Review.

WCE again as the festive sea-
780m approaches the editors
staff of the Pacific Tribune
Hnd to all readers, supporters
| 4 ftiends a very Merry Christ-
and a happier year ahead..
the year 1956 draws to
M0se the centuries-old vision
Peace On Earth, Goodwill
“Wards Men’’ seems very re-
i in the present atmosphere
i fold war propaganda and uni-
Sal fear of atomic war.
B Peace on Earth...” Ang:
) tench-Israel aggression upon
Pt is only another evidence
, © greed which motivates a
“ent society, to prey upon
foil and resources of others;
Ungary symobiizes more
" @hy other single act, the
desire on the part of these
forces to turn back the
Nie heedless of the human
D8 involved.
bce on Earth... ’’ Today
| petits of the monopolies are
Ins alltime high, while mil-
' Bois the world’s colonial and
bil €d peoples keep constant
\_ With hunger, destitution

Acific Tribune

Published weekly at
Room ¢ — 426 Main Street
ancouver 4, B.C.

r an MArine 5288
& or — TOM McEWEN

ci :
— Editor — HAL GRIFFIN

anager — RITA WHYTE
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EDITORIAL PAGE x

“All I can hear is ‘Peace’”’

Peace on Earth...

and. want.

‘Peace on Earth... .”’ It is in
the hands of the common people
of all lands, but only when they
forge. that measure of unity
which makes ruthless exploita-
tion and war impossible.

Let us dedicate ourselves to
that objective, to make 1957 the
year when ‘‘Peace on Earth,
Goodwill towards Men’’ shall
become a truly joyful reality.

ONE New Year's resolution
Vancouverites should adopt
and work on throughout 1957

is to end Non-Partisan Associa-
tion misrule at City Hall.

When Dickens’ immortal
Mr. Pickwick and his bosom col-
league Mr. Snodgrass were on
one of their numerous travels
through rural England they hap-
pened to land in a small town
where an election meeting was
in progress.

Joining in the election rally
and listening to the various har-
angues, Mr. Pickwick periodi-
cally joined in the lusty cheering.
Somewhat amazed, Mr. Snod-
grass inquired of Mr. Pickwick
how he knew which side to
cheer for, whereat Mr. Pickwick
sagely replied, “‘Always cheer
with the largest crowd.”

Such a rule may have applied
very well in Mr. Pickwick’s day
when there was no NPA politi-
cal machine around to frustrate
the free choice of the electorate
and intimidation of voters was
carried out by more direct means
but it is outmoded today.

‘The largest crowd’’ in terms

Civic resolution for 1957

Comment

of votes and seats in the recent
civic elections was the NPA but
there was no cheering among
the 75 percent of the electorate
who didn’t even come out ‘to
vote because they felt it was of
little use.

It may -be a poor excuse on
the part of the great majority of
the civic voters to say ‘‘what’s
the use?’’ But that is precisely
the aititude the NPA hopes to
perpe.uate, thereby prolonging
its domination of civic affairs,

The need for a change is ap-
parent. There is abundant evi-
dence of the desire. All that is

_ needed is a united will to do the

job. The people owe it to Van-
couver — and themselves.

be xt

To a motorist appearing be-
fore him on a charge of driving
while his license: was suspended,
Magistrate Bell of Burnaby said:
“You are a menace. You ought
to be in Russia.” ‘

The magistrate should do some
reading before he puts his ignor-
ance on the public record. In
Russia the motorist would have

loss his license — for life.

NOTHER cent on the price of
bread, two cents more on the

price of milk... and it will
be a merry Christmas for those
who profit from it. But-not for
those on old age pensions, on
superannuation that once seemed
adequate and now transforms the
dream of leisure into a nightmare
of worry. A penny here, a penny
there . . . but they have pinched
the pennies so long that even the
most frugal living has lost its
meaning.

What do you say to the man
who tells you he pays $40 a
month rent and has to feed and
clothe himself on the remaining
$20. That he should have saved
for his old age? But when? Dur-
ing the thirties when he was on
relief? Or after the war when he
was laid off at the shipyards,
too old to work but not old

h for a pension?
~ ae only fee to read the let-

ters in the daily papers — those
that are printed — for the answer.

“T have become more and more
disgusted with .the way old age
pensions are being provided for
. . . What upsets me is that when
our children are grown and we
have acquired the things we
need for a comfortable life, what
little we have will be used to
deny us the miserable pittance
allotted for old age pensioners.”

“T never hear of increases in
city superannuation. When the
city employees paid into it a dol-
lar was a dollar. And now? Many
get only $25 monthly. I am lucky.
I get $54.73, but how does any-
one get along on $25?”

“The last session of parliament
before the coming elections...
is the time to put the pressure
on for a decent pension for our
elder citizens. Instead of sitting
back and saying what a shame
it is, let’s do something about it.

“We have a surplus that the
government doesn’t know what
to do with. We can afford to pay
the fares and set up refugees. We
can spend millions on Co!ombo
aid. Certainly we can afford to
look after our own aged and see
that they have at least the neces-
sities of life in their declining
years,

“If there is an ounce of charity
in you, you will make an effort

to take the five minutes and see
that our pensioners live like
human _ beings.”

not get published and those that
never get written.

There are also letters that do

A pensioner called me on the

phone this week. “They've al-
ready raised the price of canned
milk from eight to nine cents,”
he reported. “It’s out-an-out prof-
iteering because those stocks
were bought at the old price. The
dailies won’t. publish my letter.
Your paper is our only voice.”
tt xt xt

This may not be the most
cheerful way of saying Merry
Christmas, but it’s the most ef-
fective way I have of contribut-
ing to the protest that can give
real meaning to this seasonal
greeting for thousands of senior
citizens. ,

And a Happy New Year to
those grand oldtimers of the la-
bor movement ... to Joe Ivens
in Okanagan Mission, Charlie
Stewart in Surrey, Harry Mer-
rill in Mission and Bill Shaw at
Whonnock, Jack Little in Mats-
qui, Effie Jones and Helen
Matheson in Vancouver . .. to
Ernie Winch, Tom Uphil and Sam

‘Guthrie ... all those who in

their own ways have given their
lives to making this a better place
for succeeding generations.

DECEMBER 21, 1956 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 7

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