THE PEOPLES ADVOCATE Page Three [SXILED GERMAN HONORED ‘elves an honorary LEES=® of _ University. THOMAS MANN (right), famous author, ecturms during his self-imposed exile from Germany, who has been re- doctor of letters at Princeton Ke F Expels Splitters On eee Regional Council CALGARY, Alta.—An action which will have a vital effect a the labor movement of this city and province was the recent IEW WAGES ‘OR CANNERIES "VICTORIA, BC, June i1—Mini- uml wages in the fruit and yvege- ble canning industry in BC for en and women went into effect day as established by the Board . Industrial Relations last week j§ad will remain tor the balance of /1e year. Eat sary Se er ' The minimum wage scale for -omen is 27 cents an hour up to ) hours for a single day and if ‘mn employee be called to work she sill receive 81 cents—the equiva- mt of three hours work. |For every hour worked over 10 ‘ad up to 12 the wage will be 40 ents and 54 cents an hour for very hour over 12. | Wages of male employees now in ‘ffect are 35 cents an hour for the ‘Tst 1G hours; over i0 and up > 12 hours the wage rate is 5214 ents an hour and for every hour ver 12 the rate is 70 cents. jess any _No worker is to receive ‘han three hours wages for ‘ay called to work. | Handicapped employees, for 7vhom a permit must be procured efore they are hired, will receive 3 cents an hour for a 10-hour day. ‘he prevailing overtime rates for His class of worker is 3734 cents mM hour up to i2 hours and 50 ents an nour over a i2-hour day. ALERT BAY, BC, June 1—Fail- ‘re to provide fire fighting equip- agent at his Knight Inlet logging perations cost H. B. Spicher $25 md court costs. ‘scision of provincial and national CCE committee members ) expel a group of splitters on the Calgary regional council. 2 ihed by reactionary elements, an inner struggle has been going on for some time in the CCF here. Recently the now ousted central executive announced it would have nothing to do with the Labor Party as a coordinatins factor in local and provincial election campaigns. The Calgary council practically took upon itself powers vested in the provincial committee and in fact flouted the CCE -provincial platform. Leading members of the former executive have not only been strugeling for some time against the policies of the CCF, but in their fi,eht against any form of unity for ; the immediate needs of the people have pursued a line close to that of the ILP in Britain. it is well known that leading members of the ousted ‘council were in closer touch with the Max- ton group in England than they were with the national and provin- cial committees of the CCF. The disruptive actions of the group can plainly be seen when it is remembered that the Labor Party commands a vote of ap- proximately 3000 trade unionists in the city of Calgary, yet the old zouncil refused point blank to have any understanding with them. The new council is headed by A. J. E. Liesemer, a former alderman who not long ago ran for mayor and was able to pile up some 13,000 votes, the highest attained by a progressive nominee for the mayor- alty. Among members of the new eouncil is Mrs. E. J. Garland, wife of the CCF national organizer. Tt is felt the new council will give the CCE a new lease on life in the city and that now the work of the party will be closer to the people. CCF activity in Calgary has been almost at a standstill as a result of the former leadership. 3UILT FOR SOVIET USE A FIREBOAT built at the shipyards in Gosthbae Maine, is iaded aboard a freighter at Jersey City, NJ, to be taken to Viadivostok. it is 90 feet over all with a 22-foot beam. [CHINESE ARMY LEADERS STATE VICTORY SURE Japan Faces Certain Economic, Military Disaster in China CHUNGKEING, China (Special) —“Though the Jap- anese Army is. technically stronger than ours, we are united as never before in his- tery and we have the vast ter- ritory and inexhaustible man- power necessary for certain victory.”’ Im these words two outstanding leaders of the Chinese Army this week explained the reasons behind the successful counter-offensives of the Chinese forces on various fronts. Speaking to a group of foreign correspondents here, Chou En-lai, Assistant Chief of the Political De— partment of the Chinese Military Council and leading Communist, analyzed the position of the fronts following a recent tour of the lines. “Japan's primary political aim, to establish hegemony in the East China, remains unchanged,” he said. “After the fall of Wuhan (Hankow and its twin cities) 85 Percent ef all Japanese troops are engaged in operations against Chinese irregular forces on Jap- anese-occupied territory. These operations have been unsuccess— ful for the