OTTAWA SHOULD TELL WASHINGTON:

STOP BOMBING

‘Socreds in trouble at coming session’

A plan of campaign around the Spring session of the B.C. Legislature, which opens January -25th, was drawn up by the B.C. Provincial Committee of the Communist Party at a meeting in Vancouver last weekend. .

Introducing discussion of the Party’s proposals for its campaign, Provincial leader Nigel Morgan underscored the fact that the Legislature will meet in a very different setting to previous ones. “After 17 years of relative boom, the Bennett government is today faced with:a’serious cutback,” he said.

“A year ago it was already evident the Socreds. were in trouble in financing their program of dam construction for U.S. benefits. Since then the situation internationally and nationally — particularly the collosal

demands of U.S. escalation in

Vietnam — have deepened the crisis considerably.

“The Bennett government has not only alienated labor support with its anti-labor legislation and use of injunctions. It is now triggering bitter resentment of its own employees with threats of a wage freeze. School trustees throughout

the province, pensioners, welfare workers, students, and hospital and municipal administrations are also resentful over penny pinching policies. Layoffs and the acute housing shortage are fanning the flames of opposition too,’’ he said.

The Communist Party will present a. brief to all MLAs outlining its views and projecting an alternative economic policy for development of our natural resources, a new system of financing education, and means of meeting the pressing needs of the people. Proposals to solve the housing crisis, solution of Indian land

rights, urban and farm-land tax relief, hospital requirements and new labor legislation will be featured in the Party’s representation.

In addition full support will be given to the efforts of labor and other people’s organizations which have already indicated their intentions of pressing hard on a wide variety of demands on the coming Legislative Session. A highlight of such activities is expected to be the four-day conference called for January 27 in Victoria by the B.C. Federation of

» Labor: :

‘Talks will start when

bombs stop’ — says Hanoi

A clear and simple statement made by the North Vietnamese foreign minister has thrown the war hawks in the Pentagon and Washington into a dither and increased world pressure for an immediate halt to the U.S. bombings so that talks could get started.

In a statement from Hanoi on December 30, Foreign Minister Nguyen Duy Trinh declared:

“The American government never stops repeating that it wants talks with Hanoi but that Hanoi does not react by any sign. If the American government really wants conversations as clearly stated in our declaration of Jan. 28, 1967, it must first unconditionally cease bombing and all other acts of war against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

“After the cessation of bombing and all other acts of war against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the DRV will start conversations with the United States on relevant problems.”

This renewed offer of the North Vietnam government to engage in talks with Washington as soon as President Johnson orders an unconditional halt in the bombing and other acts of war against North Vietnam, has increased the pressure on the U.S. to halt the bombings now.

Both in the United States and in world capitals, where fears were mounting that Washington is preparing a massive escalation of the war, the demand for a halt to the bombing was renewed this week.

While Canada some weeks ago called for a halt. to the bombing, there has been no official reaction from Prime Minister Pearson or External Affairs Minister Martin on the latest statement from Hanoi.

This may be due to the fact that the U.S. government is stalling and has refused to give a clear cut answer to the statement from Hanoi. The Canadian government may be anxious to avoid putting pressure on Washington until Washington has made up its mind.

Instead of softening its pressure now, Ottawa must join the world wide protest to demand that Hanoi’s offer be taken up: that U.S. bombings and other acts of war stop at once so that talks can start.