“1 McEWEN

fter a period of enforced silence I would like to make

this first column a sincere THANK YOU to all
Communist Party Clubs, Regional Committees and individual
Party and non-party friends who sent me ‘‘get well’’ cards and
birthday greetings during my recent sojourn in hospital. All put

together those hundreds of cards and letters merely express -

the boundless humanity with which working people are so
richly endowed.

From the Central Executive of the Communist Party over
the signature of National leader Bill Kashtan, saying ‘‘Happy
birthday Tom on your eightieth and many more years of
fruitful creative work for our common cause.”

With the signal success of this operation, almost
miraculously ending nearly two years of arthritic agony and
frustration, the CEC’s message expresses my own hopes
exactly; to be more useful to our common cause —a Socialist
Canada.

Then there were warm messages of greeting from the B.C.
Provincial Executive, the Vancouver Regional Committee,
the Fraser Valley Regional Committee, the latter
accompanied by a gift book, Look On Canada, Now ...a
compendium of the selected writings of our late beloved
national leader, Leslie Morris.

Cards of greeting also came from the Vancouver East

Club, the Kingsway Club, and one from my own Broadway
Club, signed by all the grand veterans and newcomers in that
club, which made me feel a deep humility and pride.

_ Then from the Point Grey Club a ‘‘get well’’ wish from the
whole bloomin bunch’”’ accompanied by a gift copy of Farley
Mowat’s latest book SIBIR. This magnificent work took me far
beyond the confines of a hospital bed to marvel at the
achievements and successes of the multi-national peoples of
Siberia, building a new society for today and the future amid
the rigors of the Soviet Arctic — and teaching us in Canada
what can and will be done in the Canadian Arctic some day,
when the people, rather than a rapist monopoly, sets their hand
to this gigantic task of building a new society of well-being,
peace.and Socialism on a new frontier.

.

Then theré was another gift book from some dear friends
in Oregon, printed in Russian and English, a vibrating poem
entitled Vladimir Ilyich Lenin by V. Mayakovsky; a book one
can read many times, ever fresh, ever inspiring.

Then there were the scores of cards and letters from
individual comrades and friends, to whom I can only express
my gratitude with a sincere THANK YOU.

Yet from one of those ‘‘get well’’ cards I now feel a deep
sadness and sense of loss, and the tears dim my eyes as I read
it again and again. ‘From your old Pal Peter. We missed a
Nicht wi Rabbie, but we’ll make it next time. Hope you are
soon better.’’ Himself in hospital undergoing a serious
operation and hopefully on the way to recovery, Peter Munro,
worker, revolutionary and fighter for peace, crossed the Great
Divide in his sleep on the evening of February 19, and will not
again’be with us to take part in the Immortal Memory of his
beloved plowman Bard. Verily,—

“The best laid schemes of men and mice
Gang aft agley,

And leave us nought but grief and pain
For promised joy.”

I shall cherish that card from Peter Munro until my own
life span has run its course.

I cannot close this column without a word of thanks for the
many floral gifts I received; from the B.C. Provincial
Executive, the Pacific Tribune staff, from Peggy and Allan
Chunn, and from members of my own family. In fact they:
almost turned the little ward into a floral display room.

While space does not permit mentioning the names of all
the good comrades and friends who helped me through this
trying time, I cannot close without mentioning John and Rita
Tanche of White Rock. Their numerous cards and visits were
only a small part of their long-sustained efforts here and up at
Harrison Hot Springs to win back my health. .

John also left me a small booklet on one of his visits: The
ABC of Hospital which provided my fellow patients, nurses and
myself with a lot of hearty laughs — a good tonic while flat on
your back, even if not approved by the Loffmarkian dictum
governing understaffed and badly over-worked nurses.

To all a very grateful and sincere Thank You. Now it’s just
a matter of getting back into stride again — for Peace,
Progress and Socialism in our time. And I have a ‘‘ten year
guarantee”’ from the doctor on his new metal bearing in my leg
and hip, which should just about see the job completed.

To top it off, a card from my dear Comrades Bert and
Milly Padgham up Popkum way, emphasizes the point if I don’t
get well soon it’s a dime wasted. I am hopeful that his
“‘investment”’ will be more production of beneficial results
than the Trudeau-Benson 42-cent splurge on all-we OAP’ers.

Phone

x 4
SE A et RE

oF }==PACED”
JAUBIAT DIRIDs

te:

be cut

rates should
not boosted

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

B.C. Telephone wants to
increase telephone rates in BC.
as of August 1, 1971. Rates for
just about everything (resi-
dential and business phones,
installation charges, long
distance calls, extension
phones, etc.) will be boosted, in
some cases by as much as 100
percent.

The Company says it must
have these increases to maintain
a return of 7 percent on invested
capital.

’ Its arguments are phony.

B.C. Tel is actually making a
lot more than 8 percent now,
because the company’s expenses
are artificially inflated and
manipulated by its parent
company, General Telephone
and Electronics in New York.

This parent company -dlso
controls five companies, Auto-
matic Electric, Sylvania
Electric, Canadian Telephone
& Supplies, Dominion Directory
and Lenkurt Electric, which
supply parts to B.C. Tel.

Any time the parent company
wants to show a drop in book
earnings by B.C. Tel, all it has to
do is to in¢rease the price of the
parts its subsidiaries sell to B.C.
Tel. Then B.C. Tel can piously
come to the Canadian Transport
Commission and with a look of
innocence ask for an increase to
keep up its rate of profit.

This is what has been happen-
ing for years. The more General
Telephone and Electronics can
extract from the people of B.C.,
the more it wants.

B.C. Tel part of giant

U.S. electronics octopl!

The following chart from ‘Who Owns B.C.,”’ publis
the Trade Union Research Bureau, shows how the U.S. G
Telephone and Electronics Corp. owns B.C. Tel. It’s through!
corporate structure that B.C. Tel covers up its real profits.

[ GENERAL TELEPHONE & ELECTRONICS CORP. (N.Y.) |

owns 100% of =

= | 14
[ Automatic Electric (Canada) d

owns 82 % of

[ Anglo-Canadian Telephone Co |

which owns

100% of 50.1% of and 100% of
{ ' | :
[Canadian Tel. & Supplies [_8.Co TELEPHONE CO. | [Sylvania Electric (Cond

and 100% of —
|

Tenkurt Electric Co. of ©

and 100% of

|
[Dominion Directory Co. ltd. }

The only result of al
will be to put more M&®
the coffers of a U.S.©
tion. It. won’t improves

, bring better: equipment”
consumers. os

B.C. Telephone rates now are
already the highest in Canada.

Its rates are almost twice as
high,as in. Edmonton where the
telephone. system .is publicly
owned. And with its. much lower
rates, the Edmonton system still
makes a handsome profit each
year which goes into city
revenues.

Every public organid@
B.C., every citizen shou!
with the government of
Vancouver City Cour,
opposing the increase: ~
letter, resolution and
gation to the public h
which the Canadian
Commission will be

BILL 33.

Cont'd from pg- 1

In terms of service and
modern equipment for its
customers, B.C. Tel also leaves
much to be desired when
compared to other Canadian and
U.S. cities. This doesn’t prevent
the company from charging
excessively high rates.

There is no justification
whatsoever for an increase in
telephone rates. With its wide-
spread introduction of labo.
saving devices, B.C. Tel has dras:
tically cut its cost of produc-
tion. If anything, rates should
come down.

every section of the emt
certainly on every “)
person — from the wall
who serves a tourist to oF
worker who tells his 4

boss to go fuddle-duddle: ’

PETE MUNRO MOURNE!

The labor and progressive
movement lost a staunch,
unwavering and _ beloved
champion in the passing of
veteran trade unionist and Com-
munist, Pete Munro last Friday.

_ Born 83 years ago in Tarbert,
Argyllshire on a lonely sheep
farm in the Scottish Highlands
Pete worked hard and long until
he was 21 years and migrated to
Montana where he put in a stint
as a cowboy on the Great Falls
-cattle range and worked in the
mines and mills and lumber
camps of the Northwest.

After seeing the brutality of

the police against the I.W.W. in
Spokane, which caused him to
decide to ‘‘join the fight against
exploitation,’’ Pete moved to
Vancouver where he was active
for over half a century in trade
union, Communist and peace
activities. His work as a
member of Division 101 of the

' Streetrailwayrnen’s’ Union’ was

ae a a ot os Pixs
Bbi80d 26 hove jubla 8 al guidaint

=

recognized in 1968 by

shoremen, the first B.C
union delegation to visit
born Soviet Union. ei:

Pete never tired to SiMe
virtues of socialism. 4
immortal plowman bat
Burns, whom he never
opportunity of sho
admiration for, the ™
peace, international *
emancipation of. the
people seeped from @Y
Pete said and wrote.

presentation of a 50-year, gold-
embossed Life Membership.

In 1934 he was elected with
McKinnon of the Lumber
Workers and Russell of the Long-

will
es

oli v ti
wo

To his son, Ian, 44
Florence Farrington,
Gardner, Mary ROSv
Estella Gordon; ee
children and 4 grea’.
children: as well.as his
law, Miss Elizabeth *
we express our
sympathy.

Nigel Morgan, prov
leader of the Commu!
delivered the eulogy
PETE MUNRO funeral Monday in V4

we om eon