Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 13, 1971, Winnipeg, Manitoba Printed and published daily except by the Winnipeg fret press company limited. 300 Carlton Street Winnipeg Manitoba. R. S. Malone publisher and editor in chief Peter Mclintock Maurice Western executive editor Ottawa editor r. H. Shelford general manager Winnipeg free press Western Canada s National newspaper Winnipeg monday december 13, 1971 Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights danger signals the United states has made a beginning in its recovery from a hugs and prolonged balance of payments Defi Cit. But the surplus of about million in its Merchan Dise exports and imports during september is marginal almost microscopic and subsequent figures will show that it has been More than cancelled by the outflow of so called invisible items like capital movements military expenditures and the like. Over All the nation s accounts Are still deeply in the red. Even in merchandise Trade which had always shown an annual surplus since 1893, the deficit for the first nine months of 1971 was about million. If a balance for the whole year is to be achieved exports must be higher than imports by a monthly average of about million. That is a High perhaps an impossible target. How a problem of these dimensions will be affected by president Nixon s Tariff surcharge and the adjustment of foreign currency rates cannot be foreseen yet. The risks ahead for the world Economy however Are alarmingly dear. If the surcharge. Is maintained too Long if other import restrictions Are added to it by a protectionist Congress and if the clash of currencies is not settled soon enough then inevitably foreign nations will begin to Retali ate against the United states. The results of such a dog eat dog struggle could be disastrous As the mad history of the 1930s demonstrated. Thus the timing of or. Nixon s program is probably As important As its contents. At the moment the primary concern of All foreign nations including Canada is the duration of the surcharge and to this question there has been no answer. It is doubt Ful indeed if the United states government knows the answer since it will depend mainly on the Success of the at tempt to close the International Exchange Gap and As an essential part of the same process the attack on inflation at Home. Nevertheless or. Nixon is operating within a time Frame As yet undefined but certainly limited. By next Spring at latest his nations trading partners must know the United states future intentions or they will attempt to adopt new protectionist measures of their own. Already signs of growing impatience have appeared in Europe. The executive commission of the common Marke predicts in a recent report that the slowdown in the european Economy As a whole which began earlier this year will continue and be further aggravated by Ameri can policy. The Market now faces its most difficult Situa Tion since it was established in 1958, the commission warns. Obviously these conditions will encourage an increase of the restrictive policies which the United states has rightly criticized in the past and against which it has reacted with drastic counter measures. The danger signals Are As easily read As the bonfires on the Cliffs of Dover celebrating Britain s historic return to Europe. The problem of currencies is even More complicated and perhaps More difficult to solve than the Trade problem though both of course Are some leading currencies notably those of Germany and Japan have moved upward As the american government desires and the floating Canadian Dollar pushes close to a publisher s responsibility dispute at la Presse but took at it this Way a am. You re complying precisely with government policy buy it but Don t drink parity with that of the United states. But the new York times reports from Paris that if anything the chances for resolving the world monetary crisis look worse today Man in mid August when president Nixon launched his policy of trying to Force other nations to give trading advantages to the United states. After a recent meeting in Paris of economic authorities of the major non communist countries the issues seemed even More Complex than in August and the opposing factions even More entrenched in their amid these uncertainties the position of Canada is unique for various reasons its vital dependence on the United states Market its continuing economic growth at a High rate compared to that of most nations its paradoxically High rate of unemployment its Clumsy habit of of fending its Best friends and its inability so far to make the United states understand its genuine difficulties. In the current Wrangle Between Ottawa and washing ton for example it is usually said that Canada enjoys an enormous favourable balance of Trade with its neighbor. So it does in the Exchange of visible merchandise potentially a margin of More than a billion dollars this year. But taking the invisible like dividends interest payments and other items into account total transactions should be virtually equal. That fact is almost completely unknown to the american Public while their government ignores it at least in Secretary Connally s Bellicose Public statements. And the Canadian government Clouds the whole economic argument by its repeated anti american political gestures with the enthusiastic help of or. Doubtless the facts will be clarified As the argument goes on and doubtless too Many foolish and angry words will be uttered meanwhile on both sides of the Border but the largest Canadian fact is that this country of All industrialized countries can least afford to raise its production costs and restrict its Trade that its inflation rate while relatively Low up to now will be relatively and dangerously High a Little later on if the United slates wage Price controls succeed even marginally and that it cannot excuse its own internal mistakes by blaming the admitted mistakes of its neighbor. The radicalization of Louis Laberge co operation in Quebec labor or. Benson s Appeal Montreal Quebec major labor Organiza t i o n s have traditionally been As suspicious of each other As they Are of the motives of government or big business. Indeed the bitterness of fights for members or pres Tige Between the confederation of National Trade unions a Central Organiza Tion of Quebec based syndicates and the Quebec federation of an affiliate of the c a n a d i an labor Congress have frequently exceeded struggles for higher wages or better working conditions. The unions have been i v i d e d by aspirations and geology with the Quebec federation of labor a Al accusing the confederation of National Trade unions in to of perpetrating the class struggle. The Cantu in turn has charged that the Flis puppet of International unions controlled from the United states. The possibility of a unified Abor voice to confront the government on major issues came even More Remote with the emergence of que Bec s teachers As an important bargaining Force during the educational re orm that accompanied the revolution of the 1960s. The teachers have re used adamantly to join either the Cantu or the a Al and have their own Central organization. Therefore few events in Quebec have been More sur prising in recent weeks than he gestures of co operation and increasingly similar tone of the province s rival Union readers. The Quebec teachers Cor to rat Ion and the Cantu joined ranks with the a Al by Paul Whitelaw demonstration of the previous closely for they realize How week in which More than 100 policemen and protesters were injured and one woman died of an asthma attack marked a turning Point. Since then or. Laberge has set his Union on a Radical course that is bringing it ideologically closer to the teach e r s corporation and the Cantu which in recent years have become increasingly identified with the struggle for sovereignty uni Lin dualism and a dramatically different social order. Attempts to change the a Al s Public image reached a High Point at a four Day convention of the federation which ended saturday in Montreal. Delegates representing the members of the a Al endorsed the idea of general strikes to exert pressure on political and financial institutions. The unprecedented Rise in f will be severely punished and pre Christmas retail sales j toe savings confiscated in represents the Heartfelt re taxes since Canad f Are a Law abiding lot spouse of the Canadian peo j Taw Tarcen out pie to finance minister Ben j savings or mortgaged their son s moving Appeal As pre future earnings to buy consented in his tax Bill. Sumer articles in Large loan in these Uncertain times j if there a Fol not be any with the american Dollar a j dilating economic prospects gloomy with Canada s Trade Tiona markets in Europe being enclosed by the euro Pean economic Community s Tariff Walls and the american Market protected by new Sor charges in Soch times one expect that the pro several weeks ago to protest the loss of a Al members jobs that accompanied the shutdown of la Presse Mon Treal s largest French Lan Guage daily newspaper. Several Days later an estimated people attended a Tri Union rally in the Montreal forum. They heard j Union leaders make Surpris j i n g 1 y similar statements j about the need for worker Solidarity to fight common j enemies the government j j and capitalism. J j a Al president Louis la j j Berge always the moderate j among Quebec s sometimes j volatile Union spokesmen an j bounced that the la Presse they also voted to consider massive participation in a political party and if Neces sary to form a new one. This Resolution removed Blan Ket support from the new democratic party and opened the door for a Perma nent organization to replace the common front which has been formed to support the la Presse workers. In addition the delegates voted in favor of Quebec s right to self determination of its political future. While not openly supporting the idea of Quebec Independence it indicated that the a Al would readily consider the separatist option in a Way that a could not have occurred be fore. Further it was decided to consult with other Union groups about setting up an inter Union Council to co ordinate the efforts of Quebec syndicates. Politicians in Quebec Are powerful the unions May be come if they can permanently overcome their traditional rivalries. The reasons for the radicalization of Louis Laberge was the subject of much Specula Tion among reporters cover ing last week s convention. To the More cynical he was trying to keep his Job by attempting to keep Pace with the Vanguard of que Bec s labor movement. How. Ever or. Laberge appears to be innocent on that charge for some of the More Radical resolutions passed with far from unanimous support. Others suggested that the a Al president has been affected by the rapidly increasing polarization of Quebec society seeded up by the tru Deau Brand of federalism the War measures act and such shockingly dramatic events As the shutdown of la Presse. To people fighting for cultural survival on a predominantly English speaking continent their largest news paper was an institution of far greater importance than its English counterparts. Or. Laberge it was suggested has deserted the increasingly lonely Middle ground to join those Quebec intellectuals who have opted either for federalism and the status quo or sovereignty and sweeping so Cial change. Still others noted that or. Laberge and other Union leaders believe that the War measures act and Montreal s anti demonstration bylaw were Only the first Steps in what they see As a growing trend towards authoritarianism. What they especially fear is the apparent Public acceptance of the measures which they Are afraid might be applied across the Board to All labor disputes. To head off this apprehended repression before it materializes they feel they urgently need the Means for mounting a counter offensive. Whatever the motivation shift he has rejected his traditionally moderate View about give and take Between unions and the government. We single enemy the oppressive organization of a falsely civilized he noted in a Booklet distributed to newsmen and Dele Gates at the convention last week. He also rejected the idea that better Union contracts can win an important place for workers in society. Middle class is a noted or. Laberge. It is an invention of the wealthy by allowing a few to temporarily gain Comfort of the bet Ter class they make them be Lieve nothing is Success of the attempts to Bury traditional Union rivalry in Quebec now depends to a Large extent on whether members of the a Al which has More skilled highly paid and therefore Middle class workers than the Cantu continue to go along with the new direction. A Presse North american largest French language newspaper with a circulation of has not been see by its readers since oct. 2 when the management of the paper halted publication. A a result Montreal has Beer without one of its Majo newspapers and some people have been thrown of of work. Behind the shutdown is a dispute Between management i of the paper and unions re presenting its workers. The dispute initially involved 35c Pressman stereotypes Pho to engravers and mail Roor workers but has been intensified and aggravated in re cent weeks by new demands made by unionized newsroom workers. Following unsuccessful talks with the mechanized workers management imposed a lockout a move which Paul Desmarais owner of la Presse now admits was a tactical mistake. Sporadic violence and acts of vandalism followed the lock out culminating in a Streel demonstration involving people near the newspaper s offices. On oct. 27 the paper stopped publishing finding the difficulties too great. Talks with the unions resumed on nov. 20 but were again broken off. Subsequent Union demands following the shutdown would have in effect taken control of the paper away from management and placed it in the hands of the workers or of a Small group of militant workers. The Union would have the right of veto on the nomination of the editor in chief and of the news Edi Tor and the employer would be subject to other restrictions regarding policy and staff direction placed on him by the Union. Commenting on these de mands Claude Ryan editor of be Devoir who is widely known As a Liberal Newspaperman and who cannot by any stretch of the imagination be described As anti labor said in an editorial on nov. 26 the reporters did include in the outline of a contract submitted to the employer such clauses that no agree ment seems possible in the near future unless they accept a revision of their stand. It would be necessary according to this proposal that the Union have the right of veto on the nomination of the editor in chief and the news editor it would also be necessary that the employer submit under different aspects to such rigid restraints that his actions would be constantly paralysed. The employer who would tie him self under such clauses would sign his own death warrant it or. Desmarais properly has no intention of signing his own death warrant As a publisher. He will he says let the newspaper die and take a loss of million rather than submit to the de mands. Indeed it is doubtful if he could meet the demands even if he were so inclined. Some one person not a group of workers or an organization or a Union is held responsible ultimately for what a newspaper does and pub Lishes. This responsibility is that of the publisher and the Law holds him to this responsibility. Perhaps or. Des Marais could have couched this statement in More Diplo Matic language but the Point tie made is entirely valid it s my newspaper. I have the responsibility before the Law for its contents if you give somebody veto Power you give away your right As publisher of the in his editorial or. Ryan rent on to say certain re porters of la Presse Are Ine rated lately by a Radical rhetoric which taken literal y would make it impossible to foresee a settlement. This s a phenomenon which is observed very often in this Type of conflict. But it is not cer Ain that such procedure is the Best barometer of the real opinion of the reporters As a whole. Among Many of them it seems possible to see apart from their understandable bitterness toward the employer a great desire to Start again to work and not to drown in verbal Battles a 11 possibilities of Settle As Long As the Union holds o its impossible demands no settlement seems possible. The permanent disappear Ance of this continent s larg St French language news taper would indeed be a tragedy for the people who Vork for it for journalism As whole for French Canada and for the nation. Zigzag . Policy or. Kissinger s Mutt and Jeff watching the developments i for or. Laberge s ideological j or. Benson to worry about Dent cans sctt to cd his Fittie savings Cowser the waitress inside Stodt proves him a last week the new yorker i carried 2 cartoon in which a father explains to his son that when Winter came the Grasshopper died. The ant died too having never lived. With or. Benson s help we Are Al Irving. And How today s scrip Taro so As seen 5er. Benson s beavers Gofery ;