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FOR PEACE, PROGRESS AND DEMOCRACY
VANCOUVER, B.C., FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1939 => ® 5 Cents

FULL No. 252.

CCF MEMBERS CHALLENGE
CHAMBERLAIN-KING POLICY

Unions Ask Labor Act Amendments

‘Tax Profits For Needs Of

People,’ Says Mrs. Steeves

By LILLIAN COOPER

VICTORIA, BC.—Defying Premier Pattulie’s threat to report to the fed-
eral government for action any further condemnation of Britain and Ca-
nadian war policies such as that made by MNirs. Dorothy Steeves (CCF, North
Vancouver) in her speech last Friday, and refusing to ke intimidated by
Speaker Norman Whittaker’s reading of sections of the War Measures Act,
CCF members of the legislature this week continued to advance their criti-

cism of the war.

Harold Winch, CCF House leader, opened the fight last Fri-?

day in a carefully prepared speech confined principally to de-
mands that the government undertake to guarantee civil rights

and liberties.

Under attack from R. LL. Maitland, KC, leader of the now

nominal Conservative oppositio

mn, who last week described the

CCF as an ‘unpatriotic and subversive’ element, Winch devoted
the sreater part of his 90-minute speech to a withering review

of Conservative policies during

Replying to Maitland, Winch de‘
clared that the CCE had fought
for the social and economic beiter-—
ment of the people during peace—
time and would continue to do so
auring wartime.

Wineh reminded Premier Pattul-
lo that when he first entered the
legislature as member for the
nmewly-created constituency of
Prince Rupert during the last war
he and his fellow lLiberais had
roundly denounced the war profit-
e€ering rampant under the Conser-
vative Bowser government. Now,
he said, the Liberals, in office,
were failing to take measures
against the same kind of war prof
iteering which so drew their con-
tempt and scorn 20-odd years ago.

“The people have need of some-
one to speak far them,” he stated.
“Today there is intimidation
against freedom of speech. The
rights of British citizens are being
taken away.”

Winch charged that the premier
had attempted to intimidate the
CGE by his statement during the
recent Cranbrook byelection that
CCF speakers “had better look out
what they were saying.” This
charge drew from Premier Pat-
tullo the admission, “Yes, I believe
I did say something like that.”

But while Winch accepted the
War as a war ‘for liberty and de-
Mmocracy, Mrs. Dorothy Steeves
who followed him, unhesitatingly
denounced it as an imperialist
war.

“What a farce it is te accuse
Germany of broken promises wnen
the path of international dealings
is just strewn with broken prom-
ises—by Britain, France and the

‘Enemies Of

Canada was very backward in
its social legislation, and, in many
respects was only now approach-
ing social legislation which in Eur-
opean countries had been in force
for years.

“Prime Minister Mackenzie
King says we are defending the
Christian civilization. Where is it
in Canada?” she asked. ““‘We have
anything but that.

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Public Opinion
Rallies Behind
Steeves, Cameron

ViCTORTA, BC—Public opin-=-
ion is rallying strongly in sup-
port of the militant stand taken
in the House this week by Mrs.
D. Steeves and Colin Cameron,
although Harold Winch’s speech
failed te impress.

Mrs. Steeves, in an interview
Thursday, said: “The reaction
has been tremendous. Messages
of endorsation have been pour-
ing in. There have been a few
‘brickbats,’ but by far the ma-

prs Fe |

jority of the messages were of a~
censtructive nature.’

So

the last imperialist world war.

| rest,” she declared. “Can we now
trust these governments that
hamded Manchuria to Japan and
smashed—democracy in Spain?” _

The so-called British national
government, she continued, had
betrayed the League of Nations, a
betrayal im which the Canadian
government had participated, and
helped Hitler to rise to Bower.

“Britain has been caught in
the logical sequence of history,’
Mrs. Steeves said. “The sordid
betrayals must make us take
warning for the future. Can goy-
ernments whe betrayed us in the
past be trusted te guard demo-
eracy in the future?”

in reference to the imperialist
rivalries which, she declared, were
responsible for this war, Mrs.
Steeves asserted: “The word ‘em-
pire’ in the sense of imperialism
that means the slaughter that it
bas meant and the exploitation
that it has meant, must go.”

The armament manufacturers—
‘the apostles of imperialism’—the
bankers and big business men, she
continued, were those who bene-
fitted from and supported imper-

ialism.’ Elaborating, Mrs. Steeves
said she meant the Dutch and
French empires as well as the
British.

“As long as you have poverty
and exploitation out of which the
privileged group makes profits,
you are going te have war, Hitler
or no Hitler,’ she said.

Like George Bernard Shaw, she
believed that the German people
could not be crushed by force, and
certainly,” she said, “there is no
use teaching Germans ‘civilization’
at the point of the bayonet when
we haven’t got any ourselves.”

Peace Here’

“Prime Minister Mackenzie
King’s talk about the sacredness
of human personality makes me
sick at the stomach when I think
of conditions in Canada.”

Mrs. Steeves declared that
-federal war taxes on consumers
were placing the burden of the
war on the people. She demand-
ed that the provincial goyvern-
ment “tax profits from industry
to tale care of social needs.”

“Tf that is not done,’ she said,
“7 warn you people are not going
to stand for it They know more
since 1914-18. There will be a ter-
rible day of reckoning at the end
if we do not look to it now.

“That is why we must have a
proper declaration of the empire’s
war aims. All that is heard is talk
about the destruction of Hitlerism,
but nothing about constructive
plans for the future.

“Tt ais mnot-enough to destroy
something. What comes after
that? It is folly to go back to the
old cut-throat competition. Tt is no
use to destroy Hitler in Germany
and leave alive Hitlers in our own
country.

(Continued on Page Two)

See CCE.

Writ Of
Restraint
sought

Pioneer Miners
Take Action  _
Against Crown

Application for a writ of
prohibition to prevent the
Crown from proceedings with
charges against Pioneer min-
ers union executives of illes-
ally calling a strike and zre-
fusal to bargain collectively
with their employers, was
filed in Supreme Court here
this week by union attorney,
John Stanton.

Meanwhile, notice of motion
was served on Magistrate G@ J.
Sumner and police officers at
Pioneer that this action is being
taken to prevent trials of the six
men from being heard Nov. 20,
although they will appear then.

This action was taken when
bench warrants were sworn out
for the arrest of the union offi-
cials after their non-appearance
in court last Friday at Gold-
bridge.

Stanton claims the charges
have lapsed since they were not
read out when the men appear-
ed in court last Thursday and to
test this contention Supreme
Court action is being taken.

Directors of Pioneer Gold
Mines will appear in Goldbridge
court, Nov. 10, to answer charges
of refusing to bargain with their
employees as defined in the La-
ber Conciliation and Arbitration
Act, but union officials expect a
week's adjournment.

Morale of strikers has
been considerably increased at
the turn of events and from
support Ziven them by. other
unions.

White Star mine employees at
Zeballos are reported to have
pledged $5 a man. Division 101,
Street Railwaymen’s union, col-
lected $50 at the Prior Barns and
Electrical Workers’ union has
voted $50, it is reported.

Appeal of W. J. Cameron, un-
ion president, convicted last
week of illegally calling a strike
and fined $150 will be heard in
Lillooet, Nov. 24.

Arrangements have been
completed te held a public
meeting in Moose Hall, here,
Wov. 13, when Pioneer miners’
leaders and prominent trade
unionists will be heard. May-
or Telford and Colin Cameron
are also expected to speak.

CUMBERLAND, BC — United
Mine Workers local here, by
unanimous vote on Sunday plac-
ed an assessment of 25 cents on
its membership to assist Pion-
eer Miners, according to Union
Secretary James Robertson.

Considerable interest is being
taken in forming a cooperative
society and a special meeting
has been called for Sundav
night te hear Stephen Jackson,
erganizer for the credit union,

jMolotov Reaffirms

soviet Neutrality
At Anniversary Meet —

MOSCOW, USSR.—Premier V. M. Molotov on Monday re-
affirmed the Soviet Union’s intention of steering clear of in-
volvement in the European war and pursuing a policy of
neutrality designed to restrict the spread of war and bring

about peace.

Speaking to a rally at the Mos-
cow Opera House, opening the fes-
tivities in connection with the 22nd
anniversary celebrations of the
Russian Revolution, Molotov said
that “no efforts to draw the Soviet
Union into war can succeed.”

The meeting was attended by
high government and Communist
party leaders, as well as a galaxy
of foreign diplomats and press
correspondents. Among those pre-
sent were Joseph Stalin and Kle-
menti Voroshilov, people’s commis-—
Sar for defense.

Molotoy drew a contrasting pic-
ture between the situation within
the Soviet Union at the end of its
22nd year, and conditions in the
capitalist world. _ = 2

“Capitalism is tenacious,” Molo-
tov said, “even though it is no
longer in the period of expansion,
but is declining. Capitalism
elutches at everything to prolong
its. existence.

“But what “has it to offer the
peoples of the capitalist countries?

¢

And what is it capable of in our
times?

