iy j \ American forces advance inland from a Le ptroops im action on the Philippine island, w began’ its liberation mission. Communiques report th here Gen. yte beach in this first phote of combat Douglas MacArthur’s expedition at our hold on Leyte is secure. re] : hecond Reconversion Meeting e Held On November 15 Following up the first meeting of representatives of labor, management and other ic groups to consider postwar employment and reconversion problems held last Friday, } derman Jack Price has announced that he is calling a second meeting for Wednesday, bvember 15, at 2 p.m., at which time the question of a permanent committee will be » ae into. Alderman Price hopes to have large representation from the rious interested sections of the y, particularly from manage- fmt, and reports that he ex- ts to have a guest speaker sent to lead off the discus- n. In addition a representa- 2 of the plastics industry will end and is expected to place ‘views before the meeting. UNCIL APPROVE hity council building commit- this week registered their imnimous approval of the com- ttee and its efforts after hear- a report on the first session. scussSion at the building com=- thee revealed general agrec- nt that the committee should ‘ote itself to the major ques- u of solving the problem of mployinge workers who would =e their jobs in war industry 7, the termination of present sitracts. eee WELCOMED ‘Alderman Price reported that tre had been unanimous agree- fmt among those present at the sSE meeting on the purposes of f= committee and all present, © te enthusiastic about the call- z= together of such a widely sresentative group. He also “sorted the receipt of letters td phone calls welcoming the pve from businessmen and re- s2sentatives of management 0 indicated their intention to ‘ticipate. ‘fhe following organizations Fe represented at the first m:eting last week: Canadian "anufacturers’ Association, Jun- = Board of Trade, B.C.-Yukon ining Association, . Greater | fanieousee Community Council, Personnel Managers’ Associa- tion, Canadian M.egion, New Veterans, International Wood- workers of America, Vancouver Labor Council, Shipyard General Workers’ Uunion, and a repre- sentative of National Selective Service. This representation is expect- ed to be inereased considerably at next week’s meeting. Canadian-Soviet Congress ToDiscuss Postwar Relations Second annual Congress of Canadian-Soviet Friendship will be held November 17, 18 and 19 this year in Toronto. The Congress, sponsored by the Na- tional Council for Canadian- Soviet Friendship, will have as its theme “Practical Postwar Re- Jations with the USSR,” and in the words of the call to the ses- sions, “an attempt will be made to explore avenues by which Can- ada and the Soviet Union could assist one another in their post- war reconstruction programs.” Several famous authorities on Soviet affairs, including Sir Bernard Pares, Rose Maurer, Professor Lebedenko and others will address the sessions. PANELS ARRANGED Panel and luncheon meetings have been arranged on the sub- jects: postwar trade; science; education; agriculture; labor; medicine and public health; al- lied arts and town planning; family and child welfare. In ad- dition selected films and exhibits will be on view to illustrate the panel topics. The convention call announces that the proceedings of the Con- gress will be fully reported in the Soviet press so that the people in the USSR will be fully acquainted with the efforts to seek a sound understanding with them. The call concludes with the words: “It is hoped through this Congress and subsequent activi- ties of the National Council for ‘Canadian-Soviet carry forward into the lives of our people these ideals and put into practice the historic Tehe- tan Agreement.” — EID SALVAGE Friendship to‘ Saturday, November 11, 1944 — Page 3 Burt Urges Automobile Industry In Postwar Canada’s automobile industry can and should build twice as many units per year after the war as it built in 1939. This is the opinion George Burt, dynamic regional director of the powerful ‘UAW union (United Automobile, Aircraft and Farm Equipment Workers), who visited Vancouver last week on a speaking tour for the Workers’ Educational Asso- ciation expressed in an interview with P. A. Burt, who led the unionization of the Windsor anti-union auto manufacturing area, belies the picture of the tough, expressive and dominating personality one might conjure up at his record. Mild appearance, insurance salesman manner, well groomed, the only hint of the aggressive- ness which has brought him to the top as head of the largest trade union in Canada comes in the occasional colorful expres- sion with which he emphasizes a well thought out point or ham- mers home his straightforward opinien about some topic of union affairs or personalities. No lover of platitudes, he ‘backed up his argument for doubled production with figures and facts to show that this would merely be bringing Canada, which he likes to call “an auto country,” up to the United States level of production of autos per capita. “We've got a big domes- tic backlog right now,” he point- ed out, “and we should be able +o maintain and increase our export trade. “Tf may take government help and we’re prepared to ask for that. But if imternational unity is maintained, agree- ments can be worked out with other countries, and with the USA, whereby we can be con- sidered an auto country and therefore be allowed to export to countries like New Zealand which are definitely not, and which can only build up such “an industry on the basis of tariffs and the exploitation of their own people.” NON-PARTISAN POLITICAL ACTION Burt’s hard-hitting stand on post-war prospects and plans are matched by his frank stand on fhe issue of Jabor’s political action. A firm believer in non- partisan political action, and avowedly not a member of any political party, he took an active part in the demand for non- partisanship of the Canadian Gongress of Labor Political Ac- tion Committee. “The first job of PAC is to recommend the Congress pro- gram to the membership,” he stated, and in response to a re- quest for further elaboration of organizational aspects of put- ting the program into effect, he said: “The program is non-par- tisan, and certainly PAC repre- sentatives should be there as non-partisan, elected officers, re- presenting the whole member- ship.” Similarly he tackled the question of the layoffs of women from industry with characteristic directness. ‘We didn’t ask them whether they were married or single when we asked them to jump in and do the good job they did in the emergency. What is needed is jobs for everybody, men, women, single, married, re- turned soldiers or civilians.” LABOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES Running like a thread through- out his answers on questions of reconversion and postwar pros- pects was the evident sense of responsibility to the interests of Canada which he felt his position and the interests of those he re- presents demands of him. More than once, in explaining his union’s postwar program which was recently presented to the union’s District Council, he stop- ped and said, “Providing, of eourse, this does not interfere with the war effort.” And the program he outlined, if placed into effect, ean do much to take one major industry off the list of “problem children” of the new department of recon- struction. The concrete, prac- tical steps advanced are definite evidence of the seriousness with which the UAW has approached the problem—and prove his as= sertion that months of research work went into its formulation. In addition it puts forward some very interesting pro- posals for reconversion to peacetime production. It asks for an inventory of industry, a survey of plants, and then, after army and navy have com- mitted themselves as much as possible regarding future re- quirements, a planned system of preparing tools and equip- ment for non-war production with maintenance crews being allowed to start changeover now. “The auto industry would be a guinea pig for this method. And it?s a natural: The com- panies have imdicated they’re going to reproduce the 1942 models, which is a good idea. With a little energy, we can have everything ready and when the last tank or military truck rolls off, the first civi- lian car will-be ready for the line. That is the practical contri- bution of the 50,000 members of the UAW to Canada’s postwar problems, as expressed by George Burt. It is a lead which will be followed by CGanadian trade unionists as they tackle the various complications which face them in their industries from one end of Canada to the other.