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FULL No. 255.

VANCOUVER, B.C., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1939

SS ® 5 Cents

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nizing

Cam

PEARSON ADMITS ANTI-LABOR BIAS
CLDL Launches Orga

as

paign

City Gathering
Scores Atttacks
Upon Liberties

A province-wide organizing campaign to rebuild the Ca-
nadian Tabor Defense League was launched Sunday night at
a well-attended meeting in Orange Hall when more than 50
persons formed a Vancouver Center branch following addresses
by James Cox, well known CCF speaker, and George Drayton,

organizer for the CLDL.

im stressing the need for 2 wide ¢

Gefense organization to provide
legai defense for persons arrested
for infractions of the War Mea-
sures Act or through labor strug-

giles, Cox recalled Some past strug-—

gles to maintain civil rights, free-
dom of speech, press and assem-
blage.

Speakinge of intolerance, Cox de
plorea the wun-Christian-like atti-
tude of certain city ministers, who
from their pulpits had denounced
Mrs. Dorothy_Steeves, CCF mem-
ber for Worth Vancouver, thereby
supporting those reactionary poli-
ticians who would deny all free-
oom of speech.

‘Reerardiess of what some people
may think about the causes of the
war or Canada’s aims,
they 2gree or differ with any opin-
jon given, I can promise you the
GGF stands for the full exercise
ef our democratic rights and civil
liberties,” he concluded.

Past work of the CLDL was out-
lined by Drayton, who stressed the
need for the organization to de
fend those arrested for distribut—
ing a peace leaflet as vital to the
liberties of ail citizens.

A resolution, addressed to Jus-
tice Minister EE. Lapointe, urged
release of those azrested under
¢he War measures Act, repeal of
certain clauses infringing on the
people’s rights and protested ban-
ming of the Clarion, progressive
lebor paper of Toronto, and the
arrest of its business manager,
Douglas Stewart.

Establishment of another branch
of the CLDL in east Vancouver
Will take place at a meeting in
Clinton Hall, Clinton and Pender
streets, on Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 3
pm. Plans are going forward to
organize branches throughout the
Fraser Valley before the end of
the year and enquiries have been
received from Wictoria and other
Vancouver Island points.

Fight Reaction,
Urges A. E. Smith

TORONTO, Ont.— “Powerful re-
Bectionary interests are boldly ad-
vancing to accomplish in wartime
what the democratic Canadian peo-
ple would not allow them to do in
peacetime,’ declared A. E. Smith,
national secretary of the newly con-
stituted Ganadian Labor Defense
Teague this week in a statement
appealing for support to defend
some 30 persons arrested under the
War Measures Act for allegedly
distributing peace leaflets.

‘Ministers of the church are
threatened with prison and perse—
cution, theic homes raided, because
they opposed war.

Reactionaries call for the intern-
ment of J. S. Woodsworth, MP, and

(Gentinued on Page 2)
See CLDL

>

whether ‘

Leaflet
Decision
Expected

Distributors
To Appear In
Court Friday

Three men and two women
charged under the War
Measures Act with distrib-

- uting a peace leaflet were
remanded until Friday for a
decision when they appeared
before Magistrate H. S. Wood
in police court Friday of last
week.

EH. A. Lueas, retained for the
defense by the Canadian Labor
Defense League, addressed the
eourt for 45 minutes citing similar
cases now pendine in Quebec
courts where R. LL. Calder, KC,
had obtained a stay of proceed-
ings while constitutionality of

the War Measures Act is tested
in Supreme Court.

Staten.ents in regard to the
War, its causes and effect, made
by Prime Minister Chamberlain,
Winston Churchill, Lloyd George
and Premier King’s words of ad-
miration for J. S. Woodsworth,
CCF MP, for his war stand, were
recalled by Lucas.

After giving his interpretation:
of the Act and quoting several
paragraphs from the leaflet;
Lucas declared the leaflet con-
tained a series of well-known
facts, upon which was based the
call for peace. He contended that
the government never intended
that the people of Canada should
be denied the right to state facts
or to urge that peace be brought
about.

Prosecutor Oscar Orr displayed
little knowledge of the labor
movement when he declared in
his rebuttal that it was illogical
for workers to demand increased
wages and for farmers to demand
higher prices for their products
to cope with rising food prices,
as the leaflet urged.

