Page Four B.C. WORKERS’ NEWS October 9, 1926 | B.C Workers NEWS = 2 Bane! Published Weekly by THE -PROLETARIAN PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION _ 2 Reom- 10, 163 West Hastings “Street? ~ - Pe aacouver, BGS Sea AR a eer cares Subscription Rates*— ‘ é EIeh 2 Wrepwesr Tome we SIE Half Year oe ee 100 ‘ae Whree Months 50 Single Copy Make All Checks Payable to the B.C. WORKERS’ NEWS Send All Copy and Manuscript to the Chairman of the Edottorial Board. Send All Monies and Letters Pertaining to Advertising and Circulation to the Business Manager. -05 Vancouver, B.C., Friday, October 9, 1936 All Aid to the Spanish People! HE real attitude of the capitalist upholders of democracy is revealed in the position: those alleged defenders take in the strugele against fascist reaction in Spain. There you haye a government elected by the people in strict conformity with all the rules laid down by capitalist democracy. The workers with their professional, intellectual and middle elass allies won a majority and set up a people’s government. But because that government, neither by its composition nor by its legal enactments, was suitable to the exploitation of the Spanish people, a junta of treasonable generals, in league with the land-owning Catholic church and with the finance capitalists of Spain and of the capitalist world, revolted and are trying to set up a minority rule, by force and violence, assisted by the fascist states. One would think that the politicians and the press of demo- eratic Canada would fly to the assistance of the Spanish people’s government. But not so. The capitalist press, without coming out openly against democratic government, is doing al] in its power to blacken and defame the Spanish loyalists. Not a slanderous and lying statement concocted in the fascist- eontrolled international press but is printed. And all these manu- factured lying atrocity stories are printed, when authentic news is available. Stories of nuns ravished and tortured, and wholesale executions of priests, are printed in order to inflame the feelings of the Catholic masses and turn them to support of the fascist murderers. The fact is that the Spanish defenders of democracy have acted with unbelievable forbearance, in the face of the reactionary clergy’s use of the churches and monasteries as arsenals and con- centration points for fascists in the counter-reyolutionary attack on democratically constituted authority. The workers of Ganala know full well what is at stake in the struggle in Spain. They know that it is not merely a national Shock Workers on Soviet Collective struggle. They know that it is an international struggle, with Spain as the battleground, between the dark forces of world fascism and the forces of democratic liberty. But there are many in Canada who do not realize the sioni- ficance of the struggle im Spam. There are many who may be ponfused and misled by the barrage of skillful propaganda laid down by the forcest of blackest reaction. Tt is both noteworthy and commendable that the Trades and Labor Council of Vancouver and district has declared its support for the heroic defenders of the cause of the people of Spain against the impudent attack of the fascist murderers. The time has arrived—ain fact is overdue—when the mass ot the people of Canada arise and demand of the federal government that it permit the freest export of aid to the Spanish people while rallying to their assistance both morally and financially all the peace and freedom loving people of Canada in the historie strugele to prevent fascism from extending its influnce. There must be no more nonsensical talk of neutrality in such a situation. The agreement among the world powers for state neu- trality was treated as a scrap 0 f paper by Germany and Italy. The aid these fascist states are extending to the Spanish rebels “must be matched by world-wide aid of the workers and all de- fenders of democracy as against fascism in Spain. The Plight of Canada’s Youth AINTING from hunger in the court, and held up on his feet by his fellow sufferers, an ex-relief camp worker, when offered a chauce to leave the court room effectively declined the invitation and told the magistrate that there was nothing to go to except more hunger and arrest if he tried to gain a living in the only way open to him. Vancouver is a glowing example of the cynicism and barbaric eruelty of the well-ted capitalist authorities in dealing, or failing to deal, with the problem of the unemployed youth. Here are hundreds of boys, honest, working-class boys, de- sirous of procuring work at decent wages, and refused work, re- fused relief, and arrested because they try to sell flowers on the streets without paying a licence fee to chair-warming yesanen who were elected to the edulous taxpaying public. salary-drawing, sity council by a sleepy, over-cr Eyery citizen of Vancouver the wretched gang of with a decent impulse should yack up and support the hungry boys who ask only a chance to work. An end must be put, once and for all, to the rotten buck- passing between the city, the provincial government and the fed- eral government. The boys have a perfect case. Faced with death through starvation, they are making a last stand against embarking on a life of crime in the laudable cause of self-preser- vation. The stubborn resistance of the hunger councillors must be broken. The boys must be the labor movement