Page Four
THE PEOPLES ADYOCATE
_THE
PEOPLE’S ADVOCATE
Published Weekly by the Proletarian Publishing
Association, Room 20, 163 West Hastings Street,
Vancouver, B.C. Phone TRinity 2019.
Editor: Hal Griffin
One Wear 2 $2.00 Three Months
Half Year __________$1.00
Single Copy ——_-$ -05
Make All Cheques Payable to: The People’s Advocate
Vancouver, B.C. -
Friday, August i1, 1939
Preserve British
Columbia’s Oil
For Our People
P IN the Peace River country, with its
vast untapped natural resources, things
are happening of which the people of this
province should be made aware.
For a long time past the provincial govern-
talked of developing a provincial
oil industry in the Peace River country. At
its last session the legislature voted $60,000
for geological surveys and considerable pre-
liminary work has actually been done by the
ment has
fovernment.
If the provincial sovernment is convinced
that there is a rich oil country awaiting de-
velopment in the Peace River, so are the
great American oil companies. Michael Bene-
dum, famous wildcatter, who boasts that he
has never failed to strike it rich in any field
he has developed, and his partner, Joe Trees,
have already started drilling operations at
Pouce Coupe. Behind them, closely watching
developments, are the big oil companies, pre-
pared to step in when the field has been
proven.
The issue before the people is whether
British Columbia is to have an oil industry
in their interests or whether the big oil
companies, now fighting the provincial gov-
ernment’s gas price-fixing legislation in the
courts, are to reap huge profits by exploit-
ing the natural resources of the province.
True, the provincial government is conduct-
ing exploration work. But will it be that in
the end the big oil companies and not the
people will reap the benefits of this? Private
interests have already obtained some leases.
In the twenties the Oliver Liberal sovern-
ment tallked of establishing a provincial iron
and steel industry. Nothing came of it, al-
though establishment of such an industry
would have given tremendous stimulus to
British Columbia’s development.
Every premier of this province since Con-
federation has publicly acknowledged the fact
that the natural resources belong to the peo-
ple, while privately handing over these re-
sources to private interests.
The history of BC is one of unashamed
robbery and exploitation of our natural re-
sources by private interests. The Dunsmuirs
built their fortune on the vast coal lands
granted them by the Smithe government,
finally selling them in 1910 to Mackenzie and
Mann for $11,000,000. Some will remember
the charges made in 1915 by the Ministerial
Union of the Lower Mainland. To the charge
that 2,162.785 acres of provincial lands had
been given to 43 companies or individuals
the corrupt McBride Conservative govern-
ment could find no adequate answer.
Our forests are nearly gone, destroyed
by private interests in their lust for profits.
Our mineral wealth is being shipped to
Japan that the “Big Four” of that country
may amass greater profits from the destruc-
tion of China’s natural wealth, regardless
of the cost to the people of China and Japan,
reckless of the consequences for the Cana-
dian people.
Are our oil resources to fall into the hands
of the monopolistic oil companies?
The people of this province want an oil in-
dustry developed. It will provide employ-
ment for thousands of men. It will be a factor
in the building up of this province. It can
become part of a comprehensive national re-
covery program. But the people of this prov-
ince also want that oil industry developed for
their benefit and not that of monopolistic
interests.
The trade union movement should interest
itself in this question. It should be the concern
of every progressive British Columbian. Pre-
mier Pattullo has announced his intention of
“seeing this thing through to the end.” The
people of this province should themselves see
to it that this end is the one publicly pro-
nounced and not the end of all such schemes
for provincial control of natural resources in
the pasi.
WORED OF TFOMORROW
MOSCOW
I STOOD among a crowd of
10,000 people in the sreat
square of the Agricultural
Exhibition, surrounded by the
magnificent pavilions of the
Union Republics and heard
Premier V. M. Molotov’s open-
ing speech dedicating the ex—
hibition as a great triumph of
socialist achievement, made
possible by the collective work of
farmers, workers, technicians
and artists, a triumph of social-
ism and guarantee for the victory
of communism.
