) arts oman Ty Tae paetramsiteeceecoranr tens ta Pad iad NC ets «Sila ade eae a cde ed ee Mt FULL No. 251 Your Dollar : Donate Will Put f V; A Dollar The Drive & to the Over! Drive! FOR PEACE, PROGRESS AND DEMOCRACY VANCOUVER, B.C., FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1939 =o = Cents MINERS WILL APPEAL CASE Housewives Refuse To Endorse Gov’t Molotov Denounces War Aims Presents Lucid Exposition Of Soviet Policy MOSCOW, USSR.— Declar- ing that “this war promises nothing toe the working class but bloody sacrifice and hard- ships,” Premier V. M. Molotov in his report adopted unani- mously by the Supreme Soviet this week stated that “the im- perialist character of this war is obvious to anyone who wants to face realities.” “One can see from ail this who is interested im this war,” he said. Certainly mot the working class.” Hrolotoyv said it was “the fear ef Germany’s claims to their eolonial possessions that is at the bottem of the present war of Eneland and France with a Ger- Many which has grown subsian- tially stronger lately as a result of the collapse of the Versailles Treaty.” : Referring to Britain and France, Molotoy said they had “depicted themselves as champions of demo- eratie rights of nations against Hitlerism,” remarking that such an ideological war on Germany was reminiscent of ancient times when religious wars against heretics and religious dissenters were the fashion. “As we know,’ Molotov con- tinued, “they led to dire results for the masses, to economic ruin and the cultural deterioration of na- tions. Is it back to the middle ages, to the days of religious wars, sup- erstition and cultural deterioration, that the ruling classes of Britain and France want to drag us?” “Everybody should understand that ideology cannot be destroyed by force, that it cannot be elimin- ated by war. “Jt is therefore not only sense less but criminal to wage such a War as a war for ‘the destruction of Hitierism’ camouflaged as a fight for ‘democracy.’ “And indeed,’ Molotov declared, “you cannot give the name of a fight for democracy to such action as the banning of the Communist party in France, arrests of Com- munist deputies of the French par- liament, or the curtailment of po- litical liberties in England or the unremicting national oppression in India.’”” Describing changes which have taken place in the international po- Sition of the Soviet Union, Molo- toy stated that its consistent peace policy was responsible for the un- deniable strengthening of its po- Sitien and international weight. Molotey declared that pacts con- cluded -with Iaitvia, Estonia and Lithuania were of “major political (Continued on Page 2) See MOLOTOV We Appeal... The Advocates press drive for a $4000 sustaining fund has thus far produced less than half this sum. The objective set is the minimum amount required to ensure continued publication of the Advocate at this time, when, more than ever before, the regular appearances of the Advocate is a guarantee that the fight for civil liberties and against profiteering will mot lack a voice. The Edi- torial Board appeals to every cemmittee and every reader to redouble their efforts to reach the $4000 objective. LONDON, Eng. — (Passed by British Cen- sor) .—General council ef the Trades Union Congress on Friday en- dorsed a new step in col- laboration of the gov- ernment and employers. It approved a proposal to set up a joint advisory committee comprised of 15 representatives of the unions and 15 repre- sentatives of the employers’ federation. The council which will meet next week will advise the government on industrial matters. It has claimed it will not infringe on do- mestic affairs in any industry. But this willmean the closest collabor- ation with the government in the war-time organization of- labor. The union officials, now tied more closely than ever to the con- duct of the war, :xwill inevitably tend to sid@track labor disputes. (Continued on Page 6) See UNIONS British Com Urge Labor Party Break With Gov't munists LONDON, Eng. — (Passed by British Cen- sor).—The British Communist party in a letter this week sent a challenge to the British Labor party which will undoubtedly have great repercussions through- out the working class Movement. The letter denounced the collaboration of the Labor party with the government Since the beginnings of the war and urged adoption of an en- tirely new policy. The letter points out that the last Labor party national confer- ence condemned the goyvernment’s betrayal of democracy in Spain and Czechoslovakia, but in spite of this and in spite of the refusal of a@ peace front since that time, the CGontinued on Page 6) See LABOR Jeek Im The House By HAL GRIFFIN was opened on Tuesday British parliaments, the General Gordon Wismer to catch the Speaker’s eye at the appropri- ate time. However, the matter has been nicely adjusted in the records. Tt must irk many of these zeal- ous defenders of capitalism who like to think that capitalism was a product of the Garden of Eden, that capitalism has always been and therefore must always be, to be reminded through such customs in of the revolutionary manner which the bourgeoisie came to power. VOICES FROM THE PAST. At this session, when there will be a great deal of oratory about the traditions of British democracy forhtcoming from men with their own peculiar conceptions of democ-— racy like Conservative Opposition leader Pat Maitland, it is not in- appropriate to recal) what spokes— men for the British merchant elass had to say when that Class was a revolutionary force. For instance, there is this apt quotation from the Moderate of Cromwell’s time which is worthy of our government's attention: _ “for when Self seizes upon the bowels of a Republic, - his greedy appetite is never satis— fied till all be devoured. And as it is impossible to