aemeenietiinel wqrtewn cerns remennnons - tle BRITISH COLUMBIA’S PROGRESSIVE HOME NEWSPAPER aig FOR PEACE, PROGRESS AND DEMOCRACY FULL No. 227. VANCOUVER, B.C., FRIDAY, MAY 26, 1939 PEARSON HEDGES AS SINGLE MEN REACH CRISIS Refuses Answer To Unemployed Request For Work Governmental vagueness still shrouds the summer works scheme for unemployed single men announced last week by G- S. Pearson, minister of labor, as holdback pay, which has maintained the men since their discharse irom the forestry camps late last month, reached an end. The crisis among the men will be reached this weekend, but the labor minister declines to give any assur— ances when the plan will go into effect or whether relief will be fiven pending the reopening of the camps. All the pleas of the Relief Pro- ject Workers’ Union have. been ig- mnored. Pearson has told Norman Coe of the Victoria Trades and Labor Council, who interceded for the union, that he does not recog- nize any organization of the un- employed. Unemployment is not permanent: it is only a seasonal condition, ac- eordinge to the minister, but the results remain the same. Mayor Telford has aiso made rep- resentations to the labor depart- ment on behalf of the men, but he has been charged with “stirring the men up.” Two parades were staged Mon- day to the Yancouver labor depart- ment offices in an attempt to fet an answer but without results. J. Hm MeVety, chief of the unemplicy-— ment offices, was unable to give any answer on the zsovernment’s Intentions regarding a works plan. Later on the same day the men again marched to the offices and three of their number interviewed W. G. Hassard, in charge of the re— lief branch, regarding a number of men who have no vouchers and have been refused assistance On this occasion Hassard definitely re- fused to fSive the delegation any Satisfaction. The men’s officials have stated they do not wish to hold any pa- Trades or other demonstrations which might cause embarrassment to civic authorities during the royal visit, but conditions will be a2 de termining factor and there are only a few days left for the government to act until jobless are again forced on the streets to seek food and shelter. @ TROPHY This handsome masterpiece of the Silversmith’s art was captured this week by Harold Eld’s Lang- ley committee which far out Gistanced all contenders in 2 highly successful spring press campaign. AFL-CiO Unity Parleys Fo Resume Talks Scoen WASHINGTON, DC—Early re Sumption of unity negotiations be tween the APT, and CIO -was-ex= Pected this week when President Daniel Tobin of the Teamsters’ Union informed President Roose- velt that the AFT, is awaiting an invitation to resume peace confer-— ences with the Cro. Tobin, who is a member of the federation’s unity committee, told the president that conferences were originally scheduled to re- Sume after negotiations in the soft coal industry were completed. The conferences were postponed two months ago to allow United Mine Workers representatives who served on the CIO committee to attend negotiations for renewal of contracts in the coal industry. Central Labor Council Aim Of Union Conference Sunday NANAIMO, May 25. a trade union conference Labor Council will be gates from Cowichan to Mine Workers’ hall MISERY RIFE IN FRANCO SPAIN PARIS, Prance.— Misery and Starvation of the entire people; Sabotage of the fascist war ma- chine; and ever-more violent ter- rorism and repression by the Zov- ernment—that is a summing-up of daily life in Franco Spain, accord- ing to numbers of independent French eye-witnesses who have just returned to their own country. The special correspondent in Franco Spain for the French Na- Gonalist paper, I’Ordre, has biven Striking testimony on conditions there. “Misery and pauperism,’ he writes, “far from diminishing, in- crease. In Barcelona, Catalonia and Aragon the food queues are longer than ever, and the bread ration is less than it was during the war. Meat is rare everywhere, while in Castille and the Asturias it is vir- tually unobtainable. Sugar is an expensive luxury, while coffee is asab measured out in jeweller’s bal- ances. “Last week there were eight bomb attacks in Madrid. A bomb was found near one of the most important mines in the Asturias. In Oviedo and Guipuzeoa there are Gozens of cases of Sabotage in the factories and on the railways. ““The government is doing every- thing possible -to suppress this Silent revolt by the most violent (Continued on Page 5) See FRANCO — Final preparations for establishing asis for an Upper Island Ceniral made Sunday when trade union dele- Courtenay convene here in the United & A constitution parallel to other trades councils has been adopted and will be presented to the dele gates for ratification, but no move will be made to apply for a char- ter until present difficulties be- tween the CIO and ABIL orzaniza- tienms in the United States has been settled. First moves to establish a central labor body was made during the end of March when delegates from the United Mine Workers, Inter- national Woodworkers of America and: fishermen’s unions met in the initial meeting. Since then the popularity of the movement has spread to include all unions from Cowichan Lake north on the Up- per Island. At present the Island is served by one Trades Council at Victoria and trade unionists in Cumberland, Port Alberni, Nanaimo and several other places in the northern half of the Island are barred from rep- resentation due to distance. A program of organization which aims at unionizing the entire area and representations to the Pro- vinecial government for amend- ments to the Arbitration and Con- eiliation Acts was drafted and ac- cepted by the first meeting. W. %S. Atkinson, Island repre sentative of the UMWA, has had discussions with Hon. G, S. Pear— son, Minister of Labor, on the point of amending the labor act te which the minister was agreeable. The meeting on Sunday is ex pected to be well representative of unions in the district, according to Atkinson and WNigel Morgan mem- bers of the continuations commit tee. [LANGLEY wins) NEW RECORDS CLIMAX SPRING PRESS DRIVE Supporters Donate Over 1200 Subs In Brilliant Finish By WM. RAVENOR New records were estab- lished for spring press cam- paigns when Advyocate-Clarion supporters throughout the prov- ince sent in ten times more than Was required during the week to over fulfill the $2800 objec- tive. Nearly $600 was received at drive headquarters to boost the grand total to $3496 and 1211 subscriptions. Out of the struggle to attain first place Langley committee emerged the undisputed winners for provincial honors with a score far in advance of Vancouver Center, the nearest rivals. Press campaigners in BEC will join with us in extending congratulations to Harold Hid and his committee for the splendid work. Seven Vancouver committees contributed $1854 or $54 more than the pledge of Alberta, while re- ceipts from BC points apart from Vancouver equalled the pledge of Manitoba. The total of $3496 is $96 more than the combined pledges of Manitoba and Alberta. Progres- Sive British Columbians have set a record to be proud of. All during the drive period drive headquarters received a daily average of $60 and more than 20 subscriptions to reach the top in 25 days less time than in the drive last April. Besides the 1211 subscriptions there were some 5000 tickets for district social events sold and many dozens of community affairs Gerived a source of revenue which assures us of many friends and TOWARD USSR ALLIANC LONDON, Eng. — Possible end 1 te the deadlock in negotiations for an Angilo-Soviet military alli- ance was seen here Thursday as Foreign Secretary Viscount Hali- fax was understood to be ready to instruct the British ambassa- dor in Moscow to propose a for- mal tri-power mutual defense pact between Britain, France and the Soviet Union. Full terms of the British offer were not made public. if the advices from the Foreign Office are correct, it would ap- pear as though the pressure of public opinion in both Britain and France has finally forced Premier Chamberlain to come to terms, though many observers here are sill fearful that the Premier may yet attempt to bleck the peace pact, By HARRY GANNES NEW YORK, NY. — There is obviously a significant quick- ening of British and French ne- gotiations concerning the Sovi- et Union’s peace front insist- ance on reciprocity of commit- ments to halt fascism. What has actuated this develop- ment and what is behind it? Monday Mussolini’s foreign min- isetr, his son-in-law Count Ciano, Signed the German-tTtalian military treaty. Mussolini’s final word about that pact, just before it was to be signed, sent a new shiver cf alarm through Europe. At Cuneo, in italys Piedmont province on Prance’s frontier, the Rome fas- eist dictator boasted of the deter-— mination of the Berlin-Rome axis, through this war pact, to dictate its own terms to the world. He ranted -supporters—in_the provinces We would be remiss in our duty should we fail to give the Project Workers’ Union committee special mention for being the first to raise its pledge of $100 and when the books closed Monday ti had reach- ed 182.2 per cent, exceeded only by Cumberland, which under John Stockland’s leadership, reached the provincial high with 203 per cent. Vancouver committee ratings in points are: Vancouver Center, 491; Grandview, 368; South Vancouver, 334; Hastings East, 276; Burrard, 233- Worth Burnaby with E. Sletvik as leader reached the highest of suburban committees with 325 points folloed by Gibsons Landing, 289, and Nerth Vancouver, 254. Trade union committee in Van- couver Center were responsible for outstanding results. John Magnus’ Hotel and Restaurant Employees raised better than the objective of $10 a member and totalled more than $200. Charles Stewart’s com- mittee turned a record of $197 which was materially assisted by Bill Bennett, who raised nearly $70. The Electricians, Needle Trades and Woodworkers also made his- tory. In the Fraser Valley Harold Eld’s Tangley committee leads the parade with over 700 points; Matsqui, 394; Mission, 315; Surrey, 264; Haney, 183, and New West minster, 130. Cc F. Coleman’s Salmon Arm eommittee holds high place in the Okanagan Valley with 297 points, and Vernon with 280. Cumberland holds high place on Vancouver Island with 449 points, Charles Beasor’s Nanaimo commit-— tee follos with 302 and Victoria, (Continued on Page 5) See NEW RECORDS march of the fascist armed hordes. These circumstances served to Wipe out the last shred of lying claims in the “appeasement” press of England, France and the Unit ed States, that this military pact Changed nothing and that Musso- lini really desires peace. Now, to offset the apprehensions of the British and French people, the Chamberlains and Bonnets are compelled to hasten their talks with the Soviet Union. Throughout the British nation the demand for a reciprocal al- liance with the USSR is forcing the Chamberlain gang in the cab- inet to spur this decisive issue whether they like it or not. On May i1 the Soviet govern- ment, through an editorial in Iz vestia, official organ of the USSR, aroused the world as to the real meaning of the Hitler-Mussolini military understanding. TIzvestia then said, among other things: “As to the military and politi- eal alliance of Italy and Ger- many, it dealt a further blow to the situation that existed in Europe before it. . . There are no longer two ‘parallel’ policies. Europe is now faced with a Single general and military pol- icy, 2 German-Italian policy, whose cutting edge, as the au- thors of the- treaty themselves declare, is directed against Bri- tain and France. “How can it be asserted that this important event has caused no Change in the European situ- ation?” While the Chamberlains were dilly-dallying on this most vital is- sue of a peace front, Hitler and Mussolini were rapidly intensifying (Gontinued on Page 5) See ANGLO-SOVIET CCF Rejects Move To Protest Civic Election Delegates to the CCE Regional Committee meeting in the Cedar Cottage clubrooms Sunday rejected a provincial execu- tive recommendation to contest the May 10 by-election which sent G C. Miller into the vacancy by a small plurality over Alfred Hurry, CCF contestant. ““The proposal to contest the elec-@ularly in its failure to supply suf- tion was turned down only on the grounds of expenses; that is, the expense of litigation to the CCR | and also the additional expense of | another by-election to the citizens of Vancouver,” a statement by the conference declared. Delegates voted 13 to 10 against | the provincial committee’s proposal. “The meeting was unanimous in! its condemnation of the City Coun- ceil and its servants in the conduct of the recent by-election, partic— ficient ballots,” it was stated. Mayor Telford, when informed of the CCE resolution, stated the or- Zanization’s actions are misdirected since City Council had nothing fo do with the shortage of ballots. Cost of fighting the election through the Supreme Court was estimated at between $200 and $300. Delegates debated the issue for two hours before arriving at the decision to not contest the by-elec- tion, thereby saving the party and the citizens from further expense. about the “irresistible” | Premier Chamberlain (above) under pressure of the Sritish people, turns reluctantly to- ward an Angie Soviet pact as insisted on by Soviet Ambassador Maisky (right), though = he _sfill_ prefers _“ap- _ peasement’ and may yet succeed in betray- ing Britain and France to Hitler fascism. HE’D RATHER JOIN HIT LER Big Business Benefits By Sales Tax; Consumers Lose (Special to the Advocate) OTTAWA, Ont.—Should the government further subsidize manufacturers and corporations, or should they reduce prices to consumers by lowering the eight-percent sales tax? For two days the House of Commons debated this problem, but the manufacturers won. The CCF members, Social Credit, and even the voice of R. J. Deach-¢ man (ib. Huron North) urged that benefits of tax reduction should go to consumers. But the budget pro- posal of Finance Minister Dunning to grant tax credit to manufactur ers in the form of reduction in in- come tax payments to the extent of 10 percent of extension replace- ments, or construction of new plants, was given approval in the ways and means committee. “I appeal to the government in regard to this farm situation,” Mr. Deachman declared, “to restore the prosperity of the farmer and thus flve increased purchasing power to the people of Canada, because on the prosperity of the farm, depends the prosperity of the rest of Canada. “Today TI looked up the finances of some of our large corporations. They are in a very comfortable po- sition. I wish the statement of ag- riculture in my county, for in- stance, could reach such figures as I see in the statement of Canadian Cottons for 1937. “In that year their depreciation reserve amounted to $5,050,000, or an inerease of $500,000 since 1935. There was a special reserve—T do not know what it means, but it is neatly tucked away there of $600,000; and $200,174 is provided for contingencies. “T should like to see the farmer who, during the past year, was able to put away a couple of hundred dollars for contingencies Then we have General Steel of Canada, with reserves for depreciation, sinking fund, betterments and contingen- cies amountine to $27,965,303, show- ing an increase of 32,400,000 since 1935-2 He pointed to the sugar industry which, he said, made net earnings of $8,171,000 more than they had during the period of our greatest prosperity. These are the companies which the government proposes to sub- Sidize. And to do that, they take from the people about $125,000,000 @ year in the form of sales tax (Gontinued on Page 5) See BIG BUSINESS COUNCIL OKER'S NON-UNION JOB Protests fire, police Monday by registered with civic and traffic committee the City Fire Fighters’ Union over the awarding of a con- tract for firemen’s badges to Pressed Metal Products, a mnon- union firm, proved futile as the Civic finance committee okeh’d city purchasing agent W. A. Sheppard’s action in letting the contract. P. FE. Enright, of the union, in his letter to the aldermen reminded them of a resolution adopted sev— eral weeks ago to faver union firms when contracts or purchases were to be made. By their actions aldermen have endorsed the open shop with its attendant low wages, unionists Charge. The wages paid in this Plant are $8, $1050 and $12.50 a week, whereas in union shops wages vary from $14 up to $35 a weelr. Jewelry Workers’ Union first raised the objection before the purchasing agent and enlisted the support of the Fire Fighters to pro- test the letting of contracts to low- wage firms. Gordon Farrington, Jewelers’ delegate, also raised the question in the last meeting of the Trades and Labor Council, asking support of the executive board to take the matter up with hte City Council. The lowest union firm contract was $517. Jewelry Workers’ Union have concluded an agreement With the Pacifie Great Eastern Railway whereby all watches will Be re- paired by union labor, Gordon Far- rington told the Advocate this week. Similar agreements with the Canadian Pacific ang the Canadian Wational Railways will likely be Signed shortly, Parrinston said.