Reprisal .for victory

President John L: Lewis (c), of the
the pension plan program ‘providing $1
May 26, 1946. Ezra Van Horn (r), coal operator rep

was clinched by Sen. Styles Bridges (Rep-N.H.) . ;
agreement, the government is continuing its “contempt

Despite
UMW members together with 18,000 electrical an

if Lewis is jailed on such a charge.

United Mine Workers, announces his union’s acceptance of
00-per-month for miners 62 years and over, retiring after

resentative voted against the settlement that

d radio operators have declared they will strike

of court” case against Lewis.

LPP calls for unity

in struggle

for peace

Three years after the end of the war the air is filled

again with threats and rumors of war.

people don’t want war.

But the working

“Imperialism blusters, talks big, and with its chains

of newspapers and radio stations
shakes the earth with its war
hysteria. But with all this, the
forces of peace are mightier than
ever—and they can win.”

This, the fight for peace, is
the dominant theme of the May
Day statement isued by the na-
tional committee of the Labor-
Progressive Party over the signa-
ture of Tim Buck, national lead-
er.

“The profiteering trusts, the
Wall Street bankers and militar-
ists, the high-pressure salesmen of
atom bomb blackmail, are threat-
ening the peace,” declares the

statement. “Only unity can beat
them—unity of labor, farmers,
professionals , véterans, house-

wives, youth, in action for democ-
racy, a decent life and peace.”

Pointing out that the people are
paying for the government’s poli-
cies in high priceS and lowered
living standards, in destruction of
labor’s gains and weakening of
democratic rights, the statement
says:

“Mackenzie. King, who in 1945
pledged a new social order, high-
er living standards, cooperation
among nations, has once again
broken his promises. Liberals and

“For two years now they have
waged a war of poison words to
soften up the people, to make
them believe that a third world
war is inevitable, to make them
believe that every one who fights
for the bread and butter of the
people, for labor's rights, for
peace, is a “red”, an “agent of
Moscow”. ;

Under the smokescreen of hys-
terical propaganda for atom
bomb war against the socialist So-
viet Union and the new democ-
racies* of Europe they have rob-
bed labor and the people ruth-
lessly.

“Profit-gouging is winked at by
Ottawa, but trade union leaders
are sent to jail for two years be-
eause they fought against sweat-
shop wages. :

“Profits of the bankers, capital-
ists and speculators are higher
than ever. :

“Your cost of living is at the
highest peak in all Canadian his-
i ee ee

“Mackenzie King has surrender-
ed completely to the Wall Street
bankers and militarists who head
the camp of international. impe-

rialist warmongers. Orders from
Abroad? Yes, we have them, for
Washington dictates what, and
where, and at what price Canada
will sell her exports. U.S. bomb-
ers fly over our sovereign terri-
tories. “S. troops are on our
soil. Canada’s armed «forces are
coordinated by the U.S. general
staff.”

But, the statement’ continues,
war is not inevitable and peace
can be maintained if labor and
the people fight.

“U.S. imperialism, with all of
its hangers-on, ex-kings and ‘so-
cialist’ right-wingers, will never
be able to turn the clock of his-
tory back. The socialist Soviet
Union and the new democracies
of Europe are building, stronger
than ever, their new way of life—
free from the paralyzing grip of
imperialist exploiters.

“Socialism is the stronghold of
peace today, the only hope of
progress, abundance and coopera-
tion for all peoples tomorrow.”

“May Day, 1948, is the symbol
of the need for an all-out struggle
for working class unity. Cana-
dian labor, if united on a pro-
gram of peace and defense of liv-
ing standards and civil rights of
the people, can curb and defeat
big business and its old-line Lib-
eral and Tory parties of reaction
and war. The road can be open-
ed wide for advance towards
greater social progress, and _to-
wards socialism in Canada. . .”

WALTER P. REUTHER, pres-
ident of the United Automobile
Workers’ Union (CIO) was
critically injured Tuesday of
this week when unknown assas-
sins made an attempt on his
life with a shotgun in his De-

Yale LPP conference

backs CCF

candidate

VERNON—Labor-Progressive Party clubs in the federal
riding of Yale, met in conference at Vernon, Sunday, and
unanimously ,woted to support O. L. Jones, CCF candidate in

the forthcoming byelection. I

conference the LPP said:

“The people of Yale have an|
opportunity in the forthcoming
by-election to repudiate the fed-
eral government’s policies of
higher living costs, increased
freight rates and narrower mark-
ets for B.C. products.

“The old line party candidates
can not serve Yale as the parties
they represent have betrayed the
people’s interests.
dates taking part in the Yale
by-election, O. L. Jones, of the
CCF, can best represent the in-
terests of the people of Yale.
Jones can be elected by the united
vote of the small producers and
workers of this constituency.

The conference was addressed
by Maurice Rush, LPP provincial
organizer, who is at present-tour-
ing the Yale riding to rally LPP
supporters for the defeat of the
Tory and Liberal candidates and
for the election of Jones. _

ment

Of the candi-|

n a statement issued from the

withhold. granting the
freight rate increase to the rail-
roads.”

Ship’s officers win

big wage increase

In a 46-day strike of ship’s
officers which has tied up deep
sea shipping in Canadian east

and west coast ports, radio op-
erators and marine’ engineers
have won substantial wage in-
creases and improved working
conditions,

These gains include an aver-
age cash increase of $56.00 per
month; union preference in. hir-
ing; 15-day leave every. six

months on pay and subsistence;
twelve weeks’ sick pay in for-
eign ports at two-thirds of wage

The Vernon LPP conference
adopted a _ strong _ resolution
against the proposed 21 per cent
increase in freight rates, which

one million dollars to Okanagan
farmers in getting their products
to market. The
mands "that the federal govern-

A ‘free’ congress!

