. if

‘ch 29, 1940

THE ADVOCATE

Page Three

%
aR

ag promise.”

33

t AS

r complete independence, Bose
he meant “the same as the
ed States has. Gandhi would
Satisfied with dominion status,
Canada’s.”
G@:cause of ‘the weak-Ikneed,
Hpromisine policy’ followed by
Msdhi since last September, the
* impression that we are not
w%ne to push for independence
y,” Bose continued. “If Gandhi
remained firm, then the Brit-
might have weakened.”
ssions were opened by Mou-
Abul Kalam Azad, Moslem
fzress president, who denounc-
British imperialism and de
ded the right of selfdetermin-
#1 for India.
indhi replied to charges of
#)promise by declaring, “I am al-
fs for compromise. I shall go
ne viceroy fifty times if neces-

Siter, in a published interview,
stook the position that India
d not claim “statutory indepen-
se while Britain’s own fate
Hzs in the balance. What I want
sm unequivocal declaration of
ty and immediate action in
2T as practical. The legal trans-
of power must perhaps avwart

ongress Reiterates Demand
lor Independence Of India

} = 5

RAMGARH, India. — While Mohandas K. Gandhi won from the 53rd annual All-Indian
gonal Congress just concluded here a majority vote empowering him to direct the campaign
Indian independence, a strong left wing bloc fought throughout the Congress against what
has Chandra Bose, one of its leading spokesmen, termed Gandhi's “weak-kneed readiness to

30se was greeted by a cheering crowd of 10,000 on his arrival at the Congress and his follow-
m@carrying banners reading “Down with compromise” and “We are ready to fight for indepen-
staged demonstrations through the camp of Gandhi’s followers.

gn an interview, Bose said the anti-compromise bloc differed with Gandhi on:

undamental relations between India and Britain. “We want complete independence, while
srandhi is willing to compromise,” he said.
resent policies. “Gandhi wants to postpone the campaign for independence. We want to
@ontinue the campaign, despite the international situation.”
onceptions of administration. “We want progressive industrialization, while Gandhi insists
no his pet hobbies, such as prohibition and h anditratts.”

conclusion of the war. Meantime,

we must be treated as a free nee

tion.”

A resolution reiterating its de-
mand for the complete independ-
ence of India and stating that In-
dian freedom could not exist “with-
in the orbit of British imperial-
ism” was adopted by the Congress
after a two-day discussion of 27
amendments submitted.

The resolution disassociated the
Congress from support of Britain
in the European war and stated
that the eight Congress ministers
had been instructed to resign in
order to direct attention to the
Congress stand.

BOMBAY, India — Responding
to the call of the provincial
Trades Union Congress, factories
and stores in Bombay closed for
tyenty-four hours on Monday of
last week in protest against the
arrest of three organizers of the
textile strike here. Called by the
Girni Kamegar (Red Flag) union,
the strike is now in its fourth
week. The union demand is for
a 15 percent wage increase to off-
set higher living costs.

ictivist’ Intrigue Hit

n

rown As
\ppeaser

ajor Harold Brown, president of
on Steamships, assumed the role
= Super-appeaser when he ad-
ised the newly-formed Bankers
ture Club of British Columbia
Fancouver hotel Wednesday.
the Ghamberlain government in
} had merely made formal pro-
against the Italian invasion of
jopia, “and left it at that,” Italy
uid be on the side of Britain to-
, he said, inferring that but for
fact appeasement had not been
ried even further, fascist Italy
id also be engaged in the war
reserve ‘democracy.’
[taly is mo mean force in the
diternanean,” Brown stated. “I
iid much rather haye her with
than against us.”
fajor Brown, however, reserved
highest praise for fascism for
observations on Bolshevism.
“Bolshevism,” he told the select
thering, “is the most loathsome
tm of government imaginable.
izismm and fascism are a Sunday
ternoon compared with Bolshe-
3m.”

