SSE LTT AA ee Ne AN SOG TON RE ERT OTN a ¢ LABOR FRONT BY WILLIAM KASHTAN ast week’s shameful program over CBC’s Close-Up must have been an eye-opener for progressive-minded Canadians throughout the country who considered the CBC above the practice of McCarthyism. A few questions naturally arise: Why did CBC and Close-Up lend itself to such a program? What were their motives and. who inspired them? How did Close-Up ob- tain the alleged affidavit? Do turncoats, renegades and stool pigeons normally go to CBC to present their “evidence” or do they go to the RCMP? If so, why did the RCMP turn over the affidavit to Close-Up? Did they have a working agreement with the program directors? I have no inside track on this matter but it is difficult to believe that this wasn’t an inspired oper- ation, emanating either from government sources, from some top leaders of the Steel union or from the RCMP. The timing of the program is interesting in itself, coming as it did on the eve of the International Convention of Mine Mill and of the Canadian Labor Congress convention. It is too much to believe that this was accidental. * * * Now if Close-Up had felt that it was a matter of public interest to show that Communists are in trade union move- ment, they could have come to the national office of the Com- munist Party and interviewed any one of its officers. Our party has nothing to hide in this regard; in fact, we want as many Canadians as possible to know that our' party played a pioneering role in building the trade union move- ment; that we were among the most active in boulding the industrial unions; that Communists helped to build the Steel union as they helped to build Mine Mill, We are not “Johnny-come latelies” to the trade union movement. This is a matter of record and of fact and if the - directors of Close-Up honestly desired to present a true pic- ture of the role of Communists in the trade union movement the facts are available for them so to do. _ Instead, however, they chose to create the image in the public mind of a Communist conspiracy and Communist con- trol of a particular union. And what was that conspiracy? That Communists are actively working to build Mine Mill in its particular jurisdiction. What is conspiratorial about that? Communists who are steel workers help to build that union in its jurisdiction as they help to build unions wherever they work. In fact our party's constitution declares that all party members in industry are duty bound to work to build and defend the unions in which they are members. * * * Our party is not a party of any one particular union. It is a party of the working class striving at all times to defend the immediate interests of the workers, irrespective of what union they belong to, while always helping the workers to . _grasp the ideal that only a fundamental transformation of soc- iety and the building of a socialist society can for all time eliminate poverty, crisis, unemployment and war, and ensure that what the workers produce in abundance will be used for the benefits of society, not for the profit of the Canadian-U:S. ° monopolists. This is not to deny the fact that there is a conspiracy afoot against the working class. But what is the source of that conspiracy? - Are not the U.S.-Canadian monopolists and their govern- ment moving in the direction of a vast, conspiracy to annex this country and obliterate Canada as an indepdent country? Is there not a conspiracy afoot to convince the Canadian | people to accept nuclear arms and an: expanded armament drive? Is there not a conspiracy afoot to force this country fo stop trading with Cuba and with China? And is there not a conspiracy afoot to maintain chronic unemployment? There is also another type of conspiracy — the cold war conspiracy — brought into the trade union movement by the right wing, aimed at perpetuating divisions among the work- ers. On this basis unity against Communism replaces unity of the workers against the U.S.-Canadian monopolists. * * * Communists ask for no special rights or special favors in the trade union movement. What they ask for and expect. are equal rights together with others to advance policies, de- bate them, criticize them when necessary while always sup- porting the union of which they are members. This basic democratic right does not exist in most unions. U.S.-made constitutions, with their Taft-Hartley and Landrum- Griffin acts provisions, prevent that right from being exer- cised, often under pain of expulsion. This too is a conspiracy against the autonomy of the Canadian trade union movement and it is high time it was corrected. Perhaps the CBC will take note of this and agree that in place of the distorted picture they presented, a true image of Communists and the trade union movement will be presented COMMUNISTS NOMINATE ELEVEN CANDIDATES, MORE 10 COME Nelson Clarke, the Com- munist Party’s campaign manager in the coming fed- eral election, this week gave a round-up of how the cam- paign is shaping up. Indicating that if it weren’t for the progressive press the workers of Canada wouldn’t know there were Communist candidates in the field, Clarke scored the big business press for their policy of blackout in this connection. This prov- ed in a very real way the need to build our press and “extend its influence, Clarke said So far, the party has nom- inated 11 candidates in key ridings across the country. Clarke stated, but “the list is not completed yet. We are expecting a number of fur- ther nominations to be an- nounced in the near future.” - “We are concentrating our campaign around jobs and trade,” he ‘said: “Our old trade patterris are being shat- tered with Britain planning to join the Common Market. We must open up new mar- kets in the socialist world, in Cuba, and in the newly-lib- erated countries.” “We are trying wherever possible to arrange house meetings where people can meet our candidates over a. BRITISH LOSE Britain is steadily losing her world position in ship- building. According to the London Financial Times last year her share in world out- put of ships was only 15%, as compared with 34% before the war. . COMMUNIST CANDIDATES These are the Communist'Party candidates who have been nominated up to now: Leslie Morris. Phyllis Clarke Osmo Lahti Frank Haslam William Ross Fred Morris Walter Makowecki Frank Maricle Mark Mosher William Stewart Tom McEwen Toronto-Trinity Toronto-Davenport Port Arthur ~ Welland Winnipeg North Mackenzie Edmonton East Vegreville Comox-Alberni Vancouver East Vancouver South AUUC ORCHESTRA WINS HIGH HONOR This is how the Vancouver Sun headed Stanley Bligh’s story on the AUUC orchestra performance. sf The string orchestra of the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians shown above received ex- cellent marks of 90 for each’ of their two selections at the B.C. Music Festival last Thursday — a rondo from the Ukrainian Symphony (composer unknown) and Bach’s Prelude in G Minor. In analyzing their perform- ance, adjudicators Gladys PT JINGLE 426 Main St. First Prize—“HOLIDAY EN CUBA” All expenses for one week (one person) or ' $450 IN CASH Rules Add two lines in rhyme to the following Jingle: - “There's a-Steady Press Builder named Kate At supporting the PT she’s great, She was once heard to say ... Add two lines. Contest closes May 11, 1962 Judging will be done by the Editorial Board of the Pacific Tribune and all decisions will b¢ final. Address all entries to: PT Jingle Contest, Room 6 CONTEST Vancouver 1. B.C. cup of coffee and talk ov! these questions.” : He then disclosed that meé ings are by no means limit to house gatherings, but include public meetings an that “‘we’ll have many, mam more all over the country well as distributing our tion manifesto throughout @ country and utilizing evel form’ of publicity which 0 finances will permit — ar we know that our suppor will contribute generously f this purpose.” “We are determined to 8 our message across to the la: est possible number of Can dians, because we are P! foundly convinced that ideas we are advancing on they are seized upon by people will become a pow! ful force in changing course of Canadian politics, forging that alliance of N' Democrats and Commu labor and farm unionists, tellectuals and businessme! and all democratic Canadian® which will be able to defe@ the big U.S. and Canadia! trusts, and their Liberal an® Tory agents. “And just let me emphasi® in conclusion that in the co stituencies where we run W intend to fight for every v0" for our candidates. Thé would be no better way to & press the real interests of Ca ada than to elect Communis* to the House of Common Whitehead and John Ch chill said: “‘We were ove whelmed with the musi perception and depth of fee" ing revealed by these play® i The wonderful shape of phrasing, dancing rhyth® lovely texture of tone, delig? ful sustained playing and © intensity of the performa!™ held our attention to the /4 note. The whole presentati? was outstanding in its mu cianship.” The preceding evening 5* the Rusalka and Lyse! choirs of the AUUC also # top honors in winning B.C. shield in the folk Ss? class. Their marks were 82 and for their presentation of Polish and Ukrainian song. In both cases the condu® was Karl Kobylansky. The orchestra will be )® ing a recital concert on day, May 6, at the Theatre, Commercial at G@ gia. Tickets are availabl the Ukrainian Hali, 80 _ Pender St., Ph. MU 4-9