—ECCLES, London Morning Star “You see, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else you must run at least twice as fast Indian Act branded ‘racist legislation’ “An unqualified piece of racist legislation that would be a disgrace to any country.”’ This was the way Native Indians in B.C: this week described the present Indian Act at a five-day conference of more than 40 delegates representing bands throughout the Vancouver and Lower Mainland areas. Meeting in Chilliwack, the delegates heard. a_ brief presented by the chiefs and councils of two Lillooet Indian bands, which said: “The present act, along with all its previous forms, is premised on the abominable and wholly erroneous assumption that the Indian people are in some way inherently incompe- tent.”” The brief said that present legislation has ‘‘demeaned the Indians’ dignity in the eyes of their fellow Canadians and, inevitably, to a considerable extent in their own. No revision of it that does not abandon this unwarranted assumption can ever be acceptable to the Indian people or, one might hope, to their fellow Canadians.”’ Major points made in the brief include the following: @ The Indian Act conflicts on a wide area with the Bill of Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. e It called for a fully democratic Indian Act. which would protect by law the lands, cultures and hereditary rights of the Indian people. e It charged that the present act gives far too much power to the minister of Indian Affairs, and said that the Indian people have suffered at times needlessly from this power. It asked that more authority be given to band councils. The brief called for Indian band autonomy which would cover such fields as control of reserve land, timber and other resources; control of all land leases; control of capital and revenue fund expenditures, and full control of band membership. A point also stressed in the brief was the call for repeal of federal power over education. It asks that Indian parents be given the right to choose the location and type of instruction they want their children to have. **e* On Saturday, Nov. 16, more PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOVEMBER 22, 1968—Page 12 than 60 delegates representing B.C.’s 43,000 Indians presented a brief to Indian Affairs Minister Jean Chretien which asked that hereditary rights be written into the Indian Act so Canadian courts will have to recognize them. These would recognize the fishing, trapping and mineral rights on Indian lands. Legislature meets Jan. 23 The 1969 session of the B.C. Legislature will open on Thursday, January 23 at 3 p.m. It will be the third session since the current legislature was elected in September, 1966. The government has not yet announced what business will come before the new séssion. . - i. “ Vietnam Cont'd from pg. 1 Pauline Julien and Raymond Levesque, both popular chansonniers, Bruno Gerussi, actor, and Dave Broadfoot, entertainer. The national list of sponsors include many prominent B.C. citizens. Large delegations are expected from the U.S. and other Hemispheric countries. The Organizing Committee announced this week that the Mexican. Trade Union of Electricians, the National Union of Mexican Women, the U.S.A. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the United Farm Workers of America, the Pan-Hellenic Democratic Association of Canada and the Mexican Association of Newspapermen, have all indicated recently they will be sending delegates. Delegates are also expected from all parts of Canada, including British Columbia. LABOR SCENE: VLC civic candidates get OK - plus $1,000 This week’s session of the Vancouver and District Labor Council (VLC) clearly indicated that organized labor in the Greater Vancouver area is getting set to enter the civic political arena in a big way. Following the report of ILWU delegate Frank Kennedy, chairman of the VLC Metro- politan Advisory Committee and secretary of the VLC-sponsored Committee of Progressive Electors (COPE), Council delegates - voted unanimous approval of COPE’s candidate nominees for City Council, School and Parks Board. Another indicator that the VLC means business in its organized entry into civic politics was its unanimous approval of a Notice of Motion resolution to donate $1,000 to assist the COPE election campaign. Two affiliate unions, the Marine Workers and CUPE (Vancouver Local) have already made an initial donation of $200 each to the COPE effort. Kennedy’s report showed that aside from VLC backing, COPE has now the endorsation of 12 trade union locals, eight com- munity and ratepayer organi- zations, as well as a paid-up membership of some 600 in Vancouver, Burnaby and North Vancouver. A motion that the VLC sponsor a mass public rally on December 8 in support of COPE candidates was also approved... Other matters coming before the VLC session included and executive appeal to all unions to vote in the affirmative in the coming plebiscite on fluoridation of water. This sparked 4 lively discussion from the floor. Mrs. Josephine Hallock (Office Workers) voiced strong opposition to general fluori- dation, claiming that when drinking such water she always “had an allergy,’’ also. that general fluoridation the issue of civil rights. Sid Thompson (IWA), stated he ‘‘didn’t know buggerall about fluoridation,”’ but like thousands of other parents concerned about their children’s health he “had a strong allergy against dentist bills.”’ The executive appeal was overwhelmingly approved. A recent court decision has ordered Thompson to pay $3,500 damages in an alleged defamation action brought against him by president E. Lawson, Teamsters Joint Council, which is now being appealed. The VLC decided to set up a special defense fund to assist Thompson in meeting legal bills and damages, with an appeal to local affiliates to contribute to this fund. VLC secretary.E.P. ‘“‘Paddy”’ Neale stated that the BCFL and the VLC had a moral obligation to assist Thompson, since the action in which he was involved during the Lenkurt strike, was in “the best interests of organized labor.’’ To do otherwise, said Neale, would be like assigning a brother to a special task, then “letting him down”’ if he got into difficulties. wk Calls for enquiry into spoilage of B.C. parks The B.C. Communist Party executive has called for an independent enquiry into protection and development of the province’s park and recreational areas. It also went on record this week supporting the demand that logging be halted in Cypress Bowl. In a letter to Recreation Minister Kiernan, Nigel Morgan, provincial leader declared, “There is widespread concern over the continued encroachments into lands set aside for parks and recreational use by logging and mining interest<. “Cypress Bowl is but one of a number of such instances, and nothing short of a full public hearing in which recreational groups, labor and the public can fully air their views will satisfy the people of the government to make provision British Columbia today. We urge for such an independent, public enquiry immediately.” CRISIS IN ITALY. Massive strikes tying up much of the nation’s industry and farming has brought about a government crisis. Photo shows some of the giant demonstrations in Rome last week. involved In its initial test case for the advancement of compulsory arbitration, the Bennett govern- ment’s Bill 33 Mediation Com- mission has measured up to all expectations. The contending parties to the dispute before this Mediation Commission are the Bennett government itself as the employer, and the B.C. Psychiatric Nurses Association. The Psychiatric nurses, aside from seeking a modest salary increase, are demanding an established wage parity with registered nurses (RNs) where- ever such higher salaries are in effect in B.C. MISSION FULFILLED Some time ago the B.C. Civil Servants Commission, a govern- ment-appointed body which can never be accused of harboring ‘leftist’ thought or action where labor-management interests are concerned, had made recom- mendations to the government for just such wage parity for psychiatric nurses with RNs. On that recommendation the Bennett government remained discreetly silent. Then the case went to Bill 33’s three-man Mediation Com- mission, which includes an erstwhile ‘labor leader’ com- missioner, now emancipated to the $40,000-per annum status. Having ‘‘sat’’ on this vitally important dispute for several weeks, the Mediation Com- mission finally tabled its findings in a 12-page 7-point report on the issue, all of which were unani- mously rejected by the Associa- tion’s executive after lengthy and careful study. What minor details the Mediation Com- mission had approved were not in dispute. , Executive secretary of the Psychiatric Nurses Association, Dwight Wenham stated, “.. . we are bitterly disappointed with the Mediation Commission report” describing it as “an exercise in futility’’ and expressing regret for the fact that ‘‘. . . even if the member- ship rejects this report also, it will do no good. We can’t strike, we can’t appeal; all we can do is stew in frustration.” To the Socred government such servants as the Mediation Commission are certainly “worthy of their hire,’’ but the test doesn’t end there. In its initial effort the Mediation Com- mission has confirmed all that organized labor has said and still says it is: an instrument to short- circuit free collective bargaining and labor’s right to strike in support of that basic principle. Some 1,100 psychiatric nurses are affected by this dispute with the Bennett government which has now been going on for a year TENANTS HOLD CIVIC RALLY The Vancouver Tenants Council has called a_ public meeting for Monday, Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. in the King George Audi- torium (Denman and Barclay) to hear civic candidates on issues facing tenants. The Council has opened offices _ at Room 203, 535 W. Georgia St. Telephone number is 688-1727.