: MISS--- i « “PETER THE FIRST” PRIZE-WINNING SOVIET PICTURE ADVANCE MIDNIGHT PREVIEW SUNDAY, MAY 1 - 12:01 A.M. GLOBE THEATRE, GRANVILLE ST. aiiay Day issue The Peoples Advocate Western Canada’s Leading Progressive Newspap eT May Day issue No. 172 : ® <= Published Weekly VANCOUVER, B-C., FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 1938 Single Copies: 5 Cents VOL. IV., No. 16 SPAN aad ee Is HEROES IN CITY i 1 B.C. ik oe 2 Others rom B.C Mi. rom © e | Missing =junish Youth Flock =“Fto People’s Army ~}> Avenge Slaughter ye Air Raids (ALT ADVANCE By JACK TAYLOR. FARCELONA, Spain, April '-(By cable)—In the recent = erate fighting around Tor- * volunteers from British }mbia played an important | suffering many casualties. |, Ek. W. Patrick and T. Char- , were killed in action, and following are listed as ™, ing: >. 8S. Legge, BH. Joktmen, J. man, P. Hilton, S. Hyppa, J. js, R. Beaulieu, F. McNeil, OG. )ncla, B. Butler, &. Dahli. Cap- © of Henry Blackphurn by the )2 situation in Spain at this * =nt is critical. The enormous Mint of war material received ).e fascists, because of the poli- fof “non-intervention” has en- them to carry through an of- ve in which a large part of oe ist territory has been captured. e retreat of the loyalist forces E See VOLUNTEERS. (Continued on Page 8.) #sarson Acts ‘Jpon Protest »2acific Lime Told To Reinstate Men ZUBBER BAY, BC, April 28— mediate, strong protest wired = on. G S. Pearson, minister of ac, and 2 hasty trip to Victoria “Siarold Winch, MLA, regarding mary dismissal of nine em- 2es of Pacific Lime company @ last week, resulted in the ar minister phoning the com- @7 instructing that the men be Sstated within 24 hours or face ecution. The men were rein- 2d. vis deliberate attempt to set e the provisions of the Con- tion and Arbitration Act by the pany with only two weeks to @>efore the board sits, stiffened attitude of the men and aroused BG District Coast Council of International Woodworkers to point where it advised its local > to take any action seen fit er the circumstances. sbitration board members are: nk Leigh, executive member of TWA Local; R. D. Williams =the company; and Judge Mc- sh. : pparently enraged by its in- ity to break the solidarity of men in the past months, the ipany, with the help of pro- zial police, attempted to replace laissed men with new men until action of the union and the ‘rts of Harold Winch, MLA, fed a halt, i sintula Women i And Volunteers , -OINTULA, BC, April 28—The lzlish branch of the Women’s sor League here held a success- “Pot Luck Lunch” at the home Mrs. J. Tynjala last week, when was obtained. Five dollars was twarded to the Friends of the ickenzie-Papineau Battalion in dition to a sum of $240 from sale of May Day post cards. "he local Parent-Teachers’ As- gation recently forwarded $5 to- ed the rehabilitation fund of the pe ; } M } In the Soviet Union, the In Spain, the embattled confidence in their ultimate collective bargaining. A May Day Editorial (Issued by the British Columbia Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of Canada). AY DAY this year promises to be celebrated the world over on a grander seale than ever before. fatherland of the workers in every country, millions will turn out to demonstrate their faith in socialism, their pride in their great achievements to better the lot of the common people, and their determination to fight to the death to repel invasions from fascist powers that are becoming daily more menacing. workers and peasants, after severe recent setbacks, are turning again to the offensive against the fascist monsters. “They Shall Not Pass!” is still the slogan uttered by them. It is the slogan of our Canadian brothers in the valiant Maclkenzie-Papineau Battalion. In China, the myth of the invincibility of the armies of the Japanese marauders, has been smashed by the half- armed Chinese people. Although ill-equipped to fight the mechanized armies opposed to them, their greatest weapons are national unity against foreign imperialism and undying victory. In Canada as a whole, hundreds of thousands will mareh the streets, their banners calling for the suppression of all fascist activities, for the disallowance of the Quebec padlock law, for unemployment insurance, for government provision to relieve increasing unemployment, for protection of the foreign-born from fascist persecution, for the King govern- ment to stop supporting the pro-fascist, pro-war, foreign policy of the Chamberlain government of Great Britain, for arms for Spain, for an embargo on the shipment of war materials to Japan, for the right of labor to