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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1954

Alberni labor hits Bill 7

PORT ALBERNI, B.C.

Sections of Bill 7 “directly aimed at the freedoms enjoyed by
trade unions” and others which threaten “the civil rights of Cana-
dian citizens in general’ were protested in a brief sent by the joint
labor council of the Alberni Valley to Tom Barnett, MP for Comox-

Alberni.

Delegates to a recent ioint council meeting agreed after exam-
ination of the contentious sections that “should the provosed legis-
lation become ifaw it would accomplish in Canada what McCarthyism
is attempting to establish in the United States, namely, thought con-
trol, and absolute conformity to the will of the fascist-minded interests.
lit could eliminate freedom of thought and speech.”

Continued from page I

‘Don’t be the first

to use A-weapons’

TORONTO

“Let the parliament and government of Canada adopt a solemn resolution that
Canada will never be the first to use atomic weapons and stating this country’s readi-

ness to join with all countries in a similar declaration.”

Every MP will be confronted

with this simple proopsal to break the current international deadlock on discussions to
ban and control the threat of an atomic weapons war.

Advanced as part of a “Declara-
tion to the Nation” adopted by
1,500 delegates attending the Con-
gress of Support for Negotiated
Peace in Toronto last weekend,

the idea of Canada initiating such
a pledge in the councils of the
nations springs from this country’s
vulnerability in the event ‘of
atomic war and its leading posi-

Book-burners find fire too hot

be alarmed at suggestions of cen-
sorship or restrictions on the free-
dom to read.”

Very Rev. Dean Beattie, Dean
of Christ Church Cathedral: “Book
burning belongs to Hitler’s Ger-
many not to British Victoria.”

Frank Snowsell, former CCF
MLA for Saan- :
ich: “The pro-
posal is an in-|
sult to the intel-
ligence of Vic-
torians.”

Mrs. Doris
Blakey, Labor-
Progressive can-
didate in last
year’s provincial
election and
subsequent Victoria byelection:
“Such actions are the work of a
bigoted clique of frightened men
who fear the competition of ideas
and who hope to retain their
privileged position through re-
pression and intimidation.”
H. 0. English, principal of Vic-

ioe , toria Normal
ee School: “I’m
against any form
of McCarthy-
ism.”

Victoria Daily
Colonist: “Leave
) the ‘burning of
| the books’ to
bigots, Cana-
dians: can pick
their reading

BENNETT

ARSENS

without help.”

Victoria Daily Times: “No in-
dividual or ‘group has the right
to use pressure techniques as a
means of censoring the reading
material offered to the public of
Greater Victoria.”

Letters of protest poured into

the city’s two
daily _ papers,
overflowing the
regular letter
columns onto
special pages.
Participants in
two public opin-

ion programs

conducted by

local radio sta- REID

tion CKDA al- :

most unanimously condemned

the book-burners.
Ald. Robert Macmillan fought

.a successful battle to have one

of Mayor Harrison’s nominees to
the new library board replaced by
Vice-Principal Robert Wallace of
Victoria College.

He failed in a bid to have Ald.
Brent Murdoch, sponsor of the
“clean-up” plan, replaced asthe
city council representative. Other
members of the Chamber of Com-
merce-dominated city council re-
fused to support the move.

Premier W. A. C. Bennett came
cut flatly and said “I am 100 per-
cent opposed to what people call
McCarthyism and witch-hunting.”
He squashed reports that an in-
vestigation would be carried out
in the provincial library.

J. Alan Reid, Socred, MLA for
Salmon Arm and centre of the
“Sex in Schools” controversy, re-
versed his reported plans to raise
the whole question in the legis-
lature after a conference in Ben-
nett’s office. ‘

Students at Victoria College

.burned an effigy of Mayor Har-

rison on the campus grounds after
Police Chief. Blackstock had de-
nied them the right to parade
through the downtown area, ap-
parently on order of the police

commission on which both he and
the Mayor sit.

Smarting under public rebuke,
the authors of the censorship plan
beat a hasty retreat.