ATHENS—The only delegate

“free” Greek labor “congress”
in Piraeus is new facing court
martial. The delegate, Manolis
Kleanthus, a seaman, was seized
by police when he declared: “This
congress is a fake. It has no
prestige because all its delegates
are appointed by the fascist gov-
ernment while the true repre-
sentatives of the workers are in
prison, exile or have been exe-
cuted.” This was al] Kleanthus
was able to say before he was
shoved off the platform and ar-
rested.

troit home.

would mean an additional cost of,

resolution de-;

who opposed proceedings at the -

rates, and considerable improve-
-ment in working conditions.

The new agreement also retains
‘provision of payment for security
watches, which the shipowners
wanted deleted. Overtime at sea
will no longer be paid at day
rates, but will be incorporated in
bonus payments,

In effect, the shipowners have
been compelled to accépt the Mc-
Niven award, which, had they
done so in February, could have
avoided the shipping tieup.

Outstanding feature in the
|ship’s officer strike was the sup-
port given by other maritime un-
ions, both AFL and CIO, and par-
ticularly on the West coast. Out-
come of this unity. may lead tc
the establishment of a perman-
ent maritime council of all sea-

men and longshoremen. High
praise has been given the Inter-
national Longshore and Ware-

houseman’s Union in B&. ports
for the splendid support given .
the officers’ strike, despite ex-
treme pressure from shipowners
to. handle perishable cargoes.

TCL debate on Bill 87 reveals

Wilkinson supports measure

Reporting to Vancouver Trades and Labor Council Tuesday, Secretary R. K. Gervin
stated that the executive had met with Labor Minister Wismer the morning after the bill
ime to go over it in great detail. They had returned to Van-

came down, having had little t
couver on Friday, but went
gone over to oppose the bill.
They again met with Wismer and
proposed changes to the Bill, but
the only two points to which
Wismer had been sympathetic
had been, first the deletion of
the proposal that unions be de-
certified as bargaining agents
when ‘the membership of any

Wall Street ‘

“I spent 33 years and 4 months in active service as a
member of our country’s most agile military force — the
US’ Marine Corps. And during that period I spent most of
time being a high class muscle man for Big Business, for

Wall Street, and for the bankers.
In short, I was a racketeer for
capitalism.

“Thus I helped make Mexico
and especially Tampico safe for
American Oil interests in 1914. I
helped make Haiti and Cuba a
decent place for the National City

‘Bank boys to collect revenues

in ....“I helped purify Nicaragua
for the .International banking
house of Brown Brothers in 1909-
1912. I brought light to the Dom-
inican Republic for American Su-
gar interests in 1918. I helped
make Honduras “right” for Ame-
rican fruit companies in 1903. In
China in 1927 I helped to see to

muscle man’

it that Standard Oil went its way
unmolested.

“During those years I had, as
the boss in the back room would
say, a swell racket. I was re-
warded with honors, medals, pro-
motions. Looking back on it, I
feel I might have given Al Ca-
pone a few hints. ~ The best he
could do was to operate his rac-
et in three city districts. We Mar-
ines cperated on three contin-
ents.”

Smedley D. Butler,
Major General,

back to Victoria on Monday

after the CCL delegation had

union fell below a. majority of
employees, and, second, that the
definition of labor organizations
should be limited to trade unions
or associations whose main pur-
pose is collective bargaining and
labor relations.

On behalf of the executive, Ger-
vin moved that the actions of the
executive in regard to the bill be
endorsed,

An amendment was then pro-
posed to refer the matter to the
locals for reconsideration.

In the ensuing discussion, Wil-
liam Rigby, UFAWU | delegate,
stated that his organization could
not accept the report that be-
cause there were some improve-
ments over Bill 39 in the new
bill, the bill as a whole was an.
improvement. On the contrary,
the 79 amendments contained in,
Bill 87, if enacted,’ would make
the new labor act worse than the
old act, just as Bill. 39 taken as
a whole was worse than the old
ICA Act in the province prior to
the war. “The executive should go
back,” Rigby stated, “and be
present at the second and third
readings and ,yhave the support in
Victoria of representatives of all
affiliated organizations.”

An amendment to the amend-
ment was moved and seconded

U.S. Marines.

to accept the executive’s report as

one of progress while instructing
the executive to return to Vic-

toria to carry on the fight against
the Bill.

Despite a plea by Secretary R.
K. Gervin that rejection of the
original motion must be inter-
preted as a lack of confidence
in the executive, the amendment
to the amendment was _ passed
by an overwhelming majority.

George Wilkinson, member of
the Labor Relations Board, ad-
dressed delegates, in support of
the amendments to Bill 39 brought
in by the government.

He stated that before the draft
bill was presented to the gov-
ernment caucus it was shown to
several representatives of the Vic-
toria Council and a representative
of the Vancouver Trades and La-
bor Council. As a result of this
consultation several bad points
in the first draft were eliminat-
ed before the measure was
brought into the House.

Wilkinson ! also opposed rep-
resentations made jointly by
AFL - CCL _ representations
against certain clauses in the
present bill, since these clauses
were directly designed to hin-
der organizations not affiliat-
ed to the AFL. ;

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—APRIL 23, 1948—PAGE 2.

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