Support Demands ovine Morgan stated, “Labor must take up the challenge now, and take its fight to the people”. “Canadian business ean afford to pay” Morgan went on. Citing the tremendous wartime profits of the big corporations he point- ed out that the Ford company had made the eiormous profit of 27% million dollars during ,the past five years. “Corporation profits have doubled in the past five years and the productivity of labor has risen enormously. The President of the United States Chamber of Gommerce has stated that labor productiv- ity had increased 40 percent Stalin. can only lead to world war num- ber three. The- actions of Britain’s Bevin and the “yes-men” from Greece, the Netherlands, and some of the colonial countries, together with those secondary powers such as Canada, all indicate the danger of a new war is in the making. The “atomic diplomacy” of Tru- man, Atlee and King, plus the ignorant and noisy bombast of the “socialist?” Bevin sire in- dicative of the trend, and render doubly important the Warning of Marshall Stalin to his people. Of the new Supreme Soviet that. would be elected, Marshall Stalin said:— “Particular at- tention would be paid to raising: the standards of living, by sys- tematically reducing cost of pro- duction of all goods”. In the capitalist countries the ery of private enterprise—backed by Sovernment, is also for reducins production costs ... but by low- ering the living standards of the people. That is the essential dif- ference of course between So- cialist and capitalist economy. While bread and other rationing becomes necessary to salvage British capitalism under 2 so- ealled “socialist? government, in while the Dominion bureau of Statistics places the Canadian figure at 35 percent. Meanwhile one third of Canadian wage earners have an average income of 450 dollars per year. “When we compare this aver- age,” said Morgan “with the average necessary to maintain a decent living standard we can see how justified the demand for 2 two -dollar a day increase across the board is; 450 dollars per year means $8.65 per week compared with the $35.85 mini- mum cited by the Toronto Wel- fare council as the minimum re- quired to keep the average fam- ily in food clothing, shelter and adequate medical care. “Two dollars a day across the tne eninist (Socialist government, Yationing as a war-time neces- sity will soon be completely eliminated. In his election Speech Stalin spoke of the work of the Red Army and the heroic contribu- tion and sacrifices of the Soviet peoples for victory. Critics of the Red Army” said Marshall Stalin, “are now few in number, and the question is no longer whether the Soviet system can endure - - - no skeptic dared to doubt this any more”. > Marshall Stalin’s warning on the inevitability of war under capitalism is timely; while di- ‘rected especially to the Soviet people of the USSR, it has a special urgency to the peoples of the Western world. Imprecept- ably ,by government decrees and policies, and by the actions of individuals high in authority, Wwe are being drawn closer to the abyss of economic penury an war. tt is the obligation of free- dom-loving people everywhere to unite in calling a halt to the war mongers regardless of who or where they are. That is the essence of Marshall Stalin’s warning to the Soviet people. Last Sunday’s election in the USSR rolled up the most com- plete vote in democratic history: 99,076,363, or 99 percent of the total eligible voters went to the polls to cast their ballot. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 8 USSR under a Marxist-_/ beard, will become a fighting slogan for the Ganadian workers in the next few months, it will tie In with the fight for a 65 cent an hour minimum wage standard, the fight for homes and social security; the fight for wages is the fight to secure the fruits of victory for the Canadian people’. In conclusion Morgan presented a resolution, passed by an LPP Trade union conference which was wunani- mously endorsed. The resolution stated in part: @® This conference fully en- dorses the policy now advanced by the major GIO unions in Canada for wage demands of tw@ dollars per day. This increase has become necessary as a result of the sharp drop brought about by cessation of war work, and in- ereased prices. The discrepancy between high wages and high prices will become even greater 34 TRANSFER Courteous, Fast, Efficient Call HA. 6084-L 406 Alexander Street NICK STOOCHNOV unless labor fights to hold the price ceiling. @ it is clear that the Trade unions will be unable to achieve substantial wage Increases through the present government wartime machinery, which is de- signed to keep wages in check. The development of the wage struggle must bypass the War Labor Board’s present P.C. 9834 procedure. @ The central job for Tabor is such a level that the main sec- tions of the labor movement— CCL, AFL, and Independent unions will enter the fight in a united and energetic way. In that connection this conference sup- ports the calling of a provincial CCL wage conference in order to achieve the maximum action and unity. It is further proposed that the AFL, wunions—which are suill outside of the movement— be encouraged to enter the fight. @® This conference warns of Sidetracking. issues being allow- ed to become main ones thus de- tracting from the wage demands. @ This conference emphasisea the importance of the forthcom- ing sessions of the provincial legislature and the united labor action needed to bring pressure on the Coalition government. A successful mass labor lobby will raise labor’s struggle to a high- er public position and streng- then the wage fight. The fullest attention must be given in both trade union centers to involving every local union in the province in electing delegates to join the lobby. Compliments . . . Dr. R. Llewellyn Douglas RICHARDS and HASTINGS Vancouver, B.C. 3 Mass Ho SOLD using Rally AT HOTEL VANCOUVER AND PENDER AUDITORIUM Hear ; DORISE DYSON CARTER and NIELSEN Thursday, Feb. 21 8 P.M. TICKETS 50c (COVERS EITHER MEETING) with the lifting of price ceilings’ to develop the wage struggle to] truth about the big salaries. manipulation. The announcement from Ottawa on Feburary 5, that t cost-of-living index had dropped a fraction during Januai stands in sharp contradiction to reality, and bears out the char of the United Steel Workers of America (CIO) of Hamilt: whose Local union charged the bureau with “manipulating” ¢ index to keep wage-earners’ cost-of-living bonuses down. NV McKinnon, Minister of Trade and Commerce, under whose qd partment the bureau of statistics is supervised, argued that t bureau “simply keeps track of things as they are and has © interest in the result of its figures.” : Soe Many trade unions in British Columbia are beginning | compile indexes of their own on She real cost-of-living: to count) the phoney mathematical phantasies of the Dominion Bureau |) Statistics. In the battle for drastic wage increases the unions aj beginning to appreciate the worth of an old axjiom—= fipur¢ don’t lie, but liars figure.”—T. Mc. ‘Law’ of Phoney Average of the business of maintaining capitalist governmt is ee a monopoly on facts and figures, The Domini government is the only authority with access to the truth ab Canadian economy. It keeps income tax payments by individu a dead secret. It organizes its statistical information SO as) produce misleading and unreal “averages.” It knows that if y add big salaries to a mass of small salaries you increase t. “average” salary, which nobody really gets, and you hide ‘{ t So with the cost of-living index. Hivery trade union offic — every housewife, will tell you it is phoney. Wage rates we hitched to the index—that wes its purpose. Officially the ind. has risen 19.1 percent since 1941. Yet food alone has risen 32-3 while rents, despite controls, have their own way of surrer tiously rising in the midst of a crucial housing shortage- Ww price controls being abandoned real living costs wall skyrocki irrespective of how cleverly this may be hidden by statistic : Noa Raise Wages ing and Smelting, has for the last three years paid an annual dividend of $2.50 per share of common stock, equal to fifty per- cent par value of shares. It points out too that “1944 profits were based on a domestic ceil- ing price of 41 cents per ounce for half the company’s silver out- put. “The government has since raised ceilings to the American price of 78 cents an ounce, which will create an increase of four million dollars over previ- ous output. Coupled with the ex- pected increase in production it will mean many millions of dol- lars more revenue and profits this year than in 1944.’ The survey points out further that total amount of wage in- creases for 5,500 employees at five hundred and twenty dollars per year would amount to only $2,860,000, which would stili leave a substantial portion of the company’s fantastic profits un- touched. The Survey, while deal- ‘monopoly gives up a share 4 ing with a single industry, amply illustrates that the same can ap- ply to industry generally. Labor places the onus of re- sponsibility for the retention of price ceilings to protect real wages on the government, and demands that industry be foreed to accept lower profits while granting wage demands. The fi- gures of profits for all of Gan_ ada’s major industries prove that “Anything With « Camera’’ 8 E. Hastings St. — PAc. 7644 WAND STUDIO]||) Vancouver, B.C. Grandview Funeral Chapel COMMERCIAL DRIVE at KITCHENER STREET HAstings 0088 SESREVPEERUECSCEOERGERSREET Completely Remodelled and Renovated Owned and Operated by Simmons and McBride SeSCeRanrebeersnesescecanne MR. CLARE SMALL, Manager FRIDAY, FEBRUARY. 15, 1946" wage increases can be paid, profit in the interest of the wi | ker. Té is not expected that business ~ will readily give | profits, and it becomes inere ingly obyious that only sustair pressure on government to ma tain price ceilings, coupled w positive and decisive action i labor, united around a coord ated policy in the presentati- of demands will lead to a Sil cessful conclusion in the bat | for wages. The meeting of re resentatives of Canada’s wo ers in all industries from Oz to coast is clear evidence th labor is prepared to press 7% fight for wages to a success: | conclusion. Backed by the un } ed strength of the progress: movement, and a clear und. Standing of the issues involy. in the fight, labor can expr support from every section the Canadian people in its fig for higher wages, shorter how: and improved working con tions. —FRED WILMO | JOHN STANTON | Barrister - Solicitoc ¢ Notary Publis 502 Holden Bldg. — MAr. 574¢ Night: Alma 2177-M ; Quality i : HOMEMADE : E|HASTINGS BAKERY | } 716 E. Hastings HA. 3244 if Bes = ee oe