Saanich points the lesson

by B. Mickleburgh

Saanich byelection was a

first test of the Labor-Pro-

gressive Party’s policy of working

for election of CCF governments

in Canada. The result, I believe,

points emphatically to the need
and correctness of this policy.

My withdrawal as LPP candi:
date and the LPP’s independent
campaign in support of Colin
Cameron, CCF candidate, had
big repercussions. Fearing the
possible effects of CCF-LPP unity
at the polls, the Coalition tried
every means to involve the CCF
and LPP in a donnybrook of
mutual recriminations. The es-
sence of: the lie-pattern of their
speakers was that the Soviet
Union controls the LPP and the
LPP supports the CCF. There-
fore a CCF victory would herald
“foreign” and totalitarian” con-
trol of this province.

Cameron damaged his own
campaign by rising to the Coali-
tion’s bait. He:

@ quoted U.S. state depart-
ment documents in an effort to
establish the CCF as a more
reliable bulwark against “com-
munism” than the Coalition.

@ denounced LPP support as
a “conspiracy” to defeat him.

@ tried to block the LPP
from using advertisements and
broadcasts to tell people to vote
for him.

All this helped to divert the
campaign away from the real
issues. It scared waverers Cam-
_ eron could. have held through
concentrating attention on the
failures of the Coalition govern-
ment whose candidate he was try-
ing to beat.
~ But most progressive Saanich
people, including many CCF’ers,
grasped the LPP position clearly.
A good sign of its correctness
was the welcome it received in
homes visited by LPP canvas-
sers, in meetings, on the job, in
union halls and in response to
broadcasts.

The fact stands out that every
one of the 633 new votes polled
for the CCF in Saanich is evid-
ence of the reception a policy
of electoral unity will receive
from the progressive working
people of this province who want
a change of government.

I believe these lessons » from
Saanich should be taken account
of by the forthcoming LPP pro-
vincial convention:

1. The Coalition will use red-
_ baiting throughout the provines
to screen its scuttling of democ-
racy and living standards. Hence,
the CCF, LPP, unions and all
democratic forces must learn
how to combat such tactics. (It
should be noted that in the con-
text of the red-baiting campaign
in Saanich, A, J. Jukes, Social
Credit candidate, was able to poll
_ > percent of the vote with his
_ fascist-type demagogic harangues.

2. Resolutions and press re-
jeases of local unions against the

Coalition and for a CCF victory

were welcome developments but

in’ themselves proved insufficient
to turn out the labor vote. If
labor is to get rid of the Coali-

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if labor is to get rid of the Johnson-Anscomb Coalition and Bill 39 it
‘will have to put teeth into its political action—by learning how to deliver its
and families solidly at the polls.

members

tion and Bill 39 it will have to
put teeth into its political action
by learning how to deliver its
members and their families solid-
ly at the polls.

3. The powerful Coalition
machine displayed in Saanich
warns all progressive forces that
to give practical electoral effect
to the anti-government fight an
army of thousands of volunteer
election workers has to be organ-
ized to deliver a winning vote.

4. A stern political fight is
needed to prevent provocations
Such as those offered by Colin
Cameron—and he 1s not alone—
from impeding attainment of a
fighting left-wing unity in action
which can attract the strength
to win elections and so give sub-
stance to the slogan “Elect a
CCF Government.”

by Harvey Murphy

‘THE two provincial byelec-

tions are now over. Any seri-
ous estimation of the results will
show that there is every possi-
dility of defeating the present Co-
alitien government in British Co-
lumbia and ‘electing a CCF gov-
ernment,

The main consideration is that
in going to the country at this
time, the Coalition government
would be faced with more than
just byelections involving two
constituencies, The question
would be that of government, not
that of strengthening the oppusi-
tion by an additional two mem-
bers. Secondly, all government
policies would come under review,
not just questions affecting the
local situation. é

Local patronage seekers know

Unity needed now

Editor, Pacific Tribune:

If the workers of Canada are
going to improve their standards
of living and working conditions,
and beat the anti-trade union bills
directed against them, there must
be some electoral unity between
the CCF and-the LPP.

