' Pumping B.C. natural gas to the U.S. Photo shows one worker
Manning large pumping station at U.S. border where hundreds
Of millions of cubic feet of gas pour across to the U.S. every

day.

Jerry Edwards, vice-president
Richmond Tenant Council, writes:
he recent report from The Law
FP Xelorm Commission with
Proposals for changes to the
I Landlord and Tenant Act is partial-
IY acceptable as it stands. but in-
Complete with regard to tenant
~ Security,
# ~The Law Reform Commission
has not included many important
é Proposals set down in a brief to
H that body by the British Columbia
Tenant Organization last summer.
One of them being a requirement of
landlords to show justification for
Tent increases. :
A Very explosive situation is
» Duilding up fast due to the severe
Tent increases being levied on
g ‘CNants. this situation requires the
MmMediate attention of the provin-
¢ “al government,
_ When the Law Reform Commis-
ton talks of “a scheme of tenant
Seurity’” when referring to just
Ise for eviction, and proposes
t Cause for eviction, and fails to
HPTOpose just cause for rent. in-
a fases. they are being contradic-
ory ince security from arbitrary
Feviction and Security from  ar-
ltrary rent increases IS tenant
‘urity. in my view,
hese tunaway rent increases
“te in most: cases immoral and
°Me cases criminal. and together
‘th the intolerable food prices
Which are still on the rise) are put-
Né some people in the position of
Orking for little more than room
board.

And if the rent increases and ar-

bitrary evictions are not enough.
the listing companies are jumping
in ahead of the landlords and grab-
bing 20 bucks off the top. There is a
recent influx of these listing com-
panies (7 to be exact) in Vancouver
with branches in New Westminster
and West Vancouver. Rentex. Ren-
tal Service. Rental Locators. Cana-
dian References. Timesavers,
Homehunters of Canada. and Ac-
commodations Unlimited. who
control over 90° of the advertised
available accommodation and who
charge prospective tenants from 20

to 25 dollars to take a peek at their

current listings. The tenant is
screened on application and must

meet the specifications of the

landlord.

The Provincial Government
should institute a temporary rent
freeze. effective immediately. and
to remain in effect until passage of
permanent new legislation which
would require landlords to show
justification for rent increases.

Vancouver and other outlying
municipalities could curb the
monopoly on housing and create
competition by going into the hous-
ing market in a big way. Such hous-
ing could be built in proportion to
the various levels of income in the
city with priority for the lower end
of the income scale, and the
premises could be leased out to in-
dividuals at cost. The necessary
finances for such a city sponsored
program exist in the mortgage
provisions in Provincial and
Federal legislation.

U.S. CP ANNOUNCES EXPULSIONS

ae YORK — A joint meeting
the Central Committee and the
) ational Council of the Communist
f arty of the USA unanimously
dopted a resolution calling for the
Xpulsion from the Party of Al
3chmond and Dorothy Healey.
“oth were members of the Party in
alifornia. :
he resolution. adopted
ember 2 announced December
4, Noted that both Richmond and
a Caley had consistently “engaged
¢' Struggle against the Party's
Political policies. organizational
"inciples and fundamental
deolo,
elled for that reason.
le two members continued to
PPose the Party's position
dopted some years go on the
Teatened counter-revolution in
2echoslovakia and Richmond par-

Bical concepts” and were ex-

ticularly had sought both in and out
of the Party to win support for his
position — in defiance of
democratic centralism. More
recently, Healey had advocated the
formation of some non-Party type
of organization to engage in
socialist dialogue and debate.

Both had resigned from the Par-
ty in anticipation of their expulsion
hoping by that: move to maintain
contacts within the Party. Healey.
in explaining to the media, said she
was “still a Communist . . . albeit
without a party.”

The Central Committee called
the self-designated status of *‘Com-
munist without a party” as a
further fraudulent attempt to
maintain contact with Party
members to continue anti-Party ac-
tivities.

en - rm ney rc seurcramaes

. Natural gas exports to U.S.

add to Canada’s energy crisis

Recently the Pacific Tribune
carried a Special article and chart

“which showed that exports of

Canadian crude petroleum to the
U.S. had risen sharply in 1973. con-
tributing directly to. Canada’s

"energy problems.

On this page the PT reprints
another chart. recently made
public by Statistics Canadd. which
demonstrates the main charge
made in our earlier article: that a
major source of Canada’s growing
energy problem is the vast
giveaway of these vital resources to
the US.

The chart above shows that

natural gas exports. in the first
three-quarters of 1973 had already
exceeded the total exports for 1971.
and that in that same nine-month
period exports were nearly as high
for all of 1972. Indications are that
export-of natural gas (as it was with
crude petroleum) in 1973 will far
exceed those of 1972.
» Major quantities of natural gas
are exported to the U.S. from B.C.
through the Westcoast Transmis-
sion pipeline. About 75 percent of
B.C.’s natural gas pours down into
the U.S. to provide cheap energy
for U.S. industry and cities
throughout- the American
northwest.

