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BRITISH COLUMBIA’S PROGRESSIVE HOME NEWSPAPER

FOR PEACE, PROGRESS AND DEMOCRACY

=a

FULL No. 239.

VANCOUVER, B.C., FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 1939

= 5 Cents

New

Arrow
horter

Less Than ‘Thirty
Miles Separate

Present Roads

REVELSTOKE, BC. — Less
than 200 yards separate the
right-of-way of the Bigs Bend
highway, last link in the west-
ern section of the Trans-Canada
highway. Between graded ends
only a gap of two and one-half
miles remains uncompleted and
all but ten and one-half miles

has been gravelled.

Residents of this district whose
demands have been forwarded to
Ottawa in many petifions, feel
that at last completion of the
highway is in sight, although
much work remains to be done.
Lying mostly in heavy timber the
uncompleted section has an aiti-
tude of between 1800 and 19600 feet.

Highest point in the i93-mile
hichway is 1756 feet above the
1500-foot elevation of Reveistoke.
Golden lies at an elevation of 2853
feet.

Eiven when completed, however,
the Big Berd Highway will be far
from satisfactory, since it will be
open only six months in the year,
a fact stressed this week by F. A.
Oxenford, Okanagan Valley or-
fanizer for the Communist party,
in an interview with this corre-
spondent. Z
Phere isi an.alternatiyve route,
at leaSt 100 miles shorter than the
Big Bend highway, which would
be open to traffic most if not all
of the year,” Oxenford stated. He
charged that the CPR had been
@ powerful opponent of the high-
ways completion, withdrawing its
opposition only when forced by
public opinion.

“Gyen with the Big Bend high-
way completed,” deciared Oxen-
ford, “the CPR will retain its
monopoly of transportation durins
winter months, while if the alter-
native route were completed it
would face year-round competi-
tion.” :

Another factor responsible for
eonstmiction of the costly Big
Bend highway, he added; was that
there were big blocks of corpora-—
tion-owned lands in the country
around Revelstoke, while the al-
ternative Arrow lake route was
bordered mainly by small hold-

ings.

(Gontinued on page 6)
See HIGHWAY

Trail Asks
Gov't Aid

TRA. BC.— Alleviation of the
serious unemployment problem here
which threatens to become worse
during winter months is the tenor
ef a communication from ‘Trail
city council to the provincial gov—-
ernment.

The communication also details
a plan whereby nearly $180,000 will
be applied for under terms of the
Municipal Improvements Assistance
Act to hard-surface all streets in
the city.

A waterworks project, financed
by a $130,000 selfliquidating do-
minion government loan, is now
underway, but to keep costs within
estimates a large number of men
were laid off last week, 44 of whom
applied to Provincial Relief Officer
J. W. Smiley for government road
work. :

Ask Gov’t To

Ban Anti-Semitism
MONTREAL, Que. Canadian
Jewish People’s Committee is seek
ing federal legislation to make anti-
Semitism and all attempts to foster
racial feuds and prejudices illegal.
The committee is planning to in-
itiate a nation-wide campaign to
cbtain support for its demand.

Woods Toll 38

PORT ALBERNI, BC—Death of
William Ferguson in West Coast
Hospital Wednesday from injuries
received while employed as Ioader
at Alberni Pacific Lumber Com-
pany’s camp one, increased British
Columbia’s logging death toll to 38
Since January 1.

ake Route 100 Miles

Than Big Bend

They Denounced Pact

oS

CHATRMAN Key Pittman of the senate foreign relations
committee (left) and Secretary of State Cordell Hull, who
served six months’ notice on Japan that the US will abrogate
the 1911 US-Japan trade treaty. .The US, declared Pittman,
will not recognize Japan’s “New Order” in the Far East.

~

Probability that civie representa-
tives would refuse to accord the
fliers an official welcome and hints
that the plane might get a different
sort of welcome to that expected
are factors behind the announce-
ment.

