Phe fp i iD 1 1NR iN (6 SaaS 2 7 siinsesselllncetteseasine Pineteencertl t +E ri ; > FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1955 Continued from page ! CANADA IN 2000 is to be hoped that its report will be confined to a summary but that the briefs themselves will become available to Can- -adians. At the time of the announce- ment of the appointment of. the commission by the St. Laurent government the Labor-Progres- sive party welcomed it and de- elared its intention of appear- ing before it. To make any serious attempt to view the prospects of Can- ada in the next 50 years, means of necessity to look for the basic trends and likely devel- opments in the Canadian econ- omy — and dominant in all of that is Canada’s relationship with the United States. ’ This problem has been. pres- ent fora long time, at least - since Confederation in 1867; and it is terribly aggravated today, to the point where its resolu- tion, as the LPP program says, involves a new struggle for Can- adian independence if Canada is to survive. as a political state. To view this “without recom- mendations” is virtually to look on it with detachment. How can a Canadian be neutral or detached when the fate of his country is at stake? Consequently the aim the LPP national executive has set it- self. is to gather all possible information about Canada _ to- day, to deal with the future of our country mainly in connec- tion with the question history poses: how can Canada survive, how can it develop, what poli- cies must it pursue, to secure its independence? This the lLabor-Progressive party will do to the best of its ability. Its brief will be ready for the commission around Christmas and likely will be discussed with the commission at one of its hearings in Feb- ‘ruary. ~ It is of high importance that all sections of the labor move- ‘ ment and all farm organizations, women’s and youth groups, and others, should make their views known to the commission. A splendid example has been set by the Marine Workers’ Feder- ation which presented a strong brief to the commission in Hali- fax. The working people and the farmers have a good chance here not only to make their views known to the government through the commission, but to organize and clarify their opin- ions in the very effort to pre- pare them for the commission. The opportunity is a challenge to Canadians. The government has seen fit, for whatever reas- on, to open up the $64 question: What do you think can happen, or‘is going to happen, to Can- ada by the year 2000? What a challenge that is! The LPP is rising to meet it and will do as thorough a job as was done Rowell-Sirois Commission on constitutional questions was set up by Mackenzie King in the late thirties. The Communist brief to that commission is an historic document. - We are living in an epoch of great change, as Tim: Buck has wisely said. The royal com- mission must hear from the Canadian: people as to what: part they think Canada must play in it. ’ The job cannot be Jeft to bank presidents and corporation executives—labor and the farm- ers must have their say. They have strong opinions; and in the end it is the people’s opin- ions and convictions which will decide what Canada’s future is going to be and which way this country must go to be in- dependent, prosperous, demo- cratic’ and at peace. Continued from page 1 ENGINEERS. Monday pledged strike sup- port and initiated a radio broadcast. City councils at Alberni and Port Alber- ni have asked Labor Min- ister Lyle Wicks to step in and mediate the strike. @ Trainmen have refused to haul lumber loads from Lake Cowichan and Na- naime. , @ At Chemainus one ship is tied up and three more are due in port. @® Engineers are publishing daily strike bulletins which are distributed to all key points on Vancouver Is- land. Trade unionists have con- demned a statement made by Tony Poje, IWA local 1-80 president in Duncan, who said that “our members will try to keep the mills going. This strike is nothing more than nuisance value and we're not going to tolerate it any longer.” (At the last local meeting in Duncan on October 23, before the strike was called, the ex- ecutive brought in a resolution demanding ignoring of an Engineers’ picket: line should one be formed. After a heated’ debate the motion was defeated, and members made the three IWA men who voted to cross ‘the picket line stand up and show their faces to the meet- ing. Newspapers blacked out the story.) : Attitude of most B. C. workers is expected in an editorial in The Fisherman this week, which began: “Operating engineers are on strike in a number of mills throughout British Columbia and though there are many un- fortunate and_ ill-considered circumstances in connection with the dispute, organized labor must give the strikers their support. “And that of course