enemy. During the first period of the war, Japan attempted to exploit the natural resources it had captured, but the facts shew that the econemic measures adopted by the Jap- anese militarists, like their mil- itary plans, have failed to ma- terialize.” General Pai Chung-hsi, ene of the leading strategists of the Chin- ese Army, explained the import- ance of the present mobilization campaign in Kwangsi, Kwantune and Hupeh provinces. “The Japanes invasion of China,” he said, “relied on the technical superiority of the Jap- anese Army. However, the pres- ent war is determined not only by the army but akso by national unity, natural geographical condi- tions, by mobilization of both eco- nomic and financial resources, among other things. “When we examine these con- ditions, we see that although the Japanese Army is technically stronger than ours, we are none- theless umited and we have the vast territory and inexhaustible manpower necessary for victory. NAZIS THREATEN ONTARIO CENSOR By SYDNEY JORDAN TORONTO, Ont—Death to a provincial official—that is the ugly threat that has been thrown out by Nazi agents in Toronto. ©. J. Silverthorne, chairman of the Ontario Board of Censors, has received death notes from Nazis angered by the showing here of Warner Brothers’ smashing ex-— pose, Confessions of a Nazi Spy- The threatening letters, about 2 half dozen in all, demanded that Silverthorne bar the film ... “or else ...” and warned of assaults against his person if he did not act accordingly. The matter is now in the hands of the police. Disdaining the Nazi threats, however, although admitting they were not the work of mere cranks, Silverthorne said Confessions of a Nazi Spy would continue playing as usual and that its showing in the province will not be affected in the least. Rumors of this“latest chapter in the activities of Hitler’s henchmen here first cropped up several days ago. It had been expected that the Nazis would stir up some sort of trouble in connection with the film and the threats of violence against the chairman of the Board of Censors fulfilled the expecta-— tions. He received many letters from cranks in the course of his work, Silverthorne said, but the death notes, he felt, were not to be dis- counted as such. He had, in fact, felt them to be of a sufficiently serious nature to call for police action. Pointing out that the Nazis had stirred up 2 great deal of trouble in New York when Nazi Spy had been shown there, he expressed the personal view that there were grounds to believe the death threats had been the work of Nazis. PORT COQUITLAM, BC, June 1 A fine of $25 and costs was imposed on D. Rayward by Mag- istrate J. Smith for failing to fell snags within a certain area of his logging operations at Pitt Lake —a forestry department regulation The Railroad Question Big Payments To Bondholders Main Problem Of Road OTTAWA, Ont—The measure granting compensation to railway workers who lose their jobs as a result of cooperation between the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific was passed Tuesday in the House of Commons. In the form of an amendment to the Canadian National- Canadian Facifie Act of 1933, the bill was previously given as- sent in the Senate. The government introduced the measure in the Upper House after a campaign intiated by the standard railway labor Canada. The measure provides for com- pensation of 60 percent of the wages paid to a railroad worker for five years after he is laid off, providing that the worker was em- ployed for 15 years ore more on either the CPR or CNR. From this maximum figure the scale is grad- ed down to a minimum of six months’ pay for workers with a length of service over one year but less than two years. in the debate on the measure, A. A. Heaps, CCE member for North Winnipeg, demanded for a second time that immediate steps be tak- en to reduce interest payments on CNR debts to two and a half or three percent, declaring he was organizations in & not in favor of either co-operation oramalgamation until such steps were taken, and pointing out that the CNR deficit was running to about one million dollars a week due to high interest rates. Minister of Transport Howe admitted that the CNR debt structure constituted the real railway problem in Canada, and produced data showing that the average debt charge on US rail- ways was 16 percent of gross revenue; 17 percent on the CPR; while for the CNR debt charges totalled the enormous figure of 27 percent of the gross revenue of the road. The transport minister ed, however, that he opposed pudiation” of any kind. indicat— “re- Recapitalization Offered As Solution To Railways SASKATOON, Sask—Recapitalization