eee tna Ee RS BATA ARS Bay bo oe Be YQ SS dou So os Sc re Page Six B.C. WOREERS’ NEWS August 7, 1936 “B.C WorKERS NEWS Published Weekly by THE PROLETARIAN PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION Room 10, 163 West Hastings Street - Wancouver, B.C. — Subscription Rates — One Near ss $1580 ISEVE Meee ee —$1.00 Three Months Se 323.5) Single Copy. ——— =. -05 Make All Checks Payable to the B.C. WORKERS’ NEWS Send All Copy and Manuscript to the Chairman of the Edottorial Board. Send All Montes and Letters Pertaining to Advertising and Circulation to the Business Manager. The World This Week By F. B. General Franco, military chief of the Spanish fascists, is known to the workers and peasants as “The Butcher.” He earned this well-de— served title in 1934 for the brutality and ruthlessness with which he crushed the uprising of the Asturian Vancouver, B.C., Friday, August 7, 1936 C.C.F. National Convention HE insistence of the membership of the C.C.F. for greater unity ef all labor organizations in the fight against the of- fensive of capitalism, against fascism and for world peace was manifested at the National Convention of the C.C.F. held this week in Toronto. Eyen Woodsworth, implacable foe of the United Front with the Communist Party, found it expedient to bend to the will of the rank and file and progressive provincial leaders. Although successful in voting down a United Front on the political field, he yielded on the question of unity in immediate struggles, such as the struggles for peace, greater unemployment relief and for civil liberties. This partial victory will give encouragement to those who see in the United Front against reaction and war the only hope for the plain people of Canada. It wall strengthen the anti-capi- talist forces in the fight against capitalism which goes on every day and every hour whether or not parliament is in session. That Woodsworth and his right wing supporters are still able to prevent unity in electoral and parliamentary strugeles is unfortunate in the extreme. In thwarting the desire of the workers for unity Woodsworth falls back upon baseless charges against the Communist Party. Although he no longer charges Communists with insincerity, he is unable to see that political co-operation with them would be a good thing tor the workers. The Communists, the most realistic opponents otf capitalists and defenders of the interests of the common people on earth, he dubs “pomancers” because they do not hope or expect to reform capi- talism into socialism while fighting through parliament and by mass struggle outside parliament for reforms which these struggles compel capitalists, directly and through their state ap- paratus, to grant. The resolution — over the protest of W oodsworth — tor the development of mass pressure to bring about the release of the imprisoned victims of the Regina police riot shows that the C.C.F. members are not willing to leave everything to speech- making in parliament to the exclusion of mass struggle outside it. On the whole, despite many shortcomings and false leads, the convention can be said to have grappled concretely with im- portant questions facing the common people of Canada, and in “dealing with them and in the decisions made the C.C.F. can be said to have taken a muchmeeded step towards mass struggle. More Raids on Public 'Treasuries WO days after the City Council made another gift to the Jubilee promoters, this time a cool $50,000, they put McGeer on the air—again at the expense of the complacent taxpayers—to plead for payment of taxes and boost his political stock. While the city fathers were throwing the $50,000 into the lap of the Jubilee committee, with one hand they were pulling bread out of the mouths of children of the unemployed and refusing reliet to single unemployed youths with the other. In the radio speech referred to, McGeer spoke of the added value to “reelstate’ consequent upon the J ubilee and stated that business men were reporting an increase of profits up to 300 per cent. Two weeks ago McGeer and his Jubilee commuttee were appealing te these busimess men and corporations to help the Jubilee out of the $200,000 hole. But these profit-hunegry sharks turned a deaf ear to their fake importunities and Gerry and the City Council turned to the city treasury. : The Provincial government are just as layish in handing out money to the Jubilee gang. A $25,000 gift a few months ago was followed by another of an equal amount last week. And just at the time the provincial government were announelms that because they couldn’t borrow money at Ottawa they would not loan money for direct relief to the municipalities. The same policy of pinching the bellies of the unemployed while increasing the costs of administration, particularly on au increased police force to make the starving people like it, is bemg