THE PEOPLE Published every Wednesday by The People Publishing Co., Room 104, Shelly Building, 119 Wrest Pender Street, Vancouyer, B.C. Telephone: MArine 6929. EpIToR - Hat GRIFFIN MANAGING EDITOR .....-----—------------- _ Av PAREIN Business MANAGER ----------—- MinERvVA COOPER Six Menths—$1.00 One Year—$2.00 Printed at Brosdwey Printers Limited, 151 East 8th Avenue, Vancourer, B.O. Heil Humphrey Mitchell | ABOR Minister Humphrey Mitchell’s recent proposal that the government appoint “controllers” over the affairs of the Canadian trade union movement is the most outrageous statement yet made by this man whose record in office has been the blackest, and at the same time the most stupid, in Canada’s history. Not only was the proposal a gratuitous insult to organized labor, specifically his supercilious refer- ence to the need for personal guidance of “sreen’ trade union- ists, but it underscores in ominous fashion some of the fancy plans for labor held by certain reactionaries in high places for whom Mitchell is apparently only too willing to become a mouthpiece. The reaction by leaders of organized labor to the proposal was eminently correct. Both President Birt Showler of the AFL Txades and Labor Council and President E. E. Leary of the Vancouver Labor Council termed Mitchell’s plan noth- ing more than fascist, comparing it to the Labor Front setup in Hitler Germany, and declaring emphatically that the labor movement “would not tolerate” such interference in its demo- eractic functioning. ; Coming from a man whose administration of the labor de- partment has been the most inept since that ministry was created, the suggestion that trade unionists are incapable of running their organizations is so absurd as to be almost laugh- able were the situation now prevailing in industry not so deadly serious. Mitchell is the man whom both the Trades and Labor Con- gress and the Canadian Congress of Labor have urged be dismissed as “incompetent and incapable.” He is the man directly responsible for encouraging the organization of com- pany unions, of causing the steel strike several months ago, of almost provoking a general strike in BC shipyards, of causing the shutdown of Boeing Aircraft plants, of refusing to enforce PC 10802 and PC 2685 which provide for collective bargaining in war industries, of failing to enforce payment of the full cost-of-living bonus in a large number of industries. In every case, the labor disputes that have occurred during the last few months have been directly traceable to the inefficiency of his administration. Yet he has the unmtigated gall to accuse the labor movement of inefficiency and lack of patriotism — the same labor movement that has made the principle contribution to war production that only two weeks ago Munitions Min- ister Howe pointed to with pride. The ominous feature of the whole incident is the fact that Humphrey Mitchell does not stand alone. Behind him is a group of powerful anti-labor industrialists bent on denying the working people their democratic rights if they have to sabo- tage the war effort to do so, and they have already done just that. There would appear to be a definite link between Mit- chell’s proposal and the antics of that group of black reaction- aries and Hitler-lovers in the United States Congress who in recent weeks have launched a frantic attack on Roosevelt's win-the-war program, hoping that by so doing they may pro- voke labor into protest strikes that will slow production at a moment when every ounce of energy is needed to back the coming European offensive. This latest plan of the “minister against labor” has called forth a new wave of demands for his immediate discharge from the government. Labor wants no Canadian editions of Robert Ley, the boss of German slave labor. We want the treatment befitting our position as the main force capable of doing the war production job demanded at this critical period. Let Prime Minister King recognize this fact. Let him heed labor’s demand for the dismissal of the blundering minister of labor who has disgraced his position. And let him heed also the crying need for a thorough overhaul of Canada’s labor re- lations setup and the passage of genuine collective bargaining legislation. Then let him see what labor can do in the way of producing materials for war and for victory. China s Six Years Resistance By DARSHAN SINGH SANGHA “My armies will bend but not break.?’—Chiang Kai-Shek. ; HIS week marks the sixth anniversary of the glori- ous struggle of the brave Chinese people for national liberation. For the Chinese people these have been six long years of trials, tribula- tions and supreme sacrifices to preserve their freedom. China has stood the test. She has held the ruthless barbarians at bay for six long years. And today, side by side with the rest of the United Wations, she stands closer to the day of victory that is justly hers. July 7, 1937, climaxed the planned aggression of Nippon against China, which had begun with the invasion of Manchuria in 1931. Now it was the final as- sault to enslave 400 million people. The barbarians struck at the heart of the nation. They cap- tured some of the most important territory in the country. They plundered, raped and despoiled Peking, the ancient seat of the Chinese government, the great ports of Shanghai and. Tientsin, Ganton the cradle of the Chinese revolution, Nanking where the body of Sun Yat Sen lay in a mag- nificent mausoleum, and even Hankow, the Chicago of China. But despite these terrible losses China resisted. She lost more than five million people, but that only strengthened her resolve to erush the fascist bragands. The barbarians could not destroy the heart of the great nation. The people were the heart. And the people moyed west. A mass exo- dus began. “Organize in the hint- erland and strike back,” became the slogan of millions. And they struck back at Tairechwang, Changsha and Ichang. The Jap warlords gave China three months of free life. But she stands firm, resolved and unbeaten and defiant after six great years of struggle. 4 bees resistance of China against Japan is no less than a mir- acle of our time. The secret of this lies in the national unity and the popular resistance of the Chinese masses. It was no easy task to unite the strife-torn country into a homo- genous, smooth fighting unit. More credit goes to the Chizese Communists for forging Chinese national unity than to any other single group in the country. It was their unceasing efforts (aiter their declaration of war upon Japan in 1935) to end the civil war and build a United Front against Japan that was respon- sible for the glory of China. On this basis a revolutionary people’s army was raised. Today it numbers nearly 12 millions. This army has constantly engaged the enemy for the last six years and has inflicted more than two million casualties upon the enemy troops. Not only has the Chinese Army successfully defended its mother land, but it has also ren- dered assistance to the British forces fighting in Hongkong and Burma. Had this army been al- lowed to enter Burma before the fall of Rangoon, it might have saved that valuable strategic ter- ritory from Japanese enslave- ment. HOINA lost most of her industry to the enemy in occupied regions. All that could not be evacuated had to be destroyed. This left free China with very little modern industry. Blockade and poor means of communication made it difficult to import arms and supplies. To provide the war- time national needs the “Indus- trial Cooperatives” were organ- ized on a country-wide scale. By 1942 the “Induscos’ had more than 2,000 units with a eapital in- vestment of 30,000,000 yuan and were producing goods valued at more than 9,000,000 yuan monthly. The “Induscos” are engaged in the production of small arms, am- munition, medical supplies, blan- kets, army uniforms. This is a unique experiment of small scale industrialization. Through the popular enthusi- asm of the workers and govern- ment cooperation, production and reorganization of other indus- tries has increased over the pre- war levels despite severe losses. Between the period of 1937-40 coal production has jnereased irom 3,600,000 tons to 5,700,000 tons, pig iron from 31,000 to 100,000 tons, copper from 400 to 1000 tons, mineral oil from 34,000 to 440,000 gallons. Similar increase is to be noted in the production of alco- hol, flour, machine-spun cotton yarn and soap. During this struggle China has been reborn. The wuinese people have realized a new national consciousness. China has become a respected “citizen” of the world. From a semi-colonial land she has become one of the four strongest democracies. Gone are the days of the unbridled plunder of the Chinese people by world imperial- ism. Gone are the treaties of in- equality and extraterritoriality. China has embarked upon the path of nationhood, democracy and progress. = e HE future of China depends upon the internal unity of the Chinese nation. At present the nation is united on the principles of “National and popular People’s resistance.” But there are power ful forces inside the Kuomintang itself, that are more afraid of democratic progress than of Japan. These forces have from time to time provoked strife be- tween the Communists and the Kuomintang. Thanks to the far- sightedness of both sides, national unity has been maintained even through some of the most eritical crises. The Chinese Communists have time and time again declared their readiness to maintain com- plete national unity until “Japan and her Axis partners are defeat- ed and construction of an inde pendent democratic China is completed.” Mae Tse-tung, the na- tional leader of the Communist Party, in a formal statement de- clared: “We demand unity under the banner of resistance, solidarity and progress.” Wo section of the Chinese peo- ple have fought Japan more reso- lutely than the Chinese Commun- ist armies, namely the Highth Route and the New Fourth Armies. During the first five years of the war these two armies alone engaged 40 percent of all Japanese forces in China. They inflicted more than 300,000 casu- alties upon the enemy forces and took more than 50,000 prisoners. And this was accomplished with- out any assistance from the Cen- tral government. These armies receive no arms or ammunition from the Central government, and their sole source of supply are the small arsenals that they maintain and mainly the arms eaptured from the Imperial Army of the Japanese Emperor. In the first five year of the war, these forces captured from e@ See CHINA’S 6 YEARS—Page 7 SHORT JABS | by OV Bill Freedom of Speech FRE remark attributed to ex-Harmer Party membe; ; parliament, Agnes MacP} | that our judges “are” (or wW as she corrects it) “all polit ;) heelers,” has done one ¢j@ thing. It has shown what 7 function of the censorship i: the opinion of the minister i justice, the Hon. St. Laurent |} His statement in the Ho i@ that he would take the matte; with the censor and see ifs @ utterances could not be prev @ ed from getting publicity ple @ him in the same category as § the obscurantists of all ages) tried to wrap the mind of maj mummy-cloths. : The censorship is ostensibly up to prevent the spread of 7% thing that will interfere with successful prosecution of the and is a valuable weapon for’ purpose. a But if it is to be used @ political force to smother i imate criticism of the actions § personnel of the apparatus the administration of justic: will be no different to the quisitors and star chamber co which have plagued the hy race for centuries. If these obscurantist elem in our country had their | our thoughts and the expres of them would be governed = the chief torturer and the ap © tus of his trade, the rack thumb screw and the headm axe—as it is in Nazi Germ today. And is not “freedom of spe one of the points in he Atlas Charter, one of the things © which we are fighting? if judges are to be like Cae” ‘wife, above suspicion, and 7 is any lingering doubt in mind of the people at large, — cure lies with the people appoint them. And regarding the Mac) | remark, did not Stephen Lea . one of the darlings of the . | Laurent’s class, say the f thing twenty-five years 250 der the guise of “poking fu © “Sunshine Sketches’? @ Butter RADITION says the pr for making butter was covered when some oriental ¢ herd slung his goatskin bolt” eream over a camel's back beginning of a journey, There it hung, to be jolted shaken about unitlL the jour end. When the skin was opt lo and behold!—there was elistening, golden comestible has graced the meals of man since. Had that discovery never made, then or in the inter would have been made today, in Vancouver, too, whith course would have brought | ness to the hearts of the 7ea tate agents by adding Juste our fair city. A correspondent informs that he boarded one of the tique jalopies of the B.C. ~& tric’? down town. He had bought a bottle of cream at of the dairies. Travelling * Wo. 10 car to the end of the jolting, rolling and pitching a ship in a gale, made the very exciting, But the malt citement came when he Te home, The bottle which had tained cream when he 60 the “Toonerville” had turn butter during the trip.