Pasmrareitriit

| iy

PACIFIC TRIBUNE SUPPLEMENT—FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 1975—Page 6

Gm “
CR oe

: Ballantyne

By FRED WILSON

“We might as well settle this
today,’’ Chief of Police W. Foster
thought to himself as he stood
silent on the gently curving road to
Ballantyne Pier. He would not
have to wait long.

A few more minutes passed as he
was joined by about five others.
Three of them were Mounties
dressed in their red tunics. Small
groups of newspapermen and
onlookers assembled along the
roadside.

It was about a quarter past one in
the afternoon, Tuesday, June 18,
1935, when the first voices could be
heard. A chorus of men’s voices
singing old war songs. It grew
louder as they marched ‘down
Heatley Avenue to Vancouver’s

waterfront.

As the parade crossed Alexander
Street it came into full view. They
numbered in the thousands — five
thousand according to the Van-
couver Sun. At their head waved a
Union Jack and marching beside
it, leading the massive procession,
was Mickey O’Rourke. The Vic-
toria Cross that he won during the
First World War hung over his
shoulder.

They were longshoremen. They
had been on strike for two weeks
since their employers, the Shipping
Federation had, on June 4,
declared the collective agreement
at an end, locking them out.

Across Alexander Street they.
came, heading toward the railroad
tracks that crossed the road. With
them were seamen,  lum-
berworkers and others who worked
on the waterfront. The Longshore

- Women’s Auxiliary walked with

the union men as one.

The mission was to talk to the
scabs on the pier, to reason with
them and call them out on to the
picket lines. And as important,
they wanted to assert the right of
entry to the waterfront so that

_pickets could be placed on the

docks. With this right denied by
armed police at strategic points,
the strike was suffering.

As the strikers approached,
Foster led a delegation over the
tracks to meet them. Well placed
boxcars partially hid from view the
battalion of police behind. Some
words were exchanged. The men
affirmed their determination to
carry on.

Suddenly, a shell fired into the
column of strikers . . .and another.
O’Rourke put a handkerchief to his
eyes as the tear gas fumes
descended on him.

The crowd pushed forward,
knocking two Mounties to the
ground. Then from behind the
boxcars the horses charged,
mounted policemen swinging clubs
viciously. The charge continued
through the centre of the column.

It was the war veterans in the
front lines that were hit first and
hardest. Many were trampled
under the galloping hoofs. The
“Cossacks,”’ as the B.C. Workers
News labelled them, rode up the
dirt street cracking skulls with
batons. The column of strikers
broke ranks and fled in every
direction. Police cars were by then
screaming down Heatley toward
Ballantyne. Shotguns, blasted
from the windows of the cars,
felled men as they ran from the
scene. Police on foot followed up to
complete the operation.

roadway had been cleared. BU

M

. rt
In a matter’ of minutes 1
‘

C

bloodletting went on for more tt
four hours. As pockets of strike?
went in different directions J
were chased and clubbed 9°) |
The horses continued the ra iB
along Alexander Street, and ¢
Heatley Avenue on to the Vella
dahs of homes, trampling ms y
women and children — an u
swinging the bloody sticks. ne
“An orgy of sadism” the B:
Workers News said. Two YO) )
suffered gun wounds. Scores i
were hospitalized. The Wome |
Auxiliary set up a first aid stall)
at the union hall, about five blO)
away. Even there tear gas bom) 5
were hurled through the wind0™) ¢
The gassing and fighting W°) 4
unrelenting. Raids were made].
homes in the area and bombs ©),
through windows of tenem’
buildings. Until about five old)
it continued. Before it was °

some vengeance had been reaP")
The Sun reported nine policem} ,
hospital. a

Itis remembered as the Battle) ,
Ballantyne Pier. It was truly 4 J b
Vancouver Province commenl® k
“the bloodiest hours in waterf!)
history.” a

No one really expected "y
savagery of the attack. No 4 "
except for © the Shipp!
Federation, the police and Mav,
Gerry McGeer. The longshore™
were set up at Ballantyne, 2)
bushed. It was not for some & jy
until the men, and their Jeadef b
acquired a clear picture of ir
much larger ambush — the Mb
strike itself. Ac

“Vancouver - will no loné a
tolerate communist agitators ™) y
incite to riot,’”’ railed McGeer. q r
mayor ordered the arrest of I
Emery, president of h:
Longshoremen and Water Ti) q
sport Workers, on charges of Jy
citing to riot. Emery was arre5’) —
by noon on Wednesday, Juné | R
McGeer boasted to the VancoU
Sun, “Communism has not t*}¢
control of Canada yet.”

The well-orchestrated mop
brought in 24 men. Oscar Salo#
business agent for the Vancol
and District Waterfront work?
Association, also arrested

ILLUSTRATIONS
By BARRY KOOTCHI

alleged “inciting to riot,’ gal”
release on $3,000 bail, arrange
the Canadian Labor Defely
League. The CLDL secured ©),
release of all those arrested, %)),
cepting Emery who remaine
Oakalla prison until set free fy,
$5,000 bail on June 25. Thott t
Nelson, district secretary of
CLDL, was himself arrested for! n
efforts in arranging bail and lef \
defense. q
On June 20, McGeer bantl
picketing on the waterfront. “tt 7
city will not grant relief to st
families,’’ he declared, “‘this wo" ¢,
only be subsidizing revolution
activity.” ;
Beaten up, their lead@™
arrested,.and then outlawed 4]
starved, the strikers remall),
solid. A massive unity confere! ¢
at the Orange Hall in Vancou" }
hosted delegates from 30 uni0),
The conference pledged ‘‘fls
financial and moral. suppol
Strike bulletins were issued da)
|