followed by the Federal government. Although the revenues increased during the last fiscal year by 25 millon dollars and government expenditures haye increased, expenditures tor relief decreased five million dollars without a corresponding decrease in unemployment. This is how the municipal, provincial and fed- eral governments are solving unemployment ; and this alone is sufficient reason for throwing them out of office. A good start can be made in the Burrard by-election by elect- ing the C.C-1. candidate, to be followed by ousting the Pattullo’ government as soon as that discredited government and party risk their political necks. Bullets and Flowers HE Song of Hate, so necessary in war time to whip up pat- T riotism and for the lust to murder has given place for the moment to an orgy of maudlin affectation of sorrow for the enemy dead. A week ago two members of the Kane federal government were laying wreaths at the base of the monument erected in Berlin by the founders of German fascism in “honor” of the men who at their masters’ orders were shooting down Canadian soldiers svyho in the interest of Holt, Bennett and Morgan, were trys to Kill Germans. Now the men who from sate swiyel chairs instigated and directed the lallings, pile flowers on stone monu- ments to their victims while the returned soldiers of their own countries, jobless and unwanted, perish on slow starvation relief. The Province newspaper is quite peevish over the desertion from the Liberal and Conservative parties by a large section of the people of Manitoba. The Southam journal berates those ad- vanced electors for forming and supporting parties which they think will represent their interests. The old two-party game is about played out and the Pro vince yeoards the growing enlightenment as a “weakness” of democracy. The fake Liberal-Progressive Party ot Bracken will not have a clear majority, and the Province therefore says the election 1s no election. ee Well, if it is no election there ean be another election, and another, until one of the parties secures the necessary a jority. And if the stubborn resistance ot reactionary C- oe jeaders to the United Front 1s broken, that clear majority w1 be a O.C.F. majority. miners against the Rightist govern- ment of that time. As a result of the general elec- tions in- February of this year a People’s Front government was formed. Immediately a popular de- mand arose for the removal of Franco from all military command, but the government, too mcderate by far, gave him the post of gov- ermnor of the Canary Islands, Spanish possessions off the north- west coast of Africa. it was from this point that he conspired with German and Italian fascists and with Spanish capital- ists and Jandowmners to bring about the civil war and establish a fasc- ist. dictatorship. Aithough Franco is a leader in the uprising in a military sense, he is not the chief instigator. The strongest backer of the fascist movement is Juan March, the rich- est man in the country, sometimes called the Spanish Rockefeller, who at present is reported to be in Paris, from where he negotiates the pur chase of supplies for the fascist forces. Ever since the People’s Front Government was elected, the fasc- ists have been doing everything they could to discredit it. The em- ployers of labor began to slash wages and drive the workers at high speed, and the fascist agitators went among the. workers blaming the new government for the situa- tion: A great many strikes took place, which the fascists endeavored to steer into violent channels against the government. It was only due. to the work of the Com- munists and Socialists who pointed out to the workers that they must not be deluded into fighting for fascism, and who at the same time demanded of the government that it take immediate steps to curb the employers and pass legislation granting the demands of the work- ers. The CGommunists also de- manded an immediate redistribu- tion of the large estates’ of the aristocracy—the Spanish Grandees —amongst the peasantry. But the government refused to move fast enough. Instead of tak- ing up the question of wages and conditions in the factories on a na- tional scale, it lost valuable time by “investigating” one industry after another, with the result that the dis— content of a number of workers increased against what they consid- ered the ignoring of their just de- mands by the new government. In addition to these backward elements among the workers the fascist forces received the full support of the Roman Catholic clergy, and middle-class elements whose busi- ness was disrupted by the strikes, who wanted tranquility at all costs, even at the cost of a fascist dic- tatorship. However, as events have shown, the majority of the workers and peasants, the greater portion of the navy, and a large part of the army, remained loyal