i

More than 40 women from Com- Munist clubs in many parts of B.C: took part in an all-day conference Sunday, October 21 in the Fishermen’s Hall, Vancouver, to discuss problems facing working Women and to plan action to meet the pressing issues of the day.

After an extensive discussion in Which many took part covering

‘Such important questions as the Struggle for equality for women, at- titude to the feminist movement and the ferment among women in today’s world, as well as many con- Crete problems facing Communist Women, the conference adopted

Decent pensions In Okanagan Tel.

pollen Doolan, Vancouver writes: : a decent pension too much to ask or? Is parity with your union brothers an excessive demand? C. Telephone arrogantly says

sa in principle and practice.

r he B.C. Federation of €lephone Workers is now in its

_ tenth week of strike with Okanagan

by ePhone which is 99.9% owned Y B.C. Tel (which in turn is owned Y the giant U.S. corporation, €neral Telephone and sin aPh. The main issue is pen-

tiie Okanagan Telephone Orkers want parity with B.C. flephone workers. The B.C. Tel. tllement included post service Nefits far in excess of any offers Made to Okanagan Tel. workers. If ae Post service benefits were ex- puued to Okanagan Tel. onPloyees, there would be grounds Settlement. Ome of the shocking facts about

Nsions in the Okanagan are that *

People including management aera a total for the year of milli $29,000 yet most of the $1.2 On held in the pension fund is t contributed by the employees. Ome examples of the present uation include the following: Clephone operator: Retired at on a monthly pension of

Sit

Qeer FORUM

two action resolutions dealing with rising prices and arms costs.

The prices resolution addressed to the Federal government and Prices Review Board demanded that the Board be invested with power to roll back prices when

' profits are shown to be excessive, ‘further, that just cause be shown for price increases and that offenders who refuse to comply be fined and sent to jail.

The resolution also demanded that all persons on fixed incomes be alloted sufficient monies to provide for the basic necessities vital to maintaining good health. It

$156.17 after 30 years service and contributions to the plan of 15% of salary for eight years, at age 65, the monthly pension is reduced to $3.12.

Installer repairman: Retired at age 65 on a pension of $122.05 monthly after 29 years service and contributions of 10% of salary for 15 years.

Office clerk: Retired at age 60 on pension of $116.61 monthly after 13 years service and contributions to the plan of 4% of salary for 13 years. At age 65, the pension stops completely. :

The Federation of Telephone Workers (FTW) considers its demands modest and in light of the tremendous profits extracted by B.C. Tel. from the province, com- pletely. justifiable.

B.C. Tel. however, violently dis- agrees and has reacted by padding

the management staff of Okanagan. .

Tel. with supervisor scabs from the parent company. The arrogant at- titude of the company initially provoked the dispute and con- tinues to aggravate it.

The struggle of the Okanagan Tel. workers against the telephone monopoly is a hard and financially exhausting battle. B.C. Tel. is con- tent to sit back and wait out the strike, ably assisted by court in- junctions.

The workers are determined to win their pension benefits and need the support of all organized labor in the province. This is a

<struggle against monopoly.

Smorgasbord Dancing

Admission

FISHERMEN’S HOMECOMING SOCIAL & DANCE

Saturday, November 3, 1973 FISHERMEN’S HALL

138 East Cordova Street

GOOD MUSIC

Senior Citizens & Students Sponsored by Frank Rogers Social Club

6:30 p.m. : 9:00 p.m. — 1 a.m. BYOB $5 per person $4 per person

GLOBE

‘253-1221.

FOR ALLYQUR FRAVELNEEDS

Contact:

2679.£. Hastings St., Varicouver 6; B.C:

TOURS

2542312 -

, Communist women’s parley hits high prices, war costs

also called for action to nationalize the food processing industry.

A second resolution strongly op- posed the Federal government’s plan to increase the defence budget by seven percent for each of the next five years. The resolution said:

“At a time when international detente is taking place and peaceful relations are growing between East and West we find it shameful and inexcusable to com- mit an additional $150 million a year to war materials.”

Pointing to the ‘‘crying need” for more money for housing, pensions, day care for children, education and welfare, the resolution resolv- ed to ‘“‘condemn the Federal government’s proposed plan to raise the defence budget and in- stead urged the Federal govern- ment to reduce it steadily and con- centrate on promoting peaceful relations with all countries.

The keynote report to the con- ference entitled ‘“‘Women in Today’s World” was delivered by Mona Morgan, on behalf of the B.C. Women’s Committee of the Communist Party.

ENERGY

Cont'd. from pg. 1

Compare that to the figure given in B.C. Hydro’s annual report, that electricity sold for residential use in B.C. last year went for about 19 mills per kwt hour, and that B.C. consumers paid an average of about 12 mills per kwt hour for all forms of energy.

What emerges from the report is this picture:

“e That we now are exporting 13 times more energy from B.C. to the U.S. than we did the previous year, and that exports are growing by leaps and bounds.

e That we are burning up huge amounts of natural gas and oil to produce thermal power for large scale export to the U.S. —

e That we are selling this vast and important energy resource to the U.S. at firesale prices which average about one-third of what B.C. consumers are paying for the energy.

Some months ago the PT carried an article protesting statements by B.C. Hydro officials who advocated further integration of B.C. and U.S. energy resources in a common northwest pool. This continental approach in energy is beneficial to the U.S. but costly to B.C. and Canada, as the latest B.C. Hydro report shows.

A complete overhaul of our energy policies both provincially and federally is long overdue. We cannot afford to see our energy resources fritted away at bargain- basement prices to the U.S. at a time when Canada faces a growing

energy crisis. B.C. should demand -

a national energy policy which would be aimed at retaining energy resources in Canada. :

Next month U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is coming to Ottawa for talks on energy problems. The U.S. is mounting

- pressure on Canada and on every

province for increased supplies of energy resources. There is no time to lose in mounting public pressure on Victoria and Ottawa for an all-

Canadian energy program which -

would halt the giveaway of our energy resources to the U.S. and use them to serve Canadian needs.

29

Serrano in the Wall Street Journal

*One nice thing about the salary—it's noninflationary.'

TAX REFORM

cont'd from pg. 2

I think the tax should be on 100% of the added value.

ASSESSMENT

Council’s committee on finance ‘and administration failed to even consider the most important tax reform needed in Vancouver. That is a reassessment of all commercial and industrial properties to ensure that they are assessed at their true market value. The situation today is disgraceful and, I might add, in violation of stated assessment policies.

Homes are assessed at 100% of their market value. Commercial and industrial properties are sup- posed to be also. But in practice the latter are assessed at only a small fraction of their true market value. This is how big business gets

SALE

WATERDAMAGED STOCK 50% — 80% In Saleroom ‘Friday, Oct. 26 to Sat. Nov. 3. People’s Co-op Bookstore

341 — W. Pender St. 685-5836

out of paying its fair share of taxes. And since it doesn’t pay its fair share, the homeowner has to pay all the more.

The huge B.C. Sugar Refining plant at the foot of Rogers on the waterfront, for example, is assess- ed-at only $7.7 million for both land and improvements! It is worth probably five times that amount — and the total increase in the assessments in the past three years has been only 10%. This is out- rageous! Yet this is the rule, not the exception, when it comes to assessing commercial and in- dustrial properties. :

The City of Vancouver pays the assessors. It should demand that the provincial government, which appoints them and set out the rules for assessment, instruct them to begin carrying out the letter of the law and assess commercial and in-

. dustrial properties at their actual

market value.

If business and commercial properties paid their fair share of taxes, the taxes on homes could be slashed drastically.

The other big tax reform needed is for the provincial government to carry out its election promise, ‘‘to remove school taxes from the fami- ly farm and owner occupied home — over a five year period.’ This would cut home taxes by about 50%.

Classified Advertising

COMING EVENTS

OCTOBER 27 — FILMS OF 1973 WORLD YOUTH FESTIVAL in BERLIN. Hear Speaker on: ROLL BACK PRICES. Saturday, October 27 — 8 P.M. at 832 Calverhall, North Vancouver. Good Food and Refreshments. Everyone

‘’ Welcome. Adm. $1.50. Children 75¢.

November t0O— Saturday, ANNIVERSARY BANQUET AND DANCE TO CELEBRATE THE GREAT OCTOBER SOCIALIST REVOLUTION, at the Nordic Centre, 7820-6th St., Burnaby. Speaker — Maurice Rush, editor of the PT. Entertain- ment, Refreshments. Supper at 6:30, price: adults $4.00, students (under 16) $2.00. Ausp: Fraser Valley Region, CPC.

November 9 ANNUAL FISHERMEN’S CABARET, Ukrainian Hall, 805 E. Pender Street, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9th, 9 P.M. to 1 A.M. Tickets: Advance $3.50—Door $4.50 (for advance tickets phone 254-3436, for information phone 255-1415, M. Varila.) Milestones

Orchestra, Refreshments. Spons. by F.O. of Canada and Woodwards Local UFAW Union.

October 28 — North Shore Readers . CURRENT. EVENTS CLASS — Events in Chile — Mid-East Crisis. Hear Maurice Rush, PT editor. Sunday, October 28, 1-3 P.M. 832 Calverhall.

BUSINESS PERSONALS

NEED CAR OR HOUSE INSURANCE? Call Ben Swankey 433-8323.

WANTED -

WANTED OLDER FURNITURE in Clean Condition. Cash. Coastal Recycling, 1336 Nanaimo. 253-7238. -

HALLS FOR RENT

UKRAINIAN CANADIAN CULTURAL CENTRE - &05 East Pender St.; Vancouver 4, ‘Available for banquets, wed- dings, meetings. Phone 254- 3436. :

WEBSTER’S CORNER HALL Available for banquets, meetings, weddings, etc. For rates, Ozzie 325-4171 or 685- 5836.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1973—PAGE 11