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hiang collapse poses tough
problem for U.S. intervention

By ISRAEL EPSTEIN

The Chinese people have. done the American people a great favor. Their swift, clean-
cut and irreversible victories over the forces of the corrupt Nanking government have cut

_the ground from under U.S. politicians who on'y yesterday play
American armies to keep Chiang Kai-shek in power.

because this concept has been out-
stripped by the march of events.

That is not to say that some U.S.
intervention may not be tried. The
dispatch of 1,250 mcre marines to
China, announced by Defense Sec-
retary James V. Forrestal on Nov-
ember 17, can weil be a prelude to
local clashes with Chinese Commun-
ist-led forces. These marines, with
4,000 others already in China and
considerable U.S. naval forces off
her coast, are supposed to have the
mission of evacuating a much small-
er number of American civilians
from “danger areas.”’ Actually, not
a single U.S. civilian has so far been
molested in any area lost by Nan-
king. And many American busi-
nessmen, teachers. doctors and
missionaries in China have decided
to stay instead. of leaving.

The Nanking government, des-
perately seeking to retain at least
a small foothold in its own coun-
try, has held out rich prizes to
tempt the U.S, into even lim:ted
involvement in its losing civil war.
Chiang Kai-shek has proposed in-
formally that an American garrl-
son take over Shanghai, China’s
greatest port and industrial center.
Vice-Admiral Oscar C. Badger,
commanding the U.S. Western Pa-
cific Fleet now based on the North
China seaport of Tsingtao, has said
that he might move some marines
to Shanghai because, in his inter-
pretation, “the marines hold spe-
cial status and can land on a for-
eign shore without constituting an
act of war. They are recognized by
international law as international
policemen.”

Since the Chinese people are
not likely to recognize this kind
of “law” any more than Ameri-
cans would in the case of a simi-.
lar situation here, Badger’s brass-
hat ideas are highly dangerous
-to peace,

The victorious Chinese Commun-
ists. who’ with other anti-Nanking
groups are planning a new national
administration for China, reacted
quickly to Badger’s move. In a
statement issued November 27, they
declared: “If the American govern-
ment should dispatch forces for
either all-out or partial protection
of the Kuomintang government,
this would constitute armed ag-
gression against the sacred terri-
tory and sovereignty of China, for
which all consequences would have
to be borne by the American goy-
ernment.”

At the same time, the victors of-
fered to do business with America.
They came out in favor of “equal
and friendly relations with all
foreign countries including the

Swedish unions
to equalize pay

—STOCKHOLM
The Swedish Confederation of
Labor will attempt to establish the
principle of equal pay for equal
work for men and women work-
ers, which is already enforced by
law in many east Huropean coun-
tries, President Axel Strand of the
SCL told a special women’s wage
conference here, j :
Until last year, Strand said, it
was looked upon as “perfectly nor-
mal” for Swedish women to get
lower pay than men. They were re-
garded as kind of secondary work-
ers who generally gave up their
jobs to allow men to go on work-
ing when employment, got low, or
were recruited into factories when
employers wanted cheaper labor.
Union activity has now narrowed
the gap between men’s and women’s
Wages, which generally amounted
to as much as 33 percent before
1946, Strand revealed. The differ-
ential for the same job ‘s now
about 20 percent, even in piecework
rates for the same product. The
labor movement will make a fight
to eliminate it altogether in this
year’s contracts, Strand said.

‘es

prevailing when they left for the

ed with the idea of sending

Many American boys may live longer

ao

*

*.

Aid to Chiang

Key problem before top level Marshall planners now is how

to avert the final collapse of their

corrupt Chiang Kai-shek regime.

Millions of dojlars down the Chiang rat-hole already, with nothing

to skow for except defeats,

‘Picture shows U.S. troops guarding

one of Chiang’s main rail points—which long ago fell to the ad-

' vancing armies of Free China,

U.S.A.” and pledged themselves to
‘protect the rightful interests of
all nationals of foreign countries
in China, including American na-
tionals’—provided there was no en-
croachment on China’s sovereignty
or territory.

