FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 1956

Continued from page I

LABOR MERGER

others like John Buckley, Sam
Lawrence and J: B. Salsberg in
their stand that unity should be
-maintained at all costs in Can-
ada.

But Draper fell ill. R. J. Tal-
lon (TLC secretary) was boosted
to the presidency. A more con-
servative element took hold of
the reins of leadership.

Tallon was ordered to a spe-
cial conclave in Washington,
D.C., with the AFL brass and
on December 19, 1938 — a fate-
ful. day for Canadian labor —
the deal to split Canadian labor
was sold. Tallon returned, can-
vassed his executive by mail
and the CIO unions were ousted
early in 1939. At the next con-
vention a bitter fight took place,
but the damage had been done.

In 1940 the Canadian Con-
gress of Labor was established
as another centre, strongly bas-
ed on the principle of industrial
unionism and organizing the un-
organized.

CCL secretary-treasurer Don-
old MacDonald was mindful of
this tragic episode in Canadian
labor history, when he spoke to
Toronto unionists about the new
CLC constitution recently. Re-
ferring to the period, he drew
attention to the safeguard-
words in the preamble which
-speak of “this auntonomous
Canadian labor centre.”

It was not the first time that
orders from the U.S. had been
foisted on Canada to the detri-
ment of Canadian labor. Nor
was it to be the last as events
proved. z

As far back as 1902, under
U.S. influence a ruling was im-

posed that all national. unions

functioning in crafts where an
international existed would be
barred from affiliation. This
had the effect of straitjacketing
unionization under the control
of a U.S. headquarters.

Canada is the only country
in the world which lacks.a truly
national trade union movement.
Canada is “Region 23” in the
new AFL-CIO structure adopt-
ed south of the border, — the
equivalent of a grouping of two
or three U.S. states.

Of 182 unions in Canada, 115
are affiliated to an internation-
al. Close to 900,000 unionists
in Canada are members of in-
ternational unions based in the
U.S. — a unique phenomenon,

All of this has through the
years of union organization con-
tributed to a sturdy demand
for greater autonomy by Can-
adian unions, bitterly rejected

by the powerful “roadmen” (ap-.

pointees in Canada of interna-
tional union headquarters in the
GS).

The man who headed the TLC
from 1898-1902, Ralph Smith,
MP for Nanaimo, fought deter-
minedly for a national trade
union centre working in fra-
ternal harmony with brother

unionists south of the line. He
argued strongly against having
local unions in Canada affiliated
to national unions in the U.S.
because two countries with dif-
ferent problems were involved.

Pressure of the “roadmen”
blocked the path to industrial
unionism in the 1919-20 period.
It led to the great Western
Conference of Unions and the
setting up of the One Big Un-
ion, which still survives today
in Winnipeg. Again in 1921 the
same group rammed through the
expulsion of the Canadian Bro-
therhood of Railway Employees
from the: TLC.

The Nova Scotia miners were
interfered with in the twenties.
So were the efforts of Canadian
labor to found a Canadian Labor
party. In the forties, it was
the union-wrecking job done on
the great militant Canadian Sea-
men’s Union.

U.S. domination in the CCL
led to the expulsions of United
Electrical Workers, Mine-Mill
and International Fur Workers.
In the TLC the firing of leaders
of the AFL Textile Workers and
the AFL Lumber Workers was
carried through on orders from
the U.S.

Right to this day there are
witchhunts being ordered in
several unions from U.S. inter-
national offices (as in the case
of the International Brother-
hood of Electrical Workers) and
domination of Teamsters’ Union
affairs.

* This process has not gone un-

challenged. The battle for Can-
adian autonomy rose to its high-
est point in the celebrated strug-
gle to prevent the U.S. state
department, the Canadian gov-
ernment and Seafarers’ Inter-
national Union in the U.S. from
destroying the Canadian Sea-
men’s Union.

That was the time when for-
mer TLC president Percy Ben-
gough and John Buckley, sec-
retary-treasurer, signed the
famous: “Cooperation, yes —
Domination, no!” document. It
was sent to the TLC member-
ship in March of 1949 defying

AFL demands to expel the CSU. ’

It was a remarkable letter —
the most systematic denuncia-
tion of domination of Canadian
unions from the U.S. ever writ-
ten by the TLC. But the strug-
gle so boldly started ended with
Bengough’s capitulation to the
AFL leadership and the cold
war demands of Washington and
Ottawa.'

Now as the TLC-CCL close
ranks in an historic merger, the
issue of autonomy remains a
pressing one, and the struggle
to: assert it will determine the
stimulus and leadership labor
gives to the gathering movement
of the Canadian people for in-
dependence.

greet rall

The preiniers of China, Iran and the Sudan,

and the

ers

Philippines’ ambassador ¢6 the

USS. have sent gréetings to the people of, this province on the occasion of the first an-
niversary of the historic Asian-African Conference, held in Bandung.

