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P. A. ractic advocate

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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,
Vancouver, British Columbia and printed at East- End
Printers, 2303 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, British
Columbia. Subscription Rates: One year $2; six months $1.

Editor Phone
Cc. A. SAUNDERS MA rine 5288

Political AAction

The trade union political action committees,

which actually only started to roll with the recent
election campaign, must extend and speed up their
activities. They have the responsibility of spear-

heading the drive to place labor demands before

~ parliament. To them primarily will fall the task of

organizing counter pressure to the inevitable on-

slaught of reaction.

The elections have resulted in placing a very
shaky Liberal government in power. A government
which must rely for support upon right-wing inde-
pendent Liberals from Quebec. A government sub-
ject to the importunities of Tory governments in the

two major provinces of Quebec and Ontario.

~The split in the progressive camp has robbed
labor of its chance to be represented in this govern-
ment. It has brought home the overiding neces-
sity of labor unity if the gains of the war years are
not to be wiped out and the road to progress closed

by the dominance of Tory reaction..

-

PAC’s must immediately step up their activities
with demands that immediate attention be given to
changes in labor legislation, unfreezing of substan-
dard wages by amendments to P.C. 9384, removal
of obstacles to establishment of genuine labor un-
ions by amendments to the ‘Labor Code’ P.C. 1003.
Problems of rehabilitation of. exservicemen should
find PAC’s to the fore, demanding absolute ful-
fillment of all promises to returning soldiers, ade-
quate recompense to the conquerors of Nazi mili-

tary might.

Housing, reconversion of industry, provision for
transition, these are all questions which demand the

attention of the trade unions.

More than that they are the dominant issues of
the day, around which every section of the labor
movement can rally, casting aside partisan -differ-
ences to establish labor unity as a forward moving

bulwark against reaction.
PAGE 4 — PACIFIC. ADVOCATE

- political affiliations, and like

In Passing By ©. A. Seeder” i. = yj

HE San Francisco Conference is drawing to a
t close, and there is no doubt that out of it will
come an organization for the maintenance of
world peace superior in many ways to the ill-

fated League of Nations.

Although many political
differences have reared their
heads in the course of the
discussions, they have not
stood in the way of the com-
‘pletion- of the main object-
ives. Nevertheless there have
been many significant point-
ers that clearly demonstrate
that in the final analysis, al-
though a framework for a
period free from war will be
created, the deciding factor
will be the strength of, the
democratic masses of the
people in enforcing adher-
ence to the decisions.

Admittance of Argentina to the conference
pointed decisively to the fact that strong forces
of world imperialism were more intent on power
politics than collective security. ‘The unequalled
blast of slander, innuendo and suspicion directed
through the press at the Soviet delegation ex-
posed the ‘forces, held in partial check until
victory was assured, that regard the Soviet union
as an enemy.

Yet the delegates from the liberated countries
shéwed another side of the world picture, the
wishes of the majority of the people were plain;
the work of the conference proceeded and to a
great extent succeeded, in spite of the intense
political lobbying carried on.

The Soviet delegation will come out of the
conference having earned the admiration and
respect of freedom-loving people the world over,
Their forbearance in the face of insults and

Around Town By Cynthia Carter «=

[ts a funny thing how politics creep up on you.

You may start out firmly determined that you
don’t intend to have anything to do with “that
sort of thing,” but first thing you know you’ve

started to worry about rising
prices, or about your hus-
band’s job, and about what
the government intends to do
about this issue or that, and
there you are — thinking
politically.

This fact is most clearly
demonstrated, perhaps, by
the day-to-day conversation
of any group of women in
practically every neighbor-
hood. Ask the first three

women you meet about their
Bess

as not you'll find one at most

who will declare herself wholeheartedly in sup-
port of one party. But continue the conversation
a minute, talk about what’s going on around you,
and you'll find that Mrs. B. is all for a national
labor code, maintenance of price controls, health
insurance and is ready to fight like the dickens
against a return to the hungry thirties, while
Mrs. C. is just as firmly convinced that all con-
trols should be relaxed so that “free enterprise”
ean get back to business as usual and that trade
unions should be outlawed. In other words, while
neither Mrs. B. nor Mrs. C. put political labels
on themselves, Mrs. B. is actually a forward-
leoking progressive with the courage of her con-
victions and Mrs. C. is courting chaos and
calamity with the Tories.

The same thing is noticeable on a larger scale
here in city politics. The thousands of trade
unionists in Vancouver have not allied them-
selves in a body to any political party, and many
unionists of the “old school’ ’insist that polities
and unions don’t mix. Yet let an emergency
arise, such as our local housing crisis, and you
find the majority of unionists rising to a man to
condemn not only the deplorable conditions that
prevail, but also those whose politics have been

responsible for those conditions. And. when any
group of individuals, trade unionists, young
people or housewives, decide something has to
be done and that it ean best be accomplished by
using a ballot or lobbying an official—and when

. fully exposed.

insinuations never before levelled at a dif
of Allies, was remarkable. Their sound },uw
on every controversial issue—from the,
ance of “Argentina to the rejection. of t)
Trade Union Conference delegates, full ¥
strated their sincerity and honesty of p 4
sharp contrast to the petty manouve
other delegations. Their position on tl}

question, played up unscrupulously by if
has been amply vindicated by the trials §
Poles in Moscow, where the nature anc fe
of the so-called “government in exile” i

The Soviet Union stands today, as bp
war, the greatest force for world py
progress. It is not surprising that the = ther
of ultra-reaction is aimed at them. 7}
smear campaign that made the democrz|
prey to the onslaught of fascism is alre:
ing ground, with some of the more Vir jmpe
bold exponents of the hate-Russia cam |
ready echoing the defeated Nazis in the:
war against the USSR. :

The agreements of Teheran and Yy
reached as far as San Francisco, after
passage it looks as though they will we Jie:
storm’ and emerge, if not intact, at fair
irrevocably damaged. The future depen
extent to which the progressive fore
each country can influence their goveri{,
implement the spirit and letter of a wee
organization.

This will be a major task for t®#
Unions and labor organizations in the iff
future.

Peace can be preserved and a peri ¥
vance ensured only if the organized wot }
consciously spearheads the fight to «f
perspective into reality. $

they get down to brass tacks and orga
the job efficiently, well, sister, that’ |f,
action! And it’s going to take a chunk
action to get something done about bh

Our housing crisis isn’t news any §
latest murders have pushed ‘it off the j fj,
but people are still living in slums, -
agents are still making.a killing, an’ §
servicemen are finding they have to fPbuy
other campaign on the home front tc (ood
famiies a home. bo br

§° what are we going to do about it! i of
obvious that when the next civ fape
comes round labor is going to do a bit -B
and any eandidate for civie office ~ }
labor’s support is going to have to |
that he intends to do something aboi F
A shortage of living accommodation a | ’
most of all. A shipyard worker can’ fe,
down on a $5,000 home. But you don’t
Cornett and George (the terrible) Behm:
getting any eviction notices. The e ##
recently got a nice bit of newspape
when it gave its approval to a plan pv only
the Citizens’ Rehabilitation Committee buy,
homes for servicemen. But don’t be fo:
what that “approval” really means? * § an
has no objection to the federal goverm §
ing homes on city lots as long as it pa=
for the lots and sees that the city c&

one cent on the deal. Oh, Mr. Co
generosity bowls me over!

Keep these facts in mind, next tim @me f
about,a family of five living in somebc Mitac,
_ The council has failed to take pH y
housing plan. The council has refur By,
advantage of the federal governmeni #
help finance a housing scheme. The ¢§
has refused to put a stop to eviction
council has refused to turn over cit
group of pensioners who were willit
homes out of their own funds for a

Keep this in mind, too. Your civil pw
means something in December. If jip°°:
vote, be prepared to use it. Join in caje
extend the civic franchise. And rem
political action is your job, too. :

SATURDAY, JUNE 2