Although the provincial
government's recent action in for-
ming the B.C. Petroleum Corp..
will take over the purchase of all
natural gas in B.C., and upped the
rate to the U.S.. it does nathing to
curtail the flow of gas to the U.S.
On the contrary. there are at pre-
sent applications. before the
National Energy Board for permits
to vastly increase the export of
natural gas from B.C. to the U.S.

What makes this policy of export
of energy resources to the U.S.
criminal is that we are exporting an
irreplaceable resource. A little
more than a year ago the National
Energy Board projected that
Canada has a deficit in reserves
against future requirements totall-
ing 1.1 trillion cubic feet.

Pipeline and gas companies
operating in Canada are mostly
US. - owned. Westcoast Transmis-
sion is owned in the main by three
U.S. companies. Hudson Bay Oil
and Gas is owned 65.9 percent by
Continental Oil Company of the
U.S.A. Bow River Pipelines is own-
ed 50 percent by Great Northern
Oil of the U.S.

The flow of most natural gas
fields in Canada is north and south
— from Canadian provinces to the
U.S. — instead of east and west to
serve the all-Canadian market.
This is due to policies followed by
successive Canadian government,
Liberal, Tory and Socred, which
favored deals with U.S. companies
and committed huge supplies over
many generations to the U.S.

A major aspect of any Canadian
energy policy today must take into
account measures to curtail and
halt the hemorrhage of vital energy
fuels to the U.S: and to divert their
use to serve Canadian needs.

INMEMORY
The Pacific Tribune has received
twenty-five dollars in memorial
donations from the Association of
United Ukrainian Canadians in
memory of Anne Holyk, who

recently passed away. The PT ex-.

presses its thanks.

OE NNT SES TT ER NN

tothe

Fourth Quarter

Third Quarter
Second Quarter

First Quarter

1969” 1970

Canadian Exports of Natural Gas

United States

Soarce Summary of Exports 65 COIs

1971 1972 1973

North Shore tenants
urge action on rents

Tenants committees from. four
communities in North Vancouver
District have written the District
council asking they join with North
Vancouver City in representation
to the provincial government to
limit rent increases in any one year
to 10 percent. But it urges the
District to press for revisions in the
proposal.

“Automatic increases of 10°
every vear on existing rents, which
are already exorbitant. would
(reate additional hardships for
tenants who are already carrying

_an undue burden,” says a letter

signed by Ernie Crist, chairman of
the Maplewood Tenants Com-
mittee.

RENT GOUGE

Cont’d. from pg. 1

Legislature. the B.C. Tenants’
Organizations representing the
tenants councils in the province,
has called for rental boards in
every municipality with powers to
force rent justification, legislation
to guarantee just cause for evic-
tion. collective bargaining for
tenants and a massive program of
public housing construction — all
planks in the NDP election plat-
form. ;

The housing crisis in the lower
mainland has made action on the
tenants’ long-standing demands
more imperative than ever.

The tenants groups are asking
the District Council to press the
B.C. government to provide for
rent increases to be negotiated
between a landlord and tenants,
and that where agreement cannot
be reached the dispute go to a Rent
Review or Grievance Board with
binding powers.

They also ask that such Boards
be guided by standards of ac-

‘ comodation to be set up by the

municipality by bylaw: that
landlords be required to submit
justification for rent increases: and
that maximum. rent increases in
any year be “less but not more”
than the percentage increase in the
cost of living index for the previous
12 months.

HELEN MATHIESON
IN CITY HOSPITAL

Helen Mathieson, veteran
woman Communist and life-long
Supporter of the PT, is in Edith
Cavell Hospital, 2855 Sophia St.,
Vancouver. She was admitted just
before Christmas, and is undergo-
ing treatment.

Helen was 88 years of age on

Wednesday, Jan. 2. The PT wishes

her a happy birthday on behalf of
the staff and readers. Visitors are
allowed and cards can be sent to
the above address.

Classified

Advertising

COMING EVENTS

BUSINESS PERSONALS

SAT., JAN. 19TH. ANNUAL
BURN’S NIGHT, at Russian
People’s Home, 600 Campbell
Ave.. Vancouver, supper at
6:30 p.m.. dance at 9 p.m.,
speaker: Harry Rankin. full
program of entertainment in-
cluding Scottish dancers, ad-
mission $4.00. students, pen-
sioners, $3.00. tickets
available from Co-op Books,
or by phoning 939-0245 or 936-
4467.

Monday, January 14th, 8 p.m.,
YCL_ Educational Seminar,

“Canadian Labor History —

Current Issues’, with guest lec-

turer Emil Bjarnason, in the —

lounge of the Fishermen’s Hall, 138

E. Cordova St., Van.
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—

¢

“UKRAINIAN

NEED CAR OR HOUSE
INSURANCE? Call Ben
Swankey 433-8323.

WANTED TO BUY: Brass Beds,
Stone Bottles, Old Dining

Suites, Pretty Plant Pots.
Phone 224-6550 after 6.

CANADIAN
CULTURAL CENTRE - 805
East Pender St., Vancouver 4.

Available for banquets. wed- -

dings, meetings. Phone 254-
3436.

WEBSTER’S CORNER HALL.
— Available for banquets,
meetings, weddings, etc. For’

rates, Ozzie 325-4171 or 685-
5836.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 1974—PAGE 11