END TREE LICENCES DEMANDS LABOR

Forest monopolies gouge B.C. publi

A demand for a sweeping overhaul of B.C.’s forestry policy came last week fro
B.C. Federation of Labor, in a brief to the Legislature’s forestry committee. The brief, pres
ed on behalf of more than 100,000 B.C. trade unionists, urged action to stop the robb
the public by the big forest monopolies, and demanded that no further timber licences
sued. It called on the government to set up a publicly - owned corporation to process

materials.

The 12-page brief presented
by BCFL president E, T, Staley
and secretary E, P, O’Neal
charged that “the people of B,C,
are being systematically bilked,
The word robbed is used by some
observers,”

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The brief said the public is’
shocked by the “outrageously in-
adequate returns” to the people
from their forests, It charged
that the public is being deprived
of public revenues “to maintain
astronomical profits for a few
companies with monopolistic
power,”

‘Fo

as

The briefnames five companies
which control B,C,’s forest in-
dustry, These are: MacMillan
Bloedel and Powell River, Cana-
dian Forest Products, B,C, For-
est Products, Crown Zellerbach
and Rayonier,

Charging that the enormous
political and economic influence
of these companies puts the prov-
ince and the people at their
mercy, the brief says that “be-
tween them they are many times
richer than the province of B,C,
‘The jobs of thousands of citizens
can be lost, the provincial econ=
omy disrupted, through the whim

e os we
Ce

NEWS ITEM: The American Telephone and Telegraph Company recently announc-
ed earnings of $1.7 billion for the year ended Nov. 30, 1964. This is the largest
12-month profit for any company in the history of capitalism. The B.C. Tele-
phone Co., which is a subsidiary of American Telephone and Telegraph, made a
profit of nearly $12 million in 1964—a jump of 9 percent over the previous year.

terests in licence trafficking with
Crown forest lands, and said that
some licences are being held for
purely speculative purposes,

The BCFL. brief urges the
government to establish a public-
ly-owned corporation to utilize

and develop forest resources, '

from harvesting to manufacture,
“Only such public enterprises
can hopefully challenge the pri-
vate enterprise of the five exist-
ing monopoly interests,” says the
brief, ;

The BCFL alsourged that steps
be taken to establish a perman-
ent, independent commission to
regulate and oversee the admin-
istration of forest resources, The
proposal for the setting up of
an independent forest commis-
sion was made some years ago
by the late Chief Justice Gordon
Sloan,

_ ly opposed any increase

The Socred government
been under sharp fire in #
rent session of the Legi
over the lack of provincii
enues from B,C,’s fore
sources, The major attack
House on the special pri
extended to the large
monopolies has come fr
provincial leader Robert
chan and from North Vani
Liberal Gordon Gibson, —

The BCFL brief was in
contrast to one submitted
Council of Forest Industri
sented a few days befor
CFI brief, which represeé
giant forest monopolies in
declared its opposition
plan to place timber undef 9
ership of the Crown, and

for forest licences or
leases, i

Probe of B.C.

fo open early

The Board of Transport Com-
missioners has set April 1 as
deadline for notification by those
who intend to make representa-
tions on hearings concerning the
B.C, Telephone Company, The
Company has until April 15 to
file its submission,

The Board, which is respon-
sible for exercising control over
utilities in the public’s interests,

AUUC concert
in Queen ‘E’

The Association of United
Ukrainian-Canadians is present-
ing a Spring Concert on Sunday,

March 21st at 8 p,m, in the Queen
Elizabeth Theatre,

For those of Ukrainian origin,
March is known as the month to
commemorate -the birth of the
Bard of the Ukraine, Taras
Shevchenko, Concerts, banquets
and films highlight the programs
across Canada, Part of the pro-
gram in Vancouver will be dedi-
cated to Shevchenko and will be
narrated in English,

Part of the first half of the pro-
gram is dedicated.toShevchenko,
the balance of the program is a
tribute to other nationalities who -
took part in the building of Ca-
nada, Greek, French, English,
Trish, American and Russian
songs will be featured, Dances
from the western and eastern
Ukraine, and Moldavia will be
presented, One number will be
a “squopak,” which is a combin-
ation of a Canadian square dance
and Ukrainian Hopak,

