1910 — PRINCE RUPERT DAILY NEWS — An independent newspaper devoted to the upbullding of Prince Rupert and Northern and Central British Columbia, A member of the Canadian Press — Audit Burean of Circulation Canadian Daily Newspaper Publishers Association Published by The Prince Rupert Dally News Limited JOHN F. MAGOR President J. R. AYRES Managing Editor aaa Authorized as Second Class Mall by the Post Office Department, Otlawa TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1962 Election? Could be... she signals, say the pundits, all point to something big in the wind. An election for British Columbia? [t’s not at all improbable. Premier Bennett.is too slick a poli- tician to miss the opportunity of put- ting Prime Minister Diefenbaker’s federal Conservatives on a spot by ealling a general election in B.C, just before the prime minister does so for Canada. ‘The premier then could force the Tories to fight two elections at once— one in B.C. on the power issue, the other across Canada on the Diefen- baker government’s record. Mr. Bennett by this means also would keep the other two parties, Lib- ernls and New Democrats, so busy with federal matters they would be able to devote little attention to B.C. domestic affairs, ineluding the power Issue, . ee He knows . the reds have little or no chatieéof getting seats in Ot- tawa_ anyway, and so would he. quite willing’ to sacvifice Social Credit fed- erally for a Socred victory at home. * He doesn’t have to go to the polls until September 1965, although few provincial governments allow them- selves to take the full five years. It loses them the right to call elections when the time is most opportune. But if he won an election this spring, he’d have five more years in office, if he wanted them, instead of three and a half. - He'd he voing to the people asking for a mandate to earry out his power development policies BEFORE he had to finance them, and BEFORE he would hive to prove that he could fi- nance them. The public wouldn’t know until i is too late whether those policies were¢ sound, or whether he could raise the money, or whether the federal govern- ment would even give him a permit to carry out the construction, He’d be fighting Federal Justice Minister Fulton on the question, not of feasibility because nobody knows whether any of the power plans are feasible, but for the right to try to develop B.C’s hydro resources. Premier Bennett well knows he'd stand a good chance of winning on that issue, because people like to be- lieve in progress, or what they fondly think is progress. They don’t like Mr. Fulton’s stand because it appears to be negative, even though in the long run it may prove to be the right one. As Mr. Bennett well knows, he’s still riding a crest. His opposition is not yet ready to fight an election. Two years from now they will be, but not today. We could gamble on this and the odds would be in his favor. Times are still good. Investment money is still around, though in small- er quantities due to his B.C. Blectric takeover and subsequent refusal to give BCE shareholders their day in court, The premier hasn’t fulfilled many of his 1960 election promises. But then, he can always tell the people he hasn’t veally had time. Give him another five years, he'll ask. | Yes, a spring election is a good possibility. | Maybe he'll announce it March 20 —the day after the provincial pre- miers meet Mr. Diefenbaker to discuss power questions. . As he says about his rivers: It'll cost more if we wait. —The Prince George Citizen. Broader policy needed The advantages (of European companies over Canadian companies) do not lie in the held of general tax rates, but in the more vig- orous and imaginative ways in which the West Eurapean governments use tax policy to stim- niate the development of their economies ... The Canadian povernment has also introduced WHEN WILL CAT POUNCE? Typical pre-election atmosphere pervades House certain tax measures of a similar kind... But “this is a type of policy that will have to be vigorously broadened, if Canadian companies are to be placed under advantages. and incen- tives such as their competitors in Western Europe are reeciving in so many ingenious ways, —The Montreal Gazette, Ky JAMES NELSON Canadian Press Stafl Writer OTTAWA How long will the eat toy with miee before he pounees? That the eat will, in’ fact, pownee before too long is a foregone conclusion in the game now being played by the government and op- position groups in the Commons, The only question Is when the government will decide it is opportune or that it has been provoked too far by the opposition and call the peneral election expected this year, Controversy between government and ap- position forces In the Commons In the Inst few weeks has grown steadily toa polnt only sur- passed by the bitterness of the celebrated 1958 pipeline debate, et et Cries of “sit down,’ “shut up” nnd “keen quiet are beng hurled dally by the Conservit- INTERPRETING THE NEWS the Lives to the Liberals, but the Conservatives Say it is no worse than they had to endure when the Liberals were ino power, The Liberals now are countering With aeccus- ations the government ts trying to shut off dehate--the same complaint the Conservatives dwelt. on in the litter days of their sojourn tn opposition, awnod especially so after the former Liberal government employed the debate-lHmit- Ing closure device to farce the Trans-Canada pas pipeline bill through the Commons. Veteran partinmentary observers say the atmosphere now on the eve of the coming elec- tion is not very different from what prevailed just before previous elections when both sides of the House were convinced of good chances of electoral success, Space launching pad for missiles next threat Ry HANOLD MORRISON Samadi Press Stare Writer Deapite sarmnament talks it Geneva, the hast-Weat wilitary race for conquest of space nnidouhtedly will quicken with Soviet Premier Khrushehev’s elalm of a new Soviet rocket Unt. enn bib a target In any part of the world, The United States his fenred for some time that Russia might be the first to create Fone form of space laumehing pad whieh could he armed with t nuelenr-tipped missile that could bo fired at any given time and at any given turret by pround alanis, Now UA. experts belleve Russian either has managed to develop the prototype of such a apace orbiting vehlele or his extonded the yange of her Inter-continentadl missiles to the polit where they ean enelrele the wlohe, a als- innee of some 24,000 mies ab the equator. nthe present known range of Russtan Intor~- contiigonitial intantied: Is about 7,000 miles while thd VW ted Fitaten clnims a range of 9,000, Anide from Melouber (rust, w factor In the range. 1s the welght af the nneleay warhdnda, Liuit fall yeas ft carried ont no verles of nuelenr tontn yn theo uimowphere which some UB. offlelnls palieve provided her with the ability to reduce warhead size without reducing thejy nuclear puneh. ete oe he But extension of the range of nuclear mis- siles would not be ws Important o military ad- vantage as ability te orbit a nuclenr warhend under ground contral, The longer t missile has to travel before it hits: dts target, the more warning time it provides, Khrushehev supgeests the now lobal rocicet reduees the Importance of extating ULB. racer networks, presumiucbly wv reference to the biltlon- dollars worth of powerful radar in the Aretic deslumed to detect missiles flying over the northern frontier, But U.K. experts maintain thore is aufficiont frea-world radar to plek up Boviet Inunehtinas in almost every part af the world so thet. Ravict firings would not cama aan complete surprine. The bi surprise could come in the form of no nuelenr rocket from an orbiting satellite which could be disguised og a communications, wonther or other peaceful vehicle. radar would be useless in providing warning hefore the warhead struck ite tare. OP aT ARS La Wi | \ S \ Wy! | RY |