“Capitalism gives rise to one
economic crisis aiter another, to
devastating unemployment in
the towns, to hopeless starva-
tien in the countryside, to the
intensification of the burdens of
national and colonial servitude
for many hundreds of millions
of people, and to endless bloody
wars without which capitalism
cannot exist”’

Proceeding then to describe the
growth of the Soviet Union, Molo-
toy pointed out that the present
program of economic development
means that the Soviet Union can
within a short period—within tea
or fifteen years—overtake and out
strip the most developed capital-—
ist countries economically as well.
For the first ten months of 1939,
the industrial output of the Soviet
Union increased by 144 percens,

(Continued on Page 2)
See MOLOTOV

Week In The

riouse

By HAL GRIFFIN

WHENTY-FOUR years ago, in his pamphlet, Socialism and
War, lenin wrote: “The question is, should we conduct
ourselves as Socialists or should we actually ‘exhale our last
breath’ in the embrace of the imperialist profitmakers?” Im the
legislature this week the CCE group was confronted. with the
necessity of answering this question in formulating its attitude

toward the war.

To give one answer meant to@prosecution of the war.

satisfy these who see in this war
2 means of reaping huge profits,
of destroying the liberties of the
people in the mame of a war for
Gemocracy. it meant also aban-
Gonment of CCF principles as set
forth in the CCF pamphlet, What
Is the Answer of the CCF? Here
the GCE has placed itself on rec-
ord as “unalterably opposed to
war. True, it is a dogmatic posi-
tion, in that it fails to distinguish
between different kinds of wars,
between just and unjust wars, but
it is nevertheless a position ad-
mitting of no equivocation.

To give another answer meant
to call- forth the wrath of those
who, in Premier Pattullo’s own
words, are determined that “noth-
ing must be said that will inter-
fere in any way’ with successful

But it al-
so meant holding to principles
long since set out in print and now
meeting the test of actuality.

im these circumstances it is not
surprising that this present ses-
Sion of the legislature has found
members of the CCE group taking
different and conflicting positions.

Harold Winch, CCF House
leader, under heavy fire from
those ‘ultra patriots’ of a Conserv-
ative opposition now in conjunc-—
tion with the government, was
prepared to concede what the
combined Liberal and Conserva-
tive parties claimed. “We are in
a war for liberty, freedom and de-

mocracy to drive Hitler out of
Europe. We accept that state—
ment,” he said.

(Continued on Page Five)
See HOUSE.

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<

Council
Will Press
For Action

Delegates Assail
Vicious Clauses
Gf BC Measure

Amendments to the Labor
Conciliation and Arbitration
Act will be sought by Vancou-
ver Trades and labor council’s
legislative committee in con=
junction with the Trades and
Tabor Congress’ provincial ex-
ecutive when it meets the pro--
vincial cabinet shortly.

While amendments to the Act
introduced by Business Agent J. A.
Humphreys of the Bakers’ union
were not entertained by the coun-
cil, it did by a large majority en-
dorse 2a motion proposed by W.
Stewart that the legislative com-
mittee consider such amendments
with power to act and present them
to the government

This motion was offered by Stew-
art after it was apparent that
there was some unclarity as to
whether the legislative committee
had decided for repeal of the Act
or for amendments to it.

Secretary Percy Bengougeh in con-
tributing to a lengthly discussion
on the floor of the council, said:
“T think we should concentrate our
efforts in getting the minister to
place a sensible interpretation on
the Act,” which Birt Showler greet-
ed with cries of “Hear, hear.”

Delegate Sam Shearer in a speech
termed “idealist rather than ma-—
terialist” by Gordon Maxwell, Re
tail Clerks, urged the council to
launch a@ provinee-wide campaign
for abolition of this “innocuous
piece of anti-labor legislation,” de—
claring “We would be far better
off without it.”

in clesing the debate, Stewart de—
Clared that if we use the same ar
guments then we would be better
off without such YTegislation as the
Workmen’s Compensation Act, Ola
Age Pensions Act or other social
legislation measures.”’

Wibile no definite amendments
were considered, it is expected that
deletion of conciliation, insertion of
clauses to outlaw company unions
and recognize a department as a
separate industry, and striking out
of the clause alluding to unions or-
ganized prior to Dec. 7, 1938, will
be sought as most urgent in the
interests of the trade union move-
ment.

Trades Council
Backs Strikers

Delegates to Vancouver
Trades and Labor Council this
week had a clearer conception
of the Pioneer Mime strike af
ter C. E. Fitzgerald, former or-
Sanization committee chairman
and member of the Musicians’
union, as representative of the
miners appealed for continued
support of the strike.

Reading from a union brief, Fitz
gerald recounted events leading up
to the present dispute and charred
Dr. H. T. James, Managine direc-
tor, with having refused to bargain
with his employees when they were
represented by a cooperative com-—
mittee. Dr. James’ attitude was
cited as the reason the men turned
to an international union for~-pro-
tection.

Early in June a dispute arose at
Pioneer over one man's dismissal,
and James Thompson, senior offi-
Cial for the labor department had
it adjusted. At that time Thompson
recognized the union executive as
the bargaining agency for the Pic-
meer miners after havine checked
the union books against the com-
pany’s payroll

(Continued on Page Two)
See LABOR