Quoting statements from the
leafiet dealing with profiteering
in Canada, the prosecuter stated,
“Perhaps this is true, but we
shouldn’t go around telling it at
this time.”’

Magistrate Wood declared a
five-minute recess and on recon-
vening adjourned the cases until
this Friday, when he will render

2a decision,

| of progress made in BC.

Refuses |

To Amend
Labor Act

Failure Of Gov’t
To Presecute
Employers Hit

By LELLIAN COOPER

VICTORIA, BC. — Refusing
outright to consider Colin
Cameron’s amendments to the
Industrial Conciliation and Ar-
bitration Act which would
further promote workers’ in-
terests, Labor Minister George

S. Pearson in the House this
week led a bitter attack on
labor’s right to organize, and
in particular asainst the strik—
ing miners of Pioneer.

Admitting that two most im-
portant clauses had been omitted
from the Act, the right to en-
force union recognition and com-
pulsory acceptance of arbitration
awards, Pearson conceded that
“possibly these were not put im
out of deference to the not-prop-
erly-developed attitude of em-
Ployers in this province toward
labor.’”

international unions Pearson
condemned as ‘outside influence,
adding: :

“Until we are satisfied that no
interference is going to be made
from the otner side of the line, fT
am not advised to recognize unions
any further.”

A letter from Tom Forkin, BC
erganizer for Mine, Mill and Smel-
ter Workers’ union, addressed to
International President Reid Rob-
inson was read out by Pearson in
an effort to convince the legislature
that the strike was engineered from
Colorado. The letter in question
was one of several reports sent
regularly by Forkin to union head-
quarters in Denver informing them

Horkin’s report related a whole
series of events proving to inter-
national officers the impossibility
of continuing negotiations with
Pioneer’s Managing Director H. T.
James, who, he stated, had
adamantly refused to bargain with
employees in every case and at one
stage had told the committee he
would not bargain any further than
compelled by law.

DISCRIFHNATION SHOWN.

By his attack on international
uniens Pearson thus revealed the
reason why no proceedings were
taken against Privateer minework
ers when they locked out 89 men
in violation of the Act and why

the government did not try to settle
the dispute at Alberni when work
ers were fired for union activity.
In both cases, as in Pioneer strike,
men were members of a GIO
union.

Pearson reluctantly agreed with
Harold Winch, CCE House Leader,
that a Labor Relations Board
would be preferable to himself as
sole interpreter of the Act, but
“hesitated to press it on the Zov-
ernment until its labor policy was
more settied.”

SCORES GOV.

introducing amendments caleu-
lated to widen unions’ bargaining

(Continued on Page 5)
See HOUSE

COMMUNISTS ELECTED

‘Peg Anti-Labor Campaign Fails

WINNIPEG, Man—Despite an
unprecedented campaign against
its candidates in which all reac-
tionaries, from those allied with
the fascist ex-Mayor Ralph Webb
to Mayor John Queen and other
TP members, joined, GCommun-
ists more than held their own
in Winniper’s civic elections last
Hriday.

In Ward 3 Communist Ald.

Jacob Penner was re-elected after
leading the poll in the first count.
in Ward 2 John MeNeil, militant
trade union leader, while failing

in his bid for a council seat,
ranked fourth in a slate of six in
the first count and was only elim-
inated on the fourth count.
Andrew Bilecki, former Com-
alderman, who did not
a council seat but ran
for school trustee, was
on the first count in

munist
contest
instead
elected
Ward 3.

The Ward 3 council seat vacat—
ed by Bilecki fell to John Petiley,
non-Labor candidate:

Labor now has 7 of the 18 Win-
nipeg council seats and 6 of the
15 seats on the school board.

REGINA, Sask. — Labor forces,
fighting a vicious and ably-
financed campaign of misrepre-
sentation, went down to defeat
in Regina’s civic elections Mon-
day.

Im a reactionary sweep which
placed the candidates of the so-
ealled Civic Voters’ Association in
office, both Ald. Fines and Wil
liams, Labor representatives,
were defeated, although they
polled good votes.