must be mo housed and fed. And the whole of bilized on their behalf. Shipping Barons Extend Local Longshore Blacklist City Council Report Shows Vindictive Policy That more than 500 former em- ployees of the Shipping Federation are still blacklisted, and that be-— cause of this blacklist, American vessels are keeping away from this port, was reported to the Harbor and Utilities Committee of the city council by Aldermen HL D. Wilson and H. lL. Corey. The report, sub- mitted in writing, also states: ‘‘In addition to this there is more than a@ possibility that ships from other countries, New Zealand, Great Brit- ain, and France, may soon adopt the policy of avoiding our water- front. We can come to no other conclusion but that this is preju- dicial to the interests of the Port of Vancouver.” On February 19th of this year the Federation promised the City Council that it would re-employ the former employees as soon as work provided, after a weeding: out of foreigners, non-residents, and trouble-makers. Since that date only twenty-three have been re- jnstated, while only 300 had been reinstated up to that time. Alderman MacDonald stated he expects the Federation to give defi- nite information as to the former strikers, who are now “out on a limb.” At present 92 families of the WV. & D.W.W.A. comprising 345 indi- viduals are on relief, while their places have been filled almost en- tirely by newcomers. The policing of the waterfront during the strike cost the govern= ment $34,424 and special policing of the waterfront and relief camp strikers cost the city $103,036. Commenting on the report, of- ficials of the V.&D.W.W.A. draw attention to the part referring to foreigners and non-residents. They point out that every one of the more than 500 blacklisted men had been on the waterfront from 13 to 30 years, whereas the strike-breakers had been recruited largely from newcomers to the city. They state also that within the last few days the Shipping Federation has black- listed the men who work the boats of the Kingsley Navigation Co. These men have worked these par- ticular ships since 1931 up to the time of the strike and again since the strike. Now they have been blacklisted again, and the strike- breakers put in their place. It is reported that the other coastwise companies are contemplating taking: the same action. How you’re going to keep them down on the farm after they’v i F we 3 E 1 } y’ve seen Moscow is no problem at all at the New Life collective in the north Caucasus. For with happy farmerettes to work with, whose smiles are as bread as the brims of their hats, doing the chores becomes a real pleasure. ‘ If This Be Treason A Critical Review of | Dr. Holmes Peace Play Symptomatic is the awakening of the theatre to the live issues of War and peace. And the fortheoming production of “If This Be Treason,” by Wancouver Little Theatre Asso- ciation indicates a commendable ad- vance in its recognition of that so- cial theme. Although the play can- not possibly be mistaken for a mas- terpiece, its vitality and sincerity is beyond question. The play burns with indignation against the profit- eers and politicians who play shut- tliecock with men’s lives, and enter- tains a dream of how goodwill may be made to prevail on this earth, Local Japanese Withdraw. “Tf This Be Treason’’ was written by Dr. John Haynes Holmes and Reginald Lawrence, and envisages an imminent state of war between the United States and Japan. There are 60 people in the cast, which calls for Japanese characters as well as American. It is said that when the Little Theatre Group started work on the play, the co-operation of jocal Japanese young people of “Japanese-Canadian” origin was so- licited and assured. Later, political elements intervened and the partic- ipation of the Japanese element was forbidden. Wot only his it been found im- possible to secure any of the young Vancouver Japanese who have gone through our schools and university, put it is stated that the entire Jap- anese community will coycott the play. The grounds of this hostility are said to be the unwillingness of the local Japanese Canadian-Japan- ese community to give the impres- sion that in the field of interna- tional relations, they do not unani- mously support*ethe Japanese gov- ernment in matters of foreign policy. It is allesed that pressure by local interests in the shipping and Mercantile field having trade con- tacts with Japan has been brought to bear upon the Little Theatre or- ganization to abandon the produc- tion, but these efforts have not been successful up to the present time, and the play will go on with an “all white” cast. “Mangerous Thoughts’ Opposition to the theme of the play is attributable to the peace mo- tif which is in direct conflict with the policy of external aggression in the Orient by the semi-fascist forces now in control in Japan. Japanese law now provides severe penalties for entertaining “danger- ous thoughts” in accordance with fascist technique. Glergyman Author. It is significant that Dr. Holmes, a clergyman, Should turn to the theatre to make his message heard. “Tf This Be Treason’’ is permeated with the weltanschaung of a large group of liberal middle-class people who have declared for peace. The audience is led to believe that a president can prevent war. This sort of pacifist pipe-dream is worse than fantasy. No pacifist president elected by the present plutocratic parties, even