Natural gas price boost | swells company profits | By MAURICE RUSH Consumers of natural gas in B.C. face a sharp increase in rates starting next March 1 which will add an additional $19 million in profits to the big gas producing companies in the province. Last week energy minister Jack Davis announced that the price of natural gas will go up 16 percent for users on the Lower Mainland and more for people in other areas -of B.C. He hinted that another price hike may be coming again soon after March 1. Earlier in the week B.C. Hydro chairman Robert Bonner said that gas prices will eventually have to go up by at least 20 percent. Ap- parently. the Socred government’s intention is to take this money out of the public’s pockets in two stages with the March 1 increase to be followed by another. Present -fesidential consumer rates in B.C. are about $1.75 a thousand cubic feet. The proposed increase would push the cost to the average consumer to over $2.00. Neither B.C. Hydro chairman Robert Bonner or energy minister Jack Davis have given any justification for the increase beyond the claim of a recent report by the B.C. Energy Commission which recommended a_govern- ment increase of 24 cents a thousand cubic feet as an “‘in- centive” to the large gas com- panies to increase exploration. No argument is being advanced by the Socred government, B.C. Hydro or any of its agencies, that the natural gas distribution system is losing money. In fact B.C. Hydro recently announced a substantial improvement in its financial position. The only reason given for the increase is that the companies need more profit if they are to have the “incentive” for more ex- ploration. This is a continuation of the same game played by these companies last year in the closing months of the NDP government, when the major oi] and gas companies went on strike and withdrew their drilling equipment to force the government to surrender to their demand for more ‘‘incentive”’ money. At that time, the NDP government capitulated to this form of corporate blackmail and sharply boosted the price the companies received. This demand for more profit has now been renewed again with the result that the Socred government and B.C. Hydro are rushing to accommodate them at the public’s expense. Edwin Phillips, president of Westcoast Transmission, which delivers the gas toB.C. Hydro from the producing field, said that the producers had requested higher prices for gas. These producers were not satisfied with the jump from 35 cents per thousand cubic feet to 55 cents last year. The new increase granted them amounts to about 30 cents a thousand cubic feet and will mean that they will receive 65 cents a thousand cubic feet for old gas, and 85 cents for new gas, that is gas discovered on or after Nov. 1, 1974. The major companies who will benefit from this latest bonanza are among the world’s largest corporations and include Pacific Petroleum, Chevron and Gulf. Between them they dominate both oil,and natural gas production in BC. Last year, when these companies were granted their first major increase by the NDP government, John Sawatsky, a former research coordinator for the B.C. Petroleum Corporation, charged in an article that the NDP government was subsidizing Shell, Gulf, Pacific Pete and Standard Oil of B.C. “With the price of new gas, the bonanza is made bigger for the lucky few. It’s not gambling. It’s welfare of the corporate bum variety,” he said. That statement is just as valid today when applied to the latest round of increases in gas rates. It’s an outright gift to the big gas monopolies by the Socred govern- New council elected cont'd from pg. 1 union movment and greater em- phasis on administrative and legislative functions. Much of that _ bitterness remained after the elections as a” defeated Art Kube told reporters that Len Guy would have to be a “superstar” to unite’ the Federation. The [WA's Jack Munro took the defeat more philosophically but vowed to seek changes in the constitution to give the TWA and other big unions more voting strength on the floor of subsequent conventions. Guy acknowledged that the new executive council would have to work closely with affiliated unions to unite the Federation but stressed that unity could not be based on adoption of the policies advanced by those who had sup- ported Kube. “The policies of this Federation are determined in convention,” he Stated. “The vote was a vote for trade union independence.”’ Guy emphasized that the Federation would need strong leadership in the period ahead, considering the hostile stance adopted by both provincial and federal governments. ‘And em- ployers aren't benevolent people,” he added. Joining Guy and the other of- ficers on the Federation’s executive are 16 council members whose election wound up the convention Friday. _ Trotter, They are: Ron Schmidt, Steelworkers; Norman Richards, BCGEU; Bill Apps, CBRT; Norm Thornber, BCGEU; Rudy Krickan, Retail Clerks; Earl Foxcroft, IWA; Art Gruntman, Paper- workers; John Schibli, Car- penters; R. T. (Buck) Philp, Oil and Chemical Workers; Frank Walden, Postal Workers; Joy Langan, Typographical Union; Roy Gautier, Carpenters; Fred Office and Technical Employees: Jack Nichol, UFAWU; Andy Carmichael and Len Stair, CUPE. The executive council is the highest body of the B.C. Federation of Labor between conventions. ment at the public’s expense. One of the major arguments put forward by the gas companies and the B.C. government is that a severe shortage of natural gas is probable by the 1980s unless a further “‘incentive’’ is given to the companies to increase exploration and development in B.C. This statement complefely ignores the fact that B.C. continues to export vast quantities of natural gas to the U.S. and has done so for many years. The gas fields in B.C. we have been using up have provided the cheapest most easily available gas to the Lower Mainland. Now they are arguing they need more money to extend exploration to the Arctic and other northern regions, and the B.C. gas users are to pay for that. Nor is any mention made by the Socred government to rol] back gas exports to the U.S. in order to ensure an adequate’ and reasonably priced supply of gas for the public for years to come. It should be made clear that the major oil and gas Companies operating in B.C. are U.S. owned, as 1s Westcoast Transmission which is the carrier of gas through its pipeline to the major areas of B.C. and the U.S. border. In addition to the $19 million bonanzathe gas companies will get from the government agencies, they will also receive higher royalties for oil. Effective January 1 the government will give the oil companies an increase of 50 cents a barrel, which will net them. an additional $8 million. Taken together with the increased profits from natural gas, these companies stand to gain a total of $27 million at the public’s expense. The sharp rise in gas and oil, starting early in 1977, will be passed on to the public in B.C. and result in more sharply inflated living costs. These increases are highly inflationary, but according to government spokesmen, they do not have to go before the Anti- Inflation Board. Here again is another example of how the Socred government: boosts the cost of government services sky high without any regard to their in- flationary affect on the public, while at the same time insisting that labor accept reduced wage settlements. Under present lesislation no opportunity is provided to con- sumers to protest these increases. The government and its agencies arbitrarily decide and that’s it — unless public protest is strong enough to stop if. In this case the public should demand that the gas and oil boosts be rescinded and that B.C. Hydro be compelled to pass on to the public improved services and lower rates from what it claims is its improved financial position. Pes ina Tes ft Sott At see the mpulsory Afrikaans in South African school ace last June, ne be oS n Vancou “a : . : p. . John Makatini, the eae. of the Moun National Coes. attacked by police riot peed, in ‘to the United Nations will also address the meeting: sponsored by ihe ANC Tour Committee, coalition of the B.C. Peace Council, the Southern Africa Action. Coalition, the United Nations, “Association, IDERA and a number of other groups. ——__ The Vancouver meeting \ will be the first stop of: a cross aad tour, and follows closely Nji’s address to the United Nations in New York. She is. expected to detail the events which led up to the June demonstrations in Soweto, and the brutal force which was used by South African authorities to put down the demonstrations. S In those demonstrations, her brother was arrested by South African ‘police, thangh she herself evaded arrest and left South Africa, PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOVEMBER 26, 1976—Page 12 ETHEL PEARSON... ane Oe ‘—Richard Morgan phot “‘save Leonard Peltier’s life.” Decision on Peltier rests with cont'd from pg. 1 systematic, and __ politically motivated, campaign to ‘‘ex- terminate the native American peoples as an independent nation and as an independent culture.” For this reason, they argued that the charges. against Peltier as an AIM leader are political in nature, and Section 22 of the Extradition Act enables the minister of justice to refuse to surrender an individual if he is being prosecuted for an offence of a political nature. Peltier’s lawyers cited as precedence the refusal of American authorities to return former Seafarers International Union president Hal Banks to Canada after he fled to the United States while appealing an assault conviction. The lawyers noted that Banks was arrested and ordered extradited but when Canada requested his return, then secretary of state Dean Rusk refused. A spokesman for the Peltier Defence Committee said that at this point the final decision rests totally with Basford, and all the committee can do now is ‘only hope that he’ll (Basford) listen to _ public opinion.” She said that new letters of support for Peltier’s fight are coming in “practically daily,” and noted that the committee regarded that “‘as a sign for optimism. “There is a lot of support for Leonard’s case in Canada and a lot of pressure is on Basford to grant asylum, but he’s also got the pressure of the entire U.S. government on him to extradite Leonard. “Let’s just hope that he’ll listen to public opinion in this country.” She «said that. to date two provincial federations of labor, the Nova Scotia Federation of Labor ‘and the 230,000 member B.C. Federation of Labor have adopted, resolutions of support for Peltier. The strongly worded resolution adopted by the B.C. Federation of Labor on the final day of its con- vention came the day after Peltier’s adopted mother, Ethel Pearson of the United Native Nations, made an emotional ap- Basford peal to delegates ‘at the convention to support the fight of her adopted son to stay in Canada. : She asked delegates to work for the maximum support amongst thé trade union movement for Peltier: The delegates responded passing a resolution which warned that Peltier faces “certain death” if returned to the United States t0 stand trial on ‘“‘trumped uP charges’’ and termed the charges against Peltier ‘‘a determined attempt by the American govern: ment to smash the struggle Native people against hundreds years of victimization, repression and genocide by a government founded on racism.’ The resolution pointed out that the Canadian government has established precedents in granting asylum to political refugees and : demanded of Basford that he “refuse to sign Peltier’s eX~ tradition papers and that Peltier be granted political asylum Canada.”’ As part of the resolutiony : delegates reaffirmed their support for the “struggle of Native people against racism and oppression Costs spark land probe | Manitoba’s NDP government announced on October 29 the setting up of a special roya? commission of inquiry into lan@ speculation by large corporate developers in the city of Winnipe This action was prompted by th disclosure of tremendou profiteering by land speculators D. Winnipeg alderman Joseph Zukel In a recent brief to council, Al Zuken provided documentation “roll-overs”’ , transactions 1 which the same parcel of land ! resold several times for eve increasing amounts. This kind of speculation, sal Zuken, has playeda major part 1 soaring housing costs in Winnipé: The price for a standard housi ‘lot in Winnipeg has almost: tripl since 1972.