Mayor A. C Ellison, who has
held office for the past four years,
was defeated in His bid for re-
election by James Grassick

Finnish Government Resigns;

USSR Demands ‘Considered’

Out of the distorted and exaggerated reports of the Soviet-Finnish conflict which this
(Friday) morning flooded cable offices and jammed the ether the following unconfirmed

points emerged:

“4

Ban Finnish Papers For
Urging USSR Friendship

HELSINKI, Finland.—According to an official report
issued here, the government has decided to close down
the central organ of the small agriculturists, the newspaper
Suomen Pienviljelia. Excuse for this act of repression was
that during the entire autumn and even in the last issue it
printed articles which ‘harm the country’s security.’

In its last issue Suomen Pienviljelia assailed reactionary
Socialist-Democratic leaders,

“The Soviet-Finnish negotiations have even to a greater
degree increased the reaction of the Social-Democratic
aristocracy and other capitalists. The capitalists and Social-
Democratic leaders, basing themselves on the situation re-
sulting from the Soviet-Finnish negotiations, demand from
the masses their agreement to a lowering of the living stan-
dard and repeal of the eight-hour workday and also ap-
proval of extraordinary laws.
the entire burden of the consequences of the crisis on the
shoulders of the masses with the sole aim that capitalist
profits should be maintained.”

Earlier, the Finnish journal Soihtu was persecuted and
is now banned because it advocated friendly relations with
the Soviet Union, although officially nothings was reported.

wrote:

Thus, they want to throw

Labor Candidate Gets
Royal City Support

NEW WESTMINSTER, BC.— The campaign to elect Sam
Hughes to the city council on Dec. 15 is gaining wide support
among Royal City voters, Roy LaVigne, campaign manager
for the labor candidate, told the Advocate this week. According
to LaVigne, Hughes’ proposal for a graduated business license
fee is meeting with approval of many store owners.

Labor Aids

Pioneer

Evidence of the way in which
organized labor in BC is identify—
ing Pioneer miners’ strike with its
own struggle for higher wages,
strike donations literally poured
in from labor organizations this
week to feed embattled Pioneer
miners, their wives and families,
who are still carrying on for a $1
a day wage raise, recognition of
the men’s committee and a check-
off system for union dues.

Heading the list of supporters is
Pulp and Sulphite Workers union
at Powell River with $500 and a
pledge of continued support. Log-
gers at Lake Log Company’s camp,
Rounds, BC, have contributed
nearly a $1 a man to make a dona-
tion of $307.50, while TWA local
1-80 has donated $50.

Salmon Purse Seiners’ and Unit-

“ed Fishermen’s Unions in Vancou-

ver are arranging to send into Pio-
meer between 500 and 1000 Ibs. of
herrings this week.
Inland Boatmen’s
donated $25
W. Jj. Cameron, Pioneer Fin-

ers’ Union president, is visiting
Vancouver Island unions to give
them the miners’ side of the
strike for the right te organize,
and to raise funds. Im this he is
receiving able assistance by W.
S. Atkinson, UMWA Vancouver
Esland representative.

Union has

Mothers’ Council
Aids Miner’s Wife

A tragic appeal for assistance for
Mrs. W. J. Cameron, wife of the

(Continued on Page 5)
See PIONEER

Several thousand leaflets headed,
“Vote for Action in the City Coun-
cil” and citing four pertinent rea-
sons why voters should cast their
ballots for Hughes, were distributed
this week. In the leaflet the labor
candidate pledged himself to work
strenuously to change the state of
affairs responsible for a 25 percent
increase in land taxes during the
past two years, while 45 cents of
every land tax dollar go to pay in-
terest,

The graduated business license,
according to Hughes, would be a
more equitable method and give
the independent store owner a
break in competing with chain
stores, which in recent years have
Bained a virtual monopoly by their
Iethods of centralized buying.

Hughes holds that the house-
holder cannot long continue to be
the big taxpayer, while industries
reap large profits, but pay only a
fraction, dollar for dollar, of what
wage earners and small business—
men pay.

