Book Review

Landmark of —
labor movement

The Trade Union Movement of
Canada (1827-1959) by Charles
Lipton (Canadian Social Publica-
tions, $8.50)

ANADA today is a_ highly

developed industrial nation.

Our people in a relatively
short period of time have dug
the riches of our vast country
and built the industries that have
made the northern half of this
continent flourish. In most of
the books the missing link of
Canadian history is this move-
ment of men and women whose
toil has made Canada possible.

Charles Lipton’s book, The
Trade Union Movement in Can-
ada 1827-1959, does much-to fill
this gap. In this extremely well
researched and tautly written
book, Lipton traces the trade
union movement from its early
origins among Quebec printers
in 1827 to the beginning of the
decade of the 1960's.

The book ends with a descrip-
tion of the technicians and pro-
fessional workers strike against
the Canadian Broadcasting Cor-
poration in Montreal. This strike
was a landmark inasmuch as it
reflected the involvement of a
new section of the working
class in trade union struggle as
being a tie with the upsurge of
the French Canadian nation that
has dominated Canadian politics
through the 60’s.

The study and detail that went
into Lipton’s work is evident on
every page, and the book richly
deserves to be read, studied and
above all debated in the labor
movement. A review, such as
this, cannot adequately reflect,
or for that matter debate some
of the contentious points of view
of the author.

One of the most vivid quali-
ties of Lipton’s research is that
he is able to. bring forward the
long standing democratic, hu-
manist and militant traditions of
Canada’s working class.

In-an especially moving pas-
sage he tells of a confrontation
between George Brown, publish-
er of the Toronto Globe and a
noted reformer, appealing to one
of his workers to quit the union.
The worker refuses and is dis-
missed because as he tells
Brown: “I will not desert the
society.”

One needs little more than to
look at the present picket line
in front of the Globe and Mail,
to see the continuity of labor’s
struggle through the generations.

Lipton quotes the Ontario
Workman m 1873 with an article
which says: “Men sometimes
say to me, ‘you are an inter-
nationalist.’ I say I do not know
what an internationalist is, but
if there is a system by which
workingmen from London to Gi-
braltar, from Moscow to Paris,
clasp hands, than I say, God
speed to it. I do not care wheth-
er it calls itself trade union,
Crispin, international or Com-
mune; anything that unites labor
in order that they may put up a
united force to face the organi-
zation of capital—anything that
does that, I say, honor to it.”—
How well these words read to-
ay
Painstaking work has uncov-
ered valuable, indeed priceless,
facts that deal with the heritage
of our trade union movement.
Lipton’s hook is a contribution

Ortcver Jc, 1967—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 10

towards examining history, not
as isolated deeds of ‘‘daringdoo”
by good guys and bad guys, but
as a heartbreaking and some-
times tragfiic yet glorious pas-
sage of mankind towards a bet-
ter day. c

Lipton does not set out to
chronicle the development of the
Canadian trade union movement,
but he does this in the frame-
work of his own pre-conceived
ideas. Thus, he passionately ar-
gues labor’s cause in general,
and in particular he promotes
his viewpoint that the struggle
for Canadian autonomy, has
been, is now, and will always be
the touchstone of progressive
and militant development of the
trade union movement.

Nobody can deny that the
problem of Canadian indepen-
dence and sovereignty is one of
the central, unsolved problems,
of the trade union movement. It
is also an uncontested fact that
this issue has been part of the
politics of the labor movement
from its early beginnings. But it
must be seen on the background

of the industrial development of

North America, the generalities

‘of the class struggle, and the

time, place and circumstance, of
this struggle.

I feel that Lipton does not do
this adequately, and because of
this there are a number of weak-
nesses in his preséntation of his-
tory. Moreover, because of the
flaw, the book in total leaves the
reader somewhat up in the air,
with the wheel of labor history
going around and around with
little perspective based upon the
path the movement has travelled.

There is also the problem of
emphasis. For example he deals
in the same detail with union
congresses in the early 1800’s
as he does with. the defeat of
Sam Baron and the walkout of
Pat Conroy in 1951 CCL conven-
tion: Yet as far as the contem-
porary problems of the labor
movement, the developments in
the early cold war period have
much more bearing than the ear-
ly beginnings of craft unionism.

