25 years ago... MOST COMMUNISTS IN ITALY ARE CATHOLICS Replying to questions put by members of the Foreign Press Association, Palmiro Togliatti, leader of the Communist Party of Italy declared: “The over- - whelming majority of Italian Communists are Catholics. This shows that whatever the church may _say, no fundamental in- compatibility exist between communism and catholicism. The incompatibility exists only between communism and reac- tionary clericalism. We Com- munists have done nothing against religion in Italy but nevertheless we have been ex- communicated. The Italian people are not slow, however, to realize that the excommunica- tion was motivated not by religi- ous but by social and economic . 50 years ago... NO FRATERNIZING WITH KING GEORGE The labor councillors of Glas- gow hold by their refusal to raternize with King George on the occasion of his visit to the city “to dedicate the Clyde Bridge.” The Labor Councillors object to the extravagant expenditures and ceremonies in connection with this royal visit while work- ing class children are‘ going hungry, while workers live in hovels and the Baldwin gov- ernment is pushing through a bill to smash the trade union movement. Apparently these councillors have more working-class spunk than their monarchist par- liamentary leader, Ramsay Macdonald, who declared that the Labor Government would not disturb the old institution of considerations. the monarchy “which has sur- vived for so long.” The Tribune The Worker May 9, 1952 May 5, 1927 NEW FAR NORTH AIRCRAFT - PHOTO —TASS began Its first long distance Northem oil and gas | dump trucks. The new Soviet transport plane IL-76 put into service recently producing Nadym in Western Siberia. It Is pictured above taking on a load of with urgent cargo aboard to cities of Nizhnevartovsk: and PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 13, 1977—Page 4 EDMORIAL COMMENT Labor unity gains leverage — The working-class struggle in Canada gained some new leverage on May Day 1977. The fight for jobs, affordable housing, stable prices, an end to wage controls, and for.a world free of the bur- dening and anti-human arms race was strengthened. we Canadian labor, as it more-widely rec- ognizes May Day — not a day of class collaboration — but a day of worker sof- idarity and struggle — bolsters the srugele against monopoly rule over our ives. oe Worker unity is closely linked-to a growing awareness that it is indeed a class struggle workers across Canada and around the world together must carry on. In Canada, examples of unity be- tween French and English-speaking workers, must help in advancing the call for a new Canadian constitution based on the equal rights of our two nations. May Day this year helped to focus the diverse elements of the workers’ struggle where they should be, on the monopoly ruling class: Such experiences — so far too few and with too limited participation — once their potential is seized upon by Cana- dian workers in their millions, can lead to actions to shake the exploiting system of monopoly capitalism, curb monopoly power, and win a steadily increasing - voice and’ impact for labor. For workers at various points in the political spectrum, from left to centre, unity on minimal demands can exert in- creasing pressure on the monopolies and their governments. . fer rs A vast housing program — 400,000 units a year, the Communist Party urges — at prices workers can afford; a public works and vocational training program at trade union rates of pay; reduced taxes and hours of work— 30 at 40 hours pay; more trade with socialist countries; a 50% cutin the $3.5-million spent yearly on arms; and nationalization of key enterprises to ensure use of resources in Canada to provide jobs and to protect _ the jobs of employed workers — support _ of such proposals could bring mass labor action to change government policy, cut ‘the power of the monopolies, and Put Canada Back to Work. The spirit of unity which began to de- velop even if unevenly around this year’s May Day, must be carried forward and promoted throughout the labor move- ment to win the battles ahead. , The anti-labor ‘generals’ _ Like a gang of deranged generals the defenders of the government's mass un- employment policies are constantly br- inging up new reinforcements, trying new weapons. It matters little to them in their privileged posts that the policies they enforce ruin the lives and the means of living of millions of Canadians, and undermine the sovereignty of Canada. . The new round of assaults on workers’ . lives was led off by Finance Minister Donald Macdonald with his March 31 ; budget, devoid of any program to estab- lish jobs. We've said it before: this callous corporation man. should be thrown out in-a storm of labor protest. No better is the so-called Manpower and Immigration minister J. S.G. Cullen who is pushing through Bill C-27 to make impossible work demands on the unemployed before they can collect un- employment insurance benefits. His title _ should be Minister of Manslaughter and Intimidation. _. Workers who couldn’t find eight weeks work to qualify for benefits have no way of finding 10, 12 or 14 weeks -work under the new regional scheme. It’s one more way to soak the workers, soak the unemployed, serve the corpora-’ ‘tions — and its uses the added trick of trying to divide workers into antagonistic — _ groups. Cullen and Bill C-27 are both a _ disgrace. Joining in director-general of insurance policy for the Unemployment Insurance Commis- ‘ sion, who calls the jobless liars, and justi- fies the 40% slash in payments now being implemented. The majority of the un- employed “tear-jerking sob stories”, to use St. Laurent’s words, are found to be distorted, he told the press. How much _ longer? Workers, employed and unemployed demand. How much longer before we put to- gether the necessary working-class and | democratic force to compel changes in licy, to establish labor’s voice in decid- ing its own future? Ontario: Vote for jobs! — The Ontario Tories are asking work- ers to vote for 236,000 permanently unemployed. The Communist Party, with 30-35 candidates in the running, :calls on Ontario workers to vote Communist — ‘vote for jobs! Communists elected to Queen’s Park will make the Tories’ planned jobless- ness so hot an issue the whole labor movement will have a voice in the provincial parliament. William Stewart, Communist Party leader, in Ontario stresses the economy, the constitutional crisis, and the crisis of confidence in government as key issues in this election which is in many respects a battle between the labor and democra- . tic forces opposed by the power of monopoly capitalism. Workers won’t quickly forget Trea- surer. Darcy McKeough’s contemptuous proclamation that in the Tory Davis government's view, 5.3% jobless in On-- ' tario — upwards of 236,000 — is equal — ‘to full employment. That has plenty to do with the economy and the crisis of confidence in monopoly capitalism — Tory or Liberal. The meaningful slo- gans of this campaign are: Defeat the parties of Big business! Vote Communist! For a democratic majority: at Queen’s Park including Communists! is. ,:.E.. St... Laurent,