e ADVOCATE FOR PEACE, PROGRESS AND DEMOCRACY ———————__ War of I8i12 —and Finland Page Five @uest of the Holy Veil Page Six FULL No. 260. VANCOUVER, B.C., FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 1940 eS 5 Cente LOGGERS SEEK PAY BOOST TO OFFSET HIGH LIVING COST War Act Used To Block Organization © ‘Convention Here Demands Action To Halt Death Toll Living costs have soared since outbreak of war and, if workers’ living standards are to be pro- tected, wages, too, must be raised. This was the hard fact underlying the slogan, ‘Boost our pay a dollar a day,’ which formed the central theme of officers’ reports to the third annual convention ef BC district council, International Woodworkers of America, in the city this week. Following an opening address from Mayor J. Lyle Telford Wednesday, the convention set out to draft a realistic prosram designed to boost wages, reduce the high accident rate, organize the unorganized, improve working conditions in the loggins camps and mills of this province. Minimum wage rates in the United States where labor or- cents for a 40-hour week were compared by IWA International President Harold Pritchett to the 40 cents paid in Canada for a 48-hour week. Declared Pritchett: “This problem and that of unemployment can only be solved by organizing the basic industries.” This, Pritchett asserted, was also the answer to the problem of world peace, because Noe sane person want ed war. Labor, he added, should have its own political party, similar to iabor’s Non-Partisan League in the US, to protect its interests the lesislative bodies of the coun- try, Labor in Canada until recently had been fortunate in maintainine= peace in its ranks but, declared Pritchett, it was regrettable that Green, Hutchison and Frey (AFI jeaders) had been allowed to carry eut the expulsion of CIO unions from the Trades and Labor Con- £Tess. “Tt is up to the TWA to take the lead and establish a united CIO movement in BC. It can take the lead on the job, if not in the central iabor councils,” Pritchett Stated. Wednesdays session was largely oeceupied with reports and addresses by iraternal delegates, but as the Second day’s proceedings got under- ‘way the 50 delegates turned to the Tesolutions which will chart the -anion’s course for 1940. Resolutions endorsed called for: an industry-wide pay increase of $1 a day to offset increased living costs; opposition to war profiteer-— ing, the federal government being urged to take immediate steps to reclaim excess profits; inaugura- ion of 2 provincial health insur- anee scheme, Delegates decided in favor of a works program of socially neces— Sary projects, such as slum clear- ance, housing, flood control, schools, in hospitals, conservation of fisheries and forests; and supported Vancou- ver Housing Association’s request that a time limit on $30,000,000 hela by the federal government in re- serve for housing projects be ex- tended. Phe executive council was in- structed te coordinate all activi- ties towards protecting funda- mental civil liberties while dele— gates protested suppression of the Clarion, Toronto’s Iabor weekly, raiding of Vapaus, Finnish language paper and arrest of C. H. Millard, Canadian CIO sec- retary. instructions were also given the executive board to initiate calling a conference of all unions in BC to prepare a uniform legislative pro- fram to propose amendments to the labor Conciliation and Arbitra- tion Act and other bills affecting labor. : Another resolution adopted gives the executive power to call a conference of CIO affiliated unions which will petition the Cio to allow establishment of a provincial industrial council here and provide BC with a CIO di- rector. = Delegates were welcomed by Mayor Iyle Telford, heard Bertel McCarty, TWA secretary-treasurer, who urged that slogans be taken off the walls and put into life; W. =. Atkinson, United Mine Workers’ Island representative, and Howard Costigan, Washington Commen- wealth Federation executive secre- tary, and others. Protest Clarion Ban A supper banquet was given at Melrose Cafe welcoming Costigan, who later spoke at a public meet ing in Moose Hall, presided over by Harold Pritchett. “Democracy starts in our own back yard, so let’s abolish poverty and want before we go abroad te fight for democracy,” declared Costigan as he lashed out at war- mongers and scored Britain’s and _ America’s policies in China. _ @Whis policy, he said, was largely - fesponsible for the war situation in Europe. Canada, with a budget in peace time insufficient to care for its "unemployed, could yet afford mil- _ liens now appropriated for war and destruction. : Following is the report, in part, delivered by Wigel Morgan, execu- tive secretary, BC district council of the TWA, at the council’s conven- tion here Wednesday: Since our last convention twelve months ago tremendous changes lave taken place on the interna- tional field and on the Ganadian political scene, or should I say have become more greatly intensified and the two main forces of present day society more clearly defined. The Pour Horsemen of the Apoca- lypse are still riding War, Unem- ployment, Exploitation and Death are pounding their way across the face of the world. All four have ridden much closer to the Canadian people. War is the leader and after his visit, the three others sweep down unheralded. War—no one will admit wanting it, but everyone has it. War — it comes wrapped in candy coating and tinsel and patriotism and high-— sounding ideals, but it’s the same (Gontinued on Page 2) See LOGGERS ~ Sanized “by the CIO im mass production industries~ gets 62156- Who Said Russians Can’t Ski? ANY day now we've been expecting tows captured Russians across the b showing Red Army ski troops on m we first published it, in 1937. troops can’t ski’ It effectively disproves one of the daily papers to publish this picture under the caption: “Heroic Finnish skijumper captures Red tank single-handed near Moscow and order on his skis.’ But, as a matter of fact this picture aneuvers in the Soviet north has been in our files since the daily press claim that ‘Soviet Pioneer Directors Throw Snag Into Negotiations PIONEER, BC.