By. WILLIAM KASHTAN

Canadian labor must

control own affairs

WAS rather surprised at

George Burt’s outburst at
the recent CCL convention
over a resolution which declar-
ed: “Resolved that, in view of
the increasing control being
exercised on Canadian politics,
economy and defense by the
U.S., this congress is in favor
of Canadian unions, controlled
and directed by Canadians.”

The resolutions committee had
proposed non-concurrence in
the resolution, which had been
forwarded to the convention
by a Windsor Steel local., Dur-

_ ing the debate Burt entered
_ the fray and lashed out against
what he called “political rack-
eteering.” His remarks were
obviously aimed at the left-
Wing and therefore call for a
reply. * ;

I want to say at the outset
that while the resolution was
inherently sound in its esti-
mate of U.S. domination of our
country, its proposal to estab-
lish Canadian unions did not
correspond to the stage of the
struggle or the level of devel-
opment of the Canadian trade
union movement.

The majority of workers are
not ready as yet to break their
affiliation with U.S. unions. For
this reason that part of the re-
solution was not timely and
tended to become a point of
division. :

The fact is that workers,
whether in the international
unions, national unions or Cath-
olic Syndicates, are tending
more and more to unite in a
common fight against U.S. dom-
ination on the economic, mpili-
tary and political front ifre-
spective of their particular
union affiliations. This is the
primary thing.

The job of progressives in the
trade union movement is to
help widen that front, not nar-
row it down. —

: x os xt

This applies equally to the
coming merger. The merger
will be made with the material

~ at hand, and the material at
hand, So to speak, is made up
of international unions, national
unions, Catholic Syndicates and
independent unions. One must
start with this, for to start on
any other basis is to make the
merger impossible. =.

It would therefore be wrong

to insist that all unions must
‘break their affiliation with un-
ions in the U.S. before a merger
can take place, equally’ as it
would be wrong to insist that
the Catholic Syndicates, nation-
ee ‘provincial or local.. unions
- Must first be absorbed into in-
ternational unions before a
merger could be achieved.
: The task of progressives here
is to insist that the merger be
open to every union in this
country with due regard to
their autonomy and democracy.
_However, while the resolu-
tion was inadequate for the
present situation, underlying it
was the thought that a greater
measure of autonomy is needed
both for the new Canadian

Labor Congress and for its af-
filiates. In this sense, it was
not wrong. ;

I am sure Burt will not dis- ~
agree with TLC president Jo-
doin and CCL secretary-treas- _
urer Donald MacDonald’s state-
ments during debate on the
merger that “Canadian labor
must ‘be master in its own
house.” Both undoubtedly had
in mind the split of the thirties
when the AFL intervened and
forced the split on the Cana-
dian trade union movement.

This is why delegates wel-

comed their statements and the
declaration that the “TLC and
CCL shall merge into one com-
pletely autonomous labor
centre.” I am confident Cana-
dian workers will fight to pre-
serve and extend that auton-
omy.
x x e

But there is also the question
of the autonomy of trade un-
ions in this country, particular-
ly those whose head offices are
in the U.S. Is there not a strong
case for having their autonomy
strengthened?

I can think of three instances.

in three different CCL affili-
ates where that autonomy is
neither understood nor respect-
ed.

Case No. 1 — United Mine

played such an important role
in bringing industrial unionism
and the CCL into Canada’ were

not represented at this last CCL.

convention. *

They were absent not because
they chose to be but because
the international office of
UMWA refused to pay their
per-capita. .Given freedom of
choice, the coal miners of Al-
berta and Nova Scotia would
have been represented.

Is this action of the inter-
national not an infringement
of autonomy of the coal miners
of our country?

Case No. 2 — United Auto

Workers: I understand that just
prior to the international UAW
convention, the Canadian UAW
District Council unanimously
adopted a resolution calling for
election of a Canadian vice-
president. This resolution was
forwarded to the international
convention for consideration
and perhaps adoption.
' What happened to that par-
ticular resolution? As far as I
have been able to ascertain, it
got lost in the resolutions com-
mittee and never came up for
discussion at the convention.

Is this not an affront to the
desires of Canadian auto work-

’ers who want a greater meas-

ure of autonomy?

Case No. 3 — United Steel-
workers: I gather that Presi-
dent McDonald has once or
twice expressed the view that
the Steel Union in Canada
should stay clear of politics
and dissociate itself from the
CCF. If I am not mistaken
pressures are being developed
to bring this about.

Is. this not an infringement
on the autonomy of the Steel
Union in Canada?.

I may have many differences
with the CCF on a number of
questions affecting the future

_ of the Canadian labor move-

ment. However I would fight
with all my strength against
either the AFL, CIO or any
union in'the U.S. laying down
the law to a union in Canada
and dictating what its attitude
should be towards political ac-

tion.

This is solely the right of
the Canadian workers. That
right must be maintained.

noite at amie’ Remember when eS

eau

. .. pioneer settlers of the Chilliwack’ district were beginning the work which, in less cs

century, has transformed it into one of the riches
pictures shows Chilliwack as it was in 1873.

t farm areas of the Fraser Valley. ~

According to Eloise Street, authority on Native lore, the name Chilliwack is a eae,
eet

- of the Indian Tsilli-way-ukh, meaning Gathering Place of t
tribes came long distances for traditional ceremonies.

