Throughout Canada.
DOWN WITH
THE SLAVE CAMPS!

Spread the Relief Camp Strike

B.C. Workers NEwsS

“The proletariat has no other

weapon in the fight for power
except organization.”
—Lenin.

| VOL. I

Published Weekly

VANCOUVER, B.C., THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1935

Single Copies: 5 Cents

SS

No. 14

Police A

ttack Strikin

Grounds Sunday On
Camp Workers

VANCOUVER, B.C., April 17.—A
Gommunist Party representative in-
terviewed the Provincial Council of
the Socialist Party of Canada Sun-
day, April 14th, with an appeal for
extension of United Front activity,
and for extension of the present
agreement to embrace, not only the
question of enfranchisement or
camp workers. The request was
favorably received. The €.P. repre-
sentative urged upon them the ne-
ecessity for closer co-operation of all
parties of the working class in the
elass struggle.

The following
were then made by
Council:

1. To continue the United Front
agreement for a longer period and
to include the struggles of the re-
lief camp workers. ‘ ‘

2. Joint committees of the Social-
ist Party branches and the Units
and Sections of the Communist
Party to be set up wherever pos-
sible.

8. To increase the number on the
present joint committee from two
members from each organization to
five members.

4. To put forward all efforts to

make the open air meeting on Cam-
bie Street Grounds on Sunday, April
2ist, a success in the interests of
the camp workers’ struggle.
_.* @o issue 3 joint manifesto sub-—
ject to fheapproyal of the officers
of the Socialist Party before final
publication.

6. The petitions collected for the
eniranchisement ef camp workers
upon completion to be presented to
Angus McInnis, M_-P., in order that
he may raise the question in the
House.

The Council further agreed to the
establishment of the United Front
on the question of War and Fascism,
With the recommendation that this
question be referred back to the
Joint Committee for further clari-
fication as what can concretely be
accomplished in the matter.

The Communist Party members of
the Joint Committee greets this de-
cision of the Council, and trusts
‘that it will mean another important
step forward in uniting the work-

recommendations
the Provincial

Mass Meeting at Cambie!

Socialists, Communists
Extend United Front;
Includes Camp Strike

“NEVER AGAIN’’
SAYS McGEER

At a “dinner’’ given to Mayor
MeGeer by a gang of his disciples
and worshippers, the mayor, in
the course of his harangue
stated that the Slave Camp
Strikers “must return to camps
until a program is mapped out
for them.” He sought to make
this strikebreakine more effec-
tive by a threat. He said: ‘We
are not going to tolerate any fur-
ther violation of our laws...”
This was in reference to Satur-
day’s tag day. He indulged in
the usual claptrap about “‘neace,
order and good sovernment”’ in
the best Bennett manner, after

admitting, with a grimace, that
public sympathy was with the
strikers.

The strikers meet the fulmina-
tion of the fascist McGeer with
the contempt they deserve.

PR. GEORGE
RELIEF STRIKE

City Council Refuses
To Act

PRINCE GEORGE, B-C., April 13.
—OQOn April 8th a delegation of the
Workers’ Protective Association pre-
sented to the mayor and council a

delegation was backed up by a mass
demonstration. The city authorities
refused to alleviate the starvation
conditions of the men, women and
children of the unemployed,.so a
Strike was called on the local relief
project.

In Prince George the women over
twenty-one who are single are com-
pelled to eke out an existence on
three dollars and fifty cents a
month. This is the total allowance
for food, clothing and shelter. The
strike is solid for the demands for
hieher relief allowances and medicai
treatment.

ing class for the protection of the
workers’ interests, aS well as build-
in= a powerful mass movement
against Poverty, Fascism and Im-

perialist War.

