Time to answer Gee!

AS might be expected the latest
proposal of Soviet Premier
Nikita Khrushchev for an _ 18-
nation summit conference of
heads of government to begin

meet the torturous twistings and
turnings of Western proposals on
disarmament and peace. And
whenever it has appeared as if
some substantial accord was
within reach, the West, under the
direction of U.S. imperialism,
have shouted “No.”

The world’s peoples are already
agreed that preliminary talks
about peace have been ample and
adequate, that what is required.
now is action at multi-govern-
ment level to give all the talking
a greater measure of substance
and reality. In that lies the sig-
nificance and (urgency) of Nikita
Khrushchev’s latest proposal for 2
summit meeting of many states.

To Western diplomacy’s “No”
and “Maybe later” to the Soviet
proposal for a summit meeting,
the answer should be “Yes,” and
“right now,” before time runs
out.

Why bans wont work

Bnolbeyoor Mansiom:d ene That is the sterling quality of

ism from this Western Hemi- : es :
gbhere- by" WSs inmpernisis:.. as Marxism-Leninism which cannot
‘ ge * ~” be “banned” by reactionary de-

: a : 2
Rel NES weannie HT abE cree or ukase, and why the 40th

inter-American system” is, io oh 3
anniversary celebrations. of the

put it mildly, supremely stupid. a :
It is also a good half-century too ott eT tobean euistonding
success in the further building

late for such. idities. . Be
such.armpgant siupiditics of a Marxist-Leninist party in

Canada.

March 14, the tentative date set
for the reconvening of the
bogged-dewn Geneva disarma-
ment talks, has met with the
usual brusque “No” from the
Western powers. as represented
by the Kennedy-Macmillan team.

Th’ Western powers through
their _propaganda_ machinery,
press, radio, TV, etc., invariably
accuse the Soviets of answering
“Nyet” to all “peace” proposals
emanating. from_ Washington,
London or other centers of West-
ern diplemacy.

In reality of course, the reverse
is the case. On innumerable occa-
sions the Soviets have bent over
backwards in their. efforts to

half-a-century.

A social science whith has
already guided almost half of all

pai: hel eee

ext week the big lobby of the

B. C. Fderation of Unem-

ployed will converge on Victoria,

to once again piead the cause of

the jobless and dispossessed
worker.

Dealing with unemployment in.
eold dispassionate figures, or
from the standpoint of partisan
politics (with an eye to. votes),
the evil of unemployment is said
to have diminished somewhat
from the corresponding high per-
iod of one year ago.

Be that as it may, there are

still close to half a million regis-
tered jobless workers in Canada
(according to DBS calculations),
who, together with their wives
and children, cannot live upon
optimistic DBS figures.» They
require something much more
substantial in the form. of food,

clothing and shelter.

Moreover, to the DBS reckon-
ing can be added an “unofficial”
total half as large again of “short”
or “part-time” workers, to say t
nothing of the thousands whose

- unemployment. benefits have long

expired, together» with: their
hopes of ever finding anything
that looks like a job'in’ Diefen-
baker’s specious “promises,” and
who are no longer registered as.
“unempleyed employables.”

The prime responsibility for
the grave jobless situation in Bri-

prived of the right to work.

tish Columbia lies directly at the
door of the Bennett government. —

Any attempt of the Bennett

government to evade this respon-
sibility, to shift the “blame” to —
Ottawa or throw it back upon the

municipalities, will be pure and
simple buckpassing,.

excels. {

Tallied up, this responsibility

includes: the provision of jobs

for B.C.’s jobless workers; in-

creased and full unemployment —
insurance until such jobs are —
available; the protection of
worker’s homes, chattels or other —
interests against forfeit or

seizure because of unemploy-

ment; legislation which puts jobs
for B.C. workers before profits —
for foreign_and home-grown. —

monopoly.

» All sections of organizedlabor +

in B.C. should stand solidly be-
hind the Unemployed Lobby in
its trek to Victoria, backing up
their moral support with active.
participation .on the..legislative
doorstep; to help the Lobby:make >
the legislative rafters ring with —
the full-throated demand:

“We Want Jobs,” and an end.

to government. politicking with - -
the’ hunger, privation and want
of B.C.’s greatest asset--— her —

working men. and women,. de-

Mankind out of the jungle of im-
perialist exploitation and elevated

to the PT.

On rare ‘occasions this p.a p er

struggles

an art ia ©
which the Bennett government ~

it to the eminence and ‘grandeur
of Socialist achievement, is not
thus so easily disposed of. = _

This year the Marxist-Leninist
party of the Canadian workinz-
elass, ‘the Communist Party of
Canda, will celebrate its 40th an-
niversary. Already a whole series
of anniversary banquets, mass
rallies and other» public affairs
are being scheduled to mark the
event.

Since its origin in February
of 1922, Tim Buck and the Com-
munist party holds an honoured
place in the hearts of Canadian
workers. This is because, unlike
the professional polititians and
parties of big business, the C.P.
and its national chairman has
fought consistently for the deep-
est desires and aspirations of the
Canadian workingclass for nearly

Lee fi ib
Pacitic Tribune
Editor — TOM McEWEN
Associate Editor—-MAURICE RUSH

Business -Mgr.—-OXANA BIGELOW

Published weekly at
Room 6 — 426 Main Street
Vancouver 4, B.C.
Phone MUtual 5-5288
Subscription Rates:
One Year: 4.00 — Six Months: $2.25
Canadian and Commonwealth coun-
tries (except Australia): $4.00° one
year. Australia, United States and
all other countries: $5.00 one year.
Authorized as second class mail by
the Post Office Department, Ottawa,
and for payment of postage in cash

Tom —
McEwen

Rye he in’ these columns we

are sharply ‘critical on the ‘at-
titudes of ‘the powers-that-be to-
wards the preservation and promo-
tion of our distinctive and rich Ca-
nadian culture. Critical of the man-
ner in which our. stage, theatre,
movies, TV and other media of cul-
tural expression is side-tracked to
permit the right-of-way for the
flood of sex, gangsterized and cold-
war U.S. “kultur’ which swamp
our country every hour on the
hour.

While our criticism on this state
of affairs is right and proper on all
occasions, since it also has to do

with the struggle against U.S.

domination and for the independ-

-ence of our country. But there is
-another angle to this problem; wiz.,

what do we ourselves do about it?
Let us: take.‘the question. of

poetry and: our poets as, an e¢x~

ample. Almost weekly this paper
receives quite. a volume of poetic

effort from many corners of this

province, from Telegraph Creek to
Langley, from the Great Divide to

~ Vancouver Island.

Some of these poems we receive
have already been forwarded by
their authors to the daily papers,
and invariably returned with the
customary form letter, ‘due. to lack
of space,” etc. Others come directly

manages to feature the: work of one

‘of our poets, but only on rare oc-
»easions:
~~ poets get little more .recognition

Hence - our*.workingclass.

from the*PT as a -workingclass
paper than they do from the mono-
poly press.

’ True, there are some valid rea-
sons for this seeming neglect. We
certainly lack the space to feature
a page of poetry every so often,
and quite often the poetic contribu-
tions are not always appropriate to,
or expressive of the more pressing
issues of the day. But that is no
reason why the poetic endeavours
-of those who express their dreams
of a grand new world of peace,
brotherhood and infinite beauty
should be left to gather dust in
some: editorial office, with the
waste basket as its final resting
place.

When Andrew: Fletcher .(1655-
1716) wrote “Give me the making
of the songs of a nation, and I care
not who makes its laws,’ he was
commenting about a. government
much. like our present Diefenbaker
regime, which uses very many
words about “freedom,” but: knows
little of the poet’s inspiration in
defining it.

Thus it is highly probable and
likely that The Golden ‘Legend by
Canada’s workingclass poet laure-
ate J. S. Wallace will live long
after. Dief’s frothy Bill of Rights
has gone to the same limbo of for-
gotten things as its wordy author.
But it shouldn’t be forgotten that

‘recognition of Wallace’s stature

the other. :

Now back to our own B.C: poets. ©

What to do? Certainly not to sift in
judgement and ..decide that such
efforts are “‘effeminite,” “trivial”
or of “no. consequence,”..fit only

for the oblivion of a waste.paper ]|-

basket.

I have beside me many small
pooks ‘of poems; “Summer’s Sweet-
est Kiss” by. Donald McRat, a Bri-
tish lad. who put: his love for
Vancouver and the struggles and

dreams of ats people in beautiful

verse.
.-Another booklet, “My Song Is
For All Men” by Peter.Blackman,
who dreams of the time “Till Man
Cover the Earth With His Glory,
As the Waters Cover the Sea.” Aud
a little: booklet. published:'s ome
years ago by New Frontiers, “The
Stone, The Axe, The Sword,;”.a
compendium of four of Canada’s
much-too-much unsung poets, with
a foreword by J. S. Wallace.

On its back page this little book-
let says, ‘The first of a series: of
pamphlets on the Gogh eet Arts
and Scientists.”

Surely this “first of a series”
shouldn’t be the last? What do our
readers suggest .to enable the
people of B.C. to share the dreams
and hopes and aspirations of their
own poets — and at the same time,
save the PT editors from feeling
like literary vandals.

February 16, 1962—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page

|

|

among. those who write’ the songs {>

of poetry of humanity’s
--and hopes, came first from a people:
other than. our own, who cherish
culture as they cherish life, because ~
each is an uplifting expression : of 3