Development of class antagon-
isms Keep even pace with devel-

opment of industry—MARX.

B.C Workers NEWS

Help prevent our youth from de—
veloping into criminals by united’
action for Work, Wages and Un-_-

employment Insurance.

VOL. IL No. 2

Published Weekly

VANCOUVER, B.C., FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 1936

Single Copies: 5 Cents

=>

Over 200 Cumberland
Miners Would Strike
To Defend 23 Victims

Boss Tactics, Lack of
Unity Prevents Solid
Strike Vote

STRUGGLE STILL ON

CUMBERLAND, Jan. 23—Voting
276 @gainst strike, 220 for, and with
four spoiled ballots, Cumberland
miners showed the Canadian Col-
lieries (Dunsmuir) Litd., that their
efforts to split the workers with
attempts at building a company un-
ion are of no avail.

Strike vote was taken on the is-
Sue of the reinstatement of 238
miners who have been discriminated
against since August 5th last year
when a holiday was called at the
mine in order to discuss the at-
tempts of the Company to intro-
duce a contract system which could
only lead to more speed-up, the
company then locking out the
miners.

Majority Report Conciliation
Board Rejected

Finding of the Conciliation Board,
majority report, was unanimously
rejected at a mass meeting of Cum-
berland miners and the decision
made to take a strike vote. Colonel
Williers promised three months ago,
through pressure on the part of the
men, that the 23 discriminated men
would be re-instated within a per-
iod of six months. This had a de-
terring effect on a large number of
men when voting, who felt
that greater unity must be effected
before a thorough going strike can
be conducted and carried to a suc-
cessful conclusion. Even at that,
220 men showed they were emphat-
ically opposed to the Company's
policy. This will act as a warning
to Colonel Villiers as to what to ex-
pect if his promise is not fulfilled.

Since the lockout last year the
miners have been working without
any agreement with the company,
and without a grievance committee.
Gonditions in the mine have wors-
ened to such an extent that Charles

~ Stewart, member of the Concilia-

tion Board who brought in a min-
ority report, stated, “If the miners
do not demand and obtain a good
Srievance and gas committee in the
mine, I wouldn’t be surprised at
anything that may happen.”’
Miners Want One-Year
Agreement

Steps will now be taken for the
negotiating of a new agreement;
Colonel] Villiers favors a two-year
agreement, but the miners, taking
into consideration the ever-chang-
ing conditions are strongly in favor
of a one-year agreement. A strong
grievance committee will be elected
to ensure that the Colonel will live
up to his promise of reinstatement
of the 23 miners and the rectifying
of the grievances which have been
piling up since the commencement
of the dispute.

Continuous efforts have been
made in Cumberland to form a
company union, and the scrutineers
for the Company on the strike vote
were officials of this new union. A
Systematic canvass of Union Bay
Was made recently by Councillor
Henderson and two others of Gum-
berland, in an effort to further the
idea of company unionism.

|/ROAD WORK LOAN

HAD STRINGS TO IT

= CLOVERDALE, B.GC., Jan. 20.—
At a meeting in Fleetwood, January
i7th, councillors were invited to
speak, and they were forced to ad-
mit that work done by the relief
workers is an asset to the munici-
pality. Also it was found that
$30,000 was borrowed from the
government for hard - surfacing
roads. It was supposed to have had
“strings” to it, for it is rumored
that the government gave the name
of six firms, any of whom it was
“alright” for the municipality to
award the contract. It was under-
stood by the taxpayers that the
money was for relief, but we didn’t
know it was for relief of contract-
ing firms.

Anti-Nazi_.

Manifesto

Czechoslovakia Notables
Appeal for Victims

PRAGUE —The release of politi-
eal prisoners, the closing of con-
centration camps and the discon-
tinuation of the persecution of
anti-fascists in Germany are de-
manded in a manifesto signed by
165 prominent representatives of
Czechoslovakia’s social, artistic and
literary life. The manifesto calls up-
on the Czechoslovalkian parliament
and public te show solidarity with
the anti-fascists persecuted in Ger-
many and to launch a strong cam-
paign of protest against terrorism
in Germany.

