This is one of Czechoslovakia’s many new housing projects, the Fucik project at Gottwaldov.

By JOHN STEWART

In Prague, even at midnight, —
builders’ hammers can be heard

[John Stewart, editor of the
Canadian Tribune, is now on a
tour of the Soviet Union and the
People’s Democracies. This is
the first of his reports.] x
PRAGUE
‘VE discovered one thing so far

on this journey of discovery—
that it is possible to learn a great
deal about a country and its peo-
ple in a very short time.

As this is written in the Hotel
Praha, I’ve found in this wonder
ful and beautiful ity of a million
people less
than eight
hours. Tomor-
row at the
crack of dawn
I take off for
the third his-
toric city I’ve
seen in three
days — Paris,

Prague and
Moscow.
First thing I

did after settling down in this
hotel near the hallowed Wences-
jas Square was to go for a walk.
Up and down this street and
‘nat, not knowing quite where
I was, not knowing the language
spoken’ around me, one could
hardly expect to be able to re-
port much of anything after so
cursory a look. cota yet ..-
x .

x

You find people doing all the
things we do at home... win-
dow shopping . . . jay-walking
.. . buying groceries . ... goings
to a movie . . . making love over
on the bench by the riverside
_. . having a cool wine or beer
at a sidewalk tavern . . . crowd-
ing onto the small. streetcars
made up in trains of three or
Sour cars... buying books from
the never-ending bookstores.

Come with me to the Detsky
pum around the corner... a
store built entirely for children.
_.. You make have read about
it, but it’s really something to
see. . . . Everything built at the
ehild’s level . .-
ers =: + Chairs’. . . stairs...
restaurant. Adults who come with
children must adapt themselves.

Over there is a special nursery
for parents from out of town who
bring their children to the city
to shop. . . - The spacious, mod-
ern store provides a built-in baby-
sitting service. .- - Downstairs,
the children’s own theatre, this
time showing movies made speci-
polly for children. . .

og bes

Or come to the place of strug-

gles, defeat and glorious victory
Wenceslas Square in the heart
of Prague . . - where on the bit-
terly cold day in February 1948,
Klement Gottwald stood on that
balcony over there and called
apon the people to form Action
Committees . . . 50,000 people
cheered and Czechoslovakia be-

counters, cash- _

came a People’s Democratic Re-
public. . hae

It was not so victorious in 1620
when the rapacious Austro-Hun-
garian empire laid waste the city,
destroyed the country and execut-
ed the leaders of the Czech re-
sistance right in this same
square. ... =

The people of Czechoslovakia
know a great deal about the strug-
gie for national independence.
They have fought for it for cen-
turies and now it has ‘brought
chem to socialism and a march

forward with long, ‘purposeful -

strides... :
+t ores
And when I return in Septem-
ter, I hope you will come with

- me to a cemetery, a place that

By ARTHUR CLEGG

Attitude towards war test of M

Aes winning 51 of the 52
elected seats in the Malayan
Legislative Assembly the Alliance
party is demanding that the veto
powers of the British High Com-
missioner be ended in two years.
~ Tengku Abdul Rahman, leader

forever will bind Canada and
Czechoslovakia in friendship... .
For at Olshany Cemetery. are the

well kept graves of Canadian
nilots who were murdered by the
Nazis in the last war. (Over here
the word fas¢ist is always used
and when it’s said it never fails
to carry a sharp tone of hatred
and bitterness.) These Canadians
who were shot down, parachuted
io earth safely, only to be cap-
tured and murdered. .. . The
Anti-Fascist Committee tends the
graves. :

No, they have not forgotten
war over here.. . But they are
building socialism and planning
for peace. . . . Even now at mid-
night the hammers may be heard
geross the street... .

of the triple Alliance (of Malay,
Chinese and Indian Malayans)
said in Johore last week:

“The high commissioner’s pow-
ers must be made purely advisory
within two years, or one year if
possible.”

By BILL KASHTAN

Labor needs new —

| oo |

Ate signs seem to point to a
-* thawing out. of the cold war.
What is worth noting is the re-
peated statements by governments
that they cannot afford to ignore
the will of the people for peace.
This is true enough. But this’

state. of affairs did not come-

about by itself. It required years
of patient and painstaking work
before this situation developed.

Trade. unionists who urged
their locals to adopt resolutions
on peace and those delegates who
spoke for peace at CCL or TLC
conventions were looked upon
suspiciously as “Moscow agents.”
It took quite a few years before
the top leaders of the trade un-
jon movement in this country
would allow resolutions to be
adopted and even then they: emas-
culated them and_ red-baited
those who called for their adop-
vion. ‘

Events proved that those who
fought for peace were on the
right track, while those who op-
posed it spoke not for the work-
ers; but for others.-

It proves again that a correct
cause is bound to win in the end.
Not that the battle is over. But
what is clear is this: if the work-
ers fight for it they can make
peace prevail. They are strong
enough, given unity on a world-
wide seale, to do that.’

: 50g % nt

The possibility now exists not
only to de-frost the cold war but
to end it, replacing it by peace-
ful co-existence and competition,
using the enormous sums of
money now spent on arms for
eonstructive purposes.

- If the high commissioner vetoed
legislation passed by the assem-
bly “we might as well walk out,”
he added. —
The statement means that, with
the sweeping electoral victory of
the Alliance, precisely the same

on the gear
time was here,

ed in our ear.

of many things,
scurryings.

stings?”

your attention,
didn’t mention,

good intention.

skirts and hose,

little so and so’s?”

in,
old oddsbodkin,

can a husband win?)

The bags were stuffed and ready, for vacation-

“Let’s check to see if it’s all packed,” she holler-

“The time has come,’ the missus said, “to talk
Of packed-up bags and catching trains and hurry-

Have we forgot that gooey stuff for curing skeeter

“And how about the scores of things I drew to
The fishing hooks and travel books .plus stuff I

Don’t glare at me, let’s check the list against your

“Now how about the kiddies’ shoes and shirts and
And caps, and straps and swimming suits and

drops for runny nose, -
Or is there something else we’ve missed for the

“But just a minute Amy, dear,” we finally broke
“Gadzooks and all that sort of stuff, plus plain

The stuff is packed and that’s a fact .. .” (How

“If a thousand husbands with two thousand hands
should sit up half the night,

Spin ee GWOAY we go

The missus and her *missing link were checking

Do you suppose,” the missus said, “they'd pack
a bag quite right?”

"We doubt it very much,” we said, and thus
ignored. the slight. :

“So let us have that last check-up and just

: survey the list

And then we will be doubly sure that nothing
has been missed .. . Y

Now don’t pretend you’re never wrong .
look, bub, | insist.” =, j

“Don't you recall in other years thera’s always
something lacking

When you insist on equal rights in helping with
the packing. ;

Why just last year you packed some beer instead
of kid’s shoe blacking.” -

“O.K., O.K., let’s check the list, don’t kick up
such a stink, i

The way you talk you’d reckon we’d forgot the
kitchen’ sink” :

(And if you had’ our bags to tote you'd take
another think.)

And so we checked the list again and opened up

the lids

To see how packing tallied on our don’ts against
our dids .

And when the check was double-checked, we
couldn’t find the kids . nie

“An endearing terms used by our missus on us
whenever she want something done (like work) |
and she can’t find us.—Ed.

¥

2. now

‘ ‘

alayan policy

‘summit

We need more homes and
schools. We need the. develor-
‘ment of industry and national de

velopment projects. We 3& —
trade. Such policies would st¥@

open the door to full empl
‘ment and higher living standards
in conditions of peace.
The trade union movement
should take the lead in this e
of fight. It is a fight against
poverty, disease and oppressio® @.
Unfortunately we still have =
AFL top officials like cet
Meany with us who fear the &
of the cold war and move heave
and earth to prevent it.

bor
valeful influence on the we
movement needs to be ene he

wellbeing of the workers :
nation at large. ee

The Meanys support the cold
war because they are be :
supporters of the “war noW € ies pe
of capitalism and bitter enemy
of socialism. This bankrupt PO” ~
cy needs changing. ae

Coming shortly after the mer
ing at the “summit” the 00S
Catholic Syndicates convent
can perform an important by
to the workers and the oatirs 1d
insisting on an end to the
war between countries an¢ —
side the trade union move”
Theirs is the job of formule
those policies which cam
strengthen the fight for full ie
ployment and higher living 5" —
dards in a peace economy- for

This is the Al priority te ef :
the trade union movement 4

$6

enace 6
cause they are a Mm nif the sf

struggle for self-government © a
has gone on in Singapore
spread to the Malayan main’ wid ;

Tenku Rahman said he W°
Lez

discuss the matter with Alan 7”
nox-Boyd, British colonial 5 i
tary, who is now visiting Ma oy iy
“But I cannot rest until
matter of veto powers is SP”
settled.” ;
_ The victory of the in
. which stands for independenr”
\by 1959, opposes racialis™ * 4
ports cooperation with the el de
government in Singapore: ain’ ;
mands social reforms, is ©"
an advance for Malaya. | come
But the crucial test will tions
over the question of negote ios
with the Malayan oe eb
Army to end the Malaya? wy wor
For without an end to rr
there will not’ be a united a
_ and without unity pol tica of
social advance. will not be stand
Officially, the Alliance pie ®
for an amnesty for the 108
tion Army and one of its afte
some months ago offerees, gle
_ the election, to go to the J
to discuss the matter. ne
In May a letter from t a
eration Army to the Brits. tbis
orities declared that, while,
amnesty offer was not stake
tory, they were ready 10 joD5:
as the basis of negotla” aint
order to make a start 1)
the war. ee eat
The British authorities |
ed this offer—the th
of the Liberation Army f0
tiations in four years— 7” on
te the wishes of the Alliant
Since then the Liberation
has written again to the

BOB WARD in UE News

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — AUGUST 5, 1955 -

but the letter has never
published.