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PARLIAMENT HILL

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—OTTAWA

PRIME Minister Louis St. Laurent and his cabinet

last week turned down the demands of upwards
1,000,000 organized workers (a potential 2,000,000 voters)
for advanced social legislation. :

The ex-corporation lawyer who is now leader of the
Liberal government and his minister of labor, Humphrey
Mitchell, made it clear that they would not introduce
any of the measures asked when they met with officers
and delegates of the Canadian Congress of Labor and
the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada.

Both congresses placed high on their list of desired
legislation housing, social security legislation, price
control, raising income tax exemptions to approximately
$1500 for single and $2500 for married persons, a Bill
' Of Rights, lowering of the voting age limit to 18 years,
- 8nd improved labor legislation.

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Source of this riding roughshod. over the will of
SO many potential voters was felt to be the lack of
fight against the war plans of Canadian industrialists
by both congresses and indeed the abject outright
approval by the CCL of the government’s foreign policy
and the Atlantic pact. The TILC brief made no mention
of the pact and, in sharp contrast to the CCL brief,
Paid tribute to the United Nations as worthy of sup-
bort. The CCL brief repeated External Affairs Minister
Pearson's line about the UN being unable to provide
security, and had “no hesitation” in commending the
s80vernment for ERP, the North Atlantic pact “against
the aggressive totalitarian activities. of Soviet Russia.”

Opening remarks in replying to the CCL brief, seized
°n this part of the CCL presentation,
Conroy ana other officials:

“You are too modest in saying that your annual
visits here are without affect, and for not to accept
Some credit for pretty important modifications aris-
ing out of them. If there was nothing more in
your brief than the external affairs. section . .
your delegation would have been very much worth-
while.”

The prime minister then went on to say that he
heartily welcomed CCL approval of Canadian foreign
Policy ana pointed out that drafting of measures like
the Atlantic pact was a consequence of “educational
Work” which “you and we have been doing.”

Following this hearty backslap for Conroy, Mosher,
Dowa and others sitting in the front benches, and a
thank you kindly for taking us off ,the hook,’ as
one labor leader expressed it, the minister continued by
Systematically rejecting each and every one of the
aN _ Major domestic and social security demands of the
: Congress brief.

Throughout the CCL presentation, Finance Minister

D. C. Abbott ignored proceedings, reading the Tory
_ Globe and Mail and sniffing periodically at sharp sec-
tions of the brief. One delegate kept bringing the
eo minister to order. \

Reflecting the strong feeling of organized workers
Was the outburst of applause’ which followed President
Mosher’s rebuttal. Forced to his feet by the peremp-
tory rejection of labor's proposals ‘by Prime Minister

t. Laurent and the obvious dissatisfaction of assembled
mae delegates, Mosher declared that the labor minister had
: turned down” every’ proposal made on the need for
an adequate national labor code, He also said the

€ said the replies of government failed to recognize

In an appeal meant to neutralize the abject features

Of the briefs external affairs section, Mosher said “it
does seem to us that we should be giving more atten-
_ Hon to social security measures than to the building of
tanks, airplanes and guns at the present time.” He
_ believed ‘that we were living in a “democracy” and
that if a referendum were taken 75 percent would say
_ Yes to price controls and housing. Finally he asked
‘the question, “Is the government representing the
People in a:
ment?” '

Despite the sharpness of Mosher’s reply, it was
Clearly apparent that the CCL brief by its support of
the “cold war’ had only made it easier for the gov-
€rnment to reject labor’s demands, weakened the fight

‘ for social legislation and undermined the struggle for
‘Peace,

Significantly enough Prime Minister St. Laurent’s

saying to Pat

the existence of a “crisis” and “the fear of another war.”

emocracy or is it representing the govern-

Minister had not given the delegation “any satisfaction.”

view.

By MARK FRANK

CCL gets gov't praise for policy aid,
nothing for workers demands

O——_—_—_——*_
t

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Our personnel problem is safobl: J. B.\ I've fired
. everyone .. -(

Fitna 5

Big business out

to stifle CBC

—OTTAWA

EHIND the government’s order to the CBC to ban
from the air all commentators and speakers who may
be classed as “progressive” or “left” can be traced the

; influence of big business pressure groups.

Considerable pressure has been brought to bear
on the government recently from Canadian Chamber
of Commerce groups which engage special agencies to
listen in on all commentaries, and from the Canadian
Association of Broadcasters,

A publication called The Printed Word, published

- monthly by Johnson, Everson and Charlesworth, “writers

and consultants,” with offices in Toronto and Montreal,
last month referred to the CBC as a “socialist advocate.”

- It would abolish the CBC altogether in favor of private

ownership.

From Vancouver, the B.C. Federation of Trade and
Industry publishes a regular weekly “listening post” the
stated objective of which is to “acquaint business men
with the use being made of radio time by. labor unions
and left-wing groups in Canada.”

‘In its issue of December 26 it reported: “CBC com-
mentator Dr. Glen Shortliffe achieved something new

' by working Communist propaganda into the review of
two books. On January 21, it commented that Elmore

Philpott kad been critical of the Atlantic pact. It called
Dr. Martyn Estall, another Queen’s professor, a “Com-

munist” for criticizing Britain, France and the U.S. for

not turning back Italian; colonies to the people.

But no word of criticism is directed at such com-
mentators as Willson Woodside, G. V. Ferguson and
other right-wirig editors. Dene

While even the so-called “progressive” commentators
on the CBC are generally far from that, the labor move-
ment has been slow to combat the campaign of the
CAB, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Tory leader
George Drew and the federal cabinet itself, all of whom
are working to make the CBC an instrument of reac-
tionary propaganda to the exclusion of even the small
numbers of broadcasts that present labor's point of

It is a well-known fact that CBC officials are ex-
tremély sensitive to letters and telephone calls. A
flood of letters, protests and commendations where de-
served from all those concerned with preserving demo-

cratic, control and freedom of speech on the Canadian’ —

airwaves, could stop this government censorship of the
publicly-owned CBC and force private stations to sell
time to labor and progressive organizations.

in the provincial coffers will come from oil.

_ that really is our “natural heritage.”
@

The value of the oil lands which have been given to _

‘provincial budget for

-Only a few short weeks ago the provincial government

_wealth of natural resources.

immediately increased to 50 percent.

IN ALBERTA By BEN SWANKEY

Socred hands oil

wealth to trusts

—EDMONTON

,REMIER MANNING of Alberta, who is also
provincial treasurer, recently brought down the
1949-50. There are ‘several

striking features in it that deserve mention and comment.

It is the largest budget in Alberta’s history. A
record expenditure of 661/42 million dollars is announced
(not counting the six million for the Alberta government
telephone system). This is a 24 percent increase over

the 1948-49 figure of 53!) millions.

The total revenue from both income and capital
account is estimated at 64 million dollars. This is a
36 percent increase over the 1948-49 figure of 47

millions.

The accumulated surplus of the government now
stands at the huge figure of 50 million dollars.

A deficit of 2'% million dollars is anticipated in the
1949-50 budget. But this is only a paper deficit, the -
roe of mathematical juggling at which Premier Manning
is adept. Last year he estimated a deficit of 61/2 mil-
lions; now it’ turns out that instead there will be a
surplus of 6 millions! It’s the politician’s game of
painting a dark picture, then trying to dazzle the voters
with bright achievements.

A. considerable ‘proportion of the new-found wealth
Revenue
from petroleum and natural gas this coming year is esti-
mated at 11 million dollars. E.ven this large figure is
a gross understatement, as the premier himself suggests.

sold the oil rights on two small parcels of land in the
Redwater area for over 5 million dollars!

€ .
Some long overdue, but nevertheless welcome re-

forms, such as the increasing of old age and blind

pensions to $40 a month, were announced—in view of

the large surpluses and the insistent demand -for tax

relief and improved social services the government could

hardly avoid them—but Premier Manning’s real attitude

of opposition to increased social sefvices is contained in

this statement:

“The ever-increasing demands on all governments
for new and extended social and public services —
while fully justified within proper limits are in-
dications of a current trend fraught with serious
ultimate consequences. = vo ee

“This dangerous trend is fostered by Socialists
and exploited by Communists. Unless it is- halted
and reversed by the people themselves it will lead
io an ever-increasing measure of burocratic state
control and to the ultimate loss of all true personal
freedom and individual enterprise.”

Isn’t that just what is bemg said by Premiers Drew —
and Duplessis, by the Chamber of Commerce and the
Canadian Manufacturers Association? To Premier
Manning, a reduction in taxes on working people, higher _
pensions, extended health and educational services are —
“‘burocratic state control” and a “loss of true personal
freedom.” i a

How his words in 1949 differ from 1935 when
he was the late William Aberhart’s assistant! Then
they stumped the province talking about our great natural
heritage, our God-given right to social security. They
demanded that the benefits of our vast natural resources _
accrue to the people. : ;

Now Manning has forgotten all about his promise
of $25 a month to the people, but he doesn’t hesitate
to give dividends of tens of millions to the oil trusts—
wealth that rightfully belong to the people of Alberta,

The expected revenue of 11 million dollars from
oil this coming year looks like and really is a lot of
money. But it is still only a small proportion of the
value of the oil produced. It’s still peanuts compared |
with what Imperial Oil and other companies are getting.

them by Social Credit is literally hundreds of millions
of dollars. “Meat and potatoes for the oil companies,
bread and gravy for the government, and a small slice
of bread for the people’’—that pretty well sums up what
is happening to Alberta oil. : ;
Alberta is a rich

province with an incalculable
If the profits from oil ©
alone( not to mention coal, lumber, gas, hydro) were _
coming into the provincial treasury and spent on social —
welfare, life would indeed be wonderful in “Sunny
Alberta.” As” a step in that direction, the Labor-
Progressive party is proposing that royalties on oil be

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — APRIL 1, 199 — PAGE 9

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