pooosseosessosooosseus ABOR FRONT : BY WILLIAM KASHTAN Workers who have been following thx proceedings of the royal commission inves- tigating the activities of the Seafarers International Union in Canada must by now be sick at the stomach at the facts brought forward in the course of the hear- ings. In total. these facts present a picture of moral degr&dation and dry rot, of a crisis in leadership which has afflicted some of the top layers of the trade union movement. What:is being established in the course of the hearings? Fact No. 1 — The SIU was not brought into Canada because Canadian seamen asked for it. Canadian seamen had absolutely nothing to do with the matter. They were merely pawns in a cold war game initiated by Frank Hall, the Liberal government, the shipping interests, the U.S. State Department and the American Federation of Labor. Fact No. 2 — The SIU went a long way towards destroy- ing Canadian shipping ang through ‘sweetheart agreements”. undermined the standards built up over the years by the Canadian Seamen’s Union. Fact No. 3 — With the SIU imposed on the seamen by the shipping companies and Frank Hall and Company, gang- sterism replaced rank and file control and union democracy. Business and corporation unionism replaced what ought to be democratic trade union practice. Fact No. 4 — All these evils were made possible once the trade union movement was officially committed by the. right wing to support of the cold war and to fighting a threat of aggression which did not exist. These evils were made pos- sible when the trade union movement, as part of the cold war, was compelled by the U.S. State Department to aaupt anu- Communism as its policy and in its name expel or destroy unions, thereby splitting the trade union movement down the middle. Fact No. 5 — The real victims of these cold war policies are not the seamen alone. All sections of the trade union movement are being besmirched by what the hearings are bringing forward. Jodoin and Company may deplore the anti-lador climate which monopoly has been able to build up. But they have no small responsibility in bringing that climate about. * * * What sort of image is being created of the trade union movement by press stories of “sweetheart agreements’, of back door deals between so-called union leaders and compan- ies behind the backs of workers? What sort of image is being created by goon squads and acts of violence against workers? What sort of image is being created by stories which show that workers are being bought and sold like so much eattle to the highet bidder? What sort of .image is being created which shows that Messrs. Hall, Jodoin, Provost and Laberge were the prime movers in trying to get Canadian citizenship for Hal Banks? In this connection it would be useful indeed were the proceed- ings surrounding these efforts made public. It would be equally interesting to find out what compelled these gentle- men to rush to Banks’ defense. What hold did he or others have over them? * * * One might say that now they have seen the error of their Ways and are correcting themselves. But are they? After all, is there too much of a difference between Banks as “liberator” of the seamen, endorsed by Hall, Jodoin and Company, and Mahony and Sefton as “liberators” of the metal miners as endorsed by Jodoin and Company? Where is the difference? Does the trade union movement have to wait 15 years as it did with respect to the seamen, to recognize what sort of a Frankenstein monster the right-wing, in connivance with employers, helped to create? Does it have to wait another 15 years before it recognizes the facts of Steel’s raid against Mine-Mill and the treacherous, anti-labor role played by some lead@rs of the trade union movement? * * * The proceedings of the Norris Commission may yet prove useful to the entire trade union movement. By focusing atten- tion on the evil consequences of anti-Communism, of business unionism, of undemocratic practices and the lack of autonomy enjoyed by the Canadian trade union movement, it could serve as a catalyst in strengthening the movement for rank and file control and for the restoration of these elementary principles which have always been and still ought to be the basis of trade union ‘rhovement — unity and solidarity. The stench emanating from the proceedings of the royal commission reflects* the acceptance in some quarters ot the capitalist law of the jungle. The sooner this is eliminated, the sooner will the trade union movement be able to BeVanCS. Oct. 5, 1962—PACIF TRIBUN g GREAT DANGER TO CANADA ; Kennedy trade plan * to speed U.S. takeove CANADIAN TRIBUNE U.S. President Kennedy’s grand trade alliance of the West, a trade bloc of the “free world” as it is called, is no boon to Canada, con- trary to the views of the political pundits and the editorial writers of the daily newspapers. One of the aims of this grand plan is to complete the job of making Canada an economic ap- pendage of the United States. Recently, the U.S. Senate hand- ed Kennedy the new trade bill he had asked for in January. At that time, Kennedy predict- ed that the steps proposed by him would allow the creation of an Atlantic community of na- tions, ‘‘so prosperous and power- ful that Communist criticism of the Western economic founda- tion would crumble,’ as one news story writer put it. Now that the president has the okay, he is expected to enter into negotiations with the Com- mon Market countries for mu- tual reductions of tariffs. Under the bill, the president can cut any tariff by as much as 50 percent and remeve duties en- tirely on goods exported mainly by the U.S. and ECM countries. The complete elimination of tariffs would apply to any goods so long as the U.S. and ECM pro- duced 80 per cent of the world supply. NDP ON FENCE It was no accident that Ken- nedy’s proposals were made in January, just after Britain had begun negotiations with ECM on the possibilities of becoming a member. As Globe and Mail writer Bruce MacDonald put it: “The United States has never attempted to conceal its desire to have Britain enter the Com- mon Market, its basic interest being to wish to see a strong, unified Europe. “This is the overriding politi- cal consideration behind the aAABL Oh a 0 COIN eee IT? “\ @ Riaoe s a PARLIASL ELT O%& AN =) S S Ly S S d =~ U.S. control grows United States control of Canada’s top-drawer industry in manufacturing, petroleum, natural gas and mining rose from 48.8 percent in 1953 to 51.7 percent in 1960, even though U.S. firms required less total investment to manipulate the increase in control. The U.S. investment total during the eight-year period dropped from 58.4 percent to 55.8 percent. British control climbed from 4.2 percent to 10.4 percent while foreign control by other countries also showed an in- crease. At the same time, Canadian control of its large-scale industry, excluding crown corporations, dropped from 46.5 - percent to 35.7 percent. These figures were disclosed last week by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics, based on a survey of companies in the four categcries mentioned valued at more than $25 million. The number of such companies increased from 86 to 143 between 1953 and 1260, with the proportion under foreign control rising from 53.5 percent to 64.3 percent. The actual number of such companies under foreign control grew from 46 to 92. In terms of aggregate investment, the total under foreign control rose from 62.6 percent to 69.5 percent. Reporting these figures one newspaperman ‘stated: ‘‘The United States was the source of dominant control over the industrial giants of Canada.” Kennedy administration’s to cut U.S. tariffs. It might) termed a final push to get B tain into Europe.’ But not only is the Kennet trade bill a “final push to Britain into Europe,’ it 18 ® a decisive step in the direct of subordinating Europe t0 political and economic inte of the United States. In one way or another, the Tories and Liberals in’ ada have given their suppolt the concept of an Atlantic com munity. The New Democra Party, on the other hand, is oe. dently trying to straddle fence on the whole question ECM and the Atlantic commll ity that is connected with it DIEF’S HELPING HAND Diefenbaker’s support for th grand Western trade alliam idea was expressed in his © proposal to the Commonweal za Prime Ministers’ Conference fof a “free world” trade conferent The only contradiction aa tween Diefenbaker’s proposal @ Kennedy’s ‘‘Atlantic com is that the U.S. plan 15 b on Britain’s joining ECM, Diefenbaker offered the ¢0” ence as a step that could place whether or not Britain tered ECM. ante The Tory-inclined Glob? ©. Mail in Toronto cheered the de Senate’s adoption of Kenne trade bill with the predict that this would create treme” dous opportunities for Can® ie “For Canada it could opel way to vast new markets,” the Globe and Mail. the “Every tariff barrier which United States negotiates out aif existence could also fall for de ada. The opportunity for a expansion would be made “ able to us; but we would P to grasp the opportunity.’ PEARSON SELLOUT In Toronto recently, Liber leader Lester B. Pearson call! 3 that if the Liberals had WO? 4 election they would have a formal declaration, with U.S. government, of Canadas ee en = cision to collaborate wit European Common Market # with other free nations f° — expansion of trade. ”’We would have formally | i clared our acceptance of portance and desirability ° ori political as well as ene grounds of Britain’s neW rg ‘ the developing Europeat munity,’ he said. ad OF It would be difficult to 1? the lips of any other po” ha in Canada a_ statement _y shows so much eagerness '0 ip out Canada’s last vestiges ° es dependence to the United Finally, David Lewis (NDI for York South). returning a conference of Common rea! socialists in London, decl@ was not convinced Canadas ia terests would ‘in the lone be hurt’ by Britain’s join! ECM. i ‘T say that Canada. has right to whimper about Br noi -entry: into the Europea? pas mon Market as Diefenbake” n done, on grounds of purely” dian interest,’’ said Lewis- “isl “There will be some tterD tion of our economic pa but if the European oe continues to increase 3° ' done, import demands wi rise.”’ Cont. on Page 6