involves as a very minimum refusing to cross a picket line...” s when the famous | Strike ends at De Haviland plant Ending a strike which lasted four months and two days, , bership of Local 112 United Automobile Workers (CIO) employ: _Toronto voted last week to ratify the agreement reached by union and company shows deHaviland strikers on the picket line. Britain went back on | own plan at Geneva | GENEVA By SAM RUSSELL ae moré than 90 percent of the mem ed at the de Haviland plant officials. Photo British Foreign Secretary Harold Macmillan bears no small part of the respons bility for the failure of the Big Four Foreign Ministers conference to reach agreement OP any of the main points of the ag strated the bad faith of the British Tory government on the basic issues facing Three proposals, originally made by Britain, were all accepted by the Soviet Union and then opposed by Macmil- lan. They were: 1 Establishment of a Euro- pean security pact includ- ing the United States and -a restricted number of European states. Creation of a zone across the centre of Europe in which there would be limi- tations and control of arms \ and armed forces. Limitation of armed forces of the Great Powers and abolition of atomic weapons after 75 percent of an agreed. reduction in conventional - weapons had been carried - . out. : ; Every one of these plans was originally associated with the name of Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden. Instead of standing by these ~ proposals, which could have led to an international settlement, Macmillan took a position with U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles in demanding that a rearmed and reunified Germany, headed by the Ruhr barons who brought Hitler to power, must be included in the Atlantic Pact; « = . LDR annual meet on November 26 Annual meeting of the League for Democratic Rights, Vancou- ver Branch, will be held in Electrical Workers’ Hall, 111 Dunsmuir Street, on Saturday, November 26, 2 p.m. Among questions slated for discussion are: LDR: proposals for provincial legislation to out-~ law discrimination based on race, color or creed—in employ- ment, housing, public accom- modation and other fields; labor legislation; special problems of Native Indians and people of .Asiatic origin. The general public is invited to attend, as well as members and observers from interested organizations. oe enda. In . every conference session Macmillan demon the world. Continued from page I UIC BENEFITS — no difference between regular and casual earnings. : Such “jokers” in the new amendments hit hard at paint- ers, carpenters, shipyard labor and others who often work a part time week. Writing, in the current issue of The Fisherman, UFAWU: re- search director William Rigby points out that the new rules ‘will deprive most B.C. shore- workers of coverage they would have received under the old regulations. The “30 weekly contributions” over a two-year period also contain a hidden “joker,” says Rigby; “Under a section of the new act, if a worker drew any regu- lar benefit last year, any con- tribution week that ‘is more than 50 weeks old cannot be includ- ed as one of these 30 contribu- tions.’ “This means in effect that the first requirement becomes 30 contribution weeks in one year and not in two years. How’ many fish workers who drew benefits last year can show 30 weeks employment in one year? “From the Prince Rupert waterfront there comes a re- port that not a single worker who drew some benefits last year and who now has to quali- fy under the new act is able to show 30 contributien weeks in the past year. : “The highest recorded to date among the scores of rejections piling up is 27 or 28 weeks.... “For anyone who can quali- my bbe Vines fy for regular benefit, the mint mum period of benefit now De : comes 15 weeks, but what ut is a longer period of be? when you cannot. qualify the minimum?” It is becoming more and evident that the labor move ment will have to take a seco” look at the “improvements” the Unemployment In Act, which are in many a5 illusory, and accompanied by far too many “jokers.” leaders in shipbuilding, and building trades indus are especially concerned, their memberships are all 20° versely affected by the new T° tries ulations. Continued | NPA % \ J make a plea for King. “Just BY cause the NPA endorsed ty oe doesn’t mean he is tied: strings.of the NPA,” he a= ; i / 2 ete. hee Former NPA alderman Norm Gervin and \SIU" agent Cunningham also urged supp? for King. Ye ~e Ras eke. aS Endorsation by voice vote A obtained for finally for candidate, with a “Jabor” opposition from a goo of delegates. But it was tory for King. . ¢ r : it: fe As one delegate phrased ce nt 10) “Under such conditions, real labor man would w@ PACIFIC TRIBUNE — NOVEMBER 18, 1955 — pace? more no vic“ forts surance fishin’