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. Wells Ideal Cleaners Work done at . Working Men’s Phces i> 3840 Oak St. - BA. 3022 RESIDENCE 6875 CURTIS ST. GL. 2675-F We Call for and Deliver Phone Any Time Lochdale Credit Union Member 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 ¢ ‘