‘ any and all kinds of profiteerin;

THE NATION :

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By CHARLES SIMS

Free Canadian dollar an illusion-
more dependent than ever on U.S.

AST week what the press called a “leak” from Can-~

ada’s federal cabinet on the International Monetary
Fund enabled Wall Street bankers and speculators to
make millions of dollars of velvety profits in a matter
of hours. They were tipped off in advance that the St.
Laurent government, on the say-so of the U.S.-dominated
International Monetary Fund, was going to sare Can-
ada’s dollar,

You needn’t expect St. Laurent or athe CCE top
leadership to do anything about this “leak” because
goes these days.

But it does go to show that profiteering is the mid-
dle name of those unscrupulous Yankee money sharks
of Wall Street. ‘They never pass up a chance to gouge
the people . .. and their satellites.

(Canadians will be wise if they do not fall for the
guff that this so-called “freeing” of our dollar will lead
to. reduced cost of living and the strengthening of the
Canadian economy. It seems to me that this move, dic.

tated by the International Monetary Fund, aims to make
the currencies of the’

the Canadian dollar—and all
capitalist world—even more dependent upon the Yankee
dollar and the war policies it stands for.

e :
In a way it is another move tightening the econ-
omic “anschluss” which binds Canada in satellite sub-
servience to Wall Street. Moreover, it has the effect of
putting new and heavier financial pressures upon Britain
and Europe.

The government is cooperating with Washington in
this to tighten the Yankee financial squeeze on the
entire. capitalist world.

George! Drew and his Tories are happy for this is
another step which-strengthens the domination of the
Yankee dollar, put across under the guise of “freeing”
currencies, letting them find their own level in relation
to U.S. cut-throat competition and domination.

It is true that certain increased profits will accrue to

Canadian monopolists, such ag the auto, electrical, steel -

and ceal trusts, who import from the States. And you'll
have noticed that George Drew’s gold-mining friends
are going to obtain more of the Canadian taxpayers’
money to subsidize gold-mining profits!
© 3 é

But do not forget that once Canada’s basic ex-

ports to Great Britain have been struck a heavy blow. ©

Britain will have to pay much more for all the wheat,
cheese, pork, apples and lumber she buys from Canada.

Our traditional markets have been hit another hard —

blow. The Yankees have a stronger position from which
to hit at Canada’s vital markets in Britain, Europe and
the Empire.

And Abbott’s announcement that on January 2 all
remaining import restrictions against U.S. goods (except
capital items) will be removed indicates that we face
heavy U.S. dumping in Canada.

THe men of Wall Street are giving a sop, a certain
bribe to Canadian big business interests. Big business
here, the speculators, will reap a short-term advantage,
but it is extremely unlikely that they will pass on any
share to the people in the form of reduction in costs of
living.

Gains that will be made will only come through
powerful united struggles for higher wages for labor,
a substantial increase of fhe initial price the farmers
must get for ‘their 1950 wheat crop and for better prices
for agricultural produce, for action against the war
profiteers and for subsidies to bring more milk, bread
and food within reach of the people. For the basic
war-inflationary springs of U.S. and Canadian policies
inexorably drive up costs of living and profits.

St. Laurent’s monetary edict will not curb this.

It will strengthen Wall Street’s drive to integrate
Canada even more fully into the Yankee war plans to
dominate and gear North America and the capitalist

~worlg for atomic World War III. In this the mastery
of the Yankee dolar plays an important part.

LPP COLUMN

> Widew as

‘ae peace elition has become a large and a mighty
important fact in the life of Canada. One of the
things that proves it is the change that’s noted in
the reaction of many on being approached for their
signatures. Some months ago the petition was some-
thing that most people didn’t know about, hadn’t
heard of. Today, on the contrary, large numbers of.
people do know about it, and often have already quite
‘set opinions, for or. _ against dit. As
one comrade put it, “There’s more
definiteness than — before.”

What does this mean?

That in the sharpened, danger-
ous world crisis, the positive al-
ternative of peace, not war, has
been placed before thousands of
Canadians as a thing that can
be won, and as,a thing that they
themselves can do something
about! Heya .

Therein lies the tremendous
achievement of the Peace RQuEr OSS
and its supporters.

All credit to the agree work of hundreds aon
hundreds of our gomrades who are out “petitioning”
this week, as they have last week and will be next!
Their numbers grow as organization of work grows,
as the involvement of every friend and supporter is
sought after and foliowed up, But the work grows
and advances above all as we become seized with
the spirit of the thing, the breadth of its horizon.

Did it ever happen before in history, that over
400 million men and women should ie out as. with
‘one voice, demanding peace? 3 5

Never before did it happen.

This is a new thing, a tremendous fact.

“It is the awakening of a new,! truly human con-
sciousness—and. conscience. i :

It is the answer, to the inhuman, ROREE eA DE ess
vultures who would make carrion of humankind, in
the interest of war profits.

All over this country, people are _peing asked to

e wide as the world, and the heart of man.

By STANLEY RYERSON

“sign for peace.” New names are added to the roll,

new voices. to the call for a halt to madness, a new
beginning . .

Even those who refuse to sign, or are not pre-
pared to—they have met with a challenge. to their
conscience, to their understanding. Is it so certain
they will not readily forget? There are not only the
signatures of those who have said “Yes!” There are
the question marks left in the thinking of many who
‘have declined to sign. Question marks that will not
all be silenced.

But people do sign, and every such signature is
a success for the camp of ae and a setback for
ia) camp of war. .

' Steady work brings many such successes. As one
comrade in Hamilton put it: “Signatures? If you go,
you get them. If you don’t go, then you don’t—of
course”. By ke€ping at it, the number is made to
grow, hearteningly.

It’s the measure of our fight for peace.

