Page Six

THE ADVOCATE

THE ADVOCATE

Published Weekly by the Advocate Publishing Association, Room 20
163 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, B.C. Phone TRinity 2019

EDITOR - HAL GRIFFIN
Gne Year $2.00 Three Months ____§_______§ .60
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Make All Cheques Payable to: The People’s Advocate

VANCOUVER, B.C., FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 1940

Labor Must Act To Defeat
This Threat

et eee King goyvernment’s threat to declare illegal the strike
called by the Canadian Seamen’s union on the Great
Lakes should bring home to organized labor the full import
of the War Measures Act.

We have contended from the time the Act came into force
that it was aimed not only at Communists and others who op-
pose the war. We have pointed out that the denial under the
War Measures Act of democratic rights to Communists, fol-
lowing what can be termed a definite historical pattern, is but
the prelude to the denial of democratic rights to organized
Jabor and all sections of the people. Under the War Measures
Act the government has arrogated to itself dictatorial powers
that strike at the constitutional democratic rights of the Ca-
nadian people. And, as the government has already demon-
strated by its suppression of labor newspapers, by its denial
of the principle of free election in the arrest of persons who
distributed the election material of anti-war candidates, it is
prepared to use them against the people.

The Hepburn government in Ontario indicated the end to
which the War Measures Act would be used when it ordered
the arrest of ©. H. Millard, secretary of the Canadian Com-
mittee for Industrial Organization. The fact that popular pro-
test forced the dropping of charges against Millard is an indi-
cation that the strength of democratic traditions among the
Canadian people can defeat the anti-democratic actions of
governments. But as long as the War Measures Act, so care-
fully designed long before war broke out, remains on the
statute books such threats against the labor movement and
all true organizations of the people can be enforced in a fashion
typical of fascism.

What does the government’s threat to declare illegal the
Great Lakes strike signify in plain terms? It means that the

government is prepared to allow the shipping companies to

reap increased profits frem war trade, but that it is not pre-

pared to allow the seamen to demand increased wages to com-

pensate them for higher living costs resulting from the war.

It means that the government is prepared to deprive labor of

its Tight to strike, a right established by countless struggles

through the years.

In fact of this threat the actions of trade union ‘leaders’
like President A. E. Jamieson of Vancouver Trades and Labor
council in attempting to weaken the labor movement by
barring all militant unionists, in denying democracy in the
unions as the government apparently would deny it in the
country as a whole, brands them as traitors to organized labor.

This week General Motors employees at Oshawa, them-
selves prepared to strike if the company refuses to negotiate,
adopted a resolution condemning the King government’s threat
to outlaw the Great Lakes strike. Organized labor in British
Columbia, if it values its hard-won wage scales and conditions
and its rights, if it is not prepared to sacrifice its interests as
some of its leaders obviously are, will do well to add its protest.

Profiteering In Food

af A TENSION of the war to Norway and occupation of Den-

mark by the Nazis, with consequent diversion of the food
exports of these countries to Germany, is regarded as a ‘great
opportunity for Canadian producers.

From Norway and Denmark bacon, butter and eggs were
exported to Britain. In peace time these food supplies were
important. In war time they have become vital, and it is gen-
erally accepted that Britain will now turn to Canada to supply
the shortage.

The daily press is now painting in broad strokes a glowing
picture of the prospects facing Canadian producers. But there
are important details which the daily press is careful to omit.

It is not generally known, for instance, that from the be-

ginning of the war the Norwegian people were placed on strict
rations while export companies derived profits from the ship-
ment of foodstuffs to other countries, notably Britain.
It is ironical that while the Norwegian people were tighten-
ing their own belts to export foodstuffs to Britain, charges
were being made in the House of Commons that the British
people themselves were obliged to tighten their belts because
the price of these foodstuffs was beyond their purchasing
power.

Speaking in the British House of Commons on April 2
John Morgan, Labor, declared that “rationing could be
stopped tomorrow, because the great mass of the people do
not have the money to buy the amount of the ration.” The
prices of milk, butter, sugar and bacon should all be reduced,
he claimed, charging that the government had “fixed food
prices so high that working people cannot afford to buy their
requirements.” Morgan also charged that members of the
food ministry had personal interests in the commodities they
were handling.

