E

BY MAURICE RUSH

HE marriage of the

Tory and Liberal par-—
ties in B.C. has produced
its first offspring in the

form of a program for the
coming elections on October 25.
It is necessary for every pro-
gressive worker to closely an-
alyze this program, for in it
can be seen the outline of the
true policies of the reactionary
coalition. When their propos-
als are submitted to close seru-
tiny and the facts - investigat-
ed it is found that on all im-
portant problenys facing the
people the coalition speaks for
the vested interests.

The issues in this first post-
war election are how to main-
tain and increase the people’s
standard of living by policies
which will provide full employ-
ment, decent homes and social
security legislation. Where
does the coalition stand on each
of these vital questions? What
policies do they advocate to
meet the needs of the people
in the critical days: ahead?

THE COALITION ON JOBS

The key to postwar prosper-
ity is jobs. Unless we can keep
our people at work earning de-
cent wages hardships will fol-
low. If we fail to maintain full
employment our country will
See stormy days, visions of
which still linger in our minds
from the hungry thirties.

Full employment can be
maintained. The standard of
living of the people can be up-
held. But to achieve this we
need progressive policies. We
require elected representatives

who will stand up before the
pressure of the vested inter-
ests. We require a united peo-
ple backing the fight for recon-
version and jobs.

WARIME INDUSTRIES

It is obvious from a study of
the coalition’s program that
their policies will not ensure
full employment in the postwar
years. The Coalition govern-
ment has no plan whereby the
great industries such as ship-
building and aircraft can be
reconverted to provide peace-
time jobs. The Coalition’s pro-
gram studiously avoids any
mention of the shipbuilding
and aircraft industries. With-
out a doubt they have been
written off by Messrs. Hart
and Maitland. ‘If the Tories
and Liberals have their way
the industries built here during
the war, and for which tens of
thousands of workers have
been trained in various crafts,
will be lost to us.

The policies of the Coalition
toward our war industries can
be seen in what has already
happened. The shipbuilding in-
dustry, which at one time gave
employment to some 20,000
workers in the Greater Vancou-
ver area is now expected to
have less than 4,000 workers
by February! The aircraft in-
dustry, which once gave em-
ployment to some 12,000 is now
out of business entirely!

What has the Coalition done
about reconversion?

What are their plans for
these industries?

The Coalition has done noth-
ing and plans to do nothing in
the future. This fact clearly
stands out from their written
program.

Although the Coalition claims

Their Policies Provide Neither Jobs, Homes Nor Security

te stand for industrial progress
their lack of policy toward
the shipbuilding and aircraft
industry belies that claim.

NEW INDUSRIES

Further proof of the coali-
tion’s opposition to postwar in-
dustrial progress is. to be seen
in the failure to so much as
mention the’ establishment of a~
steel industry in B.C. No party
ean speak seriously of indus-
trial development in B.C. with-
out fighting for a steel indus-
try here. Yet, though commit-
tees set up by the coalition
government proposed that such
a project be undertaken, Hart
antl Maitland have carefully
avoided raising the question.

One does not have to look
far to see the reasons for the
Coalition’s attempt to prevent
industrial progress in B.C. The
Tory and Liberal parties rep-
resent the vested interests in
B.C. They speak for the power-
ful financial monopolies of Bay
and St. James Streets. The
policy of Big Business in Can-
ada has always been to pre-
vent the growth of manufac-
turing industries on the Paci-
fic Coast. According to these
interests, our job in B.C. is to
provide raw materials! and
semi-manufactured goods only.
The people of B.C. are not pre-
pared to accept this narrow
economic policy of Big Busi-
ness. But the Coalition, acting
at the behest of the CPR in-
terests, and other big monopo-
lies, are dancing to their tune.

If the people of British Co-
lumbia want to save the indus-
tries established here during
the war. If they don’t want to
see the new skills acquired by
tens of thousands of workers
in these new industries wasted.

If they want to see our prov-
ince advance industrially, they
will have no other choice but
te turn the coalition out on
October 25.