Massed bands of the Red Army
Played the International and a
ehorus of thousands of voices
thundered the mighty sons.
A balloon appears in the sky
with a train of gigantic cabbages,
potatoes, beets, carrots and other
vegetables.
Monuments in the beautiful la-
goons turn into fountains as each
breaks forth in a cloud of spray
and catches fts bright rainbow
from the glinting rays of the sun.
The All Union Agricultural Ex
hibition is open. Masses surge to—
wards the pavilions.
Wew York’s World Fair is the
World of Tomorrow. The agpgri-
cultural exhibition in Moscow is
the World of Today, the world
of socialist achievement
It is like a concentration of
all the best efforts of mankind as-
sembled in a single unit ft is
like the great Soviet Union con-
eentrated into a few hundred
acres.
Each pavilion is a marvel of
artistic beauty and utilifby Each
contains farm products, handi-
erafts and other arts of the
people.
Ss
$ certainly farmers’ day in
the US.S-R. in a big way.
Grains of all sorts in sheaf and
threshed are in evidence. One is
reminded of a Western Canada
agricultural fair in this respect,
only the variety and quality far
surpasses the standards of grain
production in Canada.
Luscious fruits of almost every
variety are seen here, not only
in great mountainous heaps, but
actually growing.
T Is
TOM
EWEN
Bor instance, part of the map-
nificent Armenian pavilion, re-
presenting the great achievements
of 2 people who under Tsarism
were one of those bitterly op-
pressed nationalities, one finds 2a
@reat tropical field where trees
are growing, heavily laden with
lemons, oranges, tangerines,
frapetruit and so on.
in other sections of pavilions
representing the agricultural
work of peoples of the Soviet Far
East, one finds bees busily malk-
ing honey, arranged so that one
can watch the process of these
busy insects without fear of get
ting stung.
Great swathes of beautiful silk
in rolls and in thread encircle
Piles of cocoons. Here also can be
seen silkworms spinning little
Silken balls around themselyes—
the “primary producer,” so to say.
Qn Tractor avenue is a great
pavilion of science and technique
devoted to power farming. Trac-
tors big and small of every con-
esivable variety bear evidence to
the gigantic strides of socialist
technique on power production.
Great combine threshers, com-
plete power units of 18 furrow
gangplows with harrows and seed-
ers, light tractors and planes spe-
elially equipped for grasshopper
and other insect extermination,
potato diggers, cornbinders—farm
power machinery of every known
description.
-=FODAY
A British Columbia
Writer Visits Soviet
Agricultural Fair -
At Moscow
HERE are no imports from
America but are all Soviet
made. It is hard to realize that
at the 1923 agricultural exhibi-
tion here the first Fordson trac-
ter was met with music. VWhen
placed alongside the Stalinets
tractor the Fordson seems like
a pigmy today.
On exhibition also are complete
tractor units using electric power
to ‘plow, sow and reap.
Tihese machines are not cursed
by the deadweight of mortgage
or implement companies, conse
quently their use is being greatly
extended.
Tf the visitor wants to take it
easy on Tractor avenue, he can
sit on the comfortable séats pro-
vided and watch the whole pan-
orama of power farming machin-—
ery pass before him, since it is
all arranged on a travelling plat—
form.
The pride of the Soviet people
in their agricultural achievements
is well justified in this exhibi-
tion. It is without parallel, not
only in the Soviet Union, but in
the whole world.
It has great international sig-
nificance in that it demonstrates
collective effort of the farmer
and worker, technician and artist,
shepherd and engineer in the
building of the great socialist
state which now stands upon the
threshold of communist society.
ALICE is BLUNDERLARD
‘Lets Appoint a Government, Said the Duchess
66
By MEL COLBY
DO WISH,” said Alice, putting aside her newspaper and looking a little crossly at the
Dormouse who was beginning to doze in the corner, “that somebody would build a bridge
or a canal so that HE could go to work. I’m tired of him sleeping all over the place!”
