"HE LIVES!!" - THE EASTER MESSAGE

CANADIAN TAX REVOLT

Mr. Eric Butler reports from Canada

A White Paper on taxation presented by the Trudeau Government's Minister for Finance, Mr. Benson, has produced a dramatic nationwide protest. While sitting in his bathtub, a Toronto businessman and teacher, Mr. John Bulloch, decided that the proposals in Mr. Benson's White Paper were so revolutionary, and such a threat to the smaller businessman, that something should be done. He inserted an advertisement in the press suggesting that businessmen who thought as he did should get together and take some action. The result was a new organisation, the Canadian Council for Fair Taxation, which called its first meeting for a Sunday.

The result shocked the Liberal-Socialists right across Canada: For more than 2,500 people packed into that first meeting, and indicated that they were angry. It is reported that the Canadian Council for Fair Taxation has mushroomed to some 6,000 members, and is progressively gaining more support. The Council has started publishing a monthly journal, Guardian, and has opened offices right across Canada. Full page advertisements have been appearing in the daily press, and a flood of mail has been going to Federal Members. A spokesman for the Council on Fair Taxation has observed that, "The White Paper on Taxation is really a social document that will change the course of Canadian history. It really is the product of a strong civil service that ignores the wishes of the people. The Liberal Party committed suicide by this document."

Mr. Pat Walsh, Research Director for the Canadian League of Rights, which is playing a vital role in encouraging the tax revolt, bluntly states that the White Paper on Taxation is the product of a small group of civil servants in the Finance Department who are known Fabian Socialists. Mr. Walsh claims that veteran economic adviser Robert Bryce played a major role in fashioning the White Paper. Mr. Walsh describes Mr. Bryce as "a model Fabian Socialist trained in Secret Communist cells."

The open influence of the Fabian Socialists now appears to be much greater in Ottawa than in Australia. That, of course, is no consolation to Australians suffering under the same type of financial and economic programme being imposed in Australia. One Liberal Party Member at Ottawa has decided that he has had enough, although I am informed that at least 25 others think as he does. In explaining why he resigned, Mr. Perry Ryan spoke of a "closely knit civil service bureaucracy... powerful enough to promote its own opinions and on occasions to make or break governments."

The Liberal Premier of Saskatchewan, Mr. Ross Thatcher, has also lashed out against the Fabians' White Paper: "As a liberal I want to say that it is the most abominable piece of legislation introduced since I became a Liberal. If Canada adopts the White Paper we are going to be just like England - incentives and initiative will be discouraged and it will be a terrible country... I must do everything I can to defeat this White Paper."

Conservative Opposition leader Stanfield does not seem to inspire much confidence as an opponent of Prime Minister Trudeau, and it appears certain that if the Fabian programme is going to be halted, it will only be because of a non-party grass-roots revolt. The Council for Fair Taxation claims it is going to take its campaign right up until the next elections.

The Canadian League of Rights is expanding. The farmers are turning out in large numbers to protest meetings. Prime-Minister Trudeau says he will not be "bullied." It appears that the battle lines are being clearly drawn in Canada for a major struggle between those attempting to use centralised control of finance to change the social structure, and people determined to resist.

EUROMONEY

"One of the most ambitious aims of the Continental Eurocrats is to establish a common currency area for the whole of the Common Market, perhaps before the end of the decade…It is with this aim in view that the officials of the community are proposing the Barre plan…This plan provides for the increased pooling of reserves, increased rigidity of exchange rates, and an ultimate banning of any changes in the relative parities of the Six…There is the question of the kind of relationships which would come to exist between the central banks of the member-countries as controllers of the creation of their supply of money. These questions of financial organisation are obviously closely related to fundamental political questions, because political sovereignty is closely related to the power to control the money supply." THE BULLETIN, (Sydney) March 7, 1970.

Never was the iron hand beneath the velvet glove of the Common Market's insidious allure more obvious than in this latest proposal. The implications of the Barre plan are clearly understood by the author of this article when he goes on to examine possible implications: "One (possible outcome) is that a great deal of the effective power over national economies would be removed from the direct control of national parliaments and go into the hands of a consortium of central bankers, finance ministers and community officials." So there we have it. As the old song goes "Will you come into my parlour, said the Spider to the Fly?" This article deserves the closest attention of those Australians who still find it hard to believe that banks create credit.