-Mrs. Lydia Arsens, Victoria
Socred MLA, was in effect repudi-
ated by Premier Bennett when she

suggested any investigation —

should be extended to the prov-
incial library.

Ald. Brent Murdoch whose re-
marks had touched off the hue and
cry, claimed that he had never
used the “book-burning” phrase,
but nevertheless repeated his in-
tention of cleaning out so-called
subversive literature. He claimed
that press reports were “propa-
ganda” and further that they were

“playing right into the hands of

our Red friends.”

Mrs. Doris Lougheed, another
member of the library board, and
a long time Social Creditor, was
even more forthright. She said,
“T certainly feel that the press is
taking a very Communistic atti-
tude.”

“Tf it’s McCarthyism to investi-
gate Communism or Communist
propaganda, I’m proud of the
label,” she added.

Mayor Claude Harrison, who of-
fered his furnace for the book-
burnings, “clarified” his position
at a council meeting by repeating
substantially what he had said be-
fore. At the week-end he had
both Victoria dailies publish a
further “clarification” in which he
attempted to wriggle out of his
previous statements.

The’ Junior Chamber of Com
merce which had boasted about
its leadership of other red-hunts
denied responsibility for the book-
burning plan and dismissal of

Mayor Claude Harrison (above)
of Victoria now claims he was
misquoted. He only proposed to
burn his own books — if he had
any.

John Marshall
board.

by the library

Leaders of the Victoria trade
union movement were conspicu-
ously silent on the issue, with the
single exception of Elgin Neish
of the United Fishermen’s Union,
who charged Murdoch with “Hit-
lerite” tactics. :

Finally Robert Smeal of the
Canadian Brotherhood of Railway
Employees, and prominent in Vic-
toria Labor Council (CCL), did
speak up. But only to claim
that he was a red-baiter before
the Chamber of Commerce ever
began its campaign. j

tion as an atomic power.

The congress held that such a
declaration would be a prelimin-
ary step to banning atomic weap-
ons and reducing all types of
arms under international inspec-
tion and control. :
. The congress urged all organ-
izations to press for peaceful solu-
tions, meetings, petitions or any
other means, but laid particular
emphasis on public discussion of
congress decisions with MPs- by
their constituents.

Other congress decisions includ-
ed endorsation of these points:
e: All international disputes can

_ and must be solved by nego- .
_iation. It is primarily the re-
sponsibility of the five great
Powers to undertake the negotia- -
tions on which world peace de-
pends.

@ The security of Canada, peace
_ In the Pacific and the lessen-
Ing of world tensions require that
People’s China be included in in-
‘ternational negotiations and re-
stored in her place in the councils
of the UN.: ;
© A peace treaty with a united,

demilitarized Germany must
be negotiated to ensure the inde-
pendence of Germany and the .
security of Europe and the world
from any rebirth of German ag-
gression.

@ Canadian interests and world

peace will be served by re-
moval of barriers and explora-
tion of all possible avenues to
restore world trade.

© Support for the proposal of
_. the World Peace Council for
Joint sponsorship of a world meet-
ing of all groups and persons
striving for improvement of in-
ternational relations, to take
place’ possibly before the sum-
mer.

@ World-wide cultural ex-

changes and using the power
of the arts, sciences and profes-
sions to create ties of knowledge
and friendship between peoples.
In particular during 1954 to cele-
brate the anniversaries of Anton
Dvorak, Czech musician; Henry
Fielding, English novelist; Anton
Chekov, Russian playwright and
short story writer; and the Greek
dramatist, Aristophanes.

presents

_ THIRD ANNUAL

Don’t miss the event of the year!

CHAMPION

The Voice of Young Canada

339 West Pender Street

INVITATIONS

PACIFIC TRIBUNE —

FOLK CONCERT _

A program of music, songs and dances of the Canadian, Native
Indian, Yugoslav, Russian, Ukrainian, Jewish and Gypsy peoples

_ PENDER AUDITORIUM |
Sunday, February 14, 8 p.m.

A COLLECTION WILL BE TAKEN AT THE DOOR FROM THOSE WITHOUT

FEBRUARY 5, 1954 — PAGE 12