Public and employees hit
by BCE service sabotage

How come that -with the BCElectric boasting of its new equip-

ment, citizens are complaining bitterly about present transit service?
Is it true that the BCE is losing money?
Are the men who run the buses and street cars really the dis-

courteous lot that some people
make them out to be?

The Pacific Tribune has discov-
ered a large part of the answers
to these questions in a bulletin is-
sued by the LPP Gas and Transit
Club. :

The bulletin refers to company
claims of a $1.014,185 deficit in its

urban transit operations on the
mainland and on the Island for 11
months ending November 30, 1948.

With an eye on coming negotia-

BCE hires Pinkertons
to spy on its employees

The transit workers’ bulletin
cited above reveals” that the
BOElectric “has engaged spot-

ters from an Eastern detective |

agency and they are at present
checking the operators on city
‘and interurban lines.” The bulle-
tin also observes that, “our union
being no exception from other
unions, we have in all likelihood
Our quota of agent provocateurs
doing the same dirty work in our
union, The surest way to ferret
out these scoundrels is to fight
consistently for policies that will
strengthen our union and _ pre-
pare it for the stormy days
ahead.”

tions for shorter hours and higher
wages, the bulletin spikes the defi-
cit myth as follows:

1. BCE has been granted au-
thority by the Coalition govern-
ment to amalgamate light, power,
gas and transit for rate fixing
purposes,

2. Combined operations of the
BCE show the highest net prof-
it in Canada for similar opera-
tions, -

3. All company employees ex-
cept those in transit have had
their hours reduced in recent
years.

4 “Working conditions are
more onerous than ever before
- . + Running time has been cut
to the bone. It is no longer pos-
sible for the operators to run on
schedule time.”

The transit group sees a “sinis-
ter” reason for the latter “suicidal”
policy:

“Today the travelling public is
receiving the worst transportation
in the city’s history and are pay-
ing for it at an all-time high. Who
are (they) going to blame for this

Coal
Wood
Sawdust

situation? They listen to the com-
pany’s high-priced blah day after
day ... but we are the men who
are so far as they can see, res-
ponsible for making them late for
work and late for supper.

“So if the wrath of the people
is levelled against the operators
instead of the company, the com-
pany’s position is strengthened
by the loss on our part of very
necessary public support.”

The bulletin brings out the facts
that spike the company maneuver:

1. The transit department is un-
necessarily top-heavy; a likely pre-
lude to demands for still higher
fares. :

2. It is impossible for platform
personnel to give adequate service
under present conditions.

It voices the feeling of ,many
workers who want to “collectively
refuse to try to keep impossible
schedules, but instead concentrate
on giving best possible service.”

Lookixg to important contract
changes March 1, the transit
group says, “we are not afraid.
Members of Division 101 in the
1947 strike proved that they are
second to none and are prepared
to fight in 1949 for those things
they believe to be right.” |

Leads off forum

Bill Rigby, popular AFL union-
ist who is at present Research
Director for the United Fisher-
men and Allied Workers’ Union,
will give the first lecture at the
LPP Labor Forum, Sunday, Feb-
ruary 6, in the lower hall of the
Pender Auditorium. The forum
series is being widely popular-
ized by LPP industrial clubs as
a means of clarifying LPP views
on labor’s problems. In view of
widespread “red bogey” propa-
ganda about the work of com-
munists in unions, particular in-
terest is attached to Rigby’s sub-
ject: “The LPP and the Unions.”

To meet on job crisis

Harold Pritchett, Bill ‘ Stewart
and Minerva Miller will speak on
B.C..s unemployed crisis at the
Pender Auditorium, Wednesday,
February 16, at 8 p.m.

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LPP pre-convention discussion

becomes wilder and more irrespon-
sible with every victory of progress
in all parts of the world. ¢

In this article I wish to deal
with a problem which is discussed
in the resolution and which is of
great meaning to the Canadian
working class and from which the
Jewish workers and common peo-
ple must learn.

