PREDICTION FOR B.C.”

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1956

Liberals lose no time

The Liberal party in Vancouver is losing no time in seek-
ing to convince Hungarian refugees that as the government
party instrumental in bringing them to this country the Liberals

deserve their support.

This item, taken from the Vancouver Sun of December

10, is reprinted in its entirety:

“Hungarian refugees in’ Vancouver have been invited to
attend a meeting of the West Point Grey Liberal Association,
in the golf course clubhouse at 8 p.m, today. Dr. John Kovacs
will speak on ‘Refugees from Hungary.’ ”

Kadar explains why
Hungary refuses UN

BUDAPEST

Hungary refuses to admit
United Nations observers be-
cause “the events in Hungary
are our own internal affair and
we uphold our sovereignty.”
This is what Premier Janos
Kadar told newsmen in an
interview here.

There were also other con-
siderations his government
could not ignore, Kadar add-
ed. Counter-revolutionary
forces were now desperately
striving to prolong the conflict,
heedless of the bloodshed and
misery caused, clinging to the
hope of foreign intervention.

To many, he said, foreign
intervention meant UN inter-
vention and some in fact iden-
tified UN troops with U.S.
troops. The actual presence
of UN representatives would
be seized upon by counter-
revolutionaries to bolster the
rumors they were spreading
that foreign intervention was
coming.

“Why are UN observers call-
ed for when there were 600
foreign newsmen in Hungary
who saw everything?” Kadar
asked, “But they left when
armed resistance was crush-
ed.”

Kadar reported that’ UN
Secretary General Dag Ham-
marskjold had been given full
information on the situation,
including documents and eye-
witness reports.

Outlining his government’s

immediate policy, Kadar said
it was “to consolidate all pop-

ular forces so that we can go
forward.”

All kinds of political and ec-
onomic demands were being
advanced, he observed. Some
were being advanced by coun-
ter-revolutionary forces with
the intention of using any con-
cessions made to put forward
demands for still greater con-
cessions. Other demands, par-
ticularly those being advanc-
ed by some intellectuals, were
far-fetched and unrealistic in
the circumstances.

“Then there are the working
people’s demands, demands
that are quite legitimate, but
they cannot be met at the pres-
ent moment,” he said.

“It is simple enough to vote
for one or another economic
demand, but there must be
some foundation upon which
it can be implemented.

“So far, we are still produc-
ing very little. How then, can
we meet the demand for high-
er wages?

“We could, of course, set the
presses going at full speed and
print money. But this money
has to be backed by commodi-
ties.

“That’s why, until normal
life is resumed, these demands
cannot be satisfied.”

Concluding his interview,

Kadar commented:

“International reaction is
spreading all kinds of cock-
and-bull stories about the gov-
ernment I head, But no one
has Said, nor can they say, that
we are a government of bank-
ers and landlords.”

Jobless may
reach 35,000

During the next few months unemployment in this province will show a sharp

increase.

This view was expressed over a month ago by William McKinstry, region
al director of the Unemployment Insurance, Commission, when he stated that applica’

tions for UIC benefits would ‘‘climb rapidly’ during the coming months.

Provincial Labor minister Lyle Wicks expressed the same fears when he stated

this week that the Board of
Industrial Relations will cut
down on the issue of overtime
work permits in order to
“spread the work around.”

Wicks said the board has ask- .

ed employers to “cooperate.”

In the lumber industry, al-
ready in the doldrums, almost
all logging camps on Vancou-
ver Island, the Coast and In-
terior areas have been closed,
a good three weeks ahead of
the annual Christmas shut-
down.

Last week a big logging op-
eration on the west coast of
Vancouver Island called in its
crew and told them that the
camp was closing down for at
least three months and per-
haps longer. In order to make
this “seasonal” layoff more of-
ficial, the company deducted
three months’ MSA premiums,

The company also advised
the men to register immediate-
ly with UIC because in the
next several months “jobs are
“going to be scarce in the lum-
ber industry.”

This early shutdown of the
majority of logging camps will
add some 15,000 loggers to the
jobless lists.

There is a tremendous cut
of logs in the boom and on
cold decks, and it is the opin-
ion of many loggers that be-
cause of the declining market
in lumber, many sawmills will
probably be faced with lay-
offs and shutdowns.

Aggravating the unemploy-
ment situation will be hund-
reds of Hungarian refugees
now being brought into the
province by the federal gov-
ernment,

While expressing its sym-
pathies with the plight of these
Hungarian immigrants, organ-
ized labor is beginning to voice

Labor wins in
Barbados vote

BARBADOS, BWI
The Labor government of
Prime Minister Grantley
Adams was returned to power
in the general election held
on Friday last week with 15
of the 24 seats in the general
assembly.
The Democratic Labor party,
a breakaway from the Labor
party, replaced the Conserva-
tives as the official opposition
by taking four seats to the
Conservatives’ three.

How many will be jobless this winter?

its strong disapproval of a
federal immigration policy de-
signed to flood the labor mar-
ket, and at the present time,
beyond the ability of industry
to absorb the newcomers.

It is also becoming clear
from the attitude of many of
these Hungarian “freedom
fighters,” that the St. Laurent
government has not only given
them “preferential” treatment
in transportation and mainten-
ance, but has apparently as-
sured them that they will have
“preference” over Canadian
workers in securing employ-
ment.

Native Indians on Vancou-
ver Island are already com-
plaining that their jobs are
being taken by Hungarian im-
migrants.

Some trade union leaders
who up until now have been
swept along with the federal
government’s cold war “hu-
manitarianism,” are now be-
coming alarmed at this influx
of Hungarian refugees which
threatens the jobs and ‘the
economic standards of Cana-
dian labor.

While the federal govern-
ment releases no national fig-
ures on mounting unemploy-
ment, industrial centres like
Toronto already report over
18,000 workers unemployed. It
is highly likely that by mid-
January there will be not less
than 35,000 unemployed in B.C.

In the United States the de-
partment of commerce and
labor reports that unemploy-
ment indices rose during Oc-
tober and November by 550,-

DECEMBER 14, 1956 —

000, with the total now stand-
ing at 2,463,000, :
Meanwhile, Immigration
Minister J. W. Pickersgill, noW
over in Europe directing t
movement of Hungarian Té Us
gees to Canada, said in a pre
statement this week that “Cal
ada may admit 25,000 Hungat
ian refugees,” a total of 10; 00
by January and another 15;
by the.end of March.
Pickersgill claimed that we
crisis is so great in Austt!™
“that the sooner we get every,
one out. of there the better,
implying that no limit shou
be set on Canada’s “effort. ;
Regardless of the affect, f
a reckless immigration pol
to the jobs of Canadians, ee
ersgil wants to show ‘a
... that the problem of att
garian refugees is not t00 {0
for the Western worl it
handle,” even if a like ee
ber of Canadian workers
their jobs in the process.

U.S. quits big
Greenland base

COPENHAGE
Danish authorities ann? pas
ed last week that the U- “ua
almost completed its e¥V4 ase
tion of the big air force uth
at Nassarssuaq on the 5°
ern tip of Greenland. , will
Danish air force units. (9s
take over from the Amet es"
and convert it into am at
cue base. oy 707
The U.S. however, WY sne
tain two other bases © yal
island, as part of its
strategy ringing the %°
countries. 6
GE}

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — P4

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