WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER Workmen’s Compensation Board Soe Arthur Francis stated that the Board will give serious consideration to any union recommendations to improve safety at the Highbury sewer tunnel that are “based” on fac- tual evidence. * * * The forest industry paper, Forest and Mill in a recent article reports lumber is moving in a steady volume but at lower prices than in the past. * * * Auto makers were told by a U.S. cabinet official that they had until 1964 to come up with some form of device against air pollution on cars voluntarily or face government compulsion. * * U.S. Senator, John McClellan is drafting legislation aimed at stopping James Hoffa and company, from taking over control of the United States labour movement. Eo * * A Town Meeting discussion in Vancouver on “How will the New Democratic Party affect Canadian politics” proved too much for a former Tory candidate, lawyer Norman Dent, who was speaking for the Con- servatives. Following the meeting he bolted the Conservatives and joined the NDP. * * * Vancouver City is growing up at last. The first step in a proposed waterfront promenade has been made by the City with the purchase from the Bayshore Inn of a twenty-foot strip of property to be used as part of the public walkway. * x * Hangmen in India have formed what.is believed to be the first hang- men’s trade union in the world. The union was formed because members feel wages are too low. They hang an average of 30 persons each year, at $3 a hanging. More wages not more work they feel is the only practi- cal solution. British Labour Leader Backs NATO Alliance One of the highlights at the Founding Convention of the New NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY. DELEGATES in session at the Fatauiage Convention. The massive Coliseum in Ottawa, which will seat up to 1500 people, was crammed with 2200, of which 1800 were voting delegates who sweated out the week in ninety degree heat. Unemployment Out Of Date States French Socialist “In France if we had two percent unemployment we would have a revolution on our hands,” stated Andre Philip, French economist and socialist leader at a conference of the Canadian Institute on Public Affairs. : Democratic Party was the address of the Hon. Hugh Gaitskell, Leader of the British Labour Party. In his address Mr. Gaitskell gave some convincing reasons why the West should retain the NATO alliance. The following is Mr. Gaitskell’s speech in part: “To say that the threat of commu- nist extension is the only disturbing factor in world affairs, would obvi- ously be absurd. But it is unrealistic not to recognize that it is the most disturbing factor today. ‘New Doctrine There is now a new doctrine — the doctrine of co-existence. But co- existence does not mean an accept- tance of the status quo. It does not mean that Communists now make peace with the democracy. Their leaders have made perfectly plain that co-existence is a continuance of their struggle with the non-Commu- nist world by other means. The em- phasis is changed from the directly military to the economic, social and ideological field. Once again, the contrast with the outlook of democratic socialist is striking. For while we cannot ignore the challenge of communism, our aim is not just the negative one of defeat- ing this challenge. Our Ideals Broader Our ideals are much broader. We aim to create nothing less than a world in which the peoples cooperate peacefully together for the common good under an international authority which they themselves have created. We know that this ideal is a dis- tant one, but we must begin the long journey towards it, using all oppor- tunities at hand. The most obvious of these lies through strengthening the United Nations. We can do that, first by using our democratic power to en- sure that our governments observe strictly the code of international con- duct laid down in the Charter. We can do it too by pressing for a re- form in the structure and constitu- tion of the United Nations which re- flects the changes since 1945. In par- ticular, by insisting that it should be comprehensive including all nations among its members, and no longer g out Communist China with the largest population in the world. Nevertheless, although the United Nations has often helped to solve international disputes, it is at present incapable of providing security or de- fence for any nation which may be threatened by aggression or become the victim of an attack. Own Defence In these circumstances, individual nations have to provide for their own defence. Some do it on their own, preferring to be neutral; others, feel- ing themselyes threatened, gain strength in unity and form alliances with other like-minded countries. I have no doubt that NATO and the Western Alliance has been a most powerful influence for peace. It has provided a shield for its members HON. HUGH GAITSKELL and stability for Europe. Some coun- tries, of course, are. traditionally neutral, but if it were not for the Western alliance, neutrality would be far more dangerous as a policy than it is today! For the balance of secu- rity would upset and countries which can now rely implicitly upon NATO, even though they are not members of it, would be exposed to heavy pres- sure and perhaps threats of agression from the Soviet Union, which they could not possibly resist on their own. At the same time, we, who are members of NATO, should seek to reform it. We must make a much greater effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons within it. We must make its strategy far less de- pendent upon the possible use of nu- clear weapons. And we must see to it that the control over these weapons is firmly in the hands of govern- ments, not generals. Positive Foreign Policy Even more important, however, is the need for a positive foreign policy for peace. This means working out and pressing forward with serious practical proposals for comprehen- sive, multi-lateral and controlled dis- armament. We must also always work for peaceful settlements. There are those who argue that it is never any use negotiating with the Communists. I disagree. We have one thing in com- mon. We do not wish to be extermin- ated. It would be very strange if the status quo happened to be always the best that we could hope for. That is why I believe existing disputes are capable of solutions on lines which leave neither side at a disadvantage.” “Unemployment,” he stated further, should not be accepted in a civilized society,’ “is fundamentally rotten and > Conservatives recognizing the criteria. The most common understanding embraces the entering of the various debates. Through this method one’s ideas at least get to the attention of the various Ministers in a public way. In addition, it is the way one gets information from the various govern- mental departments, sk Questions The quickest way to get informa- tion is by asking questions about gov- ernment policy, government activity, and government intentions. Of course, the government does not have to answer. In fact many questions, while they are technically answered, give no information whatever and might just as well not be answered. Another way to get information is to move motions that certain corres- pondence and documents be tabled and made public. This likewise is not always successful for the answers given when such motions are refused Speak Behind Closed Doors Many Members of Parliament are confronted with the ques- tion: How can I be most effective in the House of Commons? It is difficult to answer this question because of the difficulty of is invariably to the effect that the subject matter is privileged: This, of course, leaves Parliament in the dark about so many matters. So far this session there have been at least 16 such motions that have been refused. This means that at least 16 subject matters have been denied to Parlia- ment by the government. ertain Restrictions When it comes to participating in debates there are certain restrictions that are placed upon government M.P.’s. I did some calculating the other day to see what the record showed. To date there have been 16 Conservative Members who have not said one, single, solitary word. There have been 17 others who have spoken only once, many of them confining their remark to a few sentences. Of course, they can always give the ans- wer that they make their voices heard in caucus. TUC Defence Debate Seen Foreign policy and defence are the subject of 110 of the 419 reso- lutions submitted for this year’s annual conference of the Labour Party in the fall. Fifty-six of the resolutions are in favour of unilateral nuclear disarma- ment and 27 oppose it. Decisions of recent trade union conferences and local parties have now indicated that the new official TUC-Labour Party defence state- ment, published about five months ago, is likely to be approved by a comfortable majority, thus reversing last year’s small majority decision in favour of unilateral nuclear disarma- ment by Britain. There are ten resolutions opposing Polaris submarine bases in Britain, and seven against the training of Ger- man troops in Britain, or arming them with nuclear weapons. Indica- tions are that these will be passed despite the opposition of the National Executive Committee Fourteen of 22 resolutions on the Common Market are opposed to Britain joining it. Six want an inquiry. Two urge that Britain should join, one of them regarding it “as a first step towards the United States of Europe.” Caucus meetings are held behind closed doors and are secret meetings. The general public, therefore, cannot hear, or know about, the matters which are discussed there. In any event it would be preferable to speak up in public rather than behind doors which are locked and guarded. Public Knowledge Public knowledge and understand- ing of governmental policies comes from public discussion of such mat- ters. When facts are hidden from the public we are entitled to speculate that something is fishy. Government is responsible to the public and should have the courage to be responsible all of the time and all of the way; not merely when it suits the political convenience of the government. 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