St ALE ES

Page Four

AWIELI, 12 IOS ihe

October 21, 1

THE PEOPLE

Published every Wednesday by The People Publishing Co., Room 104, Shelly Building,
119 Wrest Pender Street, Vancouver, B.C. Telephone: MArine 6929.

Hat GRIFFIN
MaNnacinc Epiror . Kay GREGORY
Business MANAGER -.- EpNaA SHEARD

Printed at Broadway Printers Limited, 151 East 8th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C.

Eprror:

Don’t Leave It To
The ‘Experts’

JPREMER STALIN’S letter stating that the second front oc-
cupies “a very important place, one might say, a place of
first rate importance,” in Soviet eyes, and Wendell L. Willkie’s
considered opinion that the second front is “most feasible and
possible,” have placed the second front before the peoples of
the United Nations and their governments as the most import-
ant political issue of our time. Upon the resolving of this
issue, upon the United Nations’ ability to “fulfill their obliga-
tions fully and on time” depends victory and the destruction of
Hitlerism.

Placed against these frank, urgent statements, the con-
tention of those who argue that the question of opening the
second front “must be left to the experts” is evasive and
untenable—evasive because it fails to answer the need and
untenable because it insists on ignoring the primary political
aspect for the military considerations involved.

Those who would “leave it to the experts” deliberately or
otherwise ignore the experts in disruptive propaganda who
do not want a second front because they have no great desire
to see Hitlerism destroyed. In denying the right of the people
to exert pressure on the government for offensive action in
Europe because, they claim, the second front is purely a mili-
tary question, they only strengthen the hand of the divisionists
and obstructionists who understand full well the political sig-
nificance of the second front issue.

» Wendell I. Willkie has himself answered this question.
In reaching his conclusion that the second front is “most
feasible and possible,” he points out, he had the advantage
of hearng the opinions of competent authorities in many coun-
tries and the weight of this opinion inclined to his own con-
viction, that the second front can be opened.

The Canadian people must not leave the question of the
second front to the “experts.” They cannot be content to allow
the counsel of caution and delay to prevail, when the need is
for boldness of action. The political consequences to the people
should the second front not be opened “on time” demand that
they, and particularly the Jabor movement, exert every influ-
ence on the government for immediate establishment of the
second front.

Drive The Point Home

We by one of the most impressive parades the city
has ever seen, symbolical of the readiness of every man,
woman and child to do their share for speedy victory, Canada’s
Third Victory Loan Drive was launched last Sunday.

The huge sum of $750,000,000 is needed for the upkeep,
equipment and transportation of our men in uniform to the
eo it is needed to supply urgent help to our fighting

es.

Symbol of the Third Victory Loan, the Commando Dagger,
is also a symbol of Canada, of the part Canadians are preparing
to play in a second land front in Europe. It is the spirit of
offensive, of the Second Front, the spirit of Canadian work-
men and armed forces who on Sunday marched side by side,
demonstrating their interdependence upon one another, their
willingness to give their all, whether on the battlefield or on
the production lines, that fascism may be speedily wiped from
the face of the earth.

Marching behind the Dagger Symbol, urging their fellow
men and women to “Buy Victory Bonds” on every slogan and
banner, Canadian people proved vividly that the Third Victory

Ioan Drive is part of the campaign for a second front, for early
defeat of Hitler.

We call on our readers to heed this call, to do their utmost
by individual contributions and by influencing others, to make
this drive a success. We urge each and everyone to do what
he or she can by canvassing, holding gatherings in local areas,
and speaking on behalf of the Drive.

Tn the spirit of our Canadians at Dieppe, of the Soviets at
Stalingrad, let us all do our own small share to put the Third
Victory Loan Drive over the top. To go over the top finan-

cially is part of the effort to go over the top in production and
over the top to the second front.