—Negotiations for reopening of strikebound Pioneer gold mine, which had been proceeding favorably on eight points agreed upon by mine directors at a meeting in Van- couver attended by Labor Minister Pearson two days earlier were abruptly broken off Tues- day by Dr. Howard T. James, mine manager, offered none. Counter proposals were advanced by James, with whom he offers to discuss reopening of the the company free to discriminate against mem who insisted on by union miners at their meeting Wednesday. Teachers Watched Following a remark made by Edu- eation Minister G. M. Weir in 3 message to BC teachers, that “9 small number of them—fortunately a Small number—might easily be more discreet in their references to the war,’ police revealed that since outbreak of war they have been investigating allegedly ‘dis- loyal’ utterances by certain BC teachers. It was said that a ‘careful check’ is being kept on those in_ structors about whom ‘complaints’ have been made. Vancouver School Superintendent HH N. McCorkindale stated he had heard no such ‘complaints,’ but said: “I think that too often pupils misinterpret remarks of their teach- ers. For instance, we had a case of a teacher accused of sedition be— cause he had jokingly remarked, ‘TI have a date with Hitler’.” Police Raid Sudbury Homes TORONTO, Ont. — New police raids and further sentencing of per- sons already arrested have taken place in Ontario during the past two weeks. At Sudbury police last weekend raided two private homes, seizing papers. At Oshawa Frank Towers, who served three years with Canadian forces in France during the last war and later was with the jinter- ventionist army in Russia, was Sentenced to three months in county jail for selling the Clarion. At Hamilton, John Cain was Given a 42-day sentence for makins Statements likely to prejudice re- cruitineg Main point of disagreement was James’ resistance to clause eight, Which asked that the status quo be maintained for six months after reopening of the mine. The mine manager insisted on extending it to & one-year period. Union miners will vote on the eight-point settlement proposals at a Meeting Mriday called solely for that purpose. The meeting has ap- Pproval of Labor Minister Pearson and Colin Cameron, MILA, will act as supervisor. At a meeting Thursday of the companys cooperative committee James stated no proposals had been approved by directors. Wotices calline workers and citizens to viclence against union miners were torn down after a complaint was icdged with the company. John Stanton, union attorney, told the Advocate that James had been instructed to negotiate on the eight-point proposals by the di- rectors, according to Labor Min- ister G S. Pearson, who met them and had the proposals approved. The company has also informed Stanton that it holds itself free to proceed with eviction of miners from company-owned bunkhouses in spite of a verbal agreement that no action would be taken while negotiations were underway. Meanwhile strike funds from unions supporting the strike con- tinue to be sent to the miners. Wearly $10,000 has been donated by organized labor in BC. Chimese Launeh New Offensive CHUNGEING, China. — Chinese troops on the central Yangtzze river front have resumed their ad- vance on Yochow, north of Chans— sho, it was reported this week The offensive is developing from south and east and Chinese detachments have reached outer defenses of town. who named six miners as a neutral committee mine on his own terms. These terms, leaving bers of the union, were unanimously rejected. miners’ guarantees but himself [Raid On Room At Stewart Letters Addressed To Union Secretary Seized By Police STEWART, BC (Delayed) — Utilizing the virtually unlim- ited powers conferred on the government by the War Meas- ures Act in an attempt to pre- vent union organization, pro- vincial police here last month raided the room of a miner re— cently arrived from Vancouver, seized his correspondence, told him to leave town. Beli-ving that the miner in- tendea te conduct organization- al work among miners here with the objective of forming a local affiliate to the CIO Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers’ union, po— lice staged the raid on the pre—- text that the miner was ‘trying to promote a strike’ The raid teok place while the miner was up at the mines seeking work. Police later told- the miner that while they could not order him to leave town, ‘it would be better if he got out because they would imake it their business to see that he was put on the blacklist at the local mines, preventing him from obtaining work, Seized by police when they. Searched the miner’S room under the War Measures Act were two letters addressed to George Price, Secretary of the Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers’ union in Wan- couver. Another miner, resident here, who visited the room while police were questioning the first miner, Was warned to keep quiet unless he wanted ‘to land in jail.’ ne ee Listen < x By GS MOSCOW, USSR.—Many p the Soviet Union. After work, lathe to study German or other lan Im addition, the Soviet Union pro- duces first rate radio receivine sets Both these circumstances com- bine to produce the following inci- dent which recently occurred in connection with a Muscovite friend. One night he decided to turn on the radio and pick up the latest news. This would also enable him to test his knowledge of Frenen. After ten minutes at the radio he was ail but dumbfounded and lost trust in his hearing. A Paris announcer told him, in an indifferent voice, about what terrible things were taking place in Moscow, which indeed was a scene of wild riots, and added that Pravda was filled ‘with reports about factory directors being brought before the courts. The announcer said that 2 similar situa- tion prevailed in Teningrad, except that the Kronstadt Fortress, Len- ingrad’s main defense on the Gulf of Finland, was no longer under Soviet control, having been cap- tured by some ganz of Whits Guards like Mannerheim. Long after the announcer had changed to other topics, our Mus- covite friend siill had his eyes Slued on the radio, his right hand (Continued on Page 2) See MUSCOVITES And Get Kic Foreign Broadcasts k Out Of TANLEY eople study foreign languages in An erstwhile lumberjack, now a doctor of medicine reads English and French publications on medicine. operators and engineers go to their clubs Suages. Wealthy Fold Aid To Finland Good Investment NEW YORK, N.Y.—A sig- nificant commentary on the current Campaisn to aid ‘poor little Finland’ is made by the New York World- Telegram which, in a recent editorial headed, ‘A Hint to the Rich,’ wrote: “For the rich this (the Finnish relief campaign) is something in the nature of a bargain. They can get more than a dollar for every dollar subscribed.” And, as a special inducement for this ‘investment,’ the World-Telegram points out- “By a ruling of the United States Treasury, donations to such causes as Finnish Relief, Ine., are deductible for income-tax purposes up to 15 percent of total net in- come.”