Bill Campbell, Kamloops,
writes: Municipal governments
have certain qualities that make
them a natural for labor and
progressive people to give them
a great deal more attention than
has been trué to date. For
example, except for the infor-
mative and stimulating weekly
articles in the Pacific Tribune by

labor publication ever mentions
municipal affairs?

Municipal politics have a
“grass roots’’ flavor rarely
attained by the other levels of
government. Elections are held
every year, the council gen-
erally meets every week and
except in big centres like Van-
Couver, the elected representa-
tives don’t have the remoteness

associated with MLA’s and
MP’s.

Of great importance is the fact
that electors don’t have to rely
on a biased news media for a
knowledge of what’s going on.
Too often they can see, smell,
hear and suffer the policies of
their local councils.

The fact that residents of
nearly every municipality in
B.C. are being tax-gouged to
death by bands of piratical
Mayors and aldermen has its
Own wretched history. Part’ of
this history has been born of a
lack of initiative by progressive
residents. Until recently, with

» the. exception of the Lower
Mainland, little attention has
been paid to local politics. A
progressive candidate or two
may be put up a month before
the December elections and for
the other 48 weeks— nothing!

As for representatives to the
other two levels of government,
they are put into office by the
Same electors who vote in
Mayors, aldermen and school
board members. If we think
about the true meaning of ‘‘grass
Toots” perhaps we’ll come to the
Conclusion that residents who
have collectively fought, as an
example, for a new road crossing
for their children via their local
Council are never going to be the
Same electors again. Some of
them at least are going to think
fm __ ‘Wice before they vote for a

peslardi or some slick Trudeau-
e.

&

Today an active interest in
municipal politics is taking on a
Tew urgency and a new color for
Working people and their allies.

at is happening is that where

Qeer FORUM
Municipal politics
have new urgency

Ald. Harry Rankin, what-other ©

big monopoly corporations have
moved in, ie pulp-paper, mining,
refineries— these same corpora-
tions are also moving into city
hall. Or rather, they’re doing
what they usually do, putting in
“branch managers’’ carefully
and cryptically selected from
among local politicians.

Until the arrival of these big
concerns — ‘‘good corporate
citizens’? as they term them-
selves with unconscious wry
humor — nearly every munici-
pality was under the thumb of
local business interests usually
referred to as the Downtown
Bandits. Now this is changing.
For instance, last December in
one of the larger interior cities
which is surrounded by a collec-
tion of big corporations, the
latter was successful in
excluding not only labor candi-
dates, but the local.businessmen
candidates asinavell. « (Inci-
dentally, there;isi good ‘lesson
here about cuddling up to
tigers! )

With thisishift of power from -

local businesses to the huge, and
largely foreign ones, we are
going to see some new battle
lines. The contradictions and
conflicts within their precious
system will increase rather than
diminish, for the big corpora-
tions by their very presence will
confound these.

Labor must be on the lookout
to take full advantage of these
contradictions and use them as
they occur in the interests of the
vast majority of taxpayers.

WHAT'S IN NAME?

H.L.K., Vancouver, Writes:
One of the new discoveries in
the field of study is that
misunderstood words create
whole areas of confusion.

Although it is many long years
now since J delivered the Pacific
Tribune to my school principal
for my father, in picking up my
misunderstood word I was
shocked to find it was tribune!

In looking up the word, I find it
means “‘any of several ancient
Roman magistrates, especially
one appointed to protect the
interests and rights of plebeians
(proletariat) against violations
by patricians (capitalists).”

Now I think the name is
excellent, but I wonder how
many other of your subscribers
have ‘‘misunderstood’’ the
same word? :

DON’T MISS

SALLYE DAVIS

ANGELA’S MOTHER

g
u

HIGH SCHOOL
AUDITORIUM

41st & FRASER

JOHN OLIVER {§

_ [Wed., Feb. 9, 8 P.M.

Drive to rebuild Russian
Hall gets good response

In an inspiring demonstration
of unity and fraternity, some 200
people at a meeting in the AUUC
hall on Sunday contributed sev-
eral thousand dollars towards
rebuilding the Russian People’s
Home.

The hall on Campbell Avenue.
has for many years been a centre
for community and cultural
activities for east-end residents.
The generosity of contributions
was the answer they gave to the
terrorist thugs who partially
destroyed their centre in a
bombing attack on New Year’s
eve.

The Sunday rally was the
opening shot in the campaign to
raise funds to rebuild the hall,
which Russian Federation
spokesman George Legebokoff
said had been only partially
covered by insurance.

Chairman was Hannah Polowy
of the Association of United
Ukrainians. She said the many
ethnic groups in Canada shared
and appreciated the culture of
the other, and an attack on one

BOMBING PROBE
DEMANDED

was an attack on all.

Nadya Niecholda, federation
secretary, said they would
appeal to city and provincial
authorities as well as rank and
file friends for help in reconstruc-
tion of the centre which played
so large a role in the com-
munity. ‘‘No one is going to
chase us out of our own home,”
she declared. ‘‘We will not be
intimidated!”