Italian People Grow

. Weary

By Pierre Allard

N ITALY, the demand begins to echo, “Not another winter

of war.” At first glance, one might believe that this slogan

is exclusively that of the sections of the people most affected

by the war—soldiers, workers, peasants—and that it expresses

primarily the will of a people who are experiencing no benefits
from the war, but only suffering and privation. :

O War

Tt goes without saying that the
people want Italy to abandon Hitler
to his fate and to cease fighting.
The country has been at war almost
uninterruptedly for seven years,
and the price of Mussolini's adven-
tures is such that it will take the
efforts of several generations to
repair the damages wrought by
fascism to economic and social life.

It is sufficient to point out the
Significance of an expenditure of
ten billion lire per month for war,
a figure which surpasses the na-
tional revenue by one billion lire,
in a country where all gold reserves
and assets are carried off by the
Germans, and whose public debt is
more than three hundred and fifty
billion lire.

Tt is sufficient to point to the
food situation of a people subjected
to a daily bread ration of 150 grams
(about one-third of a pound) and a
daily fat ration of 1 gram, to real-
ize the depth of the Italian crisis
and the natural veaction of the
people to the statement that the
war will be long and hard.

Wo one can doubt but that the
majority of the people have had
enough of fighting and are fright-
ened at the approach of another
winter of war.

At the same time, Italian oppos-
ition to the war stretches further
than social groupings and is acqui-
ring a national character. To the
working people’s hatred of the war
is joined that of high represent-
atives of ruling circles.

Mussolini, through his policy of
vassalage to Germany, through the
series of military defeats which has
erowned his personal initiative
against Greece and Egypt, through
his having been obliged to call on
foreign armies to maintain his
bands in Africa, has lost many of
his erstwhile followers.

ARSHALL BADOGLIO'S op-

position to Italy’s entry into
the war in June of 1940 is generally
known. This opposition was based
on two main reasens which have
been confirmed by later events:
The country’s lack of preparedness
to face a long and hard conflict,
and the inopportuneness of strip-
ping the Brenner Pass frontier,
making the German menace still
more dangerous to Italian indepen-
dence.

At the beginning of this year
General Pricolo, chief of aviation
paid with his post for his opposition
to Hitler’s plans to enslave Italy.
In Palermo and other southern
cities, officers partial to the Prince
of Piedmont were sbot, and nrost of
the southern army’s officers, com-
manded by the king’s son, cherish
an anti-German spirit in their units.
To the army’s opposition may be
added the opposition of ruling circles
hostile to Mussolini’s economic
measures which tend to attach
Italy to Germany’s economy. Al-
berto Stefani, Mussolini's former
minister of finance, goes so far as
to denounce as treason the send-
ing of Italian workers to Germany,
while Italian industry suffers from
lack of specialized man power and
agriculture faces a grave erisis for
lack of labor.

It would, however, be a serious
mistake to believe that Mussolini
will give up without a struggle and
that Hitler will stand by while
opposition to the war develops.

EACE or continuation of the war

in Germany's interest will be

decided by a stubborn struggle

which will be won through unity of
all patriots:

In Italy, the conditions of strug-
gle against the war are so difficult
that every party, every group, every
influential person has the duty of
firmly seeking after the unifying
factors and not those which divide.

Unity, I believe, can be accom-
plished in Italy on the basis of
struggle against the war. To de-
viate from this immediate goal,
which is so decisive in opening up
a perspective of liberty for the
people and their country, would
simply provide grist for Hitler and
Mussolini's mill. The difficulties
which the opposition faces in the
realization of this task are so great
that the least breach, the slightest
exclusiveness could again be fatal
to the country and the forces for
freedom.

Unity at all cost, so that Italy
shall not know another winter of
war. As the year comes to fall and
the demand for opening the second
front swells within the United Na-
tions, this will be the goal of all
Italians desiring to save their
country from catastrophe and vas-

salage.

Soviet A\uthor

Another Soviet writer, Alexander
Polyakov, has given his life for
his country. Millions of Soviet
readers of Red Star were shocked
and grieved to see the black-
bordered announcement of his
death accompanied by a photograph
of the 35-year-old writer.