TO WHAT DEPTHS

"A strike which no New Yorker wants to think about - the walkout of this city's 1,700 grave diggers - is well into its second month, with small hope of a settlement. In 44 cemeteries in and around the city coffins are piled up under makeshift tents, in garages, even - in one instance - alongside the road that runs through the grave yard, protected only by canvas sheeting... The cemetery owners decline to say how many bodies are stockpiled. But a conservative estimate is about 3,000." THE BULLETIN (Sydney) March 7th, 1970.

There is captured in this article something of the despair and horror of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was a wise man who once wrote that a nation might be judged by the respect, which it pays to the dead. The financial dealing in graveyard plots is a custom long established in America, and now appearing in Australia. We need to take a pretty good look at this last degradation of a society, which has lost faith, for the seeds of the same degradation are too obvious in Australia.

A COMEDY OF ERRORS

Even the most cost-beset of our farmers would be forced to smile at the succession of absurdities with which Commonwealth Treasurer Bury heralded his "anti-inflationary measures." How long is the myth of "too much money and not enough goods" to be perpetrated? According to Mr. Bury, the cause of inflation is "excessive demand putting excessive pressure on the economy." The only solution, from this one-eyed point of view, is to curb demand by further restrictions on consumer spending. In support of this viewpoint, Mr. Bury has dragged out once again the only evidence of production shortage, which is in the building industry. It is quite true that there is a temporary shortage of one or two building items - notably tiles and bricks. But this is quite untrue of the overwhelming majority of Australia's productive industries, where the great problem is to find a buyer for production. Many industries could increase production further if there was effective demand.

So great has been the technological advance of the post-war years that the abundance, availability and range of all consumer goods defies the imagination. To suggest, even for a moment, that Australia's problem is an inability to cater for the requirements of the people is ridiculous. The problem, which faces the world, is no longer production, but distribution. Never have we stood a greater chance of escaping the "curse of Adam." The excess wheat, the unsold butter, the mountainous stocks of electrical and mechanical goods, clothing and fuel make a complete mockery of Mr.Bury's suggestion. But the comedy of errors is likely to become a tragedy unless a saner view of the financial system is undertaken. In fact, for one sector, Rural Industry, that tragedy has arrived.

AN UNPUBLISHED LETTER ON RHODESIA

The following letter dated March 5, was sent to The Editor of the Adelaide Advertiser, whom to date has not seen fit to print it. The writer, Dr.Walter Henderson is recognised as an outstanding authority of constitutional law and is LL. D of Gray's Inn, London.

Mr. John McLeay, M.H.R. and Rhodesia.
Mr. McLeay's opposition to Rhodesian sanctions, and his advocacy for their removal, must be seen against the true background of the case. I doubt if there is one experienced and instructed lawyer anywhere, who, having given proper consideration to the resolutions of the Security Council imposing those sanctions is not of the view that they are unlawful under the provisions of the UN Charter. As such they are void, and no member of the UN is under any duty to put them into effect. Indeed, a government, which does put them into effect, is acting contrary to the UN Charter itself. The government of a country, which has put those sanctions into effect has committed its citizens to participate in a miscarriage of justice, which is not only shocking but, having regard to all the circumstances of the matter, is dishonourable and squalid.
The Australian Government, so as to buy the approval of members of the UN, including the least meritorious of them, in addition to the communist members, in giving effect to the sanctions resolutions is a party to what has been properly described by Mr. Dean Acheson, a former United States Secretary of State, as an international conspiracy in the UN of which those resolutions are the outcome.
Deploring and rejecting that miscarriage of justice, I join with Mr.McLeay in wanting to see the Rhodesian sanctions ended, I even go so far as to wish sanctions-breakers success, which, from reliable reports, they are having.
All self-respecting and morally developed persons would work to free an individual from the consequences of a miscarriage of national justice. Why should they not work in the same way to free a community of people from a miscarriage of international justice?
Yours faithfully

FARMERS MARCH IN MELBOURNE

ON TARGET BULLETIN

SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION
MAKING THE SENATE A STATES HOUSE

A recent VPA report from Kingstown revived a subject we believe should be thrown into the ring and discussed with all seriousness. The reformation of the Senate as a House, which protects the interests of the States. This was the original intention of the framers of the Federal constitution and Senators were elected in equal numbers from each State irrespective of the number of electors in those states. This equal representation was to enable the greatest possible representation by Senators on matters affecting the particular state.

The party system destroyed the concept. Party politicians ganged up with their parties to destroy the principle of State representation. We now suggest the time is ripe to suggest to our State Governments that they look into the constitutional position of appointing their own Senators. Alternatively they should nominate sitting members of the present parliament and make them responsible to State Parliament for all policies supported in the Senate.