THE NATION LPP urges fight against betrayal of farmers in British market OTTAWA WO hundred thousand Canadian wheat growers are stunned by Trade Minister C. D. Howe's confession’ in the ‘House of Commons that no firm agreement or price has been reached with Britain on purchase of Ca- Nadian wheat. This cruelest of blows comes to farmers who voluntarily sacrificed at least $600,000,000 over the last five years in accepting lower than world prices on . the long term British agreement, having been promised by the government that this would guarantee them a stable British market The government’s market an- nouncement takes effect August 1- Farmers are now at the mercy of the 'U.S.-dominated International Wheat Agreement Under this Canada will be only ailowed to sell some 100,000,000 bushels at the minimum price of $1.54 a bushel. Flour exports to Britain are also down 25 percent for the present year, | according to the Howe deal with Britain. ‘The announcement means that the federal govern- ment completely reneged on its 1945-49 promises of a ‘secure British market in the postwar and following ex- Piry of the 'five year pooling arrangement. In rosy election promises federal cabinet ministers Said British contracts would give permanent security, if farmers took a lower price. The government said it would “have regard” for their sacrifices by guarantee- ing them an adequate price in the postwar. Not only has the government rejected its basic pro-— mise (as recently as January, 1950, Agriculture Minister James Gardiner boasted he would have the whole Brit- ish market back by 1952); but it has added this latest outrage to a long list of grievances, both actual and Pending, facing the farmers of the west: @! Jacked up freight rates of 20 percent are expected to bring $60,000,000 a year to both railways, a huge share ‘Of which will be paid by farmers; ©' The drastic downward cut in the price of wheat announced April 5 from $1.75 to $1.40 a bushel; a -@' Rising prices to the farmer for fertilizer and Machinery, . ‘ x . All these spell out imminence of the worst crisis ‘to hit the west since the tragedy of the Hungry Thirties. _. With cynical disregard for the principle of justice for the farmer and for its solemn promises, the government at Ottawa is going all-out to satisfy its masters in Wash- ington, now busy grabbing off traditional Canadian Wheat markets. The latest action of the government was seen as €neouraging the drive of the CPR to nullify the Crows Nest Pass Agreement on freight rates, once believed to be a permanent rate structure benefitting farm pro- ducers; and adding fuel to the speculator crowd demand- ing a return to the Winnipeg Grain Exchange, putting farmers at the mercy of the stock manipulators. While farmers subsidized wheat exports to the tune of $600,000,000 over the past years, the CPR, Imperial Oil, Ogilvie's Flour Milling, and Massey-Harris have made millions out of “farming the, farmers.” e In a statement issued by the national executive of the Labor-Progressive party an appeal is made to all farm and labor organizations to “reject and fight this Liberal government betrayal of Canada’s 200,000 wheat growers. and the nationa} interests.” Believing the sell-out of the wheat farmers to be the inevitable result of surrender of the St. Laurent government to the aggressive war makers of Wall Street and Washington, the LPP accuses all parties in Commons ' —Conservative, CCF and Social Credit, of giving support to the Liberal party’s cold war program. “They are united on spending billions of the Canadian people's money for atom-bacteria war against the Soviet Union and the People’s Democracies, but refuse to allot monies to uphold the prices and markets of farm products, or to give full compensation to the victims of the disas- trous Manitoba flood.” : Domination of Canada's trade policy by the U.S. is blocking interchange “with one-third of the world’s peo-- ple, who would gladly buy from Canada, who could ex- port many commodities Canada could use,” declares the LPP statemetit. As action proposals for farm organizations, the la- bor movement and the nation the LPP suggests: ‘The LPP declares that this St. Laurént-Howe wheat sell-out must be fought and rejected by the farm- ers and the nation! : . Q—"Canada’s farmers must be guaranteed $2.00 a bushel for their wheat of this crop year! 3 —“Canada's farmers must be immediately paid an ad- ditional 25 cents a bushel on all wheat marketed in the Five-year Pool! 4-"The government and parliament must be compelled - to break with the cold-war policies of the United “States and to develop genuine reciprocal trading policies with all countries willing to buy Canadian wheat and farm commodities and to trade with Canada on equal terms.” t ig térnied: “the While ostensibly aimed at what is termed Menace of communism,” it would clearly ee events like the resistance of navymen aboard HM : Athabaskan, Crescent and Magnificent in 1948 an 1949, within its scope. eo Instead of recommending more democracy, the ‘defense ea tiaek in its consideration of Defense Minister Claxton’s Bill 133 has offered repressive A aa lation, Death for offenses characterized as “mutiny by officers was among provisions approved. r Gillis CCF. members of the committee Clarence : (Cape: Breton South) and P. E. Wright Santi were silent when the legislation was recom in committee. _ ! ee In a wired statement to chairman of the ee mittee Ralph Campney of Vancouver Center, a ie: Liberal, Stanley B. Ryerson, LPP national organ tional secretary, said: LPP NAILS ‘FORCE AND VIOLENCE’ LIE ee os ~ New clamps to be put on services _ - Commons defense committee assumes that Canadian ’ Communists organized in the Labor-Progressive party and on. this basis is recommending repressive legisla- U.S. control of Canada’s services aimed at aggres-— ' despicable slander against our, party which stands legislation a precedent for extension to civil as well “Canadian. Press reports today .infer that the advocate the overthrow of the government by force tion regarding armed forces. to parliament. “May I on behalf of the national executive of the LPP inform you and the committee that “Cana- dian Communists