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LENDING SUPPORT

Landlord-tenant board adopted; tenants’ rights still lacking

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

City Council on August 28th voted to accept a number of recommendations submitted by its Standing Committee on Social Services, of whichI am chairman, concerning landlord- tenant relations.

Our main recommendation was that a new Rental Accom- modation Grievance Board be established ‘‘having the power to regulate rights between Landlord and Tenant covering all areas of their relationship, subject toappealstothe courts on points of law,’’ and further that the new board take over the functions of the Small Claims Court in matters of rental griev- ances. This City Council adopted.

The board would be composed of five members, all of whom have been residents of Van- couver for at least three years.

CLEAR THE DECKS NOW

Subscription drive plans launched

With only one week remaining before the 1973 Circulation Drive opens, indications are

that it will be the biggest in.

many years. Weplantogoonto the offensive in this year’s drive, and finish on November 15 witha 20 percent increasein circulation.

We have made plans for this drive so that eachandevery club member and PT supporter will have the opportunity to partici- pate. Here is how you can:

.« Come out on ‘‘Drive Days.”’ Starting Monday, Sept. 24, and for eight Mondays thereafter, teams of volunteers will be sent

_

words to that effect.

to factories, apartment houses and other selected areas todis- tribute the PT and winnewsub- scribers. Teams will leave the PT officeat2p.m.andat7p.m. Teams will be organized for other days of the week for those who are otherwise occupied on Mondays. Phone the PT office— 685-5288 — and register your name.

. Thousands of posters are be- ing made, advertising the PT asB.C.’s only labor weekly. Phone the PT if you can help put them up, orif youcanputoneor more in your place of work, in your union hall or in your school.

- Renew your subscription promptly when it expires. There are already 200 outstand- ing expiries. Get them in as soon as possible.

- Pass your PT on toa work- mate or friend. Selloneof the 300 new subs that we willneed fora successful drive.

Because of the continuing rail strike in B.C. the Canadian Trib- une national pages did not arrive on time. In their place we reprint four pages from the U.S. Daily World, to whom we express our appreciation.

The recommendation became necessary when a court ruling earlier this year invalidated the legislation under which our pre- vious board was set up.

We also recommended that the board have.the power to order and enforée such things as: open doors where a landlord has changed locks and illegally locked out a tenant, turn on heat and water where they have been cut off, and order immediate repairs where they are neces- sary to the health and safety of the occupants.

This recommendation Council referred to the city’s legal department (Corporation Coun- sel) for a further report.

Our proposal that landlords be required to justify evictions and that the reasons be limited to such things as:

(1) Occupancy by the tenant has resulted in deterioration of the premises beyond reason- able wear and tear.

(2) The tenant is in arrears for a period of one month’s rent,

(3) The tenant is a nuisance to his neighbours,

(4) The tenant is utilizing premises for illegal activity,

(5) The landlord requires the premises for occupancy either by himself or his immediate family,

(6) The tenant has delib- erately misrepresented the premises to the potential buyer or tenant,

(7) The building is to be demo- ished, was also referred to Corporation Counsel for a fur- ther report.

Our recommendation that the staff of the board be increased by the appointment of at least twomoresecretariesanda full time inspector was also re-

kyrocketting prices andespecially the latest bread price heist brings to mind an old Marxist observa- _tion, viz., ‘The past weighs upon the present like an Alp.”’ or

All the ingredients that are presumed to go into the modern- day factory-baked loaf have gone into the prices orbit during past months with the principal ingredient, flour, making the largest jump from approximately $6.45 per hundred pound sack at the end of July this year to approximately $12.50 a few weeks later:

The politicians (all vintages), searching for excuses to explain away this gigantic monopoly prices racket, blame it on crop failures, on world shortages, onthe rail strike, anexcuse which conveniently presented itself, and even on the socialist countries for buying too much of our wheat. In fact, they blame it on anything and everything except the real cause — the existence of a powerful grain, milling and baking monopoly combine; a monopoly which begins its robbery at the point of production— the farmer— and then cuts into the family loaf at every step of the processing route from wheat field to the family table.

We have an abundance of such combines in Canada, monopoly outfits whose manipulations set the price pace and annually reap a bumper harvest of profits. Just take a cursory glance at their annual balance sheet for confirmation.

And before we forget, those same grain, milling and baking companies used to take a bite, a good bite out of the farmer when selling his grain. In this, they were aided by an archaic Canada Grain Act which quite unscientifically determined wheat grades from No. 1 Canada Hard down to feed with a sub- stantial price spread between each grade and facilitated

robbing the farmer by the simple process of downgrading his

wheat.

Then the big ‘‘hospital’’ elevators at the head of the Great Lakes came into vogue to further the robbery— lower grades of wheat were transformed into the best grade of wheat for baking purposes, according to the designs of the milling interests. They inturn set the quality, contentand pricefor their baking combine and the ‘‘Holy Trinity”’, controlling the nation’s bread basket was complete. While governments stood by, the road to boundless and limitless profits to the elevator, milling and baking monopolies was opened — and price increases sped along it at expressway speeds.

During the Hungry 30’s, the Doukhobor community of Kamsack, Saskatchewan built its own grain cooperative with milling and baking facilities, not toamass profits but tofill human needs. Even then, with flour prices running $2.40 per hundred pound sack, this cooperative enterprise was termed

a successful business.

But often it would supply needy families of the unemployed with flour at $1.00 a sack— and often gratis. Tothe monopoly elevators, millers and bakeries, this cooperative now con- stituted a menace and had tobe gotten rid of— which the mono- polies, by various means and methods, ultimately were able to

~do.

Here, as in the case of the big chain food distributors, itis not the so-called high level of wages which is the root cause of spiralling prices but rather the unchallenged control and greed for profits which is characteristic of all capitalist ‘‘free .”’ free to clip the people for all the traffic will

enterprise. . bear and more.

If we remember with whom and what we are dealing, together with some hard lessons from the past, price controls would be a welcome, if temporary, solution. So also would be the proposed fragmentation of the big monopolies.

The only permanent solution would be to getridof them altogether. In the process, the economy might getabitofa shakeup for a short while but the socialist mode of acquiring the necessary food, clothing and shelter would be worth all the

inconveniences entailed.

Or does the Alp of the past sit too heavily onour backs todo anything about the present?— except grouchand pay more tribute to monopoly. Rest assured, the Alp will become heavier since monopoly has an insatiable appetite for profits.

ferred to a later meeting of Council.

Council did, however, agree that a landlord could, on three ~ day’s notice, bring a tenant © before the Board for any of the ~ three following reasons: unrea ~ sonable wear and tear of the premises, the tenant is a nul sance to his neighbours, or the premises are being used for | illegal activity. :

Council refused to accept out recommendationthatsecurily deposits be eliminated. 2

It also turned down my pro” posal that landlords be required to bargain collectively with | tenant organizations on all ma ters concerning occupane including rents. ‘

Before any of the decisions of a Council can be acted upon, they ~ would have to be accepted bY the provincial governmentan incorporated:in amendments 0 the Landlord-Tenant Act.

The fact that Council voted accept some of our recom mendations is a step forwat for tenants. But its refusal move in such areas as elimiy ation of security deposits, collec: tive bargaining between te ants and landlords, show tha we still havea long way to80- will be necessary for tenanls” and tenant organizations — considerably increase their pa sure on City Council and ¢ provincial government ig ensure that such amendmen are adopted. In the case oft is provincial government theré ‘ no excuse. The N.D.P. inits el@ ; tion platform clearly spelle " that it would bring in SU t0 reforms. We must keep te their word.

OBITUARY_.

Shirley Holloway The PT learned this wee a the death of Shirley Holler f for many years a residen’ Vancouver, who passed away = Innerkip, Ontario on August tl a A long-time supportel pe rogressive movemen, Holloway was fifty-three ie of age. She is survive husband, daughter Liz Vicki and her son Michael. a that The family has request +ions in lieu of flowers that don?" be sent to the Canadia to bune. Donations can be warded the PT which will be for? to Toronto. 0” The PTextends sincere art lences to the members ©

family. aa

Rowley:

50th ANNIVERSARY BANQUET

Sept. 15 Fishermen's Hall 6:30 p.™-

Tickets $4.00 Pens., High Sch. $3.00

at Co-Op Bookstore PT Office, from YC Hear Liz ill

al Secretary Gener Vision

Dance to gue YOUNG COMMUNIST ee

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1973—Page.2: