Sa eR MPRA UE! PATTY LEON OS ee ee tee OOo annie - Press Opens ony FULL No. 240. Campaign Of Abuse Reaction Hopes To Recoup Lesses By Discrediting Mayor By KAY GREGORY Casting aside all their so- called “impartiality, Vancouver daily papers this week came out with a vicious campaign ealeulated to discredit the city’s labor mayor. Commencing with the Yancouver Tourist Association’s absurd claim that tourist figures were in some obscure way attributable to Mayor Telford, the campaign has now reached Quebec, where Hon. R. L. Maitiand, BC Conservative leader, teck advantage of a speech to the Ganadian Bar Association this week to boost His own political stock ‘Telford as and lambast Mayor “elected from an inexperienced party.” Loud protestations have issued from Civic authorities, encouraged by the press, that the city should not have been bothered with such *‘unconsequential charges’ as those laid against Police Chief Foster. But the press omitted to point out that had the mayor been allowed to carry out His desire, charges would have been heard in camera by the police commission. Way, if it is not to distract the public's attention from these charees, and other matters requir ing some investigation; has there been so miuch ballyhoo about ex— penses? Tf aldermen are only concerned with expense, why does Ald. J. W. Cormett propose to cause the city further expense by challengine the mayor in a by-electicn? City officials and police commis— Sioners discoverea that Mayor Tel- ford had not been sworn in to the police commission when he was initiated into office. Far from placing responsibility for such an inexcusable omission where it rightly belongs, city news— papers are trying to blame Telford for not mating sure that full details ef his own inauguration ceremony were carried out! Successful carrying through of such a Campaign of distortion is calculated to line up reactionary elements behind a drive to oust the labor Mayor and discredit the Whole progressive movement, Preferring to believe the voice of private interests, aldermen have uncermoniously thrown out facts brought by Telford to show corrup- tion and graft in various things concerning the people’s welfare. €oncensus of opinion among leading progressives interviewed by the Advocate this week is that Mayor Iyle Telford should enlist the support of the large majority ef Vancouver citizens who elected him in his fight for their rights. Congratulatory Messages Greet Victoria Action Mass Meeting Demands Embargo On War Materials By LILLIAN COOPER VICTORIA, BC. — Tremen- dous support for the militant action of Victoria citizens in preventing shipment of scrap iron to Japan was forthcoming this week from all over Canada and the United States. Victoria Trades and Labor Coun-— cil at its last meetine went on record in favor of such action and forwarded a resolution to Premier Mackenzie King demanding an em- bargo on shipment of war materials to aggressor nations. Messages of enthusiastic en- dorsation were received from many prominent people, includins Mrs. Nellie McClung, well known author; Mrs. John Hall, president, WCTU; W. E. Priestley, Seattle China Club; Mrs. James Gray, and A M_ Stephen, Vancouver China Aid Council, and from the British Empire Service League. ‘ At a recent: meeting, Victoria city council, declaring that “large num- bers of our citizens deplore aid @iven to aggressor nations by ex- port of materials for war purposes,”’ urged imposition of an embargo by the Dominion government. Hearing that scrap iror was be ing loaded by Knowles Cartage Company for the Northern Junk Company, Victoria Embargo Coun- ceil last Friday issued its first call for picketing. Trucks attempting to load an Sat- urday were haited by a crowd of determined men and women, who chased drivers away and threw scrap iron into the street. in the ensuing melee, Grant Empy was Knocked unconscious by a policeman. Empy and several others were taken to hospital for treatment, but were not detained. Protest phone calis poured into Knowles Cartage Company office. Pickets with large posters paraded throughout downtown Shopping areas and crowds viewed the scene of action. Refusing point blank to allow shipments to go through, Victoria Embargo Council has made all junk companies so uncomfortable that they are refusing to touch scrap At a Mass meeting held Monday night in the Chamber of Commerce, (Continued on Page 6) See PICKETS Carpenters’ Union Drive Success In Victoria > Organizational drive of United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, local 1598, in Victoria is meeting with outstanding success and will, in the course of a 60-day organizational period, double the union’s