Polyakov, a war correspondent
for the Red Army paper, Red Star,
had been at the front lines from
the very first days of the war. He
was already an experienced soldier,
having graduated from artillery
school and served some time in the
army. He also participated in the
Finnish campaign where he ‘was
wounded and decorated with the
Order of the Red Banner. When the
present war broke out, he was
senior politica] instructor in a Red
Army unit.

In the early days of the war,
Polyakov’s unit was encircled by
the Germans. His book, “Behind
the Enemy lLines,” or “Russians

Killed at Front.

Don’t Surrender,” tells how his unit
broke through encirclement and
reached the Soviet lines. This book
was a best seller during the first
year of the war and has gone
through 12 editions totalling nearly
500,000 copies. It has also been pub-
lished in America and England.
Polyakoy died at the height of
his creative work, full of unrealized
plans. He was only 35. He had sev-
eral more books in mind and not
long ago I heard that he was go-
ing to the front again for a pro-
tracted period to collect material.
Tt was on this trip that he met his
death. We do not know where he
died or how. But no matter. Wher-
ever he was, we know that he, like
Bugene Petrov, died at his fighting
post. In our eyes he will remain
the embodiment of the Soviet
journalist-fighter, always ready and
anxious for action, always firmly
holding his fighting weapons—his

SHORT
JABS |

by OV Bill

cs 2
Civies
ie A FEW weeks, Vancouver ©

the lower Mainland will be
the “throws” of electing city
municipal representatives. Thi
one phase of public life that
ordinary citizen is apt to sluff
with & nod and a shrug of
shoulders, even though he 1)
spend much time and effort loo} ;
to the care of his dog.
Vancouver is one city in wl
this attitude prevails to a harry

degree. Jobseekers and “prof}) Si
ional aldermen” are allowed {opi
climb into office without bs

tested as to their real value to ® d
city, The actions of some of £)

Jater are sure indications that 1

are serving special interests ra™
than those of the people as a wi
_ In the coming election campa;
a plebiscite of the voters will -
taken on the question of one-1
cars. This plebiscite is the resul
protests from many organizat.
including the City Council it
the Trades and Labor Council, Vy
couver District Labor Council,
Street Railwaymen’s Union, sev
service clubs and the people in ;
eral, against the decision of the
ealled Public Utilities Commiss
giving the B.C. Collectric permis
to operate one-man streetcars
the Grandview run, over the hi
of the people, those mostly |
cerned in transportation althc >
not with the profits of transp

ation. : :

‘Experts’

Te decision of the Utilities €™
mission to allow the BC.
ectric to use one-man Cars,
made, according to its own Ss}
bent, because they were convii”
by the “experts”. The “expt
were produced by the B.C. Collei
and it is not too much to ex
that the B.C. Gollectric would !
“experts” to give evidence
would prove the case for the o
nents of one-man cars. They
doubt used up reams of “gov
ment” statistics of the same
as the B.G. Gollectric produce (
the arbitration proceedings b*
Justice Fisher, which “governm
figures, Purvis, chief clerk in.
office of the company secre
was forced to admit on the s’
were made by himself; that |
were not government figures 3
but B.C: Electric figures.

Can Hane!

LTHOUGH we are informe
Ald. Jones that the B.C. 1
tric said positively, “It was |
definitely a war measure,” Alc
G. Miller is already almost brea |
his neck to rush to its assist |

He says the result of the pl
cite will not be binding on
council, and adds, “If the new
are coming as a war measure
city must take a broad view 03 |
situation and accept them if
will help to widen the bottlen |
Two bottlenecks—B.C. Colle:
and Alderman Miller!

This is the same public-spii
alderman, who, some time
when a committee of Russian-¢
adians applied for permissior
hold a tag day for medical ai
Soviet Russia, burst out into in’
nant refusal, exclaiming, ‘
council is sick of these small geri
asking permission to raise mo)
or words to the same effect, A
days later the wife of Brit:
Prime Minister said she was p?
to amnounce that her Angio-l
Sian committee ‘had raised one
lion pounds, about five million
lars, for Russian relief. That
course would not shame a ma

pen and his rifle—Janet Weaver.

Alderman Miller’s calibre: