; “Freight hoist---or else’ threatens CPR chiettain —MONTREAL Despite gross earnings between January | and October 31, 1948, representing an increase of $27,294,371 over the same period of the previous year, CPR president W. A. Mather declared here that unless the CPR gets another 20 percent financial consequences to the com- pany and to Canada as a whole’ will result.” ® Stating that the demand for rail services to carry the expanding industrial output and to service Canada’s foreign trade commit- ments call for “financial stability of the highest order,’ Mather looks to the Canadian people to again foot the bill for “badly needed new equipment” through a further 20. percent boost in carrying charges. Speaking of the last 21 percent freight hoist granted in the sum- mer of 1948, Mather declared, “benefits to the company were wiped out by the granting of a wage increase of 17 cents an hour to all ‘CPR employers.’ This, he said, “has resulted in an annual addition to the CPR wage bill of $27,223,000.” Interviewed by the Pacific Tri- bune, local railroaders drew atten- tion to some significant points ommitted by their company’s president: (1) that while annual wage increases were won by unions in most of Canada’s basic indus- tries, no wage increases were increase in freight charges, “‘serious secured by railroad workers dur- ing the war years. (2) that the tonnage and pas- senger totals per mile per man has trebled during the last dec- ade, while operating staffs have materially decreased. (3) that the peak super-profits accumulated by the CPR during the war years were sufficient to cover improved road main- tenance and new rolltng stock. (4) that an additional 21 per- cent freight increase now would skyrocket living costs more than any other single factor in the national economy. CPR president Mather’s calam- ity message indicates a “new look” in monopoly technique, namely the pretense that wage increases “eat ‘+up” profits, thereby limiting capi- tal investments, and serves as a double-barrelled threat of either securing furthur freight increases, or making “drastic economies in all phases of operations.” Most railroaders who have given some study to the matter are agreed that this technique pays off hand- somely for the CPR . at the expense of the Canadian taxpayer. Prices board claims it still lacks bread facts Ottawa seems likely to prosecute the bakery combine, but the Wartime Prices and Trade Board hasn’t heard anything officially about such a combine and therefore feels it can’t cut bread prices yet. This much is evident from replies received by LPP provincial leader Nigel Morgan to his recent demand for prosecution of the bread profiteers (who were expos- ed in a recent commission report), and for slashing of bread prices by two percent. ; Justice Minister Stuart Garson _ wrote that prosecution, “is receiv- ing my immediate attention in view of the recommendation I have - now received from the three pro- _ vincial attorney-generals that the matter be dealt with by the Do- _ minion rather than by the prov- _inces.” (The LPP’s wire of December 24 to Attorney-General Wismer has not yet been answered.) , Replying to the demand for a — 2-cent bread price cut, Wartime Prices and Trades Board deputy chairman F. S. Grisdale wrote: “In accordance with accepted ‘procedure in our federal system _ this report (of the commission) _ has been referred to the attor- ney-generals of the provinces con- » cerned, and we are not conver- Sant with the details of it.” “Even if the WPTB isn’t aware of _ the profiteering,’ commented Mor- _gan on this letter, “the people of B.C. know that a 24-ounce wrap- ped 1 of bread has risen from 8 to 11 cents since September’ 1947. TILIA Greenwell rehired at Nanaimo colliery Donald “Dusty” Greenwell has his job back with Canadian Collieries (Dunsmuir) Ltd. at Nanaimo, The company attempt- ed to refuse him employment when he returned in November from touring Europe with the 1948 Beaver Brigade as a dele- gate of the Island Labor Council and the United Mine Workers. The union has a closed shop agreement and stood by Green- well who was first on the list. His reinstatement follows closely on that of Robin Denton, Inter- national Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers’ delegate from Kimberley. * “Woodwards and Safeway could produce and sell at from 5 to 7 cents a loaf in spite of pressure from the bakery combine and mill- ing interests. “There is! no reason 'why the WPTB, provincial and federal au- thorities should not act to cut prites at least 2 cents a loaf.” 8 p.m. Sunda | LENIN MEMORIAL MEETING “A BETTER WORLD'S IN BIRTH’ Speaker: MINERVA MILLER Musical Program - ODEON-HASTINGS THEATRE , da LPP pre-convention discusssion The goal of Socialist Canada not emphasized in resolution By DYSON CARTER ied —TORONTO Y own attitude, and many arguments I have heard make me agree with the Resolution’s warming ‘to fight ‘“Leftist’’ Sectarian ideas at this time. today’s historic tasks: win peace, strengthen democracy, save our independence. lution tends to “‘separate’’ these three tasks. (1) We have to understand, and now: show the people, that the war- mongers in Canada are able to do their foul work only because our democracy has been weakened. Parliament is not told how many foreign troops are on our soil. There is no debate on McNaughton and Pearson, on their howls for war, against disarmament. No de- bate on Canada’s atrocious stand in the United Nations, or on the “war committments,” or on the sale of our precious uranium to the Yankee atom-bomb makers. ‘ Our fight for peace today is our fight for democracy, our fight to get these urgent issues raised in public. Today, “leftist” talk about democracy being “just a sham” is dangerous nonsense. Mass_ public pressure can make our democracy | expose the secret war plotters, make it serve the fight for peace. Everywhere I speak, the audience expresses alarm at the way Parlia- ment is being sabotaged by the hidden makers of war policy. Broadest sections of the people can be roused to defend the real content of our democracy—above all the democratic right to save our lives! (I recommend reading Len- in’s “Marx-Engels-Marxism, Pp. 113-4, 165-7, 175). * (2) We also have to see: how Can- ada’s independence is being sold out because our democracy is weakened. Why was the Abbott Plan sprung on Parliament as a complete surprise? Why is Big Business so anxious to keep the real meaning of these deals a secret? Because a frank and open fight in Parliament in _ public, would help to expose the plot to turn Canada into a colony of the U.S. Because the plotters are des- perate to keep the workers, far- mers and smaller business men from waking up to this fact: we could produce for peaceful trade, Takes new post. LPP provincial executive has announced the appointment of Alf Dewhurst, who for two years has been LPP organizer on up- per Vancouver Island, as its in- dustrial director. In his new job, he is charged with “leading the efforts of left-wing workers to unite the men and women in B.C. industries for an aggressive wage fight, labor political action and peace.” The LPP is placing ‘particular emphasis on the win- ning of more communists as a guarantee.of success “both in the immediate fight to combat em- ' ployer attempts to take over la- bor from within, and as the lead- ers in building a socialist fu- ture.” Dewhurst’s keen grasp of Marxism, coupled with a long background of trade union strug- gle, is considered to fit him ad- mirably for the job. I suggest two ways to It took me much time to grasp the full meaning of But I think the Reso- overcome this. DYSON CARTER on a huge scale, with the U.S.S.R., New Democracies and China. Peo- ple can be roused to save Canadian independence by restoring our de- mocracy. e On one major point I am critical of the Resolution. I believe it falls to place before the Party and the working-class, in a firm and inspir- ing way, Canada’s goal of social- ism. I think this failure may be a sign of “right” opportunism. Here are my reasons: See : 1, In 1943 our Party said: “We subordinate our socialist program to the needs of the people’s war against a common enemy.” (Tri- bune, June-5, 1943.) In 1944 we said: “The war has brought into being the greatest class alliance in history.” (NAM October 1944). 3. In 1945, after the exposure of Browder’s revisionism, our Party abandoned such positions, and called upon every member to “strengthen and extend our pub- lications and all forms of our edu- cational propaganda for the prin- ciples of socialism . the next forward stage of society.” (Tri- bune, Sept. 8, 1945). 