REPORT FROM WASHINGTON
Lacking Clear Mandate, Nixon Must Move Cautiously
By ALBERT LANNON JR.
THIS most incredible election year has come to a tired conclusion. For some 12 hours after the polls closed, it looked as though the choice of a president might be up to the House of Representatives.
In fact, while massive campaign spending and below the belt electioneering will undoubtedly stay with us, the Electoral College may well be on its way out.
The final hours while the ballots were counted provided a drama lacking in the national campaign itself as a large number of voters seemed to be voting against candidates, rather than for; one poll showed close to a majority of those questioned wishing that they had a choice other than the three in contention.
Richard M. Nixon, a man few people really trust after his up and down career built on red hunting and union baiting, "Tricky Dick,' the loser, will be inaugurated in Washington on January 20, as president of the dis-United States.
Together with Vice-President Spiro T. Agnew, whom many regard as Nixon's first mistake, the new administration faces the continuing problems of an unpopular war, an insurgent youth, a nation divided into two hostile camps. Nixon calls for "bridging the gaps," but has offered no ideas on how to do it.
Hubert Humphrey came dramatically from far behind — from a bitterly divided party, from the battle of Chicago, from
the interference of his unpopular and distrusted boss who held up campaign funds and undercut Humphrey's efforts to be his own man—to close a wide gap.
The bombing halt and prospects of peace in Vietnam clearly aided his efforts, and Nixon will not be able to ignore that fact despite his commitment to a spiralling arms race.
George Wallace scored much less than was expected, attributable perhaps to his choice of superhawk Curtis LeMay for running mate, and to a gigantic effort by a labor movement which almost waited too long before taking on the apostles of hate.
Just prior to the election, many observers were writing off labor as a significant political force, but the returns from the industrial areas show that labor still packs some muscle.
What remains now is for many unions to seriously tackle the problems that originally gave rise to the Wallace support — black equality and white racism, being tied so closely to the LBJ establishment which made it difficult to assert an independent voice.
NIXON WILL TAKE OFFICE
with many problems. Both the House and the Senate remain Democratic. The Wallace vote and Nixon's commitments to Strom Thurmond and the old dixiecrat south will have to be balanced against the strength of the Democratic vote. With the extreme closeness
WHAT OTHERS SAY
Are Ocean Resources Inexhaustible?
THE ocean expanses are so great, that for millenniums they kept continents and countries apart. The seas of our planet cover an enormous area— 361 million square kilometres, or almost 71 percent of the earth's surface.
In the coastal waters man used to catch a great many fishes and mollusks, and a few miles off the coast he came across large shoals of herring and sardines ... So there grew up in man's mind the idea of the ocean's inexhaustible resources.
Though the population increased fast, the catch of the sea's riches increased faster still. In 1800, for instance, the world's population came to about 800 million and the annual fish harvest was 1.2 million tons, or ■1.5 kilograms per capita.
In 1900 the population exceeded 1,500 million and the catch reached four million tons, or 2.6 kilograms per capita. In 1966 there were 3,300 million people in the world and the catch was 18 kilograms per capita. ★    ★ ★
IT IS TRUE THAT OCEAN resources are boundless, but only insofar as it concerns the chemical substances dissolved in water, the water itself which can be freshened and used for irrigating deserts, the utilization of tides, currents, waves to generate power, and heavy water for atomic power stations.
And what about biological resources?
About 46 million tons of fish, almost three million tons of mollusks and the like, were caught in 1966. In the fresh waters the catch came to only slightly over six million tons.
People wonder if the catch in the oceans can be increased and by how much. The annual catch of nekton — fishes and other living organisms in the ocean— adds up to 200 million tons.
Taking into account the diverse peculiarities of the ocean, one can say that only half the annual production of nekton may be regarded as biological resources. This comes to 100 million tons. But not all the resources can be caught and what is more, fish are scattered over large areas rather than in shoals and their catch is not profitable.
Consequently, one should not expect to double the catch in the next 20 years merely by increasing and improving the quality of fishing vessels.
To increase the catch it is necessary to exploit the oceans rationally. If this is not done, damage will be caused to the basic resources and the number of useful organisms will be sharply reduced.
★    ★ *
MOST FISHES MIGRATE. The spawning grounds and areas where fry grow and fatten extend over thousands of miles. Migrations pass through the waters near different countries. And if too many of the fry are caught in one place, vast damage will be caused to fisheries everywhere.
On the other hand, the intensive catch of grown fish that is setting off for spawning may affect the size of future generations.
Here are two examples. Norwegians go in for large, scale catches of young herring. This reduces the possibilities o f catching more valuable and "weightier" fully grown herring in the northern Norwegian waters and the Barents Sea.
The dispute over the sea catch of salmon in the northwest Pacific is still fresh in people's minds. The Japanese fishermen laid nets over whole kilometres of the path of the salmon's migration to the rivers for spawning.
Had not the Soviet Union and Japan come to an agreement on the amounts to be fished, the far eastern salmon would have been exterminated.
The problem of regulating catches is a complex one. -It is necessary to take into account the interests of states and different enterprises as well as the individual peculiarities of fish biology. The problems confronting mankind may be complicated and difficult but if we are to think of increasing the ocean harvest, we must fish rationally and scientifically.
There is wide scope for acclimatisation which helps replace the less valuable species by ones that grow fast and are more valuable.