“Well,” answered the March
Mare, looking at the Dormouse
contemplatively, “I'd build one
myself, but I only have $7.83 in
the bank, and I owe that to the
Mock Turtle.’ He reached over
suddenly and pinched the Dor-
mouse who awakened with a loud
shriek.
Alice looked at him severely.
“What do you think should be
done?” she asked.
“Dun?” shrilled the Dormouse.
“Dun who? Nobody can dun me. £
haven’t got a dime.” He settled
back in the corner.
“Oh, don’t be silly,” said Alice.
“J don’t mean that kind of ‘dun.
—I mean...” She looked appeal-
ingly at the Mad Hatter.
“She means what should be
done about everyone getting jobs,”
he explained to the Dormouse.
“Dun, that’s what should be
done,” exclaimed the Dormouse
shrilly, “dun the rich.” And upon
saying that he promptly went
back to sleep again much to
everybodys disgust.
“Dear me,” exclaimed Alice, “‘do
you know he might have some
thing there.’ She looked at the
March Hare who was prodding
the Dormouse awake with the
point of his umbrella. ‘“‘Who else
would have the money to build
bridges and houses and canals?”
she demanded all in one breath.
“Don’t blame me,” he answered.
“T agree with the Dormouse. The
rich should be made to spend the
money they have hoarded.”
“Spend ! Did you say spend?”
shouted the Duchess who just
then came through the door, She
glared at the March Hare. “You
Communist !”
“He’s not a Communist,” said
the Mad Hatter, “and he’s got a
right to express his views.”
fly,” screamed the Duchess who
was turning such a dark purple
that Alice wondered if it was be—
cause of her blue blood.
“Dun the rich,” said the Dor-
mouse who had been awakened
by the noise. The Duchess glared
at him and muttered something
under her breath, but he had al-
ready fallen asleep again and
didn’t notice her.
The Duchess’ tone became soft-
er: “I’m surprised at you, my
dear,”’ she said looking at Alice,
“hobnobbing with these radicais.
Why, if they had their way we'd
all be taxed to death! Works
programs, hummph !” she snort-
ed.
“Well, I. don’t know,” said Alice
timidly, “but I think I remember
President Roosevelt saying some
thing similar to what the March
Hare mentioned.”
“Don’t talk to me about THAT
MAN,” snapped the Duchess, “he’s
an anarchist !”
“IT don’t believe it,’ said Alice
becoming bold for the first time,
“he’s No more anarchist than the
March Hare is.”
But the Duchess had already
ignored her and was talking to
the Mad Hatter: “What we should
do is =ppoint a government.”
“You can’t do that,’ butted in
the March Hare, “you have to
elect a Zovernment.”
“Oh, stuff and nonsense,” sanp-
ped the Duchess, “you can appoint
one first and then hold the elec-
tion afterwards !”
This didn’t seem quite ripht to
Alice and she looked at the March
Hare, but before he could answer
the Dormouse awoke with a little
squeek and shouted: “Dun the
rich !”
“She wants to copy Hitler,” said
the March Hare pointing to the
“As much right as a pig has to Duchess.
“Oh, dear!” exclaimed Alice.
“That would be terrible ! Why ths
Nazis say it’s high treason to eat
a steak.” re
“They say it’s high treason to
think of one,” snapped the Mock
Turtle who had just come into the
room. He walked over to the
Dormouse and pinched that un-
fortunate creature so hard that
everybody in the room except the
Duchess winced in pity.
“What we should do,” said the
Mock Turtle, “is hold an election.
Eispecially now that everyone is
awake.” He looked at the Dor-
mouse warningly, but he was
wide awake now and was mutter—
ing over and over again to him-
self: “Dun the rich, dun the rich
»”
“I’m tired of elections !” shout-
ed the Duchess who had lost her
temper again as soon as the Mock
Turtle joined the argument. “Why
bother holding: an election ?