have not and do not advocate in any shape or form the overthrow of the Canadian government by force and violence. On the contrary, anyone holding such ideas is expressly barred from membership in the LPP. ; ' “In order to set the record crystal clear on this vital question, I am instructed by the LPP national executive to request that a representative or repre- sentatives of the LPP be granted permission to ap- pear before your committee to testify and nail this four-square for Canada, loyalty in the great struggle for national security, independence, peace and de- mocracy against the ever-increasing danger of a Wall Street inspired atOmic-bacteria war.” _. Daily papers suppressed all mention of Ryerson's wire. reas, a als : Observers see in the latest move to repressive — as military life of its terms. A growing tendency to describe anything left of Conservative leader George Drew as “Communist” is becoming a more frequent | occurence around Parliament Hill as witness the re- _ cent purges in the Nationa] Film Board, National Re- search Council and now the pending firings in the CBC. %. Sor eterna eg _ & compelling force will be created to speed the LABOR FOCUS By J. B. SALSBERG Labor's stand on flood disaster HE labor movement will fail in its duties to the vic- tims of the Manitoba flood if it limits itself to phil- anthfopic activities. This applits with special force to the trade unions. Labor must take a political approach towards the grave problems raised by this national disaster. Labor must also wage a politica! battle for achievement of the objectives which will fully answer’ the immediate and ; future neéds of those stricken by the catastrophe as well as the needs of the thousands who are annualy ex- posed to a similar menace in many areas throughout the country. ‘ The working people of the country should realize that what happened was not, as government apologists want us to believe, “an act of God” for which no human being or govern- ment is responsible. Nor is it a case in which society discharges its duties by showing charitableness to those “ who were chosen (for their sins?) for this “supernatural” affliction. It was not “an act of God,” but an act of capitalist greed and disregard for human wellbeing. Long before it happened, able, conscientious civil servants warned of the impending disaster but they were silenced by heartless real estate promotors and by gov- ernment: heads who do not hesitate to spend half a billion dollars a year for war but deny food and lodg- ings to unemployed. The fact is that the Manitoba chief engineer predicted the calamity late last winter. It is a fact that engineers from the Red River areas in the U.S. warned municipalities on the Canadian side well in advance of what was shaping up. It is also a fact : that the Winnipeg city engineer ‘was quoted in the Win- nipeg press only a few days before the Red River burst its bank that an expenditure of $1,168,800 might have prevented the 1948 flood or a repetition of a similar one. What we must all bear in mind when dealing with ‘the Manitoba flood is that this incomparable disaster highlights a nation-wide problem which arises with vary- ing degrees of acuteness every spring in many parts of the country. In 1948’ Winnipeg experienced flood dam- age of no mean proportions. The Fraser River Valley in B.C. experienced large-scale devastation that same year. Areas such as the Grand and Thames river re- gions in old Ontario and the Etobicoke at the outskirts of Toronto go through the annual ordeal. of floods. — In the face of these facts it should, be obvious that more than charity, and much more than miserly grants by governments, is necessary. Certainly we were all deeply moved by the suffering of the people of Winni- peg and the rural areas of Manitoba. It was natural and human to respond as the people of Canada have responded to the various calls which were issued for assistance. ae But it is certainly insufficient for the labor move- ment to merely follow the leadership of the professional charity people and limit themselves to the issuance of their own appeals to the rank-and-file of the unions. , Unfortunately this.is all that most union leaders have — done so far. — As to the political parties, the Liberals, who are most immediately responsible both federally and pro- vincially, are dodging responsibility both for what has already happened and for what will undoubtedly recur in the future if their imaction continues. :The Tories play cynical and reckless politics with:this national trag- edy in the hope of gaining political cudos. The Cor flounders as usual and, in-the final analysis, trails be- hind both the’ old: line parties... -- 96 ++ - 6h 5 ‘The Labor-Progressive party alone took a correct ' political approach to the situation and has advanced a: ‘program which should serve ‘as the basis for united action by the entire labor movement and for the exten-- sion of that unity to all the common people. a In line with the proposals of the LPP, the trade unions should demand that the federal government as- _ sume full responsibility for the losses suffered by the communities and the individuals. Second, the federal and provincial governments should jointly undertake flood control projects throught the country Such actions will not only protect the people against the recurrence _ of disasters as was experienced in Manitoba but will _ also provide remunerative and constructive employment _ for the hundreds of thousands of uné¢mployed Canadians, All this will cost much less than is now being spent in one year in préparations for a war of aggression. : None of this will take place unless the labor move _ ment launches a scorching campaign of the broadest mass character directed at Ottawa and the provincial capitals, fae te The trade union movement in particular should as- sume this fighting responsibility. The individual local. = unions, the trades councils, provincial federations and national bodies should enter this fight and join hands with all who seek the same objectives. In this manner mentation of a just and proper program to meet the _ present and future crises. i : H PACIFIC TRIBUNE — JUNE 9, 1950 — PAGE 9