War ciopanedde a crime , Here members of the Czechoslovak National ANS Similar laws defining dissemination 0 tection of peace. by Bulgaria, Hungary and the German De embly are shown mocratis Republic. f war propaganda as a crime have been passed END ‘BABY FARMS’ IN CITY. ‘Unnatura . as they approved a law for pro- Labor must back growers’ demand for compensation of 1949-50 winter The real fruits of government policies oriente Columbia’s farmers today., ont edit leadership chose to push the policies of cold war, | with U.S. policies in order to maintain large section of British Support of Tory, CCF and Social Cr it was asserted that we would have to go along our economy and living standards, But today, with American poli- cies fanning the flames of a cold war grown hot into a general conflagration, ‘Canadian farmers find themselves hard hit by lost markets and higher prices which add up to lowered standards. Moreover, the “guns before but- ter” policy is further expressed in denial of urgently needed ‘fin- ancial assistance to B.C. fruit Erowers. The severe cold last winter con- fronted Interior tree-fruit growers with their worst crisis in half a century. It was not as spectacu- lar as the Fraser River flood, but it was several times as costly. Every section of the tree fruit area, extending from Kamloops, Salmon Valley, the Kootenay Val- ley to Creston suffered grave dam- age as a result of the killing cold. Last June the provincial depart- ment of agriculture reported: “The apple crop in the Okan- -agan will be down 26 percent. . .. The peach crop has been practicaily wiped out with a WwooD SAWDUST FA, 7663 ED FA. 0242 UNION FUELS LTD. ; SITET ICC CUO LL lL ete JO-ANNE’S ELECTRO CAFE Open 6.30 to 6.00 p.m. Weekdays Union House F 111 Dunsmuir APC eh MT TH Te MT tt a HEL, = EAST END = = UNION DRIVERS E = HAstings = 0334 FULLY 24-HOUR = (INSURED SERVICE = HASTINGS ST. ail HT By NIGEL MORGAN KELOWNA, B.C. | =| i PU ee ‘duction—in the case of stone fruits ae of baby Bailey’s nanatiiaih Endicott will speak af fea organized by Congress of Women Dr. James G. Endicott, chair- man’ of the Canadian Peace Congress, will speak informally at a tea organized by the Cong- ress of Canadian Women this coming Tuesday,: January 30, 2 p.m., at Pender Auditorium can- teen. Dr. Endicott’s subject will be the role of women in the world peace movement. Mrs. Doris Hartley, vice-president of the B.C. Council, will introduce the speaker, and outline the Congress future plans. 4 PC) TC . drop of 96.15 percent. . . . in apricots, it is the same, with the estimate down 96 percent ... cherries are almost as hard hit, with a 78 percent decline. . plums are down 63 percent pears, too, have taken a beating, with the estimate down 48 percent . .. the grain har- vest will be cut 44 percent.” A total of 336,610 trees were re- ported killed outright. Last year’s winter-kill and frost damage has brought acute hard- ship to many of the Valley’s pro- ducers. At least 25 percent of the growers are in dire need of assist- ance. Without rehabilitation assistance the effects of the crisis will be felt for years. For it is not just the question of immediate crop losses in 1950 and clearing and replacing dead _ trees which in many cases represent as much as a quarter of stock, and in some localities more. Even after re- planting, years of cultivation, care and irrigation are needed before the young trees will be in pro- UNION HOUSE ZENITH CAFE 105 E. Hastings Street VANCOUVER, B.C. Zz : STANTON Barristers, Solicitors, Notavies SUITE 515, FORD BUILDING, 193 E. HASTINGS ST. (Corner Main & Hastings Sts.) MArine 5746 & MUNRO jand MP. 5-7 years and in the case of ap- ples from 7 to 10 years. And! over this period taxes go on and| mortgage payments have to be met. What are the farmers’ demands to meet the crisis in the fruit belt? They are: 1—Immediate aid in’ remov- | ing trees killed by frost and preparing land for replanting on the following basis; Under 2 inches in diameter, nil; 2 to 5 inches, $2; 5 to 7 inches, $4; 7 to 12 inches, $5 to $6; and over 12 inches, $6 to $8. 2—Prompt action to assist in rehabilitation on the basis of $2 a tree replanted or $100 an acre if land is planted in some other crop. 8—Immediate provision of long term loans at a low rate of in- terest, 3 percent with first pay- ment of interest and loan de- ferred until 1956. 4—Prompt financial aid to growers who have lost all or nearly all their trees and are thus devrived of a_ livelihood. Early and understanding con- sideration must be given special cases, The future of this industry is a vital question not only for the growers, but for the entire popu- lation—the workers in packing, transportation and allied indus- tries, the office workers, the busi- ness people, the doctor, the but- cher, the baker. In fact there are very few living\in this vast, rich and beautiful valley who are not vitally. affected. An estimated 50,000 British Col- umbians are more or less depen- dent on this industry, the annual production of which is valued be- tween $25 and $30 million. In such a grave ,crisis speedy and generous aid should have been forthcoming. It is a_ shocking, commentary on the callous dis-|name of the hospital where she’ By Why is Dr. Stewart Murray, ct medical health officer, trying to whitewash the Catholic Children’s Aid Society and the operator of the unlicensed foster home whore a two-year-old child died on New Year's Day from head injuries? Why was the story of the “un- natural” Bailey given no publicity in the daily press for 10 days after the “accident” happened? Is it true that up to the time of the inquest the police records said that the baby died of pneu- monia? Why hes no action been taken against Mrs. Marie Rees, operator of the unlicensed foster home, as} a result of the evidence uncover- ed at the inquest? ; These are questions shocked Vancouver citizens are