ON HOMES

On the important question of
housing the reactionary char-
acter of the coalition is again
clearly seen. Housing is one of
the most serious problems we
have in B.C. Yet a close study
of the Coalition’s proposals on
housing brings one to the in-
evitable conclusions that Hart
and Maitland have deliberately
held back any government ac-

tion to launch a large scale
housing and slum _ clearance
program. :

The Coalition has sabotaged
action on housing because it
has surrendered to the pres-
sure ef the big real estate in-
terests and loan companies,
who it is known, have been
spending large sums of money
lobbying in Victoria to prevent
government action on housing.
Like Shylock, these investors
want their pound of flesh as
the price for building homes
for our returned heroes, and
working population.

According to the Vancouver
Housing Administrator, Van-
couver City alone requires: 25,-
000 housing units. The need
for even more homes will in-
crease as between 60 and 70
thousand veterans return to
Vancouver. The failure of gov-

ernment action on this vital
question is placing untold
hardships on the people. One

case that recently came to my
attention illustrates the serious-
ness of the situation. In a base-
ment room in this particular
house lived a returned man, his
English bride and one child.

-ly”—if the Coal —

each. Clearly, the

This man served |
with the Seafort
the regiment w
welcomed home a
There is only LOO);
bed and a babies:
eran is sick and=
a bad night hiss
sleep on the floor {
able to get othe:
live in. Multiply -
thousands of til¥
will get a pictur; ”
housing crisis mi

The Coalition’s
very little to say
tion of housing. 7
posal brought fo? |
contributions will] |
the municipalities |
dertake housing ¢ :
ance projects. Th :
a farce and is de
people. a

WHAT ARE TH!

Under the Nat
Act there are no:
ent available to ¢
ities for home econ
jects. The only sui
the municipalitie

NHA is $20,000
whole of Canac |
clearance purpos 4}

amount B.C. will ;
get one million ¢ :
municipalities toc
of this sum the ©
fers to contribute |

ment put up half,
amount to some
other words, the
posals of the Co
supply — sufficien: |
build about 125 he.)

no concrete propos:
housing crisis.

Had the Hart-! |
ernment any inter ¢

BRUCE MICKLEBURGH

@ Active anti-fascist fighter
in the youth movement for
many years.

® Executive member of the
B.C. Teachers’ Federation, in-
strumental in its affiliation. to
the AFL.

@ Active in Rural Teachers’
Association, for improved
wages and condition.

PACIFIC ADVOCATE — PAGE 2

Kamloops

__
CHARLES H. COOKE

@ Played leading role in
struggle of unemployed for
jobs.

@ Active member of Broth-

erhood of Railway Carmen,
worked on railroad for 28
years.

@ Resident of Kamloops,
where his family of one girl
and three boys has grown up.

WILLIAM BROWN

® Employed, in mining and
logging industries all his life,
unemployed leader in Fernie,
and leader in campaign to or-
ganize unions.

@ Consistent fighter for la-
bor unity, expelled from CCF
for his unity efforts.

@ Active member of Mine,
Mill and Smelterworkers’
Union.

Born in Fernie, B.C., Wil-

liam Brown, Kimberley miner
and Labor-Progressive candi-
date for Cranbrook knows the
mining and logging industries
from the experience of a life-
time, and through his member-
ship in the Mine, Mill and
Smelterworkers’ Union has a
keen knowledge of the prob-
lems of the residents of the
Cranbrook riding.

Part of every struggle to
better the lot of the people,
Brown worked unceasingly in
the unemployed organization
during the lean years of de-
pression and fought consist-
ently for the establishment of
unions to protect the rights of
his fellow workers.

No stranger to the problems
that confront the workers, this
LPP standardbearer will carry
to Victoria an experience gain-
ed from years of association
with the people’s strugeles.

Grand Forks

ALLAN CLAPP
@ Veteran of World War I,

with a keen knowledge of ve-~

terans’ affairs.

® Trade unionist witha la-
bor history that goes back
over ten years.

@ President, of the B.C. Tele-
phone Workers’ Federation for
many years.

@ Member of the Grand
Forks Rehabilitation Council
and Grand Forks Board of
Trade.

Macke

@® Born in- Va
worked as a tradé |
most of B.C.s ind:

@ Member of i
employed organizé }
berta and British ie

@® Ex-servicema
discharged after joi
gineers on Sept.
understanding of
problems.

@ President of |
United Steelworke
ica,

SATURDAY, OCTOB

CORAY CAM §