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VOL. 10, No. 42

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44

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Vancouver, British» Columbia, October -19, 1951 «<<

A
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- Unionists back from Russia say

TORONTO

Enthusiasm bubbled over at the press confer-
ence held here this week where members of the trade
union delegation which visited the Soviet Union dur-
ing September and October described their experi-

ences.

The delegation, which arrived back in Canada
on October 13, visited the Soviet Union at the in-
Vitation of the All-Union Central Council of Trade
Unions of that country. The delegation was organ-
ized by the Labor Committee of the Canadian Soviet
Friendship Society, which. sponsored the tour in re-

Sponse to the invitation.

Miss Pearl Wedro of Vancou-
ver told reporters ‘‘the people of
the Soviet Union laugh at the idea
of their country arming for ag-
gression; they emphasize the Five
P ower Peace Pact Petition which
1s being circulated among the So-
Viet people and stress this is the
best answer to the warmongers.”

The trade union delegation al-
SO pointed out that during the tmp
throygh Eurepe ito the Soviet
Union they saw plenty of U.S.
soldiers in England, Belgium, Ice-
land, Scotland and at Gander,
Newfoundland, but no Russian
soldiers in Czechoslovakia or Po-
land.

_The delegation reported it was
Riven a cordial reception by the
Staff of the Canadian Embassy in

oscow. Discussion revealed that
™members of the staff were inter-
ne in many aspects of Soviet
ife,

David Biderman, a member of
the International Ladies Garment

orkers Union, was naturally
Curious as to Soviet styles ~ and
dress. He found that the Soviet
citizen and the Canadian citizen

ress pretty much alike. A visit
to a fashion show revealed “‘very
little difference’’ in styling except
for “ta Chinese trend,” which he
explained was shown in high col-
ars and larger sleeves in respect
to women’s clothing. Biderman
Said he was especially impressed

y the “excellent workmanship”
of Soviet workers in the clothing
Industry,

Ken Smith of Vancouver, presi-
dent of the British Columbia Dis-

trict of the International. Union of

‘But we hit
lron Curtain
at Montreal’

MONTREAL

“We didn’t run into any ‘Iron
Curtain’ when we visited the So-
viet Union, but we bumped smack
into it on our return to Canada,”
Dewar Ferguson, secretary of a
group of 10 Canadian trade
unionists who visited the USSR,
revealed this week.

“We ran smack into a Cana-
dian ‘Jron Curtain’,” he explain-
ed, “the mmute we landed at
Dorval Airport just outside of
Montreal.

“We arrived at 6,30 a.m. but
were not cleared by Canadian
authorities until 1] a.m. All of
us, men and women, were str
to the hide. We even had to take
off our socks. Photographs were
taken from some of the delegates.
All notes on our experiences, our
official reports, all typewritten and
written material was taken from
the delegates.”

Ferguson explained that a re-
quest for a receipt for the con-
fiscated property was retuse
warrants ‘were produced legaliz-
ing” the personal search; that it
was not possible to identify which
branch of the government service
carried out the undemocratic and
un-Canadian procedure because
officials involved were all in plain-

Continued on back page
See UNIONISTS

Continued on back page
see MONTREAL

WE'VE SEEN SOGIALIS

“WITH OUR OWN EYE

Oil natisWalization Iran’s affair :

The British government-controlled Anglo-Iranian Oil Company “will never again

? . : 0) > ”
This is what Iranian Premier Mohammed Mossadegh (inset) declared in New York ane cole alt
is outlining his country’s position before the UN Security Council that nationalization of the huge Anglo-

Iranian holdings is purely an internal question.

To back up this position, against the possibility that

Britain will use force, Lran is concentrating troops (above) around Abadan. Sem

. 4 . on K. T y=
iet delegate to the Security Council, termed a British resolution calling on ian to sie Oni nt
negotiations “a rude violation of the sovereign rights of Iran.” sci

ALDERMEN EVADE ISSUE

fused; that”

Delegation urges city council
to endorse 5-power peace appeal

Seventy-five Vancouver peace
workers appeared before Vancou-
ver City Council this week to
urge civic endorsation of the Ap-
peal for a Five-Power Peace Pact.

Though the aldermen did not
sign the petition or endorse it
officially, not one of them spoke
against the idea of a pact of
peace.

Rather, they evaded the issue
by claiming on the one hand that
the question of peace was beyond
the scope of; city council and, on

the other, that the United Na-
tions was the agency charged with
maintaining peace.

Alderman Alex Fisher attempt-
ed to silence the delegation by
moving that it not be heard, but
withdrew his motion in favor of
Alderman Halford Wilson’s sug-
gestion that because of the size
of the delegation one speaker be
allowed to make a submission.

Speaking for the more than
55,000 Vancouver. citizens who
have signed the petition, Ray

Gardner, secretary, Vancouver
Peace Assembly, pointed out that
the issue of neace was indeed a
responsibility of the city council
as it was the responsibility of
every citizen. ‘

He then made the following
statement to the aldermen, who
moved it be received and filed:

“We are here today to ask you
to perform a simple act in the

Continued on page 7
See DELEGATION