3

P - A. PACIFIC ADVOCATE

_ PEOPLE'S V@ICE FOR PROGRESS

Published every Saturday by The Pesple Pulsishing Com-
pany, Reom 104, Shelly Building, 119 West Pender

Vancouver, British Columbia and. printed at East End
Printers, 2308 East Hastings Street, Waneouver, British
Columbia. Subscription Rates: One year $2; six months $1.

Editor Phone
Cc. A. SAUNBERS MA rine 5288

Private Enterprise

‘Pp RIVATE ENTERPRISE’ has long been a favorite ex-
pression used to designate that portion of our population
: more properly tagged as ‘Big Business’ or ‘Monopoly
Capital.’ This all-inclusive term, designed to create the illusion
of rugged pioneers delving into new fields with initiative
and daring for the benefit of our country, covers for the most
-part that segment of corporate interests which are neither
“private’ nor ‘enterprising.’

In fact, whatever the role of these people might have

‘been at one stage of history, it is evident that today they
represent a throttling and suffocating influence on the body
politic. : ae
It is a matter of public record that since Confederation
the CPR has received from the Canadian governments of ‘the
_ day (which in its final analysis means from the pocket of the
taxpayers) millions of dollars in the form of subsidies, loans

and direct grants.

For the common people of Canada many of these finan-
cial raids on the public purse have been both ‘private’ and
‘enterprising.’

— in the beginning of our big postwar problems we must
begin to distinguish between private enterprise as represented
‘by small business, and that of reactionary monopoly capital..

., -Yhere is ample evidence since the end of the war that
sso-called private enterprise has hamstrung reconversion meas-
ures solely in the interest: of greed, of stifling enterprise, and
of further concentrating its control on the economy of the
country——to the detriment of the vast majority of the popu-
lation. 3 : oS

‘Recently, the Vancouver Sun has exposed, in a series of ~

articles and editorials, the gentleman’s agreement by which
the CPR and the CNR are refraining from. placing orders

for badly needed coastal. vessels in Canada.

The Vancouver Sun points out very pertinently. that
since the federal government owns the CNR it can, with or
without the consent of the CPR, order the CNR to begin
work on necessary steamship replacements in Canadian yards.

It is an outstanding instance of the undue influence of
such giant monopoliés as the CPR on government, when the
opportunity to preserve an industry built up at great public
expense and the vital need to provide employ,ment for thous-
ands of citizens is subjected to the greedy interests of these
exponents of ‘private enterprise.’

The Vancouver Sun is to be commended on the job it
has done in bringing the facts into the open.

However, there is a similar job waiting to be done on
the vital question of homes. Besides exposing the CPR, CNR
tie-up in the refusal to provide temporary accommodation for
returned veterans in the old Vancouver Hotel, the effect of
CPR ownership of vast tracts of undeveloped land in the
province, and especially in the center of Wancouver city
would bear investigation and exposure. There is no doubt
that the holding of this land, for purely speculative purposes,
is a primary factor, acting as a brake on a low-rental home
building program.

Yes, it is time that the practice of referring to Monopoly
Capital, Trusts, Cartels, etc., as ‘Private. Enterprise” was
abandoned—by their very nature they are neither private
nor enterprising, except in devising methods of increasing

. profits by lowering wages and working conditions.

PACIFIC ADVOCATE — PAGE 4

This Week by ee aote

A this column is being picked out on the type-

writer, thousands of veterans are walking
Canadian streets in search of homes. In fact,
in a recently broadcast appeal for living quarters
for ex-servicemen it was reported, on the au-
thority of the Canadian Legion, that 42 percent
of -the men coming back from overseas are un-
able to find proper accommodation. What an

alarming and disgraceful situation! But is it:

any. wonder when a parliamentary committee
was obliged after appropriate investigation to
conclude that housing construction in the main
centers of population has been considerably less
than the need for homes every year for the
past 17 years.

Today in the city of “Vancouver 2600 married
ex-servicemen are registered with the Emergency
Housing Administration in search of living quar-
ters, but in the same paper this statement ap-
pears there is also. an an-
nouncement that the old
Hotel Vancouver, which
could do much to eliminate
this disgraceful situation, is
going to be turned back by
the government to the CPR
for demolition.