‘Five Grand’ Tag Day
To Help Camp Workers

Magnificent Response to
Strike Means Camps
Must be Closed

VANCOUVER, B.C., April 15.—
The eEncatest tag day in the history
of Vancouver was held last Saturday
by the Relief- Camp Workers who
walked out of the camps April 4th.
Two thousand relief camp workers
are In Vancouver, and most of them
participated in the collection. Col-
lectors started out early at 7 a.m.
and the tagging went on until mid-
night. The amount collected was
greater than any tag day before and
netted well over $5,500. The actual
count has not yet been made. The
funds were deposited in the bank up
to 7 p.m. and the evening collections
were guarded by city police.

United Front From Below.

The tagging was thoroughly
ganized, and was the most outstand-
ing example of how to correctly carry
out the united front from below.
Mundreds of workers supported the
tage day by participating in the col-
lecting. Taggers were relieved by
other relays every two hours with
clock-like precision. Men, women,
youth and cehildren participated.
Chinese and Japanese were active in
the work and slogans in Chinese
were evident.

Militant Slogan.

The militant slogan on the tags
was “WHEN DO WE HAT” and
this slogan was chalked on every
postal box, and on sidewalks. At
“one street corner, a slogan in box

or-

ear letters read “Gerry MeGeer Eats
—and how; When do we Eat.’ Scores
of people stopped to read it and
Jjaughinely remarked, “Why not?’
Chief Foster sent a couple of police-
men to the strike headquarters to
guard the money while it was being
counted.
Five Arrested at New Westminster.
On Saturday morning five collec-
tors were despatched to New West-
minster to collect. They were ar-
rested and imprisoned by the police
there. Word reached the headquar-
ters at the Workers Unity League
It was decided to send more
Arthur Evans,

office.
to fill their places.
generalissimo of the drive, called for
volunteers and 25 were sent-to take
their places. It was decided that in

case they were arrected that one
hundred and twenty-five ,would be
sent. The five arrested were later
-released.

Mr. Dan McGrath of the Canadian

(Gontinued on Page 4)

STRIKE IN FRANCE
SET FOR MAY DAY

PARIS, April 9. (ALP)—Stirring
call for a nation-wide strike on May
1, for a united demonstration and
for a united meeting in every locality
in the country, was issued today by
the Unitary General Labor Conied-
eration and addressed to all French
workers, whether “Unitaries,”” mem-
bers of the reformist General Con-
federation of Labor or workers in

independent trade unions.

-ment to this, but the same morning

number of workers’ siievances. The}

EXPORTLOG
STRIKE HOLDS
SOLID FRONT

Splendid’ Solidarity ey,
Waterfront Workers

and Tugboatmen

VANCOUVER, B.C. Apr. 17.—Ex:
port Loe Workers are still out solid
for the wage increases and decent
working conditions for which they
struck on April 5th. The strike is
entering the third week, with yves-
sels tied up and logs in the water.
Below are published the history of
the strike so far, as submitted by the
Export Log Workers’ Assn. This
has been drawn up at the request of
the B.C. Workers’ News for the bene:
fit of our readers,

HISTORY OF THE STRIKE
TO DATE

Before this organization started,
boom-men on the log export work
were receiving wages as low as 35
eents per hour. They sought an in-
erease, but were refused, and so they
decided on forming an organization
with some backing, to see if they
could not get Some increase out of
the employers. The organization was
formed on March 15th, and immedi-
ately became affiliated with the
Dongshoremen and Water Trans-
port Workers of Canada. We went
after them for Union recognition
and a raise, to become effective on
April ist. We received verbal agree-
that this came into effect, two of
our men were dismissed, which was
a pure case of discrimination, and
is now well proved, as it was later
found that the company concerned
had sent for another man to take
the place of one of ours. =

“On discovering this fact, we de-
cided to send the two dismissed men
back to apply for their jobs again,
and in the meantime the new man
was not to appear on the job at all.
With little argument this proved
successful.

Bosses Refuse Right to
Collective Bargaining

In the meantime, as the employ-
er’s word was evidently of little
value, we decided to have them sign
a written agreement. This, how-
ever, seemed a different story, and
none of them signed as it was. Some
made poor attempts at a camou-

THOMPSON,
O'DONOVAN
OUT A.CCL.

