4 ; other

FIGHT FOR PEACE

J-H. Hughes, Parksville, B.C.
Writes: On reading the article by
Alf Dewhurst “Now Trotskyists

etve Foes of Peace,’’ doesn’t
Mean I am in that class because

am variance with his remarks.
ully agree without having to be

a Trotskyist, that peaceful
‘ poexistence “hasn’t a chance of
beeing peace,’ unquote. I
Rleve this would and should be
Galized when such an imper-
__ ,#llst power as the USA is on the
pee Past performances speak

_ 2 themselves, and because

'xon and his cohorts have been
a Oscow to sign a paper or two
: Sarding limiting nuclear arms
en t be construed that we
‘ uld go into ecstacies that we

© going to have an era of
peace, as the Tribune implied

ler the Moscow meeting.
he American imperialism
ing Perhaps agree on nuclear
eo curtailment, but that
the q t stay her hand in conven-
= war weapons which we all
a are devilish in the
Teme, and it doesn’t stop the
a from going into other
ing ver Countries at will, know-
It isn’t likely to upset the

"eat powers.
fy. fully convinced that in the
tha fe esis a stand has to be
Boers) or to try the peaceful
oti Stence way is just a waste
he me and violence will have to
i With violence to bring

Peace and justice.

‘oe Course this statement may
an replies such as would you
Bog eee world war? This
not necessarily signify

; with Hy result as was the case
Eons itler, but I maintain that
Séci Of us, including the
lalist powers, can look the
slay Fae while murderers are

Popul tering the Vietnamese

ihe ation, and at the same

Pe soning the hand of these
coe; ers, Believing or Wanting
“ialigh tence in peace with imper-
falla Capitalism is just a
will Cy, for like oil and water it

Soa: ever Come together, and as

Cialist ¢ an
Want it? hinkers, who would

28 Ok

to, DITOR’s NOTE: The PT can-
Writer uc with the argument of
lust g at the fight for peace is
oe of time and that
With Ce will have to be met
throwin Violence.”’ That’s
centine Up one’s hands and
inevitable 4 nuclear holocaust as

N
Baas anyone gone into
have. °S that we are going to
orwar €ra of peace. The PT put
Jhsteag no such perspective.
‘June 1g ° Carried material
the sum 1Ssue, pg. 9) pointing out
"educin mit “opens the way”’ to
War oe the danger of nuclear
detente. bringing about a

€an

The pp.
verytne Issue of that date, and
Singg D ‘Ng we have written
Not jar tts out that peace will
Wantin. some by ‘‘believing or
he ut only as a result
Sett oes to impose peaceful
lists €nts on the imper-

Or j

: Bestin the Writer correct in sug-
look € socialist powers
ferery ac cther way’ while mur-
Namesa . slaughtering the Viet-
tis ee Population. We share
of th ae about the struggle
Deng n ple of Vietnam for inde-
Sountyc®: . The socialist

Ki i ‘
the Su and in the first place
: €t Union, and the world

Qeer FORUM

peace forces have done much to
isolate and defeat U.S. policy in

Vietnam. We must do more.
* KOK

CONCERNED ACT

Rita Chud, Vancouver, B.C.
writes, in part: Dear Editor and
Readers: I would like to take
this opportunity to inform you
and your readers of the work
now being done by a number of
concerned individuals who have
banded together under The
Coalition for Peace, Land, and
Bread. The three issues with
which we are concerned are the
war in Indochina (peace); the
Valdez tanker route and other
ecological disasters (land), and
unemployment and anti-labor
legislation in our province
(bread). Our aim is to bring
together people who have been
working in these three areas to
discuss their work to date, and,

most important, how they can-. .

work with each other.

We chose three crucial issues
with which to begin. Issues
which can no longer be seen as
isolated problems; issues which
must be discussed together. Our
hope is that people from the
ecology movement, the peace
movement and the trade union
and unemployed movement can
begin to discuss their areas of
concern in a united way; ina

way which searches out the _

cause of the problems and then
moves on to search out the solu-

tions.

Towards this end we are organ-
izing a one day outdoor conven-
tion for August 20th at Ceperly
Park in Stanley Park. During
this day we will hold workshops
centred around the three issues.
The workshops will give back-
ground into the problems and
then will go on to discuss ways of
organizing around these issues.
We will also hold a People’s
Dinner in the park and then
provide an evening of enter-
tainment and speakers. We also

hope to build up to this large |

event with a number of smaller
educations and to continue
providing such a forum after the

20th.

If you can offer any help please
contact us at 636 West 12th (874-

9540).

8gle by the world’s -

Beaver Transfer

* Moving
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Phone 254-3711

Workers
Benevolent Assn.
Of Canada

Progressive Fraternal Society
Caters to all your needs in the
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4

Apply to: B.C. office at
905 East Pender St. or
National Office at
595 Pritchard Ave.
Winnipeg 4, Manitoba

Bennett policies are forcing
B.C. farmers out of business

By MABEL RICHARDS

A week or so ago farmers in
the Nicomekl Valley surveyed
the flooded ruins of what had
been, a few days before, million-
dollar crops of lettuce, carrots,
onions and other market garden
produce. This was not the first
time their lands have been
flooded for there has never been
dike protection in their area.

