Sed of last week the 3rd Session of the 29th Legis-
lature of British Columbia got off to its usual color-
less start. As a precaution against jobless workers, Womens’
Lib or other protesting groups of citizens, scads of police and
other “‘security”’ forces were on hand to see to it that the ersatz
decorum, dignity and what have you proceeded undisturbed.

Governor-general Jack Nicholson read the ‘‘Speech from
the Throne” in an uninspiring monotone, probably realizing as
an old real estate shark, that there was nothing in it to inspire
anyone.. (To bring B.C. in line with Yankee-Doodle-Dandy,
Socred High Priest Bennett has hinted that he would like that
archaic title changed to ‘‘Speech On The State of the
Province.” To the average citizen the thing that counts most is
what is in such speeches, not the semantics of their titles. In
this most recent one there was less than nothing, if such is
possible, much like the contents of a $1.49 sale of lucky bags,
listed but not elaborated.

There’s going to be “‘legislation brought down’’ on parks,
litter, the ecology, school expansion, the unemployed, labor
(more ball-and chain?) industrial expansion (read more give-
aways), etc., etc. loads and loads of it, probably totalling ‘‘100
pieces’. And oh yes, a rechristening of the PGE, to become
known as the “B.C. Railway.” For a railroad that long held the
unique tradition of ‘‘starting nowhere and ending nowhere’”’ the
PGE (renamed), will now symbolize (between wrecks),
Socredia’s ‘“‘enterprise”’ in getting rid of B.C. resources. The
change-over won’t put any extra nickels in the pockets of PGE

railroaders, but it: will promote the idea of a ‘‘Canadian _

independence”’ in the ranks of home and foreign monopoly, and
that after all will be a Socred ‘‘triumph’”’.

The ‘‘state of the province’ speech, as WAC would like it
termed, runs a close parallel with U.S. President’s recent
address to Congress on the ‘“‘state of the nation”. And a helluva
state of affairs it is in both cases. Mass unemployment in both
“areas, without precedent. An unending and disastrous war in
Vietnam and Indo-China. Mass unrest, uncertainty, race
discrimination and oppression, the fruits: of brutal
exploitation. Monopoly’s concerted attacks upon labor
standards, with huge Establishment bureaucratics set up to:
assist in all such attacks, yet Socredia puts on its best Sunday
school leer, listens to the twaddle of its own concocted
“Speech”, which spells-out nothing, says nothing, but plans,
Machiavellia-like, to continue legislating for the affluent few
at the expense of the already poverty-stricken many.

Unemployment ‘‘is included in the government program’’
but the question remains, how and when? No doubt it is
“included’’, but in what respect — to creatively and
constructively legislate for full employment at decent jobs
and wages — or to condemn new thousands to an endless
existence on a fixed and parsimonious ‘‘welfare” or worse.

This central of all issues, facing a very large sector of B.C.’s
working force, got scant mention in Bennett’s ‘‘state of the
province’, and when we do get around to it during the brief
lifetime of this Legislature, equally scant attention in the
provision of jobs, a decent livelihood, or ‘‘welfare’”’ handouts:

With sanctimonious Socredia ‘‘God is in His Heaven and all
is well on Earth,” and if there is-an excess of jobless it is
always a self-satisfying thought that most of them ‘‘don’t want
to work.’’ As for the others, in the language of arch-deacon
Gaglardi, ‘“‘QC’’ Campbell and others of their ilk, all such as
“bums’’, ‘‘deadbeats”’ etc, all ‘‘want something for nothing,” a
drag on our social affluence.

The wonder is therefore, not the surprise by sundry politicos
and others that there is nothing in the ‘Speech from the
throne,”’ but that anyone with a modicum of sanity— after
nearly two decades of Socred monopoly brokerage, should
have expected that anything would be in it— except for the big
tycoons of Big Business.

When the “‘state of the province” is entrusted to nonentities,
bible thumpers and resources hijackers, the “province”’ is
always on the losing end. The coming two months will again
confirm it— if more confirmation is needed for a clean Sweep-
out of Socred deadwood!

PETITION DRIVE ROLLING

Serta sere a Ne
Cif C a bu
‘ West C edition, Canadian Tribune
SSS cette
Editor—MAURICE RUSH

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JANUARY. 28, 1972—PAGE 2

‘High cost of Third Crossing

By BRUCE YORKE

The Citizen’s Co-ordinating
Committee for Public Transit is
stepping up its campaign to
obtain a vote on the Third
Crossing question.

Last Saturday over 3,000
Names were secured on a
petition to this effect and this
Saturday the committee aims
to secure an additional 10,000.

All citizens who wish to take
part in the petitioning are asked
to report to the Steelworker’s
hall, 33 East Broadway on Satur-
day, January 29, between 9:30
a.m. and 2p.m.

On Monday, January 31 at 8
p.m. in the Grandview Com-
munity Centre the committee
has called an organizational
meeting of all affiliated organi-

Ratepayers
want wards

The Central Council of
Ratepayers in Vancouver want
a plebiscite on the ward ‘system.
before the end of April. The
request was made in a letter to
Municipal Affairs Minister Dan
Campbell, who has the authority

to direct city council to hold such _

a vote.

