wweceveseress BRITISH COLUMBIA’S PROGRESSIVE HOME NEWSPAPER FULL No. 222. VANCOUVER, B.C., FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1939 2 5 Cents SHOE WORKERS’ DISPUTE NEAR SETTLEMENT Back To Work Move To Test Company Manager’s Statement Locked-out employees of the J. Leckie Company decided Thursday to apply for re-em- ployment and test General Manager Clarke’s statements that there was no intimidation or attempts to discriminate against any employee when the plant was declared closed a week ago until further notice. 4 local of the Boot and Shoe Workers’ International Union has HOw been established and repre- Sents 75 per cent of the employees. Phe workers will apply for re- employment KEriday and will con- tinue organization of the other em- ployees. The move to apply for their jobs was advised by James Thompson of the BC Department of Labor and Trades and Labor Council officials in order to coun- teract any plans of the manage ment to brine in outside help and -hide behind the pretest that the workers had not applied for work. Bitter resentment was expressed by a number of the workers to- wards Thomas Griffiths, foreman, who they say wormed his way into the former union in order to de- feat it. Employees were advised by a2 notice on the bulletin board that the plant was closed until further notice—but inviting them to file application for re-employment This Was seen aS a2 move on the com- panys part to forestall oerganiza— tion among the employees when threats of the loss of their jobs failed to have any effect on the workers if they attended a meet | ing at Labor Headquarters. Perey Bengough, Trades Council secretary, and Charles Stewart, chairman of the Council’s organiz— ing committee, interviewed the management protesting the lock eut, at the same time remindine Generali Manager Clark of the penalties provided under the A7y- bitration and Conciliation Act for intimidation of employees. The labor executives aiso made it clear that the whole trade union movement would back up the workers in their struggle to regain their jobs and maintain the right to organize into a union of their own choice. in his reply to the union offi- eiais Clark used all the stock in trade arguments concerning 10ss of business, etc., declared there was mo attempt made to intimidate the employees—“they could join what ever organization they wished.” LEGION URGES PROBE OF NAZIS Reports that all branches of the Canadian Legion in BC are now drafting resolutions to the Domin- ion Command demanding 2 federal probe of German and Italian fas- Cist activities were heard in Van- couver this week as national offi- cials reported receiving scores of similar resolutions from its western | | branches. _ J. R. Bowler, general secretary of the Dominion Command, reported from Ottawa that several branches in its western provincial commands had gone on record as asking that “all Wazis and Fescists in Canada be registered.” Others insistde upon “Strict enforcement of laws relating to sedition and espionage.” The Manitoba command has for- warded a resolution urging an in- vestigation “ef all foreign consul- ates suspected of bein sources of anti-British propaganda or pro- Hitlerism.” Complaints along sim- ilar lines have also been filed from Alberta and BG, Bowler said. David MeKee, acting secretary of the Canadian Legion in Vancou- ver, told the press that Nazi activ- ‘ty in Western Ganada is assum- me alarming proportions. He said all BC branches are iraftinge resolutions against these sroups and that “complaints are eine filed daily.” Legion activity is expected to be spurred by the suicide in VWancou- ver this week of August Weipl, Austrian-born Canadian, who is ‘eported to have taken his life mn fear of reprisals by members f Wazi organizations. Weipl, who has relatives in Aus- ian Wazi concentration camps, is aid to have lived in daily fear being forced to return to Aus- Of Youth Jobs and Peace Keynote Congress In BC PRESS DRIVE TROPHY Here’s what all the shooting’s about — the Advocate - Clarion Press Drive trophy, a beautiful example of the silversmith’s art, to be awarded the committee tal ing highest honors in the province in the campaign to raise $2800- According to all reports, there’s going to be some hard driving in the home stretch to gain the cov-— eted trophy. Several drive committees are Said to be already dusting off the shelf where it will repose; while . unconfirmed reports by our scouts say that one drive com- imittee leader im the vicinity of Lillooet is building a new mantile— piece. if these rumors are correct, so much to the good. It will mean the drive for subscriptions and sustaining fund is headed for success. Anyhow, here it is, and may the best committee win! By AL PARKIN British Columbia’s organized youth movement is opposed to “appeasement” of aggressor nations, wants a Canadian foreign policy independent of Great Britain “in all cireumstances,” favors this nation’s participation in a democratic bloc, and would approve military assistance to Great Britain only in the event the mother country is herself prepared to join a defensive demo- eratiic alliance against the Rome-Berlin-Tokio axis. ? Provincial Youth Congress closed ‘forecast of the program which will This was made clear as BC’s first its four-day session in Vancouver's iWemorial Hall late Monday night on a challenging note of progress after the 200-odd delegates had Siven final assent to some 56 key resolutions covering all major phases of Ganadain domestic and foreign policy and the fight for jobs, democracy and peace. Since the previous Hriday dele- Sates had spent three worik-filled Gays in committee and caucus, deal- ing with resolutions and proposals from waidely-differins Sroups, final- ly Hhammerins out a comprehensive Prosram for final assent by the Congress as a whole. The results of those three days of organized discussion made their appearance on the floor of the “house” Monday afternoon in the form of legislative enactments which, complete wtih final amend- ments, were endorsed and made a part of the Congress program for the coming period. To observers who P=aiprd bd a4 bsaib=a b=d =e baal fa Provincial Youth Congress Launched Uniting of all youth greups in British Columbia under one ban- mer was set as an objective by. delezates attendme the provin— Cial youth gathering at the Bast er weekend as they approved the setting up of the BC Youth Coneress. John Prior, youth leader of Oliver, BC., will guide the destin- ies of the province-wide organi-_ zation as its first president, with William DicConneli beine chosen as vice-president and Murray Colecleugh as secretary-treasurer. These officers, together with re- Zienali directors, will complete thep rovincial executive. Wew officers of the Greater Vancouver Youth Council sre: President, John Jopson; vice- president, Eric Martin; general secretary, Jerry Hundal. | E=SE=UE=SD=AP= sibs Laibng bala ba bed boa gibxa al =dbxa ba bai ap=eeSzS may have fib=dibxd b= dip=q Sais 4 -aib=elpraibseiped peat viewed the gathering with an eye to the forthcoming National Youth Congress at Winnipee this suma— mer, the BC Congress must have furnished a cross-section of Cana_ dian youth opinion, and a possible be approved at the national gather- ing. And if delesates were emphatic in demanding an end to the “ap- peasement”’ policy and a realistic Canadian foreign policy, they were equally emphatic in endorsine measures that would ensure 4 To her arrival at Miami. CHINA’S GOODWILL ENVOY | Miss Ya-Ching Lee steps from her Join Mayor Telford Asked May Day Parade the May Day committee. The quest to declare May 1 a civic Worship in Ottawa where he is attending the Conference of Cana- dian Mayors. Key slogan of this year’s parade will be raised on the theme “Stop Hitler and Save Peace” accordine to committee Secretary Sidney Zlotnick Parade leaders will carry this slogan on a giant banner, with veterans of the Mackenzie-Papin- eau Battalion parading immedi- ately behind in uniform. A cenotaph float in remembrance of the Mac-Pap volunteers who died in Spain will be entered by the volunteers. Hotel and Restaurant Employees will also parade behind the banner in the uniform of their calling and will have two floats. Inland Boat men’s Union, fishermen’s unions and the Relief Project Worlers Union have signified their inten- tions of entering floats. Besides entering a float in the parade the Ukrainian Labor Far- mer Temple Association intend greater democracy within Canada (Continued on page 5) See YOUTH CONGRESS having a children’s band. The (Continued on Page 5) See MAY BAY An invitation to Mayor Lyle Telford to participate in Van- couver’s 1939 May Day celebrations was extended this week by invitation, which included a re- holiday, was air-mailed to His Radio Drama On Blubber Bay Strike A dramatization of the Blubber Bay strike will feature the Inter- National Woodworkers of Amer- ica’s “Green Gold” radio program over CJOR next Tuesday, April 18 at 7:45 p.m. The BC Coast District Council of the IWA has gone to great ef- forts to make this prosram pos- Sible, states Wigel Morsan, vice- president of the Council. The serip has been divided into four parts with several artists Pparticipatines. This program is part of the cam- Paigsn of the IWA to keep the Public informed that the Pacific Lime Company’s products are still on the unfair list. Linked with this, the council has wired Harry Bridges, president of the TLWwA which is in convention in San Francisco, asking his aid in ban- ; Ding the products of the company from US Pacific coast ports. se st a sk The following 2ccount is writ- ten by Art Shields, Inter-Con- tinent News correspondent, who was in Madrid during the week that the Casado clique seized power and butchered the loyal defenders. By ART SHIELDS PARIS, FRANCE. WAS the only American corre- spondent to see the battle of Madrid last month when Spain was being betrayed to Franco. I saw people fighting with guns in their hands against the traitors -who have since turned the country over to Franco, Mussolini and Hitler. Imprisonment, censorship, and i2 days lost in a storm-tossed ref ugee ship, delayed telling the story. But now it can be told. In the week March 5 to 12, I saw seven days of proletarian hero- ism comparable to the Paris Com- mune of 1871. Colonel Casado and Colonel Mira, traitor commanders and Franco agents, finally butchered the de fenders of Madrid. They mas sacred the proletarian prisoners with the help of the leaders of the anarchists, Trotskyists, right-wing ‘Il Saw The Betra oe se sk class defeatists who worked with them. i barely escaped that massacre. Taken prisoner with four other antifascist correspondents, I es- caped from two dull-witted police- men. “You wouldn’t have been shot officially,” said an American dip- lomat, “you would simply have been shot with hundreds of others.’ e (“%ASADO shot more than 600 when he recaptured general headquarters. He shot many hun- dreds of other prisoners at the end of the week From my blood-stained cell in the basement of Madrid police headquarters, Ii saw the soldiers of Negrin led out in batches. Those who occupied the cell be- fore us, brave fighters who left bloody rags and “viva Negrin” in- seriptions on the wall, are gone. Colonel Barcello, the People’s Commander during the week’s Street fighting, has been executed. Many others too, but many are still alive in hiding, and await- ing new struggies for the liberty to come. yal Of A A Reporter Views the Death Throes of Spanish Democracy During the Week March fetass des and a section of a eae Woe the coup d’etat a part ofsradio Stations, telephone and tele the general staff plan of Gen- eral Franco? I will tell you how Franco timed his attacks on that Part of the Madrid front where the Communists were strongest, in order to keep loyal Republicans in the trenches, while his ally GCasado Was attacking Madrid from within. History wrote its lessons in blood that week. it taught the workers anew that the fascists use fake revolutionary phrases. Mili- tarists, Trotskyists and renegade anarchists can talk of “peace” as a sacred word. They talk peace when they mean death—death for Communists, death for all mili- tant democratic forces. They talked “peace with independence.” They meant unconditional surrender to Branco, Mussolini and Hitler, which followed as soon as possible. The workers learned technical military lessons, too. They learned, for instance, that big buildings are natural fortresses which can be held as long as feed and ammunition continue. The workers learned the import- ance of radio. When Casado lost most strongholds, he still had the Nation’ =a 5-12 in Madrid si = Kk @raph. The air was filled every minute with his poison. His radio reached and confused many mil lions while the Sovernment’s leaf jets sent out by courier reached but tens of thousands. e Geeonen CASADO'S coup d’etat against the entire People of Spain occurred on Sunday night, March 4, several hours after I had reached Madrid. Casado struck just after the fov- ernment had decided to remove hin as a disloyal element from com- mand of the central armies in Madrid. Under the defeatist anar- ehist influence, he had been trans- ferringe and demoting patriotic of- ficers and had been engaged in the sabotage of the defense of Madrid. Rumors of treachery reached me soon after IT had landed at Alicante on the Sunday previous by plane from Oran, Africa. I was not sur prised, therefore, to hear the fol- lowing Saturday night as I drove down from Valencia, that the e See BETRAYAL (Continued on page 6) a PATTULLO MAY CALL SPEEDY BY-ELECTION Move May Catch Electorate Napping In Center Riding A warning was issued this weekend to all voters in VWan- couver Center to make sure of the inclusion of their names on the voters list as news was re- ceived of the government’s in- tention of calling a “quick” by- election in the riding probably during May. The news caught most observers by surprise, since it had been doubted in many quarters whether the contest to fill the vacancy caused by Ald. Fred Crone’s death would be called before September. According to the Election Act, the Center election must be hela any time before now and Septem- ber, and it is believed Pattullo ex- pects to get the jump on other parties with a contest in May. Importance of progressive voters checking up on their pres— ence on the voters list is em- phlasized by the fact that at least 12,000 were disfranchised at the last provincial election for hav ing failed to vote. information on the voters’ lists can be obtained at the Court House or before the Court of Revision, which is held on Monday. Expectation of an early by-elec- tion is based on the assumption that a federal election will be held this fall, which would interfere with any provincial contest. in addition, Pattullo will have to decide quickly what he is goins to do in view of the forthcomines Royal visit, which makes an elec- tion prior toe the visit all the more likely. : The government will undoubtedly advance the Royal trip as its ex. cuse for callin= an immediate elec tion, it is believed. Meanwhile no one would venture to guess who would likely be put up as candidates by the various parties. It is certain, however, that the CCE will enter a contestant, and it is equally certain that a strong progressive CCE member would stand an excellent chance of election. TEACHERS MAY JOIN CONGRESS Organized labor is watchine with intense interest this week the out come of the debate on union af- filiation now proceedings: at the an- nual convention of the BC Teach- ers’ Federation. The issue—one that has been fought out for years at annual ; meetingss—resolyes around a resolu- tion calling for the Federation to affiliate with the Trades and Labor Congress. : in previous conventions the ques- tion had been tabied due to its controversial nature. This was done in 1938. But this year, with several months of discussion and Clarifica- tion behind them, it is believed a large number of teachers favor the move and are prepared to vote ac_ cordingly. Opposition is expected to come mainly from a sroup of elementary teachers headed by Miss A J. Dauphinee, head of the elementary Sehool teachers section of the Bederation. Supporters of union status are headed by J. H. Sutherland of Magee Elish School, Wederation vice-president and candidate for president. With Miss Dauphinee also a presidential nominee, the issue is expected to be decided largely by the results of the election. i= the convention approves af filiation with the Trades Congress, the teachers are certain to get a warm welcome from organized 1a- bor. One other now before delegates concerns equalization of rural school sai- aries with urban scales. At presen: the average city teacher receives $1506 per year, while rural salaries average only $981. Nurses Walkout important resolution At Comax Hospital Breakdown of negotiations for better working hours, wages and conditions resulted in the walkout of nine nurses from St. Joseph’s Hospital in Comox Wednesday. An emergency squad of four nurses were rushed from St. Paul’s Hospital on Thursday to the Island institution to assist the three purses and two orderlies who re- mained on duty. § t ih p g