Huge April 15 march {4808 RouNDup:

Union parley considers
plan for peace action

and rally for city

There will be a giant march and protest rally in Vancouver on
Saturday, April 15 to demand an end to the war in Vietnam, The
huge demonstration will be part of the International Day of Protest
being organized throughout the United States and around the world,

It is sponsored by the Peace Action League which organized
last year’s highly-successful march and rally which attracted
thousands of people, :

Organizations taking part are: Voice of Women, Fellowship
of Reconciliation, Society of Friends (Quakers), Canadian Campaign
for Nuclear Disarmament, Women’s International League for Peace
& Freedom, B.C, Peace Council, Ad Hoc Committee of Youth for
Peace in Vietnam.

Reports from the U.S, indicate that April 15 will see some of the
largest peace demonstrations ever held against President Johnson’s
escalation of the war in Vietnam. Huge rallies are planned in New
York and San Francisco which are expected to highlight the mounting
opposition to the war in the U.S,

Around the world big demonstrations are expected in many cities
to express solidarity with the anti-war movement in the U.S, and to
demonstrate against U.S, policy in Vietnam.

A leaflet circulated by the Peace Action League in Vancouver
calls on all peace-loving people everywhere to take part in the Van-
couver protest to: “Stop the bombing! Stop the Murder of Children!
Stop the Shipment of War Materials to the U.S.!”

Action on April 15 will include a protest march to the Court
House, Participants will assemble at the south end of the Granville
Street Bridge at noon, Addresses by well-known speakers will begin
at 2 p.m, in front of the Court House,

For further information contact: Mrs, J, Black, 6026 Carnarvon
St,, Vancouver 13, phone 263-9363,

VOW launches mass

petition to Pearson

The Vancouver Branch of the Voice of Women has launched a
major “Peace in Vietnam” petition in the form of an Open Letter to
Prime Minister Pearson, The VOW has appealed for public support
for the petition and for organizations to co-sponsor the appeal,

The petition reads: “One million children have been killed or
wounded or burned in the war in Vietnam,” (Dr, Benjamin Spock.)
Mr. Prime Minister, we share the responsibility for the suffering of
these children.

“We want Canada to take every possible step towards ending the
war, Canada’s greatest Centennial contribution should be support or
U Thant’s three-point program to bring peace to Vietnam by:

(1) Halting the bombing of North Vietnam; (2) Scaling
down the military action in South Vietnam to achieve a cease-
fire; (3) Opening peace talks among those doing the actual
fighting, including the National Liberation Front of South Viet-
nam, °

Copies of the petition are available by writing the: Vancouver
Branch, V.O.W,, Box 5046, Postal Station E, Vancouver 13, B.C.°

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IMPORTERS OF SOVIET-MADE MERCHANDISE

By LES McDONALD
Trade unionists who attended
the seminar on Vietnam last Sun-
day at the Fishermen’s Hall were

the recipients, and at the same -

time subjects, of arelentless and
logical dissertation by Sydney
Lens on the horrors of the Viet-
nam war, and the moral and im-
mediate urgency for trade union-
ists to help end it,

In a remarkable speech in
which historical dates, names
and place names fell forth with
lucid simplicity, revealing an
intense thoroughness and depth
,of understanding,
point and counterpoint, to leave
finally in the minds of those
present, that labor in North Am-

Lens posed ”

erica is being left behind at the -

post,:not only in its sad position

vis-a-vis the war in Vietnam, but

its whole world outlook,

Lens, from the Service Em-
ployees’ Association and Chicago
Labor Council, achieved cer-
tain notoriety in the labor move-
ment some two years ago when he
published his now famous docu-
mented expose of the influence
of the CIA in the AFL-CIO; an
expose which has been in recent
weeks verified a dozen times,

The notorious Kaplan Fund,
secret conduit of CIA fundsto the
AFL-CIO Meany-Lovestone alli-
ance, and estimated for one year
at $110 million, The same chan-
nel used to help oust Cheddi
Jagan in. Guyana and Coulart
in Brazil, through the Interna-
tional Confederation of Free
Trade Unions (ICFTU),

The classic Chicago nasal
accent of Lens described ironi-

~ cally the big struggle which takes

place weekly in the AFL-CIO
Building in Washington; to decide
who is going to play golf with the
“honest” plumber George Meany
on Friday, at a time when any
kind of strike action, even a
dispute in a factory that produces
bobby pins, brings action and in-
tervention by the government in
the interests of the “national
effort.” The only action Meany
is considering at present, with-
out any discussion with his con-
freres in the AFL-CIO Council,
is a “No Strike Pledge for the
National Effort”, . .in Vietnam!

Lens’ observations onthe Reu-
ther split coincided with those of
Jack Moore in the Lumber Work-
‘er, the possibility ofa union mer-
ger with Jimmy Hoffa and the
Teamsters, and also acting asa

~ clude’ that

bridge with the progressives in
the labor movement, much along
the lines of John L, Lewis of the
30s.

The U.S, said Lens, is spend-
ing $2-billion per month on de-
fence, or $35,000 per minute for a
dream it can’t hope to attain, and
an insane dream at that. The
dream of “containing” National
Liberation movements, He
traced with some deftness the
period since the American na-
tional liberation movement of
1776, to the one in Vietnam today,
and warned that in the womb of
History there are another dozen
Vietnams on the way,

VLC BACKS
PEACE ACTION

At this week’s session of the
‘Vancouver and District Labor
Council (VLC) on a motion
introduced by delegate Tom
Clarke (WA), VLC delegates
approved the setting up of a
trade union committee to
work for peace in Vietnam, and
to give full support to the
April 15 demonstration.

Clarke emphasized that “it
is time for labor to do some-
thing more than pass resolu-
tions — time to take organized
action.”

Len quoted numerous sources
which attended to the widespread
support of the NLF in South Viet-
nam and Ho Chi Minhin the North,
Even Senator Russell, the hawk
of hawks from Georgia, after a
mission to Vietnam had to con-
85-percent of the
people supported the NLF,

In a world where 110-million
Latin Americans have never had
a clean glass of water, and 260-
million people in India live on
ten cents a day, and where in the
U.S.A, the bland leads the bland,
we are living in an era where our
children will live in a society
as different from ours as the
present is with that of 500 years
ago, said Lens,

Undoubtedly the main impact
of Lens’ address was the urgency
of time, for trade unionists, The

urgency to become involved and .

concerned about what is happen-
ing in Vietnam — before the es-
calation which ends with the rain-
ing of the 50-megaton bombs,

Hydro rate boost looms

As the PT was going to press it was disclosed that top officials

of B.C, Hydro will meet April 1 to consider an increase in present ;

hydro rates which are already the highest in Canada — a situation
which has not changed since the B.C, Electric takeover,

Also contributing to Hf
inar was Frank Snows®
the NDP Provincial Co# #
He came out strongly f
immediate end to the bom
Vietnam and a halt to
ment of strategic war
Canada to the U.S,

He found it rather Lae
that the national news mets
certain influential Ca”)
could become so strident] |)
horred” at the mass SV 9
baby seals in the GU 4g
Lawrence for their Ski
is a fine sentiment, Dit
be so mute about the chi
Vietnam who are beilé ©
alive in their skins ever!

He also questioned the? ff
silence, with the exce?
Rabbi Feinberg, of tH?
people and organization 4
ticularly after what hapP

Europe during the last war

Under the chair mansiilae |
Clarke of the IWA, 100 at
and some 20 pounds ight! coft!
four months in the ei
and sporting Centenl 4
sideburns, the meetié wal
ered plans for action 1 yo!
the labor movement fit j
road to peace actiol im
labor movement noW et
where the Student ™
stood in the U.S, six Ye tt
Lens had stated, “and #
and willing to move.”

An agreement was ast
by the assembly that ye
ing committee respons! (0
calling the Lens meetiler ig)
posed of Tom Clarke, BO?
Frank Snowsell and
vene a meeting of all ety
ionists interested in wor
peace, and that such * 45 ie
be held before the AP! | gf
nam demonstration 10° | 4
pose of electing a T!* 9p
Peace Committee —
labor movement in the
of the peace movement, ‘
should have been all alone

Y
COMMUNIST PAR!
WEEKLY RAD! “
COMMENTAR

The PT recently disclosed, in a front page story, that a rate
increase was imminent because the government was anxious to pass
on its huge deficit, arising from the sellout of the Columbia, to
consumers, This warning is now being proven correct, The public
will be expected to foot the bill to build the storage dams to hold ‘
water for U.S, use.

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See our selection of POLISH FISH,
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Nigel Morgan, B.C. Communist leader will discuss this issue . ‘ GAN
and what can be done to stop the increase on his radio program by NIGEL MOR ge
Sunday night. pot |

Open: Monday to Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

March 23, 1967—PACIFIC TRIBUN