if he were to sub- merge his personal and class inter- ests, would be allowed to act as a free agent. All the Hearstian and Liberty League publicity, calumny and force at the disposal of Amer- ican capitalists would be utilized against him before he could act. Fascist Ideology. The ideological error of the play is that it obscures the real causes of wars. It argues that interna- tional disputes can be adjusted in the same way as individual differ- ences—by ‘‘talking things over,” by arbitration or the authority of the law—the same naive viewpoint that Mr. Mackenzie King has been ‘‘coo- ing’ recently at Geneva. One has only to recall the rape of Ethiopia to reveal the umnreality of these idealisms. In the play, a2 more serious error lies in the symbolical meaning of the mythical president. It is implied that congress is the real enemy of the people, that lobbying congress- men are the real war-makers, that congress should be suppressed to en- able the president to act in the people’s interest. This is perhaps unconsciously, but nevertheless most definitely a fascist proposal. There is the characteristic Nazi, Mosley, Citizens’ League thrust at demo- cratic government. Make no mis- Workers’ Alliance Gains Concessions Rubber boots, coats, ete, were conceded by the Relief Committee to a delegation on Monday, repre- senting the Workers’ Alliance Local Wo. 1, an organization of project workers and relief recipients. The men employed on the Fraser golf course felt that if necessary to take, when congress or parliament surrenders its power to a dictator, fascism will grip the country. With the finest intentions, the authors of the play have neverthe- less completed a circle of futility. >modern. English. writers such as |_Billip Gibbs, Book Review| THE STARS LOOK DOWX— _ .By J. A... Cronin... A great piece of literature has ygome out.of England. The works of e_ prothers _Powyss, Aldous Huxley. are.anemic com- pared to this book of Cronin’s. it is somewhat reminiscent of Theo- dore Dreiser, the American writer. Like Dreiser, Cronin uses a large canvas—there are over 600 pages in this work—but Cronin is better than Dreiser at his best. You will think this is extravagant praise—until you read the book. There are numerous characters in The Stars Look Down all drawn with an insight that shows the author to be a most keen observer and a rare psychologist. Robert PWenwick, a north of England coal- miner, has three sons also miners. David is studious hoping that some day he will be able to do something for the miners; Hughie is ambitious to be a professional football player, and Sammy is the best hewer in the mine. Robert pulls the men out on fered a take it or leave it job in the wettest part of the mine. In spite of warnings Barras, the mine- owner, refuses to take precautions against a probable flood, and a dis- aster occurs that takes a toll of 150 lives, including Robert and Hughie. This is one of the highlights of the story; for sheer power of description its equal would be hard to find. David leaves the mine to study and is enticed into marriage by a ly leaves him for the TLondon Streets because he has other aims in life than to provide her with designing little vixen who eyentual-. 2 By OL’ BILL Ramsey MacDonalé Ramsey in speaking MacDonald English Newspaper Society some S to the of a free press, and if I live to the age of Methuselah that belief will never go. A free press is a condi- the first a tatorship is established, thine that goes is a free press. sey many to be an outstandine socialist, throughout the capitalist world fate : 5 =e have since learned from his own strike against their conditions, but | traitorous actions just how much” the strike is lost and he, already | value to place on those words of the suffering from tuberculosis, is of- | Great Betrayer. j Beside them we like te Lenin place the words of Lenin, | described by MacDonald as one of the ‘‘dictators’” who abolish=- ed a “free press.” Tenin said, “Supposing a were to give our government and any other the right of exchanging pamphlets by the governments Con=— cerned, in any language, and giy= ing the text of the constitution of- the respective countries and an ex=! planation of its superiority over any other, not a single capitalist govern” ment in the world would dare to > years | ago, told them that, “I am in favor | | CY tion of a free democracy and it is | very curieus that as soon as 2 die- | That was in the days when Rame Bhi MacDonald was believed by The workers in his own country ang Hd Speaking in 1919 |! treaty at f Resistance to injustice, to war, they work in the rain then rubber boots sav, must come through the presi- dent, through the* officers, through members of the upper class—the very ones who promulgate wars! This is an evasion. The real fight is against: Fascism, which breeds wars. The resistance to war must be based on mass organization, on the preservation of civil liberties, on strong labor organizations, on the preservation of democratic and clothes were necessary. Approximately 100 men were is- sued their relief two weeks ahead of schedule, due to the work of the delegation. On man, laid off on September 26, was booked to wait until the 15th of October. The conference scheduled for Oct. 15, initiated by the Workers’ Alli- ance on the high cost of living, will “nice” things. He is a character you learn to love. His ambition to do somethines for the miners