ANON —— Worth quoting: “Under capitalism the working class has Crawl or fight. A certain quantity of profit will Cent security and it can be everyw becomes lively; 50 percent, positively darin if : percent, and there is no crime which trample on all human laws; 300 but two courses to follow: (J. B. McLachlan, Nova Scotia miners’ leader.) make capital audacious. Ten per- here applied; 20 percent and it g; for 100 percent it will it will not risk, even at the threat of the gallows. (Karl Marx in Capital.) 50 years ago... WILL SPEND $1,000,000 TO SMASH UNIONISM IN QUEBEC QUEBEC—Workers throughout Canada need pay the closest at- tention to-day to what is going On in the Quebec Legislature. Tas- Chereau, the Provincial Premier, and Galipeault, the Minister of Labor, have both announced that $1,000,000 would be spent, if ne- Cessary, to destroy the interna- lional unions in the province. Le- Rislation practically outlawing in- ternational unionism is to be in- troduced at the next session. Whatever be the present affilia- lions of the Canadian Workers, ~’ Whether A.F. of L., 0.B.U., or | CF. of L., or independent, this threatened move is aimed against the verv principle of freedom of trade union organization and alli- liation itself. No terms are too Strong to denounce such an auto- Cratic action. Workers of all provinces, and all affiliations, demonstate your Pacific Tribune hostility to this latest attempt to deepen the wage-slavery of- labor! Worker, April 1, 1922 25 years ago... NEW PRICE INCREASES COMING, PUBLIC TOLD Canadians are in for another round of price increases. It is predicted that meat prices will rise two or three cents per pound immediately. The president of the Canadian Federation of Agricul- ture warns that milk, butter, cggs meat and cheese will rise. It has been rumoured in Otta- wa for some months that rent controls are also to be abandon- ed soon as a result of heavy pres- sure from. real. estate interests. Trade union Ieaders in’ many parts of the country sav that their unions must now seck wage In, creases to meet the continually rising cost of living. Daily Tribune, October 23, 1947 i Editor — MAURICE RUSH Published weekly at Ford Bldg., Mezzanine No. 3, 193 E. Hastings St., Vancouver 4, B.C. Phone 685-5288. Circulation Manager, ERNIE CRIST : Subscription Rate: Canada, $5.00 one year; $3.00 for six months North and South America and Commonwealth countries, $6.00 one year. All other countries, $7.00 one year ber 1560. SR eee ee RN OF EB ENERE. FR EET Editorial Comment... Municipal elections The municipal elections now under- way in various parts of the country are of special significance at this time when the all-out drive of the big monopolies against the living standards and liber- ties of the working people is gathering momentum, Municipal governments can be made into a strong line of the defence of the _people’s interests against rapacious Big Business and its representatives in the senior governments. They can put a stop to the gouge being put on the public by the land spe- culators, high-rise developers, and other capitalist looters. They can compel the burden of taxa- tion to cover costs of schools to be lift- ed from the homeowners and placed on the wealthy exploiters instead. They can mobilize the people of each given locality to fight against and stop the moves to reduce public services. The election of people’s champions to civic bodies, assisted by support of the labor, tenant, ratepayers and other pub- lic organizations, will be of great value in the struggle even where they are in the minority. Municipal elections offer the great- est opportunity for grass-roots cam- paigning and for building unity around vital issues and candidates. The trade union movement sees the need for unity as evidenced by the deci- sions of the recent Ontario and British ° Columbia Federations of Labor con- ventions on inclusion of unions that are at present outside, and by the Com- mon Front of the trade unions in Que- bec. Labor has been moving towards Eecosnile unity in civic elections as well. It is highly to be regretted that the | area NDP organization in Vancouver refused the urgings of the Vancouver and District Labor Council for a pro- gressive united front in the city’s elec- tion and chose instead to place a full. slate of NDP candidates, thereby tor- pedoing the opportunity to elect a pro- gressive majority and jeopardizing the chances of all progressives, including its own candidates. The people can unite at the polls and score significant victories. And the first duty of all who believe in progressive unity is to cast their votes for the candidates that support such unity. People-haters Ontario Health Minister Dr. Richard Potter served notice at a meeting of medical men that the Tory government is out to slash Medicare. “Many believe they have a right to drunkenness and drugs, obesity and abortions, sterility and physical unfit- ness — and they fully expect to lay the cost of all this on the taxpayer!” he shouted. The Tories mix up the few cases of aleoholism and drug addiction (which are illnesses too, by the way) with all the ills of man, put in abortions as well, and are sharpening the axe to lop off “frills” and “padding” from health ser- vices. Their first target is our youth, which Dr. Potter slanders as “a generation CUBS ORB AHOHs SHE Ne a that includes many unfit, self-indul patients with self-inflicted diseases that they charge to the public purse.” Similarly labelling Unemployment In- surance beneficiaries as “frauds” and welfare recipients as “bums,” the reac- tionaries have already started to act with the Tory government in New Brunswick moving to cut off welfare all young people below 24 years of ape: : And they’re reaching out for federal control the better to carry out the on- slaught, either with Stanfield in the prime minister’s seat or by Trudeau knuckling down to their demands. The time to fight these people-haters is right now. Twisting the truth We would be blind to ignore the fact that the reactionaries in our country have managed to befuddle a good many people with their propaganda and are raising a din to befuddle more into sup- porting them. _They have different arguments for different segments of the population. To the small businessman who is being squeezed by the big monopoly outfits, they say the danger to them comes from labor, from socialism, from proposals to bring Canada’s energy and natural resources under public owner- ship. “They’re out to nationalize your corner grocery store,” they holler when curbs on chain stores are proposed. “Stick with monopoly!” And monopoly keeps on squeezing them and gulping them down... To the farmer who wants his wheat shipped and sold at long last, they ery that the labor unions are holding up the shipping. The fact that the B.C. longshoremen were in reality: locked out and vainly offered all along to load the wheat goes unheard amid the din. And farmers vote for their worst ene- mies... To the workers in unorganized enter- prises and occupations they shout that the “big unions” are taking all the gravy, leaving nothing for rest. At the same time they do everything to see _ that the trade unions don’t get a chance to organize the non-union workers .. . They are raising the roof, clamoring that the workers are lazy and would rather draw unemployment insurance than work, because they get more that way than they would working in low- - paid occupations. So instead of lifting minimum wages to a decent level, they are proposing to force unemployed per- sons to accept scab work and coolie wages... And they weep for the taxpayer who bears such a burden, while it is the working man and women, the small merchant, the homeowner that pays the taxes, while Big Business gets off with a little touch... The arguments of the reactionaries are false, but with the servile media drumming them in day in and day out they are making an impact. Never was it so necessary as today for all who see the conspiracy of the right-wing unfolding, to. use every means at our disposal to warn the masses of Canadians to rebuff the mo- See as Oe 7, nopoly sharks who are after our hides. —