Page Two

THE PEOPLE’S

ADVOCATE

THE
PEOPLE’S ADVOCATE

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Wancouver, B.C., Friday, December 9, 1938

The Communist Convention.

HE tenth provincial convention of the
Communist Party of Canada, B.C. Sec-
tion, which concluded its sessions last Mon-
day, was of great significance to the people

of British Columbia and will have a far-
reaching effect on the mobilizing and organiz-
ang of the forces of progress and peace in the
struggle against reaction.

Beginning with the comprehensive political
report of Fergus McKean, provincial secre-
tary, right through the discussions on the
organization and education reports and on the
many resolutions, there was manifested a
keen interest and earnestness on the part of
the 150 delegates who represented a cross-
section of the population of BC.

The convention took note of and analyzed
‘the political, economic and social situation in
the province and on the basis of this worked
out a policy and plan of action for the coming
period.

Ti was clear from the reports and the dis-
cussion that the delegates were keenly aware
of the dangers facing the people—the growing
influence of the fascist parties of Germany

and Italy and of Japanese imperialist es-
pionage in BC, the political and economic
penetration of the latter and the link-up of
Canadian big business interests with those
alien fascists: the baneful influence of these
same interests on the Pattullo government as
manifested in the enactment of anti-labor
Jaws outlawing strikes and favorable to the
continuation of the semi-feudal domination of
company towns and the fostering ot company

- unionism, and in the persecution and trame-

up of strikers by the attorney-general’s de-
partment.

The convention set as one of its main tasks
the gathering together of the scattered forces

_of progress in the province and the forming

of a powerful democratic front of the people
+o halt the advance of reaction in BC and
Canada as a whole and for the maximum
support for the defenders of democracy in
Spain and China.
o
N THE question of preventing the further
spread of war and assistance to the
Spanish and Chinese defenders of democracy
and the preservation of their national inde-
pendence, the convention took a positive
stand for the principle of collective security,
for a severing of the leading strings which
bind Canada to the pro-fascist foreign policy
of the Chamberlain government, and for Ca-
nadian participation in a Pan-American
democratic, anti-fascist front against fascist-
Wazi economic, political and ideological pene-
tration on the North and South American
continents.

Having the defence of our province and
country closely at heart, the convention set
its face firmly against Japanese espionage
and economic penetration in BC in which it
has allies in the persons of the Spencers and

‘other finance capitalists who in the interests

receiving the advertisement,

of profitamaking are prepared to sell BC
down the river. The convention pledged itself
to rally the people of BC to smash Japanese
espionage and put an end to all treasonable
fascist activities in the province.

e

The convention reaffirmed its determina-
tion to work for the unification of the pro-
gressive and labor organizations and the
bringing into motion and action the entire
democratic movement in the broadest possible
front against the forces which are blocking
the road to recovery, Progress and peace.

An Explanation.

OMMENTING editorially on the civic

election campaign last week we asked
why we had been refused a liquor advertise-
ment because we refused to carry Nelson
Spencer’s political advertising. We posed this
question because we knew that the advertis-
ing agency concerned, J. J. Gibbons, was
handling the advertising accounts both of
United Distillers, Ltd., and Welson Spencer,
and because our advertising manager, in tele-
phone conversation with an employee of the
agency, received the impression that we were
being denied commercial advertising for po-
litical reasons.

We believe now that we placed an errone-
ous construction on the telephone conversa-
tion and that it had no political significance.
Our conviction that there is no connection
between Nelson Spencer and United Dis-
tillers, Ltd., arises from the prompt protest

made by UDL to J. J. Gibbons on the strength

of our editorial comment. And, since we have
been informed that delay in the UDL adver-
tising schedule was the reason for our not
we are glad to
make this explanation in order to clear J. J.
Gibbons of any charges that might place its
clients in an incorrect light.

China Will Not Tal

of the demecracies.

Im the following article the editor of the Far
Eastern Mirrer discusses the present situation
of China’s armies, concludes they will mot be
beaten, and asks 2a pertinent question or two

By DR. WEN YUAN-NING
HERE have been a number of peace rumors emanating re-
cently from Hong Kong and London, but there is abso-
lutely no foundation for them. I suspect that they have been
inspired by the Japanese who want peace very badly.