is inter- rupted but not ended by three years at the front. The terrific graft and corruption of the English war prof- iteers is here dealt with without fear or favor. Returning from the war David gets a job with the Miners’ Federation and later is elected to Parliament on the labor rights, on a united front against all be confronted with a full plan of action. Wide support is being re- the forces which make for war. ceived from many organizations. “Tf This Be Treason’’ will be pre- sented at the Little Theatre on October 29, 30 and 31, and will prob-- ably excite more interest than any other play- since the Soviet play, “Pear,” was played there several years ago. “But the dictatorship of the proletariat, ie., the organization of the vanguard of the oppressed as the ruling class for the purpose of crushing the oppressors, cannot produce merely an expansion of democracy, TOGETHER iwth an immense expansion of democracy, which FOR THE FIRST TIVE becomes democracy for the poor, democracy for the people, and not democracy for the rich, the dic- tatorship of the proletariat pro- duces a series of restrictions of liberty in the case of the oppres- sors, the exploiters, the eapital- ists. We must crush them in order to free humanity from GLASGOW, Oct. 7—Four hun- dred men and women representa- fives of the unemployed of this city marched from here today with Lon- don as their goal. The large delegation will be joined by other groups along the line of march, and from other parts of the country, who are converging on the government seat to protest against the government regulations in the unemployment insurance act. wage-slavery.”—LENIN. Statement On Postponement Of C.P. National Convention The postponement of the 8th National Gongress of the G. P. of C. has been occasioned because of the tremendously serious events that are now taking place in Europe, events which have made it necessary for Tim Buck, secretary of the Communist Party of Canada, to prolong his visit in Spain. Rupercussions in all countries of the epic Spanish struggle are so important and mean so much to the people of all demo- eratic countries, and democratic groups in fascist countries, that it is indeed necessary for the Gommunist Party of Canada to postpene its 8th Gonvention at this time and con- centrate its full efforts in mobilizing the peace-loving and democratic people of Canada in support of the Spanish Gov- ernment to achieve speedy victory. The party, in issuing its postponement of the Congress, emphasizes the need for more active struggle to achieve the unity of the people of Canada for peace and democracy, against all fascist and reactionary elements in Canada, and for decisive action against those who threaten peace and democracy in Spain. . In the near future, upon the return of Buck from Spain, the Central Committee of the Party will hold a special session to discuss some of the pressing questions facing the labor movement, and to lay plans for a vigorous campaign to pre- pare the party for a greater National Congress which will be held early in 1937. Upon his return to Canada, Comrade Buck will make an extensive tour, bringing a praphic picture of the Spanish situation to the people of Canada. in ‘‘Discussien.” tour for this purpose. Provincial Executive Committee, Pre-Convention discussion is to be continued with greater vigor and contributions from Party members will be featured All possible must be done to strengthen our recruiting drive, particularly availing ourselves of Buck’s Communist Party of Canada, B.C. District. ticket. In Parliament his unswery- ing fight for the Nationalisation of the coal mines earns him the enmity of the leaders of the MacDonald— Snowden administration. The story of this government’s betrayal of the miners is another highlight of the book. David is reminded that the government “is in office but not in power,” and when he demands it goes to the country for a mandate on nationalisation he is severely sat upon. When the next election is held Dayid loses his seat to a capitalist supporter of the National goyvern- ment, and has to seek employment in the pit he left years previously. Me is down, but only temporarily, and the book ends not on a note of pessimism but on one of courage and hope for the future. The above is a skeleton of the story. To miss filling in the body by reading the book is to miss a great literary and educational treat. The other parts tell of Barras who has his son sent to prison for re- fusing to join the army and the later efforts of the son to fright his father's wrongs, efforts that prove futile; of the homelife of the miners; of the unemployed on the dole; of the Court of Inquiry into the mine disaster; of Joe Gowlan’s unscrupul- ous career from pitboy to profiteer, of David’s mother whose sole ambi- tion for her sons is that they become good miners. (Qn sale at the New Age Book Store, Pender and Homer streets; Price $2.50. Mongolians Give Spain Assistance ULAN GATOR, Mongolian Peo- ple’s Republic —Collections at meet- ings in support of the Spanish Peo- ple’s Front government have thus far netted 15,000 tukriks ($7,500) in this far-off capital of the Mongo- lian People’s Republic. The appeal for Spain, launched by the Mongolian People’s Revolution- ary Party, has aroused wide-spread response among all sections of the population here. | Everybody -con- nects the struggle of the people against the fascists in Spain with the numerous occasions when the Mongolian People’s Republic has had to defend itself against Japanese attacks. *‘Pemocracy for the vast ma- jority of people, and suppression, i.e., exclusion from democracy, of the exploiters and oppressors of the people—this is the modifica- tion of democracy during the TRANSITION from capitalism October 5, 1936. to communism.’’