7

Letters From Our Readers

Hflling the political need of
Ganadian working class.

} © paramount need of all peo-
before the war was unity to
the fascist powers. In this
failed. Abyssinia and Spain
she examples. But in the heat
ie war itself this unity is be-
forged. The United Nations,
jeyer before, are determined
lefeat reaction and build a
ng peace for all to live as
ehoose.

Ganada this is also neces-
¢, for if in winning the war we
the peace it would mean
nothing is settled, that all
dld conditions would exist to
®& another war in a few years.

By JANET WEAVER
MOSCOW.
THE day that we spent
sith the Polish “Kosciusz-
Battalion” situated in a
> forest far from civilian
@ we saw many signs of

rin one short month a
ed, disciplined, fighting di-
m is being born.

fe realize that our division
“be but a drop in the ocean
gside all the Red Army di-
sas,” artillery major Victor
%ez, a former journalist from
‘saw, told us.

jut if we can put up as good
howing as the Czechosloyvaks
wall be satisfied.”

ajor Groscz, who speaks ex-
ent English, took us on a tour
ae camp, through the barracks
mess halis and even into the
S where his own men live.
¥ were as neat and tidy as the
|}. housewife’s front parlor.

» | his own regiment he intro-
€d us to the four brothers
kewiez who seryed in a Polish
lery regiment before 1939)
wce that year they have been
‘king in the Soviet Union,
se of them as auto mechanics
ithe fourth, who had become
erated from the others during
flight from Poland, in the lum-
# Industry near Leningrad.
‘he brothers were reunited
2 the four of them turned up
ithe division camp as volun-
irs.

a the third infantry regiment
Met six young Poles who had
ght with the Soviet guerrillas
ict haying escaped from a Ger-
62 labor camp in 1942.

Mne of them, 19-year-old Thad-

fisz Rakowski, told us how this

tTMan-occupied part of the
‘viet Union.

mi March 1942, he and 31 other
ies were Sent to a camp at the
all town of Novorzevsk in the
: region.

,We worked together with

One of the guarantees that this
will not happen will be the form-
ing of this broad mass party of
Communists. Such a party or-
ganized nationally will be able
not only to give leadership as it
has done in the past by building
the trade unions, fighting for bet-
ter conditions, labor management
relations and so on, but will be
able to reach a larger section of
the Canadian people.

This party must be available to
all. The local branches must be-
come firmly rooted in the com-
munity. These branches should
be large enough to take care of
the work which it will interest
itself In—civic and municipal

jolish Forces In USSR
hirst For Vengeance

Soviet peopie but we were for-
bidden to speak to them,” he
said. “Nevertheless we managed
to find out from them that there
Was a partisan detachment in the
district, whose political commis-
Sar was a Pole. We smuggled a
letter out to these partisans, ask-
ing them to come and release us
from the camp.

“On Thursday, March 11, at 5-

am., the partisans came and
huried grenades into the guard-
house. In the scrimmage that fol-
lowed we managed to slip through
the barbed wire fence and get
away.”

The next day found them with
the guerrillas and they remained
there until April when they man-
aged to make contact with a Red
Army unit.

Twenty-two-year-old Moses Ros-
enbush, who is studying to be a
radio operator in a school for
non-coms, is also “waiting for the
chance to get even.”

“I feel that I must do my duty

as a Pole,” he answered, when I
asked why he had joined the di-
vision. “And I’ve got a special
score to settle with the Germans
— to avenge all the Jews who
Were murdered in Warsaw.”

He said that about 6 percent of
the soldiers in the division are
Jewish.

While the main emphasis is nat-
urally on military training, the
commanding staff of the division
has seen to it that recreation and
entertainment are provided for
the soldiers. In the evening there
was a program given by the di-
vision’s amateur drama group.
The stage of the open air theater
Was an impressive sight, with the
Polish White Eagle painted over
the center and with red and white
decorations.

On the side of the stage was a
big portrait of Stalin with his
words so cherished by the Poles:
“The Soviet Union wants to see
a strong and independent Poland.”
On the other side was a portrait
of Colonel Zigmund Berling, com-
Mander of the Kosciuszko Divi-
sion, with his promise to “Fight
to the Death Against Our Com-
mon Enemy.”

ew Party Must Become
irmly Rooted In Community

amon Kisenman, North Vancouver, writes:

The decision of Tim Buck and his associates to initiate the
iation of a new party of Communists is a step that will be
msed by many. The need for such a party has been felt for
| > time in the progressive labor movement. Failure of the
anment to lift the ban on the Communist Party of Canada
be regretted, but must not be allowed to stand in the way

elections, provincial and federal
elections—as well as problems of
community life. Branches of this
sort will hold educational classes
open to those who are interested.
In fact, the branches should be a
very hive of activity.

As the party will be a Marxist-
Leninist party, so will the
branches. Membership will be a
conscientious one, with discipline
selfimposed, but around the
working membership there should
be a large circle of those who are
attracted but not yet ready to
join. This will provide the basis
for recruiting, for recruiting will
be the gauge of branch activity.

The branch meeting place is
also important. Great care should
be given to its selection and fur-
nishings. They must be attractive
and well kept up. In organizing
the business of the bramch, care
should be given as to the selec-
tion of its officers. The meetings
should be called together prompt-
ly, with most of the detail work
done by standing committees.
This will ensure an interesting
and not too long a meeting, which
is decidedly not necessary. Long-
drawn-out meetings oniy drive
people away. The name of the
branch must reflect the area in
which it is located.

There is considerable interest
as to the name of the new party.
There is some suggestion of not
calling it a Communist Party. |
believe the word Communist
should be a part of the new name.
lt was the correct program and
policy of the old party which so
aroused the hatred of reaction-
aries and gave rise to the preju-
dice against its name, and the
program and policy of the new
party will be based on Marxist
Leninist lines. There is this, how-
ever—the new party will go for-
ward carrying with it the tradi-
tions of the past. So whether the
name is changed or not it will
still be known as the party of the
Communist-minded people.

Ukrainians and
The New Party

Steve Lewiski, Kimberley, B.C.,
writes:

The National Initiative Com-
mittee’s and Comrade Tim Buck’s
plans for the setting up of a
political party of Communists in
Canada is the greatest thing that
ever hit our country. It will
lave great effect on the morale
of many Canadians now fighting
in Europe, and of our Soviet
allies, who have kept the Nazi
beast occupied and kept the war
away from our continent. Be-
Cause Canada does not only need
a Communist Party but a Com-
munist government, a working
people’s government for post-war
reconstruction.

I _ sincerely hope that the
Ukrainian-Canadian citizens of
Canada whose minds have been
poisoned with fascist anti-Com-
munist propaganda, will come to
their senses, because they are
ordinary working people and not
to blame for the stand they have
taken against the Communists.
The ones to blame are the lead-
ers of the so-called Ukrainian
Nationalist @rganizations here in
Canada and other parts of the
world, who themselves have prob-
ably been misled by the propa-
ganda of the Nazi agents. The
sooner the Ukrainians do away
With these icaders the better it
will be for themselves and all
concerned, so that the working
people can get together and back
the Communists 106 percent in
the next election.

Suggests New
Party Name

“Professional,” Vancouver,
writes: - :

Although it is the opinion of
the writer that the new progres-
Sive party now being organized in
Canada should retain the word
“Communist” because of its splen-
did tradition of association with
the struggles of the people for
genuine democracy and freedom,
if mevertheless the majority
opinion favors the use of a name
excluding the word “Communist”

The BC Electric Deal

T. Manson, Vancouver, writes:

Is the BE Electric getting ready
to unload a veritable junk pile
upon an unsuspecting public?
Frankly, I don’t know. But from

the flirtations going on between
the Hart government and the
heads of the BCER and with two
of Vancouver's daily papers help-
ing along with the discussions
about “public ownership,” it sure
looks as if something is afoot.

