OSes oe ee ay THE PEOPLE Published every Wednesday by The People Publishing Go., Room 104, Shelly Building, 719 West Pender Street, Vancouver, B.C. Telephone: MArine 6929. Wart GRIrFin Kay GREGORY Epiror Manacinc Eprror BustNess MANAGER Epna SHEARD Six Months——$1.00 One Year—$2.00 Printed at Broadway Printers Limited, 151 East Sth Avenue, Vancourer, B.C. Unity Will Win A Genuine ICA Act WE of the most important issues facing B.C. labor at the moment is the proposed amendment of the Industrial Coneiliation and Arbitration Act. Between the affiliated unions of the AFL and CCL there has been manifested a splendid spirit of unity on the basic points of an effective ICA Act. This unity has not been built upon narrow selfish interests of this or that group of trade unions, but upon the steadily growing realization that, in order to play its full part in Canada’s war effort and maximum production to smash Hitler, Canadian workers must be assured the statutory right and security to organize into bonafide unions of their own choosing, and through the machinery of these unions, to bargain collectively. Theoretically, these rights are generally recognized, but in practice they are violated almost daily in the economic life of our province. From all recent pronouncements of Premier Hart and Hon. George Pearson, Minister of Labor, it would appear that they are in full accord with the general position of the trade unions on this issue. Their sincerity in this accord will ultimately be measured by the nature, extent, and effectiveness of the amendments to the ICA Act. Since the fact of amending the ICA Act became a current topic, influential delegations of B.C. industrialists, together with their legal advisors, have interviewed members of the government and given some of their views to the press. These gentlemen are definitely not in favor of any amendments that will make it a statutory obligation upon themselves to recognize and te bargain collectively with their employees through the medium of a trade union rep- resentative body. They believe in organization for them- selves, intensely so, but not for their employees — except through the medium of a company union, which they alone can control. These industrial big shots are the incubators of company unionism. They lay all emphasis upon dealing “directly with their employees,’ on the need to oppose “outside influences’ — meaning the representatives of the trade union of their em- ployees. They like to prattle about “workers’ associations,’ “co- operatives,’ or some such high-falutin names. Strangely enough, they don't like to talk about company unions, and naturally enough, since the very term smells of regimentation and all the evils of Hitlerism. Our guess is that these delgations of B.C. industrialists Saw members of the government for the express purpose of blocking any amendments that would extend to British Co- lumbia workers this elementary right of organization and collective bargaining, thereby keeping the track clear for “dealing with their own employees” in their own accustomed manner, i.e., their company unions. ) T THE moment we have the greatest of all wars, in which the future destiny of our country and of civilization is at stake. We need the maximum mobilization of our man- power and resources to defeat Hitler. We need legislation that will enable our working people through their trade unions to give of their best in labor and considered opinion. A genuine ICA Act is part of this need— to give labor a fuller responsibility in our war effort; the right to share that responsibility with management by the right to organize and bargain collectively. Labor concedes that right to management; that right must also be conceded to labor. Every effort must be made to strengthen and extend the unity of the trade unions in fighting for a genuine ICA Act to win the support of the CCF members for effective amend- ments, and through such unity bring the maximum pressure to bear upon the government for amendments that will restore trade unionism to its historical position in a democracy, and stamp out the pro-fascist evil of company unionism. Two Opinions On Soviet Relations Wendell Willkie Ww: ARE still hopeful that we are beginning to move into the latter phases of this war. All those who be- lieve, as I do, that interna- tional cooperation after the war is over is indispensable, not only for the maintenance of world peace but equally so for economic security and the preservation of liberty, are natur- ally concerned about the methods by which we can bring about such cooperation. Much as I would like to believe that by some miracle we can im- pose upon the world some formal- ized plan of parliaments or coun- cils, my sense of realism makes me know that if we wait until after the fighting is over such proposals will be but the dreams of active minds. If our experience in the last war and knowledge of history teaches us anything, it is that people win in a peace only what they win when they fight. Take, for instance ,the case of Russia. What force on earth is going to be able to tell Russia that she shall join some inter- national conference or send rep- resentatives to an international parliament? If, however, we are able to draw Russia into boards of strategy or councils while the war is on, we have a chance at least to learn how to work with her. Then from such methods of working together, we can develop the instrumental- ities with which we can work together after the war. The rulers of Russia and its military strategists think they know something about the art of war. I believe they have some right to think so. Instead of keeping them at .arm’s length, I would recommend that while the war is on, we draw them into every: conference and council we can. Along that route I see a hope of world cooperation, particularly with Russia. Earl Browder UR relations with the Soviet Union are based upon the natural friendship of the peoples of both coun- tries strengthened by our common national interests in the war to destroy Hitlerism and in the organization of the post-war peace. The further development