P. A, Pacific aovocate.

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

Electioneering

| HE Manifesto to the Tory*Liberal Coalition produces no
surprises. Coalition leader John Hart has produced a

typical. election document, more significant for what it does
not mention than for what it says.

> At the best the document is very vague. Specious and
lavish promises, regarding education, etc., already have muni-
cipal statisticians frantically trying to figure out exactly how
much, if any, concrete help the proposals realty mean.

The same applies to promises regarding labor legislation
and so on. The Coalition has had four years to undertake
some of the steps they vaguely promise now. Faced with the
-problems of reconversion, mounting layoffs and a growing
attack on living standards, the Coalition preferred to ignore
demands for a special session to implement immediate steps
to meet the crisis. They preferred to call an immediate
election and substitute promises and phrases for action.

It is clear that the Hart-Maitland Coalition was com-
pletely unable to cope with the problems precipitated by V-J
Day. Our wartime industries—shipbuilding, aircraft, were
crippled as a result. Workers are forced out of jobs and
compelled to take work at reduced wages.

The Tory-Liberal combination have been impotent in the
face of the growing housing crisis. They have failed miser-
ably to give any assurance of security for our people.

The Hart Manifesto deliberatély falsifies the alterna-
tives in the coming election. The alternative is not a coalition
of Tories and Liberals as against an “experiment in Social-
ism.’’ The issue in this election is whether people’s unity
can be achieved in time to replace the Maitland-Hart govern-
ment of inaction by a progressive government of action to
meet the people’s needs for jobs, homes and social security.

The manifesto gives no answer to the basic questions of
public Hydro and a steel mill, questions which must be
tackled if stable industry is to be developed in this province.
There is no clarification of their position on Dominion-
Provincial relations.

_ There are 43 points in the manifesto.
tioneering document which avoids the basic issues confront-
ing the people of this province.

The Right To Vote

\ J HY.has the Hart-Maitland coalition deliberately rushed

this election without making adequate provision for
registration of the electorate? This question is being asked
more and more as election day approaches and it becomes
evident that hundreds of voters—_mostly workers and return-
ing servicemen—will have no opportunity to get on the pro-
vincial voters list. .

Fishermen, Loggers, Miners are protesting disfranchise-
ment. Hundreds have been kept off the list through govern-
ment neglect. °

Organized labor is determined to press the fight for the
right of franchise to a satisfactory conclusion. The demand
of the Trades and Labor Council for special voting day priv-
ileges, so. that voters may be sworn in at the polls, is justified.
It will and must receive the support of every democratic
person.

The capitulation of Hart to Tory pressure expressed in
the betrayal of liberal voters by the present coalition has
been evident in the unwillingness to cope with the problems of
reconversion. The obvious aim of monopoly capital to lower
the living standards of this province by forcing workers into
low pay jobs is ably abetted by government inaction.

The plan of thé Tory-Liberal coalition to disfranchise hun-
dreds of workers, as part of their plan to retain the grip of
reactionary employers on the economy of this province must
be defeated.

The demand must be raised for special provisions to reg-
ister voters.

Every qualified resident of this province must have the

opportunity to vote.
Labor’s voice, with all its strength must be heard in this

S$

erucial election.
PACIFIC ADVOCATE—PAGE 4

It is an elec-.

in Passing By C. A. Saunders

yf I WERE a coalition candidate in this provin-

cial election, I would be very pleased with
Barry Mather. Every bit of confusion that is
thrown into the campaign helps the Hart-Mait-
land Coalition. It must be clear that Mather’s
column in the Vancouver News-Herald of Satur-
day, September 29, is calculated to further di-
vide the ranks of labor by
an attempt to provide justi-
fication for the isolationist
tactics of the CCF.

Barry Mather completely
ignores many facts. and
misrepresents others. Let us
examine some of his postu-
lates. First, after admitting
that LPP votes are workers
votes, he states “Previous
elections show that these
LPP votes will not elect
LPP members.”

Well, there is Fred Rose
—twice elected in Montreal-
Cartier, A. A.” McLeod and
J. B. Salsberg in Toronto
where the CCF failed to return a single member
to the provincial legislature; and an examina-
tion of the Federal vote in B.C. with especial
attention to Nigel Morgan and Tom McEwen,
not to mention the success of the unity candi-
date Herridge discloses the inaccuracy of this
statement.

Trotting out a number of similar statements
inaccurate and unqualified, Barry reaches a
number of conclusions, none of which have any
relationship to the main issue of the election.