Here, every four years,

the People of K’HHalls, the §

Eloise

siefS,
was told the story by Chief K’HHalserten Sepas of Chilliwack, one of the last hereditary ‘H! ;

in 1911.

By ROSE HENRY

i

This is = A-line of fashions

is adapted by Soviet design

(OW does fashion fit into a

socialist country? Do fashions
change in the Soviet Union, for
example, and waists and hem-
lines move up and down in the
same irrational manner as they
do in Paris, London or New
York? 3

Our own ever-changing
“lines” — the A-line, the H-
line, and the rest, are the re-
flection of a never-ending chase.

Society hostesses and famous
beauties set the pace, helped by
the grand couturiers, who are

_always aiming to make them
look different from the rest of.

us.
The rest of us then, helped

‘by the mass production cloth-
ing industry, hasten to catch up
‘and adapt the new styles to '
-our own smaller purses and

more: harassed-lives. But where
does such a race fit into a class-
less society? .

e
I was longing to ask these
questions when I met Mme. V.
G. Kaminskaya, director of the

Leningrad House of Fashion, on ~

her recent visit to Britain.

Mme. Kaminskaya is a friend-
ly, rosy-faced, brisk woman,
well, but not strikingly dress-
ed in a tailor-made costume, a
black coat trimmed with broad-
tail and a cossack hat of the
same fur. She wears no make-
up:at all...

She smiled at the thought of,
fashion not changing, and re-

But children?

Whooping Crane.

_ They don't care a whoop *

With might and main
They rush to save the Whooping Crane.
It’s good to guard such glorious things,

Let the brats grow wings.
* After continental protests, including one from the Can-

adian government, the United States has abandoned artillery
tests that might have disturbed the winter home of the

JOE WALLACE

plied at once: “You must not:

imagine us working in isolation
from the world .

“We study the changing line
of fashion in other countries
and adjust ourselves to it. We
watch the big Paris displays
-and make use of every idea
that is of use to us. :

“At present we are working
on the same kind of silhouette
as is fashionable here—Shape
A is well known in Leningrad,
although it is our job at the
House of Fashion to design
clothes not in the first place
for great ladies, but for mass
production.”

So Paris is still the fashion -

centre of the world.

Women love nice clothes and
take an interest in fashion in
the Soviet Union, as in all
countries, Mme.
remarked, “and our clothes
shops have salons in which
there are regular dress parades
all the time, to help customers
to choose.”

6 ; ;

Her job at the House of Fash-
ion is to design clothes, which
are then paraded, and selected
for mass production -by the
various clothing factories,

_ Their designs are also shown
at international fashion shows,
and models from the House of
Fashion have taken part in in-
ternational fashion competi-.
tions in Budapest, Prague and
Berlin. ‘ :

“We employ full-time man-
nequins for this work,” she
said, “because we need skilled
models in all the stock sizes,
and the clothes are originally
made for them.” |

But she laughed at the idea
of fashion modélling as the
height of any pretty girl’s am-
bition, opening the way — as

it often seems to do over here

— to the screen, the stage, or
a highly eligible husband.
Pretty girls everywhere en-
joy wearing nice clothes and
being photographed, she agreed,
“but most of our women are

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — OCTOBER 28, 1955 —

Kaminskaya .

ers

. Bie
more interested in gettiné
profession.” a:

In fact, very many ae
start work as models, ¢
the clothing or textile peti
of the Soviet Union, £° is
train as. designers, oF 107. try
jobs at the top of the 1? vot
taking courses while they ™

Clothing ‘factories ae ae
conveyor belts adjusted seferem*
duce as many as 30 @
styles of a garment at the
time, working within # h Panes Aa
ous specifications WH ade es
laid down as to how mue pours
terial and how many mA ool
must go into a given 84 : Ps
e sna!
Although there are 1° ee
-couturiers working for Bis
ladies in the Soviet ~“ oye
their dress designers 40 - apd
models for private clie? divi
there is a great deal of

yar

dual dressmaking. weal

“For every day iq Mame:
ready-made clothes,” $2 speci
Kaminskaya, “but for ty a

theatre, we usually have ~

thing made specially. - soviet

your achievements.” nde
Of the clothes she saW on 7
ed at’ London’s FashioP ted
Mme. Kaminskaya comms gen
that while she “liked the Toy
eral line,” she would fin! ‘ous
of the clothes “too friv@™” —
for Soviet women. good ‘
“But you have a very ard
designer in Michael Sher ery ;
she added, “and I have 4 of
good impression of @ ~
your new fabrics.” | he S07
Clearly the aim of. t i der
viet fashion industry }§ “po
sign clothes for womer jgenty
are busy, active and inte’s ok
clothes in which they © J yje
as nice and feel as co reel
as possible, and the? ~~ soy
their appearance becaus® puch
all, other. things are
more interesting.

pAGE