The imminent and inevitable collapse of Chiang Kai-shek in China is good news for It shows that delousing the earth of fascists is still the main trend of world events. Begun by the great alliance of anti-Axis states in World War II, it goes on despite the breakdown of the alliance on th labor and the people. with certainty of ultimate triumph, by people’s movements in every country where fascism still rules or is trying to regain control. With the corrupt, “malodorous government of Chiang Kai-shek on its way out, only two minor stink weeds survive of the prewar bou- quet of fascist dictators—Franco in Spain and Salazar in Portugal. Where fascists attempt a come- veck, “es --in France, Italy and western” Germany, their way is blocked by militant poli- tical and union action of wun- precedented scope The American peo- : ple have suffer- Israel Epstein ed and learned less. But while not acting on the same . scale, even they cléarly showed their opinion of the head- line-touted right-wing “wave of the future” by thumbing their nose _at Tom Thumb Dewey. The real tide runs the other way. Wherever this is happening, the array of right-wing forces once seemed unchallengeable. China is particularly instructive. Chiang had international recognition as one of the Big Four, vast initial superiority in arms and territory. $6 billion of U.S. aid since V-J Day, and arms and military personnel from America—the world’s most powerful nation. He has_ had against him, however, not only the Chinese Communist armies but the Chinese people—except a handful of generals, war profiteers, bankers and landlords. The peasants fight him because they want land. The workers have called and worked for his downfall through the All- China Labor Federation. Against him, too, are most Chinese profes- sors, students, and common sol- diers—who protest by going over to the other side along with their U.S.-supplied arms. In China, in short, 90 percent of the people have overcome 100 percent of the big press head- lines and 100 percent of outside aid to reaction. It will happen elsewhere. So far as U.S. foreign policy is concerned, China is the first full collapse of the Truman doctrine and the Marshall plan as “anti- Communist policy.” The New York Herald Tribune of Nov. 12 tells a story. “Smashed U.S. army equipment Peoples’ victory in China spells sure defeat for Chiang backers By ISRAEL EPSTEIN e government level. It is being carried on, and scattered supplies bore wit- ness today to the undignified plight of an American military advisory detachment,” corre- spondent A. T. Steele writes from Peiping. “The withdrawal was - + - calculated to bring goose pimples to any watching Ameri- ‘can taxpayer. Four radio trans- mitters were reduced to junk with an ax .... Other costly equipment was similarly treated. : .- The frantic haste . . . left a bad impression here .. .” Multiply this scene to include all $6 billion of help given to Chiang and check it against what any policy aims at. Obtaining of ob- jectives? Chiang is on the run. Value for money? Obviously zero. would have been far smaller if the U.S. military had never come in. Goodwill? Three short years have changed 450 million Chinese from regarding America as an ally against the Japanese aggressor to seeifg her as a country determined to keep them under fascism. A New York Times story from Chiang’s capital of Nanking, over 100 miles from any battlefield, tells more of the collapse of Chiang’s gang than any military news. A crowd of hungry war refugees walked into a government building there and ate a dinner laid out for officials. Although there is martial law in Nanking, the guards, like the officials, must have been away packing their bags—because the refugees did not break into the building but simply “wandered” in, the Times informs us. That looks like the end. What next? Some U.S. bigshots want Marines to take over Shang- hai. Arms are being sent. State De- partment officials wonder aloud if some regional warlord can be propped up when Chiang caves in. Even the liberal New Republic, bracketing Truman’s reelection with Chiang’s defeat as “good news.” says the Chinese can now be offered some new U.S.-backed setup as an alternative to both Chiang, whom they hate, and the People’s Armies, which they sup- port, ; How about letting the Chinese decide their own affairs without in- tereference, then treating with them as equals on the basis of nor- mal trade and diplomacy? Is this Prestige of armed forces? The loss ]: construction and exchange of peace goods instead of exports of dollars, arms and U.S. Marines in exchange for more defeat. UN wins reprieve for Greek labor leaders —ATHENS Death sentences imposed on 10 labor leaders were sus- pended November 7 by the Greek government following an appeal by the Uttited Nations to stay the executions while the Greek question is debated in the UN. “In my personal judgment.’ UN General Assembly President Her- bert V. Evatt of Australia wired the government, “the execution of these sentences at this juncture would seriously interfere with at- Back French miners French miners. New York seamen protest French government’s use of troops and police against striking French miners. Picture shows seamen’s picket at French Consulate. World labor is rallying in support of CSU action petuating a form of blacklist. ment to the Canada Shipping Act requiring that seamen carry a con- tinuous discharge book carrying more un-American ‘than telling them what to do or more in tune with American tradition and inter est? As-we see it, there is only one answer—the one that brings re- TLC public rally urges prices, profit control Spurning attempts at red-baiting by the tory MP Howard Green, a well attended prices protest rally Sunday in Van- couver’s Hastings-Odeon Theater called for price controls. subsidies and 100 percent excess profits. The meeting, sponsored by Van- eouver Trades and Labor Council, heard W. Hope outline the plight of the old ‘Age pensioners and oth- ers on small fixed incomes, and Bernard Isman declare the sup- port of the veterans for labor’s campaign against the high cost of living. ‘ Rev, A. E. Cooke urged the au- dience to stop buying high priced articles. He proposed a municipal food market to eliminate profits. When Green attémpted