to their gov- ernment, weak though it was. Under pressure from below the govern- ment is being forced rapidly to the Left; it has already been stated in the press that in a number of towns and cities Soviet governments have been organized. The workers have learned that Soviets are necessary if they are to be victorious over fascism. A Soviet Spain! Another gap in world capitalism! This is the proba- bility that is causing the capitalists of Europe to “view with grave ap- prehension” the magnificent fight being’ conducted by the common people of Spain against fascism. To intervene on the side of the fasc- ists, or not to intervene, that is the question. We have no. intention, say the governments of Britain, Germany and Italy, of interfering with the internal situation of Spain. But this, the voice of officialdom, is con- tradicted by daily facts. They are intervening already beneath the surface. Lord Cranborne, under- secretary of foreign affairs in Eng- land, said the other day that the government had no power to inter- ’fere with the sale of civil aircraft If this is not an invitation to the Spanish fascists to buy British planes, what is it? A British officer, Captain Black, is reported to have landed his plane in fascist territory offering his services against the loyalists® German and Italian fliers are already fighting with the rebels. The French government appears to be doing what it ean to prevent intervention. It has proposed an international conference to discuss and agree on neutrality, but this has been turned down by Mussolini. Italy will do everything she can to assist the fascists, hoping for terri- torial concessions in the Western Mediterranean. Britain will not stand for Italian expansion in this direction. Thus, in addition to their hatred of workers and peasant goy— ernments, in which they are united, the Spanish civil war is bringing to the fore again the antagonisms between British and Italian eapital- ists that flared up during the Italian-Ethiopian war. A world war arising out of the situation in Spain is not a remote possibility. It is not only a possibility but a very real and very apparent danger. GOLF LINKS The golf links lie so near the mill That almost every day The laboring children can look out And see the men at play. RE Darkness for Sunny Mexico Mexico City went without electric light for days as striking workers of the British-Canadian-owned Mexican Light and Power Go., tied up the works and all factories in the city as well. Here’s a meeting of the strikers shortly before their walkout ended in a big victory. NEGRO PEOPLE FORGING AHEAD The Nazi contention that the negroegy are an inferior race fit only for a condition of servitude is refuted by every day facts of life. The prominent ability displayed by negroes in music and literature, in spite of the terrible race prejudice handicap, is too well Known to em- phasize. In other branches of the arts megroes are continually demon- stratine their creative faculties. In Harlem, New York’s negro section, a struseline art school was given assistance under the New Deal. It grew rapidly, but when gov- ernment assistance was withdrawn its existence was endangered. Into this breach stepped a few highly successful negro artists, painters and sculptors, men who had had théir works recognized and accepted by magazines and art gallerys, who volunteered to contribute their earn- ings to keep the school ‘alive. As a result, the school is not only still alive but going strong. Socialism Wil Free Negroes In the realm of sports the negro doesn’t have to play second fiddle to anyone. He excels in track events, in the United States, being amone the top-notchers, and, as some may remember, when the colored basket ball team from the States played in Vancouver last winter they made all competitive teams appear childish. That the negro people, deprived of education by poverty, jJim-crowed French Leader By MAURICE THOREZ (Continued) PART THE ECONOMIC SIfUATION Of all the great capitalist coun- tries, France is the only one in which up to now there has been no appreciable return of prosperity. However, recent figures do show 2 Slight betterment. In March, 1935, aid was being given to 485,000 un- employed. The number at present is 419,887. A comparison of the in-| dex of production, risen by 9-7 per cent this last year, with the number of unemployed, which remains sub- stantially the same, emphasizes the fact that the intensity of exploi- tation of labor has increased. This is the justification of the claims put forward by our workers. The financial situation is deplor- able. In spite of heavy sacrifices imposed on civil servants, pension- ers, war veterans, small incomes, and in general on all the poor and the unfortunate, the budget deficit persists. The national debt has increased enormously from 1933 to 1936; the gold