ity LPP: convention spotlights ey issues confronting people “The deadliest danger our city has ever faced is the direct product of Mackenzie King’s Systematic efforts to- make Canada a base for American agression,” charged Bruce Mickleburgh, Vancouver director of the Labor-Progressive Party in his report before the 1947 LPP city convention held in Hastings Auditorium, February 1 and 2. A record number of 200 dele- Sates, representing 41 LPP clubs throughout Greater Vancouver Met and formulated the party’s basic policy on pressing muni- Cipal issues. The convention agreed to press for public ownership of 6 BCElectric trust, an elected Police commission and_re-estab- lishment of the ward system in clvic elections, : F € people of Vancouver have Nothing to gain and everything to lose from the mad dredims of Canadian imperialism,” Mickle- burgh warned. “We must burn ‘nto the consciousness of the People of Vancouver that we are 88 much, if not more, vulnerable mn any city in the world. We must lead the people in a great fight for the peace that is the le §uarantee of our continued existence, let alone progress,” the hWly-elected LPP city director old the delegates, said. Single issue,” Mickleburgh “vitally affects the people, the issue of price control and higher living standards, the beating back of the price-hoisting, Wage-slashing offensive of big Usiness which leads us along the swift road to depression.” ferring to the serious hous- ‘Health week’ at fancy prices During the week of February to February 9, Canadians have nm asked to observe National Health Week, according to a Press bulletin from Community est in Vancouver this week. While organized labor will give all-out Support to such a worthy &s that designed to famil- ze the public with the import- 8nce of good. nutrition, exercise, Sleep and other health essentials 88 well as the need for preventa- tive Medicine and research, labor spokesmen expressed concern as ‘o the ultimate success of the Campaign, . “Its not health education we need ‘so much as opportunities for healthful living,” said a Vancouver Woman union member. “Certainly We're all in favor of National Health Week by putting prices of €ssential foods low enough sO ee the average family can: buy 2 Smith, ing situation in Vancouver, Mr. Mickleburgh urged “enter into a contract for the building of -1,000 more wartime houses , ... and approach Ottawa for @n amendment to the Na- tional Housing Act permitting lo- BRUCE MICKLEBURGH «. . a stentiment developing” cal public housing authorities to qualify for home-building loans, and for a subsidy on rents.” William Kashtan, LPP national executive secretary addressed the convention and brought greetings to the delegates from the party national executive, Kashtan warn- ed: “There is a sentiment develop- ing in the labor movement, favor- ing a second round of wage struggles necessitated by rising living costs, We can expect a much stiffer resistance to labor’s demands by profit-hungry employ- ers. The elimination of price con- trols, however, only confirms the necesisty for wage increases.” A 13-man city executive com- mittee was elected in addition to city director Bruce Mickleburgh, who ‘was re-elected by acclama- tion. The committee follows: El- gin Ruddell, John Turner, Viola McRae, William White, Bert Mel- sness, Ivan Birchard, Caroline MacFarlane, Homer Stevens, Sid Sheard, Walter Gawryki, Dorothy Lynas, Gladys Nelson, and Bob A resolution submitted by the LPP Campus club, pledging sup- port to the Medical Undergradu- ates’ Society of the UBC for the the city toj establishment of a medical school and hospital on the university campus, won the complete sup- port of the delegates. The resolu- tion noted the critical shortage of medical facilities in the city at present. City director Mickleburgh, in dealing with the role of the pres- ent civic administration stated: “McGeer ang his crew of Charlie McCarthys for big business can only hold power to the extent that they are not relentlessly ex- posed= by united mass movements of the people on the burning is- Sues that exist. Defeating CCF and progressive forces 11 years ago under the slogan ‘keep poli- tics out of the city hall’, they have saddled our city with the most rotten and partisan kind of big business administration.” “This year’s council stands condemned already,” charged Mickleburgh, “by its activities in less than five weeks, Pro- posals to boost the mill rate, double the debt, plus the hoist- ing of the salaries of the mayor ang aldermen,” were noted as part of council’s reactionary policies. “McGeer . . . has embarked on a sweeping campaign to plant his stooges throughout the civic administration.” Union calls for buyers’ strike A» city-wide one day buyers’ strike to protest the arbitrary lifting of price controls was called for by Division 101 of the Street Railwaymen’s union (TLC), at their regular meeting here this week. : The union called on the Trades and Labor Council to initiate this mass protest move among all its affliates, and also requested that large public protest meetings be organizeg against the federal gov- ernment’s inflationary policy. The union also sent their pro- tests direct to Donald Gordon, Prices Board head, condemning the latter’s actions in removing subsidies and lifting price regula- tions on essential items; nion at Montreal, operated b Seamen studying trade unionism at the newly established Times have changed Trade Union School Leo Huberman, noted American labor educationalist and author, - y the Canadian Seamen’s Supervising one of the classes on trade union activities. Classes are also conducted in Tench, with Mlle, Daniele Cuisinier, French-Canadian jo and interpreter. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1947 urnalist as co-instructress MacLeod named acting leader of Ontario LPP TORONTO, Ont.—“Premier George Drew is prepared to sacrifice the needs of the Ontario people, and the Canadian people generally, on the altar of his own insatiable greed for power,” A. A. MacLeod, MPP, told the Ontario Com- mittee of the Labor-Progressive Party this. week. The Toronto-Bellwoods mem- ber made his statement just after being named acting- leader of the Ontario LPP. He will act in this capacity until the regular provincial conven- tion of the party, Mr. MacLeod replaces Mr. Les- lie Morris who requested to be relieved of the duties of pro- vincial leadership in order to assume the editorship of Cana- dian Tribune, and eventually of the “Daily Tribune, the latter to start publication on May 1. In accepting the acting-lead- ership of the Ontario LPP, Mr. MacLeod made it clear that the main task of the party would still’ be that of rallying the anti- tory forces in Ontario for the defeat of the Drew government and its replacement by a_ peo- ple’s coalition. “Colonel Drew,” the new act- ing leader, told the LPP On- tario Committee, “would have the people forget he was chiefly in- strumental in preventing a Do- minion-provincial. tax agreement from being reached in 1945 and again in 1946. He will do the same in 1947.” Mr. MacLeod stressed that “the people of On- tario must now intervene and put an end tos this intolerable state of affairs. They must de mand that Colonel mon the legislature at once and ask for a mandate to accept the new tax proposals.”. The basis of the acceptance, said the Tor- onto-Bellwoods member, should be on the understanding that the Drew sum-' A, A. MacLEOD, MPP “, . . Drew must go,” social security measures promised by the federal government in 1945 are included in the new pro- posals, ' The Ontario LPP committee also named Controller Helen An- derson of Hamilton provincial chairman of the party. Controller Anderson will replace Harry Hunter of Hamilton who has been appointed Ontario organizer of the LPP. Settlement of Newsie issue seen in confab. Promise of a near solution to the fight between the news vendors, and the major dailies, over trade union recognition of Vancouver’s news vendors, was evident after a discussion between the wholesaler, the management of the Vancouver Daily Sun, and interested labor leaders, late last week. Present at the talks were R. K. Gervin, TCL secretary, Fraser Wilson, Newspaper Guild; Sandy Bevis, Typographical Union; Pete Canavan and-Pat Ryan, represent- ing the News Vendors, and Mr. Gates, Anderson, and Drake Cum- ‘ mings representing the Vancouver Daily Sun. Agreement was reached to re- open negotiations on a wholesaler- vendor basis to circumvent. exist- ing labor legislation, which has been the major obstacle in the’ way of consumating an early agreement, as the provincial de- ‘}partment had refused to certify the vendors, because they decided that newsies are merchants unto themselves, after the Sun had challenged the certification. Another meeting is to be held late this week between the Ven- dors representatives, ang _ the wholesalers of the three major dailies, and if the suggested con- tract can be accepted, on the basis of wholesaler and vendor, it will be signed on a master basis, This will only be a direct benefit to the Vancouver Daily Province, when the latter daily is consider- ed “fair”. a Meanwhile, two representatives, of the organized newsies, are mak- ing a tour of the locals and in- dustries on Vancouver Island, ap- pealing for moral and financial as- sistance for their fight. Sizeable donations are reporteg to be com- ing from the AFL and CCL unions to, assist in their struggle. Workers urge 5-day week An overflow meeting of 2,500 retail store employees held in the Pender Auditorium last’ Tuesday night pledged support to the campaign for couver retail stores. Council of Retail Employees in the fight for: maintainence of the Wednesday closing which ‘is jat present favored by 90 percent of the firms here. Chief offender in the fight for the Wednesday closing is the Hud- sons Bay Company, who. have continually refused to consider the matter. As a result of this company’s action, other smaller firms feel comnrelled to remain open in competition. / The meeting appointed a com- mittee of 25 to actively direct the a five-day week in all Van- The meeting was called by the Joint (TLC) as the opening action campaign for the Wednesday closing. Their tasks will be to: @ Secure 100,000 names on a petition for the five-day week, @ Take action to gain public Support against those firms now opening Wednesdays or planning to open. : @ Urge the “90 percent. of mer- chants who now close” to remain closed. @ Assist the Retail Merchants’ Association obtain the necessary bylaw to make closing compul- Sory for each trade section. PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 3