There are wide opportunities too for increasing fresh water catches. The catches in inland waterways come to only about 10-12 percent of those in the seas and oceans. They constitute slightly over six million tons a year. There is no doubt that they can be increased by 200-300 percent.
—CULTURE AND LIFE, Moscow
of the vote and lack of a majority,. Nixon has no real mandate for moving boldly. The talk is that he will try to build a coalition of the centre, somewhat like Johnson's "great consensus," which would include appointing Democrats to his cabinet.
A "house-cleaning" is due in the various agencies and departments, and appointments of a pro-boss, "law and order" nature can be expected.
Given the realities of this election, however, Nixon will probably move cautiously, and we may be in for a period of the old business as usual but with a more conservative slant, and with more cops instead of programs to meet the demands for social justice.
WHILE   SOME GOOD,
fighting senators have suffered defeats, some of equal potential have been elected. The loss of Wayne Morse (D-Oregon) and the defeats of Ernest Gruening (D-Alaska) and Joe Clark (D-Pa.) will hurt, as far as labor goes, but next in line for chairman of the powerful Senate Labor Committee is Ralph Yar-borough (D-Texas), who is not exactly an establishment hack.
The addition to the Senate of Tom Eagleton of Missouri, Harold Hughes of Iowa, Alan Cranston of California and GOP dove Charles McC. Mathias of Maryland will help maintain a liberal bulwark against easy passage of dangerous legislation.
The 90th Congress saw the rebirth of the reactionary "conservative coalition" and the pressures will be intense to keep this GOP-Dixiecrat combine alive. Indeed, this is Nixon's only hope for getting a legislative program moving.
The strength of the coalition was shown most dramatically in the attacks on the Supreme Court and in budget cutting, and the authoritative Congressional Quarterly scores the coalition with victories on almost three-quarters of the votes where it manifested itself.
Further attacks on poverty and welfare programs can be expected, as well as new assaults on labor. The millions invested by the Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers and the like will not just be written off; in fact, their pressure and propaganda was in evidence throughout the election and will increase, and there are undoubtedly battles ahead for the labor movement to defend what it has won in the past.
THE REPUBLICANS
sought a gain of 30 seats in the House, but added only four. That chamber will remain basically conservative, and the liberal representatives will still face major fights to pass out any decent legislation.
The new Congress, while it will return Barry Goldwater to the Senate, will also see the first black woman ever elected, Representative - elect Shirley Chisholm, a New York schoolteacher. Harlem's Adam Clayton Powell, whose district has remained without representation for two years, was re-elected once again, and it remains to be seen whether or not the choice of the voters will be allowed to take his seat.
In contrast to the close presidential race and the somewhat static situation in Congress, the Republicans added five governors, putting the GOP in power in 31 states and raising the prospect of renewed "right to work" pushes.
All in all, domestically, those close to the political scene in Washington foresee a two year holding action full of concessions and compromises, with both parties — and perhaps a couple of new ones — setting their sights on the congressional elections of 1970.
A continuation of the drift to the right seems likely, unless labor and progressive forces get themselves together to back a program that can really meet the pressing needs of the nation.
HARRY RANKIN
COPE Alone Presents Clear Program
COPE, the Committee of Progressive Electors, is making a big hit with Vancouver voters. That was made clear at the COPE nomination meeting on November 14, attended by more than 200 enthusiastic members. Six candidates were nominated for council, three for school board and four for parks board.
In COPE, Vancouver voters have something refreshingly new and different.
COPE, in contrast to all other civic groups, has
shunned pious generalities and adopted a clear and specific program on the basic problems facing Vancouver by which it can be judged.
The COPE program includes: , —A new tax deal aimed at taking the load off the homeowner by means of a $4,000 tax exemption on all homes, and a graduated business tax to compel the owners of big industrial and commercial properties to pay a fair share of taxes.
— A housing program, including the building of 2,500 low rental public housing units annually, plus loans at three percent to enable people to build their own homes on land leased to them by the city at nominal rates.
—Rental regulations to protect tenants against unfair practices by landlords.
— A low fare rapid transit system to ease traffic congestion and end frazzled rush hour nerves.
— Expansion of school facilities, kindergartens and child day care centres.
— Extension of parks and beaches; low family rates for the aquarium and planetarium.
★    * ★
COPE IS A COMING Together of ordinary citizens — homeowners, tenants, trade unionists, youth, senior citizens — all fired with the same purpose. That is, to take control at city hall out of the hands of real estate and other special interests and put it back in the hands of the people, where it belongs.
COPE has high calibre candidates representing a good cross section of the people. They include an electrical worker, letter carrier, chef, secretary, trade union research economist, lawyer, doctor and dentist. Their election will change the whole picture at city hall.
In the past, progressive candidates have had trouble beating the NPA. This time it could be different. With the entry of TEAM into the civic political arena, representing another big business grouping that wants in at city hall, the formerly strong NPA vote will be split. This gives COPE a good chance to make it. A great deal depends upon turning out a big vote in the east end of the city where COPE support is especially strong.
• In this picture taken by Fisherman photographer George Lege-bokoff during the season, UFAWU shoreworkers Bob McMoran (left) and Bob Taylor are shown grading salmon at B.C. Packers' Ogden Point plant in Victoria.
THE FISHERMAN — NOVEMBER 22, 1968 5