Union is first worry
of imprisoned CSU men

—-TORONTO

Though they are locked behind the steel bars of Kingston Penitentiary, thirteen young seamen re-

main enthusiastic unionists.

about their fellow seamen outside.
each is looking forward to rejoin-
ing other CSU members in the
fight to preserve Canadian free-
dom. They are all grateful for
efforts being made by scores of
labor and democratic groups to
win their immediate release.

This was the report brought
back to Toronto from Kingston
Penitentiary last -week by Mary
A. Endicott, wife of Rev. J. G.
Endicott.

Mrs. Endicott, who is convenor
the Canadian Congress of Women,
of the section on human rights,
obtained special permission from
the prison warden for a _ pre-
Christmas visit to the boys jailed
for union activity. “They were
delighted to learn that no one
had forgotten their plight and
that no effort was being spared in
their behalf,” she said.

“The first question the boys
asked me was: ‘How is the
union?’” Mrs. Endicott reported.
They were extremely pleased to
‘hear about the recent interview
with the Solicitor-General at
which Harry Davis, Senator
Arthur Roebuck, Rev. I. G. Per-
kins and Percy R. Bengough
urged the remission of their sen-
tences.

“I met all thirteen of the boys.
They were so pleased to hear what
I had to say about the’ activity
going on in their behalf that they
just stood there grinning at me.
I.-had met three of them previously,
when I helped obtain their bail.
They were in wonderful spirits.

“I met the whole group togéther.
They were in a special wire cage

in the. deputy warden’s office, and
I could talk to them from outside.
T am very glad that my visit also

In spite of the company persecution which resulted in their imprisonment,
their spirits are high. They are chiefly concerned with the welfare of their folks at home.

They worry

They are working hard, some are studying in the prison school and

proved of some service to the boys.
One lad asked me to check why
his parents hadn’t written and to
explain if necessary, why he was
in prison. Another had no parents
and I promised to get someone to
write to him. They were all eager
to have me write to their parents.
“They had all heard about Mike
Jackson’s sentence being raised to
three years. They expressed real
anxiety for Mike and hoped that a
further appeal would bring. better
results.
“The boys. are
selves pretty busy,” she said. “They
work from eight to four. After
that they are allowed some sport
activity. Some of the boys are
working stitching mail bags. One
is in the car repair shop. Two
are cooks. Two of them are also
going to the prison school and one
of them is preparing himself for
entry into college.

““They were all somewhat out
of touch with world affairs,” Mrs.
Endicott reported and added that
she spoke briefly about recent
events,

“They were pleased as could
be about the great advances
made by the Chinese people in
their own fight for democracy.
1 told them that some trade
union leaders whom I know per-
sonally had recently been freed
from Chinese prisons by the lib-
eration armies. They were very
glad to feel that they too were
part of the world-wide fight for
real democracy.

“My visit to these boys was a
thrilling and inspiring experience,”
she said.

keeping them-

Jobless demand works
|

program, more benefit

Vancouver unemployed packed the lower hall of: the Pender Audi-

torium Wednesday of last week to hear WIUC president Harold

Pritchett, Bill Stewart, president of the B.C. Federation of Labor, and
Minerva Miller of the LPP outline what should be done immediately

to cope with the alarming growth
of unemployment in the province.

The WIUC brief on unemploy-
ment, recently presented to the
provincial government dealt with
the prime causes of the present un-
employment, and suggested a num-
ber of ways in which Canada’s
markets could be restored in Bri-
tain and other European countries
through a system of barter ex-
change of goods and services. The.

loss of British and European mar-}

kets, resulting from the operation
of the Marshall Plan, with its
import-export American dollar
trade restrictions, has already
‘worked considerable havoc on a

whole number of Canadian indus-!

tries. Lumber export has been ex-
ceptionally hard hit.
The meeting unanimously adopt-

ed a resolution which pointed out,

that “a seriots unemployment

crisis is now facing this city, with
more’. than a hundred workers
weekly being cut off unemployed
insurance benefits,” and which even
when paid in full “4are inadequate

.to meet increased living costs.”

