“BENNETT'S EASTER MESSAGE TO LABOR” reads this poster which was displayed on the platform at the recent public meeting in Prince Rupert which condemned Bill 33. City Communists urge broad civic The Vancouver Committee of the Communist Party, over the ‘signature of secretary Charles Caron, this week released the following statement dealing with - recent civic political developments: The NDP has been discussing for sometime the advisability of running candidates in civic elections under their party label. It is a good development that there is a mounting interest among the NDP membership to participate in civic affairs and elections. However, we question the tactical merits of contesting elections on a partisan basis. There is a healthy 757 East Hastings St. Vancouver 4. B.C. ‘ Painters’ and Poperhangers’ : Supplies Sunworthy Wallpaper Reg. 45c—Now 19¢ a Roll PCCCCCLEeEEEEEEEEeEEeELCeDEOS, OVALTINE CAFE 251 EAST HASTINGS Vancouver, B.C. QUALITY SERVICE SeSCSSSSESSESSESSEESSESELESCE DRY CEANING 8 Ibs. $2. -25¢ each additional Ib. Drapes, Blankets, clothing, etc. You leave it - We do it. 2 HOUR SERVICE LAUNDRETTE 2633 Commercial Dr. Phone 879-9956 hou maninimmermnmocansap en neers ie eeccccccccescseee Cneccccecoccesece _ APRIL 13, 1968—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 12. alliance tradition in municipal politics in British Columbia to contest elections on the basis of issues rather than party lable, notwithstanding the Liberal and Conservative NPA machine's role in elections. The decision of the April 5th NDP conference to run a slate in the Fall elections runs contrary to such traditions as well as to the Vancouver Labor Council and Central Ratepayers position on this matter. We believe it will give rise to the tendency for all people of other partisan allegiance than the NDP to vote against their candidates. It is understandable for a sectarian group, like the League for Socialist Action to support such a decision. In a press release. April 8, 1968, Jean Rands urged the Provincial Executive of the NDP to endorse the decision made by Vancouver members of the NDP last Friday. But this is certainly not in conformity with the general views of the labor movement. We suggest that the correct approach to defeat’ the representatives of big business, sponsored by the NPA and their off- shoot, TEAM, is through a democratic allianee as projected by the resolution adopted by the Vancouver Labor Council. which said: “Vancouver and District Labor Council urge the New Democratic Party to work with the labor movement, Ratepayers Associa- tions, and other interested groups. with a view of presenting a united slate to offer an alternative to the voters of Vancouver, to thus sub- « stitute for the NPA — Team.” This kind of alliance, united around a common program, could register important gains in the Fall civic elections. en en a ee ee re || 1 LABOR SCENE: wimelih alos L MIL LL IIL ala ovine Labor rallies in B.C. centres hit Bill 33 — Details of the March 31 public rally in Prince Rupert came too late to get the coverage it merited in last week’s Pacific Tribune. Over 300 attended this rally in the Fishermen's Hall, with platform guests representing almost every segment in the community. Trade unionists, church ministers, NDP representatives, the United Fishermen and Allied Workers , Union, the B.C. Federation of Labor, the Native Brotherhood of B.C., were represented by platform guest - speakers. BCFL secretary Ray Haynes was the principle speaker at the Rupert rally and Rod Doran, president of the Prince Rupert Labor Council which sponsored the rally, chaired the gathering. A resolution unanimously adopted by the meeting and forwarded to Premier Bennett states in part .. . Strongly urge you to proceed no further with legislation for compulsory arbitration as contained in Bill 33, and urge you to refer the matter of labor-management relations to the Select Standing Committee on Labor’. At a subsequent session of the Prince Rupert Labor Council telegrams of prtoest against Bill 33 were sent to Premier Bennett, Labor Minister Peterson, W. H. Murray MLA (Prince Rupert), Dudley Little. MLA (Skeena) and C. M. Shelford. MLA (Omineca). In its steady campaign against Bill 33, the Prince Rupert Labor Council and northern labor movement generally, has received wide publicity on their efforts in the daily press, and have sponsored a number of effective ads in local papers. *** The Campbell River-Courtenay and District Labor Council has decided to stage a big anti-Bill 33 _ ally on Sunday, April 21. Spokesmen from the three parties in the legislature have been invited to send speakers. The rally will be held at Discovery Inn inCampbell River. EASTER PEACE VIGIL SATURDAY At this season of hope and rebirth, all who are concerned about the futility of war are invited to join on Easter Saturday, April 13, in a quiet demonstration for peace. “Life not Death in Vietnam” will be the theme of the special vigil at Georgia and Granville from 12:30 to 1 p.m. Pictures of victims of U.S. bombing in Vietnam will be held by those taking part. Tag day aids | war victims Rev. Robert S. Christie, chairman of the Children of Vietnam Tag Day Committee which sponsored the tag day in Vancouver last June, said ina press release last week that on March 7, 1968 the Red Cross of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam informed the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva that the mobile field hospital, which was purchased in part with one/third of the proceeds of the tag day, had arrived in Hanoi. The International Committee of the Red Cross, in a letter dated - March 13th, 1968, to Rev. R. S. Christie, expressed its deepest gratitude for the generous financial support which enabled them to achieve this humanitarian action. The Tag Day Committee, whose drive last June raised $8,415, sent all this money to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva, and 1/3 or $2,805.00 was sent to the I.C.R.C. delegation in Saigon for the Catholic and Buddhist orphanages in the Da Nang regions; 1/3 or $2,805.00 was used to help finance the field hospital for Hanoi and 1/3 or $2,805.00 was assigned for sending medicines to the Red Cross Society of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam. Word has not as yet been received from the Saigon or N.L.F.