asking, following the sordid story reveal- ed at the coroner’s inquiry. Briefly, here is the story. Mrs. Marie Rees ' operated a “baby farm,” or foster home, for profit, at 4430 Commercial. For every child she received from the d on war are being acutely felt by a|Catholic Children’s Aid Society, | When the government, with the full|she collected $35 a month, plus’ federal family allowance. Mrs. Rees admitted that she sometimes punished the children in the home, Evidence showed that aH the children—six at the death—slept in a room eight by twelve feet. i : Joseph Gziursky,: 4420 Commer- lcial, testified at the inquest that jhe once saw Mrs. Rees beating a young boy about four years of with a. stick. “It wasn’t a \little stick, it was a good stick. She hit the kid at least 10 or 15 jage times, and he covered up and clutched his head.” . Constable H. Gotobed visited the “home” on September 9, 1950, on the complaint of a neighbor. “Tt-was not avery fit place for ‘}bringing up young children,” he observed. Despite its unsavory reputa- tion. neither police nor welfare officials avain checked the place until after the baby’s death. The Catholic Children’s Aid So- ciety continued to send children to Mrs.. Rees, and on December 8 placed tiwvo-year-old Alphonse James Bailey in the “home.” Mrs. Rees said she the child suffered the head injurv which caused his death in a fall from a chair 14 inches high. “On the night of the fall,” she said, “the boy seemed to lose conscious- ness for.a time.” She put him to bed and at 12.10 a.m. January 1 she discovered him to be “blue all over.” He was dead on ar- rival at hospital. a Answering Mrs. Rees’ ‘testimony that the boy had been “breathing normally” at 20 minutes to 12, Dr.. Whitbread retorted sharply: “Your: powers of observation must he very poor, Your statement is very hard to believe. The boy would not be breathing normally one hour. before his death.” Mrs. Rees denied there. had been a party in her home that night. She insisted that she had nursing training, although - she had not completed it. She stub- borniy, refused to disclose the regard of the people’s needs ed ry supposed to have trained. both provincial and federal gov- ernments that not a single penny has yet been laid on the line—j{ despite months of negotiations. | The Labor-Progressive party supports wholeheartedly the ex- tremely modest, and practical pro- posals which the B.C. Fruit Grow- ers Association has placed before the government. : The people of British Columbia must support the fruit growers. Demands for immediate action must be placed before every MLA There has been enough tongue-in-the-cheek talk by govy- ernment spokesmen. What is needed now is action! “Are you ashamed of what hap- pened?” asked the coroner. “No,” replied Mrs. Rees. way. -I. don’t’ think it has bearing in this case.” Coroner’s assistant Dr. Thomas Harmon and assistant city medi- cal health officer told the jury they did not believe a fall was enough to cause death. The jury determined the child’s death was “unnatural,” and add- ed: : “We find that the foster home was not insvected by the citv medical . health officer or city fire marshal uatil after Januarv 1, 1951, and was not licensed.” child rouses public BERT WHYTE i death of baby Alphonse | “helieved” |. “Anv- | any. I’ death of After the inquest, things hap- jpened fast. Fire Warden Atkins | visited the Rees place, condemn- ed it as a “fire trap” and stated that it would have been impos- | sibie to save the children if fire |had*broken ecut. He ordered the | children removed from the “home” | at. once. Dr. Murray health officer ad- |mittéd, that the foster “home”. is 'enly one of an “unknown num- | ber” operating here without city | licenses... He held-an “in camera” |session with child welfare agen- heies at city hall, and later told ithe press that “between 6,000 and / 10,000 children a year are super- i vised or placed by various agen- |cies in foster homes.” Prosecutor William Masterson jindicated that no criminal charge ;} would be laid in connection with | the case. ‘ | Well, what next? Is the whole. | scandalous affair to be allowed | to blow over? Must more child- | ren die before the city starts a | Clean-up campaign? The public not an official 1 wants action, 7 whitewash. } | } Labor Council returns Baskin as president Pen Baskin (United Steelwork- ers) was re-elected president of Greater- Vancouver and Lower Mainland Labor Council on Tues- day this week, defeating William (Marine Workers) 92 to ? | | | | | Stewart | 24. George Mitchell (IWA) was re- elected vice-president by a mar- gin of 62 votes over Fred Jack- son (Longshoremen). Also elected were Dick Henham as chairman of the legislative committee and Hugh Allison as chairman of the organizing committee. A lively discussion developed jamong the 115 delegates on a ;motion raised by William White (Marine Workers) who asked that the council “go on record as strongly protesting the new policy of the B/C. government of collect- ing drivers’ license fees five years in advance.” ~ ~ Many delegates spoke in sup- port of the motion, but George Mitchell, after a lengthy harangue in which he blamed trade union- ists for not voting “right” at the jtime of the last provincial elec- jtions (obviously a reference to | the CCF) said he thought the {motion would “do no good.” How- jever, the resolution was unani- | mously, adopted. | iAlso passed was a motion ask- ing the provincial government to ,inaugurate a program of health | education through the radio, news- |papers and other means. _ | Hastings Steam Baths | OPEN DAY and NIGHT : | | Expert Masseurs in Attendance | Vancouver, B.C. / HA. 0340 766 E, Hastings | MILO CAFE ‘We Specialize in Ukrainian Food” 242 E. Hastings St, PA. 3037 Vancouver Hastings Bakeries LTD. 716 East Hastings St. HA. 3244 BROTHERS BAKERY NOW AT ABOVE ADDRESS. PACIFIC TRIBUNE — JANUARY 26, 1951 — Page 7 q