of these relations clearly depends upon defining our attitude toward the question of cooperation between a capitalist country and a socialist country. The general formula used is that we can collaborate with the Soviet Union because it is really not a socialist country, but is actually in the process of return- ing to capitalism. Of course, good relations cannot be based on such illusions, because the Soviet Union is clearly not going back to cap- italism, just as the United States is mot going to adopt socialism in the immediate postwar period. The Soviet Union long ago ans- wered this question in principle in favor of collaboration, especi- ally with the United States, ir- respective of the nature of the internal regimes. Nothing would be gained by try- ing to ignore the ideological dif- ficulties involved. These difficul- ties are augmented by the fact that there are reactionary sections of industry and public men who immediately interpret any ac- knowledgement of the irrevocable facts as representing a danger of socialism in this country, from which they conclude that associ- ation with the Soviet Union is a dangerous thing to their privi- leges here. The necessity of this collaboration, however, is so obvyi- ous that we can hope it will over- ride even such deep-seated pre- judices. There is a large part of Europe which, in a free world, will natur- ally collaborate most closely with the Soviet Union especially for the purpose of insuring a just and durable peace. As to other parts of Europe, it is not so clear what the orientation will be. ... This should be worked out on the principle of self-determination within the framework of a system of collective security, without try- ing ~to impose from the outside upon any part of Europe a pre- conceived regime. Soviet Press Aids Production eee part played by the Soviet labor press in increasing production is shown by a single issue of the Soviet Ma- chine Tool, a four-page factory newspaper published weekly at a machine tool plant in the Urals which for the last few months has led the nationwide efficiency competition in the machine tool industry. The slogan on the paper’s mast- head, which is edited by union members in their spare time, is: “Work with your head as well as your hands.” One page in each issue of the Machine Tool is devoted to tech- nical articles, diagrams, sketches and photographs. A letter column, conducted by one of the plant’s leading Stakhanovites, answers questions and gives advice on put- ting efficiency ideas into practice. Another column lists bottle- necks In the plant and poses dif- ficult technical problems as a challenge to the plant's inventors. “Isn't there some way of hurrying up the routing of work through the lathe department?” this col- umn asked one week, and the next issue was able to publish sev- eral concrete suggestions from workers, one of which was adopted. The paper also covers the achievements of the best workers In the plant, interviewing them and deserlbing their methods. It indulges in severe criticism of in- fringements of labor discipline by workers er bad organization by management. Another of its major objects is to help in the training of new workers; it publishes lists of tech- nical publications, special articles on different kinds of tools and in- terviews with the most successful instructors and their pupils. SHORT JABS by OV Bill —— FI A Critic 4 REMEMBER a talk I had wil one of the leaders of the Rup sian workers in Moscow 2 litt’ over ten years ago, chairman ( the Eastern Secretariat of i> Red International of Labi Unions. We were discussing tt: “tourist” invasion of bourgeo investigators who had visited Mo cow up till that time. : I asked him what he thougt of them. “Only two of them,” fF said, “have the slightest idea ¢ what is happening in the Sovie Union—the Webbs, and I beliey that is because of their know ledge of the British trade unio movement.” I was reminded of that stat ment last week when I read screaming headline in a locz paper: “Soviets Dropped Cor munism 20 Years Ago, Says Lex turer.” The lecturer turned 6¥ to be Sir Bernard Pares, a civ servant who has had some péi s6nal connection with Russi both before and after the revoh tion’ of 1917. This personal connection, how ever, does not appear to fit hir for understanding that the revolt tion in Russia is a process, nit yet completed, but a proce: nevertheless, in which a baci ward agricultural economy hz been changed to a highly indu: trial one. To Sir Bernard Pares there no communism in Russia. He | like the people of whom Enge speaks who demand “yes” < “no” for an answer. For hi communism was chased out wi Trotsky and Stalin went to t “right.” Like Trotsky, he thin! the Bolsheviks, to remain cor munists, should have distort Marx’s theory of “permanent re olution” into “permanent insu rection.” He does not know that in revolution there are three stag in the revolutionary proces first, the soap-box stage, thi the stage when the rifle takes f leading place, and thirdly, t stage when the revolutionary la down the rifle and takes up t spade. Answered OBODY can answer these pe ple better than Stalin. Int report he delivered to the Hisk Congress of the Soviets on 2 vember, 1936, on the new Sov eonstitution, he dealt with t “critics” who contended that t new constitution was “a swing the right.” He compared them to one of 1 characters in Gogol’s “De Souls,” the “wench” Pelegaya, w offered to guide the coachm Selipan, but not knowing | right side of the road from ~ left, she lost her way. Seliy balled her out, “Oh! you dir legs . .. you don’t know wh is right and which is left.” Then Stalin said, “It seems me that our Jluckless crii should be chided in the Same W “On you sorry, critics... =. = don’t know which is right ; ~ which is left.” The revolution presented 1 tasks and Lenin and Stalin veloped that policy to meet th new tasks to let social prove it was a better sys than capitalism. With the st on its side, this was easy. Soc ism won. That is one of the reasons 1 the hordes of Nazi sadists ¥ stopped at Stalingrad — at C munistischeskaya Ulisa (C munist Street).