DELEGATION VISITS CITY HALL

By BERT. WHYTE

-. Two workers were raking up
rubble at the rear of 1034 Horn-
by, scene of a disastrous oom-
ing-house fire last month, when
I squeezed through a, narrow
passageway between the black-
ened shell of the frame build-
ing and a roller skating rink
next door.

E looked up at the third floor
windows of the -gutted house.
-A long, straight drop. Not a
Sign of a fire escape. No won-
der four of the tenants who
‘ hurled themselves fom the top
floor when trapped by flames
are still in hospital. No wonder,
either, that West End tenants
are demanding tighter fire regu-
lations.

‘It requires no prophet, no
seventh son of a seventh son,
‘to predict that unless the num-
erous. fire-traps of rooming-
houses which operate in the
West End are forced to install
both front and rear fire es-
capes, many lives will be lost
in future flash-fires of the type
_which destroyed the ancient du-
plex at 1034 Hornby.

West End Tenants’

*'sent a’ delegation to city hall
‘last week asking better protec-
tion. “How many people must
lose their Jives before the city
takes. action to protect ‘us?”
said Mrs. May Leniczek, spokes-
man for the group.

League

West End Tenants.

ask tighter fire rules °

Joker in the deck is that city
fire regulations only call for
one fire escape per house. Fire
Chief Allan R. Murray and
building inspector Andrew Fiag-
gart were asked by aldermen to
“investigate the regulations cov-
ering fire protection and re-
pc:t to the next meeting of the
fire committee.”

Such buck-passing isn’t giving
protettion to tenants. In the
Hornby fire, flames blocked
roomers in the rear from reach-
ing the single wooden fire es-
cape at the front of the house.
So the trapped victims were
foreed to jump. Some suffered
pelvic injuries, back injuries,
licoken bones, in arms and legs.
Others were badly burned by
the flames.

West End Tenants’ League is
demanding double fire escapes
on all frame rooming houses. If
city council fails to heed this
demand, they will have to shoul-
der a major share of the blame
for recurrence of such _ dis-
asters. : ‘ <

Many of the tenants at 1034
Hornby lost all their clothing
and possessions in the fire. Any-
one wishing to help with cash
or clothing is asked to get in
touch with Miss. Enid Lane, 930
Hornby, a neighbor who has
been active in helping the fire
victims.

UN head sails for ‘Europe

Trygve Lie, secretary-general of the:

United Nations, says good-

bye to his daughter just before sailing. on the Queen Mary for

Europe. He expects to visit Britain, France, and
to discuss UN matters with government leaders.

the Soviet. Union ,

Se ee ee ae eerie SA. a

Conciliation board set up

in civic employees dispute

“In a prepared broadcast, Don |

A conciliation board in the dis-
pute between Vancouver Outside

Civic Workers’ and city council

has been set up. Chairman will be
Peter Gomery, retired bank man-
ager, Uharles Brackenbridge, form-
er city engineer, will represent the
city, and Hugh Bird, a captain
in the local fire department and
member of the Trades Council exec-
Utive, will represent the union.

Guise, union business agent, warn-
ed that while the union is putting
up a strong fight on the question
of the union shop, the 12c-an-hour
wage demand is still the main
issue. j

“Make no mistake about it,” said
Guise, “This is our No. 1 demand.
The cost of living in Vancouver
has reached an all-time high, and
the civic workers’ dollar is taking
an awful beating.”

§$TANTON

Barristers, Solicitors, Nota7ies
SUITE 515, FORD BUILDING, 193 E. HASTINGS ST.
(Corner Main & Hastings Sts.) MArine 5746

& MUNRO

are s .
Visits Soviet Union
i Dyson Carter, national presi-
dent of the Canadian Soviet
Friendship Society, and his wife
Charlotte, left Toronto last week
by plane to visit Moscow and
other parts of the Soviet Union
at the invitation of the All Union
Society for Cultural Relations
with Foreign Countries (VOKS).
Carter is a well-known writer on
scientific subjecis and has written
and lectured widely on the Soviet
Union. :

EDITOR

persons who “believe in or advocate
the overtHrow by force or violence
of the government of Canada or of
constituted law or authority, or
who disbelieve in or are opposed to
organized government, or who ad-
vocate. the assassination of public
officials, or who advocate or teach
the unlawful destruction of pro-

perty.”

“The deportation order also cited
a section of the law dealing with
persons who are “members of or
affiliated with any organization” be-
lieving or advocating the ,above.
The order also asserted that the
néwspaperman was “nota bona fide
non-immigrant” and a “person like-
ly to become a public charge.”

In a statement to authorities
Pettus protested that the lang-
uage of the statutes quoted in the
deportation order do not corres-
pond in any respect. with the edi-
torial views of his newspaper or

| his own personal political beliefs.

Pettus said that the action deny-
ing him entrance into Canada was
an expression of the fear of both
the Canadian and U.S. governments
of the growing demands for peace.

