Ten percent of profits
go for workers’ health

PRAGUE—Ten percent of the profits of all industrial
enterprises, both nationalized and privately-owned, will from
now on be paid to a central fund governed by the Central

Council of Czechoslovak Trade Unions.

The money cannot be- used for
organizational purposes but will be
devoted exclusively - to establish-
ment and maintenance of social,

health and cultural institutions for
the benefit of workers.

These decisions are contained in
a new interpretation of the July 21
amendment to the works council’s
law, transferring the 10 percent
profit from individual works coun-
cils to the central labor federation
fund.

Chief reason for the change is
that raw material industries, con-
stituting the most concentrated
and physically strenuous sectors of
employment, showed poor profits
owing to strict controls and heavy
demands for investment, while lux-
ury industries showed huge pro-
fits. At the same time, the need for
social and health protection was
much more acute in the former
than in the latter.

Coalition
hides take

The Coalition government knows
now how much it is collecting with
the sales tax—most unpopular levy:
in B.C. history.

But it isn’t letting the cat out
of the bag. The tabulations gwould

reveal that the people are being’:
gouged to double the extent ad-|

mitted by Finance Minister Ans-
comb during the last session of the
Legislature.

Anscomb estimated the sales tax}

would yield $12,000,000 annually.

The Pacific Tribune stated that
between $20,000,000 and $30,000,000
would be a more likely figure.

Fact that the government, which
now has returns from all retailers,
is keeping secret the July-August
take bears out the Pacific Tribune’s
contention.

for the benefit of our readers.
Wwret is your next club meet-
ing going to take up? What
kind of meeting will it be, in all
_ likelihood? How is our own
work related to the activity of
the club as‘a whole? Is the work

By STANLEY. RYERSON

National Organizer, Labor-Progressive Party

In view of the widespread interest shown by many readers in the LPP organization materials
in the Toronto Tribune by Stanley Ryerson, the Pacific Tribune has decided to reproduce these
Beginning with this issue these articles will appear weekly.

that each item in it, in one form
or another, is drawn from life.

What is wrong with a club
that suffers from some or all of
such deficiencies? :

The LPP column
A plan of work

the meaning of communism—
of what it is to be a Communist.
The idea of the Party as the
“vanguard”’—the organization of
“all the best elements of the

LPP national organizer,

in
September 19 at 8 p.m.

JOSEPH GERSHMAN

Noted Jewish leader
back from Palestine

Just back from a tour of Palestine, Joseph Gershman,
editor of the Canadian Jewish Weekly newspaper and
will address a public meeting
Vancouver at the Pender Auditorium on Sunday,

Mr. Gershman attended the
second World Jewish Congress
in Montreaux, Switzerland, in
June as an observer, and was
a delegate to the Jewish Cul-
tural Congress in Paris,

During his visit to. Palestine
Mr. Gershman visited numerous
battle fronts and also met with
many prominent government
and army leaders. He has a
vivid story to tell of the re-
construction of Europe and the
struggles of the Jewish people,
ooth in Europe, and for sover-
eignity in the new state of
{srael. The public are cordially
invited to attend and hear first-
hand information on those
issues which are vital to world
reace.

«| Lifting beef embargo

swells packer profits

The executive of the Alberta Farmers’ Union, meeting.

working class, their experience,
their revolutionary spirit, their
selfless devotion to the cause of
the proletariat’—this idea is be-
ving put into practice only when
the best possible work is being
done by every comrade and by
the organization as a whole.

Communist consciousness can-
not come from practical work
alone, Practice must be enlight-
ened by an ever-growing grasp
of theory. For this reason, neg-
lect of. the education of the’*
membership in the club is ac-
tually denial.in practice of the
principle of the Party as van-
guard: denial of the fact that
this role of vanguard derives
from the Party’s theory—the
science of Marxism-Leninism—

in Edmonton August 27, reiterated its stand for a National
Livestock Marketing Board for the purpose of marketing
cattle in Canada and the United States, since the Dominion
government lifted the embargo on
livestock entering the U.S. The
statement was issued by R. J.
Boultillier, secretary-treasurer, The
executive believes “that the econ-
omy of this country must be stabil-
ized, as agriculture cannot carry
on under an unstabilized economy.
Livestock entering the United
States market will increase prices
to the producer, and .consequently
will increase the prices also to

“Obviously, the answer can
only be got from a study of the
collective and individual work
of the club members, and the
relation of this to the work of
the committees under _ whose
leadership it finds itself, and to
the field or work (shop or ter-
ritory} for which the club is
responsible,

Such a study should be made
in every club in the next few
months, prior to our coming
National Convention.

e

Generally, it seems to me that
two main things are involved in
this problem:

Party consciousness; and

Political planning (including,

_ of course, execution and check-

of the club satisfactory? If it
isn’t, why isn’t it?
Taking these questions as a
_ starter, let’s give some thought
to an angle of our work which
badly needs it. Imagine this
kind of meeting (in some cases
the imagination won’t be strain-
2d very much): ;
‘ You arrive at the meeting (a
_ bit late, and why not, do the oth-
ers come on time?) not having
any clear idea of what'll be
taken up, because there isn’t
any very clear continuity from
one meeting to the next. Or if
' there is continuity, it’s only in
the sameness, in the overloaded
_ agenda (drives, tickets, etc) and
the undernourished political
content of it.

would receive more equitable. re-
turns for his livestock marketed
through this source.

