aeantencrsteseee neers perry ss as 6 La - . and I say to you, let's give Bill 33 a chance to show what itcando. . .” a ee EDITORIAL Bonds of matrimony Hise has honored the Pacific Tribune with yet another ‘first.’ Some 15 years ago and the first B.C. paper to do so, the PT editorially described the emergence of the Social Credit party in B.C. under the “dynamic” leadership of W.A.C. Bennett as “a conglomeration of frustrated tories in disguise, seeking a parliamentary roosting spot.” That ardent hope, long deferred by the old ‘‘hang-together-or-hang- apart” Liberal-Tory coalition, plus the ill fortunes of the Tory party in B.C. and “‘Prime Minister’’ Bennett’s recurrent failures over the years to ‘“‘capture’’ Ottawa for the Socreds, would now appear to be having some signs of a temporary revival. There are also signs, somewhat alarming for B.C. Socreds, that the honeymoon era of ‘‘dynamic affluence” has already entered a rapid decline; all indicating that a “moulting’”’ season has set in and that certain Socred chickens are already fluttering home to their original Tory roost — where of course in their political origin and philosophy, they properly belong in the first place. In the recent ‘‘face-lifting”’ and renovation exercises in which both old line parties have recently engaged as a means of hoodwinking the electorate into thinking ‘‘something new has been added’, there is a rising spate of Socred-Tory billing and cooing going on, with new Conservative leader Robert Stanfield serving in the role of “‘matchmaker’’. Under the blandishments of Stanfield, ex-. parliamentary Socred leader Robert Thompson M.P. (Red Deer) has already indicated his readiness to return to the old Tory hencoop. A fitting addition indeed. Then there is ex-MP Bert Leboe from the Cariboo who is cackeling loudly for entry into the old Tory roost and working overtime to take a lot of Socred fowl along with him. From some quarters of course there are loud “‘denials”’ forthcoming that the Socreds will not throw in with the Tories; but that brand of mash no longer satisfies. Alberta Socred prime minister Manning’s book, ‘‘Political Realignment”’ projects just such an exodus, since it primarily sanctifies the old ‘‘two-party’”’ system, and hence encourages rather than otherwise, the tying of the unholy bonds of matrimony between Socredia and their parent Tory stock. Manning makes no bones about it that the proper place for Socredia is back in the Tory roost. Numerous other moves are also on foot as evidence of this refurbished Tory-Socred courtship in preparation for the coming federal election. In the Vancouver-South byelection (provincial) the Conservatives had decided to field a candidate who, with other contenders would be running against the Socred candidate. Then presto, the boys in charge of Tory strategy and tactics obviously got orders to vacate the area, and doubtless to give their votes to Socredia. For the continued success of such two-party courtships, it is deemed obligatory that ‘‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’, so that both may derive some benefits from the public trough. Federally, as in the Vancouver-South riding; there are likely to be numerous Tory-Socred back-room deals, shot-gun weddings, renewals of old ‘“‘nuptual’’ relations etc., all designed to save ‘‘the grand old party” with its Socred rump, new “‘facelift”’ and all, from extinction at the hands of an awakened, and now ‘“‘wise”’ electorate. <_Jribune ‘West Coast Sern Gensdisn Tribune oes Editor—TOM McEWEN Associate Editor—MAURICE RUSH Published weekly at Ford Bldg., Mezzanine No. 3, 193 E. Hastings St., Vancouver 4, B.C. Phone 685-5288. Subscription Rate: Canada, $5.00 one year; $2.75 for six months. North and South America and Commonwealth countries, $6.00 one year. All other countries, $7.00 one year. Authorized as second class mail by the Post Office So Cae, and for payment of postage in cash. RANKIN SAYS: ‘New made-in-Canada constitution must recognize changes in cities’ By ALD. HARRY RANKIN Canada needs a new, up-to-date, made-in-Canada constitution. We. need it not only to meet the needs of’ French Canada for political recognition as an equal nation, but to solve the frustrating financial crisis facing our huge and still rapidly growing big city com- plexes. The BNA Act is completely out- moded Canada has changed so much in the past one hundred years that the Fathers of Confederation wouldn’t recognize it today. Just consider these changes for a moment: o In 1881 almost 50 percent of our labor force was employed in agriculture. In 1966 it was only eight percent. e In 1901 the two big centres of population contained nine percent of the country’s population. By 1961 the 18 largest centres held 44 percent. @ In 1961 seven out of every 10 Canadians were urban residents. By 1980 this will increase to eight out of 10. @ By 1980 some 60 percent of all Canadians will live in 29 major city complexes. @ Greater Montreal and Greater Toronto today have a combined population of 4.5 million. By 1980 it will reach seven million. e Greater Vancouver will have a million people by 1980. This shift in population from