-controlled areas about their shar. of these funds. BILL 33 Cont‘d from pg. 1 legislation designed to put down labor has failed . . . Do not let us stop now until it is defeated. The NDP has opposed it since the beginning and will continue to oppose it in future — and as an NDP government we will promptly repeal Bill 33.” Aside from the fact that the rally as a whole took on something of an NDP election rally atmosphere, audience response to the NDP leader’s address was warm approval. But there the warmth ended. . xk * The next speaker was Canadian Labor Congress (CLC) vice- president Joe Morris, and from the steady barrage of angry hoots, boos, catcalls, etc. from the audience, it was immediately evident that Morris, whom his own IWA fellow members in B.C. had dubbed ‘‘a nickel organizer’’ and worse, was not exactly popular with a predominantly trade union audience, and that both the BCFL and the CLC has not advanced labor’s fight against Bill 33 by bringing Joe Morris into B.C. : In his speech, such of it that could be heard above the noise, Morris opined that ‘“‘more education of trade unionists was needed to fight Bill 3311, with a heckler interjecting loudly ‘‘and more of what you haven't got’’ is also needed. Throughout his address the CLC representative was roundly heckled and booed by those who remained in the audience. Scores had headed for the coffee bar to wait until Morris ended his speech. An IWA leader told this reporter later that “the CLC and the people here made a bad mistake by having Joe Morris at this Bill 33 rally. This is a pretty poor tunout but it would have been a hell of a lot worse if the boys had known beforehand he was going to be on the speaker’s list. That’s probably why the B.C. Fed leaders didn’t announce his coming in advance.” * * * Vancouver Labor Council secretary Paddy Neale helped to retrieve the rally from disintegration caused by the Morris debacle when he stated: ‘‘Where do we go from here? Let’s not sit back and condition ourselves to live with Bill 33 as we did with Bill 42-43. As President Staley said, the first union hit we all go out — what hits one union hits all of us. Years ago we said, kick this government out. It sounded very nice at the time, but we didn’t do it. Now we have to work like hell to make sure this Bill — and the government that introduced it in B.C. are both kicked out.”’ Neale referred to the action of the B.C. and Yukon Building and Construction Council (BCYBC) representing some 60,000 members, and conveyed in a letter from that body to ‘“‘Prime Minister’’ Bennett and the leaders of all parties in the B.C. legislature. “‘That the BCYBC go on record as unanimously supporting the B.C. Federation of Labor in their plan of action as adopted at the New Westminster conference in March to combat Bill 33. ‘“‘Further, that it may be abundantly clear, the Council goes on record as unanimously refusing to accept the compulsory aspects of Bill 33, and that the responsibility of any future labor strife arising from Bill 33 be borne by the present government of B.C., by its introduction of such unprecedented . labor legislation in North America.” At this rally the turnout was exceptionally poor. In a frigid hockey forum with a total seating capacity for 7,000, less than one-third of the seats were filled by an audience estimated at not more than 2,500. Each section of the Forum was ‘Committee of marked by placards designating the occupying union, and some were sadly conspicuous by their emtiness; a fact which underscored a widely- held opinion that the BCFL sponsors of the rally had done an exception- ally poor job at mobilizing rank- and-file union opposition against Bill 33, and had contented them- selves with the idea that if, as and when we “elect an NDP govern- ment” all such problems will be solved. * * A leaflet issued by the Provincial the . Communist Party called upon the workers of B.C. to ‘‘United To Restore Dem- ocracy in B.C.” It said: .‘‘Slave labor laws must be challenged. The ramming through of Bill 33 (by a majority of only 6) requires mobilization of all labor and demo- cratic forces to one, exert public pressure to have Bill 33 given a hoist; and two, fight back against any attempts to dictate contract settlements, interfere with free collective bargaining, or deny the rights of working people to decide the terms and conditions under which they will work.’’ The Communist leaflet also drew attention to Fishermen’s lead- ers Steve Stavenes and Homer Stevens, still serving a one-year prison sentence for alleged viola- tion of an exparte court injunction. Earlier in 1967 VLC secretary Paddy Neale, Jeff Powers, Marine Workers. Tom Clarke, IWA and electrical worker Art O'Keeffe had served a six-month jail term for a similar offence arising out of the Lenkurt strike. There were no references made by any rally speaker at the Forum on the imprisoned fishermen lead- ers. despite the fact that Bill 33 (when applied) can open prison doors for hundreds of B.C. trade unionists who may, directly or in- directly, defy its repressive pro- visions.