This
Week in
the House

We

stern Canada’s

Leading Progressive

The People’s Advocate

Newspaper

Where
City Revenue
Goes

PAGE THREE

FULL NO. 150 =

Published Weekly

VANCOUVER, B.C., FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1937

Single Copies: 5 Cents

VOL. ITI, No. 46

Hoe WINCH stole the
thunder of the Tories in
his 21-hour speech in the
House this week on the find-
ings of the Macdonald Com-

mission, Not only that, he won
grudging praise from foes for his
analysis of the report, his handling
of a mass of figures, his method of
Sequence, all logical and masterly.

Striking at the super profits made
by finance capital, which he
charged with “legal highway rob-
bery” by the fleecing of British Go-
lumbians to the tune of $61,306,677
Since 1924 through excessive £aso-
line prices, Winch called for im-
mediate introduction of an anti-
profiteering act.

Blows just as Smashing were
rained on the coal interests, devas-
tating because Winch confined him-
self to the Commissioner’s findings
on this monopoly.

“Legal robbery of the natural re-
sources of the people’ was prac-
ficed through “hidden profits” cre-
ated by false capitalization and
manipulated depreciation funds. He
directly referred to Canadian CGol-
lieries and Western Fuels, produced
Statistics to prove his contention
that assets of the companies had
been pyramided sky-high.

Describing one company which
hed drawn large profts, Winch ds-
clared its accounts showed a dead
loss.

“Unadulterated sku.ldy feery,
legal highway robbery—that’s what
it is,” reiterated the speaker.

Pressing for government. control
over gas, petroleum products and
coal, to offset the greed of private
Monopoly, the representative from
Vancouver East exclaimed:

“The time is here to control £aso-
line the same way as liguor. The
report shows an imperative necessi-
ty for socialization of these basic
products.”

Linking these big steals with the
financial problems facing the proy-
ince, Winch declared that oil com-
Panies had been allowed to over-
charge to the extent of one-third of
the net provincial debt, which, fic-
ured out on a Progressive basis
would unload the entire debt bur-
den in 25 years.

Looking at Minister of Finance
Hart, the CCE member for Van-
couver East called on him to in-
vestigate the possibility of a “tre-
mendous evasion of provincial and
federal income taxes,” through
“secret reserves” and misuse of coal
company depreciation funds.

Accusing the government of with-
holding the coal section of the re-
port since October, 1936, Winch de-
clared it a disgrace that the goy-
ernment would allow such a condi-
tion to exist without doing some-
thing about it.

He launched into bookkeeping
figures to illustrate how “skulldug-
gery” was done regarding capital
structure of Imperial Oil company.
Their net profit for 1932 was an-
nounced at $25,771,633, an equiva-
lent to 5.04 per cent on the market
value of $511,477.000, but made a
profit of 12.9 per cent on disclosed
assets of $199,834.216, or a profit
of 16.91 per cent on the total listed
investment.

Big business must kave been
go0ggie-eyed — alarmed at Harold
Winch’s disclosures.

.)

It was mo surprise after such
an attack by Winch, with the con-
Sequent indignation of the public,
that Premier T. D. Fattullo an-
nounced in the House:

“& provincial coal’ ana petrole-
um control board will be created
In answer to yehement requests
that the government take action

5 in connection with recommenda-
» tions of the Macdonald enquiry.”

CCE members rightly fear that

| Pattullo’s plans will not go far
- enough.

: They are ready to move in the
House for an amendment to the
| Premier’s bill which would in-
crease its scope and enable the
new control board to tackle the

whole public utilities question.

Outside, organized, popular pres-
sure will ensure that no mere
counting of government noses can
shelve the biggest issue in the pres-
ent session.

S

Tom Uphill, who gave a big hand
to the Vancouver Workers’ Alliance
delegation which conferred with
Pattullo this week, fought tena-
ciously in the House for forgotten
men and women and children—the
unemployed.

He told of Fernie women wear-
ing underwear made of Hive Roses
and Household Brand flour sacks
while Mr. Hart and his department
count dollars and cents. The job-
less can count on “Old Tom.”

| Relief Administration, Is|

BENGOUGH FLAYS GOV’T
BILL; DISREGARDS UNIONS

—

ON LABOR ©
‘DEMANDS —

Communist Party Spee

ch Refused

Vetoed

AR

in its one-year contract with the

Communist party of British Golum-
bia in which it reserves the right to
edit or veto speeches, radio station
CJOR this week refused to allow
Harold Griffin, acting editor of the
People’s Advocate, to broadcast a
scheduled address on the Japanese
boycott over the Communist party's
regular Tuesday evening program.

