Page 4 — Saturday, February 10, 1945

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PEOPLE’S VOICE FOR PROGRESS

Published every Saturday by The People Publishing Com-
pany, Room 104, Shelly Building, 119 West Pender Street,
Vaneeuyer, British Columbia and printed at Hast End
Printers, 2303 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, British
‘Columbia. Subscription Rates: One year $2, six months $1.

Editor Associate Editor
€. A. SAUNDERS MYER SHARZER

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1945

B.C. Legislature

HE speech from the throne at the opening of the fourth

session of the 20th British Columbia legislature disclosed
intention of implementation of proposed government schemes
to solve some of the major problems facing the people of this
province in the immediate future.

Some of the proposed measures will receive general com-
mendation.

The promise to complete the Hope-Princeton highway and
the Prince George-Dawson Creék outlet for the Peace River
district will be welcomed as long needed improvements which
will give a tremendous impetus to development of these dis-
tricts and a consequent positive contribution to the economy
of the province as a whole.

Such proposals as, higher salaries for rural teachers, in-
creased grants for new school buildings and low cost land
clearing machinery for farmers will be generally acclaimed.

It is hoped that in the course of this session action will
be taken on some other outstanding problems not mentioned
in the speech. Labor will have a powerful lobby present
through the sessions seeking amendments to labor legislation
and the Compensation Act, while there is a definite demand
rom all sections of the population that the East Indians
be granted full citizenship rights including the franchise.

The decision to appoint a hydro-electric commission to
develop and distribute electric power in B.C., although com-
mendable in itself cannot effectively answer the power -prob-
lems of the province unless accom'panied by action to take over
the B.C. Electric monopoly.

This question has been in the air too long and it is time
that definite action was taken.

The time is short, the problems of the postwar will soon
be upon us, and basic to solution of these problems is the
establishment of secondary industries throughout the province.

The whole question of establishment of new industries,
rural electrification and to a great extent irrigation is depend-
ent upon breaking the stifling stranglehold of the power
monopoly. :

Because of this it was to be expected that the opening
session would indicate definite steps in this direction. It is
evident that tremendous pressure is being exerted upon and
from within the Liberal-Tory coalition government to prevent
this step being taken; although it was first mooted in 1943
it is still hanging fire, and the present measures advocated
in the speech can only scratch the surface of the problem. The
tremendous advertising campaign of the B.C. Electric accom-
panied by belated plans for expansion must be offset by an
erganized public campaign. The future employment of B.C.
citizens must not be left to the whims of a pOwer corporation
which hitherto-has prevented the growth of industry in this
provinice and consistently refused to develop to capacity the
power resources at its disposal, to the extent that even now
it is compelled to purchase power from the great public hydro
projects across the line. 7

This vital question must be dealt with decisively in this
session of the legislature, the public must be organized to see
that it is done.

As‘ this is being written two of the most moment-

ous international conferences of this century
are being held in Kurope. Meeting in London,
England, 240 trade union delegates from most of
the countries of the world are
laying the foundation for a
new international trade union
body which will undoubtedly
influence the course of world
affairs in the crucial postwar
years. !

Simultaneously the second
meeting of the Big Three
being held in the “Black Sea
Area” released a statement
that “complete agreement”
on coordinated military oper-
ations for the “windup of the
War against Germany” had
been reached. There is little doubt but that the
unanimity achieved on this question will be dup-
licated when the questions of the political and
economic problems of liberated Hurope and of

a permanent international peace organization are
dealt with.

In spite of the sneers and ridicule heaped
upon the stability of the accord reached at
Teheran between the socialist USSR and the
capitalist democracies, that accord in its military
aspects has been carried out to the letter and
in spite of the wishful thinking: of the enemies
of United Nations cooperation the reactionary
policies of the British government in Beigium,
Italy and Greece have not resulted in breaking
the Teheran accord. On the contrary the de-
mands of the democratic forces have had to be
recognized as witnessed by the resignation of
the Belgian government and the reaching of an
agreement with the BLAS in Greece. The wish-
ful thinking of the reactionaries and Nazi agents
for the destruction of the unity of the United
Nations following Teheran will meet with a
similar result following this conference, i.e., not
a weakening of United Nations unity but its fur-
ther strengthening and the carrying over of this
unity into the postwar to the realization of a
stable peace based on international friendship
and expanding world trade.

Ar ound Town By Cynthia Carter

(pee sky is blue over Vancouver today, with

a few whipped-creagm clouds lying close to
the horizon. It is the kind of day which makes
Pacific Coast people so loyal to the land west of
the mountains. And on the
radio a news commentator re-
ports that the magnificent
Red Army moves closer to
Berlin, that the Yanks have
taken Manila, that Allied
Armies on the western front
are beating the Nazis back.
Good news—the kind of news
which makes qne glad to be
back again, to be able to con-
tribute what little one can in
the important tasks of these
times, even if that contribu-
tion. consists of the relatively
insignificent job of poundine
a typewriter.

Yes, it’s nice to be back
and to be contributing once
more to the pages of the People’s Voice for Pro-
gress, the fighting labor paper of the western
provinces. And nice, too, to have this oppor-
tunity, of thanking all my friends in the labor
movement for their many kind greetings on the
birth of our son, little Carl.

PAUCEINE, the girl who ‘comes in to sit” with

little Carl while his mother pursues the liter-
ary muse, is quite a remarkable child. And even
more remarkable, it appears, is Pauline’s mother,
who is rapidly developing in me an inferiority
complex.

lt works out like this. I sit up to the wee
small hours making a new dress. I’m pretty
proud of myself—until Pauline arrives.

“My mother has a dress like that,” she ob-
serves. “She doesn’t wear it, though. She says
the color is dowdy.”

Or I triumphantly display a new hairdo.

“My mother used to do her-hair like that,”
Pauline sniffs audibly, “back in 1932.” ‘This
evening, however, I began to suspect that per-
haps there is a chance for Pauline’s mother and
I to meet on common ground. Somehow, the
conversation turned to politics. Pauline shook
her pigtailed head sadly.

> fascist trade unions had been represented z

eek By Fergus McKean | |

One of the major contributing fact’
guarantee the peace will be a just ang
one will be the creation of a new intern;
trade union organization arising from the 7
london Conference. Symbolic of the new p
of world leadership which the socialist USi

‘achieved was the outstanding role played

conference by the 35 Soviet trade unior
gates; the largest delegation of any country
ever in view of the fact the Soviet t¥ade —
have by far the greatest membership ¢
country, 24,000,000, this was to, be expecte! |

The proposals of M. Kuznetsov, leader:
Soviet delegation, that the strength of work.
be used, not only to defeat Germany, hy.
for the economic and political isolation) of *
Portugal and Argentina augurs well for ¢-
cess of the conference.

How different these proposals from the
platitudes adopted in the form of resoluty
the Social Democratic dominated, Ams}
International of Trade Unions of unhappy
ory, which did nothing of value in the st
against fascism. :

The conference however, has not only
strengthened, in comparison to the prewar
national Federation of Trade Unions, by 7
clusion of the Soviet trade uniens. In aj
to them, also for the first time, there is
sented the virile and progressive industrial |
of the CIO from the USA and Canada. Ty}
important trade union body not represer
the American Federation of Labor whose —
ship, the reactionary Greens, Wolls and H |
sons, refused to participate because of the |
sion of the Soviet trade unions. No doul
would have been pleased to participate if

Soviet unions excluded.

However, the absence of the AFL y
interfere to any degree with the success
eonference and the influence which it wil |
in world affairs. ss

It is to be ‘hoped that when the next i’
tional trade union conference is held the
bership of the AFI, will imsist that they ©
come part of the world family of organizer

ee |

“My mother belongs to a club whe |
talk about politics all the time,” she saii
“Personally, I think women spend too mu
at that sort of thing.” :

iG is extremely fortunate, however, th:

and more Canadian women are taking’
terest in “that sort of thing,’—because i
times the active participation of women
political life of our nation and of the wor
the greatest importance. Women know th
have vital work to do: to help in the >
of the war, first of all, and to learn, w
ganize, and fight for the kind of peacefu ;
they want their children to grow up in. 1.
alternative is a tragic one.

There is a little poem written by an A”
poet about the kind of world we do not ~
have, which goes like this: :

“The golf links are so near the ms.
That, almost every day, 4
The laboring children can look o1
And see the men at play.” i

That was the past. We must build ad
future. iced
e@

[X this column I have laid great stress”

role to be played by women, and for this —
During the war, women in the armed for
the production front, and in volunteer §
organizations, have taken a good look §
world and realize that, after victery, the j
still be much to be done. They are &
do a little housecleaning in municipal, pri}
and federal governments. They are re a
press for better housing, health insurance, §
lishment of nursing schools, and a better
standard. They are keeping a watchful @
wage rates and price controls, and rees ©
ment of men in the armed forces. :

These questions, and similar ones, §
considered in this column. Local items of: @
will be covered, and from time to time #
report on the activities of our city hall gif
Vancouver’s reactionary mayor and a)
who, you may remember, have received sce
tention in the past.

Your comments and criticisms, of a
will be most welcome. Drop me a line, wi