the Bennett government, Grauer has not yet rephed to Gargrave’s central question: “Will he deny that the B.C. Electric has in some manner, directly or indirectly, given substantial campaign funds to the Social Credit. party or its representatives?”

Charges that the Bennett gov-

ernment is selling the people short and catering to the monopolies (and particularly foreign mon- Opolies) have been heard from Increasingly wide circles recent- ly, including three of the Fraser Valley’s bigger municipalities, trade unions, LPP, CCF, rate- Payers’ and pensioners’ organiz- ations. . Whether or not all the evidence is available in black and white, the fact remains that the B.C. Electric was recently made the recipient of the biggest handout in the history of this province— natural gas.

The City of Chilliwack and _ Chilliwack and Surrey munici- Palities have been refused the tight to arrange for a more ad- - Vantageous system of gas distri- bution.

The potentially profitable power ‘district of Powell River, which - Was pioneered by the govern- ment’s own B.C. Power Commis- Sion, was suddenly and unexpect- edly ordered turned back to the BCE. And, despite budget sur- Pluses, the Bennett government has persistently blocked expan- Sion of the B.C. Power Commis- Slon from tackling the big, pro- fitable sectors of the public utili- ty field.

No satisfactory reason has _ ever been given why the Socred government thinks public power is good for certain parts of the Province (the sparsely populat- ed and least profitable ones), _ While all the profitable areas (Vancouver and the Fraser Val- ley and Victoria) are left to a Private monopely, the . B.C. Electric, to exploit.

Premier Bennett has never eX- plained the proposed rise and Sudden fall-of the B.C. Power Commission in the scuffle over Powell River a year ago. No One can deny that the cabinet- dictated surrender of this market was a decisive setback to the - &Stablishment of a publicly-own- €d power grid. I would like to ask Premier ennett, could it be that E. C. ainwaring, BCE presidential assistant, knows more about the deal between the Socred govern- Ment and the B.C. Electric?

To what did. Burrard Social Credit organizer Denis Grant re- fer when he wrote Social Credit Provincial president Noel Murphy On April 25, 1954:

“Mainwarning apparently was Quite happy about supporting this bulletin with advertising, n one condition. He wants to have a word with W. A. C. first, and sort of get the &reen light from him. He has an appointment ‘with the premier for May 10th.” Did Mainwaring Not keep his appointment with _ you, Premier Bennett?

Grant (who wrote on a letter- head of Charles Nelles and Com- - Pany) suggested to Murphy:

anley thinks it would be a 800d idea, if you could possibly See W.A.C. first, and try an Make sure that Mainwaring will Set the green light from him When they do meet.”

The people have a right to, know what “green light” for What purpose Mainwaring was demanding? Did he get it? In View of the record, and failing » _ 82 unequivocal denial, the as- Sumption is that he did. Weeping changes have taken : pecs in political relationships in -C. in the last five years. The

Continued from page I

POWER DEAL

diand the AFL

an upheaval, but further changes have taken place since.

Socred spokesmen talk less and less about the evils of the mon- opolies, as more and more of

them laud “free enterprise” to the skies. Social Credit has emerged as the party of the big giveaways, the main vehicle of growing U.S. penetration and domination.

}rom a predominantly middle- class expression of the revolt against the greedy, anti-labor, anti-Canadian policies of mon- opoly (previously represented by the Liberal-Tory Coalition) it has become the’ willing tool of these very interests it was orig- inally elected to curb.

There is no better evidence of this than the government’s un- willingness to protect the people against the B.C. Electric.

Further evidence of how com- pletely the Socreds have dislodg- ed the old-line’ parties as the darlings, of big business Tods.c:, is provided in the February 6 issue of The B.C.. News Letter.

This Confidential digest which is edited by Howard T. Mitchell and speaks for the big industrial- ists notes “the Liberal party’s claim that business has deserted the Liberal party and gone over

to Social Credit.” - Mitchell comments, Sltshas been pointed out in these letters before now that business . . . regards... - the party in’ the, House least hostile to it and most consistent in its avowal of ad- herance to the principles of busi- | ness freedom is at this time Sie ial Credit.” pe more need be said to explain where the money came from for costly U.S. TV broad- -easts and elaborate newspaper "advertisements such as the So- creds used in the Vancouver Centre byelection?,

Those MLAs who have pressed hard the charges of bribery and corruption at the present session are right. :

British Columbia needs a new policy which will halt the give- away to the big monopolies and put the people’s interests first.

-British Columbia needs above — all a policy of public owner- ship of its utilities and an end

to B.C. Elect

ric interference with government. : :

_ltnecessity. . .

Federal grants urged for Canadian athletes

For want of a nail a kingdom was lost and for want of $20,000 cash, the Canadian Olympic Training Program is hanging on the ropes with the Summer Olympics just eight months away. Unless a rich “angel” of the federal government kicks in soon to take our

athletes out of the back lanes Canada’s team to Australia next fall will have to beg

as our skiers did to the Winter Games at Cortina.

Right now, all across the na-

tion sportsmen and those inter- ested in sports are looking to Ottawa. :

George Duthie, sports direc- tor of the Canadian National Exhibition said last week: “The day has come when govern- ments should contribute, but not control, athletic facilities. If we spent half for recreation of what we spend for wars, it would pay immense dividends ‘in the health of Canada.”

COTP chairman Don Ross said: “T don’t know if government is the answer. Every country with the exception of the U.S. has a physical health plan under which they develop Olympic competi- tors and ‘also provide athletic facilities for the health benefit of all people.”

Skier Andy Tommy of Ottawa, who went to Cortina on a shoe- string, thinks the government should pay as it does in most other countries.

Winnipeg Free Press sports columnist Maurice Smith told a reporter for the youth paper Champion that something should be done to press the federal gov- ernment for more financial sup- port.

“Canada,” he said, “need be second to none in many fields of sport and in those in which we

; don’t excel we should provide

the facilities for the training and development of our young peo-

ple.”

The Canadian Olympic Train- ing Program was initiated three years ago, financed by private donations. It gave Canadian athletes a week of training un- der expert coaching. Track and field coaches say this is not enough, especially in building an Olympic team. But now even that much is jeopardized.

Jim Vipond, sports editor of the Toronto Globe and Mail asks:

“Tt would séem to this observer that a federally sponsored physi-

its way

here in Prague surounded by C

Commenting. on the _ recent

Commons by J. E. Brown, Lib- eral MP for Brantford, in which he advocated a new physical fit- ness act. Vipond lauds him for challenging the government to

then advises:

“A good way to remind the government of the situation is to write your member, or the min- ister of health and welfare (Paul Martin) or to the prime minister, or all three.” ‘ ‘

_ That’s where the National Federation of Labor Youth comes in. Four months ago it launched a national campaign for a government grant of $10 million as initial payment on a long-term sports and recreation program for every province— and get it started now, in Olym- pic year. ‘The campaign is get- ting a favorable response every- where, from Montreal to Van- couver. :

Where’s the money to come from? NFLY suggests the defense budget could be cut—and many sports authorities agree, as do others.

cal fitness program should be a

»”»

Grant MacLeod, president o

Bobby Bauer, Canada’s Alympic hockey team coach, has nothing but praise for both his own Kitehener-Waterloo team and the victorious Soviet team in the Winter Games. He is seen

speech in the House of |

“rectify a deplorable situation,” ;

zechoslovak fans.

‘Winnipeg Trades’ and Labor , Council, told Champion reporter | Floyd Williston that the govern- 'ment could “very well cut” arms

| expenditures at this time. “If the

}Soviet Union can provide such far-reaching facilities and oppor- tunities for her youth,” he said,

“Canada should be able to.”

OFL backs fight against padlock —

TORONTO

“Full moral and financial sup- port to the struggle to defeat Duplessis’ infamous Padlock Law” was voted by 400 delegates at- tending the Ontario Federation of Labor convention. in London.

The resolution points out that Ontario unionists should battle the Padlock Law “on the basis that a threat to the freedom and eivil rights of the people of any one part of Canada constitutes a threat to all the peoples of Canada.”

Ontario Federation of Labor wants CLC to meet annually

.

F. ‘

ouMhere > to bilateral annihilation and that

is — no war at all,” Ralph Hel- stein, president of the United Packinghouse Workers of Ame- rica told 400 delegates attending the Ontario Federation of Labor convention in London last week.

Arrival of the atomic weapons era had resulted in an uneasiness that could only be cast out if the

horror of war was put aside. |

“War can no longer serve as an instrument of power—any more than violence can oe pein tween neighbors,” he said. De tlateia will head a 500,000 member merged union of the CIO Packinghouse Workers’ Union Amalgamated Meat Cutters when these unions join forces in June.

The heaviest applause greeted Helstein’s “no-more-war” appeal and his call on the labor move- ment to advance from “bread and butter” unionism to political action on the national and inter- national levels.

Convention sessions of the 200,000-member body later en- dorsed immediate recognition China as “the first step towards

53 election produced a bit of

‘negotiating trade agreements

ket.”

Delegates backed a three-point resolution to improve Canada’s position in world trade, submitted by Windsor Labor Council. It also urged recognition of China, acceptance of sterling payment for goods to regain traditional British Commonwealth markets and a more equitable trade policy with the U.S. to halt the unfav- orable balance’ between two countries.

While AFL delegates endorsed merger of the Trades and Labor Congress,and the Canadian Con- gréss of Labor (the provincial merger will make a 500,000-mem- ber organization in Ontario), strong pressures for changes in the original merger agreement were felt at the parley to combat conservative-minded unionists.

Present terms of the unity pact call for conventions every two years. The OFL went on record for annual conventions lining up with CCL bodies in

B. C. and Saskatchewan and the

TLC centre in B.C.

More democratic representa- tion in. the new Canadian Labor Congress that will unite over a

million workers under a single

TORONTO; with this potentially ‘vast mar- | banner in April, was also expres- | is only one alternative |

sed. CCL President A. R. Mosher was questioned whether delegates would be able to amend the con- stitution of the new CLC expect- ed to be distributed shortly, His

reply, which took delegates aback for its abruptness, was:

“The first opportunity. our people will have to change the constitution of the new merger congress will be at the conven- tion two years hence.”

Mosher’s declaration brought

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i i

ing against the CLC parley be- coming a “rubber-stamp” con- vention. The CCL spokesman’s view’s ran contrary to guarantees given at the last CCL convention that a batch of some 40 resolu- tions calling for changes in the merger agreement would be sent on to the top unity commit-

documents.

While the OFL reaffirmed sup- port of the CCF, a broader ap- proach to political action in view of the coming merger was out lined by a Steel delegate Bill Hull from Windsor. :

statements from delegates warn-

tee for inclusion in the final CLC

Parley asks China recognition

“Going into the merger opens

‘| new possibilities for political

| action,” he declared.

He stressed the need for carry- |ing Imto the merger the grass- | roots type of political action of \the CCL, citing the wide support , given issues like an all-Canadian | Seaway, the natural gas pipeline, ‘housing and health insurance. With a one-million member or- ganization, he said, the possib- \ility existed of a new powerful ‘alliance with labor’s natural allies | the farmers, who are moving into action on a great scale.

“What is required in the new _ merger is not less political action, — but more,” he declared. “We are not for non-partisan action, bu on the contrary for partisan poli-

' tical action on behalf of labor. | We can work out the exact forms ;for such action later, but let’s go forward now into the new mer- ger.”

Questioned later Hall revealed j that he viewed a great possible rowth in political action arising jout of the merger, that could ; possibly send 60 or 70 labor MP’s ;to the federal parliament in the |1957 elections embracing all ‘wings of labor political thought.

FEBRUARY 17, 1956 —PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 7

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