*

MINISTER OF LABOR COMMENTS ON LABOR ARBITRATION ACT

s Guest

| At Labor

le hi

‘| Banquet

ate
aa
no

sJInions Will Utilize
‘Right To Organize To
“dullest Extent, Says
tt} amieson

“4 300 ATTEND

Hon. George S. Pearson, pro-
yj incial minister of labor and
ai lef proponent of the Labor
bof Onciliation .and Arbitration
thf ict, is new prepared to -admit
thy’hat the act, passed last session
deg sy the Pattullo government
adver the protest of the entire
i’ TOSTessive movement in this
at} ToOvinee, is not altogether in
gfe best interests of organized
cif abor.
oj He said as much Tuesday night

att when he was the most uncomfort-
we} ble of the many federal, provin-
ES ial and civie dignitaries invited to
"Wvancouver and New Westminster
tubcrades and Labor Council’s first
1s anquet in its 48 years’ histery.
Facing more than 300 trade
‘ Simionists and their wives, many of
‘eG vhoma had spoken pointedly on the
w.ct, the minister of labor said:

“7 “It is possible I made a mistake
“s§ind I feel responsible.”

G

=
id He thought, however, that the
giew act was “going to be a great

ilessine”’ if patience were exercised.
J His was a great responsibility,
afiecarson stated in referring to
= sharges made by labor newspapers.
ae thought no one should accuse
pum =6ef 6 favoring employers as
‘gainst labor, because his idea was
@ put them on an equal icoting.
“Some people,” he complained,
‘have mistaken ideas about the de-
s2artment of labor. They think its
‘unction is to fight for labor men.
£ have to Maintain a balance be-
ween capital and labor for the
=00d of the province.”

Will Utilize Right.

President Jamieson’s comment
tid not help the minister of labor
g very much:

“We are not so sure about the
Arbitration and Conciliation Act,”
mh ne said, “but, anyway, you gave us
the right to organize and we are
sure doing just that.”

m@: Members of the council execu-
ive were confined to speeches of
mtroduction, but made good use of
théir time to point out the tasks of
the labor movement and its grow-
ing strength. .

G. M. Stewart, introducing Fed-
eral Fair Wage Officer Harrison
stated:

“We did not get the bill we ex-
pected as there were too many
elauses which favered the employ-
ers, but there was one clause, the
right to organize, of which we will
take full advantage.”

Marrison stated he was proud
that his department paid the high-
est wages in the province and that
| his fair wage rulings were “much

like a yardstick.”

- “Greater Than Individuals.”
i By far the most important con-
g | tribution was the short speech
given by ‘Secretary P. Bengough,
Ҥ who received rounds of applause
“8 when introduced by Bill Stewari,
-§ secretary, Local 28, Hotel and Res-
if taurant Employees’ Union, who
stated that the Trades Council sec-
retary had received the highest
® konors that could be given by the
trade union movement, to which he
had given his whole life.

Said Bengough: “Our labor move-
ment is greater than any individ-
ual or group. It was not invented
by anyone, but arose from mneces-
Sity—a social necessity. Ours is a

), democratic organization which is
governed by the principle of elec-
tien.

“One wonders why some mer-
chants seek to impede our move-
ment when our mission is to raise
the standard of living of the work-
ers, which, in the long run, will
raise the standard of the mer-
chants.

SQ
out

a

pay envelope, the better the com-
munity and people can pay taxes.
Low wages have the
effect.” ,
“Carrying the Torch.”

Stressine the need for develop-
ine the home market, Bengough
urged that employers and the goy-
ermment seek a solution to present
day problems by making it pos-
sible for workmen to buy more
luxuries instead of trying to lower
standards to those of coolies.

Declaring the trade union move-
ment to be greater than boundaries,
the Trades Council secrétary point-
ed out its affiliation to the British
{ and American movement, and to
§ the International Federation of
i rade Union. Latest to come in

to make it a truly world-wide
+ movement, he said, are the Rus-
Sian trade unions.

“Tt is not narrow ~nationalism
that we want, although we are
loyal to our country.

‘We are carrying the torch for
a little while as thousands of the
» finest men and women have done
+ through the years, many of them
| going down.”

; 1
“The more money there is in the

POSS!

opposite |

| pians

BLE | MA

ISTAKE’,

Western Canada’s

The Peoples

Leading Progressive

Ne

wspaper

VANCOUVER, B.C., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1938

Retugee

let them remain longer.

Spanish children waiting to re-enter Spain
at the international bridge at Hendaye,
aiter the French government declined to

Guerrilla Warfare Continues

ordered here.

The new viceroy, in accordance.
with orders from Rome, has de-
cided that all Italian soldiers are
to remain only in big towns where
assistance can reach them quickly,
by road and rail.

The Ethiopians have forced ail
villagers to stop bringing anything
to Addis Ababa. No rations, milk,
eges, fowls, goats or bullocks are
allowed to pass and persons dis-
obeying these orders are very
severly dealt with. Caravan roads
te Jimma and Sidamo are closed,
fno one daring to pass. The Ethio-
have killed many in de-
tached Italian garrisons and dis-
trict commissioners who escaped
death have since run away, leaving
everything behind.

Many Towns Captured

The Addis Ababa garrison was in
the habit of going out to get re-
eruits by force from the villages.
Therefore as soon as the villages
heard about such departures they
went into the bush, leaving behind
women-folk only. The Ethiopians
secon put a stop to these Italian
raids. On two or three occasions
they suddenly surrounded these
troops and inflicted severe defeats,
killing nearly three quarters of
each column, and at last they
forced the Italian troops to remain
in Addis Ababa.

The Ethiopians now roam about
where they will and are always
watching the movements of the
Tialian soldiers, and especially of
the Italian aircraft, which cannot
harm them now, as they have
learnt to take cover effectively.

Gojjam is now in the hands of
the Ethiopians and Didjaz Garsasa
Balo has succeeded in. stopping
Tialian reinforcements from cross-
ing Abbai river.

Wallage troops are very near
Ambo and they have frequently
gone as far as Holota and fought
engagements with the Italians.

Sidamo is also entirely in the
hands of the Ethiopians. Jimma,
Valamo, Borana, Bali and Arousi,
are all fiying Abyssinian flags in
many places.

Caravans Attacked

Inthe north no Italian caravans
dare take the road uniess con-
yeyed by tanks and thousands of
soldiers armed with rifles and ma-
chine guns, and even then these
Caravans are attacked from the
rear. Wallou warriors, -ever on the
watch attack them as soon as they
geca chance. The whole of Tigre,
or at least a very large part of
Bthiopian Tigre, is in the hands of

attacking Eritrean positions.

only masters of Harrar province
where there is no one left to fight
with them. From this province
they have taken away all their
white troops and left only Somali
troops who were enlisted in Ma-

jortain and Italian Somaliland.

Tigre chiefs, providing a base for

Therefore the Italians are really |

Ethiopians Harass |
Italian Garrisons

General News Service

DJIBUTI, French Somaliland —(By Mail) —The first weeks
of 1938 find Italy facing increasing difficulties in Ethiopia.

An epidemic of smallpox is raging throughout the country.
Italian soldiers, and especially the native troops, are dying like
flies everywhere. Fifteen to twenty men are often buried in one
small srave; and this is happening in many places, even in
Dire-Dawa. The French government has already taken pre-
cautionary measures and compulsory innoculation has been

Unions Use

Films More

Movies Play Important
Role In Activities Of

Many Unions In United |

States.

NEW YORK, Feb. 17—(FP)—
Movies are playing an increasingly
important role in union activity.
They tell the story in a novel way
that gets out the membership.

Unions which have made films
depicting their work include the |
International Ladies Garment

Workers’ Union, the United Auto-
mobile Workers, the United Rub-
ber Workers and the American
Federation of Hosiery Workers.
The United Office and Professional
Workers has a movie in the mak-
ing.

The ILGWU educational depart-
ment is using both movies and film
strips in its work. Film strips,
which are much less cumbersome
{han the old stereopticon equip-

} ment, go with lectures on such sub-

jects as women’s wear down the
ages and the tools and shops of
the women’s garment industry.

A series of “‘movies that matter”
was shown by the ILG education
committee in New York City re-
cently. Free to union members, the
films were exhibited right after
work at the Labor Stage in the

garment district.

NEXT SUNDAY
4 4 4 Deeks Datoc

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Opposition To War Mounts

Japan’s Internal

Difficulties Increase

ANKOW, China, Feb. 17—(GNS).
—Ruling elements in Japan
have become seriously alarmed at
the cost of the war, which has met
with a resistance they never ex-
pected. Latest military estimates
are higher than the total normal
budgetary expenditure of Japan
and the government is preparing
for three or four years more war.
As a result, through the rapidly
inereasing strain on the country’s
economy, a serious split is develop-
ing in Japanese ruling circles, and
one of the most important of these
elements has looked with fayor on
a proposal by Germany to act as

meditator, Dr. Trautmann, German |
Ambassador to China, has twice

presented to the Chinese govern-
ment peace terms on behalf of the
Japanese government.

These terms provided for (1) con-
clusion of a Sino-Japanese agree-
ment giving Japan participation in
China’s natural resources, com-
munications, transport and cus-
toms; (2) China‘s adherence to the
“Anti-Comintern” Pact; (3) per-
manent Japanese garrisons wher-
ever Japan wishes in China; (4)
creation of demilitarized zones
wherever Japan wishes in China;

(5) establishment of an “Independ-
ent” government of Inner Mongo-

lia; and (6) payment by China of
a war indemnity to Japan.

The Chinese government prompt-
ly rejected these terms. But that
they were offered is very signifi-
cant; for Japan’s difficulties are in-
creasing at a great rate. As the
guerilla method of warfare is more
and more widely adopted by the
Ghinese the enormously long lines
of communication of the Japanese
become more and «more difficult to
hold, while even their distant bases
are constantly threatened by par-

tisan detachments.

In Inner Mongolia, which they
hoped to make a safe base by play-
ing on the Mongols’ hopes of in-
dependence and their national feel-
ing, the peasants are arming them-
selves and preparing for a strug-
gle against the Japanese, and a
representative of the Inner Mon-
gols is now arriving in Hankow to
discuss with the Chinese govern-
ment the organization of this
struggle. The Japanese militarists’
puppets such as Prince Teh are
thoroughly discredited in the eyes
of the Mongols.

City Youth
Plan Brief

Public Works Projects
Advocated By Youth In
Brief To Be Given To

Commission

Clear and concise are the find-
ings of the model commission com-
posed of city youth representatives
which met recently to prepare a
brief for presentation to the Rowell
Commission when it sits at Vic-
toria next month.

Excerpts of the findings read:

“There should be an opportunity
for unemployed youth to receive
training and guidance for work If
these opportunities cannot be sup-
plied by private business, then we
believe it is the responsibility
of the government to initiate pro-
jects of such a nature as will
cope with the various phases
of unemployment, such as voca-
tional training, counselling and
placement, worthy public works
and projects, development of op-
portunities for work, in general, a
program that will give youth feel-
ings of responsibility and security.
We suggest that leadership and re-
sponsibility for dealing with unem-
ployment be taken by the Domin-
ion government.”

A number of projects were list-
ed by. the model commission: A
federal housing scheme to house

the people of urban areas ade-
quately, and to deal with slum
clearance; forestry, mining and

farming to train workers and pre-
serve national resources; roads and
bridges to meet conditions of mod-
ern travel and open new areas for
settlement; parks and public rec-
reational areas to be adequately
cared for and new areas developed.

Hours of work and wages are
declared as being important busi-
ness of the federal government,

and protective legislation is urged

! in this respect, to include also do-

mestic workers. The right to or-
ganize into legitimate trade unions
is placed forcefully in the brief.

Boycott Japanese Goods.

ACTION!
THRILLS!
DRAMA!

QMKINO

Pree? ts

| dith,

Labor MP’s Return From Tour

State Republican

Spain

Invincible

LONDON, Eng., Feb. 17—(GNS).— When we first went to
government Spain we were sceptical. We have. come back
fundamentally convinced that it cannot be defeated. Its strength
is immense.” This is the opinion expressed by Emanuel Shin-
well, Labor member for Seaham who, with five other MP’s, has
just returned from a tour of republican Spain.

US Fine Arts
Bureau Asked

Lawrence Tibbett Heads
Committee To Secure
Support For Bill Before
Congress.

NEW YORK, Feb. 17—(FP)—A
nationwide campaign for the crea-
tion of a federal bureau of fine arts
to promote and enrich the cultural
life of the United States has been
started by the federal arts com-
mittee, headed by Burgess Mere-
acting president of Actors
Equity.

A bill to provide such a bureau
has already been introduced in
both houses of Congress. It covers
ereative, interpretive, research and
teaching aspects of the theatre,
dance, music, literature, graphic
and plastic arts, architecture and
decoration and their allied arts.

@n the committee, of which
Lawrence Tibbett is chairman, are
Ruth St. Denis (dance), Max
Weber (graphic, plastic and allied
arts), Donald Ogden Stewart (lit-
erature), Leopold Stokowski (mu-
sic), and Lillian Gish (theatre).

NEW YORK, Feb. 17—(FP)—
Characterizing recent activities of
the Senate commerce committee as
“3 witech-hunt at sea,’ Vito Mar-
ecantonio, president of the Inter-
national Labor Defense, scored the
attempt of Senator Royal S. Cope-

iand to have Harry Bridges, west
coast maritime leader, deported.

A True Story
of the
Heroic

Red Army

“Fitler and Mussolini haye taken
cn the biggest job of their lives.
Anyone who thinks they will suc-
ceed is wrong,” Shinwell deciared.

“A maenificent military machine
has been built up, and quite de-
serves the unbounded confidence it
enjoys from the population. The
great body of civilians feels certain
of eventual victory and maintains
an unbroken calm in the face of
daily shelling and air bombard-
ments.

“Perhaps the most impressive
thing: we saw was the unity which

extends throughout government
territory. We saw men of every af-
filiation, from anarchists to re-
publicans. They all had only one

slogan— Win the War.’

“The organization, both civil and
military, is astonishingly good.
Here we were treading familiar
ground and were well qualified to
judge as students of social prob-
lems.

“We know factories, and the
munitions and arms plants that we
visited are as good as anything we
have in England. Industrial organ-
ization is right up to our own
standard. The spirit of the work-
ers, large numbers of whom are
women and girls, is comparable to
that of the army—in other words,
superb. Z

“They can deal with their prob-
lems, rest assured of that, but
they want our help—they need it,
and we are going to see that they
get it.

“Our visit will have definite con-
sequences over and above the al-
ready big Labor party campaign
for Spain. We will organize mass
meetings and contributions from
all over England. Spain will have
every ounce of help we can give
her?

Only 400 In |
Fascist Party

Montreal Herald States
‘Unimpeachable Source’
Gave Figures On Arcand
Organization.

MONTREAL, Que. Feb. 17—In
a recent article the Montreal
Herald declares there are no more
than 400 actual dues-paying mem-
bers in the fascist National Social
Christian Party of Canada, headed
by Adrien Arcand.

This information, it states; was
received from “an unimpeachable
source, part of whose duty is to
keep a watchful eye on all organ-
izations which do not line up with
Canada’s idea of democratic goy-
ernment.”

While there is no actual refer-
ence, it seems,that the Herald is
referring to the RCMP.

Three main fascist groups in the
city of Montreal are listed. They
are, according to the Herald,
linguistically divided. The German
language groups are: The National

Social Demokratishe Arbeiter
Partei EKanada; the Deutsche
Bund; and the German Arbeits

Gemeinschaft.

English-speaking organizations
listed are: the Canadian National
party, the National Social Christian
party, and the Canadian Union of
Fascists.

The principal French-speaking
eroup is that headed by Arcand.

The Herald also published part
of a letter sent by Adrien Arcand
{o Major Frank Pease, showing 2
Girect tie-up with the Nazi propa-
ganda bureau.

Protest Bombings

NEW YORK, Feb. 17.—(FP)—
More than 470 leaders in religion,
art, education and motion pictures,
including eight Protestant bishops
and 20 college heads, joined in an
appeal to President Roosevelt, ask-
ing him to protest in behalf of
American public opinion against
the brutality of widespread rebel
bombings of civilians in Spain such
as recently took more than 1,000
lives in Barcelona.

=. =f

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