This failing is especially true
in the treatment given the ad-
vent of the CIO in Canada, the
struggle of the late 1930’s, and
more important, the epic battles
of the postwar period when in-
dustrial unionism was firmly es-
tablished in Canada.

Lipton traces the first inter-
national connections developed
by Canadian unionists in 1866.
He then makes the point that
this affiliation came about as a
fraternal associaiton of equals
which was “subsequently to be-
come—as will be shown in later
chapters—one of domination.”

The book puts to rest the
myth that the American domina-
tion of.our trade union move-
ment was born out of the mis-
sionary zeal of American organ-
izers spreading the word in Can-
ada. It also demonstrates that
the lack of autonomy has seri-
ously hampered the political, or-
ganizational development and
above all the natural striving for
unity in the Canadign labor
movement.

But in this area he “overkills”
the American influence by im-
plying that all that is bad here
comes from there. Class collab-
orationism in the labor move-
ment isn’t purely and exclusive-

ly an American phenomena or
something that can be simply
associated with the United
States, with all due respect to
the Gompers and Meanys.

This is particularly revealing
in one passage of the book where
Lipton discusses the emergence
of the Catholic unions in Quebec.
He discusses their strength and
weaknesses. “Their strength was
Canadian unionism, their weak-
ness class collaboration and con-
fessionalism.” To this reviewers
mind, one simply does not bal-
ance the other out.

The other weakness in the
book is Lipton’s denigation of
the left in the movement, espe-
cially in the post war period, al-
though he identifies himself with

this trend throughout the book.

The problems of the left, espe-
cially the Communists in the
trade union movement, has con-
ditioned much of the position of
the movement as a whole. That
the left has been weakened is
indisputable: that it has made
mistakes in its fight for policy is
also part of the picture. But the
fact remains that the battles
fought by the left, especially
now as the cold war positions of
the right-wing establishment are
being demolished, remain a glor-
ious chapter in the history of the
trade union movement of which
many lessons can be learned in
the struggle of today, are not
adequately dealt with in Lipton’s
history. This I feel results in the
somewhat hazy ending of the
book. -

With all that, Lipton has made
an important contribution to an
understanding of the develop-
ment of the trade union move-
ment in Canada, and his book is
in a real sense a landmark for
the movement.

The contentious nature of
some of his analysis in an im-
portant sense increases the value
of his work because the ques-
tions he raises needs discussion
and debate, not because it is
necessary to refight the battles
of the past, but because a fuller
understanding of history is an
invaluable weapon in the fight
for the future. R.M.

KATHE KOLLWITZ

Theatre
Anne a maverick

Jes
The show, at the Royall it}

N this Centennial year, with
bitter voices rejecting our
celebrations and dark clouds

to the south and east (mush-
rooms, anyone?) it is a blessed
relief to go back to the uncom-
plicated years* of innocence, to
the Canada of fifty years ago
and the Prince Edward Island
which earlier hosted Confedera-
tion.

Of course nostalgia’s glow sof-
tens the contours of the past; of
course romance is a kind of es-
cape; but in a way it is also an
assertion of the human need for
love, or happiness, or merely
decency.

Lucy Montgomery’s novel;
Anne of Green Gables, has
brought tears to the eyes of
generations of Canadian school
children and their parents. It is
the sentimental story of an or-
phan girl in the farm home of
an elderly spinster and her ba-
chelor brother.

Life is simple, problems are
mostly personal, conflicts be-
tween adult and adolescent are
not too final, the pettiness of
small-town life is not necessarily
malicious and, in the local
school, there is even a young
teacher: who insists that educa-
tion must relate to life.

Donald Harron has written the
libretto for the new stage ver-
sion of: the Montgomery story,
with music and some lyrics by
Norman Campbell, direction and
choreography by Alan Lund,

scenery by Murray Laufer, cos-

tumes by Marie Day, and musi-

cal direction by John Fenwick.’
(There was another version, on

CBC television, some ten years
ago). Joint auspices for the mu-
sical comedy, now on tour in
its third season, are Festival
Canada and the 1967 Charlotte-
town Festival.