The Great’ Stocitholtn Appeal called forth a more
vast response than any single appeal to the hearts
and minds of men has ever done.

’ And now, building on that 400 millionfold founda-
tion, the new call of the World Committee of Defend_
ers of Peace envisions a still greater breadth, the
rejection of all limiting conditions other than that of
an honest desire to work for peace, not war.

The demand that the bomb be banned, that the
load of armaments be reduced, that any and all ag-
gression be condemned, that war incitement propa-
ganda be stopped, that there be peaceful settlement —
in ‘Korea—these in one way, or another meet the
main, most pressing questions that beseige men’s
minds today. The grounds of agreement are wide—

In the spirit of this wide horizon—the horizon. of

life—let us refashion our work for peace, for the
winning of more dozens, hundreds, thousands, to add
their names to the greatest petition mankind ever
knew, :

LABOR FOCUS By J. B. SALSBERG

W hat’s aheadfor

union left wing

HE 1950 conventions of the union centers are over.
Their decisions, good (teaspoonfuls) and bad (steam-
shovel loads) are duly recorded, But what now? What
will it all mean to the working class in this country?
How will their vital problems be affected? And what of
the vanguard, the spearhead of the working class — the
Conaii nibis and the broad block of lefts and progress-
ives?
These. questions are being asked on all sides for good
reasons. Just think back a few weeks. Union officialdom
predicted well in advance their forth-
coming conventions would be slaught-
erhouses for Communists and com-
munism. They directed the conven-
tions to provide frequent outbursts of
a frenzied and hysterical character.
The press was fed “red hot news”

lems were played down, if at all men-
tioned, in the pre-convention publicity.
‘During the sessions the bread-and-
butter questions were presented as
mere interludes between red-baiting.

True that all didn’t happen as
planned by the backstage directors of the U.S. state
department and right-wing officialdom. Rank-and-file
‘sentiment did break through from time to time. The
political script for the convention was adhered to, how-
ever. The anti-Communist, pro-war and expulsion motives
dominated the sessions; Certainly the press left no other
impression. Remember how many times the big business
press screamed ecstatically about “blows”, “thrusts”,
“staggering punches”, “routs”, “defeats”, “knock-outs”, to
“Communists and fellow-travellers.”

Is it any wonder then that now workers should begin
to ask what the convention did for them, their unions
and their problems? And is it any wonder that people
are inquiring about the left wing and its future? The
answer lies in the fact that the future of the left wing

in the unions is inseparably linked with the problems of

the working class at large. Let me explain it concretely.

,Anti-communism is always used to cover up attacks.
on ‘the common people and preparations for war. No
matter how you look at it you must come to this basie
conclusion. To the extent that the right-wing bureaucracy
has gone completely overboard in support of Wall Street’s
offensive for world domination, they find themselves
obliged to resort to red-baiting, to the destruction of
inner-union democracy and to the sacrificing of the
economic interests of their membership. They cannot do
one without the other. At the recent conventions they
did both.

To the 200,000 railroad workers it is clear now that the _

conventions sabotaged their struggle. The leadership of

both centers conspired to prevent the delegates from deal- —

ing with the main economic struggle in the country —

the railroad strike. At both gatherings the most danger- —

ous anti-union legislation, the notorious Bill 1, was not
discussed, Both conventions, while paying lip-service to
the need for wage increases, refused to coordinate and
lead a national wage movement. Pat Conroy even warned

the CCL unions to wait until contracts expired before :

seeking higher pay.

That is how the bread-and-butter questions were dis-
posed of by the red-baiting, pro-war leadership of the
unions. Little wonder then that the railroaders and all
other industrial workers are now asking why the con-
ventions betrayed their interests. What lies ahead is a
sharpening of the struggle for the defense of the economic
interests of workers and their families. It will be a
struggle from below and it will often be against the
“right-wing leadership of the unions. We predict a rapid
growth of the wage movement and of the emergence of
rank-and-file power in the process,

This battle for immediate needs will merge with the

growing resistance of the rank and file to the bureau-

cratic attempt to destroy inner-union democracy. I am

every day. Econemic and social prob- ~

®

prepared to stick my-neck out and predict that in this _

_ Process the rank and file will also defend the rights of

‘the communists and the militants in their ranks whom
they know as devoted fighters for their interests.

Already there are signs to back this prediction. At

\ the conventions, despite hysteria and domination there

were many moments of revolt against the platform. Rail-

road delegates could not be dragooned into hysterical

outbursts. They knew hew their membership felt about |

‘Mosher and Hall. (Will Mosher tell how many CBRE
divisions have asked for his resignation?)
Textile workers in Quebec drove like a steamroller

over the red-baiting raiders and the entire Montreal —

press. ‘They voted overwhelmingly for their unions and

their fighting leadership. The Hamilton steelworkers

quashed the “guilty” verdicts which the Millard machine

brought in against rank-and-file spokesmen in a number |

of locals. The Toronto gas workers broke up the witch--
hunt conducted against the builders of their union and’
voted for the continuance of inner-union democracy.
Scores of local unions have alréady voted to reject the
main union-busting decisions.

: The left wing, the progressives, the upholders paee

union democracy and of independent working-class poli-
cies have nothing to fear. They represent all that is
decent and advantageous to the workers and their fam-

ilies. They must rapidly develop the battles for the things ©
that really count in the life of the working people—wages,

social security, union democracy, and peace, The depar~
ture from democratic procedure by the leadership will
of course require the utilization of appropriate methods
of work. I have no doubt but that the workers will find
such new methods: Nor have I any hesitation in prophesy-

ing that thé majority of union members will rally salami .

those who will lead the struggle in their interests.

} PACIFIC TRIBUNE — OCTOBER 13, 1950 — PAGE 9