Weedless to say, it is out of the question for China to have
peace on Japanese terms. As at the beginning of hostilities, we
are willing to talk peace, provided that the Japanese first with-
draw all their troops from Chinese soil. Uniless this condition is
satisfied, there is not a ghost of a chance to initiate any peace

negotiations. The Chinese people
will not stand for it.

When I say the Chinese people
~— refer to the millions in the in-
terior who have suffered directly
oer indirectly through the war.
There is, of course, a sprinkling
of Chinese in foreign concessions
in Shanghai, Tientsin and also in
Hongkong, who would like some
sort of peace wtih Japan in order
to salvage what remains of their
industrial or commercial inter-
ests in the interior, but this hand-
ful of people simply doesn’t count,
they didn’t count very much be-
fore and still less do they count
now. That is all there is to the
peace rumors.

e
Boe the quick fall of
the two big cities, Canton and
Wankow, so soon one after the
other, shocked many people, es-
pecially foregin sympathisers of

China, if one were to take stock
of the situation it isn’t half so bad
as would be imagined.

General Chiang, after the fall
of Hsuchowfu last May, gave out
that he was determined to de-
fend Hankow for three months—
that is, right up to the end of July-
General Chiang has done more
than the had promised, and our
soldiers have done better than we
expected. ;

Since our plan of resistance is
a long-term one, and since time is
on our side, the strategy of our
high command is to prolong the
war as lone as possible, to fight
the Japanese on ground that we
purselves choose. It takes time
to organize our guerilla fighters
over such a large area as China,
but not a month passes without
seeing Some improvement in their
organization and equipment. At
the same time, our military au-

k ‘Peace’

thorities have been training sixty
divisions of first-class troops with
first-class equipment for the last
sixteen months. These latter will
form the nucleus of the new Chi-
nese army, which will be superior
to any army that China has had
before.

This new army will fight the
Japanese at some opportune time
in the future and on terrain that
is favorable to us. While this
army will engage the main Japa-
mese forces, our guerillas will
simultaneously harass and attack
the Japanese rear and their line
of communication. We are confi-
dent as to the outcome of the
decisive battle.

e

EH ARE thankful for all the

moral support and sympathy
that we have had so far from our
foreign friends both in America
and England, but at the same
time I cannot conceal our people’s
disappointment that sympathy has
pot borne fruit in any action=

Qur people Know only too well
what moral sympathy meant to
Abyssinia and Gzechoslovakia.
While highly appreciative of
words of encouragement which
we- have received from all over
the world in our struggle against
injustice and aggression, yet our
people have come to realize that
we must fight to attain victory,
with or without the world’s help.

If that help is forthcoming, well
and good if not, well and good
also, but we shall still fight on,
alone and undaunted.

We are not bitter, we are only
facing realities. The world’s peo-
ple too will one day, ~ hope, come
-o see realities as we see them.

Food For Spanish Children :

Famine—the ghastly en-
emy of Republican Spain,
faces millions of Spanish
fighters and civilians unless
aid comes from the demo-
cratic countries. One food
ship will not feed a nation
—-more is needed urgently.
Give the soldiers on the
front lime and the women
and children of the bombed
cities a real Christmas this
year.

VERSHADOWING the mili-

tary news from Spain are
grave reports of Spanish govern-
ment officials and foreign corre—
spondents that the menace of
starvation is more feared today
than Pranco’s army of invasion.

“On the deck of the Erica Reed
there is a man with a broom
sweeping piled grain down the
ehute. There is no waste. Yes-
terday afternoon this correspon-
dent saw an old man on the deck
picking up odd grains of wheat
which had been scattered by the
wind and putting them in a piece
of newspaper.”

Thus correspondent Richard
Mowrer of the Chicago Daily
Wews of Nov. 21 described the un-
loading of the American-Cana-—
dian Relief Ship for Spain which
arrived at Barcelona Wov. 17.

Immediate thanks were cabled
to the North American people by
Martinez Barrio, president of the
Cortes (Spanish parliament), ex
pressing the eratitude of the
Spanish people for the food, cloth-
ing and medicine contained in the
Erica Reed.

But that aid on a much greater
seale must be forthcoming if Re-
publican Spain is to be saved
from starvation, Martinez Barrio
at once made clear, speaking in
Barcelona.

3S
ENOR MARTINEZ BARRIO
pointed out that of 23,600,000
inhabitants in Spain, the Spanish
government, with 40 per cent of
the area, nas 13,000,000 or 55 per
cent of the population.

The rebels have the richest
meat, dairy, wheat and fishing
zones. The government has the

Gatalan industrial zones and the
east coast rice and fruit and An-
dalusian mining districts. In or
der to provide for the child popu-
lation what is necessary and for
adults what is indispensable, the
government must amport food-
stuffs.

“In all, there are 3,715,000 chil-
dren of 12 years or less in loyalist
territory, Martinez Barrio said.

“Hood, clothing and medicinal
meeds are not being satisfied nor
have we succeeded even as a min-
imum in supplying the combina-—
tion medicinal-food products that
are so necessary for children.
What is the result That infant
mortality is increasing at an ex—
traordinary rate.”

He went on to say that, of 13,-
000,000 persons in loyalist Spain,
fully 3,000,000 were refugees from
their own homes who in general
needed not only sufficient food,
which they are not getting, but
medical attention and clothing.

Se
oo ae Spanish government has
told all nations that future

financial charges for food sent

both to rebel and loyalist Spain
for the population will be met by
the government,’ declared Senor
Martinez Barrio, “for there is this
difference in the conception of
the duties held by the Republican
government and the rebel junta;
the government, when it speaks
in the name of Spain, speaks for
all Spaniards. The attitude of the
rebel junta has been shown other—
wise, for it has tried to induce
foreign countries not to aid Spain.
That is the conception of totali-
tarian warfare’ g

(An official note published in
Burgos, Nov. 11, according to the
Manchester Guardian of Nov. 12,

regarding a proposal to make 2

loan to the Barcelona government
for the purchase of food and
other supplies, states that all cre-
dit operations undertaken by the
Republican leaders will be con-
sidered null and void. This atti-
tude toward feeding civilians
stands in sharp contrast to the
government's position as stated
by Senor Martinez Barrio.)

66 ELP from abroad would
avoid a great international

erime: to let die the population
of the helpless, the old, the
women and children. But there

is more than that involved.

“There is something that Spain
esteems more than bread. This is
liberty and independence. It would
not matter if those who are help-
ing us refused to continue be-
eause they thought Spain would
thereby surrender. Spain, hungry
and naked, or satisfied and
clothed, places the prosecution of
her war beyond the limitations of
her necessities.”

Comments From Our Readers

EXPRESSES THANES
Editor, People’s Advocate:
On behalf of your committee it
is again my privilege to thank the
progressive people of the Cariboo
and all those who helped in the
recent successful press drive for
the People’s Advocate and the
Clarion Weekly.
This time you have supported
your press committee to such an
extent that the most outstanding
performance of all BC was turned
in by Cariboo, thus winning the
banner.
We recognise the increased Tre-
sponsibility your trust places up-
on us and we pledge to do all in
our power to increase the circula-
tion of your press.
We welcome any suggestion to
this end.
Art Knox,
for Quesnel Press Drive
Committee.

Quesnel, BC

December 3, 1938

PROTESTS DeGRAVES
SPEECH
Editor, People’s Advocate:

Will you kindly publish this de—
cided protest by myself and others
present at the Ward 3 Ratepay-—
ers’ Association meeting in:
Strathcona School on December 5
against the seurrilous and irre—
sponsible attack upon the labor-
progressive candidate for mayor
by the strident and off-key voice
of Ald. J. H. DeGraves.

He is supposed to be an alder-
man in some capacity, but he is
most emphatically not representa-
tive of the sentiments of a large
majority of the resident and rate—
payers of Ward 3.

Whom does he represent? Per-
haps an answer may be found in
¢he kindred spirits grouped on the
platform—the big business Com-
padres, intent on shoving in the
background the ljlabor-progressive
forces.

This aldermanic museum speci-

men offended the sense of fair play
possessed by the average human
being in choosing the occasion
when his opponent had left the
hall to indulge in a barrage of
delegates, no doubt outraged by
his prevarication and cheap jibes,
Jeft the hall forthwith without
deigning to answer. Mr. DeGraves
hurled a challenge, a truculent
taunt to everyone and anyone to
debate.