The Canadian people will have to be alert to ensure that
this ‘great opportunity’ for producers is not seized upon by
protifeering interests at the expense of consumers and pro-
ducers alike. No one will deny that the farmer is entitled to a
fair return. But he is not getting it, although consumers are
confronted with constantly soaring prices which are working
great hardships on relief recipients and the majority of wage
earners in the lower paid brackets.

The retail index of butter is up from 59.3 in Feb. 1939, to
70.9 in Feb. 1940. Potatoes have risen from 51.6 in Feb. 1939
to 62.7 in Feb. 1940. Beef stood at 92.5 in Feb. 1939, while in
Feb. 1940 it was 95.9. Veal has increased from. 87.9 in Feb.
1939 to 92.2 in Feb. 1940. These figures are indicative of the
whole trend of rising living costs.

With the prospect of heavy food shipments from Canada
to Britain providing a pretext for still greater increase in the

: iti i tion of consumers
es of staple commodities the organized ac
cies can defeat the profiteers who rob both consumers and

producers. ~

IMPERIALISM SEEKS A
NORTHWEST PASSAGE

CL IS less than a century since the quest for a Northwest Passage through Canada’s ice-locked northern seas to the open

Pacific was reluctantly abandoned. For two hundred years merchant adventurers dreamed of finding in the new world
a shorter route to the wealth of the old, and the dream died hard. Today, however, there are imperialist adventurers who
dream of finding a new northwest passage. Seeking to adapt the route followed by ancient man in his migration to the Am=
erican continent, they dream of involving the old capitalist wold in conflict with the new world of socialism through Alaska,

The dream first took form in
1919 when Japan, the United
States and Britain sent armies of
occupation, including Canadian
troops, to Siberia. And in the
score of years since it has lain
dormant, now to be reviewed by.
those endeavoring to solve sharp-
ening imperialist’ antagonisms in
the Ear Hast at the expense of
the Sovigt Union. Before them
is the tempting prospect of divid-
ing the Soviet Union's Siberian
territory with its wealth of nat-
ural resources.

It is a question the Canadian
people cannot afford to ignore
as a threat too remote for con-
cern, for there have been repeat-
ed statements that Canada will
automatically be drawn into any
conflict involving Alaska. And
during the last six months too
many political indicators have
pointed in the one direction for
anyone to mistake their signifi-
cance,

The most open invitation to at-
tack on the Soviet Union through
Alaska has come from Dave
Beck, reactionary head of the
Teamsters’ union in the Pacific
northwest. In a speech made on
Feb. 20 and reproduced in cur-

rent issue of the Teamsters’
Wews MJBulletin published under
the direction of Birt Showler

here, Beck stated:

“We should speed the fortifi-
cation of Alaska. Alaska lies
only forty miles from the coast
of Siberia, the Pacific rim of
Soviet Russia. Russia is now
fortifying Siberia. For what
purpose? We can only guess.
But Alaska once belonged to
Russia and today nations are
seizing land that once belonged
to them and slaughtering the
people who occupy it.

“T repeat that only 40 miles
separate Alaska from Russia.
We are almost as close to Rus-
sia as Seattle is to Tacoma.

“We should continue to de-
velop Bremerton, as the north-
ern base of our fleet. It should
be ready to handle the needs of
the fleet in wartime. Bremer-
ton should be supplemented by
many. other coast bases located
and developed by military ex-
perts and not by chambers of
commerce.

“We should fortify a chain of
islands across the Pacific ocean
so that war in the Pacific could
be fought far at sea before a
hostile navy could ever reach
our shores.

“The international highway
to Alaska would be a lifeline
to that territory in case of in-
vasion. We should speed its
construction.”

MAT Beck said in February

other reactionary spokesmen
have been saying less explicitly
for months past. In a press in-
terview at Winnipeg on Dec. 2,
1939, Mrs. George Black, former
Conservative member for the Yu-
kon, envisioned a combined Rus-
so-Japanese attack on Alaska and
declared that Canada must make
‘preparations’. Less than three
weeks later, on Dec. 20, Anthony
J. Dimond, Alaskan member of
the House of Representatives, al-
so predicted “a virtual alliance
between Russia and Japan” with
consequent danger of an attack
on Alaska, and announced his in-
tention of asking for establish-
ment of a $15,000,000 air base at
Anchorage.

