*

SH

FEBRUARY, 1970

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER:

The New Democratic Party
has sharply criticized a gov-
ernment bill to regulate cor-
porate activities more closely
for its failure to move against
foreign takeovers of Canadian
firms.

Party Leader Tommy Doug-
las told the Commons -the
amendments to the Canada
Corporations Act will improve
the picture in one way. The
amendments will give the
government wide powers of
investigation to check corpor-
ate abuses and require large
federally - incorporated com-
panies to make public their
financial situation.

Protect Sovereignty

Mr. Douglas said a corpora-
tions, act ought to do more
than merely concern itself
with corporate housekeeping,
important as that is. Such an
act should protect Canada’s
national sovereignty and re-
verse the takeover trend.
Over 500 Canadian companies
were taken over last year
alone.

When a foreign corporate
elite has a nation like Canada
in its grip, all chance of build-
ing a social democracy is lost,
he said. Political democracy
is endangered.

Canadian political and eco-
nomic independence will be
the central issue of the new
decade, he prophesied. It can-
not be evaded.

Canada’s Options

Canada’s options are being
closed up as foreign takeovers
reach alarming proportions.
Such takeovers are largely
unimpeded.

The ruling Liberal party

has said nothing about the
report of Melville Watkins
prepared for an earlier Lib-
eral government. It warned
of the dangers of U.S. corpor-
ate control years ago.

Meanwhile Japan has taken
legislative steps to prevent
foreign business control. The
Canadian government has
done nothing either because
it has been “cowed into sub-
mission or it is convinced that
economic absorption is inevit-
able.”

Blatant Takeovers

Mr. Douglas said that Prof.
Watkins warned in his report
that no other country per-
mitted such blatant economic
takeovers as Canada.

Most other industrialized
countries have imposed re-
strictions on foreign take-
overs. But Canada has not
moved strongly. The situation
has become more serious since
the Watkins report was pre-
sented to the government.
Foreign takeovers mount un-
der the continentalist ap-
proach of the Liberal govern-
ment.

Second Reading

Mr. Douglas spoke on the
amendments when they were
up for second reading. The
bill seems certain to eventual-
ly become law.

A Conservative spokesman,
Gerald Baldwin, his party’s
house leader, said the bill
went too far in alloting in-
vestigative and other powers
to the government. It was a
move to allow the government
to intimidate, harass and de-
stroy corporations that an-
noyed the government.

HOUSEWIFE'S VALUE
SHOULD BE MEASURED

A housekeeper’s wages are
reflected in the country’s
gross national product — the
total value of Canada’s goods
and services in terms of dol-
lars.

But why not a housewife’s?
She does the same work
doesn’t she?

Sylvia M. Gelber, director
of the federal labour depart-
ment’s women’s bureau, wants
to know the answer.

She made the point during
a speech in Toronto that the
main difficultiy is the problem
of measurement.

But, she said, “methods are
devised that even make pos-
sible a walk on the moon.”
Surely finding a woman's
worth is a simpler task, she
observed,

The women _ themselves,
she said, “those who provide
the services,” should bring
pressure on social scientists to
ensure that “the bona fide
services, unpaid though they
be, should no longer be set
aside as valueless in dollar
terms.”

What's wrong with omitt-

the worth of housework?
one, Miss Gelber said,

cluding some measure of
housework performed by fam-
ily members.

According to one study in
Great Britain, the value of
unpaid housework in indust-
rialized countries was pegged
at 44 percent of the gross
national product, in terms of
hours worked and production.

is

LAST STEAM logging railway in Canada passes into history

943 Sree pts

Pe ak othe i
era Mas Viawtentadbh Thats

END OF AN ERA

The end of one of the most
colourful eras in _ logging
history came December Ist,
1969, with the closing down
of the last steam logging rail-
way in Canada.

Making the last run from
the former Nanaimo River
camp to Ladysmith was “No.
Er ee ee)

LIGHTER SIDE

Logger’s definition of a
racetrack — where windows
clean people.

* * *

Pouce Coupe Pete says he
has a friend who is so old that
he only chases girls downhill.

* * *

Sam the machinery sales-
man says that a small town is
where everybody knows
whose check is good — and
whose husband isn’t.

* x *

Sawmill Sue says that by
the time a girl learns to watch
her step she’s too old to go
anywhere. :
Ke eK

Sam the machinery sales-
man says his new girl friend
is only a distributor’s daugh-
ter but she has her points.

* * *

Pity the poor Japanese call
girls — they have to go to the
poorhouse if no one has a yen
for them,

1055”, a Baldwin saddle tank
steam “locie”.

On the last 16 mile run the
old engine hauled 30 railway
cars carrying a total of 2,000
tons of logs. When ‘1055’
reached the end of the line, it
passed into history for the
simple reason of economy.

Hauling logs by truck is far
less expensive, as one modern
. truck can carry as many logs
on a single load as three rail-
way flatcars.

The many steam engine fans
who remember these old
“locies” will miss them but
won't forget’ them.

PERCY'S POEM
IS TAKEN TO TASK

The Editor:

I just finished reading
the January copy of the
Lumber Worker. ‘Plugged
in with God” by D. P. Fer-
guson really impressed me,

but, why bring God into it
in this manner?

I am enclosing an answer
to Percy which you may
care to print.

Just a reader.

Now Percy thinks he knows it all

And is so very smart

He talks about a line to God

But no God in his heart.

The heart’s too small to put God there
As far as he can see

So bitterly he lives and squawks

No mercy from Percy.

How happy he could be to find
Compassion — tolerance st
A deeper feeling through God’s love
For enemies and friends.

So he'll be sceptic as can be

When I mention God and prayer
His line to Trudeau may be long
But the line to God’s right there!

‘ |lo

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