hoe | - employment should keep. pace with the war, those anonymous cline, the construction boom approaches ' its end « THE NATION LI RL Rll Id lad + By TIM BUCK Growth of mass unemployment evidence of developing crisis HE .cynicism of the St. Laurent government's at- tempts to give the big property owning interests one more ‘‘dish of gravy’ before the down tum of economic conditions becomes obvious is illustrated by the govern- ment’s recent admissions about the. alarming growth of unemployment. In spite of misleading government prop-- aganda to the effect that high production is evidence of prosperity, and Trade Minister Howe’s declaration that the capitalist class will enjoy boom profits for another - year, the plight of increasing thousands of unemployed workers is mute evidence that the boasted. prosperity of “ is now being maintained only “the investing public’’ at the expense of the working class. ' We pointed out two months ago in an article in National Affairs Monthly that no two crises break in exactly the same way. It is equally frue of course that ‘certain features are characteristic of the economic crises in general. A characteristic feature of the development of crisis in monopoly-capitalist economy is a marked growth of unemployment while production and profits continue to increase. The professional apologists and confusionists for monopoly capital quote anonymous “sovernment econ~ omists” to the effect that the present growth of unem- ployment results from “the fact that this country’s labor force is growing faster than the rate _ of employment. The meaning of that ‘profound’’ statement 1s that there are no longer enough During - ose “government economists” were continually being quoted to exactly the opposite effect. Then they were announcing that “the rate of em- ployment is growing faster than this country’s labor force.” The meaning of that statement was that there were no longer enough workers to go around, - “Thousands of workers who have exhausted their unemployment jobs to go around. During the: insurance benefits and the other thous- development of . unemployment grows. That is why the growth of un- employment is evidence of developing crisis. In the process the rich iron ore of Steep Rock and Labrador is. being literally handed over to U.S: bankers so that Canada shall have to continue to buy three quarters of all the steel we use from the U.S. instead ‘of putting Canadians to work to produce it. The St. Laurent government refuses to sell products of which Canada has a surplus to the Soviet Union or the people’s democracies. And Finance Minister Douglas Abbott declares provocatively that the government will not be turned from its present policies. The fight against the rentals increases, the fight against the Mosher-Conroy-Millard. attempt to undermine the United Electrical Workers and the Mine Mill and Smelter workers are parts of the fight against the de- veloping crisis. They are also preparation for even wider * struggles that will have to be waged in the near future against the policies by which the St. Laurent govern- ment and the monopolists are reviving mass unemployment in Canada. By NELSON CLARKE ne Douglas. attempts to pull a fast one ands of workers whose homes are threatened. by ‘the - shadow of unemployment may be excused for wonder- ing why it is that those highly paid “‘government econ- omists’” are always quoted as announcing a confusing explanation of conditions after they are already ap- parent but never as explaining what should be done to , ensure that in peacetime as in wartime, the rate of country’s labor foree. The reason they don’t explain growth of the~ that is because they are paid to do the opposite; namely — to help to prevent workers from agreeing upon what ~ should be done. Thus the anonymous: “government economists” are assuring Canadians now that’ “employment im ‘Canada is at its all-time high.”” They are careful not to mention - the fact that what they call “‘its peak’’ is only a fraction of a percent above the previous high while’ immigration ‘and its natural increase of population has increase the number of workers who ‘need jobs by 150,000 in a little more than a year. Neither do they mention the ommous fact that the ‘condition that they proclaim as “‘all-time high” em- ployment is a very temporary situation created in part by the large number of big construction jobs and a level of employment in the construction industry which 1s not going to be maintained—unless the ernment accepts the responsibility for maintaining tia The anonymous “government economists”’ federal gov- - are never quoted explaining the crucial meaning of the figures, — published by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics less than” “a month ago, revealing that the manufacturing industries of this country increased their production in 1948 to. 17 percent above their production in 1947 without in- ‘creasing the number of man hours worked. It should ‘be emphasized that this rate of increase would double the production The most important market for those products is. the home market. The home market could be regulated and ~ steadily expanded by | needs and interests of Canada’s people. —_ But the policies being pressed right now relative to the volume of production, while exports de- 4 yovernment policies based upon ‘the and of Canada’s manufacturing industries in ~ six years—provided there were a market for the products. landlords will be able to challenge this action in the © tay : REGINA ENANTS in this province are trying to grope their way through the fog of conflicting statements about ‘yent increases, and sometimes it is not tasy to keep up ‘with what has happened as letters fly back and forth between Premier T. C. Douglas and Finance Minister Abbott. . First, Douglas announced that Saskatchewan would be willing to assume rent controls on April 1, 1950, but at the same time informed Abbott that the pro- ‘vince doubted whether it eould legally do this, if! rent controls elsewhere in Canada remained under federal jurisdiction. He asked that this matter be referred to the Supreme Court, along with the general question ‘of whether rent controls come under federal or pro- -vincia] jurisdiction. | ; ' In taking this action it is ‘believed Douglas esti- mated rents would go up on December 15, thus satisfying landlords, Then, next April, the province could step in, peg the rents at their increased levels, and tell tenants that the province had done all it could for them and that the blame. for the higher rents must. be. placed on Ottawa. But Abbott also had a trick up his sleeve. He an- ‘nounced, that the federal government was willing to- amend orders 813 and 814 of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board—the orders allowing for the present in- creases—in order to make them inoperative in Sas- -katchewan. In other words, under Abbott's proposal