Militant Trade Unionists
Begin “‘Spring
Cleaning’”’

VANCOUVER, April 13. — Pete
Thompson, formér secretary of the
Wational Labor Council, A. G. C.
of L., has resigned and taken his vile
slander sheet, “Labor Truth” with
him. The paper was registered in
his name as the sole owner.

Had he not resigned there is every
indication that he would have been
expelled, because the members were
questioning the right of the paper
being the organ of the Council.

Charter Revoked.

The Canadian Amalgamated Asso-
ciation of Seamen’s charter was re-
voked by the National Labor Coun-
cil when they were spring cleaning,
but on further mvestigation it was
found that ©. PP. O'Donovan, presi-
dent of the C.A.A.S., did not have an
official charter, but a phoney one.
This adds another phoney deal to
the many tricks pulled by O’Dono-
van.

Delegates to the Council are now
engaged in re-organizinge on a more
progressive basis, hence the move-
out of Thompson and the exposure
of O’Donovan.

SCANDINAVIAN
UNITED FRONT

OSLO, Norway, March 26 (ALP)—
The Communist Party, the Norwe-
gian Labor Party and the Federa-
tion of Trade Unions were repre-
sented at a conference at Porsgrunn
where a united fay Day. celebration
was agreed upon. The conference
was called by the Communist Party.

The basis agreed upon included a
fight for the dissolution of the Pas-
cist organizations and the state po-
lice, against imperialist war, for de-
fense of the Soviet Union, higher re-
lief to the unemployed, higher wages
and a shortening of working hours.

flaged agreement, but it was abso-
luetly useless for the purpose in-
tended.

On April 5th we took strike action

Pattullo’s Provin

Thugs Savagely Club Miners,
7 Women, Children At Corbin

e Miners

YOUTH KILLED
BEATING WAY

Unemployment Forces
Youth Ride Freights
At Risk of Death

IAMLOOPS, B.C., April 16. —
Leslie A. Ray, 23 year old worker,
was instantly Killed in Kamloops
while trying to board a freight train
going east. He stood at the cross-
ing and as the train was travelling
at a good rate of speed tried to
grab the hand rail of a box car. He
missed it and fell between the cars,
being instantly killed. Ray was on
his way to Calgary to visit his par-
ents, where they reside. He had
been unemployed for considerable
time. His parents are en route to
Kamloops to attend the funeral.

WATCH OUT FOR
RATS!

VANCOUVER, B.C., April 16.—
Harness bulls, plain clothes dicks
and stools guard Woodward’s De-
partment Store daily these last few
because of the fear that the
camp workers will walk through the
store. One man in plain clothes at
the door is a “‘rat’’ called Leary or
O'Leary, who worked as powder
monkey at a camp in the Hope dis-
trict. Tnquiries show that he -pro=
cured his “new job” throush_ the
Police Department. He lives at the
Ex-Servicemen’s MBillets. Remem-
ber him, fellas, he wears a camp
makinaw coat, dark pants, polished
camp boots and a fawn hat.

days,

HUMANITE OFFICE RAIDED

PARIS, France, April 9. (ALP)—
Police raided the offices of the news-
paper Humanite here and seized a
quantity of documents. The paper
has been carrying on a campaign
against the extension of military
service to two years.

