Demand Royal Commission Appointment of a Royal Commission to investigate police ter- rorism against striking miners at Asbestos, Que., is being demanded by the Canadian Catholic Confederation of Labor. Here two Asbestos miners’ wives carry a poster asking a pertinent question: “Who pays the provincial police?” Asbestos workers win withdrawal of judge before him. Judge Chasse pulled himself off the bench even before the petition could be presented to a Superior Court judge. In the petition the defense stat- ed that Judge Chasse had lost all jurisdiction to try the accused be- cause on several occasions he had made statements whith indicated he was prejudiced against their cause, ; Judge Chasse was alleged to have declared during the arraignments, that “the atmosphere of rebellion which reigns in Asbestos as a re- sult of the preachings of the ad- vice of the strike leaders compels ame to judge with severity.” During the appearance of 50 miners who were charged with illegal assembly, Judge Chasse was reported to have said, “The greatest criminals are not before the court,” thus apparently des- ignating the union officials as. “criminals,” and this before evi- dence had been introduced in court. Lawyers for the miners’ leaders also complained that Judge Chasse had attempted to hold an extra- ordinary “whitewash” inquiry into union charges that police had committed “indescribable tortures” following the arrest of Asbestos workers. ’ Before the trial opened Judge Chasse took the unprecedented step of holding an “enquette” in- to the alleged police atrocities. The inquiry was confined to ask- ing police witnesses whether they had committed any atrocities against the accused. The police. to a man, said, “No.” The de- —MONTREAL Asbestos strikers won a sizeable victory in forcing withdrawal of Judge Aime Chasse from the case of 14 leaders of the Asbestos Catho- lic Syndicate union following a petition for a writ of prohibition which charged that he was biased and would not dispense justice in the cases MAURICE DUPLESSIS He was forced to withdraw the judge. fense was not allowed to cross- examine. The “inquiry” was over. Judge Chasse is not a resident of the district, but was brought in specially to hear the strike cases. He is the same judge who tried and convicted officers of the United Textile Workers (AFL) following the Valleyfield strike. + s Force of public pressure has compelled the Duplessis govern- ment’ to retreat from its adamant Position and to agree to start dis- cussions wit hthe Asbestos work- ers. President Gerard Picard of the Catholic Syndicates and Labor Minister Antonio Barette have al- ready held several conversations in Quebec. Meanwhile the strike front continues solid, and the mines are shut down. 7 | PENSATION BENEFITS: The pamphlet Trades Congress affiliates, Congress |locals of civic employees in out- lying points, such as Prince Rupert and Nelson, will be asked to dis- tribute the pamphlet to the mem- bership. The pamphlet deals with these ‘five main points which are out- standing grievances: PENSIONS; Of 32 B.C. munici- palities, 29, including the larger municipalities of Vancouver, New Westminster and Burnaby, have “agreed to a practical scheme for the raising of superannuation pen- sions.” (Municipalities contribute approvimately 7 percent of payroll and employee 4 percent at present.. “They proposed that the muni- cipalities and the employees would each increase their contribution by 1% percent, and that the provin- cial government would underwrite an equal amount, . - The Coali- tion government turned it down. “If this plan had been adopted, your’ pensions would have been raised by $10 a month, or more. When the Superannuation Act was first drawn up, the provincial gov- ernment accepted the responsibility of keeping it on a sound financial basis. The Coalition government has repudiated this contract! Thousands of municipal workers pay into this fund, year after year, to receive a miserable pit- tance lower than the federal old age pension in this: province, which is non-contributory.” INTERFERENCE ‘IN COLLEC- TIVE BARGAINING: “... A law has been passed which seriously curtails the bargaining rights of thousands of municipal workers. Under this law, bargaining must be completed by April 15, or else the workers involved must forego any wage increase for that year.” AGAINST UNION SECURITY: “3,,500 organized civic employees in Vancouver made an. agreement with the city council. » They jointly applied for an amendment to the city charter that would have per- mitted the council and the unions to bargain on the question of union security. . ..” “The Coalition turned this re- quest down, paying more attention to the Vancouver Board of Trade, representing big business. .. .” WILL NOT AMEND THE ICA ACT: The Coalition government refused to listen to the requests of organized labor