Review e A suicidal proposal — FEW DAYS AGO the Penta- gon “flew a kite” to determine how the political winds might blow in the event of a drastic change in U.S. “defense” policy. This “change,” announced by U.S. Defense Secretary Neil Mc- Elroy, would reverse the oft an- nounced U.S, intention of not firing the first shot against the Soviet Union, but rather to rely on U.S. “massive retaliation” should the first shot come from the other direction. Now the trigger-happy atomani- acs in Washington want to reverse their “peace” policies by launch- ing a nuclear attack upon the Soviet Union first, on the mad as- sumption that such an initial attack will “prevent” war. In preparation for this it is pro- posed that U.S. intercontinental nuclear missiles be lifted from their “rest easy” position on the launch- ing platforms to “ready for launch” positions. All that then remains is for some U.S. atomaniac, smitten with the same anti-Soviet hallucina- tions which sent the late U.S. sec- retary of state James Forrestal hurtling out of a sixteenth storey window, to push the button and un- leash nuclear devastation upon mankind. A horrible thought to conemplate and more so since the Diefenbaker government's Bomarc deal with Washington fot “Canadian defense” leaves the switchboard push-button controls entirely in the hands of the U.S. atomaniacs. While a number of U.S. senators and congressmen are whooping it up with glee at this proposed “change” and shouting “public Opinion be-damned, it doesn’t win wars,” the peace-loving people of the U.S. and Canada must see to it that this madness is stamped out before it has an opportunity to launch nuclear destruction’ upon humanity. - For Canada in particular this U.S. “bomb Russia first” scheme holds grave. consequences. Caught in the middle, thanks to Liberal and Tory made-in-the-USA “defense” policies, we face the fate of nuclear destruction and death — for the sole aim of making the world “safe” Pacific Tribune Phone MUtual 5-5288 Editor — TOM McEWEN Managing Editor — BERT WHYTE _ Published weekly at Room 6 — 426 Main Street Vancouver 4, B.C. Subscription Rates: One Year: $4.00 Six Months: $2.25 Canadian and Commonwealth countries (except Australia): $4.00 one year. Australia, United States and all other countries: $5.00 one year. — for Wall Street! If the U.S. ruling class decide to commit suicide, that is their pre- rogative. The job facing Canadians and all peace-loving peoples is to see to it that if, ac, and when they may decide to do so — the peace and wellbeing of humanity will suffer no setback as a result of- their diabolic madness! - Aid loggers! oe $50,000 has been sent by B.C. trade unionists to striking Newfoundland loggers. This finan- cial assistance should be continued until the strike is won. One other way to aid the IWA “strikers is to send wires to Ottawa demanding federal action to disal- low Newfoundland’s fascist - like legislation rammed through the legislature by Premier Smallwood in an attempt to break the loggers’ strike. The Labor-Progressive Party has already forwarded such a demand to Prime -Minister Diefenbaker. Other political parties, trade unions and people’s organizations should take similar action. x EDITORIAL PAGE + Comment Direct action needed Tee aa of organized labor in B.C. to the new Trade Union Act brought down by the Socred government at the insistence of employer organizations is mixed. In the top echelons of the B.C. Federation of Labor leadership there is a majority inclined towards ~ “sitting it out” and, like the famed Micawber, wait for “something to turn up’ —perhaps a watering down of Bill 43’s most repressive restric- tions upon elementary trade union rights. Coincident with this wait-and-see attitude of trade union leaders is the commercial press with its “no- honest - trade-unionist-need-fear-the- bill” pontificating, and a CCF lead- er in the House who regards the bill not for what it is — a vicious attack upon the rights and _ privi- leges of organized labor, but as | “amateurish” in its drafting and content. Among rank-and-file unionists, however, the situation is different. There is a strong widespread senti ment for direct action in pro! against Bill 43 — the sentiment of work stoppages and strike action” to force withdrawal ‘of this labor bill. A whole number of union including some of the largest it B.C. have unanimously adopted resolutions demanding decisive at tion now. Local 1-217 of the IWA building trades unions and othets not satisfied to sit and twiddle he thumbs or to “test” Bill 43 in A courts after it becomes law, wat the full strength of organized Labor : turned upon the Bill and its Soc midwives. Many trade unionists son that if B.C.’s hospital ni through their unity and determ tion could make the Socreds the line on wage increases, wh cannot a 110,000-strong B.C. Feé: eration of Labor do the same thing in respect to Bill 43? A good question, and one whi B.C. unionists must bring contin to the attention of their leade order to achieve that measure united action essential for the elim: nation of Bill 43. ath Tom McEwen ITH the public spotlight cur- W rently on Newfoundland events, and its “fish-and-chips” premier Joey Smallwood rant- ing like a home-grown Goebbels on the “criminal menace” of Canadian trade unionism, a peek behind the political fog new enshrouding. that normally foggy Island might help to ex- plain what is what. Prior to becoming Canada’s tenth province, Newfoundland went through the entire gamut of imperialist exploitation; first as the oldest British colony with the agents of British timber and fish monopolies on the Island providing ‘Family Compact’ rule; then (briefly) as an- “in- pendent self-governing” ‘outpost of the “empire’—with the same ‘monopoly gangs calling the legis- lative shots; and thirdly under bankrupt “receivership.” Need- less to add, in all three phases of development, Newfoundland’s social, economic and_ political “well-being” were geared to the of Anglo - Newfoundland mon- opoly. political and profit requirements - Reduced to simple terms these monopoly requirements, carried over each stage as a “vested” heritage of colonial days, insist on the preservation of the 60- heur working week, substandard wage levels, plus working and living conditions which B.C. un- ions fought and eliminatéd nearly half a century ago. Even a New- foundland arbitration board’s modest nickel-an-hour award in the case of the IWA could not be permitted to upset the colonial peonage of the Island’s working- class to the rule of foreign mon- opoly and its native stooges. Hence the “horrible menace” of trade unions, national and inter- national, which haunt “fish-and- chips” Premier Smallwood and his monopoly bosses day and night, and turns Joey into a raving anti-union paranoic. The problem before Canadian labor today, however, is not to lose sleep over Smallwood’s -hys- terical attacks upon the integtity of organized labor and his legis- lative “outlawing” by decertifi- cation of the IWA and Team- sters’ union in Newfoundland The colonial mentality which Smallwood typifies has always opposed trade unionism. When it could no longer stem the tide of labor organization by acts of violence it resorted to the not- so-slick ruse of “company” union- ism, propped up by legislative decree. A product. of that men- tality, Joey is only doing “what -IWA and Teamsters carry on comes naturally” to him and the monopoly - encrusted breed he serves. : si Labor’s problem is a much big- ger one than the rantings of a |/ vest-pocket Goebbels —.to forge || the kind of labor unity, nation- . |) ally and internationally which can put a moral persuasive pic- ~ |) ket line around Joey’s province; |) a picket line of seamen, trans-— port, lumber and other workers, © ready to declare and hold all || products of Joey’s province “hot” — | until he and his profit-grabbing monopoly backers “cool off” in their vendetta against Canadian labor! et] Money is needed to help the their struggle for survival. Ot- tawa should also be inundated with protests, demanding an end to this arrogant denial of ele- ' mentary trade union rights in- Newfoundland — an act which ~ strikes at all labor. | But above and beyond all, the aa | monopoly tribe which “fish-and- chips” Joey speaks for ‘under- — - stand only one language — the voice of labor, united and arouse: —and. determined by. a tight ; ternational picket line around Joey’s company union Island, to make Newfoundland the final burying ground of boss-controlled company unionism in Canada; a picket line which ‘will guarantee thatthe Smallwood disease is quarantined and obliterated in’ the monopoly swamp which in: cubated it! ' ae March 13, 1959 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—P.