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@ SEY-

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at 8 p.m.

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Canadian Labor Defense
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‘Vancouver Gentre Branch)

iwedish Press Assails
inti-Soviet Campaign

STOCKHOLM, Sweden. — Attempts by Swedish reaction to
felop a new campaign against the Soviet Union, via the so-
€=d Scandinavian ‘defensive alliance, is meeting with sharp

osition from liberal spokesmen and newspapers as designed

indermine the neutrality of Scandinavia.

HALL FOR RENT!

Particularly scored is a ‘pro-
gram’ document justifying the
‘need’ for an anti-Soviet alliance,
written by Major General Jung,
now chief of staff of the Swedish
Army, published in 1930 and rec-
ently revived. In this booklet,
Junge formulated _a program of
uniting the northern countries to
attack the USSR.

Reactionary newspapers pursue
their drive under the slogan of
a ‘review of the very foundations
of the entire Swedish and Norwe-
gian policy.’

The hullaballoo of the ‘Activists’
is arousing mass protests and seri-
ous objections of individuals such
as Sweden’s liberal transport min-
ister, Anderson, who declared in
a recent speech that the “Activist’
press does not reflect the real out-
look of Swedish public opinion.

The liberal newspaper Dagblad-
et editorialized:

“Scandinavian collaboration in
recent years was directed against
war. There was no military al-
liance between Norwegian and
other Scandinavian countries,
nor do we need it in the future.”

‘PLAYING WITH FIRE’

Dagbladet opposed negotiations
regarding conclusion of the so-
called defensive alliance as ‘play-
ing with fire.’

“The result of such an alliance
will be a furious arms race at the
expense of a further reduction in
the standard of living of the work-
ing people,’ declares the newspaper
Arbeideren. “Democratic rights
will be severely cut and the dan-
ger of our country being drawn
jnto war will be considerably in-
tensified.’

The newspaper Ny Dag, organ
of the Communist party of Sweden,
charged that the ‘Activists’ are
attempting to develop the idea of
revenge in the shape of a ‘defens-
ive alliance’ against the Soviet Un-
ion.

“But the Finnish people,” adds
Ny Dag, “will not fall for this bait.
Finland, like Sweden, is interested
in establishing close contacts with
the Soviet Union, so as to safe-
guard its well-being.

“We must be watchful lest
agents of the warmongers at-
tempt to achieve their aims by
other means.

“Our foreign political course
must be one leading to the peace,
independence and well-being of
the Swedish people.”

Er ed
JOHN STANTON

Barrister, Solicitor, Notary

603 Holden Building
16 EB. Hastings’ St. Trin. 4464

Ee a

25 Killed When
Police Fire On
Demonstration

DELPHI, India.—Twenty-
five persons were killed or
fatally injured when police
fired on a demonstration of
some 300 followers of the
Moslem Khaksar movement
in Lahore last week. Two
policemen were also killed,
while two others succumbed
to injuries.

The Moslem organization
has been outlawed and Al-
lama Mashraqui, Cambridge-
educated Khaksar leader,
has been arrested here. More
than 200 other Khaksar
members have been arrested
in police raids at Lahore.

Repudiate
Leaders

LONDON, Eng.—Commenting on
the “swift development of the Gen-
tral European situation,” which,
it says, is a “vital factor in all the
calculations of the belligerent pow-
ers,” the current issue of the Week,
news letter published here, ob-
serves that a salient feature of the
Situation is the tendency towards
completion of the “revolutionary
movements of liberation which be-
gan throughout the same area —
and particularly in the Austro-
Hungarian empire—in 1918-1919
and were cut short by the success-
ful intervention” of the British and
French governments of that time.