membership, Bill Page told the Advocate this week. Committee Will Consider Low Rent Housing A low-rental housing plan of special benefit to families on relief was strongly advo- cated at the Metropolitan Health Board meeting Wed- nesday. Consideration of ways and means to set up such a plan to relieve congestion of cer- tain Vancouver districts will be undertaken by a special committee composed of rep- resentatives of city council, the health committee and the provincial government. Date of the meeting has not yet been arranged. Page, business agent of local O 459, Carpenters’ Union in Vancou- ver, is acting international rep- resentative. He is assisting the Victoria local in its drive. At the last meeting, on Aug 7, twenty-two members were initi- ated by President Len Noble, “the largest number initiated in one group by any president since the boom days during the latter days of the war,’ Page stated. On Monday night 35 new applica- tions will come before the local. Success of the drive to bring these tradesmen within the realm of trade unionism was due in a large measure to holding of open meetings every Monday night in the capitol city, stated Page. To Join CSU HALIFAX, NS. — The powerful HMishermen’s Federation, headed by Gapt Angus Walters; famed skipper of the Bluenose, is preparing to enter the Canadian Seamen’s Union in a body. They Stopped Scrap Bound For Japan May Seek Gov't Grant Possibility that a grant may be obtained from the Dominion gov ernment for contesting constitu— Hionality of the Quebec padlock law was mooted by Professor Hugene A. Forsey of McGill University to the Civil Liberties Union members Tuesday. “Three times in the seventies the Dominion government made grants up to $5000 to individuals contest ing the constitutionality of stat utes,” he said, “and the Givil Lib- erties Union is now applying to the Liberal cabinet for similar help.”’ Explaining that validity of the Quebec law was now being tested before Chief Justice Greenshields in Quebee courts, Professor Forsey declared: “This time we're going to get to the bottom of things. We'll fight it right through to the supreme court and the privy council itself” Pointing to the gradual encroach- ment on civil liberties culminatins in the Quebec padlock law, Profes- sor Forsey urged that all candidates at the next elections be questioned as to their stand on the padlock law, to force the government to take action. Hear Plywoods Charges Friday Charges of “intimidation and threat of loss of employment” laid by International Woodworkers of America against officials of British Columbia Plywoods Ltd, will be heard in Vancouver police court Friday. The case was remanded last Friday at Vice-President Nigel Morgan’s request because of the union attorney’s absence. Bight witnesses, at present work-— ing in Plywoods plant, have agreed! to give evidence that intimidation and threats of loss of employment were used by company officials. Doukhobor Issue To Go Before Legislature Declaring that individual private interests of the Sun. Life Assurance Company were of less importance than public wel- fare, Judge Denis Murphy at the Supreme Court last week as- serted that the proposed eviction and seizure of lands from 9000 Doukhobors was serious enough to warrant attention at the next session of the legislature. Remarking that the rye in| Joins Union was “unparalleled in history, in- curring possibility of a serious civil commotion, destruction of private and public property and bloodshed,” Justice Murphy de- eclared that it should be laid be— fore the eelcted representatives of the people. Application had been made by the Sun Life’ Assurance Company to commit Sheriff Harper of Wel- son for contempt of court for fail- ing to carry out the eviction writ. “TIT yvrefuse to hear the applica- tion,” declared Murphy. “I doubt if this matter should have been brought here at all.” A. ©. Bourne, company counsel, stated that the sheriff “had the full power of the county” to ob- tain help to carry out the writ. If police help was refused, he should have applied to the court. Contending that there was no such thing as “power of the coun- ty” in BC where there are no county officials or police, Attor- ney-General Gordon Wismer, ap- pearing in defense of the sheriff, maintained that 250 trained police mecessary for such a job were not available. — “Every other solution should be tried before such drastic ac- tion is taken,’ he asserted. VILETIAMUR STEFAN SSON, famous Arctic explorer, joined the American Federation of Teachers (AFL) because, he said, “There is no union for polar ex- plorers yet.” The explorer called joining the union his bit toward fighting for democracy. See