THE PEOPLES ADVOCATE
Page Three
Link Green
Nith Big
i:mployers
» Lewis Charges
AFL Conspired To
Wreck Wagner Act
WASHINGTON. DC — Docu-
entary proof of collusion be-
teen President William Green
ethe AFL, the National Manu-
G@:turers Association and anti-
fior corporations in the prepar-—
Bon of proposed amendments to
fs Wagner Act has been offered
= the Senate Labor Committee
= CIO President John L. Lewis.
I charge publicly,” Lewis
Gote, “that these amendments
ommended by Mr. Green and
©: associates have been drafted
ith the aid, counsel and advice
representatives of the Na-
nal Manufacturers Association
Jj several of the most reaction-
*&- and anti-labor corporations
the country.
FIn the event that Mr. Green
fi bis associates either refuse
» answer this charge or the
astions suggested, or evade or
Giy the same, I am prepared
* present to your Committee at
'; time documentary. proof of
charges.”
HAfter briefly reciting the bene-
: to labor and the public
jught by the Wagner Act,
iwis suggested that the Com-
gitee ask Green and his asso-
iftes 2 number of questions
ien they appaer to testify for
Seir proposed amendmenis.
fese questions were based on
= points.
| Were the amendments pre-
red solely by the API and in
> interest of the workers of
== country?
") Were they prepared with the
vice and counsel of representa-
‘es of corporations and the
’} Did Green or His associates
Safer in secret with corporation
sresentatives on the proposed
hiendments?
"L Will Green or his associates
iclose the names of the corpor-
fon representatives with whom
*2>y conferred?
: 3. Are the corporations with
‘\ich Green or his associates
‘nferred under charges by the
‘tional Labor Relations Board
the most flagrant violators of
> Wagner Act?
3. What accounts for the wide
iread revolt among AFL afi-
tes throughout the country
ainst the proposed amend-
sents, if not their realization
2+ the amendments were pre
red to serve the interests of
= enemies of labor?
"The workers of this country,”
swis said in conclusion, “whe-
er members of the APL or
‘©, are entitled to a thorough
obing of this situation.”
io Fascist Decorations
»« Victoria
‘ICTORIA, May 1i1—Shoppers in
ir quest for decorations to cele—
‘ute the visit of the King and
{ een late this month are remind-
| through the medium of sand-
is thi boards and cars bearing post-
not to buy any so0o0ds made in
'=sressor countries.
lone the waterfront a crew of
ar persons are on the lookout for
“ap iron or other shipments des-
ed for Japan’s war industry,
wich, when found, will be report-
to the Embargo Council for
tion. The local WCTU is play-
= a major role in soliciting sig-
tures to the embargo petition,
ving assumed the responsibility
conducting a house to house
avass,
{nm a wire sent to R. W. Mayhew,
P, after the Embargo Council
eetings, the incumbent member
- this constituency was asked to
id his support to any movement
the Ottawa House designated to
2ce an embargo on the shipment
war materials from Canadian
rts to aggressor nations.
HALT HERRING
SEINING OFF
NORTH ISLAND
Salmon Trollers
Gain Concession
By Amendment
Worth Island Hshermen have
had a long-standing srievance
abolished by an amendment to
Fishery Regulations which
prohibits purse-seining for her-
Ting in the waters along the
north coast of Graham Island
between Knox Point and Shag
Rock.
it is stated by the Fisheries De—
partment “the change is on the
understanding that if the findings
ef the Fisheries Research Board,
in its herring investigation in that
vicinity, do not confirm the neces-
sity thereof, the question of with-
drawing it will need to be consid-
ered.”’
The concession thus granted con-
stitutes a victory for salmon troll-
ers of North Island who have car-
ried on a Campaign for some years
now to have purse-seining for her-
ring prohibited in the interests of
conservation of the salmon run.
Authorities have arfsued that de-
pletion of herring will not neces-
Sarily affect adversely the salmon
run, but fishermen, through many
years of observation and experi-
ence, maintain that this is incor-
rect, and, where there are no her-
ring for salmon to feed on, no
Salmon run in that area.
immense bitterness .has pre-
vailed at times in the area referred
te, on account of seiners ecleanins
out the herring. On one occasion,
forceful methods were advocated
to compel the herring seiners ta
withdraw. Petitions, resolutions
and protests have been adopted by
Salmon trollers’ organisations for
Some considerable time. Fishermen
who fish the vicinity for salmon
will enjoy some satisfaction in the
present amendment. and most of
them feel confident that the ob-
servations of the Research Board
will vindicate their theory.
