OL’ BILL

SHORT JABS

ANCOUVER SUN columnist Elmore Philpott is sailing.soon for
y.. by way of the Panama Canal. -His column last Monday,
entitled “Where Marx is Wrong” indicates a long voyage. Elmore
has intended doing a series of articles featuring the “hole in the
wall of Marxist logic’ but has put the job off for an opportune time.

Now the occasion has arrived. A sea voyage is to provide the
time necessary for the Philpott “bulldozer” to “drive through”
Marxism!

Not a few co-called intellectuals, “scientists” -and “educational-
ists,” have spent a lifetime trying to do this very thing, but obviously
with poor success. We scarcely dare hope that
Philpott can accomplish the job in a_ six-week
voyage, and we wouldn't like to see him stay
away from our fair city until he had finished it;
otherwise his au revoir might become farewell.

The farmer who wrote Philpott asking him all
about Communism and just what book or books
he should read on the subject, apparently directed
his appeal to the wrong guy. In fact Philpott
himself admits as much. Had the farmer got Willie
Gallacher’s What is Communism he might have
got a good insight into the human society of
tomorrow. At least he would have gotten some
solid ideas on why the monopolists fear Communism—and pay out
millions of dollars to literary hacks to distort its meaning, and
essence, and purpose,

In this at least Philpott raises a good point; so many people and
agencies raise $0 much stir about Communism, while they and the
people they help to confuse know so little about it as to be almost
tragical.

Of course we might point out to Philpott that despite the sys-
tematic confusion spread by such papers as he writes for, a growing
number of people—even farmers—are getting wise to the idea that

they are being sold Chamber of Commerce propaganda instead of,

facts about Communism.

In wishing success to the Philpott voyage, we hope he doesn’t
begin a new Communist Manifesto to supplant the Marx-Engels
edition of 1848. We are happy to learn that in this little 15-cent
outline of Communist ideology, principle and aims, he found much
“that s powerful, fair . and right.” Rather than write a new
manifesto for the guidance of posterity, it would’ be better if Phil-
pott sticks to the business of outlining the “montrous fallacy” he
finds there. That, at least, would provide diversion for our readers,
while a full Philpottian Work on Communism might elicit no other
sentiment than pity for a mudeed liberal. And that is always a
sorry experience.

&

' Im response to my appeal to help Bobby and Kenny, who sent
me their best wishes to get better soon, together with their 50 cents
for thé Pacific Tribune, a good old friend who signs herself “A
Granny” sent in five dollars to help the kiddies become press builders.
We hope there are lots of other “Grannies” who will similarly re-
spond in giving our young press builders Bobby and Kenny some
practical encouragement.

And that reminds me that this department is still a long way
short of the goal we set for ourselves in this PT drive. So far only
$640.81 of the $1,500 has come in. Mebbe some of the old-timers
are waiting until I get out of hospital before they make their
annual contribution to keep the PT going. Well, like the sentiment
all right, but the printers, ink manufacturers and’ paper monpolists

are not strong on sentiment—unless accompanied by the weekly
cheque to meet production costs. So let’s get going for the last few’

days of the drive. We still have time to make the full $1,500 quota
for this column if only we go out and get it.

While I don’t rank’ with royalty and have-an official bulletin
issued daily on my progress in hospital, I am beginning to feel fit
again and hope to be back in the old hauts before many weeks. My
Short Jabs won’t have a “new look” but they will have a new punch,
and if we can top the “PT” drive objective before then, zg ‘jabs’
will be real hay-makers.

Pacific Tribune
May Day Issue

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Vancouver, B.C.

Dalskog jailed by court,

says funds belong to men

Refusing to break faith with B.C. woodworkers who had entrusted him with their strike fund,
Ernie Dalskog, vice-president of the “Woodworkers’ Industrial Union of Canada and secretary of WIUC
local 71, was committed to Oakalla jail last week for contempt of court following his refusal to turn over
the $130, 000 strike fund to the court receiver. |

“From behind prison bars Dalskog issued “the following: statement addressed “*

TO ALL WOODWORKERS,
DEAR BROTHERS:

I am now behnd the bars in Oak-
alla prison.

I have been committed on a con-
tempt of court charge for an in-
definite period, following legal
action by top IWA officials, be-
cause I refused to betray the in-
terests of the woodworkers. :

I refused to hand over custody
of the Strike Fund to the court
for three main reasons:

First, I am convinced, and I
feel you will-agree with me, that
to hand the Strike Fund over td
the courts would result in large
sums of it being needlessly spent
in costly litigaton, as well as keep-
ing it tied up at a tme when it is
needed by the woodworkers to help

win better wages and working con-.

ditions. ,

Second, the Strike Fund was
committed “to my care, with in-
structions that it be kept from fall-
ing into the hands of the employ-
ers or their agents, and I feel that
it can be properly disposed of out-
side the courts, which have never
been favorable to the workers.

Third, the Strike Fund rightly
belongs to the woodworkers who
contributed to it—both the mem-
bers of the WIUC and of the IWA
—and it should only be disposed
of according to their wishes and
desires. :

The Strike Fund itself was de-
rived from the following sources
and in the following manner:

1. In the spring of 1947 volun-
tary contributions were received
from individual woodworkers to as-
sist in the 1947 contract negotia-
tions.