avoid Yar when private interest is main- tained, so it is improbable to gain Love when well being, ease, and happiness of a people is neg- lected. For all powers being in- fericr to the majority of the peo- ple (for whose good they them- selves have, or ought to have, or- dained them) must be subject te their censure, if once employed against them.” Labor Minister George Pearson would do well to reflect on this WV EEE some of the usual color was lacking, the legislature with scrupulous observance of traditional parliamentary customs. It is to be hoped that as the House gets down to business, the very serious business of deal- ing with the problems of a democratic people brought to crisis through the following of certain federal policies in which this government has acquiesced, that there will be the same scrup- ulous observance of the people’ these legislative customs are only the outward symbol. There was, however, one slip which, we hope, will not prove an augury of the government’s intentions. By the custom of Commons declines to consider the King’s speech until it has frst transacted some of its own busi- mess. This is a tradition of British democracy-derivins from the s rights and liberties, of which days of Oliver Cromwell. And this¢ ; week the legislature omitted it | when next he receives a delegation through the failure of Attorney-| of mineowners and hears their complains about ‘alien agitation’ -It is rumored in certain well-in- formed quarters that the CCE members of the legislature will not be allowed to say on the floor of the House what they have been Saying up and down the province during the past few weeks. There are, of course, some in the House who look only upon the sil- ver linings of the war clouds and who have no intention of concern- ing themselves with the dark side presented to the people. Lhey will not like some of the things the CCE members are expected to say any more than Queen Elizabeth ap- preciated the protest made by Peter Wentworth against her sup- pression of free debate in parlia- ment. “There is nothing so necessary for the preservation of the prince and state as free speech,” he said. “And without this it is a scom and a mockery to Gall it a parliament house, for in truth it is none but a very school of flattery and dissumulation.” WMATTLAND ASSATES CCE. This should be called to the at tention of Pat Maitland, who this week denounced the CCE as an ‘unpatriotic and subversive’ ele- ment in the province because it has had the temerity to speak out In defense of the people’s liberties and living standards. “TI would rather travel alone, than travel with people whose pat- riotism is of the kind we have seen since war was declared,” Maitland told the BG Conservative Associa- tion. “They are a subversive ele ment in the life of the province today.” (Continued on Page 6) Pernments to action. — ~~ |Demand Results First Establish Council To Protect interests, Study Price Rises By KAY GREGORY Delegates to Monday’s con- ference initiated here by the British Columbia Housewives’ League declined to register a vote of confidence in govern- ment authorities, declared that the people did not wish to do so until the government had shown definite results to War- rant such a vote. Urging that a4 consumers’ re— Search council such as that propos- ed by the conference Should not “embarrass” the fSovernment at this time or conflict with duly con- stituted authorities, Robert Ss. O'Meara, representing the provin- Cial department of trade and in- dustry, asked for the vote of con- fidence. _Challenging the Seovernment’s right to ‘confidence,’ Motion Pic- ture Projectionists’ delegate was supported by other delegates, in his declaration that the public need expect no help from governments unless they first stirred the gov- Declaring that British Colum- bia people were “being exploited by unnecessary price advances in many essential commodities,’ and that “wages, pensions and relief allowances had not ad- vanced,” delegates passed a res- olution asking the government te immediately set up provincial and municipal boards with pow- €r to act on which consumer and producer would have represent- ation. Q@pened by J. Lyle Telford, who warned delegates to “stand on Suard” by watching out for profit eering and speculation in food pro- ducts, the conference was attend- ead by 89 delegates from 44 wo- men’s, trade union, ex-servicemen’s and other organizations, who heard various speakers, including Dr. G. M. Shrum, director of UBC Exten- Sion department. Asserting he favored group ac- tion as the only way to gain ob- jectives, Dr. Shrum said that the people must take action before the fovernment could be expected to de anything. He pointed out that farmers were not profiteers and that most of them were working “terribly long hours for about 5 cents an hour.” The cooperation and assistance of the UBC was offered the League in further study of problems facing the people. “The people must be willing and ready to study any problem and then take action on their findings,” Dr. Shrum declared. PROPOSALS MADE. Mrs. M. §E. Worton, provincial Sé€cretary of the Housewives’ League, presented a report com- Paring prices during the last few weeks to those of the war years 1914-1918. She advanced many suggestions which the council ecould consider in its action to as- Sist the government board to curb profiteering. Wothing yet, she remarked, had been done to regu- late prices. Pointing out the purpose of the conference, Mrs. Norton said that it should first declare war against profiteers and hoarders. She suggested that the council might also consider ways and Means of assisting production in British Columbia and extending activities to prevent exploitation of warces and hours of labor in industry. R. S. O'Meara told the confer- ence that a provincial F