Social assistance
Editor, Pacific Tribune:

My name was mentioned by
your correspondent ‘Reader’ in
your issue of March 28, in which

_he states that in a letter to the
Sun I “perhaps gave them the
wrong figures’ in connection
with the Social Assistance allow-
ances,

_ The figures I cited were $40.00

for two people and $27.50 for one
person per month, and are ab-

Solutely correct. I do not know

what they do in Vancouver but
here in Surrey it is as I say.

Iam moving the following res-
Olution at our branch of the Old
Age Pensioner’s Society, and
hope to bring it before the an-
nual convention in May jor June.
“Whereas, the receipients of

Social Assistance, the ‘unem-
ployables’ have no organization
to work on their behalf, and
whereas, their plight is even
worse than that of the Old Age
Pensioners, therefore be it re-
Solved, that the recipients of
Social assistance become a sub-
Sidiary branch, incorporated in
the OAP, and that henceforth
they be included and especially
mentioned in all appeals to the
authorities put forward by the
OAP.

A. CHEVERTON.

White Rock, B.C.

The Irish again

Editor, Pacific Tribune:

Garry Culhane, in his objection
to the comment I made in “Short
Jabs” in a previous issue a-
bout Ireland being the only
European country besides Ger-
Many and Italy to send a brigade
to Spain to support Franco’s re-
bellion, seems to think the form
my comment took is not Marxist.
“It,” he says, “is only a_half-
truth.”

I must dissagree with him. In

owt Departinent
oe ot Yor Pleade.

ficial
people who are still carrying on
that 700 years of struggle. I most

such a comment it is not neces-
sary to write historical treatise.
Marx did not do it and I have
no great desire to improve on
Marx,

In one of his letters to Engels,
dated 29th October 1862, dealing
with the American Civil war,
Marx writes: “The events over
there are a world upheaval,
nevertheless, and there is noth-
ing more disgusting in the whole
business than the English at-
titude toward them”.

On another occasion, a few
days before Garibaldi’s army of
liberation landed in Sicily, Marx
wrote in the N.Y. Tribune: “Sicily,
now bleeds again and England
looks calmly on at the new sa-
turnalia of the infamous Bourbon
and his no less infamous minions,
lay and clerical, Jesuit and
Guardsman.”

In both of these
Marx was writing of “official”
England, not of the English
people as a whole, but he did not
think it necessary to write a
long-winded analysis.

instances

We know this, because the at-
titude of the English people won
Marx’s admiration. It was differ-
ent to that of the ruling class.
On Feb. 1st, 1862, he wrote in the
N.Y. Tribune, “It ought never
to be forgotten in the United
States that at least the working
classes of England, from the com-
mencement to the termination of
the difficulty, have never for-
saken them.”

It is a matter of history too,
that the English people were
solidly behind Garibaldi in the
Italian struggle for unification
and independence. many English-
men fighting as volunteers in

- Garibaldi’s army as the Inter-

national Brigade fought in Spain.

Myself, I certainly did not in-
tend to identify reactionary of-

Ireland with the Irish

certainly do not identify these
fighters with de Valera’s message
of regret to the Germans at the
death of “the great man Hitler.”

As for the rest of Garry’s let-
ter, I think he has been the vic-
tim of some cailleachag who has
kissed the blarney stone more
than once.

OL’ BILL.

CMA scarlet fever

Editor, Pacific Tribune:

She’s away again; the bosses
are getting out the old yellow-
dog ‘“‘rugged indjvidual’ agree-
ment contracts, dusting them off
and requesting the new employee
to ‘sign here.’ I ran into one of
these not so long ago, specially
designed ‘for the Halse-Mar-
tin Construction Co. of Vancou-
ver. After answering numerous
questions such as ‘married or

single’, name of last employer, ,

etc. etc, (not forgetting the $1.50
per day deduction for board), the
prospective employee goes on to
say,- “I hereby certify that the
above is true and correct to the
best of my knowledge, and that
I am not a member of any party
or group who are opposed to our
form of government, or who
favor the overthrow of the same.”

As an added precaution the ap-
plicant is urged to ‘read care-

fully before signing’ which is

never bad advice.

