—— = es an a

a

- Women press government

for assistance to Vietnam

Tran Thi An and Le Thi Thuy, the
two representatives of the Vietnam
Women’s Union on tour in Canada,
told a press conference last week
that their tour had been ‘‘useful’’
and noted that their meeting with
Social Credit MLA Pat Jordan had
resulted in a pledge from her that
She would press for the allotment
of funds for medical aid to Viet-
nam.

The two Women’s’ Union
representatives had sought a
Meeting with Jordan, who heads up
a 10-member legislative com-
mittee which was to administer the
$2.25 million fund established by
the former NDP government and
Subsequently reaffirmed by
premier Bill Bennett. The fund was
Set up to provide aid to the children
of Vietnam.

Meetings were also held in Ot-

TRAN THI AN

tawa with MPs, officials of the
external affairs department and
officials of the Canadian In-
ternational Development Cor-
poration to which the Vietnamese
women had pressed their requests
for emergency donations of food to
offset severe shortages.

Although there were no firm
commitments for further aid, a
letter from W.B. Wannop, director-
general of the Asia division of
CIDA indicated that the federal
Treasury Board would be
allocating $5 million for the pur-
chase of wheat flour for shipment

to the Socialist Republic of Viet-_

nam.

The agreement had apparently
been reached last month, following
a request from CIDA for allocation
of the funds as part of a bilateral
aid arrangement in conjuction with

the World Food program. It will

provide some 22,000 metric tons of .

flour.

However, Kay Inglis, who ac-
companied the two on behalf of
Canadian Aid for Vietnam
Civilians, stressed that the 22,000
tons of flour ‘‘is only one-sixtieth of

the need” in Vietnam created by -

the food shortages.

A severely cold winter followed
by an eight-month drought and a
hurricane in July devastated both
cereal and fruit crops in Vietnam,

creating the shortages. Only

rationing and careful distribution
has averted a famine like that in
1945 where hundreds of thousands
died.

Inglis said that they had pressed
both CIDA officials and
representatives of the external

_ affairs department to increase

a

LE THI THUY

substantially Canadian food aid to
Vietnam.

She noted particularly that
powdered milk, of which Canada
has major surpluses, could be of
crucial assistance to the Viet-
namese in the food distribution
program.

“We also asked external affairs
to make some of its wheat surplus
available to Vietnam,”’ she added.
‘‘And I hope we were successful in
getting the message across.”

Tran Thi An and Le Thi Thuy,
who left last Friday to return to
Vietnam, also spoke to public
meetings in the various centres
they visited including Victoria,
Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal,
Quebec and Vancouver.

Sid Sarkin: wood artistry

Continued from page 10

display his carvings and demon-
Strate his techniques. He thanked
them but declined the offer. A
number of private galleries have
Pressed him to display his work
and sell some of his pieces: but
again he had declined, not wanting
to sell any of his work. He did,
Owever, show many of his pieces
On television, over the cable net-
Work, three years ago, following a
Special request from the depart-
ment of the secretary of state.
But, sadly, Sid has been unable
Continue his carving since June
Of last year. Although an operation
remove cataracts was suc-
Cessful in improving deteriorating

Vision, it has been virtually im-

Possible for him to give the pain-
Staking attention to detail that is
Necessary for his work.

Moreover, much of his time has

&

oN Mtg, :
Si A
= ra
s &
rm <i
’ pV .

terse

been devoted to the second volume
of his memoirs, now nearing
completion. The first volume was
published in Yiddish in 1972 and the
complete work is to be published in
English some time in the near
future. Almost epic in its scope, the
memoirs span more than half a
century from the trade union
movement in Lithuania to the
struggle of present-day Canada.

In a different way but with the
same feeling of history, Sid’s
carvings are also epic in their
scope. In a sense, they are
monuments. The King govern-
ment, in cutting the internees off
from the world in which they had
taken such active and partisan’
roles, hoped that they would
stagnate. But Sid Sarkin’s carvings
and the conditions under which -he
made them are a testament to his
own—and to man’s — indomitable
will to create.

Greetings for the

New Year

Jobs, Education, Peace

B.C. Young Communist League

One of the Italian internees drew
this 1940 portrait of Sarkin ona |
piece of carved firewood.

“There will come a time, | know, when people will take delight in
one another, when each will be a star to the other, and when each
will listen to his fellow as to music. The free men will walk upon
the earth, men great in their freedom.”

Holiday Greetings

ro

>
We

Vancouver
Young Communist

League

For a New Year
with peace
Surrey Club

Young
Communist

ES OGRE OLR GR OG YOG VOTR YOSR SOS YOR SOS FOG YOST VOPR OPA

League

Holiday Greetings

to comrades and friends

|

|

B.C. Provincial Executive

: Communist Party of Canada

Sxemcsacsac em

ISK PK POG OG VOR ISK OK OTR OK OSH SH ITH OH OSH RG GH OSH PAG Hee OS HA PI POTN PO

|

Season’s Greetings

for peace on earth,

~

Larry Anderson

George Gidora Sr.

Alice Kraze 7/5 7)

Stan and Sylvia owe ~~
Nigel and Mond Morgai.“ ’
Stan and Olive Padgham™

The Padghams, Popkin, B/C)
John and’ Rita’ Tanche «/

OFT NSH POSH POSH POSH LIN POS OS POSH HO IO POM SO POT IE,