In the last elections I voted for
the CCF because they were the
nearest party through which to
beat the Coalition Government
But it is a bitter disappointment
to workers to read in the daily
press that some CCF members of
Parliament are trying to outshine
Humphrey Mitchell as to who is
the better fighter against Com-
munism!

The workers ‘have nothing to
fear from Communism, but they
do have a lot to fear from the in-

f differnce and policies of the King

Goverment and the Coalition at
Victoria. Already there is a
growing unemployment.
this winter in Vancouver the un-
émployd have been receiving one
bed-ticket and one 25-cent meal
rer day from the Salvation Army
the
public, ‘

A famous queen is reported to
have told hungry people if they
couldn’t eat breast, “let them eat
cake.” The CCF leaders have as
good as told the people that they
cannot give us bread, because of

During”

that where a government has
such an overwhelming member-
ship in the House, the outcome
of a byelection does not affect the
question of government. The
Press hails the results as showing
that the people are for the Coali-
tion. These two constituencies
could not decide that. The gov-
ernment made glittering promises
to the people, appealing to them
to send representatives to the
forthcoming session of the legisla-

HARVEY MURPHY

ture who would sit on the govern-
ment’s side. But despite all these
factors, the vote of the CCF Op-
position was increased.

Main issues were not discussed
in these byelections, and the issue
of government was not involved.
The newspapers, rado, and gov-
ernment spokesmen were fiot able
to speak of any concrete improve-

fundamental difference between
themselves and the LPP.

I would suggest to the lead.
ers that there are not differ-
ences at the moment so big that
they cannot be bypassed in the
greater interest of unity.. We
were glad of the help of the
Communists to win the war.
We need it more than ever now
to win the peace.

Yours for unity,
—GEORGE HIRD.

Wants higher quota

Editor, Pacific Tribune:

Looking over a recent copy of
the Pacific Tribune I was sur
prised to see Prince George al-
lotted only $30.00 in the press
financial campaign. I believe
Prince George should deserve bet-
ter consideration. I cannot sed
why this area should not have a
quota of at least $1,000.

I would suggest that at the
coming provincial convention of
the LPP a good strong committee
be set up to concentrate on this
district. According to the local
press it is becoming a very im-
portant lumbering centre, and I
notice many of the camps and
mills are badly in need of or-
ganization. I believe the Pacific
Tribune can be a lot of help in
this regard, and hope the im-
portance of this area will be
recognized.

Sincerely yours,
—O. ANTONIUK.

ments in social legislation intro-
duced by the government, and
could: not speak about its misery
able failure to live up to the prom-
ises made in 1945 for good labor
legislation and the best social leg-
islation, nor could they talk about
the government’s capitulation ‘to
the BC Electric and to the em-
ployers’ association’s. These
things were not made issues in
the byelections.

“The govrnment and its press
went on a most vicious red_bait-
ing campaign making the issue
“free enterprise vs. communist
dictatorship.” It is important to
note that some CCF members,
and some of their leaders who
certainly should know better, fell
for this line of the Vancouver
Sun, the Vancouver Province and
Finance Minister Herbert An-
scomb, who liked nothing better
than to skip the issues of the day,
the reforms that British Columbia
needs, and concentrate on the
bogey of Communism in B.C.

It can be poor consolation to
reaction in British Columbia,
that though they were able to
hold their own, the CCF increas-
ed its vote in each case. This
election also~ knocked sky-high
the idea that labor unity, and
the LPP support for the CCF
would have anything else but a
decisive effect in bringing about
the election of a CCF govern-
ment. The vote of the workers
in the mining town of Wells
which gave a substantial major-
ity to a Coalitionist in the last
proivncial election, in this by-
election, as a result of labor
unity and the direct hand taken
by the miners’ union in the elec-
tion, this time gave the CCF
candidate a majority. This

Surrey on the job
Editor, Pacific Tribune:

We have our ‘roll-back-prices’
campaign under way here and

‘would like a few more petitions,

We are going to have a prize
for the individual who gets the
most names on the petition, and
will have them all by our next
meeting on March 2nd, 1948.
The method, or the best plan

of approach is being left to the

individual in his area. I think a
‘house to house canvass is most
effective out here. We are using
the Tribune bundle to help with
the canvass and also the press
drive. So we hope we can have
good results,

I don’t think that a mass meet-
ting is advisable, and the others
at the meeting last night were
of the same opinion. You see

the roads are very bad with all

the wet frost too, and if the in-
dividual puts that effort into get-
ting names on the petitions, it
will be well worth while. We
have to tramp the roads as it is
to reach the most of the people.

So I hope you will send us a
few more petition blanks.

GLADYS FERGUSON,
Surrey.

proves that the advice the CCF
leaders have been taking from
the editorial pages and the radio
broadcasts and the Vancouver
conservative papers is nothing
for them to base themselves
upon.

®

OME people are afraid the
election of a CCF government
will strengthen social democracy.
The fact remains that a CCF gov-
ernment, elected at this time, can
strengthen the whole working
class and the progressive move-
ment, and can inflict upon the
employers’ organizations, the
Canadian Manufacturers’ Asso-
ciation, and the King government
a tremendous defeat that would

also affect the national picture,
The Abbott austerity plan, from
which the provincial government
tries to stay clear, is nevertheless
an issue in British Columbia.
When the canneries on the west
coast must shut down because,
under Canadian-American ar-
rangéments, the salmon must go

‘to the United States for process_

ing, it creates unemployment in
Vancouver.

The Abbott plan spells ruina-
tion for farmers in the Okanagan
and the berry growers whose
markets have been thrown away.
The apple crop must be cut down.
People who have gone on “the
land, paying exorbitant prices for
it, are left holding the bag. The
big land interests have made
their killing and now the farm-
ers’ markets are being thrown
away by the government.

In the logging industry, logs are
sent across the line for processing
while unemployment grows in the
shingle mills here. The great ship-
building and aircraft industries,
and those secondary industries
which serve the basic industries
of logging, mining and fishing,
are already feeling the crisis so
that today there are about 20 men
looking for each job. The govern-
ment cannot talk now about the
development of B.C.’s industries,
outside of the metal and logging
industries which still find a mar
ket in the United States for fabri-
cation. The government is now
concentrating on the tourists.

“Boss” Johnson started off his
reign as premier of the province

_by a trip to Ottawa where he met

the federal cabinet to ask wheth-
er Ottawa could do something to
cover the bankruptcy of the B.C.
Coalition government. He was
hard pressed and no doubt plead-
ed hard with Abbott, King and
Howe, but on ‘his return he still
had to face the electorate and all
he could say was that he has been
led to believe that Ottawa will do
something. :

Johnson, as a big shot, high in
the federal Liberal Party, should
know that Ottawa is not now in
the mood to talk social legislation.
Ottawa is talking only “austerity
programs” and listening to the
master’s voice from Washington.

In face of such a situation there
can be no other proposal than
that the government itself be
thrown out, for we can definitely
say we can establish sufficient
working agreement here among
the rank and file voters, the great
mass of independent voters in the
next election who will vote CCF
but are no more CCF than I am,
but who want to defeat this gov_

ernment and will utilize this wea-

pon to do so.

The imperative need today to
defeat the present Coalition gov-
ernment will cause a speed-up in
new political realizations, British
Columbia can elect a CCF gov-
ernment and effective labor repre-
sentation.

DR. W. J. CURRIE
49 W. Hastings

INVITES ALL HIS FRIENDS.
TO DROP IN AND SEE HIM

~

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 10