Editorial writers for the Van-
couver Sun, too, have used their
poisoned pens to speculate on the
‘red menace’ to Alaska.

In an editorial on Dec. 5 the
Sun professed to see danger in
the fact that Pravda, Soviet Com-
munist paper, had “cast its roy-
ing eye on Alaska” by remarking
that Alaska was sold to the Unit-
ed States in 1867 without the con-
sent of the Russian people.

The Sun commented at that
time that “the United States can
no longer ignore the vast military
establishment of Russia, with
headquarters at Vladivostok, al-
ready a formidable submarine
and air base.” It followed it two
weeks ago with the observation,
“In one way, Alaska is a burden
to the United States. Far from
home, it must be protected from
Possible enemies close at hand.
Qne Alaskan island is only eight

miles from one of Russia’s is-©
The westernmost end of,

lands.
the Aleutian islands is only 660

miles from Japan’s easternmost.
Horomu-

port and naval base,
shiro.”

But there are more than state-
ments and press speculation. The
United States is now engaged on
a huge fortification program in

Alaska which calls for establish- ,

ment of major bases at five
points, Sitka, Kodiak, Unalaska,
Fairbanks and Anchorage.

At Sitka the present naval base
is being extended at a cost of
$2,900,000. At Kodiak an $8,750-
000 air base is being built. A sub-
marine base is also being con-
structed there, while a second
submarine base is being estab-

By HAL GRIFFIN

lished at Unalaska. Anchorage is
to have an air base costing $12,
734,000. And at Fairbanks, $4,-
000,000 is to be spent on an air
base.

On April 4 the Svn reported:
‘rom the Fairbanks base, US
aviators will be trained in polar
aerial operations and will be
able to test the feasibility of
an attack on this continent
over the north pole along a
reute once followed by Russian
aviators.

@

Toe question uppermost in the
minds of people on this coast
is, where does the proposed Alas-
ka highway fit into this picture?

The Sun claims that it is purely
a ‘tourist project.’ In its article
of April 4, it stated: “When the
United States first considered
fortifying Alaska, it was gener-
ally believed by British Colum-
bia politicians that it would want
a highway through British Col-
umbia to serve the forts and air
bases. As dispatches to the Sun
from Washington a year ago
clearly indicated, this is not the
view of the US war department,
which is confident that Alaska
can always beseryed by water.
Thus the Alaska highway is re-
garded in Washington purely as
a tourist project of great import-
ance which will some day go
ahead.”

That the Alaska highway is,
however, regarded primarily as a
military project was confirmed
this week when the House of
Representatives foreign affairs
committee approved a bill to con-
tinue the American section of the
British Columbia-Alaska High-
way commission for another four
years. Supporting the bill, Rep-
resentative Warren G. Magnuson
(Dem. Washington) told the com-
mittee that the proposed highway
was ‘vitally important’ to defense
of the western hemisphere.

Wwe the highway project was
first mooted in 1938 it gained
the support of many progressive
organizations. It was regarded
as a Measure of defense against
a fascist Japan bent on domina-
tion of the Pacific. At the same
time the progressive movement
conducted a campaign to expose
the ramificationec of Japanese
espionage, fascist organization
and control of natural resources
of British Columbia, for the most
immediate threat of fascism in
Canada at that time came from
such foreign-directed fascist or-
ganizations working in coopera-
tion with Canadian fascist and
pro-fascist groups. A strong pop-
ular movement demanded, and
still demands, imposition of an
embargo on shipment of Cana-
dian war materials to Japan, but
the King government refused to
act.

In the past two years the situa-
tion has changed. Japan is near-
ing the point of exhaustion in its
War on China. The Japanese
army is finding it difficult to
hold the key points it captured in
earlier drives, while further ad-
vances are virtually impossible.
Establishment of the Wang re-
gime with an authority extending
only to the range limit of Japan-
ese guns is a Sign of desperation,
of weakness, not strength. New
military adventures would only
hasten the end of Japanese im-
perialism.

Bases for ‘defense’ against 9
war vitiated Japan therefore be-
come bases for ‘offense’ in other
directions.

