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Delegation sees Socreds, CCF

VICTORIA, B.C.

A large delegation organized
by Vancouver branch of the
League for Democratic Rights

‘met here Wednesday last week
with Bert Price and Cyril Shel-

ford, representing the Social
Credit caucus, to discuss a pro-
Vincial Bill of Rights. Copy of
a draft bill prepared by the
league has been given to each

‘member of the cabinet at the

government’s request.

Price, member for Vancouver-

- Burrard and Socred whip in the
‘House, said that he stood for’

abolition of racial discrimination
and the widest possible extension
of democratic rights, but did not
see “how legislation can achieve
these objectives. ” ‘He expressed
the opinion that discrimination
is dying down in B.C.

When asked if he believed that
the government would ibe sup-
ported by public opinion if it
submitted a Bill of Rights to the
legislature, Price ‘agreed

such support would be over-
whelming.” .

_ Shlford, member for Omeneica,
expressed concern over the
question of discrimination, es-

a

_ MOORE

- Wicks said that unefployment

» was beyond the ability of any
one province to cope with. He
_denied that the province had

. either the financial resources or

the constitutional responsibility
for unem oyment. He claimed,
‘however, that the province was
helping the jobless situation ‘by
-advancing the starting of season-
al work and by limiting overtime

permits.

3 rhe moral, financial and con-
‘stitutional | responsibility clearly

- rests with Ottawa,” said Wicks,

at the same time claiming. the
_ province had dqne a “tremen-
dous job” towards | Telieving un-
“employment.

“Moore

retorted “that Wicks

‘ — “didn’t say a thing” and asked

~ for details of provincial works

that were supposed to be aiding,

the situation.

He attacked the claim si un-

: employment is seasonal, saying

‘that in his constituenty far more
people than usual were out, of
work.

's The COF member applauded
the sending of Einar Gunderson,
one-time finance minister, on a
trade mission to Europe and urg-
ed further missions to the East.

1

Bill of Rights
urged on gov’t

,dians in his* constituency,

that”

pecially as it affected Native In-
and
promised to give serious study

Sto the league’s draft bill.

Following a discussion on dis-
crimination against Negroes
practised’ by many hotels, Shel-
ford promised to phone several
of the better hotels in Victoria
and ask if they would rent rooms
to Negro friends.

Later, at a meeting with the
full CCF caucus, the delegation
was told that the basic difference
between the league’s draft bill
and the bill submitted by Harold
Winch in 1954 is the fact that
the league’s draft proposes pen-
alty sections. CCF members
pointed out that the CCF bill did

not contain penalty sections be- -

cause only the government can
introduce a pill which carries
penalties.

_ Webster informed the dele-
gation that he has placed a re-
solution on the Order Paper
calling upon the House to re-
commend to the consideration
of the government the advis-
ability of introducing “An Act
to Protect Certain Civil Rights”
to be known as the “British
Columbia Bill of Rights.”

Webster’s resolution states that
“any. discrimination is repugnant
to democratic principles’ and
urges that the government, in
introducing an Act, “should con-
sider, amongst others, the inclus-
ion of right to freedom of relig-
ion, right of free expression,

‘right to free association, right to

freedom from arbitrary impris-
onment, right to employment,
right to engage in occupations,
right to own and occupy property,
right to access to public places,
right to membership in profes-

sional and trade associations, and .

right to education.”

The LDR delegation congratu-
lated Webster on his resolution,
expressing confidence that other
organizations concerned with the
issue would move promptly to
urge introduction of a Bill of

Rights by the government.

Participating in the delegation
wer Ted Kangrga, Federation of
Yugoslav Canadians; Nick Janu,
Federation of Russian Canadians;
Peter Maksylewich, provincial
president of the Association of
United Ukrainian Canadians;
William Kaplun and _ Peter
Kunka of the AUUC; James Bla-
key of Victoria; Les Walker, B.C.
district secretary of the Interna-

tional Union of Mine, Mill and —

Smelter Workers, and president
of the LDR in Vancouver; Jack
Phillips, secretary of Vancouver
Civic Employees Union, Outside
Workers, and executive member
of the LDR; and Andrew ef
Vancouver lawyer.

.

‘Kiernan scores dumping

of U.S. produce in B.C.

VICTORIA, B.C.

\
So-called reciprocal trade between Gare and the United States has been scored

by provincial Minister of Agriculture Kenneth Kiernan as being of: the ‘

one rabbit’’ kind rather than a fair exchange.
Reporting to the legislature on the situation in agriculture in B. Ce. Kiernan
said that potato production was down this year as a result of U.S. dumping last year of

thousands of tons of potatoes on-
to the Canadian market.

Kiernan was bitter at the fail-
ure of Ottawa authorities to act
to’ prevent the ‘dumping at ab-
normally low prices.

He pointed out that Canada
only levied a $7.50 a ton duty on
U.S. potatoes for six weeks in
the summer while the U.S. taxed

Canadian potatoes at $7.50 a ton

the year round and had an add-
ed duty if imports from this coun-
try went over a million bushels
of table stock.

“Tt is no wonder it ‘is difficult
to encourage agricultural pro-
duction,” he remarked.

HON. KENNETH, KIERNAN

A-war preparations
peace parley concern

An appeal to all people in this
province to speak out for sur-
vival by demanding an end to
the preparations now being made
from atomic war came this week
from B.C. Peace Council.