—LENIN, bought and paid for the talents of the hireling scribblers on morse admit their prostitute role; — Madri 5 Pe ke ee LAST NIGHT, in old Madrid, guitars Twanged softly to a rose-lit tune And castanents, in slim brown hands, Wove spells beneath an autumn moon. Soft hands Art deftly threw 2 silken veil Across a woman’s ragged shawl And we, who failed to understand, Saw colors dancing on a wall. Our Spain, a castle of delight, We built of visions wrought on air. We did not feel the hunger grim Gr ancient burden of despair. Outstre’ And so, along the moonlit square, We only saw bewitching feet, Dark eyes that gleamed, the saraband Of youth and glamor flood the street. Though on The flower TONIGHT, in lanes of old Madrid, Red death is arm-in-arm with hate— Hate of the creeping Fascist horde, The Beast that crouches at her gate. Comrades in life and death are those Who, on the highroads of romance, Have left the fragrance of a rose. Dark shadews on the harvest moon, The airships toss their deadly wilgs, And, through the scented garden air, The drone of murder throbs and sings. They shall not fail! A myriad hands The armies of the workers’ dead— Acclaim the Cause that will not die. They nail those hands that were so brave, Triumphant from the Wiartyrs grave! sign such a peaceful, civilized, freer equal and democratic treaty with us.” e Why would they not Becauss © they would expose the deceit upon which they are maintained. The “free press” of Ramsay MacDonald is a delusion, a fraud upon the ¢x- ploited and oppressed; it is ‘free’? only to the Holts, the Morgans an@ | the Rothschilds: z ‘f Tt is financed by them; they have its per- i sonel, who, in their moments of re The sole function of this “free” press” is to delude the class that provides the money-lords with thes wealth they squander. The more reason Build Qur then, why we must Press! build solidly our own” press, our B.C. WORK, BRS’ NEWS and CLARION. Ths drive is properly started now ang if you don’t want this column get left, get behind our efforts to” raise $100. The letter published last weék by the editor, from ‘ta worker who sent a dime,” produced a glow of pride in our breast for the work- ine class as we knew that 10 cents meant more to the sender than ten Million dollars would mean to John D. Rockefeller, because it was all he had. I have to amend my offer of two weeks ago in respect to the trie? subs. Owing to technical difficul- ties no subs will be sent to donors to this column; their contributions will be accepted as straight dona- tions. So send them alons! | SERS A NL ———o Last week the | Are Compar- difference between isons Odious? the treatment M&t- ed out to criminals, or ex-criminals rather, here and i the Soviet Union, was demonstrated, \ A taxi company had their license: cancelled for employing a man Whe ; had committed some crime ten years: - ago. The “criminal investigators’) | of the force, with the usual intele lectual brilliance of policemen, dis= covered through the finger-printing { scheme, the horrible iniquity that was being perpetrated on the inno- cent citizens of Vancouver and have } hounded the man out of a job. | This victim of police mentality — just made one mistake. At thesamé | City Council meeting where his case was dealt with, a Japanese taximam who had been ‘‘jugged’ for boot- — legging for the C.P.R. in the Hotel Vancouver, had his license restored and it is not so long ago since Mc- Geers friend and investigator Tucker, admitted stealing books from the Public Library, yet he i= only moved from the City Hall the Police Commission. i The discriminated taximan should have committed his crimes for the C-P.R. or McGeer and he would still be in good standing with In= spector Darling, McGeer and the granite-heads of the City Counell In the Soviet Union he would bé encouraged to drive a taxi or e6D- gage in some other useful social activity—here he is driven back to crime, the only way open to him if he is to make a living. I saw one of Premier Some Apberhart’s= “velocity” Swindle! dollars the other day and it set me thinking: A dollar bill is a paper token that * * * * * are firm on sword and gun. tehed from earth and sea and sky— the twisted Nazi cross of liberty will spring —A. M. STEPHEN. represents so much real money: which in its turn is real wealth, but Aberhart paper represents nothing and is the veriest kind of deception on the face of it. Every capitalist trade, like barter is an exchange of equal quantities of goods or service. Does that @p ply to Aberhart money? If you worked four hours for Aberhart #4 25 cents per hour you would recelvé one of his phoney-boloney dollar If you were unable to pass it off o any other victim you would put 1 cent stamp, which cost ree money, on it every week for tw! years. That would be $1.04 stamps. You then take it to M® Applecart and receive one real dol lar for it. You would be out 4 cent for stamps and would have worke half a day for nothing. ~ Some swindle! And if 104 peopl put the stamps on, the swindl would be more complicated but jus as complete.