While, according to a United
Press dispatch from Nanking, the
U.S. Embassy and U.S. Army
Advisory Group | there believe
that “it is too late to save the
day for the Kuomintang govern-
ment,” the navy (Admiral Badg-
er) and U.S, air force, however,
are pressing for new military
measures. This conflict is being
thrashed out on the highest levels
in Washington.

The question of recognition is
particularly ticklish for the state de-
partment. China is cne of the Big
Five charter members of the
UN, with a permanent seat and

a veto in the Security Council. Be-
cause the present Chinese govern-
ment has been dependent on U.S.
handouts for existence, it has al-
ways voted the U.S. way—even on
faraway questions such as Pales-
tine. :

A new Chinese government,
laying claim to the Security Coun-
cil seat, would change matters
considerably in that body. The
U.S. is therefore anxious to pre-
Serve the old government, even
in exile, as a legal fiction for UN
use,

Strangely enough, one pressure'on
Washington to abandon fiction and
recognize facts ‘may come from
some U.S. businessmen with inter-
ests in China. Ther nightmare is
that if America remains hostile to
the new Chinese setup. their Brit-
ish business rivals will be left free
to pocket whatever trade exists.

Tuna fishermen under |

attack by big

San Diego’s giant tuna canneries are attempting to upset
a custom of more than 20 years that has provided a measure
of economic security for fishermen.
ever “uncertain” market conditions, the big money-making

packers notified tuna boat owners
and crews that no longer will they
be guaranteed a certain amount for
their catches.

Henceforth, according to the can-
nery operators, they'll pay only
what the prevailing price is on re-
turn of the vessel to port. This
would overthrow the only security
held by the fishermen in the past
—a guarantee that they would re-
ceive at least the amount per ton

fishing banks on voyages that may |
require up to four months and

miore. earee
Reaction of tha Fishermen’s Un-

packers

—SAN DIEGO

Professing to be jittery

ion (AFL) was. swift. It ordered
crews to stay in port until they
knew what they’d be paid on re-
turn. :

“When fishermen leave port they
gamble on whether they'll return
safely and with enough to earn a
living wage,” said Lester Balinger,
union‘ secretary.

“Now, in addition to these haz-
ards, cannery management has had
the gall to-arbitrarily propose that
fishermen take a further gamble—
‘that we permit the packers to set
any price they choose on the
catch.”

Boss loggers prepare
for union crackdown

By WILL PARRY

—SEATTLE

Riding an alltime profit crest, northern Washington lum-
ber operators are shutting down
industry-wide basis, in an attempt to soften up loggers for

logging operations on an

next spring’s negotiations, officials of District 2, International

Woodworkers (CIO) charged here.

The shutdowns, which have al-
ready affected 2,500 workers by
conservative estimate, are combined
with heavy Marshall plan imports
of logs from Canada. which the em-
ployers believe will tide them
through until the 1949 season opens
next spring.

Logging operations ordinarily run
well into December before season-
al shutdown is made necessary by
snow. Their curtailment this year
in early November, despite the fact
that weather would permit contin-
ued operations, brings to a close
a season of record. shortness. The
camps did not begin work this year
until the last week in June, three
months later than usual.

An additional factor in the oper-
ators’ early shutdown is their
drive to slash paid vacation time to
which workers are entitled based
on number of hours worked dur-
ing the year. Tougaw & Olson Log-
ging Co., in Enumclaw, for exam-
ple, shut. down its operations two
weeks early to avoid payment of
$8,000 in vacation pay.

A short season makes for
quicker exhaustion of unemploy-
ment compensation benefits, thus
aiding in what the operators
hope will be the softening up pro-
cess,

The lumber barons know that in
addition to a substantial wage in-
crease, the anti-Taft-Hartley anti-
Fadling District 2 of the IWA will
come out swinging next spring for
improvements in conditions which

‘would slash into their record prof-

it totals. Among demands sure to
be levelled after the union’s broad
negotiating conference in January
are improvement of the vacation
clause, for health and welfare ben-
efits, for the 6-hour day, and for
extension of the holiday clause.

