complaity 10 poor service were subm! jgsi0? the investigating com phot® and here at least the ove company was told to imp!" trey situation. Whether or 2° sure do so depends in large se on continuing pressure {10° up subscribers: th The understatement ol year came from the * qit Commission when it sa fica not find complete juss for the difference bet’ apart charged by B.C. Tel aS C0" rig of to those charged in other P 5 Canada! Sei. f ou gia the 0° cor “EB uals ivid if yt ay. The justification, i profits. Most nae by provinces are serv ne ie 4 publicly owned telep ee oe tems, and their lower r sit a ‘better services are the T©°” es) B.C. citizens will conti nel be rooked by this foreir a apd monopoly unless lou pe the longer pressure 1S a ake provincial governme” it over and operate ! Ap nol benefit of the subscri™”” New York capitalists.