No limit to greed of B.C. Tel

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

Next. week the Canadian Transport Commission begins public hearings on the applica- tion of B.C. Telephone for a whole range of rate increases. These include a 16 percent hike on private residential lines and

an increase of up to 300 percent

on long distance calls within the -

province.

B.C. already has the highest telephone rates in Canada, as well as the poorest service, and now B.C. Tel wants to boost them some more.

ac ita a phere te oc a

=e = id

ecording to the Weisenheimers of this and other Es-

tablishments there’s going to be lots of jobs around

soon, Just so long as Canada’s jobless can wait around long enough— and measure up to the qualifications required.

For instance, if one were to take Pierre Elliot Trudeau

seriously, we would soon see a million or two young Canadian

lads and lasses flocking into Canada’s Arctic ‘‘to build new

cities’’, just like in the Soviet Arctic.

There’s just one little matter of differing social systems and incentives. In the USSR they have Socialism, young, virile and growing. Here we have capitalism, already old and decrepit, but reluctant to die. That difference, however, would appear to be a mere trifle to Swinger Trudeau. Just go North young man and build cities. What with Architect Trudeau doesn’t say, but since the rest of Canada at all Establishment levels can’t even find the mazuma for elementary social needs, obviously there will be no money grants for this city- building project. Merely a crisp air to keep this Trudeau charisma from over-heating.

The new cities of the Soviet North, with anywhere from 100,000 to half a million population, were in the main, built by Soviet youth, plus the maximum support, financial and material of the Soviet government, Party and people; essential ingredients which neither Trudeau, nor the Establishment he speaks for, can deliver. So it boils down to another charisma— a gigantic illusion, nothing more. It will happen some day when the Canadian people take over the planning of their own destiny — but not until then. Meantime there’s a lot of land-clearing to be done — getting the monopolies dislodged who are presently ravaging the riches of Canada’s North.

Still on the question of ‘‘jobs,’’ another new and unexpected source cropped up last week, ostensibly aimed at thinning the ranks of Canada’s %4-million jobless. It was carried on a nation- wide radio broadcast two or three times, but for some specific reason, (not hard to guess) never got into the columns of the Western press.

It seems the racist regime of Ian Smith of Rhodesia would like to have a few thousand of white workers from Canada’s jobless army emigrate to Rhodesia to augment his dwindling White minority; more of our own ‘“‘kith and kin’’ as ex-Labor Prime Minister Harold Wilson phrased it when balking at clamping down on the white-supremacist Smith coup of a few short years ago.

Like the Union of South Africa, the Black native population ratio is about 10-to-1 or more over the white-supremacists, who hold the power of a white minority by a ruthless and brutal police state. Hence under the guise of seeking more skilled and semi-skilled labor— in a country where an abundant and cheap labor force is already far in excess of need, Smith requires more of our own “‘kith and kin’”’ to balance his racist scales.

Of course, the white requirement was not overly- emphasized in these radio appeals for Canadian immigrants to Rhodesia, but you can bet your last welfare dollar that Cana- dian Negroes, Native Indians, or others ‘‘Coloreds’’ were not and are not on Smith’s preferred list of immigrants from Canada.

The prime qualification to fill this role is not technical or semi-technical “‘know-how’’, but ideological; the ability to hate, to disdain, to down-grade and/or despise your fellowmen — if his skin is black. To regard him as ‘‘a thing,” on a level with an animal; never as a person, never as a human being. An “‘inferior’’ to the white man in all things. Even God comes in for a chastisement at times, when his Christian ministers in Rhodesia or South Africa insist upon equality and justice for the human being with a black skin. Apartheid in South Africa and Rhodesia insist upon complete separation here on earth, and envisage the same separation in ‘‘heaven.”’ And by the same token, the same white-supremacy rule.

The Canadian who accepts a ‘‘job’’ under such conditions, in Rhodesia or elsewhere, no matter how attractive the wages or other employment opportunities may be, is no loss to Canada, and this nation will be well rid of all such dirt!

Meantime, in both South Africa and Rhodesia the end of apartheid (race segregation) and the Establishments who rule by the terror and brutality of racist policies over a preponderent majority of native Africans, is already written on the scroll of Time. The African giant is awakening to take over in his own country and will not long be denied that right.

A nation governed by ane evil of racism, isa nation already doomed.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE FRIDAY JUNE 4,:]973;<=PAGE 2:

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There’s no limit to the greed of the General Telephone and Electronics Corporation of New York, which owns B.C. Tel, as well as all the companies which supply B.C. Tel. It can and does manipulate B.C. Tel’s oper- ating expenses to suit its own purposes and its charges are not based on costs but on all that the traffic can bear.

To compare B.C. rates to those of Bell Canada, the U.S. owned monopoly that ‘‘serves’’ Ontario and Quebec (a better word would be ‘“‘gouges’’) doesn’t help very much. Both these U.S. owned cor- porations are fleecing Cana- dians for‘all they are worth.

The only worthwhile com- parison is with publicly owned telephone companies, as in the prairie provinces and with a municipally owned telephone company such as we have in Edmonton. That’s when you see the real difference between what we would be paying if we had a publicly owned company and what we pay now to a U.S. monopoly corporation.

In Vancouver, a private resi- dential line costs $6.25 a month (and B.C. Tel now wants to raise this to $7.20): In Calgary the rate is $4.25 in Winnipeg, $3.90 and in Edmonton, $3.75. In other words, it is costing us 68 percent more in Vancouver than in Edmonton where the telephone system is owned and operated by the city. sh

In Vancouver the rate for a business phone is $17.10 (and B.C. Tel wants to boost this to $19.65). In Calgary, the rate is $11.00, in Edmonton $10.00 and in Winnipeg $7.65. We are paying 123 percent more than in Winnipeg where the telephone system is owned and operated by the provincial government.

But that isn’t the whole picture, by any means.

Even though its rates are far lower than those in B.C., Alberta Government Telephones cleared $6.9 million in 1969. On top of that it had a surplus at the end of 1969 of $44 million!

Saskatchewan Government Telephones had a net income of

Margaret Trudeau is seen here with students of the Bolshoi Ballet School during her recent visit to the USSR. The compact signed in Moscow opens the door to more cultural exchange.

B. C. Tel is part oF 7

giant U.S. monope

It is overchargin

the public NOW:

The gov't should

reject its bid for

a rate boost.

$8.3 million in 1967 and $6.68 lion in 1968. ote As for the Edmonton teleph ot ff system, this publicly ° utility made a clear profit! ont million in. 1968 (after en buting $1 million in a another $4.6 million in 19 For B.C. Tel to argue to the terrain its expe™ 0 higher than in the prairie inces is a lot of nonsense? on the U.S. west Cc0@° 4 similar terrain still havé rates than B.C. is abi The figures I have Mei B indicate very clearl ya Tel is over-charging aa dents. Its rates could Pé be half and it could still ™ mat ; above-average profit. the what should be done by issil” dian Transport Com mm! rales: | which has the power £0 to fix! «th If B.C. Tel then claim er can’t operate at a pro!” it, 6 U.S. corporation g° em” turn the telephone syst

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to us. We'll prove th - nt

provide better service 4 He rate and still make SU profits which could e offset taxes.

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Welcome Canada-USSR exchang

Commenting on Prime Min- ister Trudeau’s visit to the Soviet Union this month, the Canada-USSR_ Friendship Society through its president Harold Dean and secretary George Legebokoff said they welcomed it as a medium of strengthening exchanges in a variety of fields between our country and theirs.

The Society spokesmen pointed out that not only do our countries have points of similari- ties in geography in that we share the northern regions of the world, but we are similar in respect to the multi-national character of our people.

‘When the trade treaties were signed with respect to the sale of wheat it has had very beneficial effects on the whole Canadian economy and particularly Western Canada, where not only farmers benefitted, but the shipping industries and the railway and transport industries as well.”’

The Canada-Soviet Friendship Society has worked for many years to further understanding between the two nations.

They have helped to arrange visits and delegations of Cana- dians from various walks of life to go to the USSR, and have helped and welcomed dele-

-Sations..and_indjviduals, who ,

have visited from the Soviet Union.

‘“‘We have endeavoured to make available to Canadian publications — books, movies, etc., depicting the life and the developments in the USSR. There is a USSR-Canada Friend- ship Society in the USSR and they are very active. They welcome Canadian visitors, look at films from Canada and...

have sent delegations of 10 to Canada.”’

if and ™

The Society said Murs

Premier Kosygin ° visit to Canada, howe confident he will be ei hos traditional Canadia® 4

cl tality, and will learn mu 7 0 4

our rich and varied la ynd? will help for bet sal standing for all concerne

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