Greetings from around the world

UNITED STATES

Al Richmond, editor of ‘‘PEOPLE'S
WORLD”, San Francisco, writes:

“Figuratively we think of our-
selves—readers and staff of‘The
People’s World’—as standing at
your side at the Peace Arch of
our mutual border, Soitis simple
to extend the comradely hand-
clasp of solidarity on the 30th
anniversary of the ‘Pacific Tri-
bune,’

“The community of interest
that unites workers from both
sides of the border is not just
figurative, of course, It is dra-
matically attested to in the pro-
gressive, militant traditions of
the great unions in the longshore
and forest products industries
on the Pacific Coast of North
America,

“The bonds of labor solidarity,
we are confident, will prevail
over the military and financial
shackles fashioned by U.S, im-
perialism, and then your people
and ours will live together as
brothers in this bountiful and
beautiful region,

“We greet you, therefore, with
a special sense of kinship, which
is deepened because we also know
a bit about what struggle it takes
to keep aloft a regional progres-
Sive weekly, dedicated to the
great goals of peace and social-
ism,

“Our heartiest congratulations
to the staff and readers of the
‘Pacific Tribune,’ the gallant
product of a valiant struggle,”

BRITAIN

George Mathews, editor of the
“DAILY WORKER,” London writes:

“We of the ‘Daily Worker’ are
happy to send you our warmest
congratulations and good wishes

on the occasion of your 30th
anniversary.

“We ourselves have just cele-
brated our 35th anniversary, and
our two newspapers can claim to
have played an important and
valuable role in the struggle of
the peoples of our two countries
during these eventful years,

“You have done magnificent
work in supporting the activities
of the Labor and Progressive
movement in British Columbia
and in giving clear Marxist-
Leninist- leadership on all the
crucial issues of the day,

“The support you are giving to
the people of Vietnam, and all
those struggling for their liber-
ation and national independence,
carries forward the tradition of
international solidarity and anti-
imperialist activity which you
have maintained throughout your
existence,

“During these years you have
also always combatted the arms
race and stood for world peace
against those planning war,

“This fight is also more im-

portant today than ever before,

when weapons of unprecedented
destructive power exist and
threaten humanity,

“Your efforts for the banning
of nuclear weapons and for peace=
ful coexistence have made a big
contribution to the world-wide
movement for peace,

“Above all, you have kept al-
ways before your readers the
noble aim ofSocialism, and shown
how, in the conditions of Canada
and in accordance with the tra-

‘ditions and characteristics of

your labor movement and people,
it can be made a reality,

‘

WORKING FOR
WORLD PEACE

“We greatly value our fratern-
al association with you, and be-
lieve that it helps to cement the’
friendship of the progressive
forces in Britain and Canada,

“Our best wishes for many
more years of successful cam-
paigning in the cause of peace
and Socialism,”

IRELAND

_ Sean Redmond, associate editor of
the “IRISH DEMOCRAT”, published in
London, Eng., writes: ~

“Greetings to the Staff and
Readers of the Pacific Tribune
on achieving 30 years continuous
publication, We are now in our
27th year so we appreciate what
this means,

“We have many good friends in
Vancouver who actively support
Ireland’s fight for unity and in-
dependence, at the same time
being deeply involved in the
struggle of the Canadian people
for peace and socialism, This is

as it should be. We must stand
together to hasten the end of
imperialism,”

GERMANY

H. Axen, editor of ‘NEUES
DEUTSCHLAND,”’ organ of the Social-

ist Unity Party of Germany, writes:
“On the occasion of the 30th
anniversary of the ‘ Pacific Tri-
bune’ the editor and staff of
‘Neues Deutschland’ are glad to
offer our heartfelt congratula-
tions as well as our fraternal

_ greetings,

“During the past years the
‘Pacific Tribune,’ as British Co-
lumbia’s leading labor paper in
Canada’s Pacific coast province
has maintained 30 years of un-
broken publication of a Marxist-
Leninist press, Thus it gave its
support not only .to local and
national problems of the working
class of Canada but also to prob-
lems of international importance
affecting the peace and well-being
of all,

“On behalf of their readers,
the editorial staff of ‘Neues
Deutschland,’ leading organ of
the Socialist Unity Party of Ger-
many, includes in their message
of congratulations their best
wishes for successful work in
the joint cause for maintaining
world peace and the promotion
of progress in the world,”

HUNGARY

Editor of ‘‘NEPSZABADSAG”", Buda-
pest, Hungary, writes:

“We have heard that this is a
‘big year’ for the progressive
press in Canada, Your paper, the
‘Pacific Tribune,’ is celebrating
its 30th anniversary, the ‘Cana-
dian Tribune’ its 25th, and the
labor press generally the 43rd
year of its existence,

“We take this opportunity to

send our heartfelt, fraternal
greetings in the name of the stall
and the readers of Hungary:
largest daily, the Nepszabadsaé:
We realize what a great achieve=

ment it is to keep a working |

class newspaper going in your
country and wish to assure you

that despite the geographical dis= —
tance between us, you can always —

count on the fraternal solidarity
of the Hungarian people,

“This year we too are cele
brating an important histori?
landmark, the 20th anniversary
of Hungary’s liberation from
fascist rule, We are making great
efforts to build a socialist way
of life,
freedom and well-being for out
people, “a

“We wish all of you much

success in your important task

of enlightening the people of you!
country and activizing them i
the struggle for peace, security
and democratic rights,

“With our warmest fraternal A
greetings,” ie

Unemployed bricklayer edited first issues

By RONALD LIVERSEDGE

he issue of a special anni-

versary number of the *Pa-
cific Tribune” to commemorate
30 years of continuous publica-
tion of the Communist press in
this province, is a truly momen-
tous happening,

Such a record (80 years) is a
great achievement, not easily
accomplished by a labor paper,
and I feel proud of.the oppor-
tunity to pen a tribute to this’
achievement, ‘and particularly to
the late George Drayton, who
was chosen to launch the paper
at the coast as first editor of
the “B,C, Workers News,”

It fell to the Communists to
introduce to B,C, the first work-
ing class newspaper based onthe
teachings of Marx and Lenin, and
dedicated to the building of a
socialist Canada, and the honor
of guiding this venture went to
George Drayton,

While I cannot say that the
above quotation would have ap-
plied in its entirety to George
Drayton, I can say as a friend
and contemporary that George,
in addition to the duty of editor,
willingly assumed the added tasks
of leg man, news vendor on the
streets of Vancouver, and press
‘builder extraordinary,

The historical period which

gave birth to. the “B,C, Workers ©

News” was a period of making
political decisions, This was the

period of world fascist aggres-
sion: German, Italian and Japan-
ese fascism, with the blessing

and financial backing of inter- .

national capitalism, were tramp-
ing roughshod over large areas’
of the world, China, Africa and
Europe,

What of the man who was chosen
to direct the paper through its
birth pangs, George Drayton had
had no journalistic training, he
was an unemployed bricklayer,
but he was a dedicated Commun-
ist with a deep understanding of
Marxism, and he applied this
knowledge of Marxist logic, and
his own materialist conception
of historical events, to his new
job, and it was a great help,

At that time, there were never
enough trained people to do all
the jobs that needed to be done,
so hundreds of men and women

‘volunteered to do work for which

they had had no previous ex-
perience, Amazingly there re-
sulted a high percentage of suc-
cesses, George was one of the
successes,

There were anxious moments
in the first few weeks, but the
paper and its editor grew and
developed together, until ‘the
paper became a good labor paper,
with a wide coverage of political
and trade union news, interna-
tional and local, a youth column,
a women’s column, Ol’ Bill’s

‘Short Jabs,” and good editorial ment throughout the hungry

comment,

It was uncompromisingly anti-
fascist, and stood four squarefor
socialism, and then as now it
stood for world peace, jobs and

democracy,

The working people backed the

paper, and it became a rallying

point, in the struggles of the
people of B,C, against hunger and
disastrous effects of unemploy-

WILLIAM ‘OLD BILL’ BENNETT, beloved
columnist for the ‘‘B.C. Worker's
News” and its successors, was the
chairman of the committee which
launched the first financial drive to

start a Communist press in B.C. It was.

his inspired leadership which rallied
left wing supporters in B.C. to support

the launching of the worker's paper.

8 Sacice + bet epee a Nee K: eS

thirties,

At that time George used to
come to the Relief Camp Workers
Union office twice a week for
Camp News, He once said, “The
bourgeoisie are crazy, they are
making future working class
leaders in the relief camps, and
you fellows must concentrate on
that angle, train young leaders,
we have a long struggle ahead.”

Here are some of George’s
own words about the beginnings
of the paper, taken from an article
he wrote for the second anniver-
sary edition ofthe*B,C, Workers

News,” January, 1937:

“In the first place the idea of
a militant working class provin-

_ cial paper was due to the politi-

cal weather wisdom of the Com-
munists of B,C, It was foreseen
that immense struggles were in
the offing,

“When this step was taken the
workers responded and several
hundred dollars were raised ina
short time, Our difficulties were
many, We had no experienced
editor, no make-up man, no
qualified reporters, no advertis-
ing salesmen, in fact none of us,
with the necessary experience,

“However, we had plenty of
‘revolutionary ambition, Our of-
fice, a few shiplap desks, and
two rebuilt typewriters that made
a noise like a steam dragline,”

Here are a few headlines take?
at random from limited old file>

“B.C, Workers News” MARCH

1935: Relief Camps on Strike.
Men Converging on Vancouvels

FEBRUARY 14, 1936: Gover" —

ment Forecasts its War Pro-

gram, 19 Million Dollars f0F

Defense Before Unemploymel
Considered, JULY 3,
French Fascists in Retreat, Blum

Has Support of Overwhelminé —

Majority of French People,

AUGUST 14, 1986; C.C.Fe
Chooses Dr, L, Telford for Bur
rard, DEC, 31, 1936; British M.P.

Tells of FascistTerrors inSpaile —

Peoples Advocate, APRIL 23:

1937: Bruce Ewen Tells of Inter=

national Brigades in Letter from
Spain, JULY 23, 1937; City Vet
erans Plan‘'Demonstratio™
Families Facing Starvation, OC“
TOBER, 1937; Communists Ure

Embargo on Arms to Fascists 2

Spain, MAY 6, 1938: Jobless Will
Parade Again on Sunday, SEP?:
1989: World War, Destroy Fas”
cism — McKean, JANUARY 26;

1940: Must Fight Blackout %

Civil Liberties—Morgan,

Tam sure that if George Dray~

ton was alive today, he wou:
rejoice at socialist progress 0
a world scale, Progress mad
possible by the thousands of men
like himself and the worker?

press which they helped to puild.

April 30, 1965—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page

which assures peace; —

1936:

/