Johs, trade, security
[PP leaflet theme

This Saturday, October 5, will see members of the Labor-
Progressive party across the country distributing a national
leaflet, entitled, ““How About It, Mr. Diefenbaker?”

With parliamentary session opening on Monday, October
14, public interest is expected to be centred on what the gov-

ernment intends to do to im-
plement its election promises.
“Parliament opens Oct. 14,”
says the leaflet, “In the elec-
tion campaign John Diefenbak-
er made some big promises.
The Canadian people are ex-
pecting action by the goyern-
ment on these promises.”

The LPP message to the pub-
lic lists four main subjects on
which the government should
be pressed to act.

They are: Stopping the H-
tests and banning the bomb;
action to alleviate unemploy-
ment and provide social secur-
ity; opening of new markets to
provide jobs; and action on a
bill of rights and a new labor
code.

The LPP warns that “the

Tory ‘government will not live
up to its election promises to
the people unless it is com-
pelled to by public opinion.”

The leaflet says the govern-
ment “is backed by big busi-
ness, which can be expected
to fight for laws to strengthen
monopoly at the people’s ex-
pense. Big business will put the
squeeze on the Tories.”

Calling for-public activity on
the issue of the day, the mes-
sage concludes:

“Trade unions, farmers, or-
ganizations, ratepayers associ-
ations, women’s and youth
groups should bring pressure
on the government and on ev-
ery MP to make the Diefen-
baker government live up to
its promises.”

Senior governments
must finance schools

VICTORIA, B.C.

“The goal that school trustees and administrators should
now be seeking is the equalization of educational opportunities
for all children, tne equalization of resultant costs to owners
of real property and the widening of the tax base for school
support,” guest speaker Dr. M. E. LaZerte told the B.C. School

Trustees’ Association
vention here last week.

Dr, LaZerte said that provin-
cial and federal governments
should provide fimancial aid
in®raising standards and im-
proving the quality of teaching.

“At the time of Confedera-
tion children grew to adult-
hood and spent most of their
- later lives in districts where
they were educated,” he point-
ed out. “The local district ed-

con-

ucated children for life in the -

local community. There was
little movement from place to
place.

“Conditions are quite differ-
ent today. Boys and girls edu-
cated by local school boards
leave local districts to work
in industry, often in jobs out-
side their own province. Pro-
vincial governments should as-
sume major responsibility for
the cost of elementary and_sec-
ondary education.”

The annual report of presi-
dent A.-W. E. Mercer said that
activities of the association in
the past year had been concen-
trated mainly on study and
recommendations affecting ed-
ucation finance, teacher re-
cruitment, Public School Act
revisions and teachers’ salaries.

The education finance com-
mittee report, given by L C.
Aggett, stressed that a joint
committee of the association
and, the Union of B.C. Munici-
palities reached ‘complete
agreement that the present ed-
ucation finance formula is un-
satisfactory in its operation.”

Report of the teacher recruit-
ment committee stressed that
present methods of recruitment

have not produced
students-for teacher trainees.

“In 1947 B.C. had 137,000 pu-
pilg and 4,800 teachers. In: 1957

B.C. has 253,000 pupils and
9,400 teachers. :
‘““The Gordon Report gives

the school population of B.C.
in 1956*as 220,000. Contrast that
with the figure of 253,000) stu-
dents in 1957. That is an in-
crease in one year of 33,000,
and is indicative of the ex-

_tremely rapid growth with

whwich we have to come to
gripes. The gravity of the sit-
uation is further emphasized
by the Gordon Report esti-
mate of 420,000 pupils by
1957”

sufficient ~

UNITY OF ACTION NEEDED

LPP convention sees period
of sharpening labor struggles

Plans to step up the fight for peace,
of the people were hammered out by close
ciat convention of the Labor-Progressive part

“The main task before the labor,
of bringing into being a popular alter

vincial leader Nigel Morgan in his keynote address.

The draft resolution intro-
duced by Morgan, stated that

the perspective in B.C. is one,

of developing struggles.

“Vast expenditures on arms,
big expansions in credit buy-
ing, and surrender of tradi-
tional B.C. markets for short-
term Marshall Plan deals with
the U.S. have proven costly,”
sai? the draft resolution.
“Dependent as it is on basic
industries and export markets,
British Columbia’s economy is
being hard hit by governn.ent
policy of dependence on the
US.

“Unemployment has ‘reach-
ed new peaks for this period
of the year, with a number
of the biggest construction
projects tapering off; and the
federal ‘tight money’ policy
sharply curtailing home con-
struction. Our three major in-
dustries — lumbering, mining

and dgriculture—are beset by
serious difficulties.