In a number of sections in the
resolution it is stressed that the
Canadian working class and the
democratic progressive forces are
the real Canadian patriots who
fight for the best interests of our
country and its people. On the
other hand; the Canadian bour-
geoisie is prepared to and does be-

By MORRIS BIDERMAN

Israel and the role of Jewish
workers there and in Canada

—TORONTO

eG HE Draft Resolution, in its broad aspects, containing~ the most important economic’ and political
problems of the day, is of the utmost importance not only for members of the LPP but to the whole
camp of progress and democracy in Canada which must be ‘built and strengthened in order to defeat
reaction in our own country and to make a positive contribution to the defeat of world reaction which

becoming increasingly difficult to
sell Canadian farm products to the
British.

The “analysis in the Draft Reso-
lution that the working class is
the basic democratic and patriotic
class is fully substantiated by the
events in the every-day life of our
people.

e .

The preceding paragraphs are
of more than theoretical and aca-
demic importance to the Jewish
workers in Canada. Among Jewish
people as well there is need for
more clarity as to who are the
real fighters for the people. The
Jewish bourgeoisie always wanted

spires” to do this or, that. No
submits its major policies and
this kind.

With’ the third national convention of the Labor-Progressive
Party opening in Toronto on February 4, the pre-convention dis-
cussion articles which have appeared in current issues of the
Pacific Tribune will conclude with this issue.

Owing to lack of space there have been many fine contribu-
tions on the LPP Draft Resolution which the Pacific Tribune has
been unable to feature. Most of these however have appeared in
the Canadian. Tribune, or if arriving too late for publication, re-
ferred to the appropriate convention committee. .

This public discussion of LPP policies is in itself a clear
refutation of the slanders of the red-baiters—that the LPP “con-

other political party in Canada
aims to a public discussion of

LPP Clubs which have resolutions for the National Con-
vention are asked to mail them to the National LPP office, Room
331, 73 Adelaide St. W., Toronto, to reach there before January 31.

tray the national interests of
Canada and its people to the Wall
Street bankers. The Draft Resolu-
tion states that “the working class
is the basic, consistent, anti-impe-
rialist and democratic class in Can-
ada,’ and further “around the
working class there must be ralli-
ed its democratic allies the
French-Canadian people, the ‘far-
mers, the professional and intel-
lectual workers, the national min-
erity groups, the city middle
classes—all who are vitally con-
cerned in the struggle against war
and fascism.”

The truth of the matter is that
under the capitalist system, it jis
nothing new and startling that the
bourgeoisie should betray the in-
terests of the nation in its great
fear of the progressive, democratic
forces. a :

The Canadian bourgeoisie is no
exception. Our own monopoly capi-
talists are also prepared to sell out
Canada and its economic resources
as part of the world - wide anti-
Communist offensive “which has
specifically expressed itself, how-
ever, in the immediate lowering of
the standards of living of the Can-
adian people.”

When Canadian Communists: af-
ter the war pointed out to the trait-
orous road Canadian bankers and
industrialists had embarked upon,
there were many, even within the
progressive camp, who did not see
|this clearly and doubted the cor-
rectness of this contention. Large
sections of the working class, es-
pecially trade union leaders, ac-
cepted the Marshall Plan, and its
counterpart, the Abbott Plan, as
a boon to Canadian economy. Some
did not understand the new role
of reaction. Others (the CCF
and trade union bureaucrats) con-
sciously placed themselves at the
service of Canada’s monopoly capi-
talists. Today it is obvious to all
who want to see that our coun-
try’s economic position and her in-
dependence are undermined, thanks
to the Marshall.and Abbott Plans.
No better authority is needed to
substantiate this fact than Minis-
ter of Agriculture James Gardiner
who. only recently, at a meeting in
London, England, stated that be-
cause of the Marshall Plan it is

to impress the Jewish workers_
that they represent and defend the
national Jewish interests. Since the
establishment of the State of Is-
rael, the Jewish bourgeoisie has
paraded as the only fighters and
defenders of Israel’s existence and
independence, This of course is far
from the truth.

