‘participation in

i es ee Ieee, | |

Provincial Election Platform Of

EACE OR WAR — This |
D is the most decisive issue |
facing our Province and |
country. It is the pivot of |
provincial no less than na- |
tional politics. The fight for |
world disarmament and for |
a policy of Canadian neu- |
trality is the fight to save |
British Columbia — and all}
Canada — from the appall- |
ing destruction of a hydro- |
gen-bomb war.

The fight to end Canada’s
United
States plans for atomic war,
and to end the fantastic waste
of money on armaments is
as vital to B.C.’s economic
welfare as it is to world |
peace. It holds the key to|
solving the economic and so- |
cial problems that now}
plague our province.

The Social Credit govern- |
ment is an accomplice of the

{running out.

Tories in Ottawa in a conspir-
acy that surrenders our fate
to United States war provoca-
tions. It is an accomplice in a
conspiracy that impoverishes
the people by squandering our
wealth on war preparations.
None of the other parties —
Liberals, Tories or even the
CCF — are prepared to make
this an issue. Communists are
needed in the Legislature be-
cause they can be relied upon
ito consistently expose this
conspiracy, while fighting for
new policies of peace and
people’s welfare. -

After eight years of Social
Credit rule, thousands in B.C.
are unemployed. More lay-
offs are coming. Unemploy-
ment insurance benefits are
Many families
face seizure of their be!ong-
ings, evictions and destitution.
Municipal taxes and_ school
costs have soared. The tax
load has become intolerably
heavy, and is still increasing.
Big Business favoritism is
rampant. Rich natural resour-
ces have been surrendered to
private monopolies. Graft and
corruption has sent one Soc-
red cabinet minister to the
penitentiary.

Now, secret deals are being
made to turn one-tenth of this
province over to the foreign
Wenner Gren trust, and to es-
tablish secret U.S. bases in
B.C. Such bases, with which
the U.S. hopes to fight a war
outside its own borders,
would become a prime mili-
tary target making a “nuclear

crematorium” of this prov-
ince.
Meanwhile, the U.S. ato-

acceler-
drive to war. Ag-
gressive declarations, pro-
vocative international inci-
dents, and  bellicose propa-
ganda originating in Washing-
ton have driven us to the
brink of war.

But we do not have to be
helpless victims of :this-disast-
rous policy. Neutrality — the
disengagement of our
try from all military pacts and
from U.S. provocations —can
contribute immeasurably to
world peace.

Not only can neutrality save
us from the catastrophe of
war, but can make it possible
to divert huge sums of govern-
ment money — now wasted
on war preparations — to peo-
ple’s welfare. Taxes could be
cut. More money spent on
education, health, social ser-
vices, and pensions. Moreover,
jobs could be created through
peaceful construction, and
Canada, freed from participa-
tion in the U.S. cold war pol-
icy of boycott, could find new
markets.

The lavish promises of oth-

maniacs relentlessly
ate their

er parties are worthless be-.

coun- |

cause they do not face up to
this central issue.

Bold new policies, based on
peace, construction, and the
people’s welfare, instead of
the suicidal perspective and
waste of war, are what Brit-
ish Columbia needs — and
what we Communists fight
for.

We hold _ that Socialism
(under which the principle
means of producing and dis-
tributing wealth will be the
common property of all) alone
can successfully meet the
challenge of automation and
the electronic-nuclear age,
and use tthe great new skills
and tools of technology and
science for the well-being of
all Canadians.

As a first step toward this
goal, we must unite to win
policies thait will use all our
human and material resour-
ces to build for peace and a
better life NOW. The B.C.
Legislature must have Com-
munists among its members
to speak ‘the truth, expose the
monopoiies, and voice the
needs of our people. The
Communist Party fights for:

1..PEACE POLICIES,
JOBS: —

Give expression to the fore-
most desire of British Colum-
bians — (tthe desire for peace.
Insist that Ottawa take a reso-
lute stand for a ban on nu-
clear and chemical war test-
ing, for general and complete
world disarmament, for re-
moval of all U.S. bases on our
soil. Work for sending of B.C.
trade missions ‘to foreign
lands, including People’s
China and-the socialist coun-
tries. Fight for diversion of
money wasted on monopoly
war contracts to provide an
“emergency crash progi‘am’’
of 75,000 jobs, to expand pub-
lic works and construction,

make employers — responsible
for “severance pay” in case
of layoffs. Insist that employ-
ment be made a fundamental
right of every citizen with
equal provincial and federal
responsibility to honor this
right. Provide for a‘morator-
ium on evictions and seizures
resulting from  wunemploy-
ment.

2. RELIEF FOR
MUNICIPAL
TAXPAYERS:

Communists will support
demands of the Union of B.C.
Municipalities for increased
granits to lighten the burden
of municipal taxes; to have
the costs of elementary and
secondary education, of social
welfare, capital costs of hos-
pital cecnstruction, and all
costs of highways forming
part of arterial systems with-
in municipalities, borne by
the provincial and = federal
governments. Pay the muni-
cipalities'a grant equal to the
taxes that would normally
come from provincially-own-
ed properties within each mu-

nicipality. _ Repeal the sales
tax, and cancel all. bridge
‘tolls. :

e

3. DEVELOP B.C.
RESOURCES:

Communists will fight for
development of a province-
wide, provincially - owned
power grid to provide elec-
tricity and natural gas to in
dustry, farm and home at cost.
Legislate to curb U.S. mon-
opoly control of B.C. indus-
tries, and to put an end to
secret agreements like .Wens-
ner-Gren. Cancel all. give-
aways and forest management
licences. Encourage the devel-

The Com

opment of basic and second-
ary industries in B.C. Bring
the B.C. Electric and B.C.
Telephone under public own-
ership, as well as key indus-
tries closing down and creat-
ing acute employment hard-
ships.

4. PEOPLE'S
| WELFARE FIRST:

| Communists will fight 0
| expand hospital facilities and
| to introduce a complete med-
ical and social security pro-
gram ‘through introduction
of an “Industrial Social Secur-
ity Tax” levied against the
earnings (above a basic min
imum) of those corporations
using up the province’s rich
forest, mineral, oil, gas, hydro
and fishery: resources. Com-
munists will fight to extend
education and raise the stan
dard of education, guarantee
ing free education up to and
including university for all
who qualify.

5. SAVE THE
FAMILY FARM:

Communists will fight for
guaranteed prices (that will
cover cost of production and
assure a reasonable return of
labor and investment) on that
portion of production neces
sary and sufficient to mail-
tain the family. type farm. T?
help secure new wmarkels
through provincial and fed-
eral action to halt U.S. dump”
ing. To expand the home mat
kef, developing foreign trade
To provide -long-term !0W-
interest loans,-a_ crop
ance scheme, increased grants ts
for the Departnfent of Agr
culture, and ‘more: assistance?
for irrigation, drainage a?
river bank protection.

August 26, 1960—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Pagé

6

insul*