In addition, there is good rea-
son to believe that one of Van-
couver’s leading and stock-manip-
ulating gentlemen is buying up all
the shares he and his associates
can get their hands on. That fact
doesn’t look good for “pubiic
ownership”’—or does it? It has
happened before that when a util-
ity is to be unloaded upon a
long-suffering, taxpaying public
sharks get into position for a real
kill. So it may be that the finan-
cier in acuestion is motivated more
by his desire to make a killing
than by his “confidence” in the
future of the province. Perhaps
he believes that a deal is certain
and is picking up all the stock he
can get in anticipation of the im-
pending “socialization” of the
BCER.

I am ali for public ownership
of our provincial hydro-electric
resources and transport facilities
—although such public ownership
will be a long way from socialist
oewnership—but I don’t like to see
the people of Vancouver, Victoria,
and other points being ioaded
with this perambulating junk pile.
Let the Hart government take
ever for the people of this prov-
ince all our hydro-electric re-
sources, paying the present own-
ers of hydro-electric energy upon
the basis of the actual capital in-
vested upon which they may as
yet have had no returns. Let the
BC Electric, as a patriotic gesture,
donate its rolling stock and track-
age (as scrap iron) to the depart-
ment of national defense. And,
while the rolling stock will still
roll, let the councils of the cities
concerned float a bond issue to
provide modern transport facili-
ties in the form of an extended
trolley bus service. They will al
least have something to show for
their money. But if the deal
Which seems to be in the making
goes through, the people will pos-
sess a junk pile and a huge
bonded indebtedness. And, I sup-
pose, some damn fool will be
telling us we have socialism. Let’s
haye some ideas on the question
—before it’s too late.

PINIONS contamed m
these columns are)
strictly those of the writers.
We welcome correspond-
ence, but ask that letters
be held te 300 words.

then I would propose that it be
named Canadian People’s Party.
The advantages of such a name
would be:

1. The use of the word “Ca-
nadian” would help eliminate the
ill-founded prejudice in the minds
of many that a party of Commun-
ists is dominated by Moscow.
This term would indicate the au-
tonomy of the new party and their

concern for the welfare of Can-—

ada.

2. The use of the word “Peo-
ple’s” would show the party to be
of a mass character, concerned
with the welfare of the people as
a whole—and in turn the respon-
sibility of those people genuinely
concerned with the future of this
country.

3. The initials of “Canadian
People’s Party’—CPP—are quite
similar to those of the Communist
Party, a kinship which it should
be desirable to maintain.

Exploitation
And the USSR

George Holoboff, WVancouver,
writes:

A letter in the News Herald
stated that the Soviet Union is
dominated by 200,000 Communist
“tords” who “exploit” the hood-
winked toilers. This echo from
Goebbels and Max Eastman is
not the truth. Exploitation of
man by man in the USSR is im-
possible.

If by some impossible means
a Soviet leader were able to ob-
tain, say, 10 million rubles from
the workers, what good would so
much cash be to the individual.
He could spend some of it on
commodities, on luxuries, and on
travel. But no Soviet person
can invest money in industry or
in any part of the means of pro-
duction. Socially-owned, not pri-
vately-owned property exists’ in
the USSR.

No capitalist exploiter in our
nation can spend a million dol-
lars. He must invest it or put it
back in a bank—in both cases
to be used as buying power. In-
yestment is the ultimate use of
bank money. Money in banks is
useless until invested. In our
country a capitalists power lies
in his private property, in his
investments.

Stalin could steal cash from the
producers of all wealth until he
could steal no more, but all that
money woud do him no good be-
yond his consumption —- level.
Stalin could not invest his money
in any private property—that is
certain. Thus, in a socialist state
exploitation of man by man is im-
possible. And all the ravings of
Hitler, Eastman, Lyons, et al,
can neyer alter the fact.

The phenomenal growth of the
USSR was possible because pri-
vate property and exploitation
were done away with. Wake up,
Canadians! Socialism is best for
one and ail!

Voters List

With all indications pointing to
the running of several labor can-
didates in civic elections, labor
people this week stressed the
need for all qualified yoters mak
ing sure their names are placed
on the voters lists.

All those uncertain whether
they are listed should immediate-
ly phone or call the city clerk’s
office. Applications received dur-
ing the revision period, Aug. 1 to
September 14 will be considered
by the revising judge.

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