reserve of the Bank of France has diminished by about one-third from 1932 to 1936. Bourgeois economists blame all this on the present regime in France, regardless of the fact that all these phenomena were plainly Book Review WHAT WE PROPOSE” is a re- port of the Political Committee of the Communist Party delivered by Tim Buck ina recent meeting of the Central Gommittee: The report cov—- ers a2 very wide range, analyzing world conditions, the present politi- eal situation in Canada, the present erisis in the G.C.F., ending with a final chapter entitled ‘““What is To Be Done.” The present crisis is termed “a depression of a specal kind,’ and it is pointed out that in spite of ap- pearances of “recovery, there are sions of a new wave of crises in a number of countries. A Warmer Labor Party is advocated to mobil- ize Canadian workers to prevent the rich placing the “burden of the erisis on the poor. The leadership of the C.C_.F. comes in for some critcism, but with equal frankness the report. criticizes the Communist Party’s application of some of its own activities. This char- acteristic self-criticism, unique to Communist Parties, is undertaken to avoid future errors, The price of this interesting book let is ten cents. * = *x * ‘what the ‘Communist Party Stands For’ is a fine piece of writing based on M. J. Olgin’s “Why Communism.” It is one of the most successful attempts yet made to ex- plain Communism in simple lan- euage. “The Communist Party watches carefully every turn in the develop- ment of the country, whether eco- nomic, political, social or cultural, and at every turn it points out to the workers what they have to do in order finally to achieve the max- imum results, the overthrow of eapitalism. This plan of struggle for jhe working class is called the Party line. The Communist Party the only political organization that works out a line of activity for every branch of the labor moye- ment at every given moment.” The above quotation is typical of the simplicity and directness of the general contents of the booklet. Its is price is five cents. With these two booklets selling for fifteen cents there is no valid excuse for anyone saying he doesn’t know what Communism is all about, or what the Communists are try ing to do. They contain all the answers. The publishers are to be con- eratulated on the design of these booklets. The size has been Tre- duced and the number of pages in- creased, thus permitting the two together to be slipped easily into a man’s coat pocket or into 2 woman’s handbag. They are an ideal size for reading on streetcars or in other odd moments. They are on sale at the New Age Bookshop, Pender and Homer streets. —T.M. Popular Front Achievements and discriminated against under this damnable capitalist system, persist in the struggle to develop their talents speaks well for their fighting qualities. Under socialism, when there will be no race prejudice of any kind they will contribute to art, science and literature equally with people of any race or color. Reports On WHAT THE NEW GOVERN- MENT HAS DONE IN FRANCE (Reported July 17, 1936) The following important steps have already been accomplished by the gov- ernment of Leon Blum in the SIX WEEKS tt has been in office: I. Conditions of the working-class. Prussia. The traitors of our nation now put their gold at the service of our possible enemies. INo one can ignore the importance of the gold reserve in case of war being im- posed on our people by Hitler-fas- cism. - We demand on our part that there (a) Raising of wages in the lowest and | Shall be published regularly the medium categories. mames ang standing of all those (b) Establishment of PAID HOLI- | who engage in operation necessi- DAYS. d tating transfers of gold abroad. (c) Establishment of 40-HOUR| These measures have taken effect WEER. already. There has been a cessation (d) Old-age and sick pensions in- | in the flight of capital and Stock creased. Exchange quotations are firmer. II. Dissolution of fascist leagues. Ill. Establishment of- public control over the Bank of France (voted 430 fo | Im order to finance the necessary amelioration in standard of living of all workers, to save the youth of 111). (Not a farce, as n Canada, but | France, to help the farmers, the the real.thing). — small business men, artisans and IV. Nationalization of war industries | Shopkeepers, and to balance the (voted by 484 to 85). budget the rich CAN and MUST pay! Demands of the Pront Populaire Q@ur program in regard to taxation calls for measures aimed directly at large fortunes: @) Steeply graduated general tax en incomes about 75,000 francs (about $5,000). (2) Revision upward of the inherit- visible umder the previous govern- ments from 1932 on. These econo- mists clamour for the devaluation of the franc, in order, they say, to protect the internal market against foreign