Page Six

A DV. OCA TE

October 22, 1937

The People’s Advocate

Published Weekly by the —

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Vancouver, B.C., Friday, October 22, 1937

Abolish the Slums

TEN officials of the Workers’ Alliance
gave details of Wancouyers deplorable
housing conditions recently, responsible and
representative people at the special civic hous-
jng committee meeting admitted that something
should be done.

Besides aldermen, the trade union moyve-
ment and the largest body of organized women
in BG were represented there. These are the
organizations which can bring etfective pres-
sure on civic authorities to begin a better hous-
ing program.

Professor Topping, of the University of
British Columbia, who was present at the com-
mittee meeting, declared that Montreal is build-
ing new, low rental houses. He gave deiails of
the scheme which includes free land and tax
exemption for a period by the city council, the
finances being furnished by a loan at a low:
interest rate. ;

Vancouver citizens are srateful to Pro-
fessor Topping for his precise and valuable
information, given at a time when construc-
tive proposals are at a premium in the city
hall.

But we take issue with his commentary on
the Montreal scheme. Said the professor, “Ac-
tually there will have to be a basis of altruism
in the program if it is to be effected.”

Tearing down bug-infested, insanitary and
dilapidated houses that constitute a menace To
the community is not a question of altruism,

EDITORIAL FEATURES

but of shcer necessity. Doctor J. W. McIntosh,
city medical health officer, admitted betore the
civic housing committee that there was a basis
to that recital of terrible housing conditions
endured by hundreds of working people in
Vancouver. It is, therefore, a matter of health
and sanity and not one of eondescending pity
for the sufferers.

Experience has shown civic authorities to
be callous to many questions which affect elti-
zens of Vancouver. Very little can be expected
from that body, unless public opinion is brought
to bear. Presence of trade union officials, and
representatives of progressive women of the
city howoyer, provide a hope that the housing
question will no longer be shelved.

Organized labor must take up cudgels on
behalf of over-crowded working people, many
of whom are wodoubtedly trade unionists.
Through the Building Trades Couneil, details,
of a housing program, similar to those of other
Canadian cities, can be presented to the eity
council with strong representation to that body.
Work, wages, prosperity can then become more
than a hypoeritical phrase in the mouths of

_ ciyie leaders.

The women of Vancouver wall become great
ly interested and aroused, should the Local
Couneil of Women give the positive lead needed
on this question. Let’s make Vancouver better
housing: conscious.

Youth Faces the Future

HILE labor is realizing the value of col-
lective security and organizing into im-
dustrial unions, there is the question of the vast
army of Canadian youth who find the same
need for organization.
Boys and girls leaving schools and colleges
face the future hopetully, thinking they alone

will be able to find a place in the commercial
world where others before them haye failed.

The
without any means of support, subjected to
privations which endanger their health and
morals, find the need for organizing themselves
in order to obtain the means of livelihood.

It is to the progressive organizations that
this army of youth is turning—asking for help
in makine something of their lives, for an op-
portunity to show what they can do to make
better conditions for everybody.

thousands of unemployed youngsters

The Young Communist League has been a
big force in building the Canadian Youth Con-
eress moyement, striving for unity among all
Canadian youth, regardless of race or creed,
towards a better life. This Congress endorsed
a bill of rights for youth, which provides for
education and maintenance of all youth in the
country.

Great initiative was shown by the YCL in
the recent picketing of the Italian Consulate
in Waneouver which drew city>yide protest
against the Italian inyasion of Spain.

On Nevember 1, the YCI is commencing
a membership drive in an attempt to organize
the youth of BC. The average age of the mem-
bership of the Communist party already shows
that it comprises a majority of the new genera-
itop. In the United States the average mem-
bership is 26, while that of Canada is approxi-
mately 31, and is dropping continually.

The Young Communist League has proved
its initiative in facing the future, and has
proved itself a worthy component part otf the
Youth Congress movement. Our readers should
support this movement in their community and
assist the present campaign for membership.

Support the Peace Conference!

7 HE peace conference initiated by the Cana-

dian League for Peace and Demoeracy is
being held at a critical time when progressive
people are seeking an answer to the question:
How can war be prevented?

_On every hand there is evidence of the efforts
of finance capital to curtail and destroy our
democratic rights and liberties. Fascism, con-
eeived of ereed and lust for power, strides over
the heroic dead of Spain and China, the dead
who have given their lives that liberty and free-
dom may liye on, and spreads its fearful sha-
dow over deyastated cities. Innocent women
and children have been its victims. Brutal
enslavement of whole peoples is its goal. Now,
more than ever before, is it necessary that the
people of this province, of all Canada, should
unite in their efforts to combat this modern
scourge.

The League for Peace and Demoeracy which
primarily is responsible for this conference,
has played a splendid role in the fight against
war and Fascism. Its efforts in behalf of the
Spanish government, to maintain the great
work of Dr. Norman Bethune’s blood trans-
fusion unit and to aid those children orphaned
in the Spanish war, have won it the support of
thousands who never before had realized just
how closely linked these results are with our
own strugele for democratic rights.

And, just as it led the campaign to aid the
Spanish Loyalists, so now it is leading the de-
mand for a boycott of Japanese goods and for
an embareo on shipments of war materials
from Canada to Japan.

The League’s appeal for all progressive or
ganizations to unite im a peace conterence on:
vital questions confronting the Canadian peo-
ple, wil be heeded everywhere, for the League
has proved conclusively in its past work that
it has the people’s interests at heart.

CP, CCF Unity

Is Vital For Preservation of Democracy

By FERGUS McKBAN.

HE 8th Dominion Conven-
tion of the Communist
Party of Canada held in To-
routo October 8-138 marked
an historic turning point in
-the struggle of the Canadian
people for economic security,
for the maintenance and fur-
fher extension of democracy
and for social progress.

This convention was the first to
pe held openly since the Commun=
ist party was outlawed in 1931 and
its leaders sentenced to the peni-
tentiary. Far from hayvine crushed
the Communist party of Canada, as
R. G&G. Bennett had boasted, the
convention expressed the tremen-
dous gains which it jaas made dur-

ine the past six years. It typified
¢he youthful vigor, enthusiasm
and determination of Canadian
Communists.

More than 450 delegates from
every part of Ganada participated
in the deliberations of this historic
assembly. Hundreds of visitors at-
tended the sessions during the five
day period and , invariably joined
with the delegates in th estirring
outbursts of enthusiasm - which
marked every ovation to these
Jeadinge Communists who made out-
standing contributions to the dis-
cussion.

The masterful report on the
Canadian scene by Tim Buck, the
prilliant analysis of the respective
development of North America and
the USSR since 1917 delivered by
Earl Browder, and the inspiring
speech of Alfred Costes, in which
he told how the people of Hrance
curbed the adyances of Fascism
were outstanding contributions
which should be read by all pro-
pressive Canadians.

e@

Hie convention was held dur-
T ings a critical period in world
history, a period in which the of-
fensive of reactionary finance capi-
tal is heading the whole world to-
wards catastrophy- Although the
problems of Ganada were the main
concern of the delegates, Canada’s
position in the international arena
had also to be considered as our
country is not isolated from the
powerful movements of the day-
With more than 5800 Canadians
fighting in the ranks of the Span-
ish Loyalists, it was only natural
that the convention should inti-
mately reilect the titanic struggle
between the forces of Democracy
and Fascism now being decided on
the battlefields of Spain.

The message of the delesation of
Loyalist soldiers from the Mac-
kenzie-Papineau Battalion whe
were present in full uniform, of
Ralph Bates, political commiis-
sioner of the 45th Brigade of the
Spanish Army and noted author,
and of our own heloved Dr. Nor-
man Bethune of the Ganadian
Blood Transfusion Unit in Spain all
clearly showed the need of unity
of the people if Fascism in our
country is to be prevented.

Unity of the progressive forces
of the Canadian people against the
offensive of reaction was, in fact,
the keynote of the convention. Re
port after report from delegates
representing all Canadian. prov-
inces stressed the purning need of
achieving united action of the peo-
ple and first ana foremost of the
working class in order to defeat
the plans of the industrial and
financial magnates to establish re-
actionary fovernments in office,
further reduce the standard of liv-
ine, abrogate the democratic rights
of the Canadian people and drag
our country into another world

war.
© -
ATLURE to achieve united ac-
tion on any large seale in

Ontario was the main factor Tre-

sponsible for the fact no labor can-
didates were elected to the legisla-
ture of that province on October 6.

At a time when trade union or-
ganization was Sweeping the prov-
ince, when all the forces of big

capital were concentrated in an
attack on trade unionism, when
Premier Hepburn’s main slogan

was “Stop the ClO,” when the re-
actionary Col. Drew was eallinge for
the enactment of a provincial “Sec-
tion 98,’’ when labor as never be-
fore required representation in the
government, it failed to obtain it.
The one representative which the
CCE had in the Ontario House,
Sam Lawrence of Hamilton, was
even defeated.

The failure to elect a strong bloc
of labor and progressive candidates
in Ontario is a serious handicap
to the further strengthening of
trade unionism in that province.
Yet it is clearly apparent that such
a situation could have been avoid-
ed and a solid bloc of labor candi-
dates elected were it not for the
anti-unity position of a section of
the CCE leadership who rejected
all proposals for co-operation with
the Communist party. For instance,
J. B. Salsburg, prominent Toronto
Gommunist, who was endorsed by
the ‘Toronto Trades and Labor
Council, would certainly have been
elected in St, Andrews riding had
it not been for the fact he was
opposed by a CGF candidate who
only. received 800 votes against the
6300 votes received by Salsberg.

Although 400 trade union officials
petitioned Harry Simon, the CCE
candidate, to withdraw, the CCE
refused with the result that Sals-
bers fell short of election by a
scant 150 yotes.
e

cE many ridings organized labor,

for the first time in many years,
participated in the elections, in-
volvine scores of trade unions.
This commendable action of the
trade unions of Ontario was the
direct result of the experience
gained in the recent upsurge of
trade union organization, mainly
the unions of the CIO in the tradi-
tionally Tory province.

In some ridings labor strove to
unite its forces through the Labor
Representation Association, a dele-
gated body representing the trade
unions which endorsed and sup-
ported labor and progressive can-
didates and attempted to prevent
any split in the labor or progres—
Sive vote.

The deplorable anti-unity position
of the CCF leaders in Ontario who
insisted on nominating CCF candi-
dates against the labor candidates
in many ridings is reflected here
in BC.

A pathetie article by Grace Mc-
Imnis in the last issue of The Med-
erationist is an expression of the
same narrow party interests which
were mainly responsible for the
failure of the progressive forces in
Ontario.

Grace MeInnis, in referring to

the Labor Representation Associa-
tion of Toronto, says: “A Com-
munist-inspired and controlled or-
ganization—the Labor Representa-
tion Association (uRA) succeeded
in confusing some workers in ur-
ban districts. However, the
CCF remained free of entangling
alliance and got a good deal of
support from all types of unions.”

She fails to mention-the fact that
in those ridings where a degree of
unity was achieved and the trade
unions and the Communist party
supported the CCE candidates that
it was precisely those CCE candi-
dates that received the highest
vote. Neither does she mention the
fact that many Labor and Parmer-
Labor candidates only failed in
election by a few hundred votes;
such as Tommy Church, leader of
the miners’ union in Northern On-
tario, who received 6730 votes in
Cochrane South, and several others
who were not CCF candidates, but
nevertheless were the choice of the
working people of those ridings.

Many CCE people have jearned
a lesson as a result of the Ontario
elections. But the utter failure of
many leaders of the CCF to realize
the significance of the sweep of
the trade union movement and the
part the trade unions will play
henceforth in the political life, not
only of Ontario, but of all Cana-
dian provinces, including BC, is de-
plorable.

HE eighth Dominion conven-

tion of the Communist party
has clearly shown the need of unit-
ing the forces of the working
class and especially the ©CF, the
trade unions and the Communist
party as the most decisive force in
the building of a Canadian People’s
Front. Furthermore, the conven-
tion has imbued the entire member-
ship of the Communist party with
renewed determination to achieye
unity between the CP and the CCE
in spite of the opposition of the
majority of the CCE leadership.

The coming municipal elections
in BG provide an excellent oppor-
tunity for the labor and progres-
sive forces of the province to unite
their forces and elect many candi-
dates to the councils and school
boards of our province.

Not only will the election of
trade unionistS strengthen the
whole position of the progressive
forces in the political field, but it
will also react very fayorably on
the trade union movement itself
and immeasurably accelerate the
further organization of the thou-
sands of unorganized workers in
the basic industries of our prov-
ince.

Communists will do all in their
power to implement the decisions
ef the eighth convention and
throw all their weight behind labor
and progressive candidates, includ-
ine those of the CCF who are will-
ing to co-operate in order to Se-
eure the election of progressive

we

Fase ¢
w York Times

municipal councillors and school
trustees.

The Gommunist party appeals to
members and supporters of the
CCF to examine the position
gain in the political life of our
peaple, to study present day trends
and to adopt a poSition not of
narrow party advantage, but one
which wall really serve the imter-
ests of the working class and the
common people in general.

@

ACE ee of the open-

ing of prison camps at De-
roche for the internment of BC
boys closely approaches the meth-
ods of Fascist Germany and is @
disgrace to our province and our
country. |

Such a situation would never
have developed if the labor and
progressive forces had united their
forces at the last provincial elec-
tion and elected a strong group of
WMLA’s to Victoria. Failure of the
people of BC to do so is largely
due to that section of the CCE
which so bitterly opposed any Co-
operation and succeeded in keep-
ine the labor moyement in BC
divided.

What is the result? Instead of
an official CCF opposition we
have an official opposition of
Tories. This is why the Liberal
government is more and more
carrying out the wishes of reac-
tionary finance eapital in BC, at-
tacking the lying standards of the
people and finally even insulting
the entire population by institut-
ing, as an official government
policy, prison camps for the youth
of the province.

This ,action Should -and must
arouse all honest people in protest.
It is not yet too late to curb the
hand of the Pattullo government.

All progressive people, people in
public office, CCF MLAs and al-
dermen must join together in a
mighty protest movement, mobilize
thousands of people by means of
mass meetings and radio broad-
easts, and force the government to
change its policy.

A great responsibility rests on
the shoulders of the CCE aldermen
and MilAs of Vancouver. They
are the elected representatives of
the working people and from them
the people can and should demand
that action be taken immediately
to stop this callous attempt to
place our youth in prison camps.

@
Tris high time the working class

of this province insist that 4
stop be put to the practice of one
working class organization wast
ing its energy in fichting other
working class organizations while
reaction consolidates its position
and attacks the living standards
and democratic rights of the
people. ‘

Unless those opponents of unity
within the CCF wake up, realize
the harm they are doing and really
come forward and co-operate with
the other organizations of the
working class, the CCE itself will
weaken and disintegrate. This is
something that must be avoided.

Disintegration of the CGF would
be a biow to the whole working
class and would further strengthen
the forces of reaction. Contrary to
the slanders hurled at Communists
by certain elements within the
CGF—notably the TrotskyistS—we
have no desire to see the CCF
weakened, but rather are prepared
to assist in strengthening it-

Howeyer, it is realized that this
can only be achieved through the
CCF participanngs in the immediate
economic and political issues of the
province and in united action with
the trade unions, with the Com-
munist party and with other pro-
gressive organizations.

The eighth Dominion eonvention
of the Communist party of Canada
took place on the one-hundredth

OL’ BILL

“OP Bill” This column opens
in Spain this week on a per-

= sonal note occasion—
ed by the receipt of a letter from
one of the boys in the fighting line
in war-torn Spain.

“Yorkie” Burton, who has played
a big part in our own struggles
here in BC over the last ten years,
opens his letter from ‘somewhere
in Spain’ with the following short
but expressive report of a busi-
ness meeting at the front: “Dear
Bill: Your moniker was brought
up when our group was christen-
ing our new light machine gun
and you can tell the comrades that
‘Ol Bill is killing Fascists.”

It is a brief message but to me
it méant as much as if it was as
voluminous as the whole three vol-
umes of Marx’s “Capital.” To ex-
press how I felt I should have to
pe a poet of the calibre of A. M.
Stephen. No soap manufacturer,
butter-and-egsgs merchant or dope-
sheet pubiisher elevated to the
ranks of the snobbish, blue-blood-
ed aristocrats in the House of
Lords by a grateful king in return
for their contributions to the Lib-
eral or Vory party slush funds
ever felt as highly honored as I
did by the act of that group of
proletarian heroes in the Macken=
Zie-Fapineau Battalion.

Here to me was the highest form
of proof that the work I have done
during the years I have been in
the labor movement has been ef
fective and has been of some value
to the class to which I belong. it
more than compensates me per-
sonally for the dinnertimes when
there was no dinner, for the nights
spent sleeping on the wooden
floors of party headquarters and
the stone floor of an Indian jail,
and justifies and confirms the un-
alterable faith I have always had
in the working class.

And In These. comrades of
Vancouver ours in the Inter-

* nationai Brigades,
the flower of our class and the
pick of the human race, are in-
Sspired by that same faith and
confidence in the working class,
“Yorkie” says in his letter, “our
information is that they are ex=
pecting the Black Arrows to be
moved up to try and stiffen the
Fascist lines, but we don’t care
what their ballyhoo name is, we
will give them a dose of proletarian
shellackine that will make them
yellow arrows.”

This is not boasting, put confi-
dence in the might of the forces
fighting agaimst reaction: and Ir
know that “Ol’ Bill” in the hands
of these men will bark out “short
jabs” of hot lead that will not
only shatter the halo of imaginery
glory that is supposed to surround
fhe Black Arrows, the pride of the
Blackshirt cut-throats who earned
their reputation killing unarmed
Ethiopians, but will reach right
into the machine-guarded inner
sanctum in the Yenezia Palace
where Mussolini hatches his mur
der plots.

But we at home must not leave
everything to the boys in Spain,
There is lots to do here, and an
immediate task is the support of
our press, The appreciation of
this column by “Yorkie’s’” group
can be almost duplicated by send-
ing in donations to the press fund
immediately through “Ol’ Bill.” fT
know the boys behind that Ma-
chine gun will be pleased to know
that we on this column, writer
and readers, are doing our share to
defeat Fascism. Up to noon, Thurs—
day, $22.10 had been collected by
this column.

Freedom Of The opposition te

the Aberhart gov-
The Press. ernment’s bill “to

" ensure the publication of accurate

news ald information” can be un-
derstood when we read such lying:
slander as was published in ths
“Province” on Thursday of last
week.

A peregrinating babbitt is al-
leged to have told his fellow bab-
pitts of the Nelson Rotary Club
that Communists at Fernie teach
children in their hall to spit on &
statue fo Christ. Since the Com
munists in Fernie have no hall,
it is needless to offer any evidence
in rebuttal of such scurrility.

A sidelight on the capitalist
press is offered by the recent Gik-
banks trial which proved the fact,
merely hinted at the time the
event occurred, that a reporter of
the reactionary “News-Herald” Se
cured a copy of a speech by Gil-
banks and immediately rushed it
to the chief of police.

Some journalists have suffered
imprisonment rather than divulge
the source of their news, but the
journalistic ethics of the “News-
Herald” are those of Hitler, Mus-
solini and Franco.

anniversary of the rebellions which
syon democratic government for
Canada, Here in BC Communists
intend to do all in their power to
preserve and further extend thé
democracy which was won at suck
a price.

The Communist party of Be has
received new life, assurance and
determination to carry out the de&-
cisions of the national convention,
Tt is further convinced its policy
is correct, has been proven cor-
rect, and that here in BC will be
rapidly realized the necessary
unity of action that wil!
curb the forces of reaction in ow
Province, win greater purchasing
power and democratic privilese
for our people and thus strength:
en the entire movement for ant
enable us to rapidly advance to 2
Socialist Canada.

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