Within Canada, in face of the
powers conferred on King gov-
ernment by the War Measures
Aet, none will seriously contend
that the main threat of fascism
now comes from Japanese and
other fascist organizations. The
Japanese fascist organizations, of
course, have not changed their
character, but their present atti-
tude is an indication of the
changed situation.

@

HE Alaska highway, as a mili-

tary project, can be regarded
only as part of a long-range pro-
gram, since it will take an esti-
mated five years to complete,
while even the launching of the
project is still undetermined.
Wevertheless, it must be noted
that Representative Dimond,
leading US. proponent of the
highway, is also the individual
most vociferously talking about
the ‘red menace.’

The prospect of opening up
vast new mineral and timber re-
sources for exploitation won the
support of the Pattullo govern-
ment for the proposed highway,
but the project was opposed by
the Conservatives on imperialist
grounds.

Herbert Anscombe, Conserva-

' tive spokesman, told the Vancou-

ver Province on May 3, 1938, that
he was opposed to the highway
as a violation of the ‘sanctity of
jnternational law. He said at
that time:

“Tt must be remembered from
the begi that if the road
is eet is used by the

= .

United States for military pur-

poses—as, for example, in de-

fending, Alaska from invasion

—and we allow it to be so used,

then we become embroiled as a

nation in that war. I am not

saying that we could or should
remain neutral in such a war,
but we must face this fact.”

Since the outbreak of the war,
however, the Conservatives have
been silent on the question, al-
though it is significant that Mrs.
George Black, a former Consery-
ative MP, has been urging ‘pre-
Parations’ against a Soviet ‘men-
ace’ to Alaska.

e

HE entire question must be

studied in perspective against
the background of the sharpen-
ing clash of British, American
and Japanese imperialist inter-
ests in China and of the develop-
ing Huropean war to obtain a
clear picture.

Imperialist interests are seek-
ing to find a way out of their
difficulties at the expense of the
USSR and China by attempts to
divert a reluctant Japan against
the Soviet Union.

Shortly after the war broke out
Sir Stafferd Cripps, left wing
British Laborite, warned that
Britain and Japan might reach
an agreement at the expense cf
China.

On March 28, Sir Robert
Craigie, British ambasador to
Japan, declared that Britain and
Japan “ultimately are striving
for the same objective, namely, a
lasting peace and preservation of
our intsitutions from extraneous
subversive influences.” He added,
“Already there is growing in
each country appreciation of the
extent to which the actions of the
other have been vilified and mis-
represented.’

Around the same time the An-
gloIranian Oil company, with the
British government as the larg-
est stockholder, concluded an
agreement with Japanese inter-
ests for 1,000,000 barrels of crude
oil.

And on April 6, the British-in-
fluenced South China Mornings
Post, commenting on installation
of the Wang puppet regime, sug-
gested that the time had come
for Japan to make a graceful exit
from China “to muster her re
sources against Russia’s designs
in the Mar East.”

Earlier in a despatch from
Shanghai, on Feb. 27, Hallett
Abend, correspondent of the New
York Times, wrote a ‘scare’ story,
later said to have been inspired
in British and French official
circles, reporting that the Soviet
Union was establishing submar-

IN DEFENSE OF
CIVIL LIBERTIES

Soe national organizations—All-Canadian Congress of
Labor, Canadian Civil Liberties Union, League for Social

ine and air bases at Kamshatka |
and the Kamandorsky islands,
close to both Japan and Alaska, |
“where submarines manufactur |
ed in Germany and trans-shipped
on the Siberian railway are said
to have been in process of assem:
bly since late in November.” This
desaptch was an elaboration of
a first short news item appear
ing on Feb. 26, which statea: i
“British and French nayal
authorities in the Far East are
deeply concerned and appre-
hensive over the possible begin- |
ning of German submarine {|
raids in the China Seas and the j
western Pacific generally about |
the middle of June.”

This report was denied by the —
Soviet Union, but the purpose of
its publication is clear: i

Only by the assembly of such #
items, straws in the wind them. °
selves, considered in conjunction |
with the seizure of Soviet ships
in the Far Hast and the repom
ed proposal to establish a. c
traband control station at Van
couver, it is possible to under
Stand the question Prime Mini =,
ter Mackenzie King asked him-/
self during the election cam-.

