Free eacrae North Postmen show the wal

ONVICTED on a contempt of
court charge and sentenced to

30 days’ imprisonment, George
North, editor of The Fisherman, is
now sitting in jail. The B.C. Court

of Appeal last week upheld Mr.

Justice Whittaker’s sentence of a
$3,000 fine against the paper and
the 30-day prison term for editor
North.

With the closing of this historic
“contempt” case arising out of a
heavier than usual spate of injunc-
tions against striking unions dur-
ing the past summer, a new prece-
dent has been established in Cana-
dian jurisprudence. A’ working-
class editor may no longer be criti-
cal of court rulings as they may
bear upon the struggle between
capital,and labor. To do so, an
editor’s personal freedom and the
much-vaunted “freedom of the
press” becomes forfeit.

The Vancouver Sun in a recent
editorial, is disturbed lest the im-
prisonment of George North be-
stow a “martyrdom” on _ him,
rather than focus attention on “the
principle” involved.

With its customary resort to
red-bogey pontificating in order to
shore up its hackneyed arguments
fn support of Bill 43 and the sanc-
tity of anti-labor injunctions, the
Sun questions the “wisdom” of this
harsh sentence against a union
paper and editor, rather than the
sentence itself. By such doubletalk
the “principle” is clumsily obscur-

What is the fundamental prin-
ciple at issue in the jailing of editor
George North and the heavy fine
on The Fisherman? Briefly it is
that no working-class editor of a

‘Jabor paper shall question the wis-

dom or decision of the courts, if, as
and when such may appear to be
heavily weighted against the inter-
ests of organized labor.

In the long history of organized
labor in its united efforts to win
more justice and less “law” one
may well ponder just how many
millions of workers have been “in
contempt of court” during the
course of these epic struggles. And
not the least significant, how lead-

Pacific Tribune
Phone MUtual 5-5288
Editor — TOM McEWEN

Managing Editor — BERT WHYTE

Published weekly at
Room 6 — 426 Main Street
Vancouver 4, B.C.

Printed in a Union Shop
Subscription Rates:

a Ome Year: $4.00

Six Months: $2.25
Canadian and Commonwealth
countries (except Australia): $4.00
one year. Australia, United States and
all other countries: $5.09 one year.

ing judicial minds, under the
hammer-blows of opposing public

. opinion, have been compelled to

revise their rulings and substitute
justice for class-conceived law.

A labor editor sitting in jail,
with his paper fined to the tune of
$3,000 may, under certain circum-
stances, be considered a good “pre-
cedent” in law, but has little re-
semblance to democratic freedom
of the press and opinion.

In defence of these basic prin-
ciples, Attorney - General Robert
Bonner should order the immedi-
ate release of George North and
cancellation of The Fisherman fine.

The Thaw

An important step in the contin-
uing coldwar thaw was the agree-
ment this week in the United Na-
tions between the Western powers
and the Soviet Union to submit a
joint disarmament resolution for
approval in the UN.

Embodying the Khrushchey pro-
posals for total disarmament as
well as a number of Western pro-
posals on this vital issue, these will
go forward to a 10-nation meeting
scheduled in Geneva early in 1960.

S AN EMPLOYER of labor the
Tory government of “Follow
John” Diefenbaker, like the Socred
government of British Columbia a
year ago, gave a brusque and em-
phatic “no” to the modest wage
and salary demands of federal
employees.

Postal services, and particularly
the nation’s postmen, the men who
have to slog it out in snow, rain or

’ shine, are probably the lowest paid

category in the entire federal civil
service. Postmen were considering
a one-day strike protest during the
Christmas festive season (for the
postman a double-load season) to
focus attention on their low-wage
flight. This projected action was
considered by a certain type of
trade union leader, civil service and
other, as being “irresponsible”; an
opinion undoubtedly shared by
Diefenbaker and company, since it
facilitates their do-nothing-about-
it policies.”

Long regarded by Tory, Liberal
and Socred governments alike as)
some specie of second-class citizen,
whose duty is “not to reason why”
but take what they get and keep a
tight lip about it, the civil*service
is denied the elementary recog-
nition and the right of collective
bargaining won by other sections

of the Canadian labor movement.

Obviously ‘to win this recogni:
tion and wage increases commen-
surate with steadily rising living
costs, the federal civil service in
all its branches will have to fight,
unitedly and with determination,
to win.
~ While it is a foregone conclesnii
that Diefenbaker and his govern:
ment spokesmen will howl to high
heaven about “inflation” arising —
from civil service wage demands, —
the civil service itself and millions
of other wage éarners will not fail
to note that in Tory language, ine z
flation only becomes a “menace”
when workers seek wage increases, —
but is seemingly not affected by
high salary and stipend hikes to
cabinet, judicial and military nest
personnel.

The Canadian public and organ-
ized labor in general are in f
agreement that the civil service
status of “second class citizens” —
must end. They are also agreed ~
that civil service wage and salary
boosts are long overdue. The civil
service itself however, must lead
the way in this fight. To assure the
fullest backing of organized lab
and to assure victory, the civil
service must “take off the gloves.”

The postmen were on the right —

track — to win.

Tom
McEwen

ingclass fighters for socialism
in his generation, those who held
that the widest circulation of
workingclass papers, pamphlets
and books was the finest way of
winning recruits for peace and pro-
gress, William (Ol’ Bill) Bennett
wrote in his Builders of British
Columbia over twenty years ago.

“Then there’s old Bob Kydd up
in Prince Rupert for instance, who
has been selling subs and getting
donations for our papers ever
since the Cutty Sark was launched
at Dumbarton.” (The famed tea
clipper Cutty Sark which made
the record voyage under sail from
Sydney, Australia to London, Eng-
land in 75 days, was launched. in
Dumbarton, Scotland, in 1869).

Pee tribute to veteran work-

_It- will be ten years come De-
cember 31 since Ol’ Bill wrote his
final column for the Pacific Trib-
une, just two weeks before he
crossed the Great Divide.

A few days ago I had another
precious letter from old Bob Kydd.
He is still in Prince Rupert, living
out his final years in the “Pioneer
Home” on Atlin Avenue, pretty
much forgotten, but himself unfor-
getting.

“Tm a Kydd of 83 years this
month,” old Bob begins his letter,
‘but I am just as sure today as I
was more than fifty years ago that
the Party and its fighting papers
will get there, even if around this
burg things look a bit dead. I am
enclosing $6 for my subscription
(which ~hadn’t expired—Ed.) and
the rest- for the drive because I
know that papers like ours al-
ways need it. Hoping you will get
lots of subs to keep a good paper
going, and I may be able to help
a little more before the drive is
over.

“Too bad I can’t do more for the
party and our paper now but my
legs are not.so good and I can’t
get around any more. However,
Tom, that great day will come
along soon now, and human broth-
erhood will replace the coldwar
bloodsuckers. Give all the com-
rades my regards and good luck
and success to our paper.”

In Bob’s letter there was a short
paragraph couched in spicy work-
ingclass language, to the effect that
ever since age and its infirmities
had compelled. him to retire to:

served so long and:so faithfully,
just drop a short note or card to

kind don’t come every