C ie

: a fhority

l of ;

anja) in may opinion, be
1 Pat Service to our

“| you would impress
che the importance of
8 @rly their authori-

1 statements they

‘2 figures they may
js.

sS are not intimat-

nily nt with the every-

Seige of the trade

titgssithough interested

to the press, are ~

si, @ ck because of this
an | oe
gargan’s article in

f February 15th is
the Hint. It was very

:

and very import-_

dsmicould have been
ejm more so to those
intake a practice of
ismad filme authentic
niaet fact which can
a | of when occa=zion
7

@nce to Fords’ in-

= '% million in the

2 @g2rs — corporation
= in the same time
of labor in-

[sr cent and average
one-third of the
&; $450.00 per an-

a de Morgan had
Sathority for these
incople like myself
een more mightily
we are now, be-
suld have supplied
ta that we could
ise in combatting
ats in the daily

sis

iat IT am doubting
@rgan’s figures, but
f and others cannot
Sst use of them.

>. CHEVERTON,

Rock.

jal ot

hata S:

pi as in hospital for

hym-cently, you went

td: the name of our

msi7aS surprised, but

ei itulate you on the

erm new name. Wihy
ic Tribune’ in line

from these articles.

with our other worthy pape=--
the “Canadian Tribune”

The first copy that I saw of
the new paper was the Feb-
ruary 22nd issue, and I think
I’ve, never seen a better issue.

Congratulations; perhaps you
think I may be biased, after
only having the daily papers
while in hospital.

if there is space in our Pa-
eific Tribune I’d like to see
Comrade A. E. Smith’s articles
that were run in the Canadian
Tribune in our one too.
of our new party members and

- new readers would get a pic- —

ture of our party background
On second
thought, if Ol Bill had the
time, he could give us some-
thing of the same thing.

Best wishes for a long and
bright future for the new
paper. Here’s hoping also that
I'll soon be able to give a hand
in our press drive again.

Sincerely yours,

—EDNA FARSWORTH.

Social Democrats
Editor:

It has occurred to me is that
since this “spy-scare’ and
shameless provocation against
the Soviét Union, it is becom-
ine more obyious that techno-
logical progress, that is, the
atomic bomb, and further re-
search and development of it

will be used to wage war,

against the Soviet Union. It is
very disheartening that after so
much suffering and destruction
most people (at least on this
eontinent) have learned nothing
from it. I could understand the
capitalists continued big fear of
the Soviet Union, especially with
its growing influence and exam-
ple, and letting fear blind them
to all obvious historic lessons so
that they are going right back
to the same policies of the pre-
war era and their one aim is still
to smash the Soviet Union and
with it all the progressive forces
everywhere. As I started out by
saying, I can understand the
capitalists’ hatred and fear of
the Soviet Union blinding them
to the basic facts of life. But
when I think of the social de-
mocrats playing their same

Many -

treacherous role as before the
War, just as though 50 million
or more tortured souls hadn’t
been done away with, and un-
told millions still suffering the
aftermath of the war, I believe
they are humanity's enemy No.
1, over and above the capital-
ists. We know the latter’s in-
terests are opposite to ours, but
a lot of innocent people still
look to the social demerats as
a workers’ party. It is time
they learned differently.
—ANNE GOULD.

For Sale

Dear Sir:

Much has been said for and
against the claims to greatness
made on behalf of Britain’s
wartime prime minister, Win-
ston Churchill. In the sphere
of international affairs the
quality of his greatness is
faithfully reflected by the mag-
nificanee of the roles. he has
played in the dramatic events
in India, French North Africa,
Italy and Greece. :

Living as he has done, in the
midst of such world-shaking
events, it is perhaps not to be
wondered at, that Winston
Churechill’s utterances, like the
times he lives in, become of
historic sigmificance, particu-
larly for his own country and
people, who, after all, consti-
tuted the medium of expression
of whatever of real greatness
he did achieve.

And so, when this historic
figure turns te recording and
making public the highlights of
that portion of his country’s
history over which he has been
privileged to preside, and in
the making of which he was
earried to fame—when the turns
to recording and publicizing
these highlights, he again dem-
onstrates that oneness with the
interests and welfare of his
country and people, and chooses
to sell—to sell—the facts of
these events; not to his country,
not even to a British publisher,
but to an American publishmg
house? This great man? This
great patriot? This man of
destiny? It is too much.

Yours,

ONE OF THE BOYS.

The Hart Budget

verer Edeasertesrreresseesrinnrausesvers

Sjudget for the fiscal year Shows the
of the province hitting a new high
(20 with a surplus of nearly $7,000,-
ates for public works of all kinds -is
eM yximately $35,000,000 for the coming
au@i> addition to this amount may be
ew@|\wing upon the revenue.surplus fund.

ithe projects listed and the estimates
eal@tare far short of what is required for
Si9@imbia post-war development. A net
yiémis allotted to highway, bridge and
weuction. Keeping in mind the dilapi-
ot B.C. roads and highways, to say
Snew highway mileage needed, it is
, mthe budget estimates that there will
“Binge from the past in this regard.
mstruction estimates are set at $800,-
Movers just about one-quarter of what
@ Hospitalization alone in Greater
@requires about the total estimation
he province. Children’s parks, play-
nellveches, health centres, are out. The
1 iif $35,000,000 for highways, bridges,
yc@iuss ferries and “development of the
dint Commission,” shows that the power
“re not going to be- developed “for
people” very rapidly.
re so many ‘ifs” and “buts” in the
»G. & E. extension scheme, as to

eCIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 5

assure that the PGE will remain undisturbed—
except as a hardy perennial political football. The
government intends to spend $20,000,000 on the
PGE extension “if” the CPR and CNR will co-
operate; “if” there are sufficient coal resources
in the north; ‘if? grade surveys are practical,
etc., and “until such time as the PGE traffic is
quadrupled.” However, the government intends
keeping up the survey of grade and resources,
which at least is heartening. :
Approximately $500,000 is earmarked to aid
municipalities in low-rental home construction
and slum clearance. In a housing crisis such as
faces almost every community in B.C. this esti-
mate barely equals a good gesture.
Statistically, British Columbians learn from
the budget that they only owe themselves a
per capita net debt of $137.77—a reduction of
$52.53 since 1933. Unfortunately, however,
British Columbians, like other folks, cannot find
food, shelter, nor progress in statistics, ae
The Hart budget cannot but give gratifica-
ton to the coupon-clippers and dividend collec-
tors. From their angle it is a splendid budget.
From the standpoint of the needs of the people
of B.G., and in terms of ushering in a2 new post-
war era of progress and expansion, the budget
is little more than a warmed-up version of pre-
war “prosperity.” It will impress the money
lenders—-and leave the common people cold.

ESReDespesrveeDesEEsPERetrartenrruersysesssererssss Terpertereresiy-+

Swan Song

HE city of Glasgow, during its growth, has produced many

: “characters.” One of these, in the early days of capitalism, was a
minister named Zachary Boyd. When I read the speech delivered by
Churchill at Fulton. Mo. I thought about Zachary Boyd.

Boyd imagined himself to be a poet, no great exime of course,
but the stuff he wrote was hardly Shakespearian in quality. Here is
a sample of it the one that I connected immediately with Churchill:

There was a man called Job,
Dwelt in the land of Uz;

He had a guid gift o’ the gob.
The same thing happens to us.

a Churehill is like both Job and Zachary Boyd. He has a great
‘ gift o’ the gab’. He is undoubtedly the most polished orator among
Hnglish-speaking politicians today. But no speech he ever made was
half so eloquent as this latest one.

For rounded and sonorous phrases; for stirring catchwords; for
pungent and biting aphorisms; this speech may have been limping
and barren. It was in fact. It was Churchill’s swan song. He may
utter some pleasantries somewhere, sometime, but in this speech he
has said everything he has to say.

It was a great speech, not for what he said, but for what he
eould not hide. Meant to be a call to battle, it failed of its purpose and
turned into a squawk, an eloquent squawk maybe, but a squawk
nonetheless.

“Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bu-
eharest and Sophia. all these: famous cities and populations around
them, lie in tthe Soviet sphere and all are subject in one form or
amother not only to Soviet influence, but to a very large and in-
creasing measure of control from Moscow . .. This’is certainly not
the liberated Europe we fought to build up.”

He recalled the general optimism which, he says, prevailed after
the first Great War and commented, “I do not see or feel the same
eonfidence or hopes in the haggard world at this time”. And, says

_the balance of his speech. there’s nothing he ean do about it.

Clap-trap

jX attacking the Communists, he descends to the cheap trickery
of windbag orators like Solon Low, by inventing a Communist inter—
national which he knows does not exist. But he studiously avoided
any reference or condemnation of Franeco—which is not surprising,
since it is not so long ago that, while still Prime Minister of Great -
Britain, he hastened te Franco’s defense in the House of Commens
against members who labelled Franco the fascist that he is admitted
to be, by everyone today except maybe Churchill). :

" Ghurchill followed Job even in his actions. Even as Job went
out into the wilderness to indulge in his lamentations, so too,
Churchill left his people and went out into the Missouri wilderness
to lament the passing of himself and his kind as factors in mould-
ing the destiny of the world’s peoples.

That this swan song of Churchill’s had the OK. of Britain’s
Foreign Secretary. the CCE MLaborite Socialist. Bevin, can hardly
be doubted. It is reported that Churchill ‘“‘diseussed it in advance”
with Lord Halfax.

Since it is widely known that Churchill was unable to make the
grade in acquiring “a classical educaton,” the discussion between
these two would be different from that on another great state poli-
tieal question between Lord Halifax, then Lord Irwin, and the Mahat-
ma Ghandi, just before the Round Table Conference.

The question on that occasion was the calling off of the non-
cooperation movement which was scoring great gains for the Indian
people, a tactic in which the Indian peasants refused to cooperate
with the government by not paying taxes or rents. The Bardoli peas-
ants had paid no rent to the Indian government for three years.

Ghandi and Irwin had been in private session for two days. Some
of their staffs or followers, becoming impatient broke in and found
them engaged in a very serious discussion of Greek and Sanserit
roots. The conference immediately broke up and Ghandi hurried off
to make the Bardoli peasants pay up their three years unpaid rents.

Greek and Sanseript roots would not be discussed between
Churchill and Halifax. They would not even discuss Communist roots.
their experience and knowledge never having taught them anything,
about the roots of Communism. They could only discuss its spreading
branches and how they would like to lop them off, if they only knew
how. ; :

Talk’s Cheap

“mATLK’S cheap. It takes money to buy whisky”. That was a popu-
t lar argument on occasion in a country I once lived in, whisky being
the most sought after commodity in that arid land. That Scots argu-
ment fits the bill perfectly today in relation to Spain: to lthese
‘kindly’ British. French and American democrats who disarmed the
Spanish people and who now demand that they get rid of Franco.
The Spanish people fought a noble fight to prevent Francs and
fascism being planted on their necks. They would have won, too,
but for the help given to the fascists by the non-intervention
policy of these three major powers which prevented the people of

Spain buying the arms they needed with their own money.

Tf these British, French and American democrats are not hypo-
eritical they should go inte Spain and throw Franco out body and
boots.

It would be small recompense for the miseries they have inflicted
on the Spanish people.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15. 1946