These movements, continues the
Week, regard “with more or less
equal disfavor, suspicion and ac-
tive hostility: both the government
in Berlin and its agents, and the
governments in London and Paris
and their agents.” In the main the
agents of the Western powers are
the same individuals who, in 1918,
were instrumental in suppressing
“the radical and mainly working
class movements in Prague, in
Swinging Czechoslovalia into arm-
ed action against the Hungarian
Commune, and finally—as a result
of their refusal for ‘social’ reasons
to call upon aid of the Soviet Un-
ion in the summer of 1938 before
Munich—directly identified them-
selves with Chamberlain and Dala-
dier, with the collapse of their
country.

The Week continues: “On the
other hand, it is no secret in
Prague that a very considerable
number of Communist leaders of
the Czech and Slovak popular
movements of resistance at the
time of Munich are now in con-
centration camps in France or—at
the best — treated as exceedingly
unwelcome persons and placed un-
der police surveillance in Britain.”

Wews from Czechoslovakia relat-
ing both to the outbreaks at the
end of last year and incidents aris-
ing from the recent anniversary of
Munich, the Week declares,
“shows that to a great extent all
these movements — some of them
spectacularly successful have
been based upon the industrial
working population, and led by per-
sons of very different views from
those emigre leaders whom the
French and British have assisted
to bundle themselves into positions
on the so-called Czech national
committee.”

s s s
Miners’ Official

— — s se
Will Visit City

Ora L. Wilson, vice-president of
International Union of Mine, Mill
and Smelter Workers (CIO) is ex-
pected to arrive in Vancouver this
weekend to attend a board meet-
ing of union affiliates according to
advice received by George Price,
secretary of Vancouver” Miners’
union.

Wilson has been making a tour
of US mining camps on behalf of
the union. During his stay here
he will be acquainted with organi-
zational problems in the BC mining
industry and will have an oppor-
tunity to hear first hand accounts
of the Pioneer mine strike.

Soviet Sees
Threat To
Extend War

Soviet Government
Newspaper Reviews
Near East Moves

MOSCOW, USSR.—Presence
of a huge Anglo-French army
in the Near Hast is the direct
threat of the Allies to spread
the war to southeastern Europe,
in a maneuver to cut off Ger-
ImanysS economic connections
with these countries, Izvestia,
Soviet government organ, stat-
ed in an editorial last week.

The editorial traced the course
of British and French activities
designed to draw the Near Hast
and the Balkans into war and de-
clared that this activity is reflect-
ed in official Italian nervousness
at the growing threat to Italy’s

eolonial interests in Northeast
Africa.

Tzvestia’s editorial in part fol-
lows:

“From the very first day of the
war the Near East, because of its
distinctive importance and its
strategic position became the ob-
ject of particular attention by An-
glo-French diplomacy and by the
Allied general staffs.

“In Syria and Lebanon a big col-
onial army is being formed whose
numerical strength is variously
given in the foreign press from
150,000 to 500,000 men. The army
which is belng formed in Lebanon
is being reinforced with a British
Army, part of which is stationed
in Irak, part in Transjordan Pal-
estine and part in Bgypt. The
total strength of this army is ap-
proximately 100,000.

“Part of this army is concentrat-
ed along the oil pipelines running
from Mosul and Kirkuk to Alexan-
dretta, Tripoli and Haifa.

Such a possibility, Izvestia said,
had been indicated by Reynolds
News, London weekly, which had
named Rumania as the state “in
whose territory the first operations
of this army may start.” The Soviet
organ observed that “a struggle is
being conducted for Rumanian ex-
ports, the most important article
of which is oil,” and said that forti-
fication work on the Turkish-Bul-
garian frontier, with British mili-
tary experts now in Adrianople for
‘consultation,’ “gives certain
grounds to assume that Turkey
may become the starting point for
Weyegand’s army.”

POSITION OF ITALY

Commenting on Italy’s position,
Izyestia said: j

“Italians are following Anglo-
French activity with mistrust and
apprehension. The Allied manoeu-
vrings threatens utterly to reduce
to dust the old-age dream of Ital-
jans for complete domination in
the Mediterranean area and the
Subordination of the countries of
the Balkan entente.

