Poem | AL Mt THE NATION T is now a year since the-Dominion government in- troduced its “Abbott Plan” by an autocratic an- / nouncement from Douglas Abbott over the radio. The basic aim of the government’s new policy was no less than to ehange the direction and character of Canada’s foreign trade, and thereby change the charac- ter of the development of Canadian economy. That was one reason why the changes were put into opera- tion first and referred to the House of Commons: for discussion afterwards. It was the first time since Confederation that a Major revision of tariffs and taxes had been introduced without reference to the House of Commons. a change for which: the government was given no mandate in the general elections of 1945; on the con- trary, Mackenzie King then proclaimed entirely different aims. future of Canada that the people should have been it in a Dominion general election. Combat (which had not yet been suppressed by Duples- Sis) were the only newspapers in Canada which frankly described the Abbott Plan when it was introduced and warned the Jabor movement of what it would lead to. The capitalist press in general pretended to believe that the Abbott Plan was introduced for the benefit of Canada; the CCF press evaded the real issue that was involved. The CCF and monopoly capitalist press and politicians alike tried to shut out the Tribune warning by a conspiracy of silence and, where that Was impossible, to misrepresent the position of th Tribune as “irresponsible.” ‘ wa ; ee THE PROVINCE NYO matter now hard the commércial press ae to explain: away the Coalition's loss of Rossland a and the cies fight in South Okanagan in the, resen Provineial byelections, the fact remains that the gov- ernment suffered a severe setback and the anti-Coal- ition forces won an important victory. There is no doubt that the Coalition sees Next provincial elections, provided the ee forces are united at the polls. This is the lesson two byelections, “in the byelections the sales tax and labor peer the importance it attached to. getting a eS Seeeas legislation “on the eve of a provincial elec of whom spent ten days rallying their falda mt The Vancouver News-Herald, in an Lie endorsed. ing election returns, contends that the peop Snake in the sales tax by electing the Coalition can| La boen South Okanagan “in the same area Sa t spring.” Won a federal byelection victory (Yale) pas a not The fact is that South Okanagan and ¥ tural con- ‘the same, South Okanagan is a solid ee ean _ Stituency which has seen more peony e federal _ Since 1941 than any other part of B.C. on-Lumby ‘‘iding includes the more progressive ae igtidats of we sult as well as the een ie eke _ Princeto ‘opper Mountain, AG anagan | ¥ an ene es the results from jaca ane he are taken by themselves, there are no PS cehtsoverd News-Herald’s optimism. Not only was the aati-govell: Ment vote doubled from 2,062 in 1945 nen "votes to Coalition's majority was also cut a. alco es & bare 700, & : , : -Trail A large contributing factor in winning eisai from the Coalition by 302 votes was the ‘south Okanagan, Ted-baiting by the CCF, in contrast ace to by Bruce Where red-baiting was often pperriets theless, Ross- Codsworth and other CCF leaders. Never Coalition by land-Traj) was very nearly igal 20.08 uch of their CCF right-wing elements who spent m eee It was - It was a change of such importance to the given an opportunity to express their opinion» upon | The Canadian Tribune, the Pacific Tribune and the shadows of November 29 as presaging its defeat in the — ~ campaign. : The government chose to make the main issues Seen by the direct intervention in the campaign 4 ae mier Johnson and Tory Leader Herbert Anscomb, tribution to the Rossland-Trail victory. By TIM BUCK One year's record of Abbott Plan proves left-wing warnings The record of the results of the Abbott Plan during the first year of its operation shows clearly that the irresponsibility was elsewhere than in the left-wing movement or its press. * A leading article in the Financia] Post of Nioovember 20 admitted that “Canadian exporters this year were facing losses of 75-90 percent of their 1946 trade with Empire areas.” Referring to a statement prepared by officers of the Canadian Exporters Association, the Post described the markets concerned as the “British West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, India, 2 on? The calamitous effect of the Abbott Plan upon Canadian exports to Commonwealth and British Empire countries is reflected in the failure of the manufactur- ing industries to keep abreast in the march of develop- ment. Whereas Canada’s economy as a whole has ex- panded considerably since the war, the physical volume of production in the manufacturing industries is still only about eighty percent of its wartime peak. The Canadian Manufacturers Association — which also pretended to believe that the Abbott Plan was introduced fcr the benefiat of Canada—is now asking .the Dominion government to help get “token ship- ments” of Canadian goods into markets which are being lost since the Abbott Plan was introduced. The results of the first year of the Abbott plan bear out the Tribune’s original condemnation of it. It is a plan to subordinate Canada’s economic life and development to the predatory aims of U.S. imperialism. Labor’s fight against the Abbott Plan is part of the fight to-keep Canada out of war, By MAURICE RUSH Rossland- Trail, South Okanagan presage Coalition defeat time fighting left-wing CCF’ers who realized the need for unity and opposed their attempts to inject red-: _ baiting into the campaign. The left-wing CCF’ers were successful in defeating a proposal