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FLASHBACKS FROM
THE COMMUNIST PRESS

50 years ago...

GARMENT WORKERS
DECLARE GENERAL STRIKE

Declaring that standards of
work are being reduced to an
unbearable level, and that the
bosses refuse to discuss the griev-
ances of which they complain, the
4,000 cloak, suit and skirt work-
ers who form the Montreal and
Toronto locals of the Interna-
tional Ladies Garment Workers
Union have. declared a general
sfrike.

Re-establishment of the 44-hour
week in the 100 factories in the
city, acceptance of the principle
of collective bargaining, which in-
cludes recognition of the union,
and the establishment of a joint
board of sanitary control which
will work out a code of sanita-
tion for the industry, are the
demands of the strikers.

The Worker,
Feb. 14, 1925

‘25 years ago...

NEO-NAZIS ORGANIZED
FROM CANADA

A study of telepress reports
reaching the Tribune reveal that a
good deal of the organizing work
toward the formation of the neo-
Nazi German Reich Party in the

western zone of Germany was Car-
ried on from Canada.

Key figure in this end of the
work was Otto Strasser who for
several years has been granted a
haven in Canada while he plotted
the resurgence of fascism. Strass-
er was one of the first members
of Hitler's Nazi Party. His Ger-
man Right Party, which he direct-
ed from Canada did extensive
work in preparing the amalgama-
tion of the National Reich Party
with the National Democratic
Party, the Socialist Right Party
and a number of other groups.

Tribune,
Feb. 13, 1950

Profiteer of the week:

In the last three months of 1974, while
working-class families were wondering how
to meet tne bills, and the government was
telling pensioners to show a little restraint,
International Nickel chalked up better than
$74-million profit, down from more than

$75-million in the last three months of 1973.
To head off any uncontrolled sobbing, we
hasten to add that on the year INCO reap-
ed an after-tax $306-million profit, com-
pared to 1973's $226,900,000. And that’s
with “restraint.”

SSeS

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1975—Page 4

Spur government action on crisis _

Efforts to talk away the economic

crisis are giving capitalist economists

and politicians a look of disarray. On
a recent Sunday a Canadian Broadcast-
ing Corporation “happy gang” left sea-
soned U.S. economist Harlow Unger
agog when they tried to get him to look
through their rose-colored glasses.

Only six days into the new year, Ar-
thur Smith, Conference Board of Can-
ada president, had noted: “The United
States is in one of the largest recessions
since the recession of 1938,” and that
“the world is now in a world-wide re-
cession . . .” Capitalist world, that is.
But amazingly, he saw a “brighter” out-
look for Canada.

Two days later, Dr. B. V. Gestrin,
vice-president, economics, Canadian
Imperial Bank of Commerce, predicted
that Canada will be “a big loser,” in
exports decline in 1975, and that “we
appear to have crashed right into a
towering inferno” of economic diffi-
culties.

Prime Minister Trudeau said on New
Year’s eve: “It’s going to be a tough
year in 1975 — it’s not a good year.”
He saw a “world where everything is

_ going awry or amok .. .” Perhaps he

was thinking of the capitalist system.

But by Feb. 2, Finance Minister Tur-
ner jollied us that Canadians can “have
it made” in the next 10 years — but he
warned us to moderate our demands.

Across the border, unemployment hit
disaster heights at 8.2%; AFL-CIO
President Meany predicted 10% by
summer: stock market observers said
the “market is running out of excuses
to continue its big 1975 rally,” and
there’s a relentless flow of news to show
how deen is the current recession.” On
Feb. 1, New York stock broker and con-
glomerate head. Eli Black jumped. 44
storeys to his death — an echo of the
30s.

Canada’s jobless rate hit 6.7% in Jan-
uary, and prices were uv 12.17% over a
year ago — food prices 16.3%. Housing
starts dropned 15% through 1974, says
the Bank of Montreal Business Review,
the worst drop in November, with
starts 45% below January.

Marxist economisteEmil Bjarnason
said in Vancouver that “recession is a
politician’s word . .”. there is no longer
any argument. It is a depression.”

The classic example of a capitalist
crisis of over-production is in auto, but
layoffs are far wider than that. Instead
of directing the economy, establishing

jobs and a price roll-back, the govern-

ment will squander, in 1975-76, $2.8-
billion on armaments, while housing and
other needs are neglected. Instead of
legislating a redistribution of the coun-
try’s wealth, the government allows the
monopolies the greatest profit spree
ever.

It is useless, as Marxists have said
long ago. to look to the leaders of the
capitalist system for working-class
emancipation. The only “hero” who can
free working people from oppression
and remould society to serve the major-
ity, is the working class itself.

But one-of the specific ways to do
this is to exert unbearable pressure on
those: glib capitalist politicians. Strong

working-class unity and unity with all

the working people of Canada, is need- |

ed to compel the government to bring
under public owenrship key sections of

the economy, thus breaking the grip |
of the monopelies and of U.S. domina- |
tion. Trade must be broadened with the |

prosperous socialist community.

The government must be warned |
against interfering in workers’ battles |
for wage gains; it must be pressured |
into expansion of the home market, by |
maintaining and increasing purchasing | —

power.

While capitalist governments are not |
fully in control of the crises afflicting _

them, neither are they powerless to
protect the working people from the
boundless greed of the monopolies.

It is time for the working people to
take charge of the situation, and

through their mass action, to compel
the government to act in response to
working people’s needs.

Where violence starts

Tory governments, if they are noted |
for anything in addition to consistent |

corruption, are noted for being anti-
labor. Ontario’s 31-year string of Tory

governments proves the point. Yet, |_
amid Tory ministers’ efforts to appear

accountable to the electorate, the shrill,

right-wing piping of Education Minis- |
ter Thomas Wells must be an embar- |

rassment, even to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Wells, wrought up by the vio- 2
lence in society, and in the classroom, ~
has found the cause of it all. It is not

the capitalist society which has noth-

ing to offer by way of human better-—
ment, which points only to more cor- —

ruption, more monopoly domination,

and the constriction of opportunity for |

the-overwhelming majority.
No, according to Mr. Wells, the prob-

lem is that young people see rebels
blowing up aircraft on television, they
illegal -
strikes (!) and a fading respect for —
law. “Society just isn’t as disciplined as __

see a growing number of

it used to be,” he laments.

Large numbers of the public which
Mr. Wells wants to provoke against
labor are part of that vast labor move-
ment who are using the strike weapon

to win the gains his kind of government _

would deny them.

The real violence, the insidious vio- |

lence that strives to destrov the minds

ing class.
Social production is a fact of life —

workers in their millions producing the |

wealth that builds Canada and sustains
their families.

The siphoning off of the cream of —
all. they produce to the overlords of

monopoly capitalism is the essence 01

capitalism. Against this violence the

pipsqueaks of toryism will never inter-
vene. But the working class is gather-

ing its determination that the violence ~

of the exploiting system must be met —

with every weapon at the workers’ com-

mand — and the strike, and mass politi; |

cal protest are such weapons, ‘test
and proven reliable. ;

nears ae

of the young generation is the legalized
violence of private ownership of Can-—
ada’s great resources and powerful in- |
' dustries built on the sweat of the work-