at

EDITORIAL PAGE x

The road to nowhere

HATEVER accomplishments

last week’s provincial conven- tion of the CCF may have chalked up in anticipation. of its becoming the “next” government of B.C., will assuredly founder on its. con- tinuation of a CCF “go-it-alone” policy. %

By the adoption of a joint CCF. CLC electoral policy which pro- vides that all workingclass candi- dates for election must be mem- bers of the CCF, and that delegates from unions attending a CCF nom- inating convention must hold mem- bership in the CCF a return of the Socreds and their Liberal and Tory sleeping partners is almost guaran- .teed by the CCF convention.

Such a policy reduces trade union and other workingclass par- ticipation in an election to that of providing the dough and the votes for CCF aspirants. It is a gross distortion of the Canadian Labor Congress resolution on the need of a new labor-farmer-people’s alter- native to the political parties of big business monopoly.

Under such a CCF “go-it-alone” | policy the building of a_ broad united people’s party capable of wresting victory from the political yesmen of monopoly—a prime pre- requisite in today’s political struggle —is spurned and tossed aside. The

-letter from the Labor-Progressive:

scored this essential need of unit to assure victory at the ‘polls, c responding in every way to th letter and spirit. of the CLC rex lution. CCF provincial leader ert Strachan rejected the LPP lett with a “We don’t want any ht! from that outfit,” while the : right-wing leadership by its co tinued “go-it-alone” policy spurt united workingclass political acti —but seeks its cash and its vote) To talk of “socializing” the BC Electric, B.C. Telephone, or oth B.C. industry, and in the breath continue narrow partisa policies which obstruct the -unitin of labor and progressive forces, right-wing social democratic h bug of the lowest grade, and whit if unchanged, will spell disaster o election day! a The right-wing CCF lead, including those -who impose social democratic policies o unity upon the BCFL, and whi tort the CLC resolution to si their own narrow partisan end have rendered an ill service to labo and the people in British Columbi which the weeks ahead will show. The only people who have rei cause to be happy at CCF conyentit “go-it-alone” stupidity, is the Soe reds and their political ilk. CC chatter about “socialization” wil turn out a poor substitute for th

Zeballos, B.C

» the scene of a spectacular gold rush in 1936.

H omicidal maniacs

[N A RECENT edition Britain’s

largest daily paper, the Daily Mirror gave U.S. President Eisen- hower some pointed and timely ad- vice—to put a damper on “loud- mouthed American generals” who individually and collectively consti- tute a continuous “threat to the hopes of world peace.”

Whether Ike takes this advice to heart or not, millions of people on this and other continents will give it their unqualified approval, and continue to hope that some ways

war, it invariably increases in tempo when the “danger” of a top-level summit meeting of heads of state appear imminent. Then the homici- dal braggadocio of Yankee military brass is turned on full spate. 3

If a few score of Canada’s lead- - ing newspapers and other influen- ~ tial organizations were to follow the lead of the British Daily Mirror and lodge a like request with President Ike, it might assist in silencing this noisy and obnoxious menace to peace and world co-existence

and means can be found to gag

these Yankee military homicides.

During recent weeks in particular, when all sincere hopes for the Preservation of world peace and mutual understanding are upper- most in the minds of all decent peace-loving people, along comes some Yankee nuclear-missile ma- niac, boasting how “Russia can be wiped out,” how “We can clean up the Reds,” how “we can prevent

war — by bombing Russia first,” etc. ‘

While this military brass boast-

ing of “invincibility” (Hitler once -

had the same disease) has continued unabated during a decade of cold

Pacific Tribune Phone MUtual 5-5288

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party to the CCF convention under-

urgency of workingclass unity.

OR THE umpteenth time A. E.

-Dal”’ Grauer of the B.C, Elec- tric has warned that socialism would “ruin” British Columbia. We salute Grauer, not as an authority on socialism but as a \‘Tuin” expert. Numerous power- ful monopolies in British Colum- bia may equal the power, transit and gas octopus Grauer heads up, but none surpass -it in the fine art of ruinous exploitation!

Editoralizing on Grauer’s latest belch on socialism under the catchy caption, “Socialism would ruin British Columbia,” The Province draws a fine distinction between Grauer’s “natural” an- tagonism to socialism and the “logic of his reasoning.” The lat- ter, we are told, “should appeal to every clear-thinking. British ~Columbian.”

How many of us may qualify |

for this “clear-thinking” category

is anybory’s guess. No doubt The

. Province feels it at least is en-

dowed with such clarity of thought, otherwise why the grat- uitous salaam to the Grauer “logic.”

The essence of Grauer’s “logic” is scarcely new. Basically it is the determination of monopoly to hang: on to its vested right of resources exploitation, with a pretext added to its profit-goug- ing, viz, that’ monopoly concerns such as the B.C. Electric are now too big to “take over” and oper- ate under public ownership.

The “cost of purchase’ would be too great; the debt obligations in such a venture would swamp B.C. now and for all time. The poor taxpayer would be “saddled” with a heavier tax load, and the whole business of public owner- ship would simply “frighten pri- vate capital away from B.C.” Hence Mr. Gauer wants to keep the “political and economic cli- mate in B.C.” at a nice comfort- able temperature—for the mon- opoly. buccaneers. So runs the Grauer “logic” for “clear-think- ing” coupon clippers!

It may be noted in passing

- that every time voices are raised ‘

in support of public ownership as a means of putting an end to. B.C. Electric holdups, the

Grauer “logic” is refurbished and _ trotted out to frighten the un- sophisticated “with the bogey of “socialism.”

Public ownership of utility or other resources ‘has little resembl- ance to socialism, as any brief study of publicly-owned enter- _ prises in B.C. or Canada, will % | readily illustrate. Yet with all — its shortcomings such ~ public ownership.is. preferable to pri- vate monopoly ownership. What- ever benefits accrued might have ~ a chance, of advancing thé public ~ wealth instead of ending up in the pockets of the monopoly profit gougers. $

When the people of British Co- lumbia turn to scientific social- ism and the rule of the working- ~~ class, as they inevitably will—and in the not distant future—Grau- er’s “logic” will have less sub- | stance than the proverbial snow-- ball. “orien The people themselves will be the investors, applying their crea- | tive energy to the development of vast natural riches, and them-- selves the sole beneficiaries. Thus _ if the idea ‘of public ownership — disturbs the sensitive class “logic? 4 of the Grauers, just imagine what _ will happen when genuine social- ism hits it! ae

“Alas poor--Yorick . . .” —

April 10, 1959 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE