_ B.C. Liberal discloses how government

hushed up U. S. Alaska. Highway orall}

9

Le

’ lessness of the contractors respons-
- ible, and the army officials who had

caught in a trap, as ai result of the

were rebuilt to replace those de-

_ those in charge.:

_ $35,000 each, were being transport-

ed across Charlie Lake on the Alas-

ka Highway. The boat tipped over
and 17 men were drowned.

A Liberal MP from British Columbia, clumsily trying to minimize ‘‘the crimes and misdemea
those committed elsewhere in Canada, not so long ago,” has knocked the lid off a war scandal lon
Yukon Territory and Mackenzie District. When George Murray (Lib.,
River News, rose in the House of Commons to blurt out that Major General W. W. Fos
eral government details of. the U.S. Army. graft on the Alaska Highway in 1942-

thousands of Canadians already suspected.

Representing his disclosures as designed “‘to keep the

“IT would remind the House that the young army captain who was sentenced at
of his training on the Alaska Highway. That goes for, many of the
other men from Petawawa who have been sent to the penitentiary.
They worked on the Alaska Highway and many of them saw at. first
hand these terrific examples of wrongdoing which went unchecked

by their superior officers.”

Without connecting present defense scandals to. the presence
in this country of U.S. troops, Murray declared that “the outrages
on the Alaska Highway resulted primarily from the presence in the
country of the United States Army which introduced a system of
ethics which were at least startling to Canadians.” :

Although Murray protested that he did not think Major Gen-
eral G. Pearkes, (PC, Nanaimo) should be held responsible, “and I
do not charge him with anything,” Murray nevertheless pointed out
Pearkes “was general officer com:

1942 and 1943 and that (the Alaska
Highway) was in the Pacific area.
General W. W. Foster was appoint-
ed as a special liaison officer.”

Following is the partial text of

Murray’s speech to the House, as
reported in Hansard on January
16: :
I would like to give some of the
facts regarding the Alaska Highway,
of very recent memory. Violent
death was too often recorded in con-
nection with the building of that
highway. There the plunder, and
the outright theft and destruction:
of goods, from 1942 onward was
such as to cause Canadians to hide
their faces in shame, to think that
anything like that could. happen in
Canada.

Fortunately things did not get
into the press and were not’ kick-
ed around in the House of Com-
mons for political purposes, as
have been the comparatively triv-
ial crimes and misdemeanors at
Petawawa.

Let me draw attention to one

thing that happened on the Alaska |.

Highway in February, 1943. Two
truckloads of TNT explosives were
driven into the town of Dawson
Creek and, through the utter care-

control of the contractors, an ex-
plosion occurred which killed 21 per-
sons, wounded an unknown number
and wrecked most of the town. Two
soldiers were burned to death in the
Dawson (Creek jail, like animals

fires that spread from that. ex-
plosion.

Well, one might say that that was
a war period, that the Americans
were on the Alaska Highway, and
that we had no responsibility. The
Alaska Highway was farther away
from ‘any theatre of war in 1942
than, it is today. It was a scandal;
ous thing, and responsibility for it
has never been officially fixed, al-
though large sums of money were
paid in damages and many buildings

stroyed. A modern hotel has been
built upon the ruins of the one
destroyed by that explosion, an ex-
plosion which resulted from the
sheer negligence and earelessness of

I was at Fort Nelson on a certain
occasion when five thousand gallons
of high octane gasoline was wasted
through the neglect of army per-
sonnel.’ This was in 1944, and each
gallon would be worth at least $4
at that time and at that place.

In 1942 two bulldozers, valued at

} truck tires, and all the other gear

manding the Pacific Command in

complete lorries loaded’ with groc-
eries — and these were army lor-
ries, driven by Canadian soldiers—
were stolen from the officers’ mess
at Fort Nelson, along with the
trucks. The groceries were sold by
the soldiers, and cached at a certain
farm at Fort St. John. Arrests fol-
lowed, but I donot know what hap-
pened—whether the prosecution was
carried out, or whether the men
went to jail.

I venture to say that those two
truckloads of groceries were prob-
-ably worth, in dollars, as much as
all the miscellaneous junk: stolen
‘from Petawawa.

It was stated by persons who
should know that fourteen thous-
and pieces of equipment at an
estimated value of $10 million dis-
appeared on the Alaska Highway
from 1942 until 1945. This in-
cluded acetylene torches, Delco
lighting units, and other units for
lighting army camps, lathes, pow-
er drills, electrical equipment,
transformers, automotive acces-
sories of all kinds, automobile and

used in road construction and in
the building of airports.

It was said that 500 trucks disap-
peared, ae with certain gasoline
shovels and other heavy equipment.
In one place a hundred large cast-
iron stoves, army stoves, for heat-
ing army barracks, were thrown
over the bank and covered over by
bulldozers, so that they could be re-
moved later by the thieves.

Sugar and other food supplies,
which were. of great value at that
time, and particularly at points
hundreds of miles from the railhead,
were stolen or\disappéared. Army |
blankets and clothing disappeared;
and Indians and others, are still dig-
ging up loot along the Alaska High;
way, as the result “of the epidemic
of that time. ;

When authorities proceeded to in-
vestigate alleged irregularities at a
large repair depot at Mile 49, where
$100,000 worth of equipment sugh
as lathes, hammers and drills were
installed, the building was mys-
teriously burned down overnight, |
along with all records.

In 1942 and 1943 free gasoline
was pumped at all stations for all
comers, contractors, tourists, visit-
ors, and everyone. The trucking:
contractor made the most of this
flood of free gasoline.

At Fort Alcan an entire build-
ing 120 feet long, and probably
the same width—I might say that
this building included a jail—was
stolen along with all its contents.

The Alaska Highway sprees con-

Cariboo), former Vancouver news

Picture in proper focus,’’. Murray said:

Petawawa, a man with a most brilliant record, received mos

nors at Petawawa’’ as ‘‘not to be compared with
g discussed by thousands in B.C. and Alberta, thé
paperman and now publisher of the Peat?
ter, former Vancouver police chief, had reported to the

45 without any official action being taken, he was revealing wh#

top brass of*the Canadian army.

who were there were responsible,
that the United States army ‘was in
there and they were responsible, but
nothing of the kind was the fact.
We did not surrender to the United
States army any authority whatso-
ever respecting law enforcement.
In keeping with the epidemic of
plunder and corruption, there was
a total lapse of law enforcement
at certain points... . :

I do not propose to discuss the
Canol project as that was paid for
wholly by the United States govern-
ment. Hon, members will remember
that a Truman commission in Wash-
ington investigated this project.

The waste, the theft and the
sabotage associated with that pro-
ject was on a superlative scale.

ed entirely from the POssession of
the authorities. Most expensive
technical equipment was plunder-
ed’ and scores of motor trucks
vanished along with bulldozers
and accessories and equipment.

I was at Fort Norman and per-
sonally saw acres of buildings piled
high with tractor parts worth mil-
lions of dollars. ‘These were lat
sold or disposed of, but the world
will never know how much was car-
ried away unlawfully.

You might say that the Americans |

Steamboats and barges disappear- _

“

Fourteen thousand pieces of equipment at an estim
million disappeared on the Alaska Highway between 1942

ated 10

disaster and suici

Insane délusion that
of a six-hour day and 35

Morris, who recently returned
from the USSR, where he was a
Canadian fraternal delegate of the
Labor-Progressive party to the 19th
Congress of the Communist Party
of the Soviet Union, declared that
“communism—that endless dream of
the: prophets and the goal of pro-
gressive mankind—is now a prac-
tical question on the agenda for the
first time in human history.

“It is so practical a question
in the Soviet Union that they are
discussing, on the advice of Stal-
in, the reduction of the working
day to six and then to five hours
in industry,” he continued, “and
are instituting universal compul-
sory polytechnical education. t
“It is so practical a question that
they are discussing tremendous
changes in agriculture—some 97,000
collective farms must move over to
become part of the national proper-
ty: of the Soviet Union.

“It is so practical a question that
they: are preparing for a great ex-
change — without money — pe-
tween agriculture and industry, pro-
ducts exchange on the basis of the
needs of the people.”

Canadians must understand that:
it is false to look at the Soviet
Union from the point of view of
“looking out” from Canada, Mor-
ris emphasized, but must learn to

Two truckloads of groceries, two

tinued right under the noses of the

Iview the USSR from the point of

we are called u

St. Laurent wants to ‘liberate’
Soviet people from 6-hour day,
39 percent pay hike, says Morris

“The St, Laurent government’s policy ‘to liberate the Soviet Union’ can only lead to n@
suicide,” Leslie Morris told an overflow Lenin Memorial meeting of more than.
ancouver citizens at Pender Auditorium last Friday evening. “Our government labors ungé “
pon to liberate the people of the Soviet Union from the prosP™”
percent wage increases.”

Ae

tio
1200”

der the

view of the vast majority of man-
kind—through the eyes of the peo-
ples of China, India, Eastern and
Western Europe. ° :

“We must draw the conclusion.
that the Soviet Union emerged from
the Second World .War stronger,
more united and more determined
to ‘proceed with the construction
of Communism,” said the speaker.

The Soviet Union is no longer

isolated and never again will be
isolated, he pointed out. There is
no longer just one socialist state
but a socialist system of 11 states,
including the largest state in the
world—People’s China. The path
blazed by the Soviets and followed
by the New Democracies and Peo-
ple’s China will be taken by the peo-
ples of all colonial countries of the
world.

““The national direction of Can-
ada lies in grasping. the out-
stretched hand of the Soviet Un-
ion,” declared Morris. “The USSR
is willing to establish a single
world market, It is ready to meet
half way any country that is
ready to switch from-a war poli-
cy to a policy of peace and trade.
It is the patriotic duty of Can-.
adians to compel such a change
in our foreign policy.”

Morris called on all Canadians,
and particularly progressive and
socialist-minded Canadians, to study

for the unity of the

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — JANUARY 30, 1953 — PAGE

0
the achievements of the Soviet, oe
ion and to “make a personal *
of the science of socialism. sf)
“We're not going to get sora
in Canada ‘on the cheap.’ W por”
learn, study, and build the La rk
Progressive party. We must A
labor od

a

ment for peace, democracy —

world trade.” aie

The meeting sent a telegt#™
President Dwight D. Eisen anes
urging clemency to save © pers!
of Julius and Ethel Rose? tio?
“Carying through this exec
would foul justice and bra? lic
United States before world gi ;
opinion as a land of hyste¥!# wit
the home of injustice,” the *
concluded.

‘Two mew numbers by
groups from the Association °
ited Ukrainian Canadians 1
the meeting and drew loud apP

ance
ey

use

ot
The stage was darkened, * aed
light focused on a laurel-WwTe" yy

portrait of Lenin, and-a ¢o™ pies
tator read the poem “Lenin ~~
Asleep in Moscow.” :
The Labor Youth Chorus
two numbers, Ich Hab Eine
aPaden, and Hymn for the 10s Y
Perry Friedman sang @ 80 :
Lovely Land.
Maurice Rush
the meeting.

an
was chairma?

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