Addressed through B.C. Peace Council, the messages are to be read
of the Indonesian government film of the Bandung Conference in Pender

here on Friday, April 27, 8:15
p.m. Five Indian documentar-
ies will also be shown.

(The films are also to be
shown in North Vancouver Com-
muity Centre this coming Wed-
nesday, April 25, 8:15 p.m.)

In a cable to the Vancouver
celebration, Premier Chou En-
lai of People’s China, said:

“Dear Friends: The Chinese
people are very glad to learn
that you are celebrating the
achievements of the Asian-Afri-
can Conference on the first an-
niversary of its successful con-
clusion. I believe that wide
masses of Chinese and Canadian
people share desire to consoli-
date and promote spirit of
Asian-African Conference. I
wish your celebration success.”

Premier Sayed Ismail El Az-
hari of the Republic of the
Sudan, has sent a long message
which concludes:

“The conference ... repre-
sents the awakening of the giant
lying between the Pacific and
the Atlantic which has no evil
plans but works for the good of
humanity and the furtherance
of international understanding.
The ancient races which gave
to humanity the basis of its
treasuries of science, art, phil-
osophy and religion will play
their role once more to enrich
the store of human experience
and knowledge.”

Premier Hussein Ala of Iran,
in his message, noted that Ban-
dung represented a significant
step toward world peace, stat-
ing:

“The principles incorporated
in the final communique of the
conference are, I am sure, en-
dorsed not only by the 29 par-
ticipating countries, but by all
,individuals and nations who
have a sincere desire for peace
and security, for the assertion
of the fundamental rights of
man, and for progress in the
economic and social sphere to
make this world’ a better place
to live in for future genera-
tions”

General Carlos P. Romulo,
leader of the Philippines’ dele-
gation to Bandung, and now his
country’s ambassador to the
U.S., wrote from Washington to
wish the celebration success.

“The Bandung Declaration of
April 1955 was the categorical
assertion of the right of Asia
and Africa to be heard in the
shaping of world policies,’ he
wrote. “A bold stroke by the
29 countries that attended the
conference, it had to be recog-
nized by the West as the con-
clusive proof of the coming of
age of the peoples of the two
continents who may no longer
be taken for granted and much
less ignored

“Real peace cannot be built
upon the foundation of the in-
equality that is implicit in every
colonial set-up under whatever
name.

“The truth of Bandung is its
emphatic demand of freedom for
all peoples under yoke and I
trust that such powers as might
still be inclined to pursue an
imperialistic course will read in
that truth their own opportuni-
ty to deserve the esteem of the
rest of mankind. That way also

CHOU EN-LAI

— in the recognition of the
right of all peoples to lead their
own lives — lies one of the
surest paths to the peace of our
time.”

Message$S to the celebration
are also expected from other

at a showing

HUSSEIN ALA~

Asian and African leaders.

The supporting program of In-
dian films includes a documeB-
tary on India’s 200-year strug:
gle for independence, a trav
film in color, and Indian A
Through the Ages.

Ceylon premier-elect
blasts SEATO pact

COLOMBO
In an interview published by
the Times of Ceylon, Solomon
Bandaranaike, whose neutralist
People’s United Front party
swept to power in last week’s
Ceylon elections, declared that
military pacts such as SEATO
were pregnant with danger.
As a Socialist party, he said,
his party would proceed to
nationalise or enforce _ state
control of services where such
action was in the interests of
the country, but such action
would be in stages.
Bandaranaike, 57-year-old
Oxford graduate and London
law student, said he agrees in
principle with the world policy
of Indian Premier Nehru, sup-
ports Republican status for
Ceylon, and an end to British
bases here. :

Vancouver 4, B.C.

Please enter my subscription to the PACIFIC

TRIBUNE.

Name"

Clip and Mail-

Circulation Department

Tribune Publishing Company, Ltd.
Suite 6 - 426 Main Stree,

The third and last round of
the three-day Ceylon elections
confirmed Bandaranaike and
his moderate People’s United
Front party in the victory 1°
dicated by earlier results.

With a total of 75 seats (it-
cluding the previous results)
declared, the People’s United
Front party had won 48.

The United National party of
Premier Sir John Kotelawala
which called the election in 4
bid: to obtain a two-thirds
majority, was reduced to minor
strength.

Other results were: Trotsky-
ists 11, United National party
eight, Independents three, CoD’
munists two, Federal party two
Tamil Resistance Front one-

There are 95 elected seats and
six appointed by the govern
general. Bandaranaike f
therefore also be able to appoint
his supporters to these seats. :

————

Address

$4 for one year 0

$2.25 for 6 months [J

———

APRIL 20, 1956 —

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 1?