“To extend the base for war and
to involve new and above all col-
onial and dependent countries in
this war is nothing new. The Near
East has always played a major
role in the strategy of London and
Paris to their colonies, but also as
districts rich in raw materials,
particularly oil.

“But no matter how great is
the importance of the Near Hiast-
ern countries in this respect, it
does not call for the necessity of
creating such a huge army. ‘The
numerical strength and character
of the army go to show that tasks
entrusted to it go far beyond the
framework of defensive functions.”
BALKANS STRATEGY

The guarantees thrust on Ru-
mania, Greece and Turkey, the ed-
itorial continued, “were actually
only the beginning of diplomatic
preparations which aimed at giy-
ing the Allies the possibilty of
depriving Germany of maintain-
ing economic relations with the
countries of southern Europe.

“Tt is not to be excluded that
precisely this NNeareastern Army
is to be the means through which
this cherished aim of the Allies
is to be realized. Should such be
the case the fire of war will have
to be transferred to southeastern
Europe.”

“What is more, the successful
realization of the present designs
of the Anglo-French bloc would
inevitably result in Italy losing
even sthose positions which she
now holds. The formation of the
Weygand army is looked upon in
Rome as a serious danger to Ital-
ian interests.

“TItaly’s reply to this danger is
intensification of her diplomatic
activity in the Balkans and her
striving to establish closest eco-
nomic and political relations with
the countries of southeastern Eur-
ope,

“Italy cannot remain indifferent
to the fact that the new army of
the Allies, particularly its Egyp-
tian wing, is close to Italian colon-
ial possessions. Italy understands
that the activity of the Near East-
ern army will be dangerous also in
the event that activity does not
spread to the countries of south-
eastern Europe, but is aimed in
another direction.”

Xpulsion Of Pritt Creates Storm In Labor Movement

Shop Assistants,

Railwaymen Call
For End To War

LONDON, Eng.—Expulsion

ot D. N. Pritt, KC, MP, by the

Labor party’s national executive has created a storm in Britain
which is certain to have its effect on the party’s national conven-

tion in May.

Pritt, outspoken left wing Laborite, was expelled by a 17-3
vote for “opposition to the declared policy of the party” because
he refused to join in the chorus of condemnation of the Soviet
Union’s action in Finland led by Sir Walter Citrine and other

Labor leaders.

His latest book, Must the War)

Spread,’ was a potent factor in
awakening the British people to
the imminent danger of a war
against the Soviet Union.

But if the dominant Labor lead-
ership regards Pritt’s stand with
extreme displeasure, Pritt is sure
of strong support among the rank-
and-file, important sections of
which have already expressed their
contempt for Sir Walter Citrine.

To the 80 local Labor parties and
many trade unions already on rec-
ord as opposing the war, the Na-
tional Union of Shop Assistants,
Warehousemen and Clerks, and
Essex district council of the Na-
tional Union of Railwaymen, this
week added their demands for an
immediate end to the war.

ASK END TO WAR

Meeting at Birmingham, Prime
Minister Chamberlain’s parliamen-
tary seat, the National Union of
Shop Assistants, representing 175,-
000 organized workers, by a vote
of 82 to 57, adopted a strongly
worded resolution calling for an
end to the war and ousting of the
Chamberlain government.

The resolution described the war
as an imperialist conflict in which
British and French ruling classes
were defending their colonial pos-
sessions and in which the working
class had no stake.

A similar resolution was passed
last week-end by Essex district
of Railwaymen.

While it is true that 3,235,000
votes were cast against a resolu-
tion condemning the war as an
imperialist conflict and calling
for an immediate peace when
the Co-operative party met in
annual conference last week-end,
the 1,323,000 votes for the resolu-
tion indicate the rising anti-war
sentiment throughout Britain.
The Wo Conscription League,
launched in February, 1939, has
widened its program to include
opposition to the war, and now
counts 250,000 members, according
te its secretary, Will Morris.