competition, and also to compete with advantage in foreign markets. We do not share these illusions. We know that the competing coun- ance tax. tries would very quickly adjust the | (3) Taxation on profits of mon- balance in their favor, either by opoly. monetary manipulations or by rais- ing their tariffs. We know also that any such devaluations of the france would put a still heavier load on the workers of all ranks and the lower middle class. The result would be that the industrialists would take back with- one hand what they have been forced to give with the other. Real wages would diminish. This is why we welcomed with joy the declaration of our comrade, Leon Blum, president of the Coun- cil, who announced to the recent socialist congress that he was If it turns out that these meas- ures are insufficient, our Party will demand an extraordinary levy on the large fortunes. This will not amount to a levy on capital, but will be a forced contribution imposed on the very rich. No one can accuse us of excess in this regard, for we have raised to one million frans (about $65,000) the minimum above which large fortunes would be specially taxed. There would of course be a graduated tax, from 5 per cent to 25 per cent for fortunes of 50 million francs and over. The probable revenue from this Women and Children First! tising strongly opposed to devaluation. The first remedy applied by the capitalists was DEFLATION, i.e. forced diminuation of wages and salaries and pensions. Now we must beware of the contrary danger, IN- FLATION, which could be brought about by a too copious issue of treasury bonds. Cost of Living. Another cause for anxiety is the recent rise in the cost of living, which runs the risk of counteract- ing the effects of the increase in wages. The government has al- ready begun to track down the speculators. It can count on our full support in this struggle against the high cost of living. It is well known that the large distributing agencies are extorting money from the consumers without any benefit from these high prices going to the farmer. For instance, in 1936, wheat diminished in price by 37 per cent (compared with 1932), but flour went down only 29 per cent and bread went down only 24 per cent. For wine and meat, the differences between these delative percentages are still more marked. Besides this, heavy taxes on sugar, salt, coffee, all contribute to the disproportionate rise in the cost of living. The Rich Must Pay! The French people have de- nounced both the policy of defla- tion and that of inflation. It is for the only reasonable and effective solution: let the rich pay! We know that there is abundance of money in the country. Sixty bil- lions of francs lie idle, out of which 25 million have been patriotically sent broad by our feudal barons of the present day. Im former days, the aristocracy emigrated to Cob- lentz or to England. That was not without risk, and at any rate there was nothing underhand about it. Today capitalist reactionaries send their capital abroad. That process is less obvious and the rich ex- ploiters can hypocritically pass themselves off as worthy French- men and at the same time slander the workers who, anyhow, are not responsible for the withdrawal of gold ingots from the Bank of France! The emigres of 1793 put their levy would be about 15 million franc (about one billion dollars). INo seri- ous objection could be raised to such a moderate levy when the rich have recently, within a few weeks, sent tens of billions abroad. More- over, the exploiters find money eas*ly enough to run certain news- papers, so-called organs of opinion and information, which poison the air with calumnies and threats against the militant groups united in the Front Populaire. They also find money to maintain and arm those organizations which incite to violation of law and to civil war. (To be concluded), The Man He Killed ‘Wad he and I but met By some old ancient inn, We should have sat us down to wet Right many a nipperkin! “But ranged as infantry, And starting face to face, ¥ shot at him as he at me, And killed him in his place. “JY shot him dead because— Because he was my foe, Just so: my foe of course he was; That’s clear enough; although ‘He thought he’d ’list perhaps, Off-hand like—just as I— Was out of work—and sold traps— No other reason why. his “Yes; quaint and curious war is! You shoot a fellow down! You'd treat if met where any bar is, Or help to half a crown.” . —Thomas Hardy. WELLINGTON, New Zealand— (ALP)—Profiteering in New Zealand will become an offence if a bill given first reading in the house of repre- sentatives becomes law. The provides fixing well as goods in any industry which has increased its prices since last June. Industries taking such action will have to show new measure for Dbasie prices for services as justification By OL’ BILL The news