‘CANADA Call to devote talents for peace play role in world survival — Special to the Tribune TORONTO — All areas of | creative activity assembled here, Feb. 4-5 in the first Arts for Peace national conference. The 150 art- | ists came from across the country | to give expression to the slogan Our Theme is Life, Our Goal is Peace. An array of distinguished speakers participated in the two- _ day dialogue, among them were Phyllis Jane Rose, managing director of Foot of the Mountain experimental women’s theatre in Minneapolis and two prominent cultural representatives from the Soviet Union — Eugene Lar- Zarov, director of the Maykovsky Theatre in Moscow and Edouard Batalov, director of philosophy at ; the Institute of United States and 3 Canada studies, Moscow. Arts for Peace president Dan Ross opened the conference with an examination of the role artists can play in furthering the cause of : world survival. He referred to H Prime Minister Trudeau’s stress on easing East-West tensions through understanding and de- clared this related directly to the aims of the conference. “*Let’s use the abundant talent of Canadian artists to build bridges of understanding’’, said 1 Ross. **Let the power on song and | | _ dance and music and artist’s | brush and film dispel the hostility and mistrust that now permeates international exchanges spread- ing to the goodwill from nation to nation.” The conference endorsed a statement calling upon artists to ‘join in a mighty crusade for peace directed toward halting the nuclear arms race.” The statement condemned the threat to human survival and de- plored its social costs to all coun- tries, which could only be mea- unemployment, inadequate hous- ing, educational and cultural deprivation. It reiterated an Arts for Peace declaration calling upon the Canadian government to declare Canada a nuclear weapons free zone, urging all government to implement a nuclear arms freeze and rejecting the government’s The prime minister’s peace in- itiatives were welcomed and all artists urged to support his efforts to promote significant arms con- trols negotiations among the major powers. George Ignatieff, former Cana- dian ambassador to the United Nations and chancellor of the University of Toronto delivered sured in hunger, disease, East-West relations. Let us have decision to test the cruise missile. the key note address. Other lronies of NATO strategy In his address to the Arts for Peace conference George Ignatieff, former ambassador to the United Nations and Chancellor of the University of Toronto outlined the following approach to easing East-West tensions: The doctrine that peace comes through milit- ary spending has many ironies and contradic- tions. The deployment of Euro-missiles, intended to increase NATO security ironically has the op- posite effect of provoking contrary deployment on the Soviet side in an action and reaction cycle. Pershing II and Cruise missiles are rep- resented as tactical or intermediate range mis- siles whereas they (particularly Pershing II) are strategic long range guided missiles, capable of knocking out Soviet command post instal- lations. Since the Soviets have no similar con- trol measures except submarines they have left the talks and will not return under these circum- stances. The West constantly stresses the need for verification, yet has deployed the Cruise missile whose main contribution is avoidance of surveil- lance and verification. The present predicament is really a contest between two concepts of how to preserve peace, the first being the predominance of mili- tary power, the second being the combination of diplomacy, defence and disarmament. The first has brought us to the present predi- cament, the second could lead us to a modus | vivendi between East and West for mutual se- curity. This requires reciprocity in such meas- ures as a moratorium on the deployment of func- tional missiles; no first use of nuclear missiles; the merging of information on START and INF talks into one major negotiation on nuclear weapons; a comprehensive test ban; the mutual elimination of battlefield nuclear weap- ons for deterrent purposes only; the updating of NATO and Warsaw strategies based on conven- tional defence against aggression, starting with ‘*no first use’’ and reciprocal confidence~build- ing measures. speakers included leading Strat- ford Festival performer, Douglas Campbell; Dora de Pedery Hunt, noted sculptor and designer; ac- tress Charmion King; Lionel Lawrence, Dean of York Univer- sity Faculty of Fine Arts; John Morgan, President of the Cana- dian Peace Congress; John Pit- man, executive director of the Ontario Arts Council; ACTRA general secretary, Paul Siren and James Stark, president of Opera- tion Dismantle. _The conference discussed the question of expanding activities through a broad program of peace actions involving theatres, art gal- leries, libraries, schools and universities. It also stressed the necessity for working in co- Operation with other peace groups, churches and trade unions. Among the projects proposed were a National Arts for Peace Day or festival; a national peace poster competition; an annual award to the artist making the most outstanding contribution to peace and a children’s art ex- change. Arts for peace is endorsed by the Canadian Conference of the Arts, ACTRA, Actors Equity Association, the Writers Union of Canada, CARFAC (Canadian Ar- tist representation) and SGCT/ONE (Quebec division of the National Film Board.) a TORONTO — Some 200 0 Puretex Knitting Mills workers, be facing unemployment with the ¢ ~_— possible bankruptcy of the com- 2 pany won a “‘stay of execution’, by Feb. 6 as a result of pressure iy they’ ve been applying on the To- ®_ ronto Dominion Bank and the owner of the ailing clothing manu- he facturer. _ As the Puretex workers waited in the next room of a Toronto hotel, a delegation of the workers, their union, the Canadian Textile and Chemical Workers, Spadina New Democrat MP Dan Heap and York University economist Lukin Robinson were able to _ Squeeze out a commitment from the Toronto Dominion Bank not to force Puretex into bankruptcy to Over the next two weeks, thus allowing time for Heap and Pure- tex owner Leslie Kapp to seek { government financial assistance fas! to keep the factory open. Puretex, another victim of the federal government’s neglect of the textile industry, is some three quarters of a million dollars in debt to various creditors and is s being forced into bankruptcy by “ the Toronto Dominion Bank’s re- fusal to extend the company any more credit. The workers, the majority of whom have 20-25 years seniority, have been laid off since last De- cember. They stunned both management and bank officials Feb. 1 with their combined mass protest outside one of the bank’s downtown branches and the oc- cupation of the factory by 13 workers. The occupation was timed to coincide with the de- monstration outside the bank which attracted between. 100-150 protesters. The workers’ actions forced bank officials to retreat from their original refusal to hold any dis- cussions whatsoever about the company’s destiny with the workers, and to agree to meet with the workers’ representatives Feb. 6. With the two-week stay of execution, the Puretex workers have achieved two of the three demands they had placed before the bank, Feb. 1. At that time they were demanding a stay of execu- tion by the bank against Puretex, discussions with the bank and the company aimed at finding ways to keep the company in business, and re-negotiations of bank loans to Puretex. Following the Feb. 6 meeting, Heap told the workers he and ‘Stay of execution’ won from bank for Puretex. Robinson would meet with the company’s owner Feb. 7 with a view toward seeking financial aid from various federal government agencies. Approaches to other financial institutions may also be considered, he said. Before any specific proposal could be made about financial aid ‘to the company the matter of available - government sources would have to be thoroughly explored, he said and he promised to keep the workers informed of any developments during the next phase of the fight to keep the plant open. Robinson and union official Laurel Ritchie credited the work- ers’ militant actions, including the occupation, with the limited gains that have already been won in the fight to save the workers’ jobs. Ritchie pointed out that the presence of the two hundred angry workers right next door to the negotiations with the bank. had a positive impact on the bank’s decisions. Urging the workers to keep up their militant unity and their determination to save the 200 Puretex jobs, Ritchie told them ‘*there’s no doubt about it, they. heard you all right.” Protest wins reprieve Delegation from the Canadian Textile and Chemical Workers re- port on meeting with Toronto-Dominion bank officials which won a two week reprieve from bankruptcy for Puretex Knitting Mills. PACIFIC TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 15, 1984 e 7.