“The executive states that the
farmers. are willing to do their
share but they are not willing to |
bear all the burden of cheap food
as they have done in the past. Sta-
tistics show that in 1945, 61,881
Alberta farmers, or 69.1 percent of
the farmers, had a gross income
the consumer in Canada, from 15¢' of less than $2,500 each. The exe-
to 20c a Ib.” cutive wishes to point out that

“The executive feels that “the the Dominion Bureau of Statistics
only solution to this problem, at} | also shows that the farmer's cost of
the present time, is to set up a'production has risen even higher
National Livestock Marketing than the urban cost of living in-
Board to handle all livestock mar-j} dex,
keted in Canada, this Board to| “We must have an adequate ex-
maintain the price level for meat}|port market for our beef because

up!), fused with and illuminating all
The meeting finally starts - [Let's consider these, taken to- practical activity. baracet prevailing prior to the| we cannot consume all that is pro-
fate, since the others were Sick re j ‘lifting of the embargo, and narrow-; duced in Canada. It is noted by
8 comrade in an Alberta farm ing the spread between producer |statistics that on August 1 there

waiting for you) and there are
a lot of items of business, com-
munications, directives, etc.

_ Simce the club executive didn’t
get around to meeting, nothing
has been prepared in the way of
suggestions regarding each item,
so it all has to start from
scratch.

| Overlooked is the fact that a

new member is present, attend-

Dealing with the application
of Party policy, Lenin in What
Is to Be Done (Ch. II) speaks
of “a systematic plan of activ-
ity, enlightened by firm prin-
ciples, and unswervingly carried
out.”

A systematic plan: Without
this, the club will lack the con-
fidence and sense of direction
that are essential to good work.

community writes that “the at-
titude of some of our Party
members is disheartening,” and
that he attempts vainly to “ex-
plain to the fellows here that it
is necessary to take a more ac-
tive part in the struggle against
reaction today.” .

The problem here isn’t simply
one of criticizing them, It’s one
of enthusing them with the fight

and consumer prices, which would
prevent the upsetting of our en-
tire economy. By this method,
sufficient meat would be kept on
hand and made available to the
,consuming public at former price
levels, and the surplus could be
exported. The increased price
received from the- export sales
should be placed in a pool which
the Livestock Marketing Board
would distribute back to the in-
dividual shipper pro rata. In this

were 18,975,093 lbs. of beef in stor-

age, and the total holding for veal,

6,422,180 lbs, making a total of ;

24,399,273 Ibs. which is 4.4 million «

more lbs. of beef products in stor- :

age than at this time a year ago.
“Since the price has gone up

to the consumer, with the Ex-

cess Profit Tax being removed,

the farmers will not get one cent

more for beef held in storage,

but the Packers will reap the

for

ing her first meeting. Since no-
body is particularly responsible
for seeing that it’s done, this
comrade isn’t introduced or
made to feel at home. Her pres-
ence may be mentioned (if it’s
thought of) by the chairman—
but that’s all.

After struggling through the
business part of the agenda, it
turns out that it’s ten to eleven,
so the educational will have to

be dispensed with (to the relief right of democratic discussion, in life, in the struggle of the
of the comrade who wasn’t real- oe again (for an opposite rea~ working people. And the prin- re Sa Se rel at ae PESTER
ly ready to present it, anyway, son) the club is prevented from ciples, policies and plans of —The State NOW AT
and the literature director doing its best work. _ Communists can only be carried —Marxism and Unions
hadn’t brought the pamphlets. Enlightened by firm prin- out with “a strong organization, -aebidese : 209 - 211
that were needed for it). ciples: ‘This is the question of tested in the political struggle L 2 Siesicegean i
Adjournment, amid general Communist consciousness and carried om under all circum- [. Writing for the Labor, Press SHELLY BLDG.
- exhaustion. understanding. The degree of stances and in all periods.” iL —Elements of Marxism ;
e devotion and sense of responsi- (Lenin). The vanguard becomes = _ ; : — $
Is that a caricature of a club bility displayed by every mem- that in action, in leadership of [/ eins: ES oh eet saat pret
meeting? ber is directly proportionate to the struggle. Only thus can our —Political Economy c 0 2
It is—and it isn’t, in the sense his or her grasp in practice of Party grow. —Posters and Publicity’ (Courses run from September 24 Z
: to November 8) Z
cA cee ee INA

The general directives and pro-
posals of the leading Party com-:
mittees have to be translated
into concrete, practical, feasible
objectives for each club. If the
club executive fails to initiate
this process, the club meeting as
a whole is handicapped. If on
the other hand the executive
tries to take upon itself the
making of all decisions in ad-
vance, usurping the members’

understanding of what’s
happening in the world and in
Canada, and of what needs to
be done. It’s a matter of
strengthening Party education—
both theoretical and practical
in terms of their experience,
and in relation to the tasks that
face us.

‘Unswervingly carried out: A
plan, a policy or a principle is,
meaningless if it isn’t fulfilled

way, the price to the consumer
would be held and the producer

Sc Ce

FALL TERM ANNOUNCEMENT 7

Marxist Classroom

benefit just as they did on butter,
and the little man as usual, still
carries the burden.”

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPTEMBER 17, 191s—PA