WAR COSTS SOAR

The anti-war sentiment is a re-
flection of increasing hardships
imposed on the people in order to
meet war costs which, after six
months of the present war, are
approximating those obtaining af
ter three years of the last war, al-
though military operations are not
yet being conducted on anything
like the 1918 scale.

Even with the revenue derived
from new heavy taxes, it is esti-
mated, the British government
will h ae vootorrbw initelydu,00-

will have to borrow £1,000,000
this year and another £2,000,000
in 1941.

Food costs are now 61 percent
above the 1914 figure, set as the
basie standard, and cost of living,
taking 1914 as 100, is now 179, a
rise of two points from 177 in Feb-
ruary this year.

According to conservative offi-
cial estimates, commodities which,
in September, 1939, could be bought
for $5, now cost $5.80.

The government last week lifted
restrictions on butter by doubling
the ration of four ounces per per-
son. But at its present price of
40 cents a pound, butter is beyond
the reach of thousands of families
who must content themselves with
margarine at half the price, It is
precisely the working class upon
which the handicaps bear hardest.

Japanese Call
For End To War

CHUNGEING, China—Anti-war
leaflets and pamphlets signed by
the Anti-War League of the Japan-
ese army in South China have fall-
en into the hands of Chinese troops
operating in the Nanning-Pinyang
district.

“The only way for salvation of
the Japanese people,” the leaflet
declared, “is the overthrow of the
Japanese militarists.”

>

Finn Peace

Welcomed
By British .

Peace Federation
Lauds Scandinavian
Peoples On Stand

By PHILIP BOLSOVER.

LONDON, Eng.— Widespread
satisfaction among working
class organizations at the sign-
ing of the Soviet-Finnish peace
contrasted sharply throughout
Britain with the gloom over-
shadowing official circles of the

Chamberlain government.

The leadership of the British
Labor party and of many of the
trade unions are following their
usual course of attacking the
Soviet Union, but this isn’t cut-
ting much ice with the rank-and-
file union member or man in the
street,

The general attitude in Britain is
shown by the fact that the execu-
tive committee of the WNational
Union of MRailwaymen, 300,000
strong, passed a resolution just be-
fore the signing of the peace, unan-
imously rejecting the Trade Union
Congress’ appeal for funds for the
Mannerheim government.

The executive of the railway-
men’s union also condemned the
recent delegation to Finland led
by Sir Walter Citrine and called
upon the National Council of
Labor to refrain from actions
which are likely to split the
working class,

The London Peace Federation
which has many thousand mem-
bers has affirmed its satisfaction
with the peace. The Hederation
declared that it “congratulates
Scandinavian peoples on the de-
termined maintenance of neutral-
ity’ and calls on its supporters to
“celebrate peace by rigid opposi-
tion to further attempts to spread
anti-Soviet war or war against
other neutral states.”

The Manchester local of uphol-
sterers denounces “the policy of
the present government to drag
this country into war against the
Soviet Union.” The resolution adds
that the present war is being
fought for profits and colonial
domination and can only bring
workers “further misery, blood-
shed and sacrifice.”

These resolutions are typical of
large numbers being passed by
working class organizations
throughout the country.

Ask Accounting
Of Fimnish Relief

Gelebrating the peace between
their native homeland and the
Soviet Union the Finnish Organiza-
tion of Canada, Vancouver local,
pledged to continue raising funds
for Finland’s needy people and de-
manded an open accounting of all
books, receipts and disbursements
of the Finnish Relief Fund con-
ducted by Helge Ekengren, steam-
ship agent.

The celebration held at Clinton
hall last Sunday also demanded of
their national committee assurances
that every effort be made to guar-
antee that funds raised by its locals
throughout Canada will not be sent
to the Social Democrats for dis-
tribution.

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