for the re-open- ing of the ICA Act. “One of the proposed amendments calls for a stipulation that all municipal em- ployees be fully covered by the labor law of the province.” WILL NOT INCREASE COM- “The Coalition government has refused to listen to the representations of organized labor. The trade unions have pointed out, over and over again, that benefits are too low, and must be raised.” The pamphlet closes with an ap- peal for every civic worker to get out and vote on June 15, declaring: “Vote in your own interests as municipal workers! Vote in the best interests of organized labor!” Significance of this pamphlet lies in the fact that civic ,employees, including laborers, tradesmen, fire- men, policemen, white collar and professional workers have no faith in the Coalition government, They have seen it in action and they know from bitter experience that it mever was a government for the people. It shows that the civic employees of this province, organized into Civic workers in British Columbia have ta four-page pamphlets are being distributed to ever amination of the Coalition’s record is respect to re is entitled “An Open Letter To All Municipal Employees In British Columbia. Joint Council of Public Employees. Vancouver, New Westminster and Burnaby, Vancouver and Victoria area. All groups alt It is published by Vancouver Civic Federation and the afhliates of these two bodies include all civic workers in” and civic workers in other municipalities in the Greater Civic workers take Issue with Coalition By JACK PHILLIPS civic workers. ken issue with the Coalition government, y civic worker in the province, calling for a critical e€ Ten thousand favor by hiding their opinions. They will not be tempted into silence by the bait of a few cents more in wages from the Coalition Sales Tax. They are not afraid of aMtagonizing the Coalition or their junior counterparts at the municipal level. While no stated alternative 8 offered, the fact remains that there is a clear recognition of the 2& cessity of political action, and # definite step forward from thé long-maintained political _attitud® of most Congress and AFL unions in” BC, provocation against the Communist ter Reuther narrowly escaped death at the hands of an unknown assailant, the labor hating, red- baiting ~ police department here questioned and harassed many progressive unionists, while the actual firer of the shots escaped and remains free to this day. Carl Bolton, rightwinger in the UAW, recently convicted on an armed robbery charge, is now awaiting trial for the Walter Reu- ther shooting. Walter Reuther’s repetition of the wild, unfounded claim that Communists “might” be involved in the shooting.of his brother is being picked up here by the local press in exactly the same Way as a year ago and will. undoubtedly’ again give the real asailants op- portunity to escape and continue ‘their assaults. The press is making much here of Reuther’s activity against the Communists, but is careful to play down the union’s dispute with the Ford Motor Company which pre- cipitated a mass strike last month. Both the Reuther brothers told police here that they had never received any threats from Com- munists. Depite this, local cops are telling reporters that the hunt for the group behind the shootings of the Reuther brothers is to be “national and international.” BCELECTRIC In the latest proposal for Settling the dispute, the company has drop- ped its request for Switching shifts of night men in shops and barns On 24 hours notice. It hag also eliminated its request for reclassi- fication of painters and made other minor concessions, _ Vancouver citizens, while back- ing the street railwaymen in their legitimate demands, will strongly resent any attempt on the part of Grauer and the BCElectrie to make the public foot the bill, which should be paid out of the company’s record profits, See sh Urge Chiang to flee —SAN FRANCISCO General Barr, the United States in China, at pres proposed to the name of military advisors ent in Formosa, Chiang Kai-shek in the U.S, government that all leading Personalities of the Kuomintang and its army. whose names figures on the People’ Democratic Sovernment’s lists of war criminals should leave China immediately, informed cir- cles reported last € would ar- immigration to Japan, Okinawa, the Philippines independent unions, wilj not curry , or Australia, Thirteen months ago, when Wal-|: former chief of |: Reuther shooting used to whip up hysteria By WILLIAM ALLAN __DETROIT Attempted assassination of Victor Reuther, brother of United Auto Workers president Walter Reuther, by an unknown assailant -recently: isbeing used here as the springboard for a new orgy of redbaiting and party. BILL BEREZOWSKI _ LPP candidate for Mackensle BILL BEECHING | LPP candidate for Resi?! PACIFIC TRIBUNE — JUNE 3, 1949 — F LPP candidate for Fort '