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Ww : : owed COMMUNIST PARLEY. With a standing ovation leaders of 75 Communist and Workers Parties i 'ng in Moscow (above) greeted the conclusion of the conference which united world Communist Parties

€ struggle against imperialism. An Appeal for Peace was unanimously adopted on the closing day.

FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 1969

~ Basford under fire for failure to act on prices

The high cost of living erupted on the an of Canada’s parliament this week Ith a want-of-confidence motion on the

povernment’s handling of the critical Ssue,

The debate featured severe criticism B Consumer Affairs Minister Ron mestord and his newly-created aeattment for failing to take effective

Ction against rising prices.

M he want-of-confidence motion introduced by ah James McGrath of Newfoundland was Ses by all opposition parties. It condemned or ord “for his failure to protect Canadian i eeners from the crippling burden of ever- 2 €asing prices and, in particular, from the Cent exhorbitant jump in food and rent costs.” (eee said, ‘‘Somebody in this country is " paceting and the minister has a responsibility SS out who it is.” Lashing out at Basford’s _ “ilure to take action, McGrath said, ‘Why do we

need a consumer affairs department if everything is going to be decided by the forces of supply and demand, what is the minister’s role?”

Indicating the government has no intention to act against the big food monopolies and their gouge of the public, Basford said Canadians will have to make their own contribution to the fight against inflation. He linked this with a statement urging unions to adjust their wage demands to the economy, thus backing the campaign of big business to blame unions for rising prices.

Basford announced the government would order a special joint Senate-Commons com- mittee to study reports of the prices and incomes commission, but later indicated to TV inter- viewers that his government would take no action under the Combines Act against monopolies unless “evidence” of price-fixing and monopoly practices were uncovered.

Meanwhile the consumer protest movement across Canada is growing. This week the Women Against Soaring Prices in Toronto opened a two week ‘‘boycott beef’ campaign, starting June 19.

Secrecy surrounds U.S.-built project

By MAURICE RUSH

What is the big secret about the multi-million dollar top secret military project going up at the north end of; the Queen Charlotte Islands, near Masset?

The map below shows the location of Masset, a village of 500 people which lies directly . across from Prince Rupert on the mainland. Only a few miles from Masset excavation has started for the $25 million “defence’’ project referred to as a ‘‘communications centre.”

Rumors are rife among Queen Charlotte residents as to what is ' going on. Ottawa keeps telling | the people of Masset that there’s , nothing to get alarmed about. The official explanation is that the equipment will be used in air- sea rescue work and ship to shore communications.

But Islanders are asking: Does this work require a $25 million

“QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS

project? And why all the

secrecy?

Why, some people want to

know, is the project being built by a major U.S. construction company from Hawaii, Dilling- ham Construction Co., which

does a lot of the contract work. :

for the U.S. military, and not a Canadian company?

Consensus of opinion around Masset, according to a Canadian Press story, is that the installa- tion eventually will contain several million dollars worth of highly sophisticated electronic gear that will be used to monitor Russian and Chinese military and diplomatic radio trans missions.

Another widely held view among islanders is that the finished product will be a ‘NORAD radar station designed to track U.S. anti-ballistic missiles in event of war.

_ One local business man told a Canadian Press reporter that ‘‘T get the distinct impression that Masset is going to be printed in big red letters on a map in the war room at the Kremlin.”

The Pacific Tribune on April 11, 1969 carried a front page

i headline story asking if the secret project is an ABM base. It .demanded that Ottawa end its ‘silence and tell the people of 1B.C.— who have a right to know — what’s going on at Masset. Is it part of our military commitment ‘to the U.S. under NORAD which ‘would make B.C. automatically a nuclear target?

The fear of British Columbians is further heightened by a statement made by Masset’s Mayor Ray Hanson recently that ‘general speculation is that it isn’t really a communication centre but a major radar site possibly linked to our NORAD agreement with the U.S.”

It’s time silence in Ottawa was ended about the. project at Masset. The public demands an answer from Prime Minister Trudeau. ° é

WHY 1S OTTAWA MUM OVER MASSET BASE?

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