The letter says ‘‘As you are
aware, a large number of organi-
zations representing a
considerable section of the
voters expressed their wishes for
a change to some form of ward
system. We consider it a nega-
tion of democracy that the
present city council should deny
a plebiscite on this matter when
requested by such a large section
of the electorate.”

On Thursday of this week the
Committee for Community and
Civic Development will hold a
rally on the question of the ward
system in Room 308 of the City
Library on Burrard Street.

This is a follow-up to a rally
attended by some 400 citizens
who urged Municipal Affairs
Minister Campbell to take action
two weeks ago.

zations. Invitations have also
been extended to every com-
munity, ratepayer, trade union
and citizen group in Greater Van-
couver. bk

_ The purpose of the meeting is
to intensify the petition
campaign; to elect delegates to
go to Ottawa to appear before
the cabinet sub-committee
reviewing the $100 million. Third
Crossing loan, and to plan for a
mass lobby of citizens to go to

Victoria in the latter part of Feb-
ruary.

The committee has recently
prepared factual material with
regard to the Third Crossing.
The material was prepared by
Setty Pendakur, professor of
planning at the University of
British Columbia and all figures
were taken from the govern-
ment-financed Swan Wooster
engineering report.

Highlights of the material are
as follows: The total tunnel
crossing approaches capital
cost is $194 millions (1970
prices). According to Swan
Wooster the cost today is $23
million more.

Distribution of the $194 million

is: Federal government, loan

_ Vancouver Regional District

of $120 million; Provin@
government, $41 million; Nat
Shore municipalities, |
million; City of Vancouvel; *
million.

The cost of the freeway @
nection from Highway 40!
Georgia Viaduct to comple
the entire scheme is $65 MIE
(to be borne by Vancouvel ©
payers). é

Total cost of $32 plus $69
lion to be borne by Vancoll
taxpayers is equivalent 7
average $75 increase in prope
taxes for the next 20 years ©
this project alone. a

Total interest payable 00
$120 million federal loan will
$600,557,000— even at a mode
per cent. t

Tolls on the tunnel to stat!
50 cents and will rise to $2.
the year 2000! No wonder opp”
tion:to the crossing is welliNb”
new heights!

A vigorous and united effort i
all concerned can defeat ©
Third Crossing proposal. TH”
the indispensable pre-condlt
for the establishment of a
cheap and efficient pul!
transit system in the Gre@

PACIFIC TRIBUNE —

King Canute

Why special privileges for aldermen

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

Sometimes the “‘little’’ things
that happen in City Council are
just as revealing as the debates
and decisions on major issues.
Take for example what happened
at last week’s Council meeting
on the issues of free parking
privileges and expense accounts
for aldermen. :

Over my strong objections,
Council members voted them-
selves a life-time free parking
‘pass, condition on 10 years
service on Council. The NPA
aldermen, as was to be
expected, voted for it as a bloc.
The TEAM aldermen, as is also
usual for this group which likes
to have a foot in both camps,
split on the issue. Aldermen Art
Phillips and Brian Calder voted
for the life-time pass, while
alderman Walter Hardwick
joined me in voting against it.

Why aldermen should have this
special privilege I don’t know. It
isn’t extended to the city’s 6000
employees who work a lot
harder and longer than most
aldermen. All Council members
already have free parking as

long as they are on Council (and
this includes exemption from
Some traffic fines) and that
should be enough. Once a’person
1s no longer on Council he
becomes just another citizen and

should not be entitled to any .

special privilege.

Council has another privilege
that most citizens haven’t — it
can decide the size of expense
allowances to aldermen while
travelling on city business. And
so at the last Council meeting

they voted themselves another
little plum.

- When aldermen attend annual
conventions of the Union of B.C.
Municipalities (UBCM) in other
cities, they receive $25.00 a day
plus hotel and fare. That’s
reasonable enough. But when
the convention is held in Van:
couver there’s no need for it.
Yet, last week, Council
members. voted themselves
$25.00 a day expenses to attend
the three day convention of the
UBCM which this year will be
held in Vancouver. The NPA
voted solidly for it. TEAM alder-
men couldn’t resist this little

plum so they all voted for it
was alone in my opposition.

Last year when the UBCM
vention was held in the EB
malt Sports Centre (whit
three or four miles
downtown Victoria) Cou
members voted to give t
selves an extra $10 a da
travel from Victoria to
malt! And now our travel
non-mayor, Tom Campbell,
served notice to incr@
expense accounts to $35 4
plus fare and hotel, fo!”
conventions and trips. :

What makes this actio™
Council even more galling #4
fact that our non-mayO! |
some aldermen just put
token appearance at UBCM
ventions and then you see
no more. But they are alw
hand when the expense ch
are to be dished out or 0
town jaunts to be assigned.

There is a word to des!
this kind of petty self-se
mentality. It has to do.
poultry dung, spelled Wi,
capital ‘‘C” and a capital