.iNeither the Japanese government
nor the Canadian government
wishes to provoke any incident
which might lead to strained rela-
tions between the two countries—
the Japanese government because
it is more dependent than ever be
fore on Canadian materials for its
war machine now that the US has
denounced its commercial treaty
and the Canadian government be—
eause it is under pressure from
monopoly interests supplying these

materials.

If trouble were provoked between
fascist-influenced Japanese here
and progressive organizations dem-
oustrating against Japanese fas-
cism the King government might
ibe forced to act. Nor would dema-
gogic reactionaries hesitate to
make use of the issue. But if
Japanese in Vancouver, under in-
structions from their consulate—
controlled organizations, stayed
away from the airport, this would
not augur well for the “goodwill”
flight.

The flight has two purposes, to
demonstrate Japan’s military
strength and to create the impres-
sion among Japanese in the coun-
tries visited, where Japanese fas-—
eist agents are active, that Japan
is able “to protect their interests.”
Official pronouncement that the
flight is for the purpose of dispers—
ing “misunderstanding” concerning
Japan is so much propaganda de-
signed for consumption of the un-
wary, although there is a concealed
threat in the statement that it is
intended to “dissipate ignorance re-
garding Japanese aeronautical prog-
ress.”

The tywain-motored bomber, named
the Nippon, will fly from Tokio to
Wome and thence to Whitehorse,
YT, according to latest arrange-—
ments. From WHhiteborse it will pro-
ceed directly to Seattle and San
Francisco, proceeding by easy.
stages to Brazil, where there is a
Japanese population of 173,000.

Rlight is sponsored by two
Japanese newspapers, Osaka Mai-
nichi and Tokio Wichi-Nichi, both

semi-official government organs.

Japan ‘Goodwill’ Flight

Strong opposition here to the projected Japanese “goodwill”
flight some time this month is believed responsible for the re-
ported intention of the fliers to omit Vancouver as a point of call.

People in North
Down To Peasantry,
Says CCF Member

Comment that “people
living in the northern dis-
tricts of British Columbia
are just about down to
peasantry,” was made this
week by Colin Cameron,
CCF MLA for Comox and
recently-elected CCF pro-
Vinecial organizer, on his
return to Vancouver
Thursday trom a two
weeks’ tour of the interior.

“People up north are
just about sick and tired of
it,’ CCameron’said. “Along
the CNR north arm rail-
way cheques are their only
source of income. Govern-
ment road work is kept
very carefully within the
Charmed circle.”

Constables
Committed
For Trial

Evidence Given In -
Bribery Charges
Against Policemen

Mayor Lyle Telford won the
first round in his fight against
alleged bribery and corruption
when Magistrate MacKenzie
Mathieson in police court Mon-
day committed Constables
Hugh Hamilton and Eldon
Pinkerton to trial by a higher
court on charges of “accepting
a bribe” and “‘menacing” aris-
ing out of information laid by

Harvey McKibbon, chauffeur
and taxi driver.
Damaging evidence implicating

Hamilton as the receiver of the
bribe was given by Frank God-
ber, witness appointed by Mayor
‘Telford to accompany McKibbon
from the time two bottles of rum
Were purchased until they were
delivered at Hamilton’s house.

Without hesitation and with de
eisive tones, Godber related how
he had spent $10 of his own money
in the purchase, which Hamilton
was alleged to have demanded of
MeKibbon to squask a charge of
exceeding the speed limit on Bur-
rard bridge on the morning of
July 21, to the contact with the
prowler car driven by Pinkerton
on Cambie street bridge to the
actual delivery by MeKibbon. —

Pinkerton followed McKibbon’s
car to Seventh avenue where con-
tact was made jbut the -witness
eould not state from where he was
Sitting in MeckKaibbon’s car if Pin-
kerton got out of the car to meet
MeKibbon.

Godber irritated defense coun-
sel Charles P. McCrossan by
sticking to his story under cross
examination. “If your eyes were
as good as your hearing you
would have known if Pinkerton
got out of the car,” roared Mc-
Grossan, but this failed to shake
the witness who maintained his
same outward calm and replied
that from where he was sitting in
MecKibbon’s car he could not see.