to lay the blame for high prices at the door of the Soviet Union members of the audience shouted, “Sure blame it on Russia,” and “Lay off that stuff—we came here to hear about prices not about Russia.” The heckling persisted, despite suggestions from chairman Birt Showler that the guest speaker should be respected and those who did not like what he was saying could leave. Green was forced to skip his external” causes of prices and describe “internal” causes. His cure for the “internal’’ causes was “production”, which hecklers de- scribed as “speedup.” The resolution called for “imme- diate” implementation of an‘ ade- quate and effective system of price contro] and subsidies, where neces- Sary, on all essential commodities. “Immediate re-imposition of the: 100 percent excess profits tax to meet the costs of subsidies and to eliminate profiteering. “Enactment of legislation that will curb the development of great powerful monopolies whose influ- cences and greed are primarily re- sponsible for the position we are | in today.” George Home spoke on behalf of the Vancouver Labor Council. particulars of every voyage. ‘ Incorporated in this book were certain “particulars” carried over from the old certificates of dis- charge, namely a report of “char- acter” embracing both “ability” and “conduct.” Long resented by seamen, who are the only class of \ , Civic workers strike to uphold agreement Attempts of Vancouver city fath- ers to incinerate a collective bar- gaining agreement as well as the rubbish misfired, this week when the crew at the city’s Cambie Street incincerator went on strike to en- force the hours of work clause in their contract. sh The contract provides for three of the incinerator crew to work seven hours on weekdays and five on Saturdays with all the rest on a regular schedule of five eight- hour days. When city engineer C. A. Batter- shill gave orders for the whole crew to go on the irregular shift the boys decided not to start work on Monday morning. In a few hours the city solicitor notified Local 28 Civic Employees’ Union (outside Workers) that the agreement would be honored, and the crew went back to work. “The membership don’t look on’ breaks — dog-collar discharge Militant action by the Canadian Seamen’s Union last week defeated a lockout aimed by deepsea operators at per- According to Jimmy Thomp- son, CSU vice-president, Ottawa this year enacted an amend- workers subjected to such treat- ment, the placing of the “charac- ter” particulars in the discharge books would make possible perma- nent blackballing. The CSU countered it hy having all crews request in writing, to the master that “endorsement not required” be entered under “char- acter.” In effect this would be no recommendation, either good or bad. | This was carried through by crews of the “Wairuna,” “Lake Shawinigan,” “Lake Kootenay,” “Seaboard Pioneer’ and “Tahsis” on arrival at Vancouver. The companies would not rehire these crews, taking the position they had “bad discharges.” The CSU declared a lockout was in effect, notified Ottawa, set up an emergency committee and reg- istered pickets, This was enough. The compan- ies settled the same afternoon. tempts at conciliation which may result in lasting benefit to Greece and, the people of Greece.” The unprecedented action came while the UN was discussing the Balkan issue in the political com- mittee of the general Assembly. The request to the Greek gov- ernment was a compromise pro- posal which followed efforts by the Soviet Union to have the UN inter- vene directly in the matter. Members of the Federation of Greek Maritime Unions, the 10 were sentenced to death Nov. 4 aft- er being convicted of aiding tha ‘Greek guerrilla forces of Gen. Mar- kos Vafiades. Specifically they were accused of sending money to the Markos Free Greek govern- ment. The trial was conducted in an atmosphere of terror and suppres- sion. The defendants were notified of the trial date only five days be- fore it was scheduled to begin. American and British lawyers who sought to go to Greece to aid them were denied visas by the royalist regime. The court’s judgment was based on so-called “signed confessions’ which were extracted from some of the defendants. Testimony that the “confessions” were forced by police brutality was ridiculed by Judge G_.Mahairas, whose biased attitude was tnmasked when he referred to Sec. Louis Saillant of the World Federation of Trade Un- ions and Sec. Leon Jouhaux of the French anti-Communist Force Ouvriere (Workers’ Strength) as “Communists in the guise of trade unionists.” A number of British labor lead- ers have appealed directly to the British government and to Greece's King Paul demanding mercy for the convicted men. Among those singing the British statement were Pres. Will Lawther of the National Union. of Mineworkers and Pres. Jack Tanner of the Associated Electrical Workers’ Union. A score of American labor of- ficials have appealed to Pres, Tru- man to intervene against what they called “Taft-Hartleyism in Greece”. and use his influence to protest the sentences, One of those facing death is FGMU Sec. A. Ambatielos, who is married to an English girl. Her father, a 54-year-old electrical en- gineer, has flown to Athens to de- mand justice for his convicted son- in-law. “My daughter cabled me for help,” he said. “Since the Greek authorities refuse to allow legal aid to be sent from Britain and the U.S., I feel the best thing is for me to be on the spot to try and See that my daughter’s husband is treated fairly.” If carried out, the executions will bring to a total approaching 1.700 the number of Greeks who have been executed since 1945 because of their opposition to the present roy- alist government, ’ ODDS HIGHEST PRICES PAID for \ DIAMONDS, OLD GOLD Other Valuable Jewellery STAR LOAN CO. Ltd: * EST. 1905 - 719 Robson St. — MAr. 2622 63 West Cordova Street HIGH QUALITY LOGGERS AND WORK BOOTS i HAND-MapDpB ¥ JOHNSON’S | BOOTS - + = Phone MArine 7612 - STANTON. Vancouver Office 501 Holden Building ‘ 16 East Hasting Street the agreement as rubbish,’ com- mented business agent Don Guise. | STIL MArine 5746 ‘ BARRISTERS, SOLICITORs, NOTARIES ‘& MUNRO Nanaimo Office Room 2, Palace Building, Skinner | Street ABO: PACIFIC TRIBUNE — NOVEMBER 19, 1948— PAGE 2 / rf -