First Conclusion: “The‘CCF has some Chance.

Around Town » cjothia caner

FORMATION of a Guild of Arts in the labor

field is an interesting idea,” wrote a conser-
vative drama critic more than a year ago, when
the Labor Arts Guild was first organized by a
group of Vancouver progres-
Sives. “But it will be even
more interesting to see how
successful such an organiza-
tion can become.”

A lot of people were
skeptical. Art was art and
labor was working stiffs,
said some, and never the
twain would meet. But art
belongs to the working peo-
ple, protested the opposition.
Art isn’t something stuffy
that you hide away in mu-
seums, it’s.a vital, necessary
part of everday life!

Now, of course, it’s history. The Labor Arts
Guild, well past its first birthday, has proved
the skeptics wrong. Art and Labor are terms
that can be used together—and with gratifying
results.

During the past year, for example, the LAG
has: Organized numerous musical programs for
political meetings, designed numerous  letter-
heads for trade unions, mast heads for union
newspapers; arranged Saturday “Studio Nights”
on a social basis; produced plays such as Shakes-
peare’s Hamlet and Corwin’s Untitled; added a
new design to the cover of shop steward’s ma-
nuals; organized the “British Golumbia Ats
Work” Art contest and exhibit; sponsored
elasses im sketching, theatrical make-up, ballet
dancing, improvizational theater; issued weekly
publicity bulletins to three dailies and eight la-
bor papers; conducted a labor writers’ contest; _
produced a Sunday night series of Peoples’ Con-
certs; sponsored creative art classes and dancing
classes for children and—but I could go on for
pages, and paper is still rationed!

In short, the Labor Arts Guild is ‘a good
thing.” As it enters its second year of inten.
sive activity, why not find out just what the
Guild can do for you? :

There’s a place in the Guild for every mem-
ber of the family. Does Dad like to get up in
front of the footlights and strut his stuff? Has

of winning and forming the gevi

There is absolutely no basis 4!
tion, even with the qualifying
figures of both the last provini .
elections show no chance of a €*
only prospect of defeating the |
people’s unity at the. polls, bel
eandidates. The adamant attih
leadership has precluded the py
best guarantee for defeating —
namely, electoral agreements to
gressive candidate in each co

Second Conclusion: ‘The LPF
of winning and forming a goy4
LPP has consistently stated #
can succeed against the coaliti.
The Labor-Progressive Party
sistently to discuss unity with {-
meet with insults and rebuffs. —

The third and fourth conclasi
ground and are smothered unde
of the first two. =a

No, Barry Mather, the Labor
not accuse the LPP of “lousing
vote.” The statement of the ‘e
published in your paper is sufficj -
who is “Lousing up the vote.” |

5

The whole labor movement, th
veterans, housewives and all pre
unity in this election. The Lal -
Party has and will continue te j
unity. The CCF flatly rejeets :
you have the only party which £.
abdicate the field? The fight for
on, up to the elections, during th -
after the elections. It is part oj |
a better British Columbia—a beit |

he a secret hankering to play f
the place for him is in the dra
“Mom” sometimes get the yen t
water colors she gave up when t !
She could find fun, relaxation ¢ ¢
companions at The Guild graphi_
where there is room for the low |
Van Gogh and the professional {

Or Maybe “Mom” and Dad ar |
people who like to do things toge’
ease, park Junior with his Grand A
along to the fencing class. (It’s: {
fencing whittles off pounds lady! }{
of it, maybe your waistline—and ¥ ~
complex—would benefit from atte
Guild Dance Class, under the able
Pauline Hagman. a £

TRERE'S a place for Junior, too, |
highly successful Children’s | 3
classes, directed by Maedi Kals, for +
to a famous Viennese child psydl i
course is open to all two to twelve},
keynote of the course is creative 4
dividual engaged in a group projt 2
learn to use simple materials suck |
poster paint and colored chalks. Mc |
they are taught to tie day dreamsi
increase self-confidence. Surprisi
the fee for each two-hour class Wi |
is a mere 25 cents, This is an a
tion of the type of service the G
community. : : Bo |

through the active presence of a 4
union movement concerned in maki
known and its demands felt on i

political issues of the day. Mor
members feel that the labor. mov §
the artist to give dramatic emphas §
needs, and that artists, too, nec
movement if they themselves would
ity. The Guild aims to provide t
operative effort of workers and at
For information about Guild act
Secretary Julia Christensen at MA. §
be glad to discuss it with you. © |
SATURDAY, OCT. 6, —