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Two recent Pacific Tribune
Conferences — at Vancouver
on February 14 and in the
Fraser Valley on February 21
—set the stage for a successful
financial drive and improve-
Ment in the paper’s content
and circulation.

While praising the overall
content of the paper and laud-
ing its role in bringing the
ideas of socialism to the peo-
ple of B.C., readers. at both
conferences had many suggest-
jons for making the PT a live-
lier and more effective fight-
ing weapon.

Introduction of a regular

a

“circulation corner” with a

weekly cartoon was proposed.
A change in the present

masthead was also discussed.
The need for more local re-

‘portage was stressed, and pro-

mises were made to develop
correspondents in several
areas.

The unemployment crisis
must be highlighted consist-
ently in the Pacific Tribune,
several speakers said. And the
story of the plight of the job-
less cannot be effectively told
‘by cold statistics; human in-
terest stories and pictures
should be featured.

Two Pacific Tribune conferences

set stage for successful drive

More attention should be
given in the paper to basic
questions affecting trade un-
ions — such as automation,
speedup, etc.

Introduction of a farm col-
umn, and publishing of a reg-
ular book column, won praise
from several speakers in the
discussion.

The ideas and suggestions
brought forward during the
conference discussion period
will be examined and acted
upon by the paper’s editorial

| board.

QUAW Valley has moved
S from the sports pages to
the editorial pages of many
U.S|. and Canadian daily
papers, following the success of
Soviet athletes at the Winter
Olympics.

The Province comments
editorially that ‘Moscow saw
in the U.S. Winter Olympics a
chance to rub it in to Uncle
Sam in his own back yard”
and that ‘fa nation which 40
years ago was considered a
disorganized conglomeration of
backward peasants has not

only discovered a national will

—

by MAY DAY

NEVER WAS A

FIGHTING LABOR
WEEKLY MORE

NEEDED .
AND NEVER HAS
OUR FINANCIAL ©
NEED BEEN MORE

PRESSING
Will You Help?

Here are some suggestions for getting the financial

drive off to a good start:

© Members of press clubs are asked to. make personal

office as soon as possible.

pledges, and pledge cards should be turned in to the PT

® All press clubs should arrange socials, card games,

dinners or other money-raising affairs during March and
April.

® Every press club member should try and sell at

least one book of admission tickets to the Pacific Tribune
smorgasbord - dance May 20.

®@ Readers of the paper should be visited and asked

to donate to the financial drive.

® Members of press clubs who are employed should

donate a day’s pay next payday to ensure that their club
gets on the scoreboard in the next fortnight.

tare being

to excel but is excelling.”

No mention, however, that
the secret of Soviét success is
the socialist system — which
gives mankind an opporiunity
to leap forward, in sports as
well as in sputniks.

Truth of the matter is that
no nation “wins” the Olympics,
for the “points” listed in the
newspapers are strictly unoffi-
cial. The Olympics are organ-
ized on the basis of individual
competition, with medals being
awarded to the top three in
each event.

It can no longer be ignored,
however, that athletes from
socialist countries have made
giant strides forward in sports.
This is so, the capitalist news-
paper editors claim, because
athletes in socialist countries
“are aided by the state.”

Well, and what’s wrong with
that? For years this paper, and
many others in Canada, have
said that Ottawa should spend
less On war preparations and
more on developing a healthy
nation. Playing fields, not
battlefields.

The USSR, China, and other
socialist countries are doing

(just that. Stadiums, gymnas- -

iums and sports facilities are
being enlarged, while armies
reduced in size.
Sports coaches are hired and
army officers are retired.

Much has been written about
what Ottawa could do with
some of the billions spent on
armaments. Public projects
could be undertaken on a vast
scale, thus creating more jobs.
Taxes could be reduced. And
sports, instead of depending on
charity, could be subsidized.’

The result would be a heal-
thier, happier nation — and,
if you like, the winning of
more gold medals at future
Olympics.

At the Olympics this sum-«
mer in Italy, the United States
will likely capture most of thé
gold medals in track-.and field,
but their long-held superiority
in this branch of athletic en. .
deavor. will be seriously chal- ~
lenged by the USSR.

In the distance races, and in
such sports as gymnastics and
swimming, the socialist states
are expected to shine. In fenc-

‘ing, Hungary is always a top

competitor, while field hockey
is India’s specialty.

It is a good thing when
young men and women from
all counrties meet to compete
in sports. Exchange visits in
the past year have done much
to help bring about a thaw in
the “cold war.” May such
sporis exchanges continue fo
grow in future years, in a
world at peace,

March 4, 1960—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 7