about - the fascist up- against the democrati- cally-elected constitutional govern ment in Spain is almost 100 per cent lies. News-butchers in the sanctums — of the press associations are re- sponsible for most of it. As this fascist treason against the Spanish government is front-page stuff and very little genuine news is seeping through, enough for a column or two has to be manufactured daily, A little of it, however, bears the halimark of verisimilitude. One of such items in the Sun, read es follows: “A fascist broadcast at Seville said 1300 wives and children of Loyalist sailors were being held at Melilla, Spanish Morocco, ‘as & hostage in case of bombardment’.” This story is so characteristic of the behavior of the capitalists when driven by fear that we may credit it with being true. We used to be taught at school that the ethics of sea disaster was, “women and chil- dren first.’ It was this the sailors, from deck-hoy to bridge officers, considered their duty, to save the women and children first. But they were workers. To the capitalist it means something different; it means women and children first to be butchered to save their rotten craven carceses. Not their women and children but the wives, daugh- ters and babies of the working-class_ In a pinch they will shelter them- selves behind their own women and children, knowing the workers are possessed of chivalry and humanity, the only class that is. The taking of Back to the hostages, which is contrary to the Middle Ages. provisions of “ciy= ilized warfare,”’ like dum-dum pbul- lets and poisoning wells, is another reversal to the customs of the Middie Ages in line with the head- man’s axe and block and the bon- fires of the Nazi fellow-scoundrels of the Spanish murderers. The erush these lice and when they do they will be remiss in their duty te the Spanish people who elected them if they do not exterminate to the last cowardly brute those re- sponsible for the murders of the last month. Wot one of them should be left alive to take women and chil- dren hostages again and their in- spirers abroad should be brought back to Spain to pay the penalty of their crimes. They should get the bullets and ropes that their kins- man Tom MeInnes promised the Communists in Vancouver. The custom of the Native Sons of awarding a medal annually to the in- dividual whom they consider the best citizen is one that might be copied, without any fall from grace, by our labor organizations in rec- Ognition of our most worthwhile members. Voltaire coined a phrase; “The Einglish have a habit of shoot- ing an admiral occasionally for the encouragement of the others,” hay- A Good Custom. Byng. s While “the encouragement of the others’’ should be our objective in the labor movement we do not pro- pose that any of them should be shot, although perfectly agreeable to that procedure in dealing witb admirals. The custom of the Native Sons is a tribute for services and if we were to emulate them we could find many of our number whose names are unknown to the masses but who are amongst the most worthy of honor. e I could nominate Nominations a few myself, For In Order. instance, among those who are do- ing a lion’s share of the work of building up a circulation for the Clarion and the B.C. Workers’ News — one of our most pressing tasks in consolidating the liberal forces in opposition to war-lusting fascism there is John Lesire, whose difficulties with the English language are known to everybody who has met him. He puts in his time building up new routes for other comrades and is, in the opinion of many, without a peer as a door-to-door literature seller. Then there is Jim Kift, a plug from the African Veldt whom you will run into all over town with his papers; old man Collingwood with his little two-bit suitcase full of LS.R. and G.L.D.L. literature as well as the Clarion and the B.C. Workers’ News cannot be left out. This list will not be complete without the names of George Bald- win, who lives in, and for the C.L, D.L., and Jack Butler, ticket-sellers par excellence. Nene of these com- rades are “big shots” but they are all in line for good citizen medals if we had any. There are many more like them. If you think there are any better, nominate them and they will find a place in this coluTan “for the encouragement of the others.” It is not only the Going After priests who like to catch us young; the Youth. the war-mongers have the same idea. The Acton (England) Educational Authority recently arranged a tour by which a party of 1800 school children were taken to Portsmouth, shown around ELMS. Victory and Revenge, taken for a sea-trip and had tea with the mattows and leathernecks at the Royal Naval Baracks——Some of arms at the service of the King of for it. them are sure to go back! Spanish government will ~ ing in mind the shooting of Admiral] a AUST eee pea