of the capital struc- ture of the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railways based on their actual valuation was proposed here by organized railway men as the solution to the nation’s railway problem. The proposal was offered as one sthe directors of both roads to take method of eliminating the high interest rate paid to bondholders of both companies, particularly the CNR, whose earning capacity at present is unable to pay the huge dividend rate demanded by the ab- sentee stockholders. To increase railway business, the joint meeting of railway union rep-— resentatives urged the Hederal Government to launch a nation- wide “work and wages’ program which would relieve unemploy- ment and give impetus to indus- try and transport. The meeting demanded repeal of the GNR-CPR Act of 1933, by which, it was stated, railway amal- gamation will be brought about under private monopoly under the cloak of co-operation. Provisions of the Act authorizze measures which will eliminate com- petition, thereby ensuring aban- donment of tracks, curtailment of service, and abolition of inter-city competition. This would reduce the number of employees by one- third and one-half of the present number where this takes place. Another proposal was offered for the nationalization of both roads by the federal government buying up stock in the two com- panies. The meeting felt that while the campaign against railway amal- gamation has been successful to date, proponents of unification have by no means been defeated and it was thought that Sir Ed- ward Beatty, CPR chief, and his supporters, will push the drive un- der the CNR-CPR Act. Meighen Proposals Seen As CPR “Sales Promotion’ OTTAWA, Ont. — The eight points in Senator Arthur Meighen’s minority report on railway amalgamation, which last weekend became the majority report, were written by a ghost writer and constituted dian Pacific Railway, Senator James Murdoch charged during the debate in the Upper House. While elected members of the House of Commons categorically expressed their opposition to rail- way amalgamation, Tory senators, responsible to no one, voted 25 against 21 in favor of unification on Friday after the Tories, led by Senator Meighen, voted to substi- tute the minority report for unified management for the majority mo- tion submitted by Senator Dan- durand. In a lengthy expose of the back- ground of the Tory senators now supporting amalgamation, Senator Murdoch declared that Hon. C. P. Beaubien, mover of the minority report, had aided in saddling the country with debt. It was at the behest of Senator Beaubien, he pointed out, that the government took over the Quebee and Saguen- ay Railway at a cost of $7,000,000 in 1916. He outlined Liabilities incur- red by the Conservative admin- istration prior to 1921 with re- spect to the Canadian Northern, Grand Tronk and Grand Trunk Pacific Railways. The result, the Ottawa senator said, was that by 1922 the country had be- come liable for railway expendi- tures, outside of the advance- ments and assistance given im 1914, to the extent of $963,000,000. In addition, the Dominion had as— sumed liabilities to the public amounting to $804,000,000- Tf the Canadian Worthern had been allowed to go into bankruptcy in 1914, instead of the government of the day advancing $45,000,000, this country would not have to pay an annual deficit of $30,000,000 for the CINR because of which certain gentlemen in the Red Chamber are now urging unification, the sena- tor said. He called attention to the “splendid dividends” paid by the for the prevention of fire. CPR from i926 to i930, despité “sales promotion” for the Cana- the fact that the railway had been responsible for a resolution in the Senate in 192. urging uni- fication. In addition, the CPR had receiv- ed federal assistance to the tune ef $291,000,000 as well as other valuable considerations when the company was established, Senator Murdoch, former CPR trainman, Said. Turning again to the eight points in Meighen’s report, the senator Said they were very magnanimous to the CPR. He charged some of the statements constituted a “sales promotion” for the CPR, and de elared the estimate by the Cana- dian Pacific of savings of $75,000,- 000 under amalgamation was “the- oretical bunk from the start.” Amalgamation, he pointed out, would throw 45,000 men out of work and was proposed so as to revise the payment of dividends to CPR shareholders. “This report is fearfully and wonderfully drawn to conserve— first, last and alli the time — the rights of the Dominion Pacific and of the shareholders of the GPE to receive dividends in dis- regard absolutely of the Cana- dian people,” Senator Murdoch stated. The amalgamation re- port was to place a burden of millions of dollars upon the Can- adian taxpayers “for the express purpose of reinstituting and re- establishing dividends to the CPR shareholders.” There had been from five to ten CPR lobbyists around sittings of the Senate Committee all the time. “They manufactured phoney la- bor organizations and had them brought in to help out the cam- paign for unification,’ he said, re- ferring to the appearance before the committee of Allan Meikle, head of the fink-herding Canadian Federation of Labor. “It will be a diserace and a crime against Can- ada to allow the proposal for amal-— fameation to go forward,’ Murdoch concluded.