ROBERT BURNS

on his 260th birthday, January 25, 1959
By SAMUEL MARSHAK

Fair-fa’ your anniversary

Beloved plooman-pecet:

Twa hunner’ years ye are today— -

But, man, ye dinna show it! :
You're still as young as e’er you were —
_ There’s things Time canna wizen—
In herts, ye lived fu’ ten-score year,

On earth, a bare three dizen.

To us, your likeness, even yet,
Gives mair than just an inklin’
Of a’ the sharp but kindly wit
Ahin those dark eyes. twinklin’.

Ahin your broad, unfurrowed broo
Great thochts were given birth, man,

And clad in words sae wise that noo
They’re kent o’er a’ the earth, man.

You had “misfortunes great and sma’”
But name that could dumbfoon ye; —
And noo, at hame and far awa.
There’s de’il a chiel aboon ye.

They gi’ed ye mony a statue proud
And nane begrudged the givin’—

But ne’er a groat o’ a’ that gowd
Ye saw while ye were livin’.

Ye little guessed how bra’ would stand
Your name on Hist’ry’s pages, fe

And how your sangs wad set your land
A-singin’ doon the ages.

’Mang brither Scots at even-fa’
Deep silence is invited

When o’er a brimmin’ glass or twa —
Your verses are recited.

Noo, millions ken your Brig o’ Ayr
Frae what ye sang about it

And Tam o’ Shanter’s guid grey mare
Whiase tail the witch uprootit.

4

When auld Scots airs your lines enhance
We hear the bagpipes skirlin’ :

And see the bra’ Scots laddies dance,-
Their tartan kilts a-whirlin’.

For “Auld Lang Syne” we're in your debt,
It brings mankind thegither:

Your proffered “cup o’ kindness yet”
Mak’s every man a brither.

And in this boundless land of ours
Your hamespun Muse we clerish;
Frae Baltic tae Pacific shores
Your fame will niver perish.

You’re in our herts when herts are gay
Roon’ festive board and a’ that;

For us you speed the blessed day
That’s “comin’ yet for a’ that”.

~

Translated by ARCHIE JOHNSTONE.

-her hungry
hitch-hiked from Langford to

MOTHER WAS DESPERATE

Children hungry, mother trek
12 miles to sur

By ERNIE KNOTT

NaC. T: ORRSILA SB Co One
would think that this city,
with its heavy government
and military payroll, would
not suffer from unemployment
and poverty as badly as some
of our larger, less fortunate
Canadian cities. But such is
not the case.

Last week a desperate
mother travelled miles to feed
children. - She

Victoria, a distance of 12 miles,
to visit a surplus food stall at
the public market place.

Mrs. E. E. Harper, “stall
operator, said the woman was
“desperate.”

“Her husband is in hospital,
his unemployment insurance

has run out and their chrildren

are going hungry, “Mrs. Har-
per said. “But her case*is the

- rule rather than the excep-

tion.”
About 750 persons — all on
welfare — receive a week’s

supply of food each month
from the stall. Besides 250

‘families with young children

they include many pension-
ers. -

Victorians are fighting a
double battle because tax as-
sessments have increased heav-

ily on older homes this year,

in some cases as much: as 120
percent.

About 100 -ratepayers at-
tended last week’s meeting
of Victoria Ratepayers Asso-
ciation and listened to pro-
vincial) assessor P. Wright
pass the buck to the city.
After the meeting leading ex-
ecutive members decided to
demand that the city cut the
mill rate.

Mayor Scurrah tossed the
ball back to the province,
claiming that city assessors
were only carrying out pro-
vincial - instructions, and that
the $250,000 tax increase was
needed to pay wage increases
to city crews anyway..

Meanwhile at city council, -

“Everything in Flowers”
FROM

EARL SYKES
56 E. Hastings - MU. 1-3855

paper work and red tape in-
volved in securing federal
winter work aid came under
fire from Alderman Ef. .Mc-
Ewen. He called the federal
aid plan “a lot of talk” and
said that “all this gathering of
Statistics is just brain wash-
ing.”

At Victoria Labor Council
last week delegates, watching

2,000 CBC workers
support 74 on strike

MONTREAL — Armed with
unfailing solidarity from more
than 2,000 CBC employees,
members of seven different
unions, 74 striking French
Canadian CBC radio and TV
producers (L’Association des
Realisateurs — CCCL) have
held out for almost a month
in théir deadlocked battle
with the crown corporation
for union recognition.

The strike has been in effect
Since December 29 and has
stopped nearly all local pro-
duction on French language

our

greatest

book
sale

January

(20-80% off
©

PROGRESSIVE BOOKS
PAPER BACKS
MARXIST LITERATURE

plus food store

- buildings Premier W. A. ~

the unemployment figures
shoot for the 5,000 mark, vote
to give support to the labor
lobby due to hit the Jegisl -
ture early in February. ,

And over at the legislative

Bennett said he expected”

quiet -session.” iid
Maybe. And again, maybe

not. * B

sit

radio and television networks,

The strike is based solely
on the right of association.
The producers are demanding
recognition and the CBC ee
agement refuses on the grounds”
that the producers are part of |
management. : d

Messages of support and
solidarity have been expressed
from the Quebec Federation
of Labor, the Montreal Labor
Council and the Canadian
Catholic Confederation of La-,
bor and various other organ
zations. a}

.

23-31

(Samuel Marshak is a noted Soviet’ poet and out.
standing translator of the works of Burns and Shake-
speare. Despite his 71 years and failing health, Mar-
shak is a tireless worker for peace and friendship
between the English-speaking world and the Soviet .
Union. A special guest at the Ayrshire Burns anniver-
sary in 1958, Samuel Marshak wrote the script for the

Soviet documentary film on the life of Robert Burns.)

Vancouver, B.C.

PAMPHLETS
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- Open 9 pim>— Jan, 23°24 .26
PEOPLE'S CO-OP BOOKSTORE
307 Ww. PENDER MU 5-5836

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251 EAST HASTINGS
Vancouver, B.C. ~

QUALITY SERVICE —

January 23, 1959 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 2