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Pension increase plan :
panics Liberal minority

An unexpected proposal to in-

- Crease old age pensions from $65

to $75 immediately has thrown

the minority Liberal government
Into a panic.

The proposal, an amendment
to a government resolution, was
made by opposition Leader John
Diefenbaker in Parliament and
Supported by New Democratic
Party Leader T. C. Douglas

The Liberals had promised a

$10 increase in old age pensions
df they formed the new govern-
ment.
: Now they are introducing leg-
Islation linking the increase in
the basic pension to a new plan
for a pension to be based on
Contributions by participating
employees and employers, and to
begin in 1964.

The new plan is based on es-
timated contributions of two per-
Cent of wages up to a ceiling of
$4,000 a year. This means the
Maximum deduction would be
$3.33 a month.

Distribution of the pension is
Proposed to begin in January,

1966, on a graduated scale, based
on earnings.

At the end of a 10-year transi-
tion period,’ the government
promises to pay pensions of $175
per month at 70 (calculated on
the maximum contribution), or
$118 if the pensioner chooses to
retire at 65.

As the average figure of $4,000
increases, so will contributions.
All contributions will be deduct.
ible from income tax as in exist-
ing private schemes.

The government suggests that
its contributory pension plan will
give it the finances necessary
to increase the basic old age
pension from $65 to $70 per
month. But since contributions on
the new plan won’t begin coming
in until October, 1964, the gov-
ernment wants to hold off the
$10 increase until 1964.

Health and Welfare Minister
Judy LaMarsh said in her intro-
ductory remarks only quick pas-
sage of the pension resolution
would ensure a quick old age pen-
sion increase.

‘Change can’t wait’—FP

In a front page editorial en-
titled, “Basic Change Can't
Wait,” the July 27 issue of the
Financial Post states that U.S.
President Kennedy ‘“‘has amply
demonstrated.. . . the immense
Power of the U.S. to throw Can-
fada’s financial machinery out
of gear.’

Pointing out that in contrast
With most of the 21 other nations
Concerned with the recent U.S. tax
on purchase of foreign securities,
Canada buys more in the U.S.

Trade mission
to E. Europe

Amid reports from Ottawa
that a new grain deal with
China may be announced this
Week was the disclosure that
; Canada’s deputy trade min-
ister, James Roberts, will visit
Eastern European countries in

September seeking closer
trade relations.
+-Roberts will visit Poland,

Czechoslovakia and Yugoslav-
ia,

Importance is attached to
this top level visit because a
recent statement in Parlia-
ment by Trade Minister Sharp
that Canada should seek stable
Markets in Communist count-
ries not only for wheat but
other products as well.

than the U.S. buys here, “‘and that
it was in the U.S. interest tg make
Canada a special case, the FP
editorial says:

“But is it enough to have reel-
ed through another emergency?
What honor or integrity or inde.
pendence is there in being a more
or less chronic pleader for equity
and a supplicant for mercy?
What guarantee is there that fur-
ther moves by the U.S. to cure
its international balance of pay-
ments problem—or some other
problem—won’t again rock Can-
adian markets and threaten busi-
ness expansion.

“Present dangers make it plain
that we have relied for too long
on unlimited quantities of U-S.
capital to finance Canadian
growth. Are we condemned for-
ever to the self-defeating idiocy
of perennial borrowing to pay
dividends and interest on old
debt? This is the road to recur-
rent crisis.

“The events of the past week
make mincemeat of arguments
that it is Anti-American to try to
gain wider control over the dir-
ection of our industry and our
institutions. Plainly, we need
more, not fewer efforts to aim

‘our commercial policy toward a

greater degree of self-sufficiency
and to encourage Canadians into
greater participation in their own
ventures.”

HOW TO GET TO HIROSHIMA
DAY RALLY TH!S SUNDAY

_ The B.C. Peace Council, which
IS sponsoring this year’s “No
More Hiroshimas’’ carcade and
Tally on Sunday, said in a re-
lease this week that, ‘‘we have
Something to celebrate . . . the
huclear test ban ‘accord reached
between the nuclear powers at
Moscow opens the way to greater
victories for peace.” ”

Here’s the program lined up
for Sunday:

° A carcade will form up at
the Peace Council office at 339
W. Pender Street at 1:30 p.m.
on Sunday and will then pro-
Ceed to Stanley Park.

° A rally to observe the anni-

 ersary_of the 1945 atom-bomb.

ing of Hiroshima will be held
at Halelujah Point at 2:15 p.m.

To get to Hallelujah Point fol-
low the road to your right at
the entrance to Stanley Park.
Follow the shoreline to a spot
just before the nine o'clock gun.

A marker to look for: on the
left of the road is a clearing
where a number of totem poles
are displayed and on the right,
in the harbour, are the oil com-
pany barges.

Hallelujah Point is a green
strip between the road and the
water.

Clip this out and take it with
you to make sure you find the

spot.

THE }

Wy NATION

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THOUSANDS LINE UP FOR FISH. In centres
throughout the Lower Mainland last week the

public were able to back the striking fishermen
by buying salmon at sale prices. Above photo
shows the line-up at the North Burnaby depot.

Thousands of customers came back for more.

The union strike committee last week condemn-
ed interference by authorities as interference
with the traditional right of commercial fisher-
men to sell their catches to the public and an
action on ‘‘behalf of the Fisheries Association.”’

Socreds worried
over Columbia

B.C. Water Resources Min.
ister Williston told an audience
in Wenatchee, Wash., recently
that opposition in Parliament
could be the big stumbling
block in seeking ratification of
the Columbia treaty.

He said he “would be less
than frank’’ if he did not ad-
mit that “we will have to
bring all our efforts to bear,”’
to win endorsation.

Columbia commitments
held ‘questionable’

The recent legal decision of
the B.C. Supreme Court concern.
ing ownership of the B.C. Hydro
makes any commitment by the
B.C. government on Columbia
power highly questionable charg-
es the Columbia River For Can-
ada Committee in an open let-
ter to Prime Minister Pearson
released Wednesday. -

This point was made in reply
to a letter from Pearson answer-

Court rejects Mine-Mill
bid to nullify LRB vote

When the Provincial Labor Re-
lations Board ordered a vote to
decide whether the workers at
Craigmont Mines near Merritt
wanted Mine-Mill or the Steel-
workers Union to be their bar-
gaining agent, the “timing” of

this vote was most favorable.

Craigmont Mines was staffed
with a goodly percentage 01 ciil-
porary student labor which

couldn’t care less?

Moreover, the Board’s decision
to order this vote was taken with
Board member Pen Baskin, who
is also a Steelworker’s official,

present at all deliberations. Mr.
Baskin had technically ‘‘disqual-
ified”? himself from Board dis-
cussions on the issue, but man-
aged to ‘sit in’ with the Board
during discussion and decision
on this vote?

Mine-Mill made application to
the B.C. Supreme Court to nul.
lify the Labor Relations Board
decision, but without success.
While the Court opined that Mine-
Mill ‘‘did not get natural justice,”
(but would make no pronounce-
ment to that effect), it rejected
Mine-Mill’s request for a_nullifi-
cation.

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ing a wire sent by the Commit-
tee on July 11 requesting that
hearings of the External Affairs
Committee on the Columbia
Treaty be held prior to negotia-
tions with the U.S.

The Pearson letter: ignored the
Committee’s request for a hear-
ing as suggested. In the Commit-
tee’s open letter they charge that
failure to hold such a hearing
before negotiations with the U.S.
“casts serious doubts’? on the
government’s policy.

The open letter also takes the
Prime Minister to task for the
recent agreement with the B.C.
government on the Columbia
negotiations. It states:

“Your recent agreement with
the Government of B.C., which
in effect authorizes a province
of Canada to commence negotia-
tions with a foreign power, is
to be deplored as a step towards
disuniting this nation. It is ab-
solutely contrary to all prece-
dent.

“In this regard we urge you
to publicly state that neither
Premier Bennett nor any other
Federal government official will
have the right to make any kind
of commitment to the United
States.”

Additional support in the fight
against the present treaty came
in the July issue of the “Cana-
dian Packinghouse Worker,” of-
ficial organ of the United Pack-
inghouse Workers Union, which
featured an article supporting
the McNaughton Plan.

The article says the draft treaty
would put main power develop.
ments in the U.S. and with it
all the factories and processing
plants which will thrive on cheap
power.”

C.P. cables
Yugoslavia

The National Executive of the
Communist Party has sent the
following cablegram to Presi-
dent Tito of Yugoslavia:

“We join with you in mourn-
ing the victims of tragedy which
has struck the beautiful city of
Skopje, the building of which had
been one of the great achieve-
ments of your peoples’ creative
labor. Our members will take
part in the Canadian efforts tc
render material aid for the re.
construction of Skopje.”

August 2, 1963—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page3