‘pes Gy 48 Friday, November 28, 1975 VOL. 37, No. 48 15c ni Robert Aldridge, former U.S. nuclear weapons designer associated with development of the Trident sub who resigned in protest over the Trident project, speaking at the University of B.C., Tuesday as part of the Trident Concern Week program. (See story on page 12). —George Gidora photo The contents of the suppressed report on rent controls prepared for the provincial government Were released this Wednesday Morning at a press conference called by the British Columbia Tenants Organization.: The report was prepared by Dallard Runge, study director of the Interdepartmental Study Team On Housing and Rents for the At- torney General and Minister of Housing. Although submitted to the §0vernment about a month ago, after nine months in preparation, the report was not made public and Instead was substituted with a ‘butchered”’ version that reversed or altered the main. recom- Mendations. “It is an excellent document,” Commented BCTO president Bruce Yorke, “It can be adopted as a Tallying point for people’s Organizations and the labor Movement to demand the im- Plementation of its recom- Mendations.’’ Yorke said the CTO intends to introduce the ‘Teport into the provincial election Campaign and solicit endorsement Of it from every candidate. In-an accompanying summary and letter the report team said, ese recommendations are a Comprehensive set of policies Which together could deal with Most of the housing problems cing people in British Columbia today. They form a package which if implemented systematically by © provincial government would represent a real shift into treating housing as a social right, which is the proclaimed objective of this government. Until such a positive assumption of responsibility, the continuation of present policies will continue to fail to solve the problems and create more inequities in society.” The well documented 457 page report revealed gross inequities in> the present system of rent controls weighted against tenants and recommends a rent increase ceiling of 3.5 per cent plus taxes Highlights of the Government of Canada’s Anti-Inflation Program The federal government's wage- freeze legislation went before parliament Tuesday for third and final reading and is expected to be pushed through within the next two weeks despite overwhelming opposition from Canadian labor. annually 2.9 per cent. Contrary to the ‘“‘revised edition’ released by the Attorney General which called for a 12% increase and substantial exemptions, the Runge report allows for no exemptions of any significance. It says explicitly that rental control should cover all rental housing in British Columbia. The report also calls for the scrapping of both the Rent Review Commission and the Rentalsman’s office to be replaced by a single rent commission. The single commission, it says, should be made up of three full time com- missioners, one appointed by the Attorney General, one represen- tative of landlords and one representative of tenants. “The commission should have legal council,’’ the report states, “together with staff officers. The staff shall be responsible for rents, evictions, compliance, registration and. inspection. All units and buildings must be registered with the commission and this in- formation made available to the tenants.”’ In proposing the 3.5 per cent increase the report said that an ‘increase of 3.5 per cent plus taxes would satisfy the actual increase needs of a very high proportion of buildings in both the GVRD (65 per cent) and the Capital Region (78 per cent).’’ “Even with this in- crease,’’ it continues, ‘‘23 per cent of landlords in the GVRD would receive higher increases than they See TOUGHER, pg. 10 Communists issue 10-point The 10-point election platform released this week by the B.C. Communist Party calls for action to put people’s needs before monopoly profits. Introduced by provincial leader Nigel Morgan, the platform places major em- phasis on defending worker’s rights and living standards. It outlines strong action to curb the power of the giant corporations in B.C. Releasing the platform, which will be distributed to over 100,000 homesin B.C. before December 11, Morgan said ‘‘the Communist Party is the only party-which puts forward a policy aimed at defending the rights and needs of B.C.’s working people and for putting the monopolies under public control.” Here are the 10 points in the Communist Party’s platform: @ Defend labor’s rights: Curb the sweeping powers of the Labor Relations Board. Repeal strikebreaking Bill 146. Restore free collective bargaining. e Enact a Labor Bill of Rights in line with the demands of organized labor. Protect the unfettered rights to organize, strike and_ picket. Remove compulsory arbitration and injunctions in labor disputes. Restore labor’s rights .in line with labor’s demands. e Defend worker’s © living standards:. Fight inflation and federally-decreed wage cutting. Stop profiteering and insist ona platform roll-back on food prices, rents and essential goods and services. e Jobs for the unemployed: A massive new housing program to utilize federal provisions to build 75,000 new low-rent housing units annually. e Curb the monopolies: Bring See DEFEND, pg. 12 New postal talks slated Talks resumed Wednesday in Ottawa between the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and postmaster-general Bryce Mackasey following submission by the union of a list of demands it considers vital. Meanwhile, the Vancouver local of CUPW announced this week that plans for a mass rally in support of the striking postal workers, set for John Oliver High School on Friday, Nov. 28 had been cancelled. A special session of CUPW western union officials has been called in Calgary on Thursday to consider the union’s position. The postal workers unionis in the sixth week of its country-wide strike. Despite the talks in Ottawa, Mackasey continued his attack on the union, and unions in general, and said the government would not back down on its rejection of a shorter work week and more pay. QE PLAYHOUSE DEC. 7 Kashtan to speak at election rallies William Kashtan, leader of the Communist Party of Canada, will address a series of Communist Party election rallies in support of Communist candidates in the December 11 provincial election. He will speak with Communist candidates at the following rallies: e Sunday, December 7 at 2 p.m. in the Queen Elizabeth Playhouse. Speaking with Kashtan will be Nigel Morgan, B.C. party leader. This will be a final election rally for the Lower Mainland and all Communist candidates in Greater Van- couver and Fraser Valley will take part. There will also be a musical program. e Sunday night, December 7, Kashtan will speak at a rally at the Tallyho Hotel in Nanaimo. Speaki with him will be Ray Holmgren, Nanaimo Communist candidate. e Saturday night, December 6, Kashtan will speak at a rally in Port Alberni together with Communist candidate Otto MacDonald. Watch advertisements for announcement of time and place. For information about any of these rallies phone Com- munist Party election headquarters, 684-1451, or contact your local campaign committees.