1 : x —Fisherman photo JOBLESS PROTEST GREETS BENNETT. Over 100 unemployed trade unionists staged a protest last Thursday in New Westminster as Premier WAC Bennett visited Vincent Massey High School. Later the unemployed again . confronted the Premier at the opening of Douglas College. The jobless protest demanded a massive jobs program to include low cost housing. Unity proves keynote of Indian convention By JIM BEYNON A significant second annual convention of the Union of Bri- tish Columbia Indian Chiefs was held at the Vancouver Hotel Nov. 16-21. Unity was the issue, unity of all the Indian people in B.C. to fight for a better life for them- selves and their children. Chair- man William Scow said, ‘‘Let us not give lip service to unity. We are united!”’ Alderman Harry Rankin greet- ed the convention. He said that “the day the Indian people de- cide their destiny is in their hands, that’s the day things will be done.”’ He told the repre- sentatives of 188 Indian bands, “‘Now you are going out and organize yourselves; run your own society.” : Chiefs must take up bread and , butter issues of their people or there is no reason for meeting. He ended on the note that to be a chief, to be relevant, to be a leader is to be where your peo- ple are being persecuted. The convention reflected a proud people in struggle. Frank Howard put it to the effect that man can swim like a fish, can fly like a bird— let’s hope that with the UBCIC, man can work on the face of the earth like a man. INDIAN LANDS The Indian lands question is a basic concern of the Union. In B.C. there are no treaties with the Indian people and they are - seeking land rights and equi- table compensation. Equitable compensation is difficult to calculate. What can be equal to over a century of prejudice, discrimination and persecution, the stealing of their land and placing them on reserves? What can compen- sate for an average Indian life span of 35 years while the non- Indian life span is over 65 years? Or 50 per cent of the houses not having electricity, or over three-quarters no running water or sanitation facilities? Nothing can compensate for the history of forced degrada- tion but the Indian people now want a future. a The ‘‘Brown Paper’—the pro- posed declaration of Indian Rights — the B.C. Indian Position Paper declared: ‘“‘We _ propose that the two senior governments not be directly in- volved in the administration of our lands and of our peoples, but rather that these functions be performed by our own method of self-government. The two senior governments should con- cern themselves with providing us with an opportunity to up- grade our economic status and to the extension of provincial services based upon tri-party negotiations.” Further: “‘Reserves to provide the basis for social and economic independence of our people. “Industry on reserve lands to be encouraged, preferrably owned and operated by Indian bands and by individual Indians. “Indians have first prefe- rence for all jobs created on re- serve land, and in fact for all social and economic activities and programs involving Indians or Indian land. All leases should include conditions giving preference to Indians; and re- quire that appropriate job train- ing be provided, with cancella- tion clauses for non-perfor mance. “‘All taxes on Indian lands to be imposed by and collected by Indian bands.”’ FIRST CITIZENS FUND Bill Wilson, former adminis- trator of the UBCIC, charged that governments were making politics of the plight of the In- dian people. Wilson stated the First Citizens Fund is a ‘‘politi- cal fund set up during an elec- tion campaign to enhance the image of the Socred govern ment.” Dan Campbell, provincial” municipal affairs minister, came under attack when he arro- PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1970—PAGE 12 gantly tried to rationalize his government to the Indian people. Diane Recalma asked for a breakdown of federal government money to the provincial government and the amount actually spent by the pro- vincial government in regards to education of Indian children. Campbell replied to the effect that every penny received for that purpose is_ spent legitimately. Recalma replied, “‘T don’t believe you.” Distrust of government policies and activities at all levels was evident throughout the convention. Cheif Stelkia stated that to vote Socred is to vote yourself down, after having to tell a-rude Municipal Affairs Minister Campbell, ‘‘White man! You sit down and you lis ten!”’ The question of recognition of the reserves as Indian lands and the full right to self-govern- ment, compensation for the stolen lands to help develop viable economies and decent education for the Indian people, the correction of historical lies and preparation of youth to go into the complex industrial society were discussed. Bill Wilson also warned youth against chauvinism. He said the Indian ‘‘thing’’ was not to go around like Geronimo hating white people but was getting an education and to return to the re- serves and help their people with their education. - It is a great event that unity was forged on an all-encompas- sing program for the fight for a better life for the Indian people, and that the working class movement, particularly the trade unions, must enter into struggle supporting the In- dians in their struggle. Trade unions as the organized section of labor must take responsibility for helping the most exploited and poverty stricken workers, the native peoples, rather than pay lip ser- vice to the cause in resolutions and do nothing committees. | NATIONAL MAGS SAY: Tom not ‘terrific’ Tom Campbell, the mayor of Vancouver, is not against long- haired young people because they are ‘hippies’; he abhors them because youth represents change, and no $8 million mem- ber of the Establishment,,can tolerate change. Long-haired kids constitute his full platform. Without them as a crutch Mayor Campbell would be lost, for in a very real sense he is ignorant of the basics of municipal affairs. But because in a noisy way he expresses Canadian Establish- ment hatred of new ideas and concepts as personified by young people on the whole, Van- couver’s mayor has come in for a splurge of publicity in recent weeks. Toronto’s Saturday Night and Financial Post devote considerable space to the gentle- man. : Allan Fotheringham in Satur- day Night describes him as a pub- licity hound who skips council sessions whenever he chooses. Alexander Ross, in the Finan- cial Post, reports that Campbell owns 500 apartment suites, about 100 offices, ‘‘20 or 30” stores and about $1 million worth of raw land. Ross says “‘he made it all by himself.’’ Fotheringham infers differently. The latter writes that Camp- bell’s father was a $240 a month detective ‘“‘who owned several apartments and homes’’ and was ordered to ‘‘end his 21-year career on the police force in 1947.” Gerry McGeer, mayor at that time, says Fotheringham, questioned the ownership of so much real estate acquired on a policeman’s salary. In 1956 Campbell was given control of $1.2 million in pro- perties owned by his wife’s family. Despite his wealth and his record of do-nothingness for the good of ordinary citizens, Camp- bell is alleged to get the support of many working people be- cause they believe he is for “‘the little guy.” There is nothing in his record to demonstrate he is now, or ever has been for the little guy. He raised heck with a former council for subsidizing Eaton’s and Cemp Investments on a give-away deal of city-owned land, but when the vote came to council he abstained. Under his administration real estate interests, hotel owners and business moguls have never had it so good, or the home- owner. so bad — taxwise. Under his administration nothing tan- gible has been done to cope with traffic congestion, pollution problems, or homes for elderly citizens. His record, so far as the interests of low-income people in Vancouver are con- cerned, is unblemished by a single mark on the progressive side of the ledger. Fotheringham Campbell’s shocking attitude to _ the low-income people who sup- port him. To Campbell they are “tennis shoe’’ people, easily predjudiced, easily stirred up on phony issues. The wiseacres predict another win for this man. But once the © wiseacres predicted Thomas Dewey would win an election to become president of the USA. He lost, remember? UTAH PERMIT OPPOSED Cont'd from pg. 1! that Venables had a “‘sore throat.”’ Now, about three months later, the Board is again trying to push through the permit. Once again SPEC has demanded that the hearing be open to the public and all interested groups, and that it be held in Victoria where it would be more accessable to interested parties. Support came this week from union members on the job at Port Hardy. 3 e A petition signed by 241 employees of the Utah Mining Co., at Port Hardy, sent to pollution control director Venables, protested ‘‘the arbitrary action of the Pollution Control Board in refusing to hear the brief to be presented by the Society for Pollution and Environmental Control at the public hearing on December 2.”’ The workers at Port Hardy say: ‘‘We are aware of our social responsibility to protect our natural environment from all, sources of pollution, even if it means some initial. economic - hardship. . . “Therefore (we) urge you to reconsider your previous decision and allow the Society for Pollution and Environ- mental Control to present their brief at the public hearing on December 2, 1970 in Victoria.” The Utah Mining and Construction Company is a giant San Francisco-based corpor- ation which has a deal with a Japanese corporation to export $400 million worth of copper concentrates from the Port Hardy mine to Japan. There is strong evidence that the Socred government has given a commitment to U.S. and Japanese financial interests that the permit will be put through to enable them to get on with the giant operation from which U.S. and Japanese financial interests will -benefit. B.C.’s share of the deal will be that of giving away our mineral resources and receiving in return widespread pollution in our coastal waters and mineral lands. Lecturer. . FRASER VALLEY REGION BETHUNE ~ MARXIST CLASSROOM SUN. NOV. 29, 7 P.M. Royal Towers Hotel ( Fraser Room) WESTMINSTER “The Struggle For Socialism and The N.D.P., the New Left & Ultra-Left’’ . NIGEL MORGAN reveals ~