The speech was handed in to the

station at 9 pm Monday. At 5 pm
Tuesday a station official phoned
the People’s Advocate office, asked
for Harold Griffin, curtly informed
him that his whole speech had been ; the air in view of the fact that it

ABING advantage of a clause cancelled. Pressed for an explana-

tion the official stated lamely that
the station had “turned down an
application from the Canadian-Japa-
nese Association fOr time on the air
and wanted to be fair to both sides.”’

In subsequent conversation with
Tom Ewen, provincial secretary of
the Communist party, this explana-
tion was repeated, then withdrawn

on the ground that this was not the |

real reason. The entire speech, in
the station’s opinion, was too con-
troversial. |

Asked if the station would permit
an announcement to be made over

CJOR Vetoes Japan Boycott Broadcast

Swas too late to prepare another
speech, the station agreed,
mitted the following:

“We regret to announce that we

have had to cancel the speech of the
Communist party of Canada sched-
uled over this station at this time.
In view of the peaceful relationship
existing at present between Japan
and Canada this station does not
consider it advisable that radio fa-
eilities should be used for the pur-
pose of engendering any attitude of

(Continued on page 5)

See RADIO

First Pact In 40 Years

Union Nips Fish Swindle Here

Harold Griffin, acting editor of
the People’s Advocate. . .. CJOR
refused to let him broadcast.

G. Pearson
Says City
Is Callous

Province Can Take Over

Admission.

MASS MEETING

“How do you get by?” This
is what Premier Pattullo won-
dered when a delegation from
Vancouver Workers’ Alliance
this week at Victoria gave him
facts and figures covering
genera] living conditions un-
der which city project work-
ers are forced to live, and ob-
tained a promise that the goy-
ernment would investigate the
whole situation.

Stating that they represented the
great majority of city project work-
ers in Vancouver, the members of
the delegation tersely tola the Pre-
mier: “We are at the end of our
tether,” requested that the govern-
ment take steps to change the
present system of apportioning
work to men with large families
which brought them to a level of 6-
cent meals and less, to make it
possible for the large number of
families now living in one room to
move to more suitable quarters,

protest
against present malpractices in the
herring industry, T. Burnett, fish
buyer, announced to officials of the
Pacific Coast Fishermen’s Union
his willingness to sign a working
agreement and contract with the
union, covering delivery and sale of
gillmet-caught herring on the fish
dock in Vancouver.

Labor Can

IGNED this week was a union
agreement, the first in 40 years,

whereby local gillnet herring fish-
ermen can be assured of a mini-
mum price for their labor, and the
public can no longer be swindled
by buyers palming off frozen for
fresh fish,

recent mass
of gillnetters

Subsequent to a
meeting

Burnett told union officials he

Was unable to compete with Japa-
nese fish buyers and the methods
they used, declared they had a
monopoly of the herring business
and were guilty of selling frozen
for fresh fish. He declared fur-
ther that he was prepared to go to
Victoria and support the brief
drawn up by the union revealing
unsatisfactory conditions in the
herring industry .

Agreement calls for a minimum
of 3 cents a pound for fresh, 2 cents
for Kippered herring, Burnett to
sell each day all the herring Van-
couver wholesalers can handle at
market prices. :

Dumping of herring back into
the sea is avoided by a clause call-
ing for mutual agreement to cease

fishing when the market is over-
loaded.

Burnett can use a label stating
that the herring is caught by union
labor.

Significance of the agreement
reached in this important BC in-
dustry is further emphasized by the
fact that the bulk of BC herring
caught is sold in United States,
where fishermen are organized 100
per cent. Any attempt by fish buy-
ers in BC to undercut the union
minimum will meet with organized
resistance of US fishermen.

Prior to signing of this agree-
ment, scandalous living conditions
were the lol of herring gillnetters,

who were at the mercy of unscrup-
ulous buyers.

didate

eS

NG >

Alex Fordyce (left, front) with mates. on
First Narrows granite job. Thirty-seven
unions have endorsed his nomination.

°

ae) Threatened

A. M. Stephen, provincial pres-
ident of the Canadian League for
Peace and Democracy. . . Despite
threatening anonymous letters he
spoke on the Japanese boycott
over CKMO.

and, in the words of the chairman
of the delegation, “What are you
going to do to give us back our

Fordyce Swings Into Campaign

self-respect.” E

Wecessity of providing gainful
employment to meet the rising cost
of living and to employ skilled men
now idle, was stressed by the dele-
gation. The Premier was told that,
while $63,000,000 in relief had been
disbursed by BC governments since
1929, there was very little to show
for it, and that government assist-
ance to Vancouver would enable
the city to. borrow $5,500,000 and
build 3000 homes which could be
paid off in 14 years.

Stating that he sympathized with
the unemployed, and was appalled
at the conditions outlined by the

(Continued on page 5)

See ALLIANCE

“Mackenzie Issues Statement

Non-Committal On Rumors
Of Japanese Spies Here

VICTORIA, BGC, Nov. 25.—In a
press interview regarding state-
ments concerning activities of Jap-
anese Naval Reserve Men on the
BC coast, Hon. Ian MacKenzie,
Minister of national defense, this
week declared:

“The matter is not a new one to
me, and my department is well in-
formed on all matters affecting the
safety of the country. If private
citizens have information of im-

in Victoria he intended to inspect
a number of defense projects on
the coast, MacKenzie declared
further:

“It is the policy of the Canadian

four-point program and a len
trade unionists were optimi
election.

Fordyce declared that it
enough for a progressive on the
city council to accept defeat of con-
structive proposals without making
a determined stand. He declared a
firm belief in the effectiveness of
organized pressure aroused by cam-
paigns around popular issues.

Labor Candidate Urges

Equitable City Taxation

As Alex Fordyce, veteran trade unionist and labor alder-

A committee representative of

trade unions endorsing his candi-
dacy is assisting Fordyce’s cam-
paign. Four points of his program
are: Trade union rights, equitable
taxation, housing and slum clear-
ance, Sane civic employment policy.

Asked by the PA for a statement,
is not

He gave as an instance the suc-

cessful fight which he led on the
construction of the First Narrows
bridge which came under dispute
recently.

Specifications demanded that a

granite facing be built around the

portance to the defense of their
country, I think it is their duty
to furnish it to the department of
national defense. It will be cor-
dially welcomed.”

Announcing that during his stay

government, and, ET am sure, the
desire of the Canadian people, to
live at peace with all nations.
Recognizing the disturbed condi-
tion of the world, the government
has during the past year initiated
an extensive defense program, in
which the Pacific Coast has a
prominent place.”

MacKenzie is in Victoria to assist
the Leberal candidate in the federal
by-election now under way.

piers at cost of $225,000 for which
appropriation was made but the
city council intimated that concrete
was sufficient, that the granite
should be used for the seawall
around Stanley Park, a federal
project.

Protests were made by the build-
ing trades and Fordyce was dele-
gated to lead the strugele for the
fulfilment of specification plans.

Refusal by the city council to

})

manic candidate, swung into his campaign this week with a
gthy schedule of meetings, city
Stic regarding his chances of

City Volunteer
Killed In Spain

Jim Wolfe, Vancouver seaman
and ex-serviceman and British Co-
lumbia volunteer in Canada’s fam-
our Mackenzie-Papineau battalion
in Spain, was killed in the success-
ful Loyalist offensive in which Bel-
chite and Quinto on the Aragon
front were taken.

Belated word of Wolfe’s death
Was received here in a letter from
A. E. “Yorkie” Burton, another BG
volunteer.

Burton stated that Wolfe died in
an effort to destroy a fascist ma-
chine gun nest located in a church
tower.

Wolfe was active in Vancouver
Ex-Servicemen’s League and in the
local of the Seamen’s Union here.

consider his representations, sent
Fordyce to the Trades and Labor
Council for the backing of organized
labor.

Confronting the city council with
such support, that body abandoned
its pinchpenny policy, agreed that
Sranite was necessary after all.

Gordon Gets
Big Response

Streetcar Advertising
Contract Is Broken By
Company ‘On Orders
From East’

Special Correspondence

VICTORIA, BC, Nov. 25.—Slogan
posters, “King Gordon for Vic-
toria,’ were ordered removed from
streetcars this week, the BC Eler-
tric company claiming it was the
action of a national advertising
concern which suddenly decided to
discontinue political advertising
and broke contract with the CCE
by-election committee.

Supporters of King Gordon are
confident that the 100 extra votes

needed to win the seat for the CCE
candidate, as in the 1936 federal
election, will easily be passed, from
all indications. |

Importance of this by-election is
made clear to the army of progres-
sives rooting for Gordon, by the
fact that national leaders of Tory,
Liberal and CCF parties are here
in the last week of the campaign,
to introduce basic points of their
respective programs.

Support Bovcott

SOUTH WESTMINSTER, BGC,
Nov. 25.—Local of Surrey Workers’
Alliance here has pledged to boy-
eott all Japanese, German and
italian goods. A resolution has
been forwarded to the federal goy-
ernment protesting continued ship-
ment of war material to Japan.

N. Zealand
Bill Is Not

) Adequate

Gov’t Bill Reflection Of
Employers’ Desires, . Is
harge.

‘NOT GUINEA PIGS’

Charging that the Pattullo
government has completely ig-
nored the recent trade union
conference at Victoria and the
expressed desires of organized
labor for legislation guaran-

teeing its fundamental right,
Percy Bengough, secretary of Van-

Union Asks
Return Of

Large Sum

Charge Company Has
Deducted Percentage
Of Men’s Earnings
Illegally.

WRIT ISSUED

Information that a Supreme
Court writ was issued Thurs-
day against Canadian Fishing
company limited, Gore avenue,
on behalf of 24 fishermen
claiming varying sums under
alleged infractions of Work-
men’s Compensation Act, and
that hundreds of B.C. fisher-

men may have similar claims
on this company, was Siven out
by executive members of Salmon
Purse Seiners of the Pacific.

Union officials declare that Can-
adian Wishing company has for
years levied compensation monies
from each of its boat crews, this
year approximate 214 per cent of
net income of each man being sub-
tracted. The men’s claim is that
subsection 1 of section 34, Work-
men’s Compensation Act, has been_
violated by these levies.

Issuance of the writ followed re-
ceipt of a letter by the union’s legal
representative which came from the
company, suggesting, “without
prejudice,” that each claimant on

; the list submitted by the lawyer, ap-

pear at the company’s office and
Sign a release on payment of
amounts listed, which, union of-
ficials state, covers the season of
1937 only.

One Reimbursed

The union clams that the com-
pany has already admitted liability
by reimbursing one member to the
amount of $22.48, one year’s de-
ductions. This was handled by his
legal representative.

Canadian Fishing ccmpany em-
Ploys around 350 fishermen
between 50 or 60 of its seine boats,

couver and New Westminster
Trades and Labor Council and vice-
president of the Trades and Labor
Congress of Canada lashed out
Thursday at the government's pro-
posed bill compelling arbitration.

“As long ago as 1871 the right
to organize was recognized and
what the trade unions want is posi-
tive legislation,” Bengough declared
im expressing disapproval of the
government’s proposed bill.

“We resent being made guinea
pigs for a political experiment.
Canadian trade unions are opposed
to compulsory arbitration. The
trade union movement should be
free and not controlled by any poli-
tical interference whatsoever,” Ben-
gough said, adding, “We ask for a
definite trade union bill, recogniz-
ing the right to organize, drawn
up by the Trades and Labor Gon-
gress of Canada and all we get is
something requested by the em-
ployers.”

Comparisons had been made be-
tween the bill the Pattullo £overn-
ment proposed and similar legisla-
tion in New Zealand, Bengough ex-
plained, giving his opinion:

“There is little or no independent
labor moyement in New Zealand.
Labor in New Zealand is a political
organization and this new bill can
only force labor to be political
here, tao.’

Bengough asserted that the trade
unions do not generally fayor the
CCF labor bill sponsored by Harold
Winch, MLA.

the crews being paid off at the
end of summer and fall. A financial
statement is then given each cap-
tain, outlining Wages which are
on a basis of 5 shares to the ‘com-
Pany, 7 shares to the crew, with
Captaims receiving extra commis-
sions from the company.

In giving a large number of
names of union claimants to
Murphy, Freeman and Murphy,
barristers and solicitors, union of-
ficials stated that many fishermen
now out of the industry, including
Indians, have claims against the
company.

Hagar On Board

Officials of Canadian Fishing
company include A. I. Hagar, ap-
pointed by the federal govern-
ment as member of International
Sockeye Treaty Commission, and
R. Payne, federal appointee on
Biological Board of Ganada.

Allegations that some seine boat
captains are urging them to sign
the release offered by the com-
pany, were made by fishermen to
union officials this week.

Geo. Miller, Dusiness agent, Sal-
mon Purse Seiners of the Pacific,
Stated to the PA that this company
has consistently refused to recog—
nize the union.

“The need for a genuine trade
union act is further emphasized by.
this case. The democratic rights
enjoyed by recognized unions would
assist in preventing a recurrence
of the present state of affairs,
Miller declared.

Remanded For Senses

Boycott Pickets Guilty
Of Obstructing Police

Twenty-seven pickets arrested
last Wednesday following: a demon-
stration at Pier D coincident witn
the docking of the CPR liner Em-
press of Canada with a cargo from
Japan were remanded for sentence
until Tuesday when Magistrate
MacKenzie Mathieson found them
guilty on a first count of obstruct-
ing the police.

Changes against one girl, aged
16, were referred to tne juvenile
court.

Garfield, CLDL counsel, defended
the pickets.

Organized by the Canadian
League for Peace and Democracy
in support of its Japanese boycott

campaign, the demonstration at
tracted a sympathetic crowd num-
bering hundreds.

Arrested pickets were released

Wednesday evening, paraded
through the streets carrying slo-
gans.

It is understood that the more
serious charge of unlawful as-
sembly, alleged to haye been pre-
pared for preferment by the GPR,
was dropped. An executive meeting
of the Canadian League for Peace
and Democracy this week, discussed
the situation and heard reports of
the growth of the boycott cam-

paign.

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