One hundred and thirty dele-
gates from many parts of the
province, meeting Sunday in
Vancouver, warned that full-scale
preparations are now being made
for the catastrophe of atomic
war.

‘It is more than ever true

that the choice is becoming co-
existence or no _ existence,” a
statement adopted unanimously
by the council warned. “Each
person of goodwill may most ef-
fectively act against the nuclear
destruction of our cities by sign-
ing the World Appeal Against
the Preparations for Atomic War,
issued at Vienna on January 18
this year.

_ “This appeal is being circulat-
ed in all countries to allow man-
kind to speak with one voice for
survival.”

Big organizing drive
to follow U.S. merger

“MIAMI BEACH

AFL President George Meany
pushed the AFL-CIO merger pact
through his executive council
without a protest last week and
announced an all-out organizing
drive for white collar employees

and millions of other workers not

in unions.

‘Meany said the executive coun-
cil action was another step toward
effecting the united agreement he
and CIO. President Walter Reu-
ther signed there earlier.

“The difficulties that were pre-
sent at one time are now behind

Eight Canadians on

visit to Soviet Union
| MONTREAL

Eight Canadians, representa-

tives of the Canadian - Soviet.

Friendship Society, left Dorval
Airport Wednesday last week for
a three-week visit to the USSR
as guests of the Society for Cul-
tural Relations with Foreign
Countries (VOKS).

The eight are: Mrs. D. Johnson,
Brandon; Mrs. A. Sochasky and
Mrs. K. Rankin, both of Vancou-
ver; Mr. R. L. Patriquin, Moose
Jaw; Mr. M. Biderman and Mrs.

K. Bader, both of Toronto; Mr.

A. Benzvy and Mr. L. Kon, both
of Montreal.

us,” Meany said. “Now it’s a
eae of mechanics.”

‘He said the new federation will
“work hard” to bring the mil-
lions of unorganized workers in-
to the fold. He estimated there
are 60 million American workers,
with only 15 million of them
now members of the AFL and
CIO.

¥One of the fields in which the
organizing drive will concentrate
will be the great mass of white
collar workers who. need to bet-
ter’ their conditions,” he said.
“We are not going to organize
for the sake} of organizing, but
we are going to push the drive
where there are indications some
improvement ‘can ‘be mag for
the workers.”

Henry G. Riter, III Seecideiil
of the National Association of
Manufacturers, indicated the

merger plan may meet challenges -

from outside labor’s ranks. Riter
said the merged federation would
ibe a “dangerous monopoly” but
Meany said “less’ than 25 percent
of the American working people
are organized,”

The merger pact specifies that
the director of organization for
the new federation shall come
from a CIO union. The top posts
of ‘president ‘and secretary-treas-
urer in the united federation will
go to AFL men.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — FEBRUARY 18, 1955 — PAGE 12

‘one horse for

Continued

SHIP

permit for the export of one gen-
eral cargo motor ship to the
USSR. 5

“We regret-to inform you that,
in view of the nature and desti-
nation of the commodity shown
on your application, we cannot
approve of your proposed export.

“We are enclosing a copy of
your application which has been

* refused.”

Why has Ottawa turned thumbs
down on a project which would
put some 3,000 unemployed ship-
yard workers ‘back on the job?

Reports in the daily press make
it quite clear that U.S. pressure
was the determining factor.

Said the Vancouver Sun on

February 9:

“Ottawa sources said today Rus-
sian attempts to have ships built
in this country have raised the
ire of U.S. government authori —
ties. The U.S. says cargo ships
are ‘strategic’ and should not be
sold to Russia.

“Britain, Denmark and France
are leading a fight to have the
freighters taken off the strategic
material list.”

On February 10 the Vancouver
Sun returned to the question of
U.S. dictation:

“The United States is firm in
its stand that ships are a strat-
egic item. This view is opposed
mainly by Britain, Denmark and
France. Canada supports the
United States but there’s a sug-

' gestion the support is given un-

der American pressure.”

‘On February 11 the Vancouver
Herald carried a Canadian ae
dispatch which said:

“Russian Ambassador Dmitri
Chuvahin has stated Russia would
like to do more trade with Can-
ada and cited ships as the type
of goods in which she is inter-
ested. But federal officials said

\ if Russia really wants ships, she

could get them a lot cheaper over-
seas, oe

‘Commenting on this statement,
Marshall A. Johnson, East-West
Export Import Company presi-
dent, said this week:

“We cannot see why Ottawa
should turn down business deals
which would put unemployed —
Canadians to work. During the
war years Canadian shipyards
proved they could build ships as
good as any country — and as
economically.”

The trading company has pre-
pared a brief which is ‘being sub-
mitted ‘to government officials and
to all British Columbia MPs and
MLAs, explaining the facts of
the export permit case. It con-
cludes:

“We are not erithiisiastic about
the suggestion that Canadian

business should become a victim

of American pressure, which is
quite obviously the case. We
believe that Canada can pridé
herself on being a member of

the British Commonwealth of

Nations, and we ‘owe our allegi-
ance only to Her Majesty the
Queen and not to Washington,
D.C. Furthermore we believe
that what is good business for
British businessmen is equally
good for Canadian ‘businessmen.’

\