DOUKRHCBORS (Continued on Page 6) People’s Advocate will ly from this province. “For the past three years,” People’s Advocate, now in its Announcement was made this week by Hal Griffin, editor of the People’s Advocate, that with the Labor Day issue on Sept. 1 the appear as Clarion-Advocate, honoring all subscriptions affected by withdrawal of the Clarion Week- “the Clarion Weekly has been published as a national labor-progressive paper from To- ronto, during which time it has established for itself an enviable record in labor journal- ism and won thousands of new readers. publication, has been published from Van- couver in the interests of the labor-prosress- ive movement in BC. With circulation of two papers in this province, necessitated by Griffin Explains Changes In Labor Press Setup; Urges Sub Campaign To Build Clarion-Advocate geographical conditions, a certain amount of duplication was unavoidable.’ Two months ago it was decided to cease publication of the Daily Clarion in Toronto, Griffin explained. This decision was reached after careful examination of all aspects of the situation. The conclusion was inescap- able that while the Daily Clarion had beer a tremendous factor in building the pro- gressive movement in Fastern Canada, its circulation and influence, confined mainly to Ontario, was still not strong enough to enable it to meet the demands of the rising democratic movements throughout the coun- try, particularly in Western Canada. “The question was,” said Griffin, the Griffin said, The fifth year of “how (CContinued on Page 6) Attempt Another Munich Chambenain Plans To Betray Poland By Danzic Sellout By SAM RUSSELL PARIS, France. — Important disclosures by the diplomatic correspondent of the London Daily Worker, coupled with reports from Berlin and Danzig, this week confirmed fears that Prime Minister Chamberlain was only waiting for British and French parliaments to be prorogued before proceeding with plans for a new Munich. Particularly significant are Hit ler’s thinly-veiled hints that he will moet be content with seizing Danziz but is determined to press greater demands. The most far-reacHineg and dangerous offer to Hitler since Munich, says the Tondon Daily Worker, is being secretly discussed at this moment between Chamber lain and the Wazis. = Central feature is an offer of a five-power conference, excludine the USSR, to consider ways and means to satisfy Hitler’s demand for Danzig. It would be held some time this weekend. Proposals have already reached the point where there have been secret soundings in Washington to discover whether the US government can be lured at least into blessing the scheme. intermediary between Ghamber- lain and the Nazis is none other than ord Kemsley, proprietor of the Allied Newspapers itd... and brother of I.ord Cambrose, owner of the Daily Telegraph, semi-of ficial organ of the Foreign Office. Kemsley has just returned from Berlin. PLANS REVEALED. As they stand at present, the plans are: During the coming few days European tension will be de liberately heightened by the Nazis_ This is already apparent. Arms are pouring into Danzig and the Nazis in the Bree City are increasingly impudent. During this period, the British government will be advising “cay tion” to Warsaw. When the tension is at a height, there will come an offer for a conference to “discuss the Danzig problem.” The Munichmen’s plans extend to Berlm as well, where Hitler is en- raged by Polish will to resist, as characterized by Marshal Hdward Smigley—Rydz in his recent speech. Failing to intimidate Poland, Hitler is trying to intimidate Brance. Informed circles declare that Hitler has instructed the Ger man ambassador in Paris to in- form the French government that “the Reich will consider any French military measure over and above the present military state of the country as a hostile act against Germany.” Likewise the German f£foreisn Office has instructed the Italians to make a similar declaration, alone the lines that “Italy will give every help to Berlin if France’s hostile attitude compels Germany to take defensive measures.” In view of these developments, coinciding with a violent attack upon France, unity of the working Class forces is now stronger than ever, and it is considered that the coming weekend will be a crucial test for the forces of peace and de- mocracy the world over. Smith Nominated TORONTO, Ont. — Ald. Stewart Smith has been nominated here to contest Spadina federal constitu— ency as a labor candidate Charter Granted NELSON, BC. — Application of Trail local fer a charter has been granted by the international office of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers’ union.