the country to the city has brought tremendous problems with it. The cities must provide many kinds of services to its residents but under the BNA Act all the best sources of revenue were allotted to senior governments. As a matter of fact, municipalities weren’t even: provided for in the BNA Act; they are creations of the provincial governments. The result of this unfair and unrealistic situation is that to raise the necessary funds to provide services, municipalities must either pile a huge tax burden on homeowners or go into debt. They shave done both. Obviously we need a new. distribution of financial responsibility under which the federal government will pay for services such as education, housing, roads, bridges, freeways, hospitals, justice, water supply, air and water pollution control. With a federal election campaign in full swing where major issues are being debated, now would be a good time to raise the issue of a new constitution with a new distribution of the costs of services presently paid by the cities. Every party and every candidate should be asked to take a stand on this problem. Two steps that could be undertaken as soon as the elections are over are: tll, STEVE STAVENES HOMER STEVENS ‘Free union leaders’ While the issue of United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union readmission to the Canadian Labor Congress (CLC) was prominently featured in CLC Convention debate this week and considerable progress recorded, the fight for the release of UFAWU president Steve Stavenes and secretary Homer Stevens from prison was also intensified by B.C. trade unionists. A delegation of prominent union leaders from 8B.C., and representatives of big unions in this province, interviewed Federal Solicitor-General John Turner on behalf of the imprisoned UFAWU leaders. Solicitor-General Turner promised ‘‘early review’ of the case, and the general concensus of the delegation following the interview was that Stavenes and Stevens may be freed soon. The UFAWU leaders have already served over half their one-year sentence for alleged ‘‘contempt”’ of an exparte court injunction which required them as officers of the UFAWU to “order their members back to work during last year’s Prince Rupert fishermen’s strike. The B.C. delegation interviewing Solicitor-General Turner included Paddy Neale, secretary Vancouver and District Labor Council; Syd Thompson, president of the big Vancouver IWA Local 217 and vice- president of the VLC; Charles Stewart, Amalgamated Transit Workers (Div. 101); Jeff Power, president, Marine Workers and Boilermakers, and UFAWU ‘Business Agent, Jack Nichol. Two of the delegation, Neale and Power served a six month prison term for alleged violation of an ex-parte injunction arising out of the Lenkurt Electric strike in 1967. (a) The calling of a Constitutional Conference to which all municipal as well as provincial governments would be invited to consider a new distribution of responsibility for services, and (b) The appointment of a Commission to hold public hearings on this issue right across the land. Vote NO on Block 42 deal The Vancouver Committee of the Communist Party this week issued a statement urging a NO vote on the Block 42-52 plebiscite on May 23. Charging that ‘‘Block 42-52 is primarily a big business proposition in which a $5 million gift of public money is to be given the promoters, Eaton-Kemp and the Toronto- Dominion Bank.’ The statement says: “‘City taxpayers will be called upon to foot the bill for this gift at an average cost of $20 apiece. A bare majority of City Council has recommended in favor of the deal. “The Vancouver Board of Trade, comprising the economic establishment in the city, has given approval of the proposed $5 million raid on the city treasury. “Bill Belmont, one of the leading promoters of TEAM (the dressed-up ‘modern’ version of the NPA), has complimented the Board on its endorsation. All of this gang are working overtime to make it appear that opposition to THEIR type of development scheme is opposition to modern progress. “Democratic Vancouver citizens, however, have proven in the freeway controversy that they are very much in favor of genuine public progress. They do not believe that progress depends on being rooked by fast talking promoters, their agents on city council, and those that aspire to public office. ‘“‘Under the Block 42 scheme, which has many features similar to the rejected Stafford Smythe land grab of several years ago, City Council proposed to expropriate the land required from its present owners at a $12 million cost, and turn it over to the eastern big business developers for $7 million, that is to hand them an outright gift of $5 Million. | “Part of the money to be ‘misued’ for this purpose will be the $500,000 previously earmarked for a civic center and $900,000 for urban renewal. ‘“‘There is no question that downtown Vancouver does need redevelopment but not on the kind of big business basis proposed under Block 42. “An attractive public municipal development plan is the only way in which the ordinary citizens of Vancouver can benefit from the necessary process of downtown redevelopment.”