HISTORIC PHOTO. In February, 1943 a delegation of members of the Khalsa Dhwan Society, with the support
of the Regional District of the International Woodworkers of America (IWA), went to Victoria to askthe John
Hart government to grant East Indians in B.C. the right to vote. The delegation included East Indian

members of the armed forces. In the back row (inlig

ht tweed coat) is Harold Pritchett, then president of the

WA, and Darshan Singh, (in striped suit) who also represented the IWA. Darshan Singh has since returned to
India and is now an elected official. Following the delegation the Hart government passed an order-in-

council which gave the right to vote to British subjects of East Indian origin.

LABOR FED SAYS:

NDP gov’t wrong to abandon
support for grape boycott

The B.C. Federation of Labor ex-
ecutive council said in a statement
adopted at its meeting Friday,

Nov. 30 that the decision by the.

provincial government to abandon
their support for striking members
of the United Farm Workers Union
in the California grape fields is
“unfortunate.”

“The government has apparently
misinterpreted the dispute as a
jurisdictional battle between two
unions — such is not the case,”
says the statement which outlines
in detail the federation’s stand.

The BCFL statement makes
these points:

“The grape boycott was called by
the UFWU and endorsed by the
British Columbia Federation of
Labor because the grape growers,
aided by the Teamsters Union,
have launched an all-out campaign
to smash the UF WU.

“There is no question that the
agreements signed between the
Teamsters and the growers are
sweetheart deals aimed at depriv-
ing the farm workers of the
freedom to choose their own un-
ion. Similar agreements between
Teamsters and growers in the let-
tuce industry were declared unfair
by the California Supreme Court in

a decision made December 29th,
1972. The Court ruled, in effect,
that the Teamsters Union worked
in collusion with a group of
growers to block the UFWU.

“We are confident that the re-
cent agreements between the
Teamsters and the grape growers
will also be ruled collusive, but, in
the meantime, the campaign to de-
fend the rights of the farm workers
must be carried forward vigorous-
ly.
“The British Columbia Federa-

McEwen home
from hospital

Tom McEwen was taken to Van-
couver General Hospital last
Wednesday suffering from a rup-
tured blood vessel in the nose
which caused excessive bleeding.
He is now fully recovered, and
returned home on Monday.

When visited by PT editor
Maurice Rush, Sunday, Tom was in
high spirits and sent his greetings
to PT readers. Unfortunately, he
was not able to produce his column
for this week’s edition. The column
will be resumed next week.

tion of Labor reiterates the
declaration that all non-UFWU
California and Arizona grapes are
“‘hot’’, and endorses the call by the
UFWU for secret ballot elections
to end once and for all the myth
that the struggle between the farm
workers and grape growers is in
any way a jurisdictional dispute.

‘In making the decision to stay
out of the struggle for justice for
farm workers, the provincial
government has ignored
resolutions unanimously adopted
at recent national and provincial
New Democratic Party conven-
tions. Surely, government
members who attended those con-
ventions heard the debate and ex-
planations around the issue. Sure-
ly, they will not turn a deaf ear to
the unanimous call: by NDP
members from across the country
for suport for Cesar Chavez and the
United Farm Workers Union.

“Tn addition to receiving the sup-
port of the Canadian Labor
Congress, representing some two
million Canadian workers and
every provincial Federation of
Labor in the country, the farm
workers’ struggle has been en-

See GRAPE BOYCOTT, pg. 11

New Year’s Eve

WITH CONGENIAL COMPANY, GOOD MUSIC “‘OLSON’S BAND”’,
TURKEY SUPPER, REFRESHMENTS, AND FAVOURS FOR ALL
AT THE MOST REASONABLE PRICE IN TOWN.

FISHERMENS HALL |

MON., DEC. 31 —9P.M.TO?
AUSPICES: FRANK ROGERS FISHERMEN’S CLUB

CELEBRATE

* PACIFIC TRIBUNE — FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1973—PAGE 2

Wasserman’s attack —

on citizens

group

branded ‘dirty trick’

‘By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

Jack Wasserman, the gossip
columnist and the expert on sleazy
articles about characters, now
appears to be turning more and
more to attacks on citizen groups
striving for civic improvement. In
typical Wassermania fashion, he is
copying the dirty tricks methods
used so effectively, and so long by
his friend, Tricky Dicky, across the
line.

For a person in his position to
use his column in an effort to em-
barrass an employee of the federal
government just because that
employee exercises his democratic
rights in efforts to protect his own
community from developers, is
despicable to say the least. I'm
referring to Jacque Khouri, one of
the spokesmen for the West
Broadway Citizens Committee.

This committee is protesting
Developer attempts to open up the
Kitsilano area, rightly fearing that
it will lead to higher rents and
drive out citizens who have lived

~there for many years. Khouri was a

candidate for COPE in the last
civic elections, and this in the eyes

Downtown residents
hit Sun columnist —

The Downtown Eastside
Resident’s Association charged last
Sunday that Sun Columnist Jack
Wasserman did a major disservice
to the downtown eastside com-
munity when he criticized efforts
to bring about improvement in the
operation of skid road beer parlors,
cafes and dance halls.

Released by Bruce Eriksen,
organizer for the association, a
press statement said it was his
group which drew attention of city
hall to the deplorable management
of some of the operations.

The release also said ‘‘Wasser-
man’s comments on discontinua-
tion of the ‘meals and lodgings’
program were ‘inaccurate.’ It said
present arrangements for the
Welfare Department’s ‘ad-
ministered cases’, though not
perfect, are superior to those
previously in force.”’

of Wasserman, is a crime. Khoutl
must be silenced and driven out of
public life, and the West Broadway
Citizens Groups must be portrayed
as a group of well meaning but mis
led old fuddy duddies, that don't
know what it’s all about. ;

That’s what you call using
Watergate methods on behalf of
the Establishment to try and dis
credit protest movements bY
citizens. :

Wasserman, uses the same ditly
tricks and propaganda methods 1
attacking City Council and me ™
particular for action to clean up
some of the worst of our skid road
beer parlors, cafes and dance halls,
claiming that, it won't solve the
problems of “starving drunks,
whom he labels, ‘‘skid rowgues,
and if they can’t go to these skid
road beer halls, he says, they will
go out on the street and will com
mit murder.

Of course closing down the worst
of these beer parlors will not solve
the problem of skid road. Ski
Road is a product of the private
enterprise society that Wasserman —
is always ready to come to heel for.
What is involved here is an effort t0
improve these shabby, dirty, joints.
At present they are fire traps at
their accommodation is unfit for
human habitation. i

These things can and should be ~
cleaned up and taking away the
licenses of some of these slum
landlords is one way of doing it. If
they can't or won't clean up thelf
places, they shouldn't be ™
business.

Naturally there are other steps
that should be taken too, such @&
the establishment of de
toxification centres, which I have
fought for, for years, but which
Wasserman does not advocate. His
concern is for the slum landlords,
not the victims. Even the NDP
government, which has tried to d0
something for the victims, comes
in for his attacks, because of il
“people first policies.”

Wasserman’s attacks will 10
doubt endear him to the charactels
with whom he is on such g0
terms, but they also expose him fo!
what he is, an apologist for slul
landlords, the developers and sul
dry reactionary forces in our cily.

Oh! you mean that terrible
ol’ FUEL shortage!’

A 7 .
‘Shortage? WHAT short-t-t-t... F2y