_ of the most respected leaders of the CCF. 3 e : steel plant and every steel union local! CiiCw pe HAT AN 7. We iin iff ANY TRIS UIN 1 niecovetttltaesetltarinsie Athiunenuienll the FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1950 CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE Save the unions- - Fight the raiders trained raiders let loose the most revolting “‘drive’”’ in the history of the Canadian labor movement. There is nothing so low in the annals of labor history here. They trampled on the needs of the unorganized steel workers, on the need for unity in the coming negotiations in steel, on the need for labor unity to defeat the plans of big business to throw the burden of the crisis on the backs of the workers. Away with all that! Millard prefers raiding the 12,000-member local of nickel miners in Sudbury © and the powerful metal miners union in Trail and Kimberley, B.C. It’s grotesque, yes, but true. It’s shameful, but it happened. m - Honest workers everywhere swallowed hard when they heard of it. Decent men rubbed their eyes. But eyes began to glisten before long and fists clenched in anger. The movement against the barbarians began to get under way and it is rolling along with increasing tempo. (In New Toronto the raiders try to’save themselves by announcing that “George Burt. . . seconded the resolution that Mine-Mill’s former jurisdiction should be re-assigned to United Steel Workers . . .””) Mine-Mill members formed an unbreakable wall against the wretched raiders. Steel workers begin to ask if that’s what their dues were raised for and why their money and organizers aren’t used to organ- ize the unorganized steel workers. Coal miners spit in disgust and ask that something be done about this thing. Auto workers who voted against splitting before ask, “What the h—— is going on?” And many CCF’ers, seeing how their official leaders were involved in this repulsive thing over their necks, began to cry halt. Aside from what the Mine-Mill membership is doing and aside from the deep stirrings in most other unions the following very significant events happened last week. = Silby Barrett, Canadian director of the United Mine Workers’ District 50, publicly announced that he is opposed to Millard’s raiding of Mine-Mill. Barrett is also a member of the CCL executive. In B.C., Rot ub the CCF members among Mine-Mill leaders are in the trenches fighting Millard’s raiders but the CCF clubs of the mining district openly came out against the raiding. In. Hamilton a trade union conference for unity was attended by about 250 rank-and-file union leaders of all CCL unions in that indust- rial city. The conference was addressed by ex-Mayor Sam Lawrence, a veteran of the union and socialist movements in the country and one ’ Thus is the tide of resistance to the raiders rising. It is a grass-roots movement. It is the spirit of the rank-and-file. But it is still in its forma- tive stage. It is only beginning to gain momentum. You can increase and exten this momentum. e Carry the battle for unity, the fight against the raider, into every , Rally the auto workers for the struggle against the union busters! Line up the rubber, packing and CBRE members for the defense -of the union movement! Join hands with all who stand for mee against raiding and for decency and democracy in the union ranks. All honest CCF members and their supporters will join this fight. Go and talk to them. Act and act now. Start at your place of work and in your, union. Z WILL SPEAK IN CITY Father Duffy coming to B.C. Bey. Father Clarence Duffy, the Catholic priest whose peace meetings have packed halis in Toronto, Montreal, Windsor, Ham- ilton, Ottawa, Welland, Port Arthur and Winnipeg during Jan- uary and February, will visit British Columbia in the near future and address a public peace rally in Vancouver. Father Duffy, whose Canadian tour is under the sponsorship of the Canadian Peace Congress, is an outspoken opponent of the Marshall plan and the Atlantic pact, and a leading Catholic _ figure in the fight for peace. . Of himself, Father Duffy says: “I am a priest of the Roman Catholic church. I am a United States citizen by birth. With the - exception of the time spent in three visits to Ireland, I have been in the United States since then, I am here with the written permission of my bishop (in Ireland). I am a priest in good standing and intend, with the help of God, to retain that good - sticking with the built, Mine-Mill. Mine-Mill beating Millard’s raiders Trail smelter workers, uniting solidly behind the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Work- ers, are winning their battle against the Steel raiders, but Charlie Millard’s henchmen, sent into Trail to do a wrecking job, continue to pour thousands of dollars of union funds into their union-busting operation. Mine-Mill delegates to the union’s national conference held here this week, turned thumbs down Seaman relates how vessel ran Chiang blockade The thrilling story of how a Canadian freighter, SS Lake Canim, ran the Kuomintang blackade and delivered a cargo at Tsingtao, 350 miles north of Shanghai on the Chinese coast, was described this week by Jack Neese, a crew member, on the ship’s return to Vancouver. Neese’s story of how Chiang Kai-shek’s warships thrice prevented the Canadian vessel from reaching Shanghai, but failed to prevent it on Steel’s bid to seize control of mine and smelter workers in ‘Canada and voted solidly to stick by the union which has won wage gains and better conditions for them in the past. Delegates accused Canadian Congress of Labor of “riding roughshod over rights belonging to members of various national and international unions” and stated that the only issue at stake in the present situation is “the right of our membership to, goy- ern itself.” A policy statement adopted by the conference declared: ‘We were expelled from the CIO-CCL because our membership is not willing to accept without question the decisions, policy and program which CCL and CIO officers