The resolution proposes that:

@ The Federal government
make a special grant to the un-
employment insurance fund, so
that (a) benefits can be drawn
as long as unemployment con-
tinues; (b) benefits to be increas-
ed by at least 50 percent.

@ That a works program be
launched immediately by the
Federal government to provide
full employment at trade union
wages.

Copies of the demands of the
unemployed meeting were forward-
ed to the Prime Minister and all
of Vancouver’s MP’s.

Union announced here.

tive board.

Deep sea men reject
wage cut, may strike

By TOM CARLSON

Demands by shipowners that Canadian deep-sea sailors accept
a $20 to $50 monthly wage cut are setting the stage for strike
action in both Ailantic and Pacific ports, the Canadian Seamen's
The CSU, affiliated to the Canadian
Trades and Labor Congress which unites AFL unions in Canada,
is demanding a 15 percent wage boost ‘instead of a cut.
: About 6,000 seamen on 150 ocean vessels will be affected
if the strike is called, CSU President Harry Davis’ said after

rejection of the wage cut had been endorsed by the union execu-

—TORONTO

Atlantic pact

rejected by
CCF youth

—TORONTO

The ‘ Ontario Council of the
CCYM (youth section of the
COF) last weekend rejected the
North Atlantic Pact as “pure mili-
tary” and a violation of the
United Nations organization.
The resolution, adopted 35-5 by
the Council, said: “Whereas the
North Atlantic Security Pact
which is being ‘promoted by the
major western powers is purely
a military pact and as such
violates the spirit of the United
Nations organization; and where-
as military pacts encourage an-
imosity rather than promote
peace; and whereas the Atlantic
Pact will merely create a second
iron curtain’ which will have to
be broken down before a peaceful
world will become a_ reality:
Therefore be it resolved that
this Council rejects the Atlantic
Security Pact; and further, that
we urge the western powers to
work througk the various agen-
cies of the UN in order to effect
better understanding between
eastern and western powers.”

Seely

Would ‘punish’ LPP

This week in the House of
Commons Progressive-Conserva-

| tive leader George Drew joined

with Wilfred LaCroix in an ef-
fort to outlaw the Laborspro-

gressive Party. While LaCroix

‘wants a new Section 98 written

into the Criminal Code which
would surpass any of Hitler’s
thought-control decrees, and op-
erative by the government, Drew
wants repressive legislation which
will give the courts the green
light to impose the maximum
“punshment” upon “supporters of
Communism in Canada.”

Three weeks ago the tory
leader urged that the House sus-
pend business to discuss “war
with Russia” now!

In his 2-hour speech Drew
talked a lot about freedom—but
wants it strictly limited to those

. within his own mental range.

‘| “protesting” against the elections,

Defend your freedom

End the Pad

Your democratic rights, the

political party — all of these
Padlock Law.

them on the street, people jaile

,; and persecuted.

The defense of democracy

of the Padlock Law in Quebec.

cratic Rights, 1229 McKay St.,

your cultural and fraternal organization, your labor press, your

‘ Labor-Progressive Party and other legal organizations hounded

Unless these actions are halted in one province, they will
spread out over all provinces and prepare the ground for en-
actment of legislation like the LaCroix Bill.

Rights is leading the campaign against this law.
‘support and the support of your organization to win.
your moral or financial contribution without delay and get your
trade union or whatever organization you may belong to, to do
the same, to G McCutcheon, Secretary, Committee for Demo-

lock Law

—MONTREAL

rights af your trade union, of
are endangered by Duplessis

With this fascist-style law,
his terror raids, his attacks on
the trade union movement, this
frontman for reactionary big
business, is striving to destroy
democracy in Quebec behind
the camouflage of anti-commun-
ism.