NORWAY SHIFTS
PEACE POLICY
OSLO, Norway.—The first signs
of a shift of Norway opinion away
from the dangerous “neutrality”
policy are becoming evident
throughout this country.
Martin Lranm2el,
of Arbeiderbladet, Labor Party or-
£an, in a speech in Trondheim,
emphasized that Norway must re-
consider her position in the light
of present international events.
He warned that the fate of
Czechoslovakia “was worse than
that of Spain” but still said that
Worway must strengthen her “de
fense of neutrality.”
“We cannot fall back on 1914 and
the situation at that time,’ he
added however. “Today we have a
responsibility for the entire peo-
ple. Our party and the government
have recognized this and we are
clear that the center of the new
war would be the WNorth Sea,
which would bring our country in-
to the very center of the zone of
hostilities. We will not be in a pos-
ition to remain neutral but we
will have to choose sides. Funda-
mentally, we will have no choice.”
The Norwegian Communist Party
praised this declaration by Tran-
mael as a big step, and expressed
the hope that the entire Labor
Party would move forward to a
positive peace policy.
ssue Warning Against
Chinese’ Silk Hosiery
Editorial reprints from the Chinese Salvation Times of New
ork in both the English and Chinese languages were distrib-
ed to organizations and newspapers in BC this week warning
e public to be wary of an “all-Chinese silk stocking”
ctured by the Yung Tai China
Jt Company (American Sales
velopment Company incorporat-—
) 183 Madison Avenue, New
rk.
[he company claims to have
G60 bales of silk stored in the
ternational Settlement in Shaneg-
i and a capital of $20,000. Sam-
SS and advertisements have been
at throughout the country under
> trade name of “Sino-Frose’”’
th the explanation of competing
th Japanese goods in order to
store Chinese national interests.
Fhe editorial points out that
= activities of the Yung Tai
mpany not only sabotages the
yeott movement but violates the
WS ofthe Chinese Central govern-
me and asks the Chinese popule-
manu—
tion to end the company’s sabor-
age of the boycott against Japa-
nese goods.
According to the Chinese press,
the Japanese invaders have al-
ready
the silk cocoon
occupied territory of China. The
Chinese government announced
that all goods monopolized, looted
or controlled by the Japanese in
the seized areas would be regard-—
ed as Japanese goods and therefore
prohibited.
The sudden appearance of this
company and its “Sino-Hose” prod-
uct can only be taken as a move
to create confusion and sabotage
industry in the
the popular “Boycott Japanese
Silk” movement thereby assisting
the Japanese, according to the
Salvation Limes.
editor-in-chief
proclaimed a monopoly of |
Royal City In Arms ¢
Sweeping Tax Increases
eS
CHINA‘S NEW LIFELINE ROAD |
lifeline,
which was constructed in eight months.
war for the Chinese armies can be transported from the outside world via Rangoon.
4 section of the recently completed highway from Lashio in British Burma to Kunning, China’s sole
The highway provides a route whereby munitions of
Spain Will Yet Be Free,
Insists Dr. Juan Negrin
where he is staying
with Foreign Minister Julio Al-
varez del Vayo. j
‘If war comes,” he said, “those
who hoped to prevent it by “non-
intervening’ will have to reconquer
at heavy cost the territory and
positions the Spanish people could
have held for them.
“I hope and wish for the whole
world and for my country that a
general war can be averted. I do
not know exactly how the present
regime will meet its end, but I do
know that the people will not sup-
port it.
fithout war, the Pranco re-
gime might exist one or two
years without revolution, but it
will collapse finally It is diff-
eult to dominate Spaniards.”
The Spanish Republic was de-
feated on the battlefield Weesrin
| said, only because “the enemy had
10 to 20 times more weapons than
did the Republican army during
NEW YORK, NY.—Dr. Juan Negrin, Premier of the Spanish!
republican sovernment, is confident Thar his people will be “mas-
ters in ens own house” once again. He made the statement in
New York last week during a press interview at the Hotel Plaza,
in company.
City Hall
Highlights
This Week
DR. JUAN
NEGRIN
| the Catalonian offensive of Decem-
ber-January, which was decisive.”
“Wwevertheless,”’ he added, “we
held back the fascists for more
than two and a half years. We
thereby delayed the second world’
war, the danger of which has
grown infinitely greater since
the .<Sp2anish republic’s defenses
collapsed. The accumulation of
Etalian and German naval, air
and other military forces in and
| around Gibraltar is ominous.”
Dr. Negrin declared he had come
to the United States as a private
citizen. He announced his will-
ingness, however, to give the bene-
fits of his wartime experiences to
those who still have to face the
same adversaries and the same
modern war equipment which de-
stroyed the democratic regime in
Spain.
He voiced thanks to the numer
ous Americans and Canadians who
helped the Spanish people by fin-
ancial contributions, sympathy and
actual participation in the fight.
The effort was “not wasted,’ he
said.
ITHOUT being facetious, we
certainly feel we are more
Important than goldfish,” com-
mented Mrs. E. Mahon in ap-
pearing before the Civic Prop-
erties Committee to request the
use of one of the old city-owned
houses at English Bay for use
by the West End Community
Center.
She was commenting on the
fact that the organization’s for-
mer quarters in one of the old
bathhouses has been leased to
a private company for use as
an aquarium. The Community
Center has 225 members and has
been doing valuable work. The
matter was referred to Ald.
John Bennett for study.
e
SE of city maintenance work-
ers on reconstruction of the
Vivian Bridge on Marine Drive
was protested before Civic Board
of Works by William Page rep-
resenting the District Council of
Carpenters and the Pile Drivers
and Wooden Bridge Builders’
Union.
“Widening of the bridge can’t
be classed as maintenance work,”
Page prtested in urging the em-
ployment of union men on such
work. The matter was entrusted
to a special committee for de-
cision.
e
IViC Finance Committee this
week rejected the recom-
mendation of the conciliation
board favoring an annual holiday
increase for outside civic work-
ers from five to seven days and
the matter will be referred back
for further consideration.
S
ELIeF rolls in Vancouver for
April show a slight decrease,
according to the report of Social
Services Administrator Bone, but
it is pointed out that the reduc-
tion is seasonal only. The de-
crease amounts to 520 from the
previous month.
e
OSSTBILITY that the ques-
tion of launching a low rent-
al housing scheme for Vancou-
ver, taking advantage of loans
offered for this purpose under
the Wational Housing Act, may
be the subject of a plebiscite at
the December civic elections. The
move was suggested by Ald.
John Bennett in what was inter-
preted as a move to block Ald.
Helena Gutteridge from bring-—
ing the issue before Council in
June. Support for a housing pro-
fram through federal loans has
been urged by a large number
of civic organizations.
HOUSING SCHEME
PLEA RENEWED
“Canada is the only civilized
country in the western -worid
which has not accepted its respon-
sibility toward housing,’ declared
Ald. Helena Gutteridge in dis-"
cussing a report submitted to the
Civic social services committee
Monday by health and building of-
ficials ordering the demolition of
two Hogan’s Alley shacks.
Dr. Stewart Murray, medical
health officer, and Andrew Has
gart, building inspector, ordered
the shacks razed after they inves—
gated -the premises following a
Supreme Court jurys condemna-—
tion of the district in question.
“The report confirms what the
housing committee has said all
along about these slum conditions. j
Other cities have found that it
actually pays in dollars and cents
to clean up such places,” Ald. Gut-
teridge stated in renewing the de-
mand for a low rent housing pro-
gram.
Ald. J. W. Gornett opined that
conditions were no worse here than
in other large cities, but offered no
solution to making conditions any
better.
“Unless the building inspector
can make a clear case of actual
Physical danger or the medical
| Beate officer make a clear case of
actual health hazard, civie officials
may be subject to action for dam-
ages,’ Dr. Murray explained as he
outlined difficulties which face
them in ordering dwellings de
molished.
The committee accepted the re-
port and ordered the officials to
Crees es nm
INTEREST RATE
OVER ONE-THIRD
OF CITY BUDGET
City Council Sticks To
Orthodox Finance;
Isnores Refunding
NEW WESTMINSTER, May
11. — This city’s overworked
taxpayers will hand over ap-
proximately $294,000 in inter-
est payments to bondholders
this year on an average interest
rate of five percent. In addi-
tion they are going to have to
pay over some $200,000 more for
education costs exclusive of the
severnment grant, both of which
items total up to around $500,000
out of a budget of only $1,362,000.
Yet the Royal City’s municipal
government, given a splendid
chance this year to really come to
rips with a refunding of the debt
structure, to cite only one solution
to the problem, turned back to the
good old methods of orthodox “fin-
ance” by bringing down a so-called
balanced budget which carried
with it a five-mill tax boost that
hit Mr. and Mrs. Citizen like a
blow between the eyes and brought
forth the first rumblings of what
may be a storm of protest.
Faced by the banks -with the
recessity of providing for the sink—
ing fund “or else,’ the city’s logi-
cal move was to have turned to a
refunding program which would
bring interest rates down to at
least three percent.
It should have been obvious to
the City Council that ratepayers
cannot continue paying out some
$000,000—over a third of the en-
tire budget — im interest pay-
ments and school costs, and it’s
a notorious fact that part of the
bonded “indebtedness” consists
of an old ferry boat which went
out of service far back in the
misty past and is now being
used, according to rumor, as a
houseboat on the lower reaches
of the Fraser river. But ortho-
dox “finance,” in the person of
the bankers, won out this time.
Consider the fact that, with the
tax rate boosted to 70 mills, rate—
payers will have to pay $70 yearly
on property valued at $1000, in ad-
dition to seeing light and water
rates go up as a result of a slash
;in the rebates, and you just begin
to get the picture that’s
New Westminster this week.
Meantime the ratepayer looks
around in something of a daze and
concludes that something will
have to be done even if the City
Council appears unable to do it.
The difficulty is, there is no kinda
of a ratepayers’ organization which
could convey the citizezns’ resent-
ment to the City Halil. This is
probably one of the reasons why
the budget was handed down in
its present shape. But there is a
wide sentiment for some such or-
ganization and it lacks only the
initial move to develop a powerful
Civic organization of taxpayers
that could present its views to City
Council and actually aid aldermen
in solving some of the pressing
problems.
And one of the first questions
to be tackled by such a movement
facing
continue to do everything possible
to improve conditions.
NEW WESTMINSTER, May 11
—FProtest of the Workers’ Alliance
was registered this week with the
Fraser Valley Reeves’ Association
Over the latter’s proposals to scale
Gown the 40-cent hourly wage now
paid relief workers.
In his letter to the reeves G. F.
Smart, secretary of the Workers’
Alliance, points out that a reduc-
tion in the wage scale would not
improve conditions but tend io
make them more acute, particu-
larly for the worker and his fam-
ily.
is obviously a change in the debt
structure and a sharp reduction
in interest rates.
Pattulle Satisfied
On Werks Program
OTTAWA, May i1i—Premier T.
D. Pattullo expressed satisfaction
at the conclusion of conferences
with Prime Minister Mackenzie
King and Hon. Charles Dunning,
Minister of Finance, for a deci-
sion on works program. The BC
premier countered Senator Gries-
bach’s warnings about the US
building a road through the proy-
ince.
Safeway Employees Get
New Union Agreement
New agreements were signed this week between the Retail
Clerks’ union, Local 279, and Safeway Stores covering approxi-
mately 270 workers in the 56 stores of the chain and bringing
wage increases to 38 of the company’s meat clerks.
The new agreement will bring a2,
continuation of union conditions }
until May i, 1940, and is a renewal
ot the contract signed in 1938
when the stores were first organ-
ized.
An important feature of the ne
gotiations was the writing in of a
elause stipulating that new em-
ployees shall become union mem-
bers not later than 30 days after
employment.
Meat clerks were also granted
wage boosts of $3 a week, which
- COUVer’s
year’s contract brought Wage in-
ereases totalling $32,900. :
The Retail Clerks Union is one
of the youngest locals in the eity'’s
organized labor movement, and
bas been making striking progress
since its inception.
In addition to signng up Van-
largest retail chain store
company, steady gains are being
made in a number of big depart-
ment stores and markets in the
city, with the possibility that these
companies may also be brought in-
to line with Safeway Stores during
will aggregate around $5900. Last
the present year.
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