4. In 1945 Comrade Morris said: . the victory over the fascist Axis advanced the struggle for socialism immensely ... Our Party would make a great error if in the daily fight, we reduced our activity simply to the preparation of the immediate daily demands .. . we must, as the core of our -work, give socialist answers and socialist explanations ... Should we fail to do that or to link up socialism with all our policy points, we would be denying, or at least neg- lecting the basic characteristic of the LPP, the Party of Canadian Communists.” (Report to Toronto- Yofks Convention, Oct. 27, 1945). 5. In 1945, the Party said: “A deep understanding of the goal for “ » which we strive, a passionate con-: viction of the certainty of the tri- umph of socialism—this is the key to Comunist morale, and to strong, clear-headed leadership of strug- gles.” } 7 6. Now, what has changed since then? True, anti-socialism propa- ganda has grown to new abusive heights. But the forces of socialism have become immeasurably strong- er! Our present Resolution, how- ever, speaks timidly of “leading to socialism,” “eventual triumph of socialism,” “deciding to establish socialism,” The goal of socialism Seems vague and far-away, But my criticism is this: our goal of social- ism is not connected with the com- ing great struggle for peace, inde- pendence and democracy. 7. If anything, the Party in the PACIFIC TRIBUNE — United States faces more wide- spread anti-socialist propaganda than we do. And yet at the 1948 Con- vention of the CPUSA, Comrade Dennis raised socialism thus: “We are the party of socialism, and re- pudiate all notions of a ‘progres- sive capitalism’ . .. We work for the socialist re-organization of society, when the majority of the American working-class and peo- ple will be the ruling class, and end forever the exploitation of man by man, and crises, wars, reaction and fascism.’”. (Political Affairs, Sept. 1948). 8. What is more, in its 1948 elec- tion patform, given widest circula- tion among the people, the CPUSA spoke vigorously: “There is only one Marxist Party in America, one Party dedicated to replacing the capitalist system with socialism— and that is the Communist Party ... We Communists are dedicated to the proposition that the great American dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, will be: realized only under socialism . . only such a society can forever banish war, poverty and race hat- red ... Our firm conviction that only a socialist re-organization of society will bring permanent peace, security and prosperity is no bar- rier to cooperation with al] other progressive Americans.” 9. Here in Canada, our fight for peace will be weakened if we hesitate in the slightest to point out that the forces of socialism”’ are today stronger than the forces of imperialism; if we ourselves fall... - victims to anti-Soviet propaganda and do not see that the peace drive of the socialist world is rapidly gaining the respect of the peopla (see Zhdanov, N.A.M. January 1948); if we allow ourselves to be “black-mailed” by anti-Soviet lies into hushing up socialism. 10. Our fight to expose the war- mongering leaders of the CCF will be weakened if we limit it to ex- posing the social democrats as ene- mies of peace, and do not also ex- pose them before the working- class and all CCF supporters as the enemies of socialism in Canada. 11. Our fight for Canada’s in- dependence will be weakened if we do not point out to the people:— especially to honest CCF support- ers—that every honest CCF sup- | porters—that every blow for Can- adian independence is also a blow against the forces that want to destroy socialism. - 12. Our fight to build the Party will be weakend (as I believe it | has been weakened in the last two years) if we do not appeal to the finest elements in the working class, among the youth, women and intellectuals on the basis of social- ism as the next great historic stage forward for Canada (along the lines of the CPUSA statements quoted above). I realize that Marxism-Leninism can be “quoted” to justify a wrong position. But I believe one of Len- in’s warnings against the dangers of both “right” and “left” devia- tions is valid today for our Party: “He who forgets ... that we are obliged . .. to emphasize general democratic tasks before the whole people, without for a moment con- cealing our socialistic convictions” ...is not a Communist. “To belittle socialist ideology in any way, to deviate from it in the slightest de- gree, means strengthening bour- geois ideology.” (Lenin's emphasis. In “What Is To Be Done?’’) Coal Wood UNION FUELS FA. 7663 t Sawdust. | JANUARY 14, 1949 — PAGE 6 i 5 ee