Considerable enthusiasm is beings
displayed by supporters of the 32-
year-old candidate, who is also an
executive officer of Vancouver and
New YWvestminster Trades and Labar
council, They have taken a quota
of 10 votes each to ensure his elec-
tion. =

House Passes
Doukhobor Act

VICTORIA, BC —Leszislation en-
abling the government to purchase
land settled by 5000 Doukhobors in
the Kootenays, held under mort-
gage by the Sun Life Assurance and
Wational Trust companies, was
passed in the provincial legislature
this week. The government will in
turn sell the land back to individual
Doughobors on long term agree-
ments.

Supporting the bill, with her CCF
colleagues, Mrs. Dorothy Steeves
pointed out that the sovernment
Was establishing a precedent by
helping these people simply ‘be—
cause they were united and strong
enough to force the government to
do something about the problem.”

Tom Uphill (Labor, Fernie) urzs-
ing a full debate, pointed out that
the Doukhobors have cultivated
Tany acres of land which other-
wise would have remained wild.

S>—e—The Finnish government of

Prime Minister A. K. Gajander,
which provoked the dispute with
the Soviet Union to the point of
Open conilict, resigned Thursday
after reportedly having received
from an emergency session of par-
liament 2 vote of confdience. This
was the first session of the Fin-
nish parliament held sinee negotia-
tions with the USSR over Soviet
demands were opened.

2 Baron Karl Gustav
Emil Mannerhein, who 22 years
ago earned the title ‘Butcher’ Man-—
nerhein for the ruthlessness with
Which he suppressed the workers’
government, and T M. Rivimoki,
prime minister under the pro-fas-
cist President Svinhufyud, “were
mentioned as possible successors to
Prime Minister Cajander.

3S leaders were reported
to be ‘considering’ acceptance
ef the original proposals of the
‘Soviet Union as outlined in earlier
discussions with the Soviet Sov-
ernment.

Open conflict followed 3s number
of Finnish border provocations sim-
ilar to those engineered by the
Japanese puppet government on
the Mongolian border earlier this
year, Smee oe was

: On Wednesday Premier Mototov.
informed the Finnish minister te
Moscow of the Soviet Sovernment’s
denunciation of the Soviet-Pinnish
non-ageression pact, effective im-_
mediately, because the Finnish gov-
ernment’s anti-Soviet policy was
inconsistent with the treaty.

PACT DENOUNCED.

_Denunciation of the non-aggres-
Sion pact was announced by the
severnment over the Moscow radio
which on Tuesday night addressed
2 broadcast to the Finnish people
in their own language. The address
exhorted the Finns to “overthrow
your clownish premier who is lead—
ing your country on the disastrous
path of former Polish leaders.”

The Soviet government action fol-
lowed widespread demonstrations
by the Union’s population. Workers
in factories and Peasants on the
collective farms called meetings to
denounce the attack which spilled
Russian blood. Speakers called on
the government to return “a triple
blow” for the provocation.

Eiarlier, on Monday, Soviet Am-
bassador to Britain, Ivan Maisky
informed the British governmenc
that the Soviet demanded a stop to
British anti-Soviet incitation in
Finland and other regions. Maisky
named the Baikans, the Near Mast
and the Far Bast as regions in
which the British were assertedly
instigating action hostile to the
Soviet.

The Soviet warning to Britain to
cease Provevative interference in
Soviet relations with third nations
follows Similar statements made by
Soviet Premier V. M. Molotov and
in the official Soviet press at the
time of the special session of the
Supreme Soviet and again during
the celebration of the 22nd anni-—
versary of the October Revolution.

On October 31 Molotov, in a
thinly veiled reference to British
imperialism, declared “our rela
tions with Finland are of a special
character. This is to be explained
by the fact that in Finland there
is a greater amount of outside in_
fluence on the part of third pow-
ers,’ than in other Baltic nations
with which the Soviet Union has
successfully concluded mutual as-
sistance pacts.

Gov’t Evades
Insurance Issue

VICTORIA, BC.— Further action
on the Health Insurance Act de-

pends on the Rowell Commission's
report, Dr G. M Weir told the
Fiouse Wednesday, contending that
the health of Canadian People was
a Dominion responsibility.
Capt, 2.4 Macintosh
islands) declared the People
Province were saying:
“We voted for health
were spending money
insurance and where jis

(GCons,,
of the

insurance,

fer health
1s