Ei

Review

andra Theatre in Tord ‘ont
faithful to the original. MT)
song, dance, groupings) Foltt ’
structure—it essentially © ql
the Broadway musica ee '
Yet it has a Maritimes un
and, especially in Mr. a
dance direction, a direct
simplicity of shape that 8
liarly Canadian.

It avoids gimmickry; !
lies in its open-face
its simple affection, its a rf
ness and good-nature vir

Its singing actors seldd
late their environment. ; |
Hamilton, as the spins nat
trays a character of warm’ dl
depth, and with 4 ‘,
stave business. Peter er |
her brother, becomes a At
gentle Mark Twain. z ch
derson, as Anne’s pubb sf of
provides a delightful Fi
ance, capped by 4 ei, mot
ing scene. Maud whi wate!
perhaps too much the sot
and Dean Regan shine gs}
what too brightly a ars
school rival, but Liane ™* all
both as the odd Mrs. Bley",
(later) the inspired scho" ist
er, is in tyne with the
the piece. ° ection

In story, lyrics and oe wy
the production recaP on 8)
past without being arc arts
about it. Most of the P’. ie

are
played straight. There oe
eccentrics or car

toon cha ih
But in the case of PB sty
role, Anne herself, ae use YT
tion is permitted, bect . pill)
is a rather unusual 87, of ;
the maverick, qa rer jr
independent soul. 1
Ray makes her a chet re
ture, full of spirit, fu
full of magic youth. in 0

—_

‘Seeds which are for sowing.-’

“7 ET them go on saying a
thousand times that it is
not pure art if it has an aim.

I wish to accomplish something

with my art, as long as I’m able

to work.” These words of. Kathe

Kollwitz, a wonderful German

woman artist, are a vivid defini-

tion of the nature of her art.
Her first series —“Revolt of
the Weavers” (1893-1898) and

“The Peasant War’’ (1902-1908)

—brought her world-wide recog-

nition. She considered art to be

‘ her moral duty ‘to people. She

could not help painting the des-
perate mothers and their help-
less children with great sunken
eyes, while hunger, unemploy-
ment and need were the lot of
the workingman.

In her works the artist told of
how poverty, hunger and death
generated the wrath of the tor-
tured workers and peasants and
led to a popular uprising.

With World War I there came
into the art of Kathe Kollwitz a
theme which became a major
one for her ever after—the fight
for peace. She turned more and
more often to propagandist art
and drew posters and leaflets.
Their images were outstanding
for their humaneness and sim-
plicity.

In the 1920s she took part in
various political campaigns, ex-
hibitions and collections of

strike funds.

The attitude of Kathe Koll-
witz towards the young land of
Soviets was characteristic. She
had grown fond of Russian
while reading Tolstoy and Dos-
toyevsky. The works of Gorky
also made a big impression on
her.

EY

renounced German artist whose
birth centenary is being marked
this year.

In 1921, Kollwitz responded
readily to Lenin’s appeal for as-
sistance to the Soviet Republic,
which had been hit by famine as
the result of a severe drought in
the Volga regions. She drew a
poster for the International
Workers’ Relief Organization
which cried out: “Help Russia!”

Self-portrait by Kathe Kollwitz,

Her dream of visiting at
came true when SMV tog,
Moscow for the celebt?’ i
the 10th anniversaly
Revolution in 1927. i ie

In 1932 the artist 545 Mt
exhibition of her WO itt
cow which include fenditt

Soviet Union.” to

ary
courage was necess®« inet,
é defend fi!

upon workers to
socialist state in the fas
time of impendinb poll,
When Hitler WS ign a
Chancellor, Kollwitt ity Uy |
appeal calling for ist for’
progressive antl- a yi
Germany. i KO? itt
Under the Nazi> ail e
staunchly withstor it, she, i
trials that were Her in ¢
forbidden to woF i

her works. wor ich
As a legacy tO the ds
Jeft her lithograph ould et

Are for Sowing te if Os
(0) wor “pt

not a sad wi ae
t, a demank. re
witz died a week PO ag
feat of fascism.
Ages go by but P
the memory of ;
ed their lives tO yg
of mankind. athe
one of them.