I would like to hear of other
Tribune readers who have run
into this CMA-scarlet-fever job
chart, giving the names of firms
infected. With a CMA-ball-and-
chain labor code and wages and
prices miles apart, the above pol-
litical intimidation takes on a
new significance. Let’s. bring
them out in the open boys.

TRADE UNIONIST.

_ France and Indo - China

By JOSEPH | STAROBIN

RANCE’S governmental crisis over the issue of military credits for war against the
people’s of Indo-China has ended in a compromise. It is one of those compromises

which settle nothing.
thin ice.

Here's what happened:

The government of the Social-
ist premier, Paul Ramadier, asked
for military credits to force the
War on the Viet-Nam regime in
Indo China,

The Communists—-who share
governmental power with the So-
Cialists and the MRP—criticized
government policy bitterly.

They upheld solidarity with a
people oppressed by French im-
Perialism. They showed that a
. beople which oppresses another
cannot be free; they argued that
war with Indo-China will under-
mine*French democracy, since it
Strengthens the Rightist trusts
- and the deGaullist generals and
. Colonial officials. They showed
that continuation of the struggle
hurts the national interest of
‘France because it opens the gates
to foreign imperialisms. They
Called for a settlement allowing
Viet-Nam her sovereignty and
independence within the French
Union. This is what the Indo-
Chinese want. ~

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 1947

On the vote, the ‘Communists
stood alone. The premier made it
an issue of confidence in the gov-
ernment as such. This opened the
prospect of a collapse of the
three-party regime.

Again the Communists shoul-
dered the heavy burden: their
deputies voted no-confidence in

Ramadier, while the Commuist
ministers voted with the govern-
ment. On this fragile basis, an-
other ministerial crisis was
averted,

The Gonimunists have used
their illogical position to drive
home a deeper. logic. “They have
underscored the point that
French democracy is in _ peril
unless it settles this strife with
the Viet-Nam republic. At the
same time, the Communists have
emphasized their devotion to the
parliamentary regime, the
Fourth Republic.

to

This crisis also demonstrates
that France is one of the most
sensitive points in Europe today.
The Rightists, the deGaullists
and the old pro-Vichy crowd
which now backs deGaulle, are

It reminds us that French democracy is still skating on very

simply waiting for the moment
to overthrow the democratic re-
gime. If they could, they would

try the same thing that Gen.

Franco did in Spain in 1936.
e

Beyond doubt, the French
Right has been encouraged by
the Truman-Vandenberg offén-

sive, which is a signal to them
that America would support a
French edition of the Greek af-
fair, if it could be swung.

The French Communists are
thus carrying a triple burden:
they are doing their best to help
Viet-Nam; they are doing their
best to maintain democracy in
France despite the stupidity and
treachery we the Socialists; they
are compensating for the inabil-
ity of American ‘progressives—
thus far—to halt the Truman-
Vandenberg offensive.

Let those who snidely and
blindly defame Communists ob-
serve the enormous contributions
which the Communists of France
are making to peace, to stability,
and democracy.

Short Jabs ¥ o si

a

eee many years ago. was a candidate of the Tory party
in a byelection in Dundee, Scotland. Willie Gallacher was also
a candidate in the same election. Gallacher’s election speeches got
under Churchill’s hide so deep that in his exasperation he lost his
A “poise” almost to the point of cursing the working class.
Fit and On one occasion he threw his oratorical gifts over-
unfit’ board, dropped all the polish and finesse of the adept
politician, and thundered blatantly at the audience, “The
working class is not fit to run the country. If the business of the
nation was placed in their hands, they would make a mess of it.”
I have thought of that weighty pronouncement quite a few
times during these last two weeks. In stating that the working
class was unfit to run the country, Churchill was implying by in-

ference that only his class could do that job. Would anyone in
Canada today be justified in believing that to be true?

If the butter situation here in B.C. is to be taken as an ex-
ample of “fitness” to run a country, the class to which Churchill
belongs have proved themselves absoluetly unfitted for the job,
incapable of producing the soos, beyond any shadow of doubt, a —
miserable failure.

It is admitted that there are 23 million pounds of butter in
Canada, east of the Rockies. In B.C., the people have to suffer a
rationing system imposed on them by the grocer, of only eight
ounces per family per week.

In some parts of the country there is a surfeit and some people
can have all they need, while those who live within a reasonable
distance of the U.S. border and are lucky enough to own a car;
have to cross the border to buy enough to butter their breakfast
toast and the rest can squint.

It does not matter what the reason for this shottase may be,
whether it is due to the profit-mongers who are withholding it
from the market for enhanced prices, to shortage of railroag cars
or other cause, the Churchill class who run the country, have the
machinery for rectifying it, but they are incapable of taking the
action necessary for the purpose. _ —

Far from Churchill’s words being true, the working class is the
only class that is “fit to run the country.” When the Churchill class
is in power they run the country in their own interest. When
there are real shortages their larders are well stocked.

During the siege of Paris in 1870-71, the people were reduced
to eating rats, mice and other’ vermin, When the Commune of the
workers and petty-bourgeois took over the running of the city on
March, 1871, they foung enough foodstuffs in the hoards of the
wealthy deserters to the Vg ed government, to feed the whole -
city.

The Churchillites can run the country only for the Churchillites
—it takes the workers to run it for the whole people. If we had a
workers’ government in Canada at this time, there would not be
23 million pounds: of butter in one part of the country and not
enougch to grease a pair of spectacles in another.

If there was no butter and all went short, there could be no
criticism, but this lop-sided situation is a proof that we must get
rid of the kind of government that Churchill likes—it is not fit to
run the country.

VERY means is being explored that may Penh possibilities
for fostering hatred against the Soviet Union and inflaming the ©
war fever. Even the sports pages of the local press, where one
would not expect to fing many opportunities, are turned to account.
The average sport ‘addict’ does not put in much of his time in
the consideration of social problems outside of his own narrow
interests. This is particularly true of what is
Sports known as “the prize ring,” although there are
some notable and outstanding exceptions, ous
contribution Tommy Farr and Henry Armstrong.
The box-fight fraternity may have succeeded in solving one
problem which still has the mathematicans guessing, in that they |
have “squared the circle’ and devised a ring that has four corners

to it, otherwise their contribution to the problems of life is a Very,
slim one.

Most of those we are “privileged”; to see in this town are
“hamaneggers” or “coffeeanders’ even when touted as ex-world’s
champion accoridng to N.Y. State rules or Lower California as
or the rules according to somebody in Hamtramck, Mich. And :
then they may be “ringers” and not. according to specification; 4
little device invented by the impressarios for the benefit of the
cash customers, and of course to make the game exciting.

One of these punks blew into Vancouver last week from God’s
country, Jackie Wilson by name. He stopped out of his own lane,
“hamanegging” to tell us how bad he felt to be in such a dangerous
Place as B.C. He was quite jittery! :

“How far are we from Russia?” he asked. “I hear there's
likely to be a war with them Russians any time. After I beat
Steele, I’m getting as far south as possible agagin.”

This palooka is probably too ignorant to know the meaning
or significance of the words he uses. He may have been taught
them by his “manager” as a Sailor’s parrot learns the obscenities
‘of the fo’e’s’le, but they are part of the plans of the war-mongers
who use the ignorant and the thoughtless to do their dirty work
for them.

No one hears the Soviet people or the Soviet government talk-
ing of going to war with anyone. They have no intention of doing
so, but that does not mean that they will not defend themselves if
they are attacked. ;

The war talk is one-sided and all comes from the same quarter,
from the American imperialists who put the war-talk in that
“hamanegger’s” mouth, the only group that has committed an
aggressive act since the organization of the UNO. :

ETTY soon we will be celebrating May Day. That makes me
think of many things and many people. One of these is Nels
Grenberg. Eight years ago he took part in Vancouver’s May Day
and a few days later went into the T.B. section of the General
Hospital. Nels was one of the best boosters we ever had for our
paper. Wet or dry, rain or shine, he went the
Nels rounds of North Van., Capilano and West Vancou-
Grenberg ver. Although he is no longer able to do that, his
heart is with our paper, and has been during all —
these eight Baek he has been in hospital. He must feel loney
sometimes. How about dropping in and saying hello to him at
the hospital? I’m sure he will be glad to see anyone who 1s
doing what he would like to be doing himself.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 5

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