It is a fact that only a part of
the bourgeoisie in Israel partici-
pated in the struggle for national
liberation and went along with the
people’s uprising which’ had gain-
ed tremendous momentum in the
country against the mandatory
power. %

However, it is apparent to any-
one who has followed’ political de-
velopments in Israel, that the
Jewish bourgeoisie has regained
some of its lost positions in that
country, thanks to the appease-
ment of the social-democratic do-
minated provisional government
which came to power in the new
state. Since its establishment, the
government of Israel is under con-
tinual pressure from the Jewish
bourgeoisie, both inside and out-
side the country, which is prepar-
ed to give concessions to and come
to an agreement with America,
and even with British imperialism.

The vacillations of the Israeli
government places in grave dan-
ger the independence and very ex-
istence of the newly born state.
Political Zionism has not changed
its character since the birth of
Israel. It was, and remains, a
bourgeois. - nationalist movement
which restrains the Jewish masses
from participation in the strug-
les together with their natural
allies, the working class, for pro-
gress and democracy and whose

‘aim is to create a Jewish state

which should serve as a partner
to the capitalist and imperialist
world forces. é

The Jewish people must realize
that the only forces upon whom
Israel can rely and who will fear-
lessly and courageously lead the
struggle for its existence and in-
dependence are the working class
and revolutionary forces of Israel,
the Jewish workers and common

people of all countries, and sun-
ported by the mighty anti-imperial-

ist camp in the world headed by
the Soviet Union.

: In Israel itself the class struggle
is coming to the ferefront. A his-
toric Marxist truth is therefore
being borne out: That when the
initial battles in the struggle for
national liberation are over in 2
colonial country and the invader
has been driven from the land,
the opposing class interests come
to the fore and the working class
realizes that its interests are not
the same as those of the bourgeoi-
sie. In other words, the common
struggle for national liberation
when the country was under the
iron-heel of British imperialism be-
clouded the fact that also in Israel
there are workers and bosses and
that the viewpoint of these two
opposing forces in regard to the
character of the independence of
the state are entirely different. It
is to be expected that the class
struggle will become stronger in
the future because of the attempt
of the government to place the en-
tire financial burden of the country
and of the war expenditures on the
shoulders of the working class and
farmers.

The problem of the independence
of Israel is one with which the
Jewish working class in and out
of Israel should be deeply con-
cerned. The Jewish bourgeoisie,
especially in the U.S., is exerting
great pressure on the Israeli gov-
ernment and the danger of trans-
forming the young country into
an imperalist war-base is a real
one. It is the duty of the Jewish
workers and common: people the
world over to counteract these ac-
tions of the bourgeoisie ahd bring
to bear ®full pressure on the Is-
raeli government and Zionist lead-
ership, in order to make certain
that the new Jewish state will not
be _ betrayed. Israel which came
into being thanks: to the magnifi-
cent fight on its behalf on the part
of the Soviet Union and New De-
mocracies in the UN, and the he-
roic struggle of the sons and
daughters of Israel against im-
perialism and oppression must
truly remain an independent coun-
try serving the cause of peace,
progress and democracy.

Jewish communities and pro-
gressive-thinking Jews ~have the
task of winning over the broad
masses for the realization and
understanding that only the work-
ing class and its allies in Israel
itself, and the progressive forces
all over the world, are the true
and consistent fighters for the
national interests of the Jewish
people, thanks to whom _Israe}
came into being and who are the
only ones who can guarantee its
continued existence and _ inde-
pendence. —

e

This can be achieved only when
Jewish Communists conduct the
broadest campaign of clarification
and explanation among the Jew-

ish masses and wage a relentless.

struggle against the nationalist in-
fluences which the Jewish bour-
geoisie has succeeded in planting
and strengthening among the
Jewish people since the birth of
Israel. Such a campaign is also
vitally necessary to combat the
“theories of political Zionism—that
the establishment of Israel will
solve the problems of world Jewry.

This nationalistic theory if suc-
cessful, can only weaken the parti-
cipation of the Jewish masses in

the common struggles with the

Canadian working class. a theory
which would divorce the Jewish
workers from their natural allies

in the struggle against anti-Semit-
ism and discrimination and would

isolate the Jewsh community into
a self-imposed Canadian ghetto.

PACIFIC . TRIBUNE — JANUARY 28, 1949 — PAGE 6