Peace is the
only defense

EDITORIAL PAGE

—HOY (Havana)

A hope for mankind

s the United States set off its
highly dangerous nuclear
blast in space this week with a
blinding flash which showed the
ominous danger to mankind, in
Moscow the largest peace congress
in history opened its sessions.

The connection between the two
is inescapable. One represents the
effort to create and increase the
arsenal of nuclear weapons which
can wipe out mankind.

The other _represents the con-
scious and growing action of
people of all faiths and from all
lands seeking common action to
halt the arms race and bring san-
ity to the earth before it is too
late.

The hope of mankind, and in-
deed its future if there is to be
one, depends on the peace forces
winning this race and putting a
stop to the madness which threat-
ens everyone.

Survival does not depend on
who has the largest nuclear ar-

senal. There is more than enough

around now to destroy all life. Our
only hope for survival rests on

Pacific Tribune

: Editor — TOM McEWEN
Associate Editor—MAURICE RUSH
Business Mgr..-OXANA BIGELOW

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péace — there is no other defense.

That is why hundreds of mil-
lions of people all over the world
look to the Congress for General
Disarmament and Peace now
meeting in the socialist capital.
The race for survival can be won
through man’s common action for.
peace.

_ people’s belts,

prime Minister Diefenbaker’s
continued refusal to call an
immediate session of the new Par-
liament to deal with the present
economic crisis in the courtry is
yet another display of the con-
tempt of the Tories for the people.

The prime minister says he
wants a “cooling off” period to
give time “for political passions to
subside”. What he really wants ‘is
time to push through his austerity
measures, time during which, he
hopes, the people will get used to
having their belts pulled in a few
notches tighter. ~

In Parliament the Tories would
have to face at least some of the

public anger and opposition to

their proposed austerity measures.
They have chosen, therefore, to
carry them through now by order-
in-council and confront Parliament
with an accomplished fact.

Another reason why Parliament
isn’t being called at this time is
because the big monopolists do not
see any real threat to their inter-
ests in the present situation. They
are quite content with Diefenbak-
er’s belt-tightening program (the
not theirs) for
meeting the crisis. Witness how
unanimous the spokesmen of big
business have been in endorsing it.
Their only complaint is that it
doesn’t go far enough and that it
should be made permanent.

We would see how quickly the
Tories (and the Liberals) would
call Parliament together if it were
a different kind of crisis—a crisis
that arose from a challenge by
the people, one in which the inter-
ests of the monopolists were at
stake or being threatened.

Call Parliament now

No, the Tories won’t call
early session of Parliament,
will the Liberals do much ™
than go through the motions

asking for one — for their ®
political ends. It is the pa
themselves — the big majoril

that voted against the Tories ™,
their policies—who must dem@®
it.

This country cannot wait ¥
September or October for Pat
ment to meet. With every day !
goes by the living standards
our people are being drast!
lowered, the country is being @
en further and further into ©
to the foreign bondholders.
is why from every corner of
land, from all the organization® :
the people — the trade : unit
farm organizations, consU m
groups and cooperatives—the
mahd must go out loud, cleat a
insistent to Prime Minister ’
enbaker and his cabinet:—
CALL PARLIAMENT NO",
@ Canadian MEI
EDITORIAL COMME
[" amazing how the big busi!"
press in Canada is failing |
report the growing opposition —
Britain to joining the EuroP
Common Market.
Last week Britain’s 359)
strong National Union of RailW
men, voted against joining
Unions in Britain now opP®
ECM total over one million ™
bers. ;
Can it be that the reasom
silence of the monopoly pre
due to the fact that the U.S. §
department’s official line is
push for Britain’s entry
ECM?

=
=

pol

Tom
McEwen

e had occasion some weeks
W ago to voice some words of
criticism on the rabid anti-com-
munist fever which appears to
have stricken the editorial sanc-
tum of The Western Construction
Tradesman, a monthly journal
which styles itself as the “Official
Organ of International Building
Trades Unions’?

On the masthead of this journ-
alistic distortion of trade unionism,
the assurance “to every member
the religious and political beliefs
of his choice” is set forth in bold
type.

Its editorial columns however,
makes very clear that this ‘‘choice”’
is valid only if it conforms to
standard coldwar ideology as set
down by the U.S. State Depart-
ment and its numerous McCarthy-
ized agencies, among which must
be counted a whole herd of high-
salaried union bureaucrats and
“roadmen” to whom McCarthyism:
has become a standard manual.

The editorial in question is bas-
ed upon a “letter-to-the-editor”’
by Wm. “Bill” Page of Local 452
of the Carpenters Union. In a rec-
ent ‘“ban-the-bomb” «march ‘in

Vancouver, Brother Page “was
sorry to see among the marchers

. the business agent of Local’
452 and a fellow carpenter carry-
ing a large sign between them,
with the printed words ‘‘Carpen-'
ters Local’’. :

This worthy effort of his fellow
carpenters, (exercising their
“choice” against nuclear bomb
cremation) obviously hurt William
no end, who also. declares himself
in favor of “‘a justified peace’, but
put his peace in quotes in order to
differentiate himself from ‘‘ban
the bomb” carpenters?

From there on ye editor of The
Western Construction Tradesman
uncorks eight double-column
inches of stale anti-communist
bile, ranging all the way from
Nikita Krushchev to the ‘'‘Red
Dean” of Canterbury.

Not a McCarthyite trick is miss-
ed. If someone talks about ‘‘Trade
with China’, “Trade with Cuba’,
a ‘Peace Council” or a ‘Peace
March” ad infinitum, he (or she)
is a ‘Commie’ for sure. Even Dr.
Alcock’s ‘‘Peace Research’ is not
overlooked in this editorial pan-
egyric of anti-communist bilge.
And the mere mention of “co-exi-
istence’’ just seems to plunge the
editor of ‘‘WCT” into a new fit of
anti-communist delerium tremens?

Just how or where all this red
bogey hysteria fits in for the ad-
vancement, the peace, or the social
and economic wellbeing of build-
ing workers or others, isn’t stated?
Building workers, like many
others, still have the prime job of

sos rea
.and an end to the rising th wind

winning wage and working stan
ards commensurate with the
we live in, and no amount of
red-baiting will or can adva?
that cause.

And least of all in a jou
which boasts itself as being “pledd
ed to serve the best interest
building craftsmen in Manitt
Saskatchewan, Alberta and Brit
Columbia.” ed

Red-baiting by a brainwash”
trade union burocracy is one Bil
vice” the carpenters and oth
workers in B.C., the prairies
elsewhere, can well do with”
since it falls directly into the ©”
gory of the “service” render ;

a hangman’s rope ‘supporting
victim? - d al

Our hats are off ever a? 2
ways to carpenters, building ce
all workers who march for of

nuclear destruction. The 8F?
unity called forth to win this 5%
red objective, is also a vital fa d
in winning greater economic ind
social standards for the Wore
people—including all those ao
Western Construction Trades
claims to “serve”
very badly, if its editorial dia
are any criterion.

And in the growing cle
peace and outlawing of nt 08
weapons, now engaging gre it
millions of the world’s peoP!€"
would appear as if Brother
is going to be afflicted with
manent “sorrow”, since Hist
and the carpenters will pass

by.

f
pattle

ory