ANTI-WAR LEAGUE

TO MEET FEB. 7

With a view to consolidating the
Gains made since its provincial con-
ference held in November, 1935, the
Canadian League Against War and
Fascism has issued a call to all
progressive clubs and organizations
to send representatives to a meet-
ing arranged for in Victory Hall,
935 Homer Street, on Friday, Feb.
7th at 8 p.m.

Under the leadership of its presi-
dent, A. M. Stephen, the League has
been greatly strengthened and 42
meetings have been covered by
speakers from this movement. A
large quantity of literature has been
distributed, including the pamphlet,
“Eitlerism in Canada.” Inquiries
and sales of the latter have come
from five provinces.

As the call sent out by the League
Signifies—the question of affiliation
is by no means obligatory, but the
necessity for co-operation is para-
mount to build an effective move-
ment against the twin monster, war
and fascism. Professional] men and
women, clergymen and educators
will be contacted. A. M. Stephen
will report on the 2nd National Con-
gress of the Canadian League held
recently and will outline the im-

mediate tasks in British Columbia.

‘Waiting For Lefty’’ In
Dominion Drama Festival

Workers’ Theatre Club
To Play Next
Friday

With eight of the leading amateur
dramatic clubs of Vancouver facing
the British adjudicator, Morley
Wade, at the Empress Theatre,
Eriday and Saturday, January 31
and Pebruary 1, the chief interest
eentres around the presentation of
“WAITING FOR LEFTY,’ by
THE PROGRESSIVE ARTS CLUB.
“TEETY” will be third on the list
of plays to be given on Friday
night and it is expected that the
exciting climax of the play will be
shared by a large section at least
of the audience who are familiar
with the closing lines.

The four plays to be given on
Priday, January 31, at the Empress
Theatre in the order of their pres-
entation are:

1. “BECKY SHARP,’ by the
Greater Vancouver Young Peo-
ple’s Guild.

2. “THE LOVELY MIRACLE,”
by the Maslkers’ Guild.

3. “WAITING FOR LEFTY,”
by The Progressive Arts Club.

4. “THE SPINSTERS OF
LUSHE,”’ by U. B. C. Alumni.

On Saturday, February i, the fol-
Jowine will be the programme:

i. “THE VALIANT,’ by The
Strollme Players.

2. “NELL GWYNNE,” by. The
Curtain Club.

3. “LAZARUS LAUGHED,” by
The Vancouver Little Theatre
Association.

>

4. “THE STEPMOTHER,” by

The Vancouver Players.

The decision as to the team which
will represent British Columbia will
be announced as the conclusion of
the contest on Saturday night.

Reserved seat ti¢kets for Friday
night — when “WAITING FOR
LEFTY” will be played—may be
obtained from members of The
Progressive Arts Club at their
headquarters, 326 W. Hastings St.

Railroads Fighting
Vicious Legislation

WINNIPEG, Man., Jan. 15—Ben-
nett legislation providing for pool-
ing of railway services was roundly
condemned as contributory to fur-
ther unemployment among rail-
roaders, by the Canadian Brother-
hood of Railway Employees, at a
meeting of the brotherhood’s district
council held Monday night. A resolu-
tion, Unanimously endorsed by the
couneil, urged repeal of the pooling
legislation. Brother James Hunter
presided at the meeting.

Aid For Corbin Miners

CAMP LISTER, B. €—To assist
the Corbin miners, who have been
on strike for a considerable period,
the local C.L.DL. branch, Todo-
ranuza and Young Pioneers banded
together to collect $14.00 for relief.
Besides this a collection of thirty
boxes of apples was sent to Corbin
with all freight charges paid. The
CL.D.L. branch in this district is
busy collecting to aid the depen-
dents of labor prisoners.

