STUDENTS, PUBLIC BLAST FARE BOOST indignation runs high against hike What made the blow even more severe was that tens of thousands of people were forced to use the transit system as heavy snows and the worst winter in history compelled them to abandon cars, The weather conditions served to underline once again the need for a cheap rapid transit system in the main populated centres, FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 1965 VOL. 26, NO. 1 Taking advantage of the holi- day season, when little public protest could be initiated, the Provincial government agency, under direction from the Socred government, pushed through the highest transit fares in Canada, THIS WEEK Looking ahead to 1965 x, Commenting on the increase, William Stewart, city secretary of the Communist Party, charged in a statement that “the Bennett government is involved in a de- liberate plot to scuttle public transit in B,C,” Stewart said: “Working hand in glove with the big oil and gas terests and real estate groups, and with cynical disregard for the people, Bennett is pushing public transit aside in favor of the private car, Labor's challenges —PAGE 5 * “This policy will create traf- fic anarchy in the streets of Vancouver and cost taxpayers millions upon millions of dollars for self-defeating freeways and expressways, Dangers to peace —PAGE 6 “Students, old age pensioners and people in low income brack- ets are callously disregarded in the cruel game being played by the B,C, government, Quit Vietnam cry grows as U.S. suffers defeat under the guise Of ‘advisers,” now number 32,000, American South Vietnam’s liberation forces last weekend inflicted the monopolies, the automobile in- “A mass protest of the people, individually and through their organizations, is required now to force the government to re- treat from its suicidal policy, The action of the New Westmin- ster students is an example that Should be picked up by all sec- tions of the community in Van- couver and built into a mighty demonstration which Bennett cannot ignore,” concluded Stew- art, Despite numerous appeals from ratepayer, labor, political and community groups and others to the provincial cabinet urging that the increase be disallowed, all these appeals were ignored by Premier Bennett, who Played cat-and-mouse with municipal representatives, In Greater Victoria the Citi- zens’ Committee, which-has been fighting the bus -fare increase, announced just before the holiday that it would appeal the increase to the provincial cabinet, The Public Utilities Act allows an appeal within 28 days after a decision, If the appeal is heard the cabinet may “confirm the decision, order, rule or regula= tion appealed from, or may re- verse, alter, or vary the same, or make such order as to him seems just,” Under the act the cabinet may refuse to hear an appeal, This, however, depends on whether there is strong enough public pressure, A highlight of the protest move- ment this week was the action Public indignation ran strong this week against higher transit fares im- posed on New Year’s Day by the provincially- Utilities Commission on Greater Vancouver an were among the hardest hit with fares jumpi and the public were shocked when the owned B.C. Hydro and Publit d Victoria bus-users. Students ng from 5c to 15c. Pensioners y had to pay 20c for a single ride. taken by 88 high school students in New Westminster, Setting out at 7:45 a.m, they marched from Sapperton to Woodward's in New Westminster, where they pro- ceeded to split into three groups, The first group headed for the B.C, Hydro car barns in that city, the second went back to school on foot, while the third group of 20 young people marched to Hydro headquarters in Vancouver, They were received by two Hydro spokesmen who told the young marchers they had been author- ized to give them a hearing by co-chairmen Dr, Gordon Shrum and Hugh Keenleyside, Jack Pickell and Norm Mc- Lean, spokesmen for the teen- agers, told the PT they had held a meeting at Pickell’s home Mon- day evening and decided upon the protest march at that time, It was entirely their own idea, The youthful marchers carried home made placards bearing the Slogans: “15¢ Fares Unfair to Students;” “Make Student Fares 5¢;* “B.c. Hydro Unfair, 15¢ Too Much!” One young person . Carried a sign Saying: “My feet hurt!! But Pll Walk Before I’ll Pay 15¢ Bus Fare!” — Although the delegation started out with 20 teenagers, it num- bered 25 upon arriving at the Hydro building—including seven girls, The young people presented their arguments direct] y and See TRANSIT, pg. 3 heaviest defeat of the war on, U.S, forces and their Vietnam- ese puppets in the biggest battle so far, The defeat, officially ad- mitted in Saigon, took place only 40 miles east of the South Viet- nam Capital. Almost simultaneously, in a Washington TV interview, Secre- tary of State Dean Rusk hinted for the first time the U.S, might have to withdraw from South Viet- nam, although he hedged his re- - mark with qualifications and charges of ‘taggression’’ against China and North Vietnam, Rusk said the U.S. had no objection in principle to a poli- tical Settlement in Vietnam, but claimed that settlements over Indochina in 1954 and 1962 had not been successful because China and North vietnam had not left Laos ang south vietnam alone, U.S. forces in South Vietnam, imperialism has poured money at the rate of $2 million a day in a vain attempt to maintain a suc- cession of puppet regimes against the wishes of the majority of South Vietnamese, “Protests against