The police commissioner’s wit
ness testified how both he and
MeKibbon had enquired within a
block as to the correct address of
Hiamilton’s house before delivery
was made and how he distinctly
heard the receiver say, “I will see
that Pinkerton gets his bottle on
Saturday night

McKibbon gave evidence that
Hamilton had met him in the lane
Near police headquarters and in-
formed him that he had seen
Pinkerton and how at a later
meeting Hamilton had suggested
that two bottles of rum were re—
quired to quash the speeding tick-
et.

Barlier in the day McKaibbon
was himself remanded to August
15 when he appeared before the
same magistrate on a charge of
extortion laid by Pinkerton and
Hamilton. MeKibbon is alleged
to have demanded $300 from the

officers to get out of town.

>

bor Law Used By Unio

IW

Lays Charge

f Intimidation
gainst Plywoods

First trade union in Canada to utilize the new federal labor
law given royal assent by Kins George VI during his Canadian
tour, International Woodworkers of America in Wancouver
police court Tuesday laid charges of “intimidation and threat
of loss of employment” against officials of British Columbia

Plywoods, Ltd.

Charges were laid by Nigel Morgan, vice-president of the
IWA district council here, and John Stanton, union attorney,
under section 502A of the Criminal Code of Canada as amended
at the last session of parliament through a bill introduced by

Justice Minister Lapointe.

The act,

which went. into force

August 1, provides a penalty of $1000 on conviction.
Alleged offences were committed three days after the act

became law.

Minister
Visits Oil
Prospects

Experts’ Report
Will Determine
Future Plans

~-VIGTORIA, BG —- Deputy

Mines Minister Dr. J. F. Walk-
er left this week for the Peace
River country to confer with
Dr. A. H. Cox, geologist, and

Dr. M. Y. Williams of the Uni-
versity of British Columbia, on
the provincial government’s oil

exploration work in the north.

Voted $60,000 by the legislature
for prosecution of its search for
‘orl, the proyincial government
now has geological parties in the
field, hopes to establish a provin-
Cial oil industry in the Peace Riv-
er as a result of findings.

See Editorial on Page 4

Some weeks ago the government
announced that it intended to
reserve all prospective oil lands
not already leased to private in-
terests for government develop-
ment, Premier Pattullo declaring
that establishment of a provincial
oil industry might. afford a solu-
tion to many of the province’s fin-
ancial problems.

Following Dr. Walker’s confer-
ence with geologists in the field,
the provincial government will
study the findings, determine
what steps it will take to develop
the Peace River oil country.

Drilling operations have been
Started by Michael Benedum and
Joe Trees, famous wildeatters, on
their 250-square miles lease at
Pouce Coupe, described as a “proven
gas field.”

= 2

Oil Companies Use Legal Loophole
To Block Gas Cut, Threaten Boycott

Hinting that they might be
“forced” to boycott the BC mar-—
ket if the government carried
through its fight to reduce gas
prices, big oil companies suc-
ceeded temporarily in blocking
provincial price-fixing lesisla—
tion last Saturday when Chief
Justice Martin issued an injunc-
tion against the British Colum-
bia Coal and Petroleum Pro-
ducts Board.

The injunction restrained the
board from enforcing an order
reducing the price of gasoline
3 cents a gallon until Sept. 12,
when the full court of appeal
meets.

Approved by the provincial
cabinet, Aug. i ,the order was to
become effective Auge. 7, but oil
companies, fearing loss of prof
its, moved swiftly to forestall
government action.

Before Chief Justice Martin,
Senator J. W. DeB Farris, for
the oil companies, charged that
the order was neither just nor
equitable but was “pure unadul-

terated confiscation,” in open-
ing his arguments for continu-
ance of Justice Manson’s injunc-
tion granted last March holding
up the gas price-fixing order.

