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He remembers when...

J. C. COE, Courtenay, B.C.:
I enjoy your sports page. I
sure like the story of the
Jeffries-Johnson fight back in
1910, for I went 200 miles to
see that fight.

In those days I was a hard
rock miner, a member of the
Western Federation of Miners.

The first time I ever saw
old John L. Sullivan was about
1882, when I was a kid in
Philadelphia. He was sure a
fine looking man, with a big,
black moustache. I was ped-
dling papers and all us news
kids were tagging after him.
The next time was at the Jef-
fries-Johnson fight in Reno
and John L. was fat, with a
big tummy. After the fight he
said: :

“Jack Johnson is the slickest
and best fighter who ever
crawled between the _ ropes.
Peter Jackson never had -any-
thing on him.”

I saw Bob Fitzsimmons, Sam
Langford, Jim Corbett, Abe
Attell and Battling Nelson, and
wrestlers like Frank Gotch and
Farmer Burns.

Here is one thing you didn’t
print in your story of the Jef-
fries-Johnson fight.’ After the
fight we cut up the ring ropes
—64 feet of two-inch rope; two
strands made it 128 feet. We
got our knives out and I grab-
bed a fistfull. In a few seconds
the rope was all cut up, and

all I got was. five inches of it. -

Canadians in USSR

ALEX KUCHER, Palace Hotel,
Prague: I was one of seven
lucky Canadians who were in-
vited to visit the Soviet Union
following the Fifth World
Youth Festival in Warsaw this
summer. :

We were guests of the anti-
fascist committee in Moscow,

and in the two weeks of our-

tour our request to see various
aspects of life in the USSR has
been fulfilled.

We visited factories, farms,

schools, museums and met peo-
ple from various walks of life.

The city of Moscow is a beauti-
ful sight to see, with its wide
streets, lined with trees along
the sidewalks. Many buildings
may be seen in various stages
of construction. By the end of
the year 250,000 more Musco-
vites will be moving into new
apartments (Penny Wise, take

note) and by 1957 new hotels
will be completed, awaiting the
arrival of thousands of youth
from many countries, who will
participate in the Sixth World
Youth Festival in Moscow. A
stadium with a capacity of
120,000 is now under construc-
tion. It is being built near the
Lomonosov University and will
be ‘used during the festival.

Those young Canadians who
would like to learn more about
the USSR, free from the distor-
tions one reads in the daily
papers, should start saving
their money now to make the
festival trip. It will be a great
experience.

The people of the Soviet
Union are warm and friendly,
eager to help you in any way.

Thanks for donations

J.B., New Westminster, $2; E.
E.,, New Westminster, $2; J-H.,
United States, $1; Friend, Kim-
berley, $1; E.H., Vancouver, $1;
H.J., Wildwood Heights, $2; P.M.,
Vancouver, $2; J.B., Burnaby, $1;
W.G.B., Langford, $2; 0.A., Kaslo,
$}; C.A., Vancouver, $1;

J.Z., Vancouver, 40c; S.A., Van-
couver, $5; 'B.C.T., New West
minster, $5; B.M., Yukon, $5;
J.H.H., Port Alberni, 30c; F.G.,
Abbotsford, $2; E.H.S., Cedar,
$2; W.K.F., Courtenay, $2; C.M.,
Campbell River, 40c; D.R., Zebal-
los, $2;

G.H., Kamloops, $1; G.K.,
Mount Sheer, $3; J.C., Vancou-
ver,.. $2; .A.K., .Wancouver,.. $5;
M.J.E., Prince Rupert, $47; P.O.,
New.. Westminster,.. 40c;.. A
Vancouver, $10; M.L., Vancouver,
$1; L.O., Fernie, $1; P.T.S., Van-
couver’, $1.74.

-H.,

By ALF DEWHURST

B.C. labor votes to throw out
cold war policies of disunity

po the outcome of the just
concluded B.C. Trade Union
Congress (AFL-TLC) represent
the fruits of “intrigue and
manouevring by self-styled
‘progressives’ and mishandling
convention business by right-
wingers” as claimed by Dan
Illingworth writing in the Van-
couver Province on October 3.
Or must:the serious student of
trade union ‘affairs look a little
deeper for an explanation of
the causes which brought about
unseating of former secretary
R. K. Gervin and election of a

_progressive slate of officers and

executive members.

