McEwen reports from Moscow

‘New construction
wherever you go’

This ts the second in a sertes of special reports written by

Tom McEwen, editor of the Pacific Tribune, who is now

visiting the Soviet Union.

From my fourth floor balcony
I look down on Gorky Street,
across “Hunter’s Row” to historic
Red Square.
traffic is endless and the streets
pelow are filled with people. I
am in Moscow, the pulsing heart
of the great Soviet Union. —-

Unlike London, there are no
visible scars of war here. These
are buried deep in the hearts of
a people building for peace. Not
only are the bombed-out areas
entirely rebuilt, but thousands of
new buildings have arisen since
the war and more are going up.

A little over 14 years ago I
had lived for two years in Mos-
cow. Now there is so much new
construction that I can scarcely
find my way around! Wherever
I go the Moscow skies are pierc-
ed with great building cranes
where new apartment homes, new
office buildings, new factories are
under construction — a new city.

It gives the lie to those who
say that the Soviet Union seeks
war. A people being prepared
for war does not build palaces of
culture and art, homes and in-
dustries. Proof of that can be
seen in those war-stricken centres
still within the Yankee dollar
orbit, where the war ruins still
ery out their protest with. huge
heaps of rubble and shattered
walls.

Last week I spent a brief two
days in Leningrad, “the city that
wouldn’t die.” Nine hundred
days of the most savage bom-
bardment in the history of man-
kind couldn’t bring this heroic
city to its knees. The sufferings
of its people were beyond de-
scription. My Russian guide told
me that over nine million square
feet of living space was destroy-
ed. It is as if all the area west
of Vancouver’s Main Street had
been completely blotted out.

Yet, remarkable as it may
seem, nearly all tke visible scars
are healed. Thousands of build-
ings have been completely re-
paired, and miles of other new
five and six-storey apartments,
factories; schools, colleges, parks,

The roar of the

have been built. Twelve miles
of new avartment houses, very
much like Vancouver’s Oak Street

apartments, have been built on-

the new Neva Prospect. And
that is only one area of Lenin-
grad. Wherever I went in this
“city that wouldn’t die” I saw
great new structures arising.

Of course, there is still a hous-
ing “problem.” In cities that
have suffered like Moscow and
Leningrad there always is.

However, the solution to this
problem in the USSR differs
somewhat from that in the cap-
italist countries. In the former,
the problem is solved by the
tempo of new construction; in

the latter, by “charity” make-
shifts and the gravitation towards
new slum habitation.

Another remarkable distinc-
tion I noted, especially in Lenin-
grad, was the reconstruction and
repair of historic churches which
suffered damage in the intense
German bombardment.

While in London the Preserva-
tion of Historic Churches Trust
was appealing for funds to repair
and preserve many of the histori¢e
British churches and cathedrals,
in Leningrad extensive repairs on
the great historic church of St.
Isaac were going onside by side
with the building of new homes,
factories, schools, hospitals. So
too, the ancient cathedral of Sts.
Peter and Paul was being repair-

ed. ‘

You see and meet with foreign
delegations visiting the Soviet
Union from all over the world.
The first thing that hits you in
such casual meetings is their
looks and expressions of pleasant
surprise, and their universal hap-
piness that the real Russia doesn’t
correspond in any way whatso-
ever to the hysterical caricature
so. often drawn by the hired pro-
pagandists of Western capitalism.

For all humanity it is a great
blessing that it doesn’t.

New U.S. grab of

Seaway in makin

Ay

TORONTO

‘Evidence ‘is now available that the United States has no intention of giviNs

consideration to Canada’s wishes’ in the building of parallel facilities on the Le
Lawrence Seaway, the Toronto Evening Telegram charged in a lead editorial

week.

The attempt is “to outbuild
Canadian plans with respect to

U.S. St. Lawrence Seaway Auth-
ority is now seeking to boost

congressional appropriations in the Iroquois installations,” the
order to construct canals and Telegram declares.
locks in excess of original plans. The report knocked into a

ml i? a

il a

! Hi ‘i

srt A j

(AI QIES;

HNinnatfbseverros Davseerann vont

WAN

Nae sereeet trae nee I a

1954

And why not?