2. In June of 1947 there was es-
tablished a District Strike Fund
based on a 25-cent per capita tax
on union dues.

3. Again in 1948 further volun-
tary contributions were made by
workers in the industry to aid in
the 1948 contract negotiations. —

The total Strike Fund in the bank
on October 2, 1948 was $133,624.24.
A further deposit of $2,104.07 was
made on or about that date, and
an additional $3,379.17 came in by
certified check after October 2, too
late to be deposited in the bank.

In accordance with instructions
to protect the membership’s in-
terests, the sum of $130,000 was
withdrawn, leaving $5,728.31 still
in the bank, which sum was. later
frozen by the bec, a ch in-
junction.

It should be noted that the total
fund was made up as follows:
Contributed by voluntary
GONATIONS 82). 503-5. $74, 708.51

Contributed by per capita
64,398.97

A further breakdown of the
Strike Fund reveals some other in-
teresting and important facts.

Voluntary contributions from log-
gers working under the jurisdiction
of Local 7i—the big majority of
whom are now members of the
WIUC — amounted to $29,122.29,
which was turned over intact to the
Strike Fund. Loggers in Local 80,
many of whom are members of the
WIUC, donated $14,803 voluntarily.

Local 363 loggers in the Courten- |'

ay area—the majority of whom are
WIUC members — donated $5,396,
while the loggers in Mission Local
367 donated $5,051.15. Finally, Cran-
brook Local 405, which is entirely
WIUC, donated $1,942.43.

On the other hand, Alsbury and
Mitchell,
Westminster Local 357, turned over

: only $199.08 in voluntary’ donations
in, 1947, while in 1948 not one penny
was turned over from this big saw-

mill local except the $12 which J.
Stewart Alsbury, a member of the

1948 Policy committee, could not
avoid turning over as a member

of the committee.

One possible reason for’ with-

holding strike funds donated by the

then officers of New

i
to all woodworkers” 3

ers from the central fund became | grettable that the present officials

clear just recently.

IWA Local 1-357, in its financial
statements for December 1948 and
January 1949, lists the sum of $500
donated to those who herded
scabs in the Iron River strike,
and a further $2,500 loaned to. the
IWA District Council, no doubt
used for the same purpose. Strike
fund money was thus used, not for
the purpose of helping fight the
workers’ battles to halt discrimina-
tion and blacklisting, but to try
and break the Iron River strike.

Now the Strike Fund was set
up and contributed to by wood-
workers to help raise wages and
improve conditions. It is the prop-
erty ofall organized woodworkers,
regardless of union affiliation, and
in fact, this was admitted by Carl
Winn, international secretary- trea-
surer of the IWA, when he was be-
ing examined by WIUC Counsel
John Burton. And it should be used
for purposes for which it was col-
lected. :

Right now the organized wood-
workers are preparing to enter ne-

: gotiations with the employers.

It is imperative, that the Strike
Fund be made available to wood-
workers—both the WIUC and IWA
—to help, them back up the de-
mands they are makihg on the boss
lumbermen,

Because of this, it is most re-

of the IWA are persisting in their
attempts to tie up the Strike Fund
in the courts.

I maintain that to hand over the

$130,000 to the courts now would.

only result in tying it up for an
indefinite period, and what is
worse, would waste large sums of
it in costly litigation. This is why
I voluntarily went to prison rather
than betray the trust that thou-
sands of woodworkers imposed on
me. ~

I say that if there is a, sincere
desire on the part of all concerned
to keep the Strike Fund intact to
be used for the purposes for which
it was intended, then a solution to
the problem can be found outside
of the courts.

Therefore, I propose that a spe-
cial committee be set up, comprised
of WIUC and IWA members and
acting under the supervision of a
referee appointed by the Supreme
Court, this committee to be charg-
ed with working out an amicable
division of the Strike Fund on the
basis of the recorded membership
of both organizations.

Once a fair and equitable agree-
ment has been reached, I will then
undertake to turn over the Strike
Fund monies to the respective: or-
ganizations in accordance with the
agreed upon sums.

4

O. SCHMIDT
26 fate cc Service

Montreal | moved
bought the paper.
Southams took over.

my job.

ference table in good faith.”

| HAVE BEEN ON THE

PICKET LINE.

oe AROUND THE

DAILY PROVINCE

es; ~ FOR 32 MONTHS

“Until I was forced on the picket line. by the Southam.
Co. in June, 1946. I had worked in. the composing room of
the Daily Province for 26 years.
é “I contributed my fair share to the Building of the
Province, and I worked there long before the Southams of
into Vancouver with their millions and
There never was any trouble until the

“Southams rewarded my lifetime of service with 32
months on the picket line, obtained a court injunction, sued
‘members of my union for damages in the Supreme Court
and imported individuals from all over Canada to take

“I am still on the picket line ‘arith my fellow I.T.U.

printers. We will be there until the Southam Co. will |
abandon its union-wrecking policy and sit around the con- —

| ASK ‘adn SUPPORT |

1AM
W LDL.
PRINTER

‘New Westminster sawmill work-

- PACIFIC TRIBUNE — APRIL 15, 1949 — PAGE

~