Everybody will be all right. I per-
sonally promise that,” she said
and drew herself up to her full
height.
“TJ for one,’ said the March
Hare, “won’t accept your word.
I think you’re a Nazi and a Nazi’s
word is no better than his bund !”
He prodded the Dormouse who
was beginning to doze off again.
“Tet’s hold the election,” said
the Mock Turtle. “Everyone in
favor of spending for jobs say
‘aye’ Everyone against say
‘ney.’ ”? 1
“Ave,” shouted everyone in the
room except the Duchess. She just
glared at Alice and said: “Why
you're not even old enough to
vote. Hummph.” And she walked
out of the room with the words
of the Dormouse ringing in her
ears: “Dun the rich !”
MORAL REARMAMENT
‘Heil, Exclaimed the Guilders—and They Fell For ft
Li, THE Pacific Coast
dailies,,except us, of
course, politely forgot to tell
their readers in blowing up
the Moral Rearmament inva-
sion of California, that this
collection of self-styled world
Saviors is headed by a man
who openly and publicly has
endorsed the policies and pro-
gram of Adolph Hitler. All in
the interests of world peace,
of course.
But a group of working
newspapermen, delegates to
the American Newspaper
Guild convention, did a neat
little ‘bit of exposing the AMA
world-savers the other night
in front of the Fairmont Hotel.
When a taxi-load of rearm-
srs unloaded in front of the
hotel the Guildsmen started
the following dialogue:
“Woral rearmament?”’
“Yes,” beamed the Rearm-
ers.
‘Teil!’ said the Guilders,
behind poker faces.
Back came the enthusiastic
answer of the rearmers:
“Heil!”
And with the Nazi salute!
The same “Heil!” and the
same Nazi salute from the
Moral Rearmers came from
one taxi-load after another,
without exception.
Qpposition press,
copy.
please
—People’s World,
San Francisco.
SHORT
JABS
by OF Bill
“Can you read this announce -
Comfortable rt “Sitnout thinking about
Old Age. the old man or woman whg5
will one day be YOU? =
“In those later years you will want to take life
less strenuously and you will need a guaranteed
income to replace your lost earning power. AS you
Srow older, you realize more and more the uncer
tainty of various forms of income which you had
thought “gilt-edged,” and it is a big problem to find
@ method of placing your savings in an investment
which will, with certainty, provide sufficient income
to allow you to live in comfort in your retirement ei
years.
CAN YOU BE CERTAIN with the plans you ~
should now be making, you will secure financial
safety in the future? No fluctuation in income,.no
diminution in capital? When you are old you cannot
afford to take risks. There is one SAFE, SURE
AND GUARANTEED PLAN to secure an income —
which cannot fluctuate in your old age.
That safe, sure and guaranteed plan is to buy @
pension annuity from the Sun Life of Canada so
runs the ad. from which the above paragraphs are
taken, published in a recent number of the London
Sunday Chronicle. It is part of the publicity of an
assurance company which claims to be the largest
in the British Empire transacting life assurance
solely. Its assets are listed*at $895,000,000.
When I read the openin
Speemfortable parAeTeon © aid’ sobs eee
Age. about YOU or about ME. My
thoughts immediately swung to the interior of Be
and the 5000 Doukhobors whose lands have been
foreclosed by the Sun Life of Canada. I thought
of these hard-working people who have labored in
the jungle of British Columbia and converted it
into a veritable paradise. I visualized these 15,000
acres of rocks and Christmas trees which the labor
of the Doukhobors has changed into smiling fields
of hay and grain and fruit orchards.
i pictured the Doukhobor men and women grow-
ing old in the confidence that the hard toil of over
30 years would assure to them some degree of
comfort in their old age when they would “want to
take life less strenuously and need a gsitaranteed
income to replace lost earning power.”