Attorney-General Gordon Wis-
mer, appearing with J. Pitcairn
Hoge for BC Coal and Petrol-
eum Products Board, contended
that the people of BC were los-
ing $5000 daily which should go
into their pockets, and that
“these philanthropists in the oil
business losing Money was only
injected by Mr. Farris to add
color.”

Farris told Chief Justice Mar-
tin that combined losses of the
oil companies wes $750,000 in
1937, which, if a three cent cut
were upheld, would mean a loss
of $1,500,000.

First injunction against the
board was granted last October
but was allowed to lapse in Jan-
uary when jhe board rescinded
its order pending outcome of
litigation in the court of appeal
which finally upheld its price-

cutting powers.

Through some failure on the
government’s part to enter the
appeal court judgment wuphold-
ing validity of the pricefixine
law, the oil companies were pro-
vided with a loophole, of which
they were not slow to take ad-
vantage.

Application of the oil com-
.Panies was for an injunction
against the board’s order until
the Supreme Court of Canada,
which meets in Ottawa in Octo-
ber, hears the appeal from the
BC court of appeal’s decision
upholding yalidity of the price
fixing law.

Companies involved in attempt—
ing to upset the court of appeal
decision are Home Oil Distribu-
tors, Lid.; Standard Oil Co. of
British Columbia, Imperial Oil
Ltd.; Signal Oil Co. Ltd.; Texaco
Petroleum Products; Union Oil
Company of Canada, Ltd.; Pen-
der Garage, Lid. and Roy Stew-
art, Ltd., all of Vancouver.

@ Background of the situation at

BC Plywoods plant is that on July
22 the management discharged 51
employees and filled their places
with youths under 21 at i0 cents
an hour less than the skilled
workers were receiving. A petition
Was signed by 161 employees, de-
manding that the company-con-
trolled co-operative committee
make representations to the com-
pany for reinstatement of the dis-
missed workers, but the company
committee failed to make use of
the issue.

A later decision asked the de—
partment of labor to intervene
and reach a peaceful settlement,
but the efforts of James Thomp-
son, labor department conciliatoer,
were blocked when the commit—
tee issued a statement saying, “We
believe that the findings of the
company are quite satisfactory toa
a greater number of men and that
it is a step ahead.”

This aroused employees to ac-
tion. A petition was immediately
circulated. Signed by 213 of the
264 employees, it demanded resig-
nation of the committee and elec-

(Gontinued on page 6)
See LABOR LAW

City Relief
Figures Up

Monthly report of the civic Social
Services Commission for July
showed an increase in the number
of relief cases over the figure for
last year.

in July last year, 6,145 families
received unemployment relief, while
this year the figure is up to 6,901,
involving over a thousand more in-
dividuals than last year.

The usual seasonal drep is shown
between June and july figures. Im
June this year 7,099 famitles were
On relief, involving 19,542 individu-
als. In July this figure dropped to
6,901 families, involving 19,008 indi-
viduals_

Those receiving “general relief”
usually classed as unemployables,
were less this year than last At
that time 2,683 families involving
2,914 individuals were receiving
aid, while the figure for July this
year dropped to 2115 families, with
3,014 persons.

Total cost for the month was
estimated to be $211,11014 City
Share was $65,293.91, provincial de-
partment $144,279.13, other muni-
Cipalities $1538.10. This amount
shows an average payment to each
Individual of $9.55 per month, or
approximately an average of $23.42
for each family for one month,

Hearing Friday
im Application
To Jail Sheriff

Hearing of Sun TDife Insurance
companys application to commit
Sheriff M. EB. Harper of Nelson for
failure to evict some 5000 Doukho-
bors from their homes, postponed
Monday at Attorney-General Gor-
don Wismers request over oppo-
sition of company counsel, will
start this Friday.

Agreeing with the attorney-cen-
eral on Monday that it was “an im-
portant and very difficult case”
Justice Murphy said; “We may
have to go back to the i3th cen-—
tury~’

Eleven Doukhobors have already
been evicted, the company obtain—
ing possession of 320 acres of the
15,000 acres foreclosed for non-pay-
ment of a $200,000 mortgage.

Mpeey eer ss,