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7

Must ban atom-weapon,
Gardner tells Pearson

“Tt is imperative that agreement be reached at once on the prohibition of all weapons of mass de-
struction,’ Ray Gardner, chairman of B.C. Peace Council, stated this week in a letter to External Affairs

Minister Lester B. Pearson.

The letter stated: “The recent statement by President Eisenhower, in his State of the Union mes-
sage, that the United States is prepared to use atomic weapons is, we believe, cause for concern.

“tt certainly contributes noth-
ing to the easing of international
tension so fervently desired by all
mankind.

“What is needed, in our opinion,
is an unequivocal statement from
all governments concerned that
they are prepared to enter into ne-
gotiations to reach agreement on
the absolute prohibition of both
the manufacture and use of the
atomic bomb and all other weap-
ons of mass destruction.

“Tt follows ,of course, that any
such prohibition must provide for
strict international controls in or-
der to enforce the ban.

“Eisenhower himself states that |
the latest atomic bombs are 25)
\ing unemployed lists to intimidate

times as powerful as those used
against Japan. The scientist Ein-
stein warns us that the hydrogen
bomb could possibly destroy all
life on our planet.

“In face of these facts, it is im-
perative that agreement be reach-
ed at once on the prohibition of
all weapons of mass destruction.

“We strongly urge our own gov-
ernment to use its influence to help
bring about such a ban on all weap-
ons of mass destruction.”

$1,000 given
fo frust fund

A statement issued by the Rosen-
berg Memorial Committee here
shows that $1,003 has been donated
to the trust fund established for
the orphaned children of Julius
and Ethel Rosenberg as_a result of
the meeting addresssed here last
month by Emanuel Bloch, guardian
of the two children, Michael and
Robert.

The statement shows total col-
lections of $1,231.05 and expenses
of $228.01, leaving a net donation
to the trust fund of $1,004.04.

“The committee wishes to ex-
press its deep appreciation to the
individuals and organizations which
generously donated services or
facilities in connection with the
meeting, thus enabling the commit-
tee to keep its expenses below the
anticipated figure,” says the state-
ment.

The Mine-Mill report warned em-
ployers that “we will not tolerate

your attempts to drive our mem-

bership back to the conditions that

existed prior to organization in
1943.”
Charging that employers are us-

those who are still employed, the
report said:

“Dismissal for little or no rea-
son have become the order of the
day. .. . We see long-service em-
ployees of various companies dis-
missed for losing only one shift;
something that has not occurred,
since the Hungry Thirties.”

The review of the crisis in base
metals and the proposals: adopted
by Mine-Mill’s Canadian Council
were included in the report of the
district officers. _ :

“As Mine-Mill has repeatedly
declared, a full-blown economic
crisis is certain- to plague the
people of Canada and the United
States unless decisive political
‘and economic steps are taken by
our respective governments,”
says the report, and puts forward
the union’s program:

e' Immediate relief for work-
ers in the industry who are un-
employed or threatened with unem-
ployment through greatly increas-
ed unemployment insurance, low-
er taxes and public works pro-
grams.. Unemployment insurance
payments should be increased to
65 percent of earnings and should
last as long as unemployment does,
with present time limits abolished.

The tax burden on incomes be-
low $5,000 must be reduced, with
tax exemptions based on $2,000
for single people and $4,000 for
matried people. ;

e A government assistance
plan for the base metals mining
industry, based on the costs of pro-
duction of each operation, to
guarantee full production and em-

ployment in the industry at fair

Bill 7 ‘invasion of

freedom of thought’

ST. JOHN’S

Striking out at what he called an attempt to “invade the freedom
of thought which is one of the cornerstones of democracy,” Harold
Horwood, former Liberal member for Labrador in the Newfoundland
legislature who now writes a daily column for the St. John’s Telegraph,
recently made a sharp attack on Bill 7.

Devoting his entire “Political
Notebook” to the bill, Horwood
charged that the new amendments
to the Criminal Code were “a
backward step,” which could be
used “to limit the right to strike
and the right to peaceful picket-
ing.” -

“We do not want the ghost of

Senator Taft on this side of the

border,’ wrote the former legis-
lator.

“Our Criminal Code contain-
ing as it does, savage penalties
out of the dark ages, is undoubt-
edly in need of revision, but it is
not in need of revision in the
direction of the Taft-Hartley Act
and the American thought-con-
trol laws which have made Me-

Carthyism and senatorial witch-
hunts possible.” :

“The storm of protest which met
the introduction of this bill last
year was not confined to the labor
movement or to the political left
wing.

“The Association for Civil Lib-
erties, headed by B. K. Sand-
well, retired editor of Saturday
Night, and dean of Canadian
newspapermen, helped to kill it.
The big trade union groups, and
the independent unions, opposed
it with a single voice. We added
our small protest to the others,
across Canada, at that time. We
are proud to do so again.”

Mine-Mill combats
unemployment crisis

“A substantial number of workers in our industry have been
caught in layoffs and are now unemployed, and further layoffs have
been announced and are being put into effect,” declared the officers’
report to the eleventh annual convention of B.C. District, Interna-
tional Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, which opened in
Pender Auditorium here Monday this week.

and adequate wages and working
conditions.

e' Building by the federal gov-
ernment of a lead-zinc custom
smelter-in Western Canada to free
independent producers from de-

pendence on the smelter at Trail}.

for processing of their ore.