Working class patriotism and
democracy formed the solid
foundation upon which rested
the victory of the progressive
forces in the election of offi-
cers and the policies adopted
by the congress. These two
great attributes, characteristic
of British Columbia’s. working
class, were reflected in the
many resolutions from the 110
affiliated local unions, ~-in the
report on. natural resources
presented by John Haywood,
subsequently elected congress,
secretary, and in the majority
of speeches made by delegates.

The merger of the Trades and
Labor Congress and Canadian
Congress of Labor and _ the
future development . of this
province dominated, convention
discussions. It is significant to
note that practically all dele-
gates, including TLC president
Claude Jodoin, expressed warm
support for the natural resources
brief and congratulated its
authors. The outstanding op-
ponent of the public ownership
proposals of power contained in
the brief was Eb. King of the
BCER Office Employees Union.

The brief adopted by the
convention calls for ownership
and control of provincial nat-

“ ural gas and hydro power to

be vested in public hands
through the B.C. Power Com-
mission for the purposes of serv-

-

ing Canada first and against
U.S. domination.
xt x $e

It was during discussion and
voting on resolutions pertain-
ing to the merger that the ex-
ponents of U.S. control and
domination were ,forced to tip
their hands.

On one hand was the great
desire of the rank-and-file
trade unionists for all-inclusive
democratic unity expressed
through resolutions from the
locals and the majority of del-
egates. On the other stood the
right-wing officials and their
following (in some cases hand-
picked) championing U.S.-
dictated merger proposals
which would continue division
in the trade union movement
on the basis of .thought-control
purges, undermine democratic
procedures and tighten top bur-
eaucratic control.

The right-wing leadership
was determined to defeat the
desire of the majority of del-
egates to place rank-and-file
demands for all-inclusive unity
on the agenda of the founding
convention of Canada’s new
trade union centre. According

-to Dan Illingworth, the right-

wingers blamed their defeat on
mistimed
unity resolutions.

Ulingworth quotes Gervin as
stating: “One was brought in
as a first item. The feeling of
the convention should have been
tested first, then the resolution
brought in at a better time.”

He then goes on to say that
the right wing was saved by
a technicality with the first
resolution. But on the second
one he quotes William Black,
resolutions committee  chair-
man, as saying, “I left it to
last thinking it would be ruled
out of order like the other one.
Then we found it was worded
differently and was
tutionally correct.”

Did someone ‘say something
about intrigue and manouever-
ing ?

be bo a :
The fact is the right wing

introduction of the .

consti-:

used every trick its leadership
knew in a vain attempt to con-
fuse the delegates and prevent
passage of the resolutions for

all-inclusive unity.

Votes were miscounted and
only corrected by, 2 challenge
from the floor. The seco?
resolution was held back B
order to defeat it in the pti
minutes of the convention. a
this manoeuvre failed bene
the majority sentiment was n
to be denied. :

The right wing leaders?
was unseated because it, re
sented a bankrupt policy as
stood for continuing cold f
policies when the hearisaa
working people every’ fhe
have been warmed byes
Geneva. Conference.

The progressive coaliti™
which emerged from the Baris
vention won because. it ey,

world.

sented what is new in the «ive
The emergence of 2 progres’ af
coalition represents @ ee aif

recognition that hones

Tite pe
ferences of opinion © ided
satisfactorily resolved pro ists

the will to resolve them ©

ites €
Rank-and-file unionists hey
demanding that the Wr").
class stand united

fresh . ‘attacks
organizations,
conditions and ; ople
standards. The working peney
are going to insist that 5 ob
benefit from new met
production; that our ©” a1.
develop as a first class 3 de-
trial nation in the Wey 3 ugh
termined by Canadians thr

the democratic process.

and
Trade union leadet® ho
rank-and-file | members triotiC
base themselves of will

and democratic policies the
serve the best interes patio?
working class and the 4 pro”
It is the road to unity 20° els
gress. It is the road to ©

victory. ee

ber when ae

ago,

_..the main street of Ladysmith looked like this and
and buggies rattled over its rutted surface. That
when Ladysmith was a stronghold of the United Mine
and the old Socialist Party of Canada,
Socialists to the legislature. Those were the years 0} | a
culminated in the historic Vancouver Island coal strike, | tion whit
working people of Ladysmith were establishing a labo u ; es

remains their pride to this day.

enti
was workers
to elect
consistently helping tpati

wae

¢ strug!’ “the

r trad

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — OCTOBER 7,

poe

1955 —