1¢ a Canadian girl can swim Lake Ontario, Canada ought to bh»
able to build the St. Lawrence Seaway itself,” was the comme: |
of one signer of a postcard at this table set up outside a shoppir

centre in Toronto’s suburban North York. The postcards, address: |
to Prime Minister St. Laurent, called for an all-Canadian Seaway.

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Continued

NFLY

. ticnal Federation of Labor Youth.
His first speech in Vancouver will
be made at a public banquet this
Saturday, October 2, at Hastings
Auditorium.

“What do you consider the
high point in your experiences?”
I asked the youth leader.

“That’s a hard . question to
answer,” said Endicott.

“But I really think, on reflec-
tion, that the greatest experience
I had was working at the head-
quarters of the World Federation
of Democratic Youth in Budapest,
which gave me an opportunity to
meet youth leaders from many
lands and learn more about the
growing struggles of young peo-
ple everywhere for liberty.”

The NFLY convention opens
Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Youth
Centre, 1238 Commercial Drive.
Main report will be given by Glyn
Thomas, city youth leader, who
will review the organization’s ac-
tivities of the past year and make
proposals for future campaigns.

' The convention reconvenes Sun-
day at 10 am. in Swedish Hall,
and discussions will continue all

4

day. Endicott speaks at 2 p.m.
PACIFIC TRIBUN

* “revert: to its original P fond!
ne

this

The Telegram’s Washington correspondent, James F. Minifie, reports that the
. FS
it would build parallel facilities :

cocked hat Ottawa’s pledge
and an all-Canadian Seaway
and when” the traffic e si
necessary and confirmed the f
of U.S. domination of
life_ line.

The Telegram’s editorial, which

was headed “A Canadian Seaway

‘Soon’?” proposed that the Can
adian government reconsider }
policy of letting a key section

the seaway be built in the

ws

On the same day, Septemibe

27, the Toronto Globe and nal
demanded, “Is it not a natlo a
shame that the vital link 12” ”
St. Lawrence waterway — ilt
ada’s waterway — is to be aa
on the American side of '”
river?” The paper urged Cor
servative candidates to “spe or
bold and plain” on this and oth
vital national questions.

“The Telegram noted. that oy

Canadian government had :
ed its intentions to proceed W

the locks and canals in the 10

i : «onal
quois section of the Internatio? i

Rapids, coupling this notificatio’
with the expression of 2 we
that ‘the United States may SU 4
sequently decide not to procect

with this work at this time.” ht

Canada also reserved the Me.
to construct canals and locks ?
Barnhart Island at some time
the future. So far the US.

only “noted” the declaration ¢

Canada’s intentions, and there
actually no agreement on the oy
posals put forward by Canada i
her note of August 17. Says t

' Telegram: ft

“The matter can hardly be ¢
in this state, for Canada weBt
good deal further than many can
adians thought desirable 1 te
tempting to meet the last-minu™
decision of the United States OT
gress to get into the seaway
tire.”

The editorial went on 10 a
that the United States “may se
tempt to outbuild Canadian pla”

with respect to the Iroquols
stallations.” (This would oe
Canada with either a useless °
tion of canal, or the altern?
of not building the Iroquois *
tion or completing the seaw4Y
the Canadian side.)
According to $the Or"
“the U.S. St. Lawrence Devel”!
ment Corporation is energetl® es
seeking ways and means 9 10°
ceeding its congressional apriet
priation of $105 million in 0
to construct canals and lock
excess of orginal specificat!
The purpose of this it says ©°

ons.

regard “as a Canadian
lenge’ to its plans. :
Meanwhile, says the editee
Canadian authorities have § 1,
by their proposal of August *
“in order to accommodate ‘ol
erican wishes.” Lionel Cheve oe
president of the Canadial wv
“way Authority, said on SeP ore
ber 22 that Canada felt Mie
should be U.S. participatio™ jo

the Barnhart Island situatio” oy

said only that “some day *

Canada hoped to build ther?’
The conclusion of the Telegt
was that it is “time for some
dence of cooperation from o
United States.” Failing suth uid
operation, it said, Canada $ ast

building the entire naviga!’ |
structures in the St. Lawrence sn
the Canadian side with Cana°”
. money.”

E — OCTOBER 1, 1954 — PAGE

i

Canada’s

tive

Telegra™

ns
wd
only be to beat what Americar’

¥ ’
rial,
P fe

Hi?

: 7

Jeave

sin