Ppaign when he said, “Who can |

say what will happen there or
what may threaten our security
On the Pacific coast?”

@

IS week, however, there were |

indications that the Dutch
East Indies might become the
focal point of imperialist antag-
onisms in the Fast Bast, depen-
dent upon the possible extension of
European war to involye Holland. |
The United States, it was re-

ported, might in such an event, |

move to occupy the wealthy
Duteh colonies with the frank jn-
tention of preventing Japan
from using their tin, rubber and
oil resources to end its depend-
ence upon American supplies.

Significantly, it was also reported }
that conversations on the ques }

tion between Washington and |
London wre in progress. 2
Japan also speculated upon thi
possibility of the Dutch colonies
falling into ‘alien hands, white

declared that a move by anyl
other power to occupy the is-:
lands would be “a prelude to ac
tion by Japan.”

Occupation of the islands by
any power would, of course, be
aimed not only at seizing their |
ill-defended natural resources,
but also at preventing the prow- ~
ing nationalist movement led by
the Indonesian National GCon--
gress, which is patterned after
its Indian prototype, from mak-

Foreign Minister Hachiro Arita

ing a bid for independence.

MONTREAL.

Reconstruction, Canadian Youth Congress, Christian Social
Council of Canada, Fellowship For A Christian Social Order
and Canadian Committee for Industrial Organization—have |
joined in sponsoring a National Conference For Civil Liberty }}
in Wartime to be held in Montreal on May 18-19. |
Following is the conference Defense regulations have been
call in part: initiated. Among the accused
In early September, a few days have been leaders of the trade
after Canada became a belligerent union movement and candidates §
in the war that Prime Minister for municipal office. N ewspapers
W. L. Mackenzie King has called have been raided and suppressed.
a struggle to “preserve for future A group of United Church clergy-
generations those liberties and in- men has been threatened with
stitutions which others have be- prosecution, as have members of
queathed to us,” another Do- a provincial legislature. Freedom
minion Prime Minister, R. G. Men- of speech and propaganda have
zies of Australia, voiced a warn- been curtailed. The right to strike
ing to which many thoughtful has been limited. It has been
Canadians paid heed. proposed in Ontario that muni-
“Freedom of thought, speech cipal elections be curtailed.
and criticism must survive,’ he e
Said, “as it would be a tragedy if, OQ GIVE Canadians an oppor-
on winning the war, we found we tunity to warn against this
had lost the things we had been danger and to affirm their be-
fighting for.” _ lief that there must be no loss of
Since that September day many democracy at home during the
Canadians have begun to fearthat prosecution of war abroad, seven
the tragedy against which Mr. national organizations have united @
Menzies warned might indeed be to call a National Conference for §
in store for the people of this Civil Liberty in Wartime. Follow-
country, Uneasiness has mounted ing a similar conference called
over the price in sacrifice of lib- by the British National Council)
erty that Canadians are being for Civil Liberties, the govern-)
called upon to pay for the prose- ment of Great Britain agreed ta”
cution of the war. Must Ca- modifications of the British regu-)
nadians, it has been asked with lations. A conference in Canada,
growing frequency, yield their the sponsoring organizations be—
hard-won democracy to fight what lieve, will give the government a*
has been called a war for democ- Ottawa an opportunity to hear,
racy abroad? the views of Canadians on our
e regulations and to mould its
INCE the outbreak of war, the policy accordingly. 4
€ivil liberties of Canadians The National Conference for?
have been severely limited by the Civil Liberty in Wartime has a
enactment by the cabinet under three-fold purpose:
the power conferred upon it by 1. To provide a forum for dis-
the War Measures Act of two sets cussion of the issue of preserving}
of regulations — the Defense of civil liberty in wartime. F'
Canada regulations and the Gen- strictions that have been placea/
sirship regulations. The sweeping 2. To give publicity to the re;
character of these enactments has upon civil liberty.
begun to be condemned as peo- 3. To provide Canadians with
ple have become aware of their an opportunity to come together
content. It has been charged that to affirm the belief that in time}
the regulations can be and are of war there must be no limita|>
being used to silence opposition tion of civil liberty that is not)
to the policies of the government. unquestionably dictated by miuilij®
Scores of prosecutions under the tary mecessity. :

—. -s