rents would remain at their present levels in Saskatche- wan until the province takes over in April. Such a situation could hardly be satisfactory to landlords who would have to stand by while the landlords of other provinces were Collecting higher rentals. : : There is the possibility that landords in Saskat- ‘chewan will proceed to boost rents anyway. The pro- vincial government will probably do nothing to prevent ‘this on the grounds that it has not yet entered the field. The federal government is not likely to be too eager to enforce the lower ceiling in Saskatchewan when it is allowing rentals to go up elsewhere. Even if it does, courts, using ‘Douglas’ own arguments, tie the whole question: up in lengthy litigation and in the meantime go on collecting increased rents. : It is highly significant that there statements whatever coming from the landlords’ or- ganizations. They have made no moye to protest a development which: on the surface seems so obviously unfavorable to them. _ From here it looks as if Douglas tried to outsmart — _ Abbott, ‘and himself fell into the trap of his own making, at the same time somewhat diverting public attention throughout the country from the main issue - which is that of the federal government's responsibility : ' to drop the rent increase order altogether. are aimed — to reduce the purchasing power of the home ~market™ More and more tenants fee] that Douglas would rave been serving the interests of the people far better if he-had thrown the influence of his government and of his party into the nationwide fight to ‘cancel the _ rent increases. have been no. LABOR FOCUS By J. B. SALSBERG Mosher tries to whitewash raiding HERE was a time when A. Mosher, president of the Canadian Congress of Labor, paraded as a champion of “Canadian trade unionism.” For many years he justi- fied the existence of his Canadian Brotherhood of Rail- way Employees by his opposition to “foreign domination” of the trade unions of Canadian workingmen. He was all for national unions then. It should, perhaps, be mentioned that the CBRE was the union which Mosher headed and from which he drew wages. But that is only by the way. What must be added is that in those days Mosher’s “All-Canadian Congress of Labor” included building trades locals which specialized in settling wage rates below the AFL unions and in scab- bing when the AFL building trades were on strike, The fact is that there was a time, and not so long ago (he raided the AFL union of Montreal Tramway employees only recently), when Mosher was the fore- most champion of “national unionism” and the “op- ponent” of “U.S. interference” in Canadian unions. Now, Mosher is quite willing to accept “orders from the U.S.” It has become Mosher’s second nature. He has long ago attached himself to the chariot of Wall ' Street’s political spokesmen and he has learnt to re- spond quickly to the slightest pull of; the reins from Washington as do his right wing- trade union friends in other parts of the ‘world. During the last few: weeks, though, Mosher has felt very uncomfortable. Washington pulled the rein, he was eager to obey, but found certain barriers in the way. Don’t think that Mosher is squeamish about raid- ing sister organizations. He did it not long ago when he was lurking to devour only “foreign” unions. And he has been doing it lately, since he became almost the foremost red-baiter- in Canadian unionism. He licked his chops when he had the chance to raid the metal miners’ union because CCF leaders of that union like Carlin, Thibeault, McCool, or Solsky refused to red- bait and split their union. It shouldn’t be therefore difficult to envisage with what, pleasure Mosher anticipated the long-plotted raid on the United Electrical Workers. Didn’t he growl at the UE for quite a while? Didn't he lay charges against the Canadian section of the UE everytime its spokes- men dared to criticize him? Didn’t he suspend the Canadian leaders of the UE on the eve of the last CCL convention so as not to hear the critical voices of Jackson, Harris and Russell? He did all that to whet his appetite for the big Swoop. ‘ Well, it came at last. The CIO leaders in the U.S. kept their bargain with the big business. politicians and expelled the UE. The hungry in all directions. But here was Mosher unable to “par- take” personally and getting only a vicarious pleasure out of the whole thing. It would be unfair to Mosher if we were not to assure “our own” reactionaries that Mosher didn't exactly sit idly by when the “great moment” came. They needn’t lose faith in him. He did all he could but certain circumstances were against his public par- ticipation. . é When the UE was expelled from the CIO it was still a part of the CCL. Officially, therefore, he couldn’t order the raid in this country. To have done so would have revealed him as nothing more than a message— oy for the Americans. There was also the danger of a revolt from the CCl. membership. So Mosher merely instructed his CCL organizers to carry on an unde- clared war against the UE. ‘ Mosher was quite sure that what with Millard’s staff and his doing the dirty work the UE, which was an integral part of the CCL, would be quickly de-— strayed. It would be a fait accompli, and the consti- tution would not be violated, since the CCL would be doing nothing officially. But, the scheme didn’t work. The Canadian UE : members hurled back the raiders. The few landings that Mosher’s raiders made in their sneak attack was gradually narrowed to barely a foothold. The jackals’ were being driven back into the wilderness. In addi- tion the rank and file of most CCL unions in the coun- try began voicing their protest against the wes" A wrecking attacks and rallied to the support of the tg _ The Washington bosses recognized their Canadian disaster and told Mosher to stop playing the game of independence, to get off his chair and do the dirty work that he is expected to do. The Washington whip cracked and Mosher moved forward obediently. There was, of course, the CCL constitution ‘to be disposed of and he did that in quick order. He ex- pelled the UE because “they were three months in ar- rears in their per-capita payments.” The UE was not in atrears for that time, but what does that matter! Mosher can now raid constitutionally. . . . Furthermore, he will claim that his raiding is not done on orders from - the U.S. No, it’s purely coincidental, —_ i . , Is there a worker in the country who will not see — through this piece of hypocrisy? And is it unthinkable — that the membership of the CCL will not storm with pro- : tests against this outrage? We are confident that the — members of all CCL unions will turn with contempt against the Moshers, will give greater support to the UE than they have given until now and _ will utterly — defeat the dastardly Mosher machinations. ; PACIFIC TRIBUNEDECEMBER 16, 1949—PAGE 9 _ pack began baying ~-