* P’s Urge Refunding For CNR } | QUEBEC COURT RULES IN FAVOR PADLOCK LAW Action Will Force Eviction of Tenant As Being Communist MONTREAL, Que. — Chief Justice R. A. E. Greenshields upheld the legality of Premier Maurice Duplessis’ infamous “Padlock Law” in a Superior Court Judgment handed down this week in the case of Mimi Taub versus Louis Finebersg. This was the first test before a court of law the act has had since it was adopted by Duplessis’ legis- lature, March 24, 1937. PFinebere instituted the action against his tenant son-in-law who, together with his wife and infant son, occupied a two-room suite in Fineberg’s flat. Last January Fineberg was advised by Provin- cial Police Commissioner Col. P. A. Piuze to evict his tenant within four days or have the entire flat padiccked. R. lL. Calder, KC, counsel for the Civil Liberties Union, who- repre- sented Taub in the hearings, an- nounced he would appeal the de- cision. While admitting the act gave the attorney-general of the prov- ince “‘wide scope” the Chief Jus- tice stated that the power vested in the attorney-general did not make the occupant of the house in question a criminal and liable to punishment. Chief Justice Greenshields found that the act was designed to “pro- munist propaganda,” and as such was quite legal. “The purpose of the act is to prevent, not to pun- ish,” he said. : In this opinion the Ghief Justice Said there can be a domain where both Provincial and Dominion leg- islation overlap which would ren- der neither legislation ultra wires if the field was clear; but when the field is not clear then Dominion legislation must have precedence. im this case the field was quite clear. Taub contended that while he was using the premises in contra— vention of the act he was not do- ing so for an illegal purpose and argued that Fineberge could not de- mend cancellation of his unexpired lease because the act was uncon- stitutional. During the hearings R. L. Gal- der, KC, set out quite clearly that the act did not define what Com- munism was and that anything which may in the opinion cf a po- lice officer be termed CGommunistic could be banned and the premises padilocked without further proof. City Hall Highlights This Week cé E CAN’T balance dollars and cents against pos- sible loss of human life,” empha- tically declared Mayor Tyle Tel- ford at Tuesdays Council meet- ing as he presented a report drawn up at his request by Fire Werden H G. Bowering which labelled the four frame Dbuild- ings constituting the Vancouver Nurses’ Home as “fire traps.” Brought in over the apparent opposition of a number of alder- men, Bowering’s report stressed the fact that the buildings were unsatisfactory from the stand-— point of safety and particularly condemned the wooden fire es- capes. “If fire originated in any struc- ture of this type, it would quick- ly envelope the whole building,” the report warned. “It is recom- mended that these frame Dbuild- ings be discontinued for use as a nurses’ home, especially where large numbers of nurses congere- gate. If a serious conflagration should occur, I am convinced it would result in loss of life.” Ald. H. L. Corey admitted the General Hospital Board had rec- Ognized the fire menace as a ser- ious problem, but added that “while we are not happy about it, we are hampered by lack of fin- ances.”’ He at first favored a motion in- structing the fire warden to bring in definite recommenda- tions for a change, but appar— ently thinking better of it, later changed his motion asking mere- ly that the matter “be brought to the attention of the Board.” But, as Mayor Telford points out, citizens will want something better than “consideration” for a problem which balances human life against dollars and cents. = > = if APPEARS now that the re— port of the special civic com- mittee on fire protection matters will make some “dictatorial rec- ommendations” on fire depart— ment administration. and alder- men don’t like the idea, particu- larly Aid. Cornett.