= ~ PACIFIC ADVOCATE

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

Vote Labor

HE civic elections, to be held in Vancouver next week

signalize a new departure for the labor movement in in-
dependent political action. The united slate put forward by
the trade union centers present the electors with the opportun-
ity to elect candidates who will get action on the burning prob-
les which have accumulated during the ‘do-nothing’ era of the
“Non-Partisan’ dominated city councils.
: Dissatisfaction with the Non-Partisan regime is evident
in the springing up of the Civic Action Committee, which, in
the main, represents those elements among the business people
of the province, who, recognizing that the doleful record of
the present incumberits can no longer sustain them in office
are trying to present an alternative to the election of labor
candidates.

Nomination of a full slate by the CCF, in the face of the
United Labor slate and despite appeals from the trade union
movement to rally around labor’s choice, demonstrates that
the leadership have learned nothing from previous campaigns
and are determined to carry forward their own isolationist
policy despite the disastrous effects to the labor movement.

All trade-unionists and progressives must realize ‘that
labor’s slate is the only slate around which a united move-
ment capable of defeating the non-partisans can be rallied.
' Running on a program of action, and responsible to the trade
union movemen, they can be relied upon to carry labor’s
program into life in this city. ”

Every trade-unionist and progressive should work and
vote for the United Trade Union slate.

Break the hold of the Non-Partisans’ on civic politics.

Rebuke he isolationist, splitting CCF tactics.

Work, Vote and Elect Labor to the City Council.

Unite and Fight!

(fr unemployment crisis in British Columbia is one

manifestation of the general offensive big business is
conducting against the living standards of the Canadian
people.

The Ford strike at Windsor, the refusal of the govern-
ment to act, is all part of the general sit-down strike being
conducted by ‘private enterprise.’

Monopoly finance has set as a precondition for postwar
production the removal of all controls, abolition of the excess
profits tax and a reduction in the wage standards and work-
ing conditions of Canadian labor. These are the plain facts.
And the government has acceded to the pressure of Tory
interests.

The refusal of the Federal Government to institute im-
mediate public works to alleviate the acute job situation
here, on the paltry excuse that it would encourage people
to come to this province, can only be regarded in this light.

Already the plans for the postwar are being made plain
by such spokesmen for big interests as General Hoffmeister,
whose suggestions amount to a recommendation to return to
the jobless thirties, with such relief measures as, matches—
apple and Christmas tree selling—-odd job man, etc., as the
future for the veteran. Even more dangerous was the attack
levelled at the trade union movement by an obviously primed
veteran.

The old game of. splitting, and turning the veteran
against organized labor will find little sympathy among the
new veterans. They are well aware that the future depends
on unity with the labor movement.

This is the only answer for the people against the offen-
sive of big business. If the peace is to be won, if the peace
is to be secure, it will demand :the greatest unity of the whole
progressive forces of the country.

The position of the jobless in this province demands an
organization to meet their needs and put forward their de-
mands.

That organization must be supplied by Jabor. It must
be an organization uniting veterans and and ex-warworker,
backed by the full strength of organized labor.

It must be part of a united people’s movement, to frus-
trate the reactionary plans of big business—to bring to the
people the fruits of victory—to ward off the threat of a new
world war.

PACIFIC ADVOCATE — PAGE 4

rd

This Weelkk 1 nis Morgan -

v2 week Generak Hoffmeister; manager of
one of B.C.’s largest sawmills (the H. R. Mac-
Millan-owned Canadian White Pine), hit the
headlines with a proposal that British Colum-

bia’s thousands of war work-

ers be put to work digging
ditches on the lame excuse
of finding jobs for return-
ing veterans. As if that
would solve the problem, for
most of the war workers are
unemployed now as well!.
That this reactionary pro-
posal was no_ slip of the
tongue, but the beginning
of skillfully planned offens-
ive to create worker-veteran
bitterness and disunity, was
evidenced when Hoffmeister
amplified his views today with the chauvinistic,
Hitler-like appeal for establishment of “An or-
ganization to assist in returning to China the
Chinese in Vancouver.”

Certainly the vast majority of returning vet-
erans as well as our war workers, who fought
and worked six long years to destroy all forms
of slavery, discrimination and false theories of
racial superiority; who fought for progress, de-
mocratic ideals, freedom from fear and freedom
from want: who have fought for their: homes
and loved ones, for jobs at decent wages and
for security, must feel truly bitter over the
“future” Mr. Hoffmeister and his Tory monopo-
lists hold out for the heroes who fought this war
and the war workers who stood loyally behind
them providing the sinews of battle.

Most of our returning. servicemen have fath-
ers, brothers or other relatives who, because they
were medically unfit for army service or for
some other equal'y legitimate reason could only
serve on the production front. I am sure veterans
would be just as loathe to chase their father or
brother out to dig ditches for the rest of his
days, as the war worker would be to be respon-
sible for preventing employment of the soldier
who has served Canada so well in this life and
death fight against fascism. Obviously the solution
lies not in discrimination, bitterness and division
with its inevitable breaking down of wages and
standards for both veteran ond worker, but in

-the provision of full employment and security

which is exactly what Canadian soldiers and war

Around Town by Cynthia Carter ei

ELL, folks, the battle’s on. The candidates

property qualifications have been checked
and approved, the ring is full of top hats, re-
spectable bowlers and number of honest work
caps, and the city is beginning to sit up and ‘take
notice in the most interesting civic campaign
since the Non-Partisans took over the city
about ten years ago.

