Review

fe breadwinners of families
ie working people generally, un-
es ener is nothing short of a

gedy. Morale, living standards,

h
Sag human dignity, all suffer
y(t worker through no fault

. his own is deprived of his right
€arn a livelihood.
_Not so with t

h j i=
Weare e professional poli

Bae er ihem unemployment
nee oe andy football to. be
Pra pies for narrow partisan
it ty act the big corporations
tough” the opportunity to “get
thong vith labor, to attack all
“he ers’ hard-won gains.
Ai aie to one million Cana-
Bue eke ra jobless, the Tories
reg 4 erals and the Liberals
mercial sy pee while all the com-
tion, the edia of public informa-
ther Ga Press, radio and TV slant
- aie of this odigus politi-
Parties to suit their respective
nterests.
ee federal Labour
ory (MP ichael Starr and sundry
of Dec S are all in a dither. As
. ember 14, 1957, the Domin-

lon
« fetes of Statistics reported
00. O unemployment at 386,-

n January 2, S himself
re e y 4, Otarr himse
ang in the House of Com-
with See 796,371 were registered
ice Saas Employment Serv-
ape CBC. jobs. In its news cover-
ee used the minister’s NES
isso pather than the earlier tally
ready ¢ DBS. Now the Tories, al-
of ae tecord for the scuttling
mene as a public-owned govern-
the che? are yammering about
The being “pro-Liberal.”
employm Is little doubt that the un-
D €nt statistics issued by
CoM the minister are both
: ee below the actual situ-
DBS tainly those issued by the
a Kee pitcady obliterated by an
“ae 400,000 jobless workers.
= ae a safe bet that the 796,-
ae eS tted by, Starr in Commons
sand, ee grown by several thou-
sae do not take into account
an oe! thousands of workers
offs and e Jobs, “temporary” lay-
the the transient occupations, nor
shee pyeahda who regard it as a
reviste. aste of time and effort to
tea aes NES for a non-exis-
Job. But Starr prefers to ig-
See.

Pacific Tribune

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ae ditor _— TOM McEWEN
late Editor — HAL GRIFFIN
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K

Action — not arguments

EDITORIAL PAGE

nore the thousands of jobless who
are not included in NES figures
and to make an issue of those, a rel-
atively small percentage at best,
who are in the process of changing
jobs.

This is really beggaring the is-
sue of the three-quarters of a mil-
lion people who have no jobs:

The problem is not which politi-
cal party, Tories or Liberals, is to
“blame.” Both are equally guilty.
Despite all their political “fury sig-
nifying nothing” on the issue of
unemployment, the Liberals left a
heritage of 22 years of domestic
and foreign policies inimical to the
people’s interests — and the Tories
are following the same cold war rut.
Each is seeking to cover up its
bankruptcy with political mud-
slinging at the other, while the
ranks of the jobless climb towards
the million mark, with nothing
being done on the scale: necessary
to arrest the economic decay.

The issue is not “How many” un-
employed, but how fast constructive
action at government level can be
started to provide jobs for jobless
workers.

Comment

REMEMBER WHEN ... Baker Street in Nelson looked like this,
back in 1898, and horse races were run along it on July 1. A tribute
to the part played by organized labor in the Kootenays in winning the
eight-hour day and other legislation is paid by the current bulletin of
Trail and District Civic Workers Union, Local 343 of the National

Union of Public Employees. (See story on page 11.)

Tom
McEwen

Way Wait For Spring?”

A very good question when
properly posed. The prospective
bridegroom could well ask his
betrothed, “Why wait for spring?”
or the housewife, seized with the
annual itch to begin wrecking
the home (commonly called
spring-cleaning) well ahead of
schedule, would also find in the
question. an incentive to get go-
ing.

When, however, a federal min-
ister of labour poses the question
“Why Wait For Spring?” and in
the process demonstrates the

utter bankruptcy of his govern-
ment in its failure to tackle the

rising menace of mass unem-
ployment and _ its consequent
evils, then there is only one

answer to give the honorable
questioner. Yes, Why Wait for
Spring? Why not show some
action now?

Recently Labor Minister Mich-

ael Starr issued a four-page
sickly-looking folder entitled,

‘Why Wait for

Spring?” the
whole masterpiece being de-
cribed as “A Message from the
minister of labour.

In his “message” Starr had
nothing to say and said it very
well. Beginning with a Tory
rhapsody on the virtues of spring
cleaning, remodelling, repairing
around the home and so forth,
he went on with a homily on
how much cheaper building sup-
plies, skilled tradesmen, deliv-
eries, building contractors, etc.
etc. could be secured if done
now. “Remember,” he pontifi-
cated; “if everybody works, ev-
erybody  benefi‘s,’ with the
problem of unemployment dis-
appearing almost overnight, and
a big saving to the community
for such things as welfare costs
and unemployment insurance.”

No doubt Starr hopes, as does
the government he speaks for,
that with this liberal helping of
Tory why-wait-for-spring tripe,
the three-quarters of a million
unemployed -—- and _ everyone
else will forget that the grave
unemployment crisis in Canada
is primarily a federal responsi-
bility, not to be solved by min-
isterial “messages” exhorting all
and sundry at community level
to take in each other’s washing,
but by prompt and large-scale
action at federal level.

The question should be re-
directed, to “Fellow Citizen”
Starr and the Diefenbaker gov-
ernment. “Why Wait For Spring
to do what must be done now —

a comprehensive program of pub-
lic works and services.
xt xt $e;

Perhaps it was the “spring”
fever or perhaps just pure un-
adulterated Social Credit cussed-
ness. In any case Bill No. 1 of
the second session of the twenty-
fifth B.C. Legislature wasn’t how
best to help overcome the prob-
lem of mass "unemployment, des-
pite the efforts of CCF Opposition
Yeader Robert Strachan to con-
vince the Socred government that
this pressing problem should
have legislative priority. No Sir-
ree. Bill No. 1 is an act to amend
the “Dogwood and_ Rhododen-
dron Protection Act” by the pro-
tective inclusion of Trillium Ova-
tum, better known in common
garden lingo as “Wake Robin.”

Being something of an ama’eur
horticulturalist myself, I am. all
for the “protection” of our Flow-
ering Dogwood, emblem of our
beloved province, of our Rhodo-
dendron Macrophyllum (skip the
last mouthful) and of our Tril-
jium Ovatum.

But I am also of the opinion
that the first responsibility of any
government with a modicum of
concern for the people would
have been for the well being of
93,000 B.C. Workers deprived of
the means of a-.livelihood for
themselves and their families.
Bill No. 1 should have been for
their “protection.” Concern for
the “protection” of . our flora,
important as it is, could have
come later.

January 31, 1958 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 5