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Vol. 6. No. 35 Vancouver, B.C., August 29, 1947 <>

Five Cents

LABOR, FARMERS CALL

FOR SPECIAL SESSION

Demand action on Bill 39, taxes

Fighting a losing bat-
tle Against popular oppo-
sition to his Coalition
government’s po icies,
Premier John Hart this

week found himself con-
Tonted with a demand for a
SPecial session of the legisla-
‘ure which he might not be
able to evade,

Taxpayers in rural com-
munities on Vancouver Island
2nd in the Interior have al-
ready asked him to convene
. © legislature to remove the
“equalities that have doubled
2nd trebled their school taxes
n many instances. And now
the B.c. Federation of Labor,
Whose campaign against Bill
39 has already forced the gov-
mmment {> the tare recourse

defending its legislation in

Pamphlet distributed
‘hroughout the province, is
*manding that the legislature
Meet this fall to © consider
2mendments to the anti-labor
ICA Act,

Meeting in Vancouver last
wrkend, the BCFL termed
« €0vernment’s official pam-
Phlet “misleading and malic-
and challenged Premier
to defend Bill 39 in a
Public debate with Harold
.tchett, whom it named as
‘ Spokesman in the unlikely

rent ing the
challen Be Hart acepting
But i Hart should choose

e) ignore the challenge to a
ibetc debate his most plaus-
ny arguments could hardly
facet him, he will have to
react fact that he has al-

of lost the wider debate
Public opinion. :

ion Spring, when Bill 39 was
agg ouced, the government
di ea Union leaders that it
tines Not envisage imposing
Memb ©n individual union
ion TS «UNder the legisla-
Bose "°F would the Bill ex-
Suits ;24€ unions to civil
fj for damages, But, in its
idua test at Nanaimo, indiv-

members of the Laundry

ued on Page 8)
SESSION

Sun publishes anti-Soviet forgery

Last week, the Vancouver
Sun, whose editorial mast-
head boasts that it is devot-
ed to “tolerance and freedom
of thought,” gave its more
discerning readers a new slant
on the much-abused freedom
of the press. Under the a

WRITER SEE:
pint eae ae RISING
OVER CANADA’S FAIR DO-
MA4TIN, it published a crude
anti-Russian forgery on. the
editorial page of its August
22 issue.

Purportedly an impression
of Canada written fon irate
by G. Sobolevsky, “one of a
panies of articles dealing with
the writer’s recent North Am-
erican tour,” the article in

fact has never appeared in
Pravda, Izvestia or any other
Russian publication.

This was shown when Les-
lie Morris, editor of the Tor-
onto Daily Tribune, investi-
gated the origin of the article
following its initial publica-
tion in the Halifax Chronicle
on August 15.

“It is quite clear to any one
who has tie slightest acquain-
tance with the writing of So-
viet journalists that this rub-
bish is a forgery, intended as
® provocation in the fields of
foreign relations, the atrug-
gle of the Canadian Seamen’s
Union, religion, and the cam-
paign against the Commun-
ists,” he declared.

The fact that it served its
editorial purpose apparently
was .sufficient proof of au-
thenticity for the Sun to Pub-
lish an article attributing to
Sobolevsky these ‘impressions’:

@ “With strong organization
of its people and a dynam-
ic government such as
our own, Canada - soon
would be filled up with
sturdy Slav workers . , .”

@ “In. Canada the industrial

, bosses drive about in
high-powered eight cy-
linder cars, while the
workers can only get
small six-cylinder cars,”

(Continued on Page 8)
See FORGERY

Dutch consulate picketed

Franz Coenen, Netherlands

staged an
demonstration outside
the Stock Exchange Building
on Howe Street where he has
his offices. Among the pickets
were several ve who saw
service with the Canadian
Army in the battle to liberate
Holland. 4 mimeographed leaf-
let handed out to passers-by
Stated: “This demonstration _ is
held to express our indignation
over the actions of the Dutch
government against the Indo-
nesian people . . : Our govern-
ment is aiding the Dutch as
long as Canadian ships are
carrying supplies to that coun-
try and Dutch ships are allow-
ed into our port.” Last week-
end, the B.C. Federation of
Labor declared all Dutch ves-
Sels and cargoes ‘hot’ and urg-
ed labor pressure on the King
government to halt Canadian
supplies to the Netherlands. It
also invited Indonesian repre-
sentatives now in the U.S. to
Speak in Vancouver.

@ A Dutch marine (left)

shoots at an Indonesian
patriot who burned this sugar
refinery rather than allow it
to fall into the hands of the
Dutch, whose &geressive war is
designed _ to recapture the
wealth of Indonesia.

While Oscar Orr, city
Prosecutor, Proceeding on
Premier Hart’s instruc-
tions as acting | minister
of labor this week,’ pre-
Pared charges against the

nited Steelworkers of Amer-
ica (CIO) for violation of Bil]
39, Strong labor Support for
the’ 350 Striking steelworkers
came from the B.C. Federation
of Labor ang Vancouver La-
bor Council (CCL).

The B.C, Federation of La-
bor, at its mectting last week-
end, endorsed the strike action
taken Thursday of last week
against five city steel fabri-
cating plants whose manage-
ments refused to meet the
United Steelworkers’ 123
cents an hour Wage demand,
despite Prolonged negotia-
tions, or to compromise on a
settlement of 10 cents an hour
with 15 cents for low cate-

S°ry workers reached with
other plants,

Vancouver Labor Council

decided to draw up lists of

Pickets who could be called
upon, if necessary, for dy
in the stee] Strike, and elected
a special committee to work
with executive officers on the
Plan as delegates met in closed
Session on Tuesday this week
to discuss the campaign
against Bill 39,

Meanwhile, hearing of an
injunction against the United
Steelworkers was adjourned
until Thursday afternoon, with
the Probability that the hear-
ing would not be resumed un-
til this Friday.

The injunction sought by
the companies involved would
compel the union to withdraw
its pickets and further to obey
4 court instruction to order its
members back to work. At-
tached to the court action is
a Notice that the companies
will seek unstated damages
from the union for alleged los-
Ses arising out of the strike
action.

(Continued om Page 8)
See STRIKES