chose to impose on our organization.” International president John Clarke of Chicago addressed the conference and paid tribute to the staunch stand taken by Trail members which has succeeded in defeating the splitters. Mine-Mill will seek new wage gains in 1950 negotiations with B.C. employers, the conference decided. Recommendations will be submitted to local unions for approval before opening talks with managements. Two Mine-Mill delegates were elected to attend the Mexican miners’ convention in City this Spring. Mexico The Trail Times this week car- ried a CP story, datelined Wash- ington, quoting Silby Barrett, Canadian director of the United . Mine Workers of America, as say- ing, “The UMW is opposed to raiding by the steel workers.” Two former officers of Local 480, members of the “runaway executive,” were instructed to re- turn to their employment with the Consolidated by Mine-Mill international representative John Gordon. The men were formerly on leave of absence from the com- pany while employed at union headquarters. When they bolted to Steel, two new provisional of- ficers of Mine-Mill local 480, pre- sident Albert King and secretary J. A. MacDonald, were granted leave of absence by the company to administer the affairs of the legitimate union. | United Steel Workers’ boss Charlie Millard, who paid the CCL $50,000 for raiding rights against Mine-Mill, must be wringing his hands in Toronto. More thou- sands of dollars have been spent in Trail, but the workers have re- jected Steel’s advances and are’ union they from completing its mission, was told in these words to a Pacific Tribune reporter: “At Hong Kong we loaded a general cargo — wire, paper, die- sel oil, dyes, oil — and on Decem- ber 8 started for Shanghai. A few miles from the mouth of the Yangtse we were stopped by a British destroyer, which promised to escort us to the three-mile limit in the morning. There we mét a British frigate, and received this message, “We'll protect you out- side the three-mile limit — but inside you’re on-your own.’ They also told us that a Kuomintang gunboat was lying on the left side of the channel. “Three other freighters,’ all British or Hong Kong registry, were waiting to goin. It turned out to be a foggy morning. One ship started in and we followed, going hell-bent-for-election. As the fog lifted we were spotted. The gunboat stopped the other ship, then steamed toward us and fired a warning shot across our bow and another astern. We were forced to turn to.” “Next night we tried again, went in too far to the right, and struck a sandbank. Just as we were pulling off the gunboat turn- ed up alongside, threw a powerful searchlight on us. Our ship, of course had blacked out for the run, Again we had failed. “Our third attempt was made in rough weather on December 21, but the gunboat’s searchlights flooded the channel, and once again we were turned back. With more Kuomintang destroyers coming up, it was apparent that we would not be able to run the gauntlet. “On Christmas day we received orders to go to Tsingtao, upcoast, in the province of Shantung. This time we got through okay. One British ship, the Alpha Aorangie, was there ahead of us, “We unloaded our cargo and took on a small cargo of eggs, cabbage, etc. Finally the captain Save us shore leave. tary police, customs and jimmi- _ gration were keeping a sharp lookout for Kuomintang and for- eign spies, but we had no trouble. tik Gites i “Tsingtao is a city larger than Vancouver. The Chinese are big- ger and huskier than in the south. We found them a very friendly people and there was no doubt about their enthusiasm for the © new government. On New Year’s Day the workers held a huge pa- rade, carrying People’s Republic The mili-’ TRAIL, B.C. red flags and portraits of Mao Tse-tung and other communist leaders. The streets were jam- med with people, celebrating their victory over the hated Chiang Kai-shek. “The only Chiang supporter we met was the American con- sul. He called a bunch of the seamen into his office and, told us that under the new govern- ment ‘people will soon be starv- ing. This didn’t impress us much, as we saw plenty of food everywhere. Trade unions were growing and the Chinese dockerg who unload- ed our cargo were working an. 8-hour day. Later I learned that ~ the American consul took a fast boat home, shortly after we left.” Jack Neese was full of stories about the eight-month voyage of the Lake Canim. Since leaving Nanaimo on July 7 it had visited England, Holland, Spain, Gibral- tar, Egypt and Japan. While tied up at Gijon the Canadian seamen had a glimpse of the suffering of working people under the fascist Franco regime. “Entering the harbor, we acci-- dentally rammed the Spanish ship Urabitarte,” said Neese. “Af- ter loading our cargo of fluorspar, the ship and crew were held in | custody for six days and could not sail until a $25,000 bond was posted by the company. “We ran smack into the ugly face of fascism as soon as we Stepped ashore. Day and night, armed hoodlums in the uniform of Franco’s army roamed the streets, all packing rifles, One officious Spanish officer boarded our shiP and demanded to be fed. ‘I am a captain,’ he boasted. ‘I don’t care if you’re Franco,’ said our chief steward, ‘you won’t get fed here.” And he wasn’t. “I went into a barber shop to get a haircut. A few workers were sitting around. One offer- ed me $200 if I would help him stow away and escape from ‘Spain. ‘You don’t seem to think much of Franco, I said. He looked at me, slowly drew his hand across his throat and spat out, ‘Franco! N’a!) Everyone modded and made the same throat-slitting gesture. “It was obvious that the Spal ‘ish people are very poor. Sea men work for as little as $7.50 # month, The workers have a deeP hatred for Franco, It is so wide Spread that they are not afraid to express their feelings openlY when in the company of othe workers. Franco is obviously sit — ting on a smoking volcano.” PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FEBRUARY 24, 1950—PAGE