For the quotation which opens this column is
from an advertisement of the same company which,
in satisfaction of a $200,000 mortgage, would dis
possess the Doukhobors of the lands which their
hard back-breaking toil has made worth $700,000,
How To To acquire $700,000 worth of
cA = - real property for $200,000 by
cquire. evicting the owners who haye
created it by the sweat of their brows, is perfectly
legal and capitalistically honest, but in the minds
of ordinary people who are not capitalists it is not
One whit different from theft, burglary, highway
rebbery, high-jacking, piracy and barratry. Such
Capitalistically honest methods of acquirin= wealth
can only be condemned when considered from the
standpoint of human ethics,
INo honest pirate would boast in the press of
acquiring almost 900 million dollars by such slick
and unsavory methods as this grabbing of the Douk-
hobors’ lands, but if one did advertise his open and
above-board robbery and pillage he would soon find
; ee
§
¥
¥
oat | sities selisavas tally ccediaa haa eave
iu Feat
2uyucnGH ate Bae BS
Fe Oh ee hk ea = pe onl oe
himself hanging in the gallows at Execution Dock.
Why not the Sun Life pane also?
When Shakespeare created,
or rather described, Dogzber-
ry, he must have gazed into a
erystal bowl and seen some of the gentlemen who
are honored with the title of “alderman” in the i
{
Dogberry!
Me
:
*
B
A
eity and town councils throughout Ganada_
The attitude of these officious Bumbles to the
unemployed workers and their families, is bad ye
enough, but to their dogs it is even worse. Not i
withstanding the close personal relationship which
has existed since time immemorial between the only
animal which Icoks upon man with reverance and
adoration, the kiddies of the unemployed cannot
have the companionship of a little Rover, or Popeye
or Judy, except with the connivance of a friendly
dog-catcher, i
in the eyes of Dogberry, only those who can pay
a dog-tax have the right to the friendship of a tail-
wagging mutt.
This is a crime, not only against the children of
the unemployed who are willing to share their
seanty three-and-a-half dollar a month allowance
with a pooch pal, who generally has more sense
than some aldermen I can thirrk of, but against the
whole kingdom of dogs. It makes one feel like
quoting Senator Vest’s oration on Dog, delivered in
a Kansas court and which secured damages from
a man who had been bitten by a dog.
Wins If a list were made up of
= aldermen who are credited
The Dog with saving people’s lives and
compared with a list of dogs who have performed
the same feat, over any given period, the dogs would
win, hands, or paws, down.
But we must give honor where honor is due. it
therefore gives us great pleasure to read in the press
that twelve Kingston unemployed are to be allowed
to keep their pet dogs. Since they are unable to pay
license fees the civic authorities haye excused them
from payment,
Our city councils in BC might also be humanized
so that the unemployed and their children may keep
their dogs without having to depend on the good
graces of the dog-catcher.
The heroic exploits of the In-
Real ternational Brigade ‘which
Heroes. fought to defend democracy
in Spain did not end with their return from that
country.
In the demonstrative experiments made by Prof
Fialdane to test the effect of the poisonous gases
in the Thetis, five men placed their lives in the test
tubes of the Haldane’s experiments. Their object
was to find data which would prevent death under
such circumstances on another occasion.
Prof. Haldane himself and four ex-members of
the English Battalion of the International Brigade,
Bill Alexander, Don Renton, Paddy Duff and George
Ives, allowed themselves to be locked up in an air
tight chamber and subjected to carbon dioxide
_CO2) poisoning to provide evidence for the com-
mittee investigating the Thetis disaster. it
The contribution of these five members of hte £
Communist party is being made to the same cause
for which they all of them fought in Spain—human
progress. This is an unanswerable argument for
Tom McInnes and all other fascists and near-fta=
cists—that individual members of the Communist
party are willing to stake their lives for the well-
being of the race, not like their opponents, for the
filthy pay of Japanese war-mongers, INaZi murder=
bunds and fascist assassins.
:
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