In addition to veterans,
veterans’ families, .ex-war-
workers, pensioners and
thousands of other Cana-
dians are also feeling “the
pinch. For example let me
cite one of hundreds of si- :
milar cases—the problem of one Vancouver fam-
ily who are scheduled to be evicted before this.
paper hits the street. This is the story of a
family. of: eleven people. The father is a veteran
of World War One. Two sons served in World
War Two. This family of eleven live in ‘a five-
room house in the Fairview district. Last Sep-
tember the head of the family was laid off
from ‘the shipyards. The five boys, ranging in
age from seven to 25 years, have been unable
to find work. Their rent is now in arrears to
the amount of $80. Add to these facts that the
father is at present ill, one of the sons is with-
out an arm and another is suffering from ill-
ness developed while doing combat duty against
fascism in Italy, and you have a picture of de-
spair, misery and poverty which Vancouver
citizens find hard to comprehend.

[-: is true that there is a considerable amount

of building going on today, and that many
of the houses being built are for sale (at least
for a couple of hours after excavation com-

Around Town ty cysie corer

DUEING the war years, thé children of the

world have developed an entirely new vocabu-
lary. There’s the story of the English’ three-
year-old who, upon seeing a man taking tickets
in a bus, tugged at his mother’s sleeve and
said, “Look, Mummy, a man. conductoress !”
And there’s the little daug-
ter friend of mine who, after
being dispatched on a visit
to a department: store Santa
Claus, came home and ex-
claimed, “Oh, it was wonder-
full I saw a fat man in a
red ski suit, with six Bam-
bis!”

Yes, kids are changing.
And not just the little, im-
pressionable ones. If you
happened to attend last
week’s Town Meeting in
Vancouver. Imstead of the
usual learned and experienced
“experts,” the mike was turned over to a gang
of high school and university young people,
who debated the subject, “What’s wrong with
our educational system?”

The kids knew what they were talking about.
They didn’t spare anybody’s feelings. And while
one or two were obviously pretty progressive
and another a bit on the conservative side, the
ideas they brought forth had the breath of
freshness about them.

One young fellow came prepared to discuss

the subject in detail. He had a list of some nine-
teen educational reforms he considered neces-
sary. His main objection to the present system
was its failure to provide more than an academic
preparation for life. Youngsters weren’t being
taught democracy, or how. to get along with
other people in the world of today, he maintained.

The audience began to sit up and take notice.
Obviously, these kids had come with lots of am-
munition. So the more conservative section of
the audience got ready to counter-attack.

‘Don’t you believe children should be -seen
and not heard?” asked a listener.

. manager for a showing of Frank.

mences for the foundations).
jority of those houses are a
pocket of the ordinary wage
ing veteran. Even when
rental, the rents charged

Canada were actually earning
thousand dollars a t
$19 a week. Actua

viously the development of
low-rental housing program,
public undertaking in much the
with the same tenacity of pu
our’ war production. upward a
sourcefulness, bold planning an,
much required today. to win a
chronic ‘housing shortage, th
delinquency, family _breakdo
breeds as they were to wilt
fascism! ; rs

Practically all democratic
Canada have already adopted +}

sidy. Thus their federal govern
healthful, comfortable homes
community services for the
rental of $22.15.

A similar plan can and m st
here. It can provide a good hom
conveniences and good sanitatio
nadian family in city, town an
ean clear our slums, eliminate
worst social problems, improve
the entire nation, and* (last but. |
any stretch of imagination) help
employment and prosperity througi |
period -‘of postwar “adjustment ~

enterin: g.

*

“Obviously. not,” . declared as”
wouldn’t be here.” ee 4
“Do you think it’s possible
educational ideas into effect? be
ready to get going on the old 4
money-coming-from angle. ae)
The boy speaker answered, sil.
course.’ ; oe =!
“Don’t you think its unreason
people to ask for money to be spent -
old people have to struggle along {
sions ?”” . coe
“No, it isn’t,” said a young: }
proper solution is to put men |
can solve both problems.” :
“You speak of sending studen —
Victoria to see how government J |
could we afford it?”
“Very simply,” was the rep! |
CPR run cheap student trips at ex
“Look here,” said one member
finally, “You talk about teaching
social science and things in s¢
young. people actually think you 4
better world than we did?” 1
“We don’t just think: it,’ ca j
“We're determined to do it!” = |
Yes, sir, the kids are in the!

—

of those people who are sick
purely escapist movies, lobby you
No, it isn’t a run-of-the-mill music
right attack on prejudice and
ealled “The House I Live In.
movie—financed by Frankie hin
ready he has won the title <
Awardee because of the many |
preciation and awards sent to |
sive organizations throughout th
all goes to prove my_ personal
when it comes to a feud betweé |
seems mainly interested in prod
propaganda) and The Voice, th
no comparison ! es

FRIDAY, JANUARY :

ce