organize for The demands of Canadians in other provinces are the demands of us here in British Columbia. We cannot be, and (Continued on page 2) Hidden Arms Caches for civil war. It is a well-known fact that “Grand Council.” charges. Some of the reactionary members of the Catholic hierarchy also con- done fascist military preparations. Some time ago Archbishop Gauthier in a pastoral letter actually en- couraged armed drilling in order to “save Quebec from Bolshevism,” while another high Catholic church- man, Rev. Fr. Gravel, recently ad- vocated a rightist “revolution.” Intimations of a fascist “putsch” have also come from legislators. An MP from Quebec declared in parliament that there would be a revolution if the padlock law were disallowed. “Corporatism” has been fre- quently advocated in the Quebec legislature. Leo Duguar (Union Wationale, Lac St. Jean) is report- ed to have denounced popular suf- frage in the house and to have im- plied the necessity for its abolition. How is “corporatism’” to be brought about? Arcand is reported to have declared: “We will one day be in a position to march on Ot- tawa to impose our will, if neces- sary.” News that the RCMP is conduct- ing an investigation of arms smug- gling into Quebec gives credence to reports that for the past few months two men high in fascist circles, one a financier, the other a doctor, have constantly been travelling from Montreal to Hart- ford, Connecticut, where the Colt and Gatling munitions plants are located. The reports state that arms caches, in the manner of the French Cagoulards, have been es- tablished at Malone and Platts- burg. Another is said to exist be- tween Shawbridge and Piedmont in the Laurentian Mountains, near See FASCISTS. (Continued on Page 8.) Quebec Fascists Said Arming In Secret MONTREAL, Que., April 28:—(Special).—Fascists in Que- bee demagogically play up to the anti-war sentiments of the French-Canadian people while actively making preparations fascists here engage in military drilling under the leadership of one of Adrien Arcand’s lieuten- ants, a discredited army officer, Major Scott. Once the prelim- inary drills are over, they will begin to drill with firearms, which fascist chiefs are smuggling over the American border. All this is done with the tacit approval of Premier Duplessis and his cabinet. It will be recalled that five members of the Quebec government were accused of belonging to the fascist Wot one of them so far has denied the Bishop Sees Fascist Peril Urges People ‘To Wake Up and Face Facts’ MONTREAL, Que. April 28.— “The people of Canada must wake up and face the fact that fascist forces are working in this coun- try to bring about a state of af- fairs similar to that in Europe,” Bishop John Farthing declared in a speech before the Montreal Ang- lican Diocesan Synod here, Tues- day. He warned particularly of the activities conducted by the WNa- tional Social Christian party, led by Adrien Arcand. Pointing out that fascist organ- izations in the dominion were be- ing drilled by ex-army officers in preparation for a fascist attempt to seize power, he Stated. “A body of men well drilled and trained could be armed in a night, and might become as effective as the storm troops were in bringing the German people under Wazi rule.” Miners Aid Spain TULSEQUAH, BC, April 28.— Miners employed in the Polaris Taku gold mine here sent $62.50 this week to the comforts fund for Ganadian volunteers in Spain. en Die In Tortosa Labor Man Wins Royal City Seat United Voting Power Of Progressives Wins Seat for Trade Union President 129 LEAD NEW WESTMINSTER, BC, April 28.—Citizens flocked to the polls here last Monday to return the progressive candi- date, William T. Cook, BC Elec- trict motorman, to the city council to succeed G. LL. Cas- sidy, who recently resigned to accept a post on the New West- Minster Harbor Commission. Gook beat Jack Streight, barrister, by 129 votes. The third candidate, Eddie Mills, was scarcely in the running. : Queensborough, long neglected by the council, gave the progressive candidate a commanding lead of 59 votes, one of Cook’s platform planks being to see that garbage was collected by the city from that area. While Streight led at the market poll, the other divisions piled up majorities in favor of the labor man. ‘Total vote was 2400. Main points of Cook’s civic plat- form were: Better lighting from ‘city boundary on Twelfth street to Bridge Head; grading of Highth avenue from First street to Rich- mond street. CCF Opens Campaign Will Hold By-Election Meeting At Mission MISSION, BC, April 28—QOpening fun of the CCE campaign in the Dewdney by-election will be fired Tuesday, May 3, here, when a bat- tery of the party’s leaders will speak on behalf of Miss Mildred Osterhout, CCE candidate. Financial support is being given by CCF clubs throughout the prov- ince, and a whirlwind campaign is planned by the election committee. Speakers at the Mission meeting will be Dr. Lyle Telford, MLA; Len Shepherd, MLA; Sam Guthrie, MLA; Mrs. D. G. Steeves, MLA, and Arnold Webster, CCF first vice-president. W. Mandale of Mission, CCE cam- paign manager, will be chairman. Housewives To Hold Conference The second conference of the Greater Vancouver Housewives’ League will meet Monday, May 2, 8 p.m., at the Moose Hall, 638 Bur- rard street. Questions of organiza- tion and the constitution are on an agenda under preparation by the committee elected at the last con- ference. Membership cards have been printed, many having been sold in the first week by committee mem- bers. Dues are 10 cents a month, with a yearly fee of $1. Depression Has Not Curbed CIO WASHINGTON, DC, April 28.— The CIO has met its test during the depression and has passed it with flying colors, Chairman John L.. Lewis told the CIO meeting here. “Since this committee last met, GIO has continued to grow in strength and prestige in the na- tion. It has continued its posi- tion of leadership in a nation that has felt increasingly the need for principles and organizations real- istically directed to the welfare of the people as a whole,” Lewis said. Battle O. Preteceille -..- press secretary of the Spanish General Union of Workers, who will speak at a meeting in the Orpheum Theatre on Sunday at 8 p.m., tickets for which must be obtained in advance. He is well known as a journalist in Europe, where he is correspon- dent for the Manchester Guardian and the London News-Chronicle, British liberal newspapers. Seeks Aid For Spain Ogier Preteceille Will Speak Here LOS ANGELHES, Cail., April 28 — Interviewed here, Ogier Preteceille, press secretary of the Spanish General Union of Workers and prominent Spanish journalist, stated that Spain’s trade unionists —2,000,000 in the General Union of Workers and 1,125,000 in the Na- tional Confederation of Workers, were working together in perfect harmony for their country’s inde- pendence. “We ask Canadian and American labor for the full power of its moral and material aid on behalf of the democratic government of our country,” Preteceille said. “We need food, milk for the chil- dren, medical supplies for military and civilian wounded. “Moral force must remove the stranglehold on Spain which pre- vents us from buying the weapons of defense.” Chamberlain Goy’t Rejects Veterans LONDON, Eng., April 28. —The | Chamberlain government has jected a request for an equiry into ! the condition of some 3,500,000 ! “prematurely aged” veterans. The | request was made by the British Legion, which stated that at least this number of war veterans was affected by service or in need. Prime Minister Chamberlain, how- ever, refused to agree to a govern- ment enquiry. or to consider pen- sion and relief proposals. Re-T JN MAY DAY > Fifteen Thousand Expected To Take Part In Parade Spanish Trade Union Representative Will Bring Greetings To Park Rally The bitter struggle of the Spanish people against the armies of international fascism, the courage of the Chinese people fight- ing against foreign invasion and, at home, the threat of fascism fostered by the padlock law and other anti-democratic legislation —these are the things which will be uppermost in the minds of thousands when they march this Sunday in what is expected to be a record May Day parade. Volunteer Back Here Jack Lawson In Anti=-Tank Squad By WILLIAM PURVIS Quiet, soft-spoken, you ‘would not guess that only a short while ago he was in the front lines in Spain handling a-- light -44-milli- metre anti-tank gun. Jack Lawson, member of the In- land Boatmen’s Union here and first of British Columbia's yolun- teers in the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion to return home, tells his story modestly. He would only smile if you suggested he had done anything heroic. Democracy was challenged in Spain. Lawson is above all else a democrat. Like hundreds of other Canadians, he answered the challenge. When TI interviewed him here this week in modest fashion he stressed the point that it was a matter of iron discipline and hard fighting which was asked of anti-fascist yol- unteers, and that color and ro- manticism were at a minimum. “Yes, the Mac-Paps were out- standing as a battalion in a brigade noted for its fighting qualities and discipline,’ Lawson declared, “and the lads from BC were often picked for special work which called for initiative and leadership. Pete Neil- son of Vancouver is now an adju- tant, with Arnold Staube of WNa- naimo as one of his captains.’’ While apparently in good health, albeit Somewhat nervous, Lawson, who was just old enough in the Great War to shoulder a rifle, must have been under a great strain, having fought on the Jarama front where he helped to hold the Morata Sector, a key position before Mad- rid, thence to Brunete last July— Aragon, Belchite and Quinto. He maintained, while being in- tensely proud of the dogged fight- ing abilities of the International Brigade, that it was largely the moral effect of the volunteers in those desperate days of defending Madrid which stiffened the raw Spanish militia. “Believe me,’ Lawson stated in his pleasant Scots voice, “every | resolution of solidarity from abroad is welcomed by the Spanish peo- See LAWSON. (Continued on Page 8.) Want Spain Policy Changed Labor, Liberals To Exert Pressure On Chamberlain LONDON, Eng., April 28—Representatives of the Liberal and Labor parties this week reached an agreement to exert pressure on the national government in favor of aid to the Spanish Republican government. LONDON, Eng., April 28—Imme-, diate formation of a popular front to win power in Britain and end the pro-fascist policy followed by the present Chamberlain govern- ment was urged in a resolution passed by the CoOperative party, political organization of the Co- Operative Union of Great Britain, at a private meeting held in Brighton last week. The resolution was adopted 2,343,000 to 1,947,000 by delegates from all parts of the country. Instructions were given repre- sentatives to discuss possibility of an electoral alliance with the TLa- bor party. In Manchester, the Independent Labor Party, heavily infiltrated With Trotskyists, rejected a resolu- tion proposing unity of all progres- sive forces. All over the world — wherever there are workers not bound by the chains of fascism—millions will be marching in the name of peace and democracy. And in Vancou- ver at least 60 organizations, in- cluding 20 of the largest trade unions, will participate with their banners, their slogans and their floats to demonstrate the unity of their cause with that of workers and all democratic people every- where. Added significance will be given to the celebrations this year by the presence here of Ogier Pre- teceille, representing the Spanish General Union of Workers, and Jack Lawson, first British Go- lumbia volunteer in Canada’s Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion te return from Spain. = Ogier,; who speaks perfect fect English, will address a mass meeting to be held in the Orpheum Theatre, un- der auspices of the Cana- dian League for Peace and Democracy at 8 o'clock on Sunday eve- ning. At 12:30 p.m. the parade wiil assemble on Cambie Street grounds and, at 1 pm., marshalled by mem- bers of the Relief Project Work- ers’ Union and led by a band, it will commence its march along Hastings to Burrard, and thence to Georgia and the Lumbermen’s Arch in Stanley Park, halting only at the Cenotaph to lay wreaths in honor of fallen comrades. At the same time, a fleet of 75 gaily bedecked fishing boats, or- ganized by the Pacific Coast Fish- ermen’s Union, will put out from False Creek, Gibson's Landing and See MAY DAY (Continued on Page 8.) Railroad Crafts Meet Main Convention Issue To Fight Amalgamation Jack Lawson Sir Edward Beatty’s insistent de- mand for amalgamation of Cana- dian railroads will meet stern op- Position at the convention next week of the railroad shop trades, when delegates from all parts of the Dominion will meet. An upward revision of wage schedules, now 15 per cent lower than the American scale, will also be put forward. Complete overhaul of the present unsatisfactory pen- sions scheme will be demanded. It is understood that a strong stand on maintenance of democracy in Canada will be made at the var- ious conventions, with sharp con- demnation of the Quebec padlock law and other forms of reaction throughout the country. Beginning May 2, the following shop crafts will meet: Joint Pro- tective Boards, Brotherhood of Railway Carmen of both rail- roads; Blacksmiths, Boilermakers, Electrical Workers of the Cana- dian Railway District; Interna- tional Association of Machinists. May 9 is the date for the conven- tion of Division 4, which is repre- sentative of all crafts in Canadian railway shops in the American Federation of Labor, and which will ratify decisions made by the npatta anno he weeLe 4