to seek a court injunction (!) to prevent the LPP from supporting the CCF candidate. : ; _ Many workers, including members of the CCF, were at a loss to understand why Quinn, the CCF ¢an- didate, and other prominent CCF’ers, should have joined forces with reactionary elements in the miners’ union to prevent it from taking a stand in the election ‘The only explanation is to be found in their fear ‘of independent trade union political action, and par- ticularly of the contribution LPP» members would make in’ uniting the the workers. Indications are that the “move to prevent the local union’s endorsation of Quinn arose out of the anti-unity position of the CCF leaders and the anticommunist bogey which haunts some of them. That the overwhelming majority of union mem- bers opposed the Coalition candidate was clearly ‘il- -lustrated by the election outcome, in which the work- ers voted against the government in greater numbers than was the case in any previous election, and but for the actions of the CCF right-wingers, Quinn’s majority would undoubtedly have been greater, This incident is important to the entire labor movement because it shows how red-baiting weakens labor’s fight, and can bring defeat, unless checked. _ On the other hand, there’s no doubt that the fight by left-wing CCF’ers against the red-baiting elements partially kept them in check and was decisive in win- ning Rossland-Trail. ie ae : _ While sharply criticizing the mistaken policies of the right-wing CCF leadership, the LPP actively worked to bring out the main issues and to unite the anti-Coalition forces. Labelling the Coalition as the “worst government B.C. has ever had,’@the LPP sharply attacked tne sales tax and Bill 87, and showed how pro- vincial revenue could be raised through taxing the big corporations such as the CM & §, and through its fight for unity around these issues made a major con-— ~ introduced 81 amendments, to Bill 39. ‘PACIFIC TRIBUNE — DECEMBER 10, 1948 — PAGE LABOR FOCUS Break down that merry go-round By BRUCE MICKLEBURGH : I HE demand for suspension and repeal of the present ICA Act hit the government where it hurts. Victorias Building Trades Council led off the demand with a circular letter to all B.C. unions. This was endorsed by many locals, and by the Vancouver Labor Council (CCL). Such a stand closes the door on the Coali- tion’s favorite labor policy, which many union- ists call, “the Old Merry Go-Round.” ‘Those political hucksters, Johnson, Anscomb and Wis-_ mer, have been in business at this stand fdr. some time, and each year have enticed some unionists to sample their wares, led by the same old “come-on men” in labor’s ranks. The game is to lure labor to content itself with submitting amendments, . respectably of course, while the act always becomes, worse. The straight demand to get rid of the pres-_ ent Act is not only aimed at putting labor in a more favorable positions It also puts the government in a spot where its treacherous _ words could deceive very few. a So the merry, go-round started ahead of _ season. A move was launched through George © Wilkinson, a member of the labor board, to bring recalcitrant Victoria unions into lie Labor Minister Wismer called for “sugees- tions from both sides” (CMA and labor) on altering the act, rather than repealing it. oe Vancouver Trades Council secretary Alder- © man R. K. Gervin told campus Liberals, “the act should be altered by proper methods not repealed.” Sundry officers of the B.C. Federation of Labor conferred with CCL secretary Pat Conroy, e's a ee and their secretary-treasurer George Home ait -nounced they would jump -at Wismer’s offe - (Now Home says he can’t get an appointment | with Wismer.) as In fact right-wing CCF influence was turned full on to squelch the repeal demand. “Dork let’s reach for the moon, but fight for what _ amendments, we can get,” CCF legislative whip _ ‘Bert Gargrave told last week’s Trades Congress provincial conference on labor legislation. Gervin beamed appreciation of Gargrave’s speech, and termed the repeal demand iia lous.” This drew hot challenge from Fishermen’s _ delegate Alex Gordon, who criticized the weak position of the TLC before the government this spring, eee Fellow delegate Bill Rigby had already recount- ~~ ed the score on labor’s 20 proposed amendments _ for 1947: accepted—I ; partly accepted—5; rejected or seized on to further worsen the act—13; thrown out as irrelevant—l. Altogether Bill 87. But the repeal demand was voted down and replaced by agreement to lay amendments be- fore the government. The main proposals, in themselves highly desirable, were (1) limitations | on employers suing unions (2) wiping out super-_ vised strike votes (3) outlaw company unions — (4) curb Labor Board (5) cut penalties on unions (6) eliminate clauses on cancelling certification. — e : It’s sure as death and taxes that such gains — could not be won by merely sending a delegation ie to the cabinet. At most this: could win minor: pre-election concessions. At worst it would en- | courage the government to again take more ; than it gives. After all, this government be- ae longs body and soul to big business. oe ee Even the AFL, and CIO conventions demand. ed the straight repeal of Taft-Hartley and its replacement by the old Wagner Act.” De And the demand that hurts in B.C. remains the demand for repeal. The most practical form of this demand would seem to be repeal of Bills 39 and 87 so as to revert to the old ICA Act under which labor organized 40,000 workers 1943, _ This kind of démand cannot be squelched down below, where workers feel the teeth of the Act as soor as they take up the cudgels against — the boss.