“And now, an aggressive
economic nationalism, coming

,to the fore in the US., is

threatening to curtail further
Canadian exports of agricul-
tural, mineral and lumber
products by means of new tar-
iff restrictions, with additional
serious consequences for B.C,
workers and farmers.

“The perspective is one of
developing struggle. Inflation
has cut deeply into the wages
of working people, and even
deeper into the meagre al-
lowances of B.C.’s_ thousands
of pensioners. This, coupled

Find way to bring ousted
unions back, says Black

“Some method must be found” to bring large unions ex-
pelled or suspended by the Trades and Labor Congress and the
Canadian Congress of Labor years ago for leftist leadership
back into the main stream of the Canadian labor movement,
Bill Black, president of the B.C. Federation of Labor, said

this week.

(Independent unions in Can-
ada include Mine-Mill, United
Electrical Workers, United
Fishermen, and Allied Workers
Union and Vancouver Civic
Employees, Outside Workers.)

Black suggested that the
case of Vancouver Civic Em-
ployees. Outside Workers (and
alsq the United Fishermen and
Mine-Mill) should be reviewed
by the Canadian Labor Con-
gress. -

“These suspensions were im-

‘

posed many years ago and it
is time we took a second look
at the facts as they now exist,”
said Black.

(At the recent Mine-Mill dis-
trict convention here, guest
speaker Sam Jenkins, president
of Marine Workers, said the
time has come for the CLC to
get down to the business of
bringing back great unions

such as Mine-Mill “into their:

rightful place in Canada’s main
House of Labor.)

Ae Behe

NIGEL MORGAN
The LPP provincial convention
last weekend. re-elected him
by acclamation to the provin-

cial leadership he has held
since 1945,

with heavier tax burdens
and the insatiable greed of the
big corporations for higher
profits, has given rise to a
round of economic struggles
in recent months, with no end
in sight.”

On the development of poli-
tical action within the labor
movement, the draft said:

“The historic trade union
merger has brought about sig-
nificant changes expressed in
the growing movement toward
independent political action—
reflected in the resolution call-
ing for a new farmer-labor
party, the organization of
political education. commit-
tees and decisions for active
participation in the forth-
coming) civic elections in Van-
couver and other centres.

“The LPP greets the grow-
ing support for independent
working elass political action.
We have long urged, and will
consistently support its de-
velopment as the first step to_
wards a new labor-farmer al-
liance.”

Tim Buck, LPP national
leader, addressed the. conven-
tion and warned that the labor
movement will be engaged in
some sharp struggles in the
immediate period ahead.

“The past 17 years has been
a period of growth, of ad-
vances in working conditions,

Canadian independence and the ei
to 100 delegates attending the twelfth pre
y in Clinton Hall here last weekend. —
farm and progressive movement in B.C. remal i
mative to the Bennett government,” said LPP P

daily needs

ns one

¢

of wage gains,” said oe
“Trade unionists have a ed
degree of confidence in the!

organizations.

“But it must. also be said
that many workers of wee
have never known 2 capitalis
offensive, We are approachin®
a period when they will "4
tested. Today giant corpora
tions are changing thei? policy
toward unions. They ar ¢
bating the possibility of
depression — a “deflation
which they think would PF
healthy for them. There # be
relationship between an

“policy and the’ situation #

* t
Murdochville, at Arvida, @
Lever Brothers in Toronto.

“The rank and file mem
bers of unions are ready
fight to protect the gains they
have made and to win eW
concessions. Some top leaders
may tty to back away from
struggle, but the working ©
will be compelled to fight. We
are in for a period of wider
and much sharper trade unio?
struggles;; struggles that
also have to be fought on
political arena.”

the

Convention delegates @P
proved an immediate plan of
work which -included thes€
points: .

® Action for peace); 2

stop nuclear tests.

® Extension of circulatio®
of the progressive press.

® Pressure on the Diefen”
baker government to fulfil i
election promises at the com
ing session of parliament.

© Full participation in civi?
elections,
the

-® Preparations for
and

next federal elections,
nomination of candidates.

® Public celebrations
November based on the 4oth
anniversary of the victory ®
socialism.

@ Preparation of demands
to present to the next sessio®
of the legislature,

@® A campaign for tradé
with socialist countries.

Nigel Morgan was re-elected
provincial leader, and a pro-
vincial committee of 35 was
elected to guide the work of
the party until the next pT0-
vincial convention.

October 4, 1957 —PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 6