Continued from page 1

May Day marchers demand
peace, jobs, smashing of Bill 43

of the high cost of living:

“John’s budget not so hot:
our budget gone to pot.”

“Prices high, we can’t buy.”

“Farmers poor while prices
soar.”

A decorated truck entered
by the Federation of Russian
Canadians was jampacked
with singing children. Later,

at the park rally, the inter-
mediate dance group of the
FRC performed several dance
numbers which won generous
applause.

The Socialist Youth League
took part in the long march,
and the SYL Youth Singers
opened the meeting with our
national anthem, O Canada.

May Day speakers Nigel Morgan, LPP provincial leader,

and Alex

Gordon of the United Fishermen and Allied

Workers Union, are shown at Exhibition Park rally. Head
in background is that of Don Guise, of Civic Employees

Qutside Workers, addressing the

meeting. Lower photo

shows a small section of the crowd.

End cold war’ says
May Day resolution

“Put an end to the cold
war forever,’ says a _ resolu-
tion passed unanimously by
2,000 people attending the
May Day rally at Exhibition
Park last Sunday.

“Natural resources, man
power and scientific progress
are being diverted to prepar-
ing war,” the resolution points
out. “The burden of arma-
ments reduces the living
standards of the people and
hinders economic develop-
ment. The obstacles to the
free flow of trade injure the

prosperity of all.

“The sovereignty of Can-
ade and our right to deter-
mine our own destiny are vio-
lated by military pacts
and treaties, and the construc-
tion of U.S. missile sites on
Canadian soil.

“We. urge the Canadian
government to take the lead
in consolidating the United
Nations, by pressing for the
success of the foreign mini-
ster’s conference and by call-
ing for a further conference
at top level.”

Don Guise reviewed ‘the
history of May Day and the
heroic labor struggles which
won the eight-hour day. All
labor’s gains in B.C., he stress-
ed, are now being threatened
by Bill 43.

“Any union which runs
afoul of this law should be
assisted by other unions,” he
declared. “If we stick together
Premier Bennett and Labor
Minister Wicks will have ‘to
back down.”

Alex Gordon said workers
are mortgaging their future
buying homes and cars on
time payments. But the most
important issue facing all
workers was the question of
peace — for nuclear weapons
threaten the very existence of
mankind.

“We must put an end to the
Cold War forever,” said Gor-
don, and moved a resolution
on behalf of the May Day
Committee, calling on Canada
to press for success of the
foreign ministers’ conference,
and for a further top level
conference of heads of state
of the Great Powers. It was
unanimously endorsed.

Nigel Morgan, LPP leader,
reminded the audience that
only slightly more than a cen-
tury ago workers _ toiled
“from sunrise to sunset.”

He said that if “some of
our trade union leaders today
would fight as hard to re-
move Bill 43 as pioneer labor
leaders fought to win the
eight-hour day, we would
soon see this reactionary legi-
slation scrapped.”

The road to peace, said
Morgan, means ending the
cold war, abandoning H-
bomb tests, barrine missile
bases in Canada and unhitch-
ing our country from the
Washington war chariot.

Despite billions
armaments, Morgan
ed, ‘the reality. of
employment has
Canada.”

He contrasted this with
what he had seen in socialist
countries on his recent tour
abroad. “In socialist countries
unemployment is a thing of
the past,"he said. Genuine
democracy also means the
right to a job — and that’s
the kind of real democracy
they have in the Soviet Union
and all the socialist coun-
tries.”

Encountered by the suc-
cesses of this year’s May Day
parade and rally, a continua-
tions committee is already
working on plans for a much
bigger and better parade in
1960.

spent on
continu-
mass un-
returned to

Photos from: top to bottom show: parade forming up with
May Day Committee banner “Labor Unite—Smash Bill 43”
heading the line of marchers; the Socialist Youth League
banner and part of the youth contingent; one of the many
“Recognize China” demands made by participants in the
demonstration; unemployed marchers calling for “Jobs,
not guns.” The parade, first one held in Vancouver since
1956, was so successful that it will become an annual event
from now on, thus reviving a tradition dear to the hearts

-of B.C. workers. Vancouver’s 1959 parade was the only one

in Canada this year, but big May Day meetings were held
in Toronte, Winnipeg, Calgary, Windsor and other cities
and towns from across the country.

May 8, 1959 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 3