drink listening to music. target. New Horizons. . . ter. Trib une Festival boosts fund drive For the about 100 Tribune supporters who turned out to the first ever Tribune Festival, it was something new. And for it, the sun shone while those present walked among the displays, thumbed through old volumes of the Tribune from 1937, 1943 or 1956, played soccer or lounged with a A good day for the Tribune, and for the Festival goers, it was a good day for the drive, netting $300 towards our $65,000 The Tribune had three impressive displays, prepared by staff and helpers Richard Blackburn and Dennis Haikalis, showing the past and present of the paper, the makings of a news- paper, and a survey of the family of Communist newspapers around the world which the Tribune is part of. There were other displays and tables — the B.C. Peace Coun- cil, Canadians For Democracy in Chile, the Co-op Bookstore, Southern Africa Action Coalition, Canadian Jewish Outlook, Ed Dotzler and Albert Dettman were a hit with their short- wave radio booth with advice on how to tune in the world. To all our friends, and to Gus Falias and Yannis Batsakis who | prepared and served the meal, our thanks. We look forward to our second Festival being bigger and bet- Occupation of Carnegie 45 years ago won $1,800 relief Last weekend marked the 45th anniversary of the occupation of the Vancouver museum (Carnegie Library) by the single unemployed. The occasion was commemorated with a meeting in the re-furbished Carnegie Community Centre by a film showing about the struggles of the depression and a discussion afterwards with one of the par- ticipants in the events surrounding the occupation of the museum, Bob Jackson. Jackson, who later served three months in Oakalla prison after a demonstration at a city restaurant, told the crowd that although much has changed since 1935, the basic inequities of the system remain. This article was written for the Tribune by the director of the Carnegie Centre, freelance writer Jim McDowell. By JIM McDOWELL A weekend of turmoil and agita- tion by relief strikers and their sym- pathizers climaxed Sunday evening when Vancouver’s mayor was howled downas he tried to speak to a First United Church congrega- tion in the Downtown Eastside. The conflict started when a group of about 250 strikers took over the top floor of the Carnegie Library on the corner of Main and Hastings early Saturday afternoon to bring attention to their needs for increased assistance. A huge crowd gathered in front of the building. Ron Liversedge di- vision leader of the occupation group, estimated that 50,000 peo- ple observed the eight-hour siege as protestorsion the street sang ‘‘Hold: the Fort’”’ and shouted encourage-. ment to their comrades inside the building. These supporters also sent food parcels, cigarettes and containers of water, coffee and tea up to their hungry friends. Local bakeries donated fresh bread. From a ledge over the entrance, strikers repeatedly hauled up a wicker basket tied to a rope that was filled with provisions. Down- town traffic was snarled for hours. It took most of the afternoon for Police Chief W. W. Foster to fi- nally locate the mayor at the Van- couver Yacht Club and come up with a non-violent solution. About 8:30 p.m., the protestors agreed to give up their position when the police chief announced that temporary relief would be is- sued to provide two daily meals to each striker for six days. The strikers caused no damage inside the building. They filed down the spiral staircase, where police were lined up shoulder to shoulder. As the men emerged on the colonnaded portico, they were greeted by a triumphant roar from the crowd. Pushing slowly through the wildly cheering throng, they marched peacefully to their head- quarters at 52% Cordova St. There the protestors received the cash al- lowance of $1,800, which was charged to the police department’s emergency fund for vagrancy CASES3 = 5 That demonstration on May 18, 1935 was seen as their ‘‘greatest success’’ in Vancouver during the Great Depression by the 1,000-member B.C. Relief Camp Workers Union. It produced the only cash subsidy granted to the strikers while they were here. It also inspired the ‘‘On to Ottawa’’ trek by thousands of unemployed ’“bindle-stiffs’’ to demand direct negotiations with the federal gov- ernment for relief. Led by the indefatigable Com- munist union organizer Arthur (Slim) Evans, this march of the mil- itant unemployed ended in a bloody police riot at Regina on Do- minion Day, 1935. It also contrib- uted to the fall of R. B. (“‘the gov- ernment is not here to subsidize idleness’’) Bennett’s Conservative government. In Vancouver, the Carnegie oc- cupation was a mild prelude to the huge, often violent longshoremen’s strike that lasted from June to De- cember, 1935. Vancouver’s mayor at the time was Gerry McGeer. In his book, The On to Ottawa Trek, BCRCW organizer Liversedge described McGeer as ‘‘a rather arrogant cor- poration lawyer who believed in - something called monetary re- form.’’ OmMay 20, the day after he was shouted down at the First Unit- ed Church, McGeer wrote prime minister Bennett saying, ‘‘never in the history of the Dominion of Canada has blind, brutal lawless- ness been more’ in evidence than during the last month in this city.” By 1938, poverty still held mil- lions of Canadians in a strangle- hold. Perhaps inspired by their ear- lier success in occupying the Car- negie Museum, Vancouver’s un- employed besieged three other buildings to demand jobs and de- cent wages. One of the Carnegie strikers who sent food up the rope to his com- rades during the occupation was Bobby Jackson. Sunday at the Carnegie Centre, Jackson helped commemorate the “Day of ‘ ¢ Museum” by recalling what it « “as like during the ‘‘Hungry Thirties,” when it seemed to take mass mili- tant action to win concessions for the homeless, the downtrodden, and the unemployed. Will the ‘‘recéession”’ of the ’80s lead inevitably to similar kinds of dire:1 political actio’ by today’s sing-c, unemployed young men? ( CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING _ What has cha ped? COMING EVENTS MAY 23 — Third annual lasagna dinner at Pat & Wendy's, 6:30 p.m., 3858 Fraser St. (entrance off 23rd Ave.) Van. $4. Games: Class Struggle, chess, cribbage. Pro- ceeds to Tribune. GLOBE TOURS The complete travel service We will professionally look after all your travel needs. We specialize in tickets, tours, passports, permits and reservations. Call us today — for prompt personalized service. 2679 East Hastings St. Vancouver, B.C. V5K 1Z5 Phone 253-1221 MAY 24 — FRC Cabaret, 600 Campbell Ave., Van. 8 p.m. to 1 p.m. Harry Hoshowski’s Orchestra. Adm. $5. Snacks served. Come and have a good time. MAY 24 — Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the YCL: 1970-80. Taped Greek, Latin American and rock and roll music; skits; sing-a- long. 8 p.m. New Horizons raffle draw. Adm. $2.50 working; $1.50 unemployed. Fishermen’s Hall, 138 E. Cordova, Van. Proceeds to New Horizons Press Drive. MAY 24 — 8 p.m. Latest film on Chile “The Most Painful Hour” at 832 Calverhall, North Van. Adm. $3. Sponsored by North Shore club. Proceeds to Tribune drive. MAY 24 & 25 — YCL Spring School celebrating Engels’ cen- tenary. On Sat. hear Ben Swankey on “Canada and the National Ques- tion,” 9-12 p.m., and Bill Zander on “Class Alliances in the Anti-Monop- oly Front,” 1:30-5 p.m. Rms. L3 & L4 above the library, Britannia Cen- tre, 1661 Napier, Van. ~ On Sun. hear Elias Stavrides on ‘‘Uitra-leftism & right opportunism,” 9-12 p.m., and Fred Wilson on “Violence and Revolu- tion,” 1:30 to 5p.m. Rms. L5 & L6, beside the library, Britannia Centre. Registration fee: $3 per day; $5 for both days. (Lunch included.) If you wish to pre-register, phone 255-9988 or 251-1186. Bring your friends. MAY 25 — Pancake Breakfast, 10 a.m., at Padgham’s, 15991 Pacific Ave., White Rock. Sponsored by White Rock club. Proceeds to Press Drive. MAY 31 — COPE ELECTION FUND-RAISING DANCE, 1720 Gravely St., 8 p.m.-1 a.m., $3.50. Dance to “XL,” sponsored by Grandview Woodlands COPE. MAY 31 — Annual pot luck supper at Babiuk’s, 2305 Bossert. Phone 554-2626. Starts 2 p.m. Hear Tribune Business Manager Pat O'Connor. Proceeds to Tribune. JUNE 5 — Hear internationally- ‘ renowned journalist and author Wilfred Burchett, just returned from Kampuchea, 8 p.m., A130 Auditorium Langara Campus, 100 W. 49th Ave. Sponsored by CAVC. JUNE 7 — Fun & Games at the housewarming party for Ruth & Marty Smith, 2666 Eton St., Van. Sat., 8 p.m. Food, refreshments, entertainment. Adm. $2. Proceeds to Tribune. JUNE 14 — Keep this date open for FUN UNDER THE STARS — Film Showing. Details later. JUNE 15 — Keep this date for fare- well dinner & tribute to Harry and Jean Bird. Details later. JUNE 21 — Tribune Victory ban- quet. Italian Cultural Centre. COMMERCIAL NOTICE — Tribune readers in Burnaby who wish to support the present Financial Drive: cash, con- test tickets, banquet tickets — phone 526-5226. ELECTRICAL, plumbing, appli- ance repairs. Don Berg. 255-7287. ROOF REPAIRS — Reasonable. New roofs and alum. gutters, _ 277-1364 or 277-3362. LEGAL SERVICES Rankin, Stone, McMurray, Bar- risters and Solicitors. 500 Ford Building, 193 East Hastings St., Vancouver 682-7471. HALLS FOR RENT RUSSIAN PEOPLE’S HOME — Available for rentals. For reserva- tions phone 254-3430. WEBSTERS CORNERS HALL — Available for banquets, meetings, etc. For rates: Ozzie, 325-4171 or 685-5836. UKRAINIAN CANADIAN CUL- TURAL CENTRE — 805 East Pender St., Vancouver. Available for banquets, weddings, meetings. Ph. 254-3436. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 24, 1980—Page 11 oatiieacaranaaiin a