(Continued on Page 4)

Relief Camps Commission

Exposed By Evans Of W.U.L.;
_ Reveals McHattie’s Duplicity

cc)

Member of Commission

Makes Profit Out of
Camp Clothes

VANCOUVER, B.C... Apr. 16. —
Arthur Evans, organizer of the
Workers’ Unity League, hurled a
bombshell into the Royal Commis-

sion investigating Relief Camps here
today. Producing a pair of camp
overalls, with Gaults Ltd. label on
them, he charged McHattie, a mem-
of the Commission, with mak-
profits out of the camps as he
is a member of the Gaults firm, who
have a contract for supplying camp
elothes such as pants and mackinaw

ber

ing

coats.
Chairman Defends Profiteers

W. A. McDonald, chairman of the
Commission (this ex-Judge Me-
Donald, who sentenced Evans to one
year in Oakalla for organizing the
Princeton miners), rallied to the sup-
port of McHattie and threatened to
have Byans ejected. Camp workers
who were spectators shouted, ‘““You’re
afraid of the truth.”

is

Evans Not Intimidated

Evans declared he would make a
final statement, regardless of any
jntimidation. He declared that the
present Commission, in view of the
fact that profits are made by the
personnel of it from the present re-
lief camp system, would bring in a
report at the conclusion of these sit-
tings detrimental to the interest of
the relief camp workers. When
Feyans left the stand, all camp work-

———

NANAIMO RELIEF
WORKERS STRIKE

Refuse Work Full Time

for Meagre Relief

NANAIMO, B.C, Apr. 17.—Un-
employed workers of the City of Na-
naimo are out on strike 100 per cent
against working full time for their
relief during the month of April.

Women ehildren been
granted full relief, but relief for men
is cut off. The workers
committee of twelve to organize the
strike. A call has been sent out to
the Government Relief Workers to
in their just

and have

support the strikers

demands. Nanaimo and WJDistrict
Workers’ Assn. are meeting to con-
sider solidarity measures to be
adopted.

ers assembled in the court applauded
proving that they
are entirely in agreement with the
statements made by the Workers’
Unity League organizer.
Real Puprpose of Camps
Ts Exposed.

Another objection raised the
Workers’ Unity League was the fact
that workers in the eamps at pres-
ent are receiving twenty cents per
day work which prior to the
establishment of the relief camp sys-
tem had been done at day wage rates
at a minimum of fifty cents per hour
for unslalled work and trade union

enthusiastically,

by

for

elected aj

Judge Who Railroaded
Evans to Oakalla De-
fends Racketeer

rates for skilled work, the work hbe-
ing road building, calling for various
tradesmen such as cement finishers,
carpenters, iron workers, and bridgze-
builders.

The present system, paying only
cents day, lowers the
Standard of of the working
class as a whole, having a tendency
reducing wages in towns
and cities also. The employers

twenty per

living

towards
in
towns or cities are using the relief
camp system as a threat and as a
means to put wage reductions over
on the workers who are otherwise
faced with the miserable wage and
relief camp life.

A Strike-breaking Commission

Another objection was the method
and purpose of the present Commis-
The relief camp workers on
January of this year during the
strike of that time received a defi-
promise from {the Dominion
Government that a ‘representative

sion.

nite
committee would be elected to in-
vestigate the relief camp system.
The workers returned to the camps.
Nothing was done in this connection
until the relief camp workers decided
to walk away from their unbearable
conditions, when on April ist of this
year the Dominion Government ap-
pointed the present Commission,
which had for its purpose the pre-
vention of the workers in the relief
camps from walking out on April 4.

LOCK OUT
‘PEG TYPOS

Free Press and Tribune
Attempt to Organize

Company Union
WINNIPEG, April 9—The Win-

nipeg Free Press and Byening Tri-
bune locked out 50 composing room
employees as they were going on
shift Sunday night and Monday
morning. Behind the lockout is seen
a move by the two newspaper com-
panies to retain only members of a
company union (organized recently
with the assistance of publishing
companies utilizing differences

as to the unemployment fund) and
to fire all employees refusing to quit
the Winnipee Typographical Union
(International AF .of LI)

The Workers’ Unity League has
offered every co-operation possible
to the locked-out workers, who con-
stitute a minority, in their fizht
against the setting up of the com-
pany union, while the Trades and
labor Council executive is reported
to have washed its hands of the
whole affair.

FAIR WAGE BUNK —

VANCOUVER, B.C., April 17.—
Pair” Wage Officer Harrison is at-
tempting to bring the Export Loe
Workers and the employers together
today in an attempt to settle the
strike. The Strikers Committee ask
for all financial support possible to
be sent to 110 - 2nd St. E., North
Vancouver. They are out to win.

among international union members |

cial Police

| 25 Miners Injured In

Brutal Attack By

Police

Union President and
Secretary Arrested

CORBIN, B.C., April 17.—Sixty of

Smashing attack on 250 Corbin
miners on strike here for reinstate-
ment of discriminated members of
the militant Mine Workers Union of
Canada.

President J. Falkner and Secre-
tary John Press were arrested.
Eleven police thugs were injured and
twenty-five miners. Seyen men have
been sent to hospital at Michel, some:
15 miles from Corbin.

The company attempted to open
the mine this morning with scabs
under police protection, when pickets
attempted to persuade the scabs not
to work. Police smashed the picket

line, Knocking down men, women
and children.
Inspector MacDonald, notorious

strike breaker, is in command of the
police. Special police have been en-
listed by the Pattullo government to
break the strike and compel the
miners to go back to the mines un-
organized.

Blairmore and Coleman miners are
solidly supporting the strike and are
contemplating a mass march to
Corbin in support of the striking
miners who are so valiantly defend-—
fine the right-to organize for decent
living conditions for their families.

Protests should be rushed to Pat-
tullo to call off the proyineial police.

The Corbin miners appeal to all
workers, and particularly to miners,
for assistance in carrying on this
struggle.

Canadian Bern Citizen
Prevented from At-
tending Meet

VANCOUVER, B.G., April 15:—
Alphonse Ratti, duly elected dele-
Sate of the Vancouver and District
Waterfront Workers Association and
also from the Longshoremen and
Water Transport Workers of Canada
to the Marine Federation Convention
to be held at Seattie on April 15th
and 16th. was refused permission to
cross the line by the United States
Immigration Department today.

Canadian Citizen.

is Canadian born, and has
in Wancouver years. He
has worked on the Vancouver water-
front as a lJongshoreman for 22 years.
Ratti stated that he has been across
the line ta the U.S.A. at least once
every year for the past twenty years
and has never been stopped before.
He is a property owner in Vancou-
ver for many years.

Ratti

lived 35

Voleano Expected.
Ratti applied for ermission to
eross the line on Saturday, April 13
and was grilled for two hours. He

Longshore Delegate
Refused Visa to U.S.A.

was
the

and
and

then told to return on Monday
15th. Qn Monday he returned
Was again grilled for an hour
told to go and get his ticket
pay a head tax to go over. At
the ticket office he was informed to
go back to the Immigration Office
us they had received a phone call to
that effect. Returning to the Im-
mizration Officer he was informed
that permission was refused. The
Immigration ’ Officer informed him
that a “volecano”’ was expected on
the Seattle waterfront any time.
Employers and State Combine.
The above incident, coupled with
the rejection of the application of
Oscar Salonen, business agent of the
Longshoremen’s Union to cross 4
few weeks ago, shows the Immigra-
tion authorities and the employers
are working together closely to pre-
vent the consolidation of the Ma-
rine Transport Workers. The only
answer to this fascist measure can
be more and stronger organization,
With militant action for the right of
workers’ representatives to cross the
line the same as those of the em-
ployers, and the same as the organ-
izers of the American Federation of

and

Labor.

RELIEF

|
|
|

ARENA--GOOD FRIDAY

at 83:00 PM.

rotest Rally

| to Demand
|
|
|

GRANTING OF IMMEDIATE RELIEF
OPENING OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH

| RELIEF CAMP STRIKERS

| Speakers from

| A. F. of L—A. C. C. of L. and

| POLITICAL PARTIES

Ice has been removed, making building comfortable

for audience,

COME & HEAR the CAMP SITUATION EXPLAINED
— Doors Open 6:30 — |

CAMP

Pattullo’s uniformed thugs made a: