uo &*, PACIFIC. ADVOCATE

“SEP SAUVECRULECCCCQESEESERESCSSCEREE DROS ONILES SESE CLECCSLASEASSSESSEDEECALESIEEEEE

PEOPLE’S VOICE FOR PROGRESS -

Published every Saturday by The People Publishing Com-
pany, Room 1@4, Shelly Building, 119 West Pender Street,
Vancouver, British Columbia and printed at East End.
Printers, 2308 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, British _
Columbia. Subscription Rates: One year $2; six months $1.

Editor Phone
C. A. SAUNDERS MA rine 5288

Maintain The Pressure

HE order of ‘the federal government freezing

evictions will be welcomed by those families
under threat of losing their homes. But it does not
~come anywhere near solving the housing crisis; it
only serves to accentuate the need for a low rental
home building program as the only way to solve
the countrywide demand for adequate accommoda-
tion, :

There is no doubt that the decision of the gov-
ernment in this respect was greatly influenced by
the public furore and determined picketing of
evictees. The Labor-Progressive clubs took an
active part in this activity to the extent that the
Daily Province was constrained to publish an edi-
torial condemning picketing as ‘Communist agita-
tion.”’ However, there is no doubt that because of
the initiative and prompt action of the LPP clubs
several tenants retain their homes and have a
respite from this threat at least temporarily. Pos-
sibly there is a lesson to learn in this.

That is that public agitation on the housing
‘question must be redoubled until definite housing
projects are undertaken in every needful area.

In this respect it is evident that it is only by
these means that our dormant “Civic Body” will be
persuaded to use the initiative required to take
advantage of federal and provincial government
responsibility and get a low rental housing program
going in the city. :

There is a dangerous tendency at present to
present the problem as solely one of providing
accommodation for returning servicemen and their
families. No one will deny their claim to first con-
sideration, but the truth of the matter is that such
a program would only touch the surface of the real
housing problem as far as this city is concerned. We
had a housing problem even before the war; the
population has. increased by scores of thousands
since then and the fact that Vancouver is slated as
a base for Pacific warfare presages a further in-
crease in the civilian population. Prior to the end
of the war, prominent people were talking in terms
of a million residents for this city.

The present scheme under consideration by the
city council, by which Wartime Housing will con-
struct one thousand homes for veterans, may be a
start in the right direction—provided it does not
mean the institution of a similar scheme as that
provided during the wartime emergency which re-
sulted in the construction of a large number of
homes indistinguishable from each other except
for the number on the door.

However, the Citizens’ Emergency Housing
Committee estimates that we need a minimum of
8,000 homes immediately and 25,000 to fully cope
with the situation.

Obviously the present schemes are absolutely
inadequate and demand a further mobilization of
public opinion through the trade unions and all
organizations to maintain the pressure for a low
rental housing scheme of sufficient proportions to
handle the situation.

PAGE 4 — PACIFIC ADVOCATE

bea Passing By C. A. Sitbiters : = =

WAS to be expected that the discussions
presently proceeding through the ranks of
the American party, leading logically to a re-
examination of the policies of the Labor-Progres-

sive Party, would be seized
upon with glee by the bour-
eoise press and lead to a
campaign of misrepresenta-
tion from the leaders of
the CCF.

We would, however, be
making a bad mistake, if we
allowed this to influence our
determination to thoroughly
examine our own policies, to
subject all of our work to a
searching examination, and
on this basis freely acknowl-
edge mistakes in policy and
errors in theory, in order
that every vestige of re-
visionism that may have in-
filtrated into our ranks may be eradicated.

Certainly, as Comrade Buck points out, there
must be no holus-bolus application of the Ameri-
can Political Association resolution to the Ca-
nadian scene, on the contrary it is vitally neces-
sary that we conduct an independent research if
we are to uproot Marxist revisionism, always re-
membering however, that Earl Browder, who
has been looked upon as the outstanding Marx-
ist on the American continent has inevitably
had considerable influence on our own party.

The open discussion in the American party is
an outright refutation of the campaign being
carried on in certain sections of the daily press
and echoed with embellishments in that- CCF
mouthpiece ‘The Canadian ~Forum,” which en-
deavor to utilize the controversy to further their
attacks on the Soviet Union by adding fuel to
the fires of suspicion kept alive by pro-fascist
elements in every country.

HE JULY issue of this organ of social democ-
racy carries an editorial and an article by
E. A. Beder, raising the old cry of orders from
Moscow, with the accusation that the “Teheran
Line” was evoked on instruction and is likewise
being subjected to modification because of a
changed attitude by the Soviet’ Union.

The utter falsehood and ridiculousness of
this snide attack upon the USSR can be seen
in Earl Browder’s uncompromising defense of his

position, a fact which reveals very clearly that
errors committed by the American party and
those we may find in our own work, arose exactly

Around Town By Cynthia Cait

THE other day I met an ex-dead end kid, a girl

who several years ago, say in 1940, was well
on the way to becoming what we insist on ealling
“a juvenile delinquent.” (I agree with a certain
woman radio commetator who prefers to blame
a “delinquent community”
when kids go wrong.)

Anyway, this girl, at pres-
ent doing a heck of a good
job in a plane plant, told me
her story. She grew up’in a
small town, and recreation
was something she and the
gang planned _ entirely un-
aided. They enjoyed a good
fight against the gang from
the other side of town now
and again. They went in for
a bit of petty thievery, and
when there was nothing bet-
ter to do, they slipped sil-
ently through the neighbors’ back yards peeping
in open windows or picking clothes from house-
wives’ lines.

“Then the big people made-a club for them-
selves,” the girl told me. ‘‘They started acting in
plays, and we could hear them if we stood on the
fence and listened at the open windows. One
night we decided it sounded like a lot of fun, so
we banged on the door and demanded that they
let us in. A man came and said to beat it. We
threw a few stones at him and went away.

“Well, we were sort of mad, and that night
we decided we’d have a club of our own. We
elected a president, and one of the high school
boys typed out rules for us on letter paper. Then

we went back to the big club and said we were |

going to join.

“At first they didn’t seem to want us, but
then cne man said to let us come in, and we
did. Pretty soon we were doing most of the
work, and at the end of the year they let us
have the club rooms two nights a week for our-
selves. And that’s how we started our Teen

‘the American capitalists for letting §@

PRO cicine

MWR nN

itt

Dene:

because of Browder’s revision of ti!
Marx-Engels-Lenin and Stalin.

Further evidence of the unscrup
of this attack can be seen in the ij
British, South African and Aust:
munist parties never accepted the Br
ies, indeed these theories were only |
those countries, on the American con;
came directly under the influence oy

Jad

esd amet

allele

HERE is no mystery in. the fe

French Communist party, emergi,
leadership of the underground strus
French resistance movement should :*
sary to examine and critically expo:
of the American party. The necessii:)
lating their own program, based |:
world relationships and the new ty
tion governments arising from th:
need of exterminating the last

Fascism and undertaking the enorm [

reconstruction make it vitally neces i
serve the unity of the Anti-Fascist

In these circumstances it is ine.
the question of dissolution should |
and lead to a critical study of the qd
the American Communist party. :

As Comrade Foster points out ij
there is no doubt that the American §
have arrived at this position indepa #
itself was forcing a reexamination ¢°
conception of the possibility of -post |
tion with a decisive section of the ca 4
as put forward by Browder, and alt 4]
the Duclos article appeared Browder |
ing from his position exactly because
ties brought out after the defeat i
His contributions to the Worker fi
early sessions of the San Francise-
reveal this, albiet in a chiding mai-

mean.

Finally there is the position 6f |
self. The fact, unknown to Canadig |
erican Communists, that he had oppc |}
from the start, and consistently ft %
the national executive against the &
Marxism is sufficient to expose the “
Moscow” invention of the Soviet U

A Marxist party_has- Wiz to
free and open discussion of its policie: |
by subjecting our work to the elos —
that we are able to learn from past |
strengthen our future work. Whenvy ¥
takes it is our duty to admit them in’ #
workers, in order that we may retai 1
dence and extend our influence.

The girl looked thoughtful.
“Know what I think?” she sa }
be a good idea if every big people’s %
a Teen Club. Then I don’t think a: §&
have to worry about juvenile delin °

It’s an idea, anyway. Any num ©
organizations possess club room f
recreational facilities that coule |
young people, perhaps one or twon. &
It takes a bit of organizing and a §
work, but nobody will suggest it 1%

Has your club a meeting hall c B
There are lots of kids in your dif
ever you live—who wait around thi-/
store in the evening, thinking, “Oh 4
there was something to do!” d

[NTERESTING news came this w |
office of Leigh Stevenson; emer: J
administrator, who warned Vancov |
owners that a survey of all empty | }
made in the near future. Immediat
a hue and cry arose from those ov fP
holding out needed accommodation |
est bidder. A man’s home is-his ¢ |
Sist, and should be inviolate.

However, let’s be realistic. Any |
cent housing accommodation who |}
sell at a fair price has no empty p:
hands. The situation is too grave 9p
only houses that are empty are tl §}
owners are trying to profiteer, a
houses that will be covered by the

The WPTB order ending evic
good news, as are promises from
home building will proceed more
now on. It appears that public p™
ally bringing results. When the ©
is eased, every eviction picket li
that he or she deserves a bit of ere

Of course, this is no time to #
take it easy. We still have promi:

houses; let’s make sure those
carried out!

SATURDAY, JUL‘