Among big operators who have
already shut down all or virtually
all of their camps are the North
Bend Timber Co., Puget Sound
Pulp & Timber Co., Soundview
Pulp, Washington Veneer, Canyon
Logging Co. and Weyerhauser
Mountain Tree Farms. Many small-
er operators are also down, includ-
ing small “gypo” camps hit by the
industry-wide slash in the whole-
sale price of “rough squares.”

In addition to creating unem-
ployment among U.S. loggers, the
importation of logs from Canada
must inevitably cause shutdowns
of sawmilis in British Columbia
and elsewhere north of the
border.

The intent of the 1947 legislature
in providing for socalled merit rat-
ing kickbacks of unemployment in-
surance funds to employers, in-
stead of liberalizing benefits as la-
bor demanded, is now being more
clearly understood by workers in
the industry. The loggers wil] join
with other unions in fighting for
an end to the merit rating system
and liberalization of benefits at the
1949 session.

Smear factory
runs full blast

WASHINGTON

Despite federal indictment
of its chairman and repudia-
tion of two leading members
at the polls, the House un-
American Activities Committee
November 22 continued to pour out
smears.

Representative J. Parnell Thomas
(RNJ) appeared as usual at the
head of the list of committee mem-
bers on page two of the latest pub-
lication entitled ‘100 Things You
Should Know About Communism
and Religion.”

Thomas. who is under indict-
ment for defrauding the govern-
ment through fake salaries, had
no special comment on the booklet.
Also*on the list of members ap-

[peared Representatives John Mc-

Dowell (R-Pa.) and Richard B.
Vail (R-Ill.) both of whom were de-
feated November 2,

The pamphlet accuses the YMCA
and YWCA of being “Communist
targets”. It labels the People’s In-
stitute of Applied Religion (Bir-
mingham, Ala.) of being “one of
the most vicious Communist organ-
izations ever set up in this coun-
try.” It calls the Methodist Feder-
ation for Social Action “a tool of
the Communist party.”

The pamphlet attacks The Prot-
estant as a magazine which “fanat-
ically spreads Communist propa-
ganda” and charges the Christian
Register, official publication of the
Unitarian church of having once
“carried Earl Browder’s eyewash”.

Despite publication of the pam-
phiet which is entirely devoted to
religion and religious organiza-
tions, the committee declares “re-
ligion is not under any sort of in-
vestigation” by the group? +

“Fighting communism ae

—_NEW YORK

All the mounting anti-Communist hysteria of the ad-
ministration, the commercial press, and those , betrayers
within the labor movement itself last week came to focus

on a seven year old girl.

Ella was the little girl’s name.
She is the daughter of the fa-
mous 32nd Division’s Sergeant
Robert Thompson, wearer of the
Distinguished Service Cross for
gallantry in the jungles
of New Guinea, a man twice of-
fered a commission in the field.
Thompson now is New York
state chairman of the Commun-
ist Party—one of the 12 USS.
Communist leaders named by
the Truman administration in its
current “force and violence” po-
litical trial.

While her father and mother
Were absent from their) home,
Ella was the subject of a de-
praved attack by a sexually de-
generate private detective.

Of this latest calculated re-
sult of anti-Communist hysteria,
an attorney for the Thompson
family said in court:

“This private detective, be-
cause of his attitude against
Communists, believes he can go
around raping children, and
probably killing people. . . .”

‘

Ella’s father had been the
subject of a murderous attack
in September. Slugged, beaten
and stabbed, he was left for dead
by three assailants in an alley
as he neared his home after a _
visit with a neighbor. Already ~
dhysically weakened by chronic
nalaria acquired in New Guinea,
Thompson was but briefly out of
‘he hospital when this latest at-
tack on his family occurred.

Court proceedings revealed
that Ella’s attacker has been
living with two other private
detectives only two houses away
from Thompson’s home.

Robert J. Burke, private de-
tective, sexual degenerate, labor
spy on tankers under lease to the
Navy, had one explanation for
his attack on seven-year-old
Ella.

He had done it, he said, “to
fight communism.”

But Canadian, daily papers
which devote so much of their
space to “fighting communism”
suppressed this story complete-
ly.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — DECEMBER 3, 1948 — PAGE 3