@ Broadening of export mar-
kets overseas, particularly in the
British Commonwealth and Europe,
with appropriate arrangements for
payment by means of increased
mutual trade. Opening of new
markets on the basis of unhamp-
ered trade with all countries of
the world willing and able to buy
Canadian base metals.

Strong opposition to any increas-
ed tariffs or other measures which
might be imposed by any country
against our present exports of base
metals. Should tariffs be raised
or other restrictive measures be
imposed, the Canadian government
should retaliate by placing a tax
or an embargo on the export of
nickel, asbestos and other vital
raw materials. “Trade is a two-
way, not a one-way street.”

e Where the depressed state
of the gold mining industry is re-
flected in longer hours of work,
lower wages and inferior working
conditions of gold miners as com-
pared to those of base metal min-
ers, assistance now given under the
Emergency Gold Mining Assistance
Act is wholly inadequate.

“We therefore demand that the
Canadian government join with
other gold producing countries in
demanding that the International
Monetary Fund abrogate all re-
strictions on the free international

_|sale of gold, so that the price of

gold may be permitted to increase
substantially. ;

“Failing such measures, we de-
mand that the Canadian govern-
ment withdraw from the Fund and
adopt on its own effective remedial
measures.” : ‘oN

@ To absorb a large part of

Canadian base metals production
and maintain full employment and
purchasing power for the Canadian
people, the govérnment must start
immediate construction of such na-
tional projects as the St. Lawrence
seaway and power development, an
all-Canadian gas pipeline, and the
South Saskatchewan power and ir-
rigation project, and improve and
complete the Trans-Canada High-
way. '
The report urged that a national
housing plan be undertaken. to
provide a minimum of 150,000 new
homes each year until housing
needs are fully met.

It advocated that other public
works, notably schools, hospitals
and highways, be undertaken
throughout the country, and es-
pecially in the communities where
there have been cutbacks and

layoffs.

. TOM UPHILL, MLA
(Labor, Fernie)

WILLIAM MOORE, MLA
‘. (CCF, Comox)

MiAs support
peace parley

Two British Columbia MLA’s
have: expressed interest in the
Congress of Support for Negotiat-
ed Peace to be held in Toronto,
January 30-31.

- They are Tom Uphill (Labor,
Fernie) and W. C. Moore (CCF,
Comox).

Uphill has enrolled as a cor-
responding delegate.

“Sorry I am unable to attend the
conference, but I hope and trust
your deliberations will be fruitful
and help to bring peace to this
troubled world,” Uphill has writ-
ten the sponsoring committee.

Mooore was unable to accept an

invitation to attend the Congress,
but wrote:

“As this is a subject very dear
to my heart, I shall be watching,
with interest, for reports of the
sessions. Again let me thank you
for the invitation and keep up the
battle. I will do my best in that
direction.” /

\ 2.

Union issues
warning on

transit survey

If the B.C. Electric attempts te
use the information it obtains dur-
ing its current service survey to
prove that Vancouver standards of
service are equal to standards in
comparable cities “the survey will
only succeed in whitewashing our
local transitservice,” says a press

{release issued this week by. Divi-

sion
Union.

Here is the full text of the SRU
press release:

“In view of the widespread pub-
lic interest in respect to transit
service and as a transit service
survey is being undertaken, we
wish to take this opportunity of
making known our views in respect
to the nature of this transit sur-
vey, which will be completed by
January 29.

“The manner in which the sur-
vey is being conducted is, on the
whole, being handled in a sound,
fair and businesslike basis. There
are sufficient checks being made
on a line at short intervals to give
a generally correct picture of the
es habits of the travelling pub-
ic.

“This is all to the good, but if
the information is used to prove
that Vancouver standards of serv-
ice are equal to standards of serv-
ice in comparable cities on the
continent, the survey will only suc-
ceed in whitewashing our local
transit service. :

“The reasons why we make this
statement are, firstly, , Vancouver
transit service will be compared:
with dozens of American cities
where autos are much more numer-
ous. This means that fewer people
in these cities of comparable popu-
lation make use of the public trans-
portation service, wheréas Vancou-
ver has possibly the highest per
capita on the whole continent who
use public transportation.

“Secondly, the fact that the sur-
vey is being made in the month
ot January will not give the truest
possible reflection of the need for
improved transit service, because
January is, as we all know, the
quietest, or one of the slackest
months in the whole year.

“We contend that no proper
analysis of the information gath-
ered inthe course of the pre-
sent transit seryice survey can
be made unless the above facts
are taken into account. We will
go further and say, unless these .
factors are properly considered,
the survey will not be worth the
paper it is written on so far as
Vancouver’s bus, trolley-coach
and street car riders are con-
cerned.

“The opportunity is here for
those who are conducting the sur-
vey to perform a valuable public
service. In addition to the points
we have brought to the fore, if
the analysis of the survey will take

into consideration the strong pub-
lic desire for improved transit serv-
ice, especially in the non-rush
hours, and reflect that sentiment
in their recommendations, the
travelling public, the city council
and the transit operators will all
have cause to say, “Thanks for a
job well done.’ ” j

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE — JANUARY 22, 1954 — PAGE 2