The reaction of the provincial
government to their appeals for
help was par for the course. Re-
sources Minister Ray Williston
had this to say: ‘‘Anytime
anything happens to anybody
that is slightly out of the usual
they call it a disaster and think
somebody else should pay for it
. spending large amounts
from the public purse on flood
control to enhance:a purely pri-
vate operation.”

This cynical approach by
Socred politicians was summed
up by one of their own members
of the Legislature, Don
Marshall, who resigned from the
party last spring. He said, ‘‘I
firmly believe that Premier
Bennett believes that we do not
need agriculture in this prov-
ince.”

What is not fully realized, and
this goes for organized labor,
consumer and low income
groups, etc., is that if agri-
culture is allowed to go under
because of U.S. competition in
the market place; because of
lack of anti-dumping laws;
because of high taxes and lack of
crop protection, the consumer
will be wholly dependent on
what is one of the biggest of
monopolies — U.S. agribusi-
ness, which will have a total grip
on the B.C. market.

The problems facing B.C.
farmers today are so manifold it
would take a book to deal with
them. The overriding problem,
however, boils down to one main
issue: the complete failure of
provincial and federal authori-
ties to protect the agricultural
industry with even a modicum
of the protection they hand out
to big business enterprises.
Thus in the Okanagan, the
Fraser and the Kootenay Valleys
farmers one by one are being
forced into selling their land to
the real estate developers.
There are many observers who
believe this is what the Bennett
government wants to happen,
for there has never been a move
to halt the removal of the richest
farm lands on the continent
from food production. To
Bennett, agriculture is a mere

bagatelle.

“t's risky... Last week he squandered his
whole pay on food, clothing and rent...

What are the facts? Even
today, despite the problems
besetting the industry, agri-
culture provides jobs for one out
of every 8 workers in the prov-
ince; directly returns $200
million a year to the economy,
and provides the base for an-
other $800 million return from
food-oriented industry. In
reality, it is a $1 billion-a-year
industry.

Yet Don Marshall, the Social
Crediter who resigned said that
in past discussions with Bennett
about farm problems, the
premier indicated he was more
interested in ‘‘jobs and indus-
try’ for BG: <4;

The Socred government and
Trudeau’s Liberal government
have subsidized less vital indus-
tries to the tune of billions of
dollars. Bennett says he is pre-
pared to give away more to
create ‘“‘new industries.”’

Why should not some of this
largesse go towards giving
protection to farmers in the way
of flood control, crop loss insur-
ance, subsidies for farm labor,
and above all, pressure for anti-
dumping laws to give some
measure of protection to fruit
and vegetable growers?

In the United States today a
federal aid program of $5 billion
that will supply $1,000 an acre to
bring land under agricultural
production means more and
more competition to Canadian
farmers. The contrast between
this approach and B.C.’s —
where agricultural land is being
forced out of production, is a
startling one, and one which bids
more trouble ahead.

The B.C. Federation of Agri-
culture has time and time again
put forward programs which, if
acted upon, could give some
measure of relief to the farmer.

Two years ago they asked for a
probe of the American take-
over of fruit and vegetable
processing factories. Over 70
percent of the annual pack is pro-
cessed in U.S.-owned plants
which in B.C. are being allowed
to deteriorate, the farmers
charge, while plants of the same
companies in the U.S. are being
highly modernized. No action
has been taken on this question,
much less any of the other pro-
grams suggested by the farm
organization.

There is no question but what
B.C. farmers are being driven to
the wall and are being forced to
Sell out to the real estate moguls.
No business can stay operative
when faced with high costs and
low returns and mammoth
imports from other countries.

B.C. citizens are the losers as
well as, the farmers. Charles

‘Barnhardt, of the Federation of

Agriculture put it clearly when
he said “‘if farming is lost to the
province, gone also are the
industries dependent on
farming, the low-cost high
quality produce and the green
belt open spaces that everyone
“enjoys.”

Agriculture & welfare must be
high on the list of priorities in
the coming provincial election.
Communist candidate in the
Surrey riding, Fred Bianco, has
had experience in vegetable
farming in the Okanagan, and
understands the economic prob-
lems the growers face. Now an
industrial worker, Blanco says
it is necessary to have joint
action of workers and farmers to
fight for the small farmer who is
at best a low-paid working man.

The interests of the worker-
consumer and the man who
works the land, are, in the final
analysis, one and the same.

FOR ALL YOUR TRAVEL NEEDS

Contact:

‘GLOBE

2679 E. Hastings St.

253-1221

TOURS

, Vancouver 6, B.C.

254-2313

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HALLS FOR RENT

Clean, resaleable goods for
rummage PROCEEDS:
Vietnam Children’s Hospi-
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BUSINESS PERSONALS

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~PACIF

2.83. 4

IC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 1972—PAGE 7
Pees Ie eg ts ee mestwtse 8 ik

WEBSTER’s CORNER HALL
—Available for banquets,
meetings, weddings, etc. For
rates, Ozzy 872-5064 or 685-
5836.

JKRAINIAN CANADIAN
CULTURAL CENTRE - 805
East Pender St., Vancouver 4.
Available for banquets, wed-
mie meetings. Phone 254-

RUSSIAN PEOPLE’,
HOME — -600 Campbell Ave.
Now under Renovation.
Watch ‘PT’ for details re-
garding re-opening re: Rent-
als for meetings, banquets,
weddings, etc. 254-3430.

a