“They are afraid,” he said, “to
allow the great May Day demon-
stration for peace and labor lunity
to be reported first hand by the
people’s press. They are trying to
funnel all such news through the
distortion machines’ of the com-
mercial press. |

“They are afraid,” he said, “of
what I would have told the workers
of Vancouver. If allowed to speak
I would have urged the lumber-
workers of British Columbia to take
joint strike action with the TWA
in the U.S. to back up their de-
mands. In spite of the immigration
authorities that message will reach
the Canadian lumber workers and

in the future we will have many.

demonstrations of hands across the

‘|border for peace and for human

betterment.” *
The Pacific Tribune urges its
readers to protest to Citizenship
and Immigration Minister Walter
Harris at Ottawa against this un-
warranted interference with the
freedom of the press.

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Your Support Appreciated

e

Of the Padlock Law, the League
for Democratic Rights said it was
a“glaring example of the infringe~

~ment of human rights and funda-
mental freedoms,” contradicting
many points of the UN declara-
tion, including the right of equal-
ity before the law; the right to a-
fair and public hearing; the right
to protection of the law against
arbitrary interference with priv-
acy, family, home or correspond-
ence; the right to own property
alone as well as in association
with others; the right to freedom
of thought, conscience and_ reli-
gion, of opinion and expression,
of peaceful assembly. hes

The right to religious freedom
was being violated in Quebec as
shown by the “persecution, kid-
napping and attacks of the mem-
bers of the religious group, Jeho-
vah’s Witnesses” as well as,’ more
recently, the Christian Brethren.

The right to freedom of expres-
sion and opinion was also challeng-
ed by such acts as the discharge
of Dr. Hunter from the University.
of Alberta, and Leo Guindon, presi-
dent of the Alliance of French-
speaking Catholic Teachers of Mon-
treal; as well as by the refusal to
admit RCAF veteran Gordon Mar-
tin to the bar in B.C, on the grounds
that he was a member of the Labor-
Progressive party.

“The rights of labor,” said the
brief, “are not specifically set forth
in the terms of reference of this
committee, but in any -considera-
tion of a Bill of Rights and of an
implementation of the Declaration
of Human Rights, the rights of
labor must be given a position of
primary importance. These rights
must include the right to organize
.».:. to bargain collectively, te-
strike and to picket. to protect
jobs.” Some laws were on the
statute books, the brief added, but
“are not adequately enforced.”

The\ League's delegation was
headed by Mrs. M, Spaulding, co-
chairman, amd Thos. Roberts, na-
tional secretary of the organiza-
tion; representatives of the United
Jewish People’s Order, the Associa-
tion of United Ukrainian Canadians
the Canadian Seamen's Union and
others also took part.

Montreal “Civil. Liberties Union,.
one of the organizers of the League,
through its chairman Edmond Ma-
jor, presented a separate brief on
the Padlock Law. Major is also
co-chairman of the League . for
Democratic Rights.

Two national women’s organiza-

E. H. SKEELES
Transfer & Fuel

CEDAR, B.C.

Jack Cooney, Mgr.

Senate committee
hears demand for

Bill of Rights

A powerful indictment of the Padlock Law and
cratic acts in Canada was presented to the Senate hearing on human
rights and fundamental freedoms by the newly formed League for Dem-
ocratic Rights on Thursday: last week. The delegation’s brief declared
a Bill of Rights for Canada “was sorely needed.” -It described the
UN Declaration of Human Rights as “‘powerful and far-reaching” and
urged that it be wnitten into the laws of Canada. :

The Canadian Congress of Labor. and several. other organizations
also presented briefs demanding a Bill of Rights... .....

_ OTTAWA

other anti-demo-

tions, the National :Couneil of Wo-
men of Canada and the National
Council of Jewish Women, also de-
manded a Bill of Rights before the
Senate hearing. ,

i :

In -a. previous ' presentation, the
Association for, Civil -Liberties'. of
Toronto denounced the Duplessis
Padlock Law. ve

Vancouver Civil Liberties Un-
ion in its brief declared that ex-
isting safeguards .were not suffi-
cient to protect Canadian rights,
and it pointed out fhiat since en-
actment of the Criminal Code in
1892 there had been more proese-
cutions for’ sedition in Canada
than all the other countries of the
Commonwealth and Empire com-
bined, excepting India. It called
for a Bill of Rights to write
“pious professions” of civil liber-
ties inte law.

UNION HOUSE
ZENITH CAFE

105 E. Hastings Street
VANCOUVER, B.C.

TED HARRIS

Painters’ and Paperhangers’

’ Supplies. ‘
Sunworthy Wallpaper half price
Was 28¢ — Now I4e a roll
757 E. HASTINGS HA, 2973

Castle Jewelers §
Watchmaker, Jewellers |
Next to Castle Hotel

752 Granvillé MA. 87H
A. Smith, Mer. 7

“Everything in Flowers”
WOM os

EARL SYKES

56 E. Hastings St. PA. 3855
Vancouver, B.C,

Brother’s Bakery
Specializing in ;
Sweet and Sour Rye Breads
342 E, HASTINGS ST.
PA, 8419

EAST END —

. PACIFIC 9588 ;

FERRY MEAT MARKET —

119 EAST HASTINGS ©
VANCOUVER, B.C.

: FREE DELIVERY |
Supplying Fishing Boats Our Specialty

Nite Calls GL. 17%

ae PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 5, 1950—PAGE 7

¢

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