Harold Winch, M.P. said the
attack on the people’s home was
an attack on-all of us. He
reminded the audience that Van-
ccaver’s east end contained the
largest and most diverse ethnic
population of any federal
constituency in Canada.

Alderman Harry Rankin said
the best way to rebuff terrorism
is to rebuild and conduct more
and more activities. The trade
unions and the cultural centres
are the best training grounds the

people have in conducting their

own affairs, and he urged the -

city officially and the com-
munity as a whole to pitch in to
rebuild the hall.

Outlining the many bombing
outrages which have taken place
in past months in America, Com-
munist Party city secretary
said they are attacks on the
democratic rights of the people
by ultra-right groups. It is the
pattern of Naziism.

All speakers stressed the
imperative of the investigation
of the terrorist act. That such
criminals be found and brought
to justice is a must if the rights
of organizations and individuals
are to be protected.

The large choir of the federa-
tion under conductor John
Niechoda sang several songs for
the audience. The fund appeal
saw many pledges of labor for
rebuilding, and contributions
ranging from $5 to $500, with a
total of close to $9,000 within the
hour.

Demand inquiry into

The Canadian Union of Public
Employees (CUPE) has joined
the Fishermen’s Union in
calling for a full scale public
enquiry into the death of Fred
Quilt following an alleged
beating at the hands of R.C.M.P.
officers.

And in the provincial leg-
islature, Yale-Lillooet M.L.A.
Bill Hartley called for answers
to list of questions regarding the
death of the Chilcotin Indian
who died following an incident
in which the police were in-
volved.

The wire sent by CUPE to At-
torney-General Leslie Peterson
said: ‘‘Local 1004 of the Cana-

Ald. McKnight pays

tribute to Burns

A highlight of the Burn’s Night
banquet and dance in the Fisher-
men’s hall on Saturday evening
was the talk delivered by
Alderman George McKnight

McKnight said the most out-
standing quality of the Scots poet
was his social consciousness.
and sympathy for the common
man. His dedication to the fight
to bring about the day when all
misery would come to an end and
the common man would come
into his own made Burns a poet
for all time.

“Robbie Burns realized that
the evil in man is a reflection of

the evil in society,’ said Alder-

man McKnight. Exploitation
and hardship will not cease by
the efforts of ‘‘do-gooders’’ but
will end through revolutionary
action of working people. Burns
is internationally famed
because his writings express
class consciousness, and
emphasize brotherhood through-
out the world.

A program of Scots songs by
McKnight, young Peter Gardner,
a reading of the famous poem ‘A
man’s a man for a’ that’ by

Elspeth Gardner, and some |

accomplished highland dancers

_ were other features of the enjoy-

able evening.

dian Union of Public Employees
urges you to act immediately to
call a public enquiry into the'
death of Fred Quilt following an
encounter with the RCMP. In
our opinion charges ought to be
laid against the police officers
just as they would surely have
been laid against Mr. Quilt if one
of the police officers had died as
a result of their encounter... .
We urge you to act immediately
to provide equal justice. . .”’
The telegram sent by the
United Fishermen and Allied
Workers Union to both Peterson

Quilt case

and John Turner, Minister of
Justice in the federal house,
charged that the coroner’s
inquest into the death of Fred
Quilt indicates a shocking racist
attitude towards Indian
witnesses, contrasted by the
obvious willingness to accept
the testimony of RCMP officers
as absolute truth.
“The whole incident requires

full scale inquiry and pressing of ,
criminal charges against

officers who actions allegedly~
caused death,’ the UFAWU |
said.

Y
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WN Wh

oh | : A-G 4 a x
Ot. OF FICE’ Es es f
SAS T

Classified advertising

RUSSIAN PEOPLE’S
HOME — 600 Campbell Ave.
Now under Renovation.
Wateh ‘PT’ for details re-
garding re-opening re: Rent-
als for meetings, banquets,
weddings, etc. 254-3430.

UKRAINIAN CANADIAN
CULTURAL CENTRE - 805
East Pender St., Vancouver 4.
Available for banquets, wed-

dings, meetings. Phone 254
3436.

Get anew.
reader!

HALLSFORRENT

‘(CLINTON HALL, 2605 Eas::

Pender. Available for.
banquets, meetings, weddings,
~ ete. Phone 253-7414.

BUSINESS PERSONALS

REGENT TAILORS LTD.-:
Custom Tailors and Ready-to-
Wear, 324 W. Hastings St. MU.
1-8456 of 4441 E. Hastings - CY
8-2030. See Henry Kankin fo
personal service.

DRY CLEANING
& LAUNDRY
Also Coin-op
LAUNDERETTE
2633 Commercial Dr.

879-9956 *

- PACIFIC TRIBUNE FRIDAY. JANUARY 28,,1972--BAGE 11

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