If ever the people of Canada
and their democratic organiza-
tions allowed Duplessis to carry
through this fascist-inspired aim,
reaction throughout the whole of
Canada would be tremendously
strengthened. ;

Today, in Quebec, homes are
being raided and_ padlocked,
books and newspapers, confiscat-
ed, men and women arrested
for selling them or even carrying
d for having raffle-tickets, the

in Canada demands the defeat
The Committee for Democratic
It needs your

Send

Montreal, Que.

Union men blast |

Mosher decree

By FRANK ARNOLD

e

Aroused over what most delegates agreed was

the “‘dirtiest deal”

ever engineered in Montreal labor history, the majority of rank and file
members of the Montreal Labor Council (CCL-CIO) voiced their angry

disapproval of an ultimatum from Congress president A, R. Mosher,

ordering the suspension of the
democratic functioning of the
council pending a “reorganization,”
by abstaining from voting for the
dictatorial measure.

Although the Mosher~ decree
could have been sent down to a
smashing 3 to 1 defeat, the dele-
gates, anxious to preserve unity,
did not vote against Mosher’s
order because of his threat to
lift the council charter and thus
split labor’s ranks in Quebec,

The tumultuous session of the
council was the culmination of a
series of behind-the-scenes man-
eouvers which started when pro-
gressives Bob Haddow and Irving
Burman beat right-wingers Sol
Linds and Doc Lamoureaux for the
council posts of vice-president and
secretary. ‘

Thrown into a panic by his. de-
feat, Lamoureux ran to Mosher

Mosher came to Montreal to “in-
vestigate,’”. dug up some fancy
technical reasons to set aside the
elections, eee

The fact is that at the insis-
tence of both Haddow and Burman
over the opposition of the Lamour-
eux clique, this year the voting in
the council was the cleanest ever.

Despite this, Mosher, in his ul-
timatum to the council ordering it
to close up shop for six weeks,
dragged out the fact that one
delegate, a CCL organizer, was
not a properly credentialed dele-
gate. More far-fetched, Mosher
claimed that the Amalgamated
Clothing Workers (part of the
Lamoureux-Linds right-wing ma-
chine, be it noted) were affiliated
through their joint board and had
not disclosed the membership
standing of their different locals.
Such were the “excuses” for the
illegalizing of the elections.

Said Bob Haddow, Canadian di-

rector of the fur workers, in his
address to the delegates, “I have
been 33 years in the trade union
movement and thought I had seen
everything, but this beats all. At
a time like this, when we are
fighting for the very life of the
trade union movement against Du-
plessis’ attempts to wreck it, at a
time when we have succeeded in
building the highest degree of
unity with the AFL and Catholic
Syndicates around the battle to
defeat Bill 5, it is ¢riminal folly
that we should be forced into a
fight which will divide our coun-
cil. Nobody will get any comfort
out of this but Duplessis. It is an

issue that could very well wreck

our council,” ;

Haddow wound up his speech by
asking all delegates not to vote,
lest the charter be withdrawn by
Mosher, the council wrecked, and
labor divided. UE delegates Bur-
man and Jean Pare made similar
impassioned pleas not to allow
Mosher to smash the Quebec labor
movement.

When the vote came, three-
quarters of the delegates abstain-
ed from voting. Had the delegates
taken the other course of voting
against ithe Mosher dictate it
would have been defeated by at
least 3 to 1, and the right-wing
social democrats would have had
a handy “excuse” to lift the coun-
cil’s charter. 2

As it now’stand the council’s
functions will be carried out by
the old executive until March 24,
when new elections will be called.

The election of Haddow and
Burman three weeks ago was the
culminating point of a campaign
they had waged over a period of
months to get action against the
Duplessis government's obvious
intention to smash labor,

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — FEBRUARY 25, 1949 — PAGE 2

}

—MONTREAL °