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Who's afraid of 4 vote ?

N some matters the opinions of the people are very

definite when they are given an opportunity to express
them by popular vote. On Thursday of last week the people
of Victoria turned down another 20-year BCElectric fran-
chise. Two days later the people of Oak Bay, Esquimalt and
Saanich rendered a similar verdict. Most decisive of all was
the vote against the proposed 20-year BCEHlectric franchise
recorded by the people of Burnaby. In no mood to endorse
a continuation of the -indifferent facilities that have held

back Burnaby development in the past, they gave a 2-to-1°

‘mandate to the new council to investigate the possibilities of
establishing a municipally owned bus system. The BCER’s
‘yes-men’ on civic and municipal councils are having some
difficulty ‘explaining’ this popular rejection of the BCER.
Reeve George Morrison of Burnaby describes it as ‘unfor-
tunate.’ An official of the_ Victoria City Council’s transpor-
tation commission thinks the wording of the bylaw author-
izing the 20-year BCER steal, rather than the quality of
service given by the company is responsible for the rejection.

In his multifarious pre-election promises, Mayer-elect
G. G. McGeer intimated that he wanted all the tracks torn
up and a modern streamlined trolley and auto ‘bus service
installed in Vancouver. Meanwhile it is rumored that the
city-appointed transportation commission is trying to con-
summate the franchise deal in favor of the BCER before the
new council takes office in January, thus closing the door
On the growing\demand for a plebiscite, which would un-
doubtedly produce the same verdict as in the Greater Vic-
toria municipalities and Burnaby.

There is still time for the people of Vancouver to block
this projected BCER steal. Representations should imme-
diately be made to the council by taxpayers’ organizations,
trade unions and other bodies interested in improved trans-
portation facilities, demanding that a plebiscite for a muni-
cipally owned transit utility be held, and that settlement of
the franchise be held over until such an opportunity has
been given the voters of Vancouver to register their opinion.
In the light of the democratic opinion expressed by the peo-
ple of other municipalities to consummate the franchise in
Vancouver now by secret negotiations between the BCER
and their ‘yes-men’ on the transportation commission with-
out a plebiscite, would be too compound a felony against
the people. . : ;

Demand a franchise plebiscite in keeping with the pro-
visions of the city charter, and with provision for a vote
on public ownership of transportation.

Labor unity the answer

UT of the cold figures of the Vancouver Civic elections

of a week ago labor can extract some timely lessons.
The first and most obvious lesson is the need for all sec-
tions of labor to set aside their minor differences, get into
civic affairs and work together, so that Vancouver’s civic
administration reflects the interests of labor and the people,
rather than the interests of the exploiters of labor and the
people. With the exception of Arnold Webster, now the
CCF’s lone representative on the Parks Board, the Civic
Non-Partisan Association (CNPA) won every seat. The
Size of the total vote was unprecedented in the history of
Vancouver; so also was the tens of thousands of dollars
poured into-the CNPA campaign by big business, thus giv-
ing the lie to its avowed ‘non-partisanship.’ : :

The prime lesson to be drawn from the CNPA victory
is the need of labor unity. Given a united movement of all
the forces of labor and progress—even with all handicaps—
Vancouver would be assured of genuine people’s represen-
tation in its civic administration.

With a labor-hating mayor-elect and a full docket of
CNPA yes-men for big business returned to office, it is
small comfort to note that for some sections of labor the
vote increased a little, while for others it declined. The
Civic Reform candidates rolled up a good vote, so also did
individual CCF’ers, but the total for labor and progress was
far below labor’s potential. And that potential will only
be reached when labor unites its forces on a broad and
realistic program of civic reform which will give Vancouver
the stature of a labor town in government as well as or-
ganization.

Multiple voting gave the CNPA slate a big edge over
CCF and Civic Reform candidates, but is not what elect-
ed them. The division in the ranks of labor left the door
of the city hall open to big business and they walked back
in. Let us remedy the defect in 1947.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 4

The wrong Yuletide bird

eT tODVvDvwVvVtHHeFESoSvSD AAR

Coldwell dots the ‘I’s for King

MMMM eM B y L e s | I e fi Orr. $s
4

S Bee speech of M. J. Cold-
well over the CBC hook-
up the other day has per-

haps gone too little noticed.
Mr. Coldwell spoke from New
York, where he is attending the
United Nations Assembly as one
of Canada’s official delegates.
Along with him are the ~ Lib-
erals and tories, headed by St.
Laurent and Bracken. They are
all representing the Dominion in
an official capacity, appointed
by Mr. King. S.

Mr. Coldwell’s speech was a
complete endorsement of the
Liberal government’s foreign

“policy. Like the United States,

it appears that Canada has a
“bi-partisan” foreign policy; and
by the same judgment that must
be given of the right-wing Re-
publican domination of Tru-
man’s policy, so it must be said
that the Liberals King and St.
Laurent and the Bracken tories
lay down the lines of Canada’s
Position, and Mr. Coldwell, in
the mame of the CCH, tags
along.

More than that, Mr. Coldwell
is quite enthusiastic about the
King government’s policy. He
plugs for it. He commits the er-
ror of many overzealous dis-
ciples in that he oyveremphasizes
the master’s words. In a fashion
that Mr. King perhaps would
not care to do, Mr. Coldwell dots
the “i’s” and crosses the “t's”
and leaves nothing to the imag-
ination.

@

IN the matter of- limiting the

veto, in connection with dis-
armament, and on similar ques-
tions, Coldwell carries on his
San HErancisco practices. There,
it will be recalled, Coldwell went
down the line with Canada’s
leadership of the fight for the
“rights of the middle and small
powers,” which was the then-
fashionable form the anti-Soviet
gang-up in the United Nations
took on.

Did Mr. Coldwell the other
Gay express’ any sort of inde
pendent point of view, such as
that possessed by many of his
party members and followers on»
freedom for the colonies, friend-

“ship with Russia, the outlawing

of the atom bomb? WNot at all.
Hven the indecisive resolutions
of the last CCE national con-
vention, which did bear an im-
print of worry about the effort
to isolate the Soviet Union, found
no echo in Coldwell’s speech.

War with Russia is openely
spoken about today. There are
those who are deliberately set-
ting the stage for such a war,
who are even now building the
psychological fortifications for
that conflict. There are counter-
forces at work, most notably in
the past few weeks in the form
of a revolt within the British
Labor Party—that .political mod-
el so often held up by Mr. Gold-
well to.indicate the kind of
party he would like to lead. Did
that find any reflection in Cold:
wells radio address, or did he
attempt to deal with it even to
placate what must certainly be
a contentious matter among
thinking C@F’ers? No. It was
blithely ignored.

&

& Mr. Coldwell is permitted to

go unchallengeq in his own
party, then it must be taken for
granted that his party endorses
the King - Bracken - Byrnes-Bevin
line of policy on Greece, Ger-
many, the colonies, the atom
bomb and the retention of the
strong residue of fascism in the
world. If ever there was a time
for C€CH’ers to think, and think
hard, it is now, when their na-
tional leader has placed them so
clearly on record as having no
differences with Mackenzie King
and John Bracken—and, in some
respects, with George Drew.

6

E Ontario section of the

CCF is holding its convention
this week in Hamilton. A pre-
view of the resolutions to come

MMMM MOMENT

An Ottawa report states that some German prisoners-of-war will
be allowed to ~remain in Canada. The King government must be

getting desperate for votes.

In his first speech as Mayor-elect of Wanecsuver, Senator G. G.
MicGeer praised the Daily Province for the support it had given him.
Just to show what a good labor man he is, no doubt.

up indicates that little is being
prepared on the subject of peace,
which is the all-pervadings topic
today. if Mr. Coldwell’s New
York speech, and his consistent
record of unanimity with Mac-
kenzie King on CGanadian fo-
reign policy, will not be chal
lenged there, then it must be
concluded that the CCE mem-
bership, through their delegates
have given the stamp of ap-
proval to their leader’s line.
Bither that, or they are betray-
ing a criminal disregard for the
fate of Canada.
it will be interesting toe see
whether anything will be said at
the Convention im criticism of
the Coldwell foreign policy. In
the United States there is emerg-
ing a great challengins of the
“bi-partisan” foreign policy which
has delivered the’ nation to
Hoover, Dewey and Vandenberg.
In Britain the Tabor Party is
virtually split on the issue,
Where stands the GCF in Gan-
ada? Will it permit itself to
drift into a position of being
numbered amongst the anti-
Soviet, pro-war phalanxes, or
will voices arise to condemn
the line of its top leadership?
LILLIA PRP PPP PPP PAPA APP Pre
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1936