Last but not

least in siznifi-

Plain Facts

N° PROVISION of the science
of anthropology, no amount
of nationalistic jongoism, can con-
ceal the fact that the Jew is being
persecuted today because he be-
lieves in freedom and has a herit-
age of democracy, and thus chal-
lenges the new dogma of dic-
tatorship which is temporarily
ascendant in Europe. The Jews
are the first casualties, because
they are defenseless. The Catholics
have already felt the blow. The
true objective is to destroy all
religion, all freedom, to chain the
human spirit and crucify the
human soul.—Senator Wagner in
a speech reported in the New
Work Limes.
c=)
T IS a principle of civilization
that all men and all nations,
great and small, rich and poor,
strong and weak, are equal before
the law. It was in violation of that
principle that Czechoslovakia was
condemned without a hearing, and
that Russia, a loyal member of
the League of Nations and the
historic protector of the Slav
race, was allowed no voice in her
destiny.—Sir Archibald Sinclair, in
the Manchester Guardian.

eance to this correspondent was
the looming visage of Col. Nelson
Spencer, heralding a new deal via
Japanese fascist auspices, flanked
by Branca. Worthy company for
the vociferous DeGraves.

Cc. R. Dickson.

WANTS HOUSEWIVES’
LEAGUE
Editor, People’s Advocate:

I read in your paper recently
that a convention of the House-
wives’ League of British Colum-—
bia was held in Vancouver. I also
noted that the city of Victoria ap-
parently was not represented.

Being a housewife I’m very
much interested in the matter
and I would like to see the House-
wives of Victoria organized.

Wre have been on relief, though
my husband now has a job, but
it is hard work to cateh up on
our neglected health, elothing
supply, rent and a few other
items listed under the “necessi-
ties of life.’ INo matter how care-
fully one economizes, the high
cost of living in comparison to
wages received makes eatching
up difficult.

We are not a greedy family but
we do want the living we feel we
are entitled to as Canadian citi-
zens. My husband is at work like
So many others, and I feel per-
haps the housewives eould do
something once they get together.

I belong to the Parent Teach-
ers’ Association but it only meets
once a year,
done at such meetings?

T would also like to see condi-
tions of housemaids improved,
having worked as a domestic em-
ployee and ruined my health
through long hours and insufi-—
cient wages to pay for dental and
medical attention and suitable
clothing.

Hoping to hear from you on
this topic. Kay Dixon.
Victoria, BC

and what can be

December 9, 1938

SHORT JABS

A
Weekly

Commentary

By Ol Bill

2 In one of the dig-ups from the
Thirty Years past which appear in the Proy—
Later ince newspaper daily, was one
on November 21, under the heading “Thirty Years
Ago.” This little slice of the history of Vancouver
was entitled ‘Slum Conditions’ and told of the visit
of two city aldermen of that day to a part of the
city of which one of them, Alderman MeSpadden,
after whom McSpadden street in Grandview is
named, stated, “It is an absolute disgrace that such
a condition of affairs should be allowed to exist
in this city.’

The other alderman, Dr. MacGuigan, described
housing conditions in the Hast Emd as “horrible,
hardly fit to put animals in, let alone human be-
ings.”

Weither of these two aldermne were reds; they
were not even radical, so we may consider that they
did not exaggerate the “horror” and “disgrace” of
the housing conditions of some of Wancouver’s
people in 1908. :

The interesting point of the item, however, is not
the admission that slums existed in Vancouver ni
1908, but an editorial note in ‘brackets at the end
that “Many of thése cabins are still in use.”

In 1935 a Royal Commission was appointed to
investigate conditions in the relief Camips- The
chairman of the commission was Justice W. A.
MacDonald. In submitting evidence one of the
camp boys referred to slums in Vancouver, but the
idea of slums in our beautiful city was scouted by
the learned judge, who declared: “fut, tut! there
are no slums in Vancouver.” (He lives in Shaugh-
nessy Heights.) Ask your aldermanic candidates
what they will do about it. =

Priests who refuse to learm are on a par with
judges who do not Know. A recent utterance as-
eribed to Cardinal Villeneuve of Quebec, claims that
“the rich and the poor must dwell in harmony
and agreement. Each needs the other.”

Elaborating the Cardinal's words we might put it
this way, for this is what they mean: “The rich
need the poor to keep them rich, and the poor need
the rich to keep them poor.” The rich need the
poor, all right. If ti were not for the poor—the work-—
ers—the wealthy parasites would starve to death.

But the poor do not need the rich any more than
a dog needs flears or a monkey needs lice. The
need of all three—the dog, the monkey and the
poor, is to get rid of the parasites.

Men vv ithout keeping out of the way of the

Fear whipping, snaky rigging com-
jng back to the woods, he failed to note the approach
of a grizzly until it was right upon him. When he
did become aware of his danger he did not hot-foot
it out of the jungle as a farmer, or a miner, or a
stevedore, or a plumber would have done. He
merely swung the choker in the air, hit the bear
on the head with the book and knocked its brains
out. He then went right on with his work settine
the choker on the butt of the log.

The rigeine slinger, too, had his troubles that day.
A tiger in search of a meal figured he would make
a good hamburger. He calculated, however, without
his victim, for when he sprang to take the first
mouthful the resourceful logger picked up the slack
of the line, wrapped the bight “round the tiger's
neck and choked him to death.

Im another part of the operations a faller was
sweating on an undercut He never even sensed the
bull elephant that was intent on butting him into
the place where good loggers go. Just in the nick
of time he turned around, saw his danger and, since
he too was without fear, swung his axe and cut the
pachyderm clean from the ears to the chin. He
then went on with the undercut.

The chokerman was so busy

This may sound like Wait Disney
And Men or Paul Bunyan. Maybe these in-
With Fear cidents did not actually happen
in the woods. But it might be gospel if a menagerie
broke loose and everything minister of labor Pear-
son says about the loggers is true.

We recently made the assertion that the high
mortality and accident rate in the lumber industry
is due to the fact that the losgers are too fearless,
too daring.

Only a finished “politician” could be guilty of
uttering such utterly blatant nonsense. Not fear-
lessness but fear,—the fear of going down the road,
the fear of unemployment, the fear of starvation
for his wife and children, keeps the logger on the
jump in the most highball speed-up industry on this
continent. The loggers’ fear of losing their jobs
allows the logging bosses to mate lumbering the
banner industry for killing and maiming men. it is
only because the loggers Ihave not yet built their
union strong enough to write their own conditions
for work in the woods that they need have this
fear. If they were 100 percent organized, Pearson
could then say they were fearless—and they would
be safer, too.

About a year ago when the BSC
More Abeut Collectric promised to spend
Junk half a million dollars on new
streetcars there were people in Vancouver who be-
lieved they were going to travel in nice new street-
cars. But it was only the BC Gollectric form of
“appeasement,” which differs from the “appease-
ment’? of Chamberlain in that Chamberlain ap-
peases the fascist wolves by throwing the demo-
cratic people to them, while the BG Collectric mere-
ly meet demands with promises.

Wot only did we not get any new streetcars, but
the antiquated, flat-wheeled, springless tumbrels
they call cars are now afflicted with an epidemic
of the disease Known among automobile men as
“the rear end falling out.” On three occasions
lately, broken axles on these miscalled streetcars
have endangered the liges of operators and passen-
gers on their “system, once about 2 month ago on
Main street, on Hastings East last week and again
on Granville street bridge last Monday morning
when a carload of people were almost dumped into
False Creek.

Before any new cars are bought a great deal of
one-man car propaganda will be put over. This is
why, inside of these travelling torture chanvbers,
car ads. tell us that “X indicates the front entrance
cars.’ (The cross on the front of the car, by the
way, is hte cross on which the streetearmen and
the people of Vancouver are being crucified.)

The PPC one-man car will seen be on exhibition
to show us what a fine car we might have if we
withdraw our objection to being slaughtered by
these juggernauts. Accidents involving one-man
cars are kept out of the press and only when 2
judge in the Supreme Court soaks the BC Blectric
$15,000 damages do we hear of them. ‘The motor-
man was not keeping a proper lookout,” said Jus-
tice D. A. MacDonald. The motorman had to load
passengers, collect fares, make change, and make

time. How could he keep a proper lookout?