Telephone |
in April

announced some months ago that
both the Bell Telephone Co. and
the B,C, Telephone will have their
profits probed, Both companies
have made excessive profits in
recent years, while rates have
remained high, B,C,’s rates are
the highest in Canada,

The Board has said that rates
will not be considered at this
time, but the probe of the com-
pany’s finances could lead to
action on rates if the Board finds
they are too high in relation to
earnings,

However, not satisfied with
this, many groups in B,C, have
demanded that the Board order’
an interim cutback in phone rates
until the full investigation into
the company is completed, which
is expected to take some months,
They point out that failure to do
this victimizes the utility-using
public, who pay the high rates,
while the company continues to
amass big profits, : :

“Many groups, including the
B,C, Communist Party, are ex-
pected to submit briefs at the
forthcoming hearings, Labor,
ratepayer and civic organizations
have indicated considerable in-
terest in the hearings,

The Victoria city council re-
cently asked the Union of B,C,
Municipalities to prepare a joint
brief to the hearings protesting
B.C, Telephone rates, The UBCM
rejected the proposal on the
grounds that it was too expensive,
Considerable pressure is needed
to have the municipal and provin-
cial governments to take up the
fight against the phone monopoly
at the upcoming hearings,

or caprice of these companies,”

The brief makes the startling
point that a select circle owns
90 percent of the timber licences
and that MBPR and its subsidi-
aries control 31 percent of all
timber licences and 24 companies
control 90 percent of all issued
‘licences,

The brief also makes the point
that when the provincial budget
totalled $390 million, MBPR’s
gross income during the same
period totalled a“ staggering $375
million,” It adds that “it takes no
special insight or expert to see
that gross inequalities exist be-
tween these private profits and
the public revenue derived from
the forest industry,”

The brief asks: *Why is it that
when B,C,’s forest industries
make sales worth $1.5 billion the
provincial government got only
$36.3 million in direct revenue?”
One answer, it suggests, is be-
cause of “misguided and ill-
advised” generosity to a select
few in the industry, ;

Labor urges the establishment
of a Crown Commission to main-
tain the public’s rights in the
forests and asks that royalties
for raw materials granted under
the Forest Act should be doubled,
except in areas where timber is
inferior,

A key proposal in the brief
submitted by the BCFL is the
demand that an end be put to any
further issuing of tree farm li-
cences, It demands that some
licences already granted be re-
voked, and charges that control
of these licences in the hands of
a few companies is causing many
abuses and inequities in the for-
est industry,

The brief says that there has
been speculation by private in-

HUNDREDS SIGN WIRE TO PEARSON .Photo shows Dora Stewart, left, ¢
jorie Szach holding the telegram which was sent Wednesday to Prime
Pearson urging him to press tirelessly for negotiations to end the war
nam. Five hundred names were on the wire which was initiated from
national Women's Day celebration in Vancouver on March 7. The public
by the wire’s sponsorers to organize follow-up individual and group w!
‘porting the demand for peace in Vietnam. —Jack Phillips

CARCADE FOR PEACE 2
IN CITY ON SATURDAY |

B,C, Peace Council has issued an urgent call to all those }
who are shocked and alarmed by the events in Vietnam ©
demonstrate this Saturday for a peaceful and just settlem'

A carcade bearing signs reading “Write Mr, PearsoP
Negotiate in Vietnam” will tour the streets of Vancouver 4
Burnaby Saturday, March 20, Cars will leave Burnaby
School grounds at 11:30 a.m, and will tour for approximaté
two hours, : :

The Council reiterates its determination to do everyth
possible to arouse the consciousness. of Canadians and to :

crease the pressure on the government to take the initiative
end this shameful war, :

Those wishing to join the carcade are asked to phone
their names to the Peace Council at MU 5-9958 betwee?
hours of 11 a,m, and 2 p.m, daily,

March 19, 1965—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Po