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Moy 1g, No. 42
a.

Plone MUtual 5-5288

Authorised as second class mail by
the Post Office Department, Ottawa

10c

VANCOUVER, B.C.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1958

" a Wenner-Gren_ inter-
lhe 2 to construct a hydro-

ve © project on the Peace:

in jh Hudson Hope certain-
Ing *s this and other ques-

W the Provincial govern-
hy, (PProved the Wenner?
Maier project without
k on to or approval of
ly, ©1Slature? Williston
ie ase as much, but the
ity, [US speech indicated
ey ® government considers
Meg to be a8 good as con-

Diy pa:

N praises another question,
i thie Mtimately affecting
\ rests of the people of
y panes, who have long
\ ad remain the victims
“onoly, ‘C. Electric power

hon $ pont the interests of
(Merati Y-owned B.C. Power
Me, “ee Which the people
| ty piven to believe has
Mon, , Rorthern power
lh De H vats
M he Ow will its
Mug? affected by the still
RWaye ‘ms of this new

\
N ne Offset any argument
iS will €nner-Gren inter-
\ Mon break the B.C. Elec-
sti Poly, there’s the in-
iW din, Speculation that a
h Hin or may be invited
tate © Wenner-Gren di-
a Which Premier
\ Baan met finance mini-
| ty Gunderson is al-
MO K Member. Not two
1,001 Mopolies but a super-
‘ett . the prospect the

{
| he Peony, ment holds out

b Premier Bennett
teparing another
lig power giveaway?

iy I the Bennett government preparing another huge give-
Bith € undeveloped northern area of the province? é

‘hie er Socred Lands and Forest Minister Ray Williston,
Speech last weekend to a joint board of trade audience
"nce Rupert, Kitimat and Terrace, said too much or not

Sat

SS
SEE PAN HOES

a

RES

Lillooet will be a key centre
in the projected Wenner-Gren
project .From a 700-foot dam
on the Peace at Hudson Hope,
with an eventual 4,000,000 h.p.
capacity, power would be sent
by alternate current to a point
north of Prince George ahd
from there by high voltage di-
rect current to Lillooet for
reconversion to alternate cur-

rent,

LAB
LEA

WHAT WILL BCFL DO?

RGA
NEW

MOVEMENT

10 OU

I

By JOHN HUNTER

Many vital questions will be debated at the third annual
convention of the B.C. Federation of Labor, which opens in
Vancouver this coming Tuesday, October 21. The dominating

issue will be political action.

Judging by reports already received, the majority of reso-
lutions on political action favor a broad movement along the

lines of the resolution
adopted by the Canadian La-
bor Congress convention at
Winnipeg last April. On the
other hand, it is obvious: that
certain “right - wing CCFers
will try to switch the con-
vention to straight support of
the CCF, along the lines of
the old Canadian Congress of
Labor policy.

While their terminology may
be different this time, their
aim will be the same: to pre-
vent the forging of an effec-
tive political alternative to the

parties of big business.

Every delegate who is. sin-
cere about building an effec-
tive alternative to the Socred
party in B.C. will be well ad-
vised to use the Winnipeg res-
olution as his guide. A few
quotes are in order:

“This convention believes
that the imperative need of the
Canadian political scene today
is the creation of an effective
alternative political force
based. on the needs of workers,
farmers and similar groups
financed and controlled by the
people and their organiza-
tions.”

“The time has come for a

fundamental realignment of
political forces in Canada.
There is the need for a
broadly-based people’s politi-
cal movement of professional
and other  liberally-minded
persons interested in basic
social reform and reconstruc-
tion through our parliamen-
tary system of government.
Such a broadly based political

instrument should provide that:

labor and other people’s organ-
izations may, together with
the CCF, participate directly

Bert Whyte
covers BCFL

Proceedings of the B.C.
Federation of Labor con-
vention, which opens in
Vancouver October 21,
will be fully reported in
our issues of October 24
and 31 by staff writer
Bert Whyte. Agents are
asked to place their
orders: for additional.
copies now.

NF

in the establishment of such a
movement, its organizational
structure and basic philosophy
and program, as well as in
its financing and choice of can-
didates for public office.”

“In participating in and in-
itiating the creation of a new
political movement, labor em-
phasizes that not only is there
no wish to dominate such a
development but there is the
fullest desire for the broadest
possible participation of all
individuals and groups genu-
inely interested in basic demo-
cratic social reform and the
democratic planning necessary
to such reform.”

In B.C., right-wing CCF
leaders working to narrow the
application of this resolution
claim to base themselves on
the decisions of the 1957 con-
vention of the B.C. Federation
of Labor. But this is a false
claim.

After a lengthy debate last
year, the BCFL convention
went on record as declaring
that “the CCF warrants the
essupport of the Federation of
B.C. as the best means of pres-
ently obtaining their legisla-
tive aims.” The word “pres-
ently” was added after many
speakers pointed out that basie
political policy would be de-

Continued on page 3
See POLITICAL

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