With four groups in the field Non-Partisans,
Civic Action Association
CCF, and United Labor —
the outcome is, as yet, any-
body’s guess. But one thing
is ctrtain; two of the con-
testing groups of the con-
pletely discredited in the
eyes of Vancouver labor.

The Non-Partisans, of
course, were discredited
years azo. People like

George Buscombe, one man
who made a farce of the

housing crisis, the arch-
reactionary Charles Jones
H. L. Corey, the council

weak sister, and Jack Price, whose much publi-
cized diplomacy has proved a poor cover up for
lack of public spirit, have had the field to them-
selves for much too long. Now, up against stiff
oppositon for the first time, the Non-Partisans
are beginning to worry a little. Ald Jones has
even gone so far as to claim credit for the
eouncil in. “doing more to solve the housing
crisis” than any other council in Canada. This
very challengeable statement: doesn’t: fool any-
body. Too well do VWancouverites remember the
eviction picket lines, and the plight of the Denman
delegations to the city hall that were. laughed
off by the mayor and his men.

THE CCF, too, will find that this time it has

gone a bit too far for even some of the old
party stalwarts who took too literally that
party’s hypocritical labor loving line. In this
year’s civic election the CCF has compeltely ex-
posed itself; it is not the political arm of labor
—it is the enemy of labor. By nominating a full
slate of aldermanic candidates to oppose can-
didates nominated by a united labor movement,
the CCF must face charges of vote-splitting that
are completely justified.

In provincial and feleral elections, the CCF
refused all offers of cooperation from other la-
bor candidates. The excuse then was that they

-government for destruction during

ment.

_round campaign heartily supported:

workers were fighting for, and we
during the heat of battle.  b

Instead of disunity, veterans and)
ers must be drawn together—an 0
tablished with-such power and uni
of the veterans associations, the tradg
farmer groups that it will sound s1
that action by the government will
Surely we have the sense to insj
same teamwork, great resources,
gence and energy that was marsh

fully utilized to construct now that:
come.

THE block-long,: double-line cues

hours daily all appreaches to local
ment Insurance Offices underlines j
ance of a resolution placed last i
order paper of the House of Commo
by Fred Rose, LPP M.P., calling forf
of the unemployment insurance payn)
percent. a

The reason. why the Rose Unem
surance Bill does not ask for a flat
is due to present wage :conditions @
parts of the country. It cannot beg
the demand for a flat $25 paymenty
only limited support in certain impo
trial areas where it would be com.
realistic in view of the fact that the
are no higher and in some cases 3
siderably lower than $25 a week. {
hand a 50 percent increase demand
Rose has put forward, though sti
differentials, would nevertheless ma
nation-wide support, so essential 4

At this time when so many thg
entirely dependent on unemploymen
benefits which are totally inadequai
a single person, let alone a marri
children, the demand for support by.
of the Rose Motion is important. |
clubs which favor the 50 percent in:
posal but have not already acted, sli

“diately adopt resolutions supportin-

municating their decision to the -Fedé
ment, their respective M.P.’s and
sponsor, Fred Rose. The Rose Motisr
concern to thousands now and perhg
ands*more “in the not far distant :

Give it the support it merits! q

“didn’t want to. work with comm '
that the “LPP was splitting the i
people were taken in by that line. Bul
the LPP has declined to nominate civil
to opposed the United Labor grour |
the Communist charge cannot be let |
AFL-CCL candidates, the CCF is ot ;
shaky political limb. The CCF line, :

that labor is too “politically und :
run candidates on its own, and that

Labor move is communist inspired. ©

The first charge smacks of fas
an insut to men and women who l ;
politics on picket lines and the labe :
who could teach Harold Winch ane |
few things about strength coming.
The second charge is pitifully weal
bor nominated its candidates, sev =
were nominated along with the othe 3
declined to be contaminated by int 4
slate with men who don’t pay dues tH

‘ 5

F the Civic Action Group had ente

several .years ago, its- chances |
would have been pretty high: Rep::
it does, new blood — even capitalis
would have served as an interest
to the NPA. The people, know it
change. And many who oppose &
tisans will undoubtedly support |"
candidates. However, far sighted —
realize one important fact; thei —
Civic -Action Association opposed —
Corey’s and Jones’s, it is still repr
one class, and that class is not labi
in this election there is only one cl
Labor candidates. : “eens

However, there is one dark ¢
horizon, and that is the state -of tl
chise. meee

The fact is that even if all labe:
pletely united behind its own cand
sections cf labor would be unable —
on polling day. The out of-date —
strictions, which make voting a ric:
elege, of the civic franchise shoul

Nevertheless, this years election 1
important one. While the mayor ane |
to the safe subject of chlorination .
such as housing, unemployment 4
sion go by the board in council 1:
time labor had a voice in civic affa:
labor in the city hall in this first 1
election. i Pee

ry

FRIDAY, DECEX