HOW BOSSES ACT
10 CRUSH UNIONS

Seattle Chain Stores
Fight Organization

GUNS — SPIES -—— ADS

SEATTLE, Wash., Jan. 14—(EP)
—A war chest of $200,000 to fight
Seattle unions is being demanded
of business men and others by
Frank R. Jeffrey, president of the
Seattle Food Council, an outfit of
chain stores and others affiliated
with the open shop Washington In-
dustrial Council.

Jeffrey’s begging letter, inter-
cepted and printed in the “Wash-
ington State Labor News,” reads in
part:

“We have been advised that you
have been informed as to the plan
and operation of the Washington
Industrial Council, and have been
asked to subscribe your quota to
the $200,000 fund now being
raised.

‘We wish to advise you that
the Seattle District Food Council,
composed of more than 500 retail
grocery stores, is affiliated with
the Washington Industrial Coun-
cil, and we are fully aware of the
magnitude of the daily expense
now being incurred in carrying
on the present operations, such
as:

“Space in newspapers, under-
cover operatives, contact men,
guards, and the operation of the
independent trucking corpora-
tions.”

Space in newspapers means the
usual influencing of editorial and
news columns. Undercover opera-
tions means spies in the union.
Guards means gunmen. Indepen-
dent operation means seab trucks.

A strike is on at the Fisher
Flouring Mills and a union drive is
under way throughout the retail
food store industry.

COMMUNIST ALD.
STAYS WITH IT

Halts Inadequate Bud-
get; Confers With
Unemployed

By CARL HICHIN

WINNTPHG, Man., Jan. 15—Only
a very determined and persistent
stand by Ald. M. J. Forkin, prevent-
ed the passage in Social Welfare
Commission, yesterday, of a budget
for 1936, so totally inadequate as to
entail terrible suffering upon re-
cipients of social welfare relief if
not very substantially increased.
As a result of the Communist
alderman’s efforts the budget will
be revised at a special meeting of
the commission to be convened at
an early date.

The budget as submitted, Tues-
day, admitted an increase of 82
eases of “full relief” for December,
1935, over the same month in 1934,
but it only provided for a net ad-
ditional expenditure of $2,000, of
which half was to go to administra-
tion.

To provide for the additional
cases, even on the present in-
adequate scale, Forkin contended,
would require an addition to the
budget of $7,380. To persist in the
smaller estimate could only result
in reduced relief being given the
social welfare cases, he said.

Later in the day Ald. Forkin con-
ferred with the executive of the
Manitoba Conference of Unemploy-
€d on Social Welfare matters. The
conference was followed by a de-
cision of the unemployed executive
to recommend to their conference
the mending of a delegation to the
Social Welfare Commission to de-
mand the adoption of a much in-
creased budget.

NATIONAL YOUTH
LEADER COMING

Was Canadian Delegate
To Y.C.L. World

Congress

W. Kashton, national secretaty
of the Young Communist League,
and leader of the Canadian delega-
tion to the recent 6th World Gon-
Eress of the Young Communist In-
ternational, will arrive in, Vancou-
ver on Wednesday, February 5th.

His report on that historic con-
ference will be presented to the
public at the Moose Hall, Burrard
Street, on Friday, February 7th,
commencing at § p.m. There will
be a good program and an interest-
ing evening is assured.

This affair is of vital importance
to the youth of Vancouver. A spe-
cial invitation to attend is extended
to those youth who are members
ef church, sports, cultural, fra-
ternal and political organizations.

The secret of repartee is reper-
toire,

To Open New
Relief Depot

Latest news for relief recipients
in Mount Pleasant district is the
decision of Vancouver City Coun-
eil’s relief committee to consider
establishing a sub-depot for the is-
Suance of relief in that area.

It was proposed by Ald. H. D.
Wilson that the depot be opened on
Broadway, near Main Street. Relief
Officer Bone has been instructed to
prepare a report on the proposal.

IVAN EMERY

URITY KEYNOTE
NANAIMO CONF.

C. C. F. Call Delegates
from All Progressive
Organizations

NANAIMO, Jan. 18.—Unity, poli-
tically and economically, was the
keynote of a conference of all pro-
gressive organizations here toray.
Initiated by the ©.C.—F. Economic
Gouneil, there were delegates pres-
ent from six C.C.F. Clubs, Nanaimo
Section Communist Party, Co-opera-
tive Commonwealth Youth Move-
ment, Young Communist League,
Women’s Labor League, Ganadian
Labor Defence League, Local of
Longshoremen’s Union, Mine Work-
ers’ Union of Canada, and the un-
employed organization.

Mr. ©. Gameron and Mr. W. At-
kinson, C.C.F. organizers on Van-
‘couver Island, stressed the willing-
ness of their organization to co-
operate with all working chass
forces in the future battles of the
workers for the right of organiza-
tion and decent living conditions.

Mr. Cameron, C.C-F. candidate
for Comox—Alberni in the recent fed-
eral election, urged all ©.C.F. mem-
bers to join their industrial unions,
all the unemployed to become or-
ganized, declaring that only the
united force of organized workers
would be able to solve the political
problems of the working people.

The first steps in the building of
unity have been made, it now re-
mains for progressive men, women
and youth in every organization to
weld and consolidate these into a
powerful movement of unity in ac-
tion. Another conference to decide
on further steps will be held on
February ist.

Truckers Win

Pay Increase

Organization and Strus-
gle Chalk Up Another
Victory

WINNIPEG, Man. Jan. 15. —Of
the 165 truck owners who struck
two weeks ago, 150 are now back
at work with pay increases ranging
from 33 to 86 per cent.

Previous to the strike the truck-
ers got 75c per delivery of one ton
of coal or one cord of wood to all
points in the city and its immedi-
ate suburbs. Now they receive $1. 00.
for delivery within the city proper
and $1.40 for wood delivery and
$1.35 for coal delivery to the im-
mediate suburbs.

Vancouver coal and wood delivery
truck drivers are unorganized. A
few cartage me nare organized in
the American Federation of Labor.
To show the ‘great need for or-
ganization in Vancouver one truck
driver reported to the B.C. Work-
ers’ News that truckers get as low
as 50¢ a ton hauline flour from the
docks to warehouses, and 60c a ton
for flour hauling from railroad cars
to city bakeries, where the bags of
flour have to be piled ten high.
This calls for handling the flour
three times.

THE MACHINE AGE

A stump puller at present is be-
ing used to clear a ceemtery site in
our fair Municipality of Coquitlam.

Today there are six men pushing
on the pole and two men pulling
with ropes over their shoulders,
walking ’round and ’round the
capstan. The height of this con-
trivance is about six feet and until
recently had no ratchet to stop the
pole from springing back, which is
contrary to safety codes, but due
to agitation we have been able to
not only remedy this, but to reduce
the hours from eight to seven.

Then they tell us that we are liv-
ing in an advanced age—the ma-
chine age of 1936—which is quite
true. New high-powered machinery
is introduced into industry which

eliminates labor power and produces

Greet .

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29th

FEATURING
VANCOUVER’S LEADING ENTERTAINERS

ARTHUR H. EVANS

MASTER OF CEREMONIES

MALCOLM BRUCE will Speak

PLATE DINNER

LET’S
TICKETS 35c

- IVAN EMERY
BANQUET and CONCERT

ORANGE HALL
Gore Ave. & Hastings St.
See ae

EVERYBODY WELCOME!

Fingerprint
US Workers

Union Sees Scheme As
System For Black-
listings

By HENRY C. FLEISHER

NEW YORK.—(#P)—You ~ pay
your dollar. You get your picture
and four sets of your fingerprint
records. But—

The boss -gets the prints too!

The scheme, seen by New Work’s
hotel management heads as a mea-
sure to “prevent thefts” and by
union members as “a high-class
system of keeping a blacklist,” has
been in practice in almost half the
citys major hotels for several
months, it has been revealed.

WViciousness of the system, where-
by low-paid hotel workers are
forced to pay for fingerprints
which may be used against them
if they participate in union actiy-
ity, has aroused liberals and labor
officials throughout the city. Re
actionary interests have long agita-
ted for general fingerprinting as
a means of keeping tab on labor
activities, .

The private agency which has
done the thumbing will turn over
the record to an employee leaving
his position, providing it is “clean,”
it is reported. If not satisfactory,
in the opinion of the hotel bosses,
the prints will be given to other
personnel directors.

Report of the scheme brought
forth a sharp blast from Pres. Rose
Schneiderman, of the New York
Women’s Trade Union League, who
charged that “compulsory finger-
printing of citizens of this country
is contrary to all American tradi-
tion, and the use of such a system

by employers for employees is a
violation of their constitutional
rights. ...The ‘private agency’

whieh retains a duplicate of the
fingerprint and photograph of the
worker may prove upon investiga-
tion to be a private detective
agency which will use the infor-
mation in strikebreaking actiy-
ities.”

more profits for the bosses, pushing
more men on relief, who have ta
use such revived tools from the
time of the pyramids, unless the
workers unite.

Rey

GO!

AUSPICES C.L.D.L.

oe

ANOTHER VICTIM
OF BOSS GREED

HARRISON MILLS, B. GC — An-
other death was added to the list
of logging camp fatalities caused
by speed-up and lack of safety mea-
sures last week when George
Knowlton, 27 years of age, was
fatally crushed at Thomsen and
Clarke Logging Go., Harrison River,

Knowlton, a resident of Harri-
son Mills, was crushed to death
against a stump by a log. Goroners
jury returned a verdict of ‘“acci-
dental death.”

INVESTIGATION
OF CAMPS FAKE

Rigg Commission Gives
No Chance to Air

Grievances

HOPE, B.€—The gentlemen of
the Rigg Commission set up by the
fang Government to investigate the
camps visited this camp recently.

They arrived in three cars. After
visiting the office, Mr. Humphrey.
Mitchell selected an old man in
Bunkhouse No. 3 and asked him,
“How is your bunkhouse, where do
you sleep, are you cold at nights,
how many blankets have you?”

That was all the investigating
down in this camp, and the gentle
men of the Commission were gone.

The bunkhouse selected for in-
vestigation is known as the “Old
Man's Home.’ Its occupants are el-
derly men, many of whom have
been here for three years and are
content to stay here for the rest
of their lives.

Food, sanitation, and all the other

features were not discussed or ques-

tioned by the CGommission unless
they were mentioned in the office.
The other seven bunkhouses, the
kitchen and the wash-house were
not even looked at. No chance was
given any worker apart from the
old man mentioned to speak to the
Commission about anything.

The public should protest against
having to pay out money for these
men to ride around the country.
They are not fulfilling the task they
are supposed to be set up for.
—Campboy.

HEAD OF FARMERS’
MOVEMENT COMING

Walter Wiggins, National Sec-
retary of the Farmers Unity
League ,is now making an or-
ganizational tour of Western
Canada and will arrive in Van-
couver Sunday, Jan. 26.

Sgt. Leopold Demoted;
RCMP Head Visited
Nazi Germany In 1935

°
Trekkers’

Defence Is-
sues Open Letter toe
Commission

EVANS ON WAY HERE

REGINA, Jan. 21—John Leopold,
alias Jack Esselmein, R.GM-P
Stool pigeon, who joined a local un—
ion of painters in Regina in i924
has been reduced from the rank of
Sergeant to that of Corporal as
penalty for being drunk while on
duty. It was largely on Leopoid’s
testimony that the eight Gommu—
nist leaders were sent to Kingston.
Penitentiary in 1932. :

Qn the stand before the Com-—
mission this weel Assistant Gom—
missioner Col. Woods, R.G.MP_
stated there was no evidence on-
which to arrest the trek leaders on
July ist until Leopold brought te-
Regina documentary evidence dat—
ed from 1931 and prior to that-
date.

Woods Visited Germany

It is revealed that Assistant Gom-—
missioner Woods visited Germany
in the spring of 1935 to study Ger
man police measures. It was only
shortly after his return to Regina
that the Dominion Day riots’ oc--
curred.

Testifying that officers of the
R.C.M.P, believed the trek to be a
revolutionary movement, Col. Wood
declared it was “pure adventurism
in the hope that something woul@
happen to bring a clash with the-
authorities.” Its aim was to “un—
dermine constitutional sovern—-
ment.” Also revealed were plans of
the R.C.M-P: in the event of the
trekkers attempting to leave Re—
gina, they were to have been taken:
from the train and marched tc
Lumsden camp, isolated, allowed no)
meetings, and the leaders removed_

Qne of the questions the Golonet
will undoubtedly have to try to an-
Swer in the cross-examination is
why the riots took place after the
trekkers proposed to him the aban-—
donment of the trek and the returm
of the men to the camps.

Striking evidence of the plight of
the youth of Ganada was his state—
ment that 16,847 transients were re-
moved from freight trains in 1935
in Saskatchewan alone. The attor-
ney-general of the province had
asked the police not to fill the jails
with transients “‘because of the ex
pense.”

The procuring by Arthur Evans,
trek leader, of copies of telegrams
between Sir James McBrien, Come
missioner of the R.G.M.P. and As-
sistant Commissioner Woods, shook
the calm of the Commission. These
confidential telegrams were ine
cluded in error along with copies of
other telegrams furnished to Evang
as representative of the trekkers:
E. GC. Leslie, counsel for the E.G.
M.P., said: “It is highly improper
that these be given general circ.

(Continued on page 4)

Unity Is Being Reflected _
In Actual Life.—S. Smith

An Interview With
STEWART SMITH

“The main decision of the Seventh
Congress of the Gommunist Inter-
national is reflected in the progres-
Sive movement, now developing to-
wards unity among the most di-
versified sections of the common
people,” stated Stewart Smith in an
interview with a representative of
the B.C. Workers’ News.

“Among trade unionists especially
the striving for unity is very
marked. In scores of instances in
all of the large centres and in as
many branches of industry, the
workers in the trade unions are
finding common ground for united
action.

“The Seventh Congress was re-
flected in the discussions at the
convention of the American Federa-
tion of Labor in Atlantic City last
fall, when J. L. Lewis, along with
other international officers of large
unions led the fight for industrial
unions and for a Farmer Labor
Party to unite the masses of the
laboring people against Wall Street
and reaction.”

Asked as to the situation in
Canada in regard to united efforts
for peace and protection of the
democratic rights of the people,
Stewart Smith cited the brilliant

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successes recorded in the election
of labor candidates in the civie
elections in Regina, Winnipee and
other centres. As one of the most
conerete examples of how past ob-
stacles are being overcome in the
struggle for unity, Smith pointed to
the recent civie election in Toronto.
“In this election,” Smith stated;
“unity ceased to be a mere slogan.
The decisions of the Seventh Con—
gress were reflected in actual life,
and even though Simpson was de—
feated for the position of mayor,
nevertheless, the huge vote piled up
for C.C.FVers, Communists and
other progressives showed that the
majority of the people understeod

da efforts the positiom
se on people can be
greatly improved. The: Situation in
the Toronto election a is Particularly”

one of the “most ae ees ex
amples of the swing to unity.”
Asked whether the great mani—

festation of unity. Sweeping the-
world today would strengthen the
Peace Policy- of the Soviet Union,
Smith cited the example of how the
masses of people. of France and
Britain through-their united resent-
ment had “prevented the Hoare-
Laval plan from: being put into ef
fect.” This ‘ereat movement for
peace supporting. the Soviet peace
policy had not only, “prevented the
partitioning of Ethiopia,” but had
“prevented the destruction of the
League of Wations.”’

Smith pointed out that every
little local effort for united action
which is almost always beneficial
in the guarding against relief cuts,
wage cuts, and protection of civil
rights, is of the utmost importance,
and when correctly applied and
popularized tends towards exten-
sion of unity to other fields, culmin-
ating in unity on an international
Scale, which alone will delay war
and even defeat the war plans of
fascism.

FULL NO. 54

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