Page Two THE PEOPLE’S ADVOCATE THE PEOPLE’s ADVOCATE Published Weekly by the PROLETARIAN PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION Room 10, 163 w. Hastings Street Vancouver, B.C., Phone, Trin. 2019 One GViea nr ene ye $1.80 SRICUES” SATs he ee ae eee $1.00 Three Months .... 220. -50 Single) Copy. 9.22. .s2.05¢.05 5: -05 Make All Cheques Payable to: The People’s Advocate FRIDAY........ MARCH 11, 1933 Bankruptcy And More Of It NOTHER wail has gone : up from the city hall. Mayor Miller says the city cannot keep on operating un- less the province gives help. Two months after the civic elections, and already those in charge of municipal affairs are admittedly up a tree. This is a record for inefficiency and incompetency that is hard to beat. In their financial dilemma the city fathers have proposed to raise the cost of essential services, such as garbage col- lecting and water, and incred- ible is it may seem, to defer Payment of the customary an- nual grant of $100,000 to the general hospital. In answer, the hospital board says it may have to close its doors to non- paying patients. Is Vancouver really the “City of Destiny,” or is it a city that cannot elect a compe- tent council? [fit is the “City of Destiny” is it destined per- petually to be in a state of chronic bankruptcy? During the first two months of this year, tax revenues showed an increase of $500,000 over the same period in 1937, and yet the city is begging for provincial help. There’s some- thing wrong somewhere. But Premier Pattullo says the province is overburdened too, because of the unemploy- ment problem mainly. It is a case of the beggar begging off another beggar, for Premier Pattullo in the past has made numerous trips East to beg hand-outs in New York, Mont- real, Ottawa, or anywhere he thought he might stand a chance of raising money. He now professes to believe that when the Rowell Commission comes to BE a solution to pro- vincial problems will be found. The game of passing the buck is becoming worn out. The city council passes it on to the province, the province passes it on to the dominion or, as in the present instance, on to the Rowell Commission. The Rowell Commission, formed to study relations be- tween the dominion and the provinces, will come to BC and hold sessions at which it will be smothered with reams of figures proving that the dominion is not shouldering its proper share of provincial and municipal financial bur- dens. Six months or a year after its findings the recom- mendations will be made, and until that time Pattullo ap- parently hopes that some other excuse for not attending to the welfare of the BC people. The situation in the city and province calls for correction. In Vancouver the place to be- gin is the city council. Its per- sonnel should be changed. There should be elected to that body fewer representa- tives of the BC Electric and more who would honestly rep- resent the interests of the small property owner and taxpayer. We can do without the “City of Destiny” refrain, but we cannot go on without muni- cipal reform. The Fascist Danger ASCISTS in Canada are becoming bolder. Adrien Areand, Quebec leader, says that fascist organizations in Quebec and Ontario have united, and that a convention is to be held soon in Kingston, Ontario, to bring in the mari- time and western organiza- tions into one national body. This is ominous news, but there is more yet. Premier Duplessis admitted the other day in the Quebec legislature that his government had pur- chased $37,000 worth fo ma- chine guns. He says they are to help the provincial police “protect public life and prop- erty,” but fails to say from what or whom any threat to the Quebec people is expect- ed. The purchase of arma- ments to defend Canada is’ a federal concern, and there is no threat to life and property of Canadian from any internal source except the fascists. It may not be long before those machine guns begin barking in the hands of fascist scoun- drels, who openly have re- peated again and again that they intend to destroy all forms of democracy. In British Columbia, Attor- ney-General Gordon Wismer is reported to have stated that the government will do noth- ing to prevent fascists organiz- ing so long as they keep with- in the law. This is helping the fascist movement; it is frankly inviting them to go ahead and organize as much as they like! In no country of the world have they stayed within the law. In many instances they have been assisted to power by their friends in public of- fice who prevented legal measures being taken against them. A federal investigation into fascist activities, and the out- lawing of their organizations, is long past due. Wake up, British Columbians, and de- mand it! Free Gas Masks HERE is great activity amongst the local militia units. They are taking inten- Sive training in the handling of tanks, in anti-gas measures and in the expert use of gas masks. : In Great Britain, 500,000 gas masks are being manufac- tured weekly, and in Canada, according to Hon. Ian Mac- kenzie, minister of national de- fence 50,000 have been manu- factured. The minister says that these are the equipment of the permanent forces only, are not intended for the use of civilians or the militia. It may be that Mackenzie has in mind the prospect of the permanent forces being shipped abroad somewhere during a war, but at the same time his department has been voted large sums to fortify the BC coast line, indicating that there is probability of an at- tack from a hostile power not definitely named as yet. Since the armistice that ended the Great War of 1914- 18 the Canadian govenment has spent $284,000,000 on arm- aments. Where has this pile of money gone to? What per- centage of it has gone into graft and patronage? What is there to show for it? If, as we are led to believe, there is probability of Van- couver being subjected to gas attacks sometime in the near future, as the increased anti- gas training implies, why can- not the department of national defence do something to pro- tect the people of BC? Cer- tainly, an early step in this connection should be to see that everybody in BC within range of a gas attack should be provided with a gas mask, free of charge. Otherwise, enly the rich will be able to purchase them, and the poor will suffer a horrible death through not having the money to buy them. Aberhart’s Bill Disallowed EETING in Ottawa re- cently the Supreme Court of Canada rendered de- cisions concerning the legisla- tive scope of the provincial governments. The court found that three bills passed by the Social Credit legisla- ture of Alberta were uncon- stitutional. These were, an act concerning the taxation of banks, one on credit regula- tions, and one which was to give the government author- ity to censor the contents of the press. These decisions mean that there are certain fields of legislation into which the pro- vincial governments may not step, and they bring to the attention of the Canadian peo- ple that the federal goyern- ment through the supreme court has the power to render null and void certain provin- cial legislation. So the question of whether the disallowance of the Que- bec padlock law can or cannot be carried out by the federal government is definitely an- swered. There is no doubt the disallowance of the Aberhart bills was carried through at the demand of the big banking interests, and there is equally no doubt that if the federal government is confronted with the tremendous influence of a united Canadian people the infamous padlock law can also be disallowed. The Trotskyite Trials By Fersus McKean 7E\BE TRIAL of the twenty-one Trotskyite terrorists headed by N. Bukharin and A. Rykoy conducted in Moscow during the past week has received international publicity. The revelations already brought to lisht at this trial, by confessions of the accused themselves, have startled the entire world. This group has confessed to the murder of four outstanding Soviet leaders, including the internationally famous writer, Maxim Gorki. This dastardly deed was accomplished by means of slow poisoning administered by four doctors who are also among the twenty-one on trial. In addition to the murder plots uncovered, it has also been estab- lished that the leaders° of the group have been in the pay of the German secret service since 1921 and the British intelligence depart- ment since 1926. Under the direction of Trotsky, Bukharin and Rykovyv and, in ac- cordance with pians worked out and elaborated by the general staffs of foreign states, the mem- By Victoria Pest Wie fans will have an op- portunity next week to see Anna May Wong in Daughter of Shanghai, to be shown at the Orpheum theatre here. This beautiful Chinese patriot is accepted as a real trouper in Hollywood circles and for this reason she has been able to build an important movement around herself, main object of which is to collect funds for Chinese me- dical aid. Many of the biggest stars are proud to associate with this champion of her people, and have donated huge sums at her re- quest. American fans always give her a big hand, especially Since she has taken such a stand against Japanese imperialism. * * * HE common cold is respon- sible for an annual waste of two billion dollars, according to Time magazine. Most of this goes to the advertisers of various so-called remedies, from aspirin even to soap! Though the actual cause of colds has not yet been determ- ined, it is possible now to dis- cover which of these remedies are of any use and which are only profit-makers for the manufac- turers. A pamphlet recently issued by the Consumers’ Union of New York gives a complete analysis of the various pills and potions on the market today and their relative value. Aspirin, although used by thou- sands, will not cure a cold. It will, however, reduce any fever which might accompany it, and thereby make one feel better. The most hazardous ‘‘remedies” for colds, as explained in a pre- vious column, are the different forms of nose-drops. Since these do no good whatsoever, they should be avoided at all costs. Another myth exploded by this little booklet is the effect of gareling. It says that the most expert gargler can never hope to get mouthwash into the affected parts and hold it there long enough for it to act on the germs. So you needn’t alarm the neigh- bors with weird noises any more, nor feel heroic about doing it, because it’s waste of time and breath! 2 { You’ve all read the many ads of Alka-Seltzer? Well, forget about it too, when you have a cold, as it consists of aspirin, bicarbonate of soda and citric acid, none of which. will prevent or cure a cold. The vitamin family also comes up. Vitamin A is supposed to help combat infection. Tests were made with two groups of children, the first group receiy- ing regular diet, and the other additional supplies of Vitamin A. There were aS many and as bad colds in the second group as in the first. Last, but not by any means least, Lifebuoy manufacturers claim that the spreading of colds ean be prevented by washing with Lifebuoy soap. If this were true it would apply to all soap, as there are no particular qualities about Lifebuoy soap. The most sensible and effective way known to medical science for treating a cold is to rest in bed for at least one day. By do- ing so, you safeguard yourself from danger of further infection, leading to influenza or pneu- monia, and also protect others with whom you work or come in contact during a normal day. In addition to being a medical problem, the common cold is also a social problem. It has been proved that colds are more prevalent among the peopie with lower incomes and on relief. Un- employment, low wages, inade- quate diet, bad housing and poor working conditions are all causes of illness which often starts with ‘just a cold.” Because of their lack of funds, people are forced back on advertised drugs instead of getting proper medical atten- toin, thus often making their health worse instead of curing the original trouble. bers of this group, known as the Right Trotsky bloc, engaged in espionage and conducted wreck- ing, diversionist and terrorist ac- tivities in the Soviet Republics. To anyone who knows the his- tory of the development of the Soviet state, the arrest of these people following the confessions of their former associates, Kame- ney and Zinoviev, does not come as a surprise. Millions who look upon the achievements of socialist construction in the Soviet Repub- lic as the beacon-light of human progress, will regard the exposure of the wrecking activities of these traitors as an expression of the strength of the Soviet power. e@ HEREFORE, it is indeed amusing when the Vancouyer Sun, in its issue of Saturday, March 5, springs to the defence of those they term “the Old Bolshe- viks” with an editorial entitled, “The Revolution is Betrayed.” In the same issue of the Van- couver Sun a news item records that another champion of “the Qld Bolshevik” has come to their defence; none other than Benito Mussolini, the fascist dic- tator of Italy. Mussolini too, in- fers that the revolution is en- dangered, that Stalin had secretly become a fascist and is killing off “the Old Bolsheviks.” This solicitude for the welfare of “the Old Bolsheviks” and the achievements of the revolution by the Vancouver Sun and Mussolini is most touching. e@ S If a fact that Trotsky, Bukharin, Rykov, Zinoviev, Kameney and the other traitors who have been brought to trial were the leaders of the revolu- tion, were, in fact, Old Bolshe- viks? Consider their records: Take Trotsky. For years he opposed Ienin in the Bolshevik party. In 1915, when the Bolshevik party was opposing the Imperialist war, Trotsky advanced the meaningless but confusing slogan: “Neither Victory nor Defeat,” and proposed the theory of permanent revolu- tion, contending the victory of socialism was impossible in Rus- sia unless first achieved in Western Europe. Trotsky was only taken into the Bolshevik party in 1917 and dur- ing the ten years he remained a member until finally expelled was a constant source of trouble. When, in January, 1918, the Soviet government decided to ne- gotiate peace with Germany, Trotsky refused and advanced the confusing slogan, “Neither Peace nor War.’ As the representative of the Soviet government both in January and February he refused to carry out his instructions and sign the peace terms, with the re- sult the German army made great advances, the revolution in Fin- land was crushed, tens of thou- sands of lives were lost, and when peace was finally achieved with Germany some weeks later, it was on much worse terms. In 1919, Trotsky made such seri- ous military mistakes in the war against Denikin that he was re— moved from command of the southern front and replaced by Stalin. Every year from then on Trotsky headed an opposition within the Bolshevik party. In 1920, he de- manded that the trade unions be nationalized and merged with the state apparatus under military discipline. In 1924, he accused the Bolshe- wik party of leading the country to ruin and proposed that prices of industrial goods be increased to the peasants whom he labelled “a reactionary mass.’ In 1925, he was removed from the revolu- tionary council. By 1927, he headed an opposition bloc called the United Opposition, together with Zinoviev and Kamaney. He boast- ed he would overthrow the govern- ment in case of war, organized an underground group to struggle against the government and finally led an anti-Soviet demonstration on the Red Square in Moscow on Wovember 7. He was then ex- pelled from the party and finally exiled from the country. e@ HE record of Bukharin closely resembles that of Trotsky. As early as 1915 he advanced the proposal for a ‘United States ef Europe,” which Lenin termed as being “either impossible or re- actionary.” In 1916 he headed the opposition which opposed Lenin’s theory of an alliance with the peasantry. In 1917 he was opposed to the plan of seizing power and in 1918 he first opposed the signing of peace with Germany and later in the year demanded socialism be im- mediately established on a gen- eral scale, a demand which was impossible of fulfilment and if attempted would have led to dis- aster. The following year Bukharin advanced the false theory of ‘Pure Imperialism,” i.e., that the development of imperial- ism would overcome the contra- dictions of capitalism. He also op- posed the Soviet policy of grant- ing the right of self-determination to subject peoples. Bukharin~ claimed the right of self de- termination should only be grant- ed to subject peoples who had a developed working class. In 1920, Bukharin joined with Trotsky in advocating that the trade unions manage the economy of the country. By 1926, Bukharin had become (1919) leader of a right opposition. He then claimed the anti-social kulaks were not kulaks at all but merely “efficient” farmers and advanced the slogan, “Enrich Yourselves” as the essence of the policy that should be followed in the country- side. This would have led to the unfettered development of capi- talism if followed. Three years later, in 1929, Bukharin again defended the kulaks. He claimed they were not properly treated, that they were virtual paupers, and should not be forced to stop their sabotage of grain production, but rather that-grain should be imported from abroad. | Hie opposed the policy of or ganizing state and collective farms and advocated a plan of organized capitalism, The same year he was removed as editor of the party organ, Pravda, and later removed from the political bureau. Together with Rykoy (now on trial), and Tomsky (convicted in the last trial), he submitted a declaration to the party acknowl- edging his mistakes and promis- ing to adhere to the decisions of the party. That this statement was simply a blind to cover up his counter-reyolutionary activities is now quite apparent. @ HE record of Rykov is not greatly different from that of Bukharin. He too, was generally found in the opposition, within the party, to the J.eninist line. As early as 1910 Rykov opposed Lenin’s policy of breaking with the opportunist elements within the Russian Social Democratic Labor party. At the famous April Conference of 1917 he headed the Opposition to Lenin’s thesis which proposed the seizure of political power and advanced the theory that it was impossible to establish socialism in one country. In September of the same year he fought against the withdrawal of the Bolshevik faction in the Democratic Conference or Pre- Parliament established by Keren- sky as a substitute for convoking a Constituent Assembly, which he had promised and the people had demanded. Following the seizure of power, in November, 1917, Rykov resigned from the central committee of the Bolshevik party in order to con- duct the bitter fight against the party leadership. He also resigned from the Council of People’s Gom- missars. Rykovy did not figure very prom- inently in the opposition within the party again until 1929) when the famous five-year plan for the development of heavy industry was introduced. He opposed this plan and sub- mitted a counter two-year plan for the development of light industry. Rykov's-plan, if adopted, would have left the Soviet Union without a developed heavy industry and an easy prey to the fascist powers. However, it was not adopted and in 1930 Rykovy was removed from the political bureau. In 1932 he Was expelled from the party. Rakovsky, who was one of the first prisoners to testify in the present trial, was originally a Rumanian Socialist who, for some years, had opposed the Bolshevik party. During the years of the civil war he was released from a Rumanian prison through the ac- tion of the Red Army. After join- ing the Bolshevik party he soon lined up with Trotsky and became one of the leaders of the Trotsky opposition. He was expelled from the Communist party some years ago. e@ HEN the trouble is taken to investigate the records of those elements whom the Sun terms “the old Bolsheviks” or “leaders of the revolution,” it is Seen that, far from being the responsible leaders who carried out the revolution and guided the destinies of the first Soviet Re- public, they were the ones who formed the main opposition to the constructive building of social- ism. Time and again they attempted to split the Bolshevik party and advanced policies which, if ac- cepted, would have led to the downfall of the Soviet Union and the restoration of capitalism. The evidence produced during the present trial shows quite clearly that the incorrect policies they proposed since 1921 were not simply mistakes but deliberate moves designed to wreck the So- viet Union. Moves carried out in collaboration with the secret service of imperialist powers whose agents they were. That the capitalist press should spring to the defense of these murderers is to be expected. But the progressive people of Canada should not be deceived by the lies and distortions in the capitalist press regarding the activities of Trotskyist wreckers in the Soviet Union. The same loathsome crimes against the working people are being conducted by this social scum in all countries. Trotskyism cannot be considered a political trend in the working class move- ment. Today it is the advance guard of fascism, the agent of fascism in the ranks of the working class and progressive movement. Throughout Canada, as in other countries, the Trotskyists are busily engaged in disrupting spy- ing and sabotaging the struggle for economic betterment, democ- racy and peace. The revelations of the Moscow trials must serve as a lesson and a warning to progressive people everywhere, to increase their vigi- lance, expose and root out these Trotskyist wreckers from all pro- gressive organizations. Only in this way will fascism be defeated in Canada and the path cleared to march forward to socialism. Stage and Screen By John R. Chaplin Ho” Associated Film Audiences tates the new pictures: SALLY, IRENE AND MARY: Singing by Alice Faye and Tony Martin. Comedy by Fred Allen, Jimmy Durante, Joan Davis and the enegetic Gr-r-r-regoh-ry R-r- r-rah-toff. A big: apple sequencs thrown in for good measure. MAD ABOUT MUSIC: Deanna Durbin, in rich yoice, as the daughter of an actress who keeps her motherhood secret to protect her reputation as @ screen vamp. Arthur Treacher plays his cus- tomary frozen-faced butler with the coffee-grinder voice. HAWAITIT CALLS: = * Kin In the issue of the By d Advocate of June Permission. 95 1937, one of the Short Jabs told that the CNR Hotel would be opened “by kind permission of Sir Edward Beatty.” And how! This is not the result of tea-cup reading or erystal-gaz- ing. And it will help you to know that the place to get real news is in your Own press. And while on the subject of an efficient workers’ press, it will interest many Advocate readers to know that the business end of The Labor Monthly has been straightened out. Some friend topped off the re- cent financial drive with a dona- tion of £200, to clear off the debt. Writers like Palme Dutt need ail their brains for writing, and shall not have to worry about paying the printer. Our Advocate-Clarion drive is aow on.