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FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 1953
Editorial ER eS,
:
B.C. voters don’t want

a new election :

|
ean vuvnastall

t Kec long expected political crisis in B.C. was precipitated

this week when the Socred government's Rolston for-
mula for education was defeated by a vote of 28 to 17.
Inviting defeat to open the-way for another provincial elec-
tion, Premier Bennett has pointedly taunted the CCF Op-
position and the handful of Liberals and Conservatives in
the House to defeat Socred policies ever since this session
opened.

The issue on which the division took place is not a fort-
unate one for Social Credit. Its attempt fo push through
legislation widely*opposed by the electorate, where major
groups have expressed grave doubts and open discontent,
is scarcely likely to enhance Socred political fortunes.

Most important, however is the fact that the people of
B.C. do not want another provincial election at this time!
Instead they want to see the economic, social and health

needs of the people attended to without delay, and govern

ment action taken to develop trade and industry.
Regardless of the political manoeuvring which will

undoubtedly take place during the next few days on the.
constitutional issue of dissolution, CCF. leader Harold
Winch should be accorded his constitutional right of form
ing a government.

If Winch sought support on a pro-
gressive program of immediate action on BCHIS, improved
labor legislation, extended trade for B.C. and curbing the
domination of U.S. war trusts in this province, his party
could mobilize a working majority in the House, and would
have behind it the support of the majority of the elector-
ate, which wants results rather than more political sparring

or new elections.-

When the House prorogues this weekend, as generally

agreed. between party leaders in the legislature, it should

mean not a new election, but the opportunity and respons
ibility of the CCF to form a government, pledged to. deal
at once with those key issues which are vital to the well-

being of B.C. and its people.

Labor’s main legislative problems remain practically
untouched after eight months of Socred administration. The
CCF claims’ that it will tackle these problems if allowed to
form a government, Before the people are put to the ex-
pense of another election the CCF should be given -this
opportunity. :

SUSE LLL Matt LL Le Lite bat a delta tat ae aL ta be a eet Aa el al ah el a

Continued Continued

TRON ORE ~ BCTEL

new mining tax (now wiped out
as a result of the government’s

_ @Gefeat this week). The tax was

to be levied, not on each ton of
ore but only on profits. A
monopoly could therefore trans-
fer any profits from the extrac-
tion end of the operation to the
foreign processor by setting an
artificially low price for the raw
material.

Premier W. A. C. Bennett told
the House that his government
was attempting to interest Brit-
ish companies in starting a steel
industry in this province. Reply-
ing to the CCF, he said he did

not feel it necessary for the gov-

ernment to go directly into the
steel business itself. ‘

Sommers also opposed the
projected export of crude oil

through -a branch of the Trans

Mountain pipe line running
through Sumas to a Washington

refinery. He felt that all crude

oil should come to Burnaby,
either for transshipment or re-
fining, and preferably refining.

missioners should have referred
this to the Minister of Justice,
instead of which it granted
BCTelephone 95 percent of its
requested increase, $2,464,701
out of $2,614,701.

“The Commissioners have fur-
ther tried to pull the wool over
the~eyes of British Columbians
by referring to the large num-
ber of shares now held by the
Canadian public. However, they
have glossed over the fact, ad-
mitted under cross-examination
by BCT president Gordon Far-
rell and comptroller Gilbert Ken-
nedy, that Anglo - Canadian
would still control the company
if it owned only 40 percent of
the stock.

“The Civic Reform Association

will call upon every organiza-
tion, municipality, and: the pro-

vincial government to protest

the increase and ask for a probe
into the activities of this mon-
opoly, which we are convinced
represents a conspiracy in re-
straint of “free competition.” ~~

gs

Yoo oo oes ee sti

.

Winch asks Wallace

to give CCF

to form govern

right

ment

VICTORIA, B.C.

British Columbia will know within the next few days whether Lieutenant-Gow
ernor Clarence Wallace will call on CCF leader Harold Winch to form a government of
whether this‘ province will face a June election.

Following the 28-17 defeat suffered by the Socred government on Tuesday night _
this week over its ‘educational policy, Premier W. ‘A. C. Bennett has been extremely busy —

with election preparations. On Wednesday a series of conferences between leaders of a

parties worked out a plan to
pass some 50 non-controversial
bills and a six-month interim sup-
ply bill. The House will pro-
rogue on Friday or Saturday,
and Premier Bennett will then
seek a dissolution, and Winch
will press his claim for the CCF
to form a government. The CCF
leader visited Wallace on Wed-
nesday this week to present his
views. Claiming support from
several members outside his par-
ty, Winch said. the CCF would
form a government if ealled on
and would be prepared to carry
through the legislative business
to completion at this session.

If Premier Bennett is granted
a dissolution, it would mean that
the government’s logging and
mining tax acts will be wiped
out, but the municipalities will
receive the three and_ three-
quarter million dollars withheld
in sales tax. This will entail a
change of many millions in the
present estimates.

The expected crisis—defeat of
the Socreds — which had been
shaping up during the eight-
week session came to a head
over the second reading of Bill
79, “An Act to Amend the ‘Pub-
lic Schools Act’,” which embodies
the changes needed to put into
effect the controversial Rolston
formula. :

When Premier Bennett abrupt-
ly called for the second reading

» of the Bill on Tuesday night, a

savage debate arose, following
which all opposition groups —
CCF, Liberal, Tory-and Labor’s
Tom Uphill — joined forces to
defeat the minority government.
On the recorded -vote Social
Creditor Bert Price, member for
Vancouver Burrard, voted with
the opposition in protest against
the city of Vancouver being re-
quired to pay 75 percent of any
increased cost.

Tone of the opposition attack
was set by CCF’er Randolph
Harding who called the bill
“probably the most destructive
piece of legislation ever brought
down,” ‘“‘a body blow to the edu-
cational system of .B.C.” and “a
stab in the back to the munici-
palities.< Ss i

Harding disputed the govern-
ment claim that the new formula
would give the school districts
$4% million more aid. He said
that school costs in 1953 would
increase $5% million over 1952
but that the government would
have’ on hand $3% million which
would have gone as municipal
share of the sales tax under the
old system. 5

Harding charged that the Rol-
ston formula would set up 78
different levels of education. in
the province.

The CCF member asked the

- government to “throw out the

Rolston formula and_ start
afresh,” saying that it had not
sought the cooperation of the
municipalities and other organ-
izations in preparing the form-

ula which he called “hasty and
ill-advised.” -

‘ALL the events of the eight-

week session have pointed to
a major test of the Social Credit
government when the legislature
was called on ‘to pass on its
proposals for educational fin-
ance. Toward midnight on Tues-

day this week the expected test .

came and the government failed
to survive it. The vote on Bill
79 to amend the Public Schools
Act was 28-17.

The 18 CCF’ers, six Liberals,
two Conservatives of the three

opposition parties joined forces -
to defeat the government. Lab-\

or’s Tom Uphill lined up with
the opposition and, unexpected-
ly, so did Bert Price, one of the
two Socred members for Vancou-
ver-Burrard. His reason for bolt-
ing the otherwise solid Socred,
ranks on this decisive vote was
the discrimination against Van-
couver contained in the Rolston
formula for financing education.

(Vancouver would be the only —

municipality compelled to pay
75 percent of increases in edu-
cation costs above the 1952
level.) -

As an historical footnote it
may be noted that this is the
first time a B.C. government has
been defeated in the legislature
in the half century since party
politics were introduced in the

province with the McBride Con-

servative government in 1903.
The last government to meet de-
feat in the House was that of
Premier C. A. Semlin in 1900.

This question of educational

finance is a major one in pro-
Vincial politics, since it not only
involves soaring costs of build-
ing and operating British Colum-
bia’s schools but takes in a
whole range of relationships be-

‘tween the senior governments

and the municipalities, as well
as the division of sources of rev-
enue between the various levels
of government.

The federal government, which
has the chief source of revenue
arid is now paying out $2% bil-
lion a year for war preparations,
contributes practically nothing
to the cost of education. The
provincial government, on the
other hand, which is spending
about 20 percent of its total ex-

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — MARCH 27, 1953 — PAGE

entertainment. This session

penditures on education, is seV-
erely limited in its sources of —

revenue and is now financing its
share from the ‘iniquitious three

percent sales tax. The munici

palities which paid roughly two-
thirds of the cost of education

have an even narrower tax base; —

deriving as they do most of thei!

revenue from small property —

owners,

If the B.C. government is —

really going to tackle the prob-
lem of educational finance it
must seek a fairer share from the
federal government in taxatio?

agreements and it must obtail

powers to get an adequate re
turn from its natural resources
now being exploited by the bis
monopolies. The new logging all

mining taxes are just the first

step in this campaign.

‘ Another demand must be for —

a direct grant froni the federal
treasury towards establishing 4
minimum national standard for
education.

The municipal taxpayer must

be further relieved from the pre

sent intolerable burden which 18
carried by the property tax.

Two good features of the S0 —

cred proposals were those aime
at equalizing assessments at

extending the property tax 1 —

cover fixtures( machinery, w”

ing, etc.). The first was recom’ q
mended by the Goldenberg R&

port and would ease the pro
lem presented in assessing ral"
roads, electric and telephon®
properties and the like. The

second, along with the proposed

increase from 50 to 75 perce?
of the assessment on improv®
ments, would extend the ta®
base. ;

These could contribute to T

ducing the burden now cane f

by homeowners, provided |
course, that household equi”
ment were exempted from tt
tax and municipalities lower

the mill rate in ratio to increa®
ed returns from the wider t#
pase. ; 3

The Hobbs Report prepared
for the B.C. Union of Municipal!
ties suggested that all social se!
vice and education costs sho

be divided 80-20 between prow

ince and municipality.

NELY to hold

B.C. convention — ]
se
of

Annual provincial conventi
of the National Federation i
Labor Youth will be held AP

4 and 5 in Pender Auditoril?

here. re oe
A windup session will pe held
Sunday evening, April 5, in /
main hall, with Norman Pent
NFLY national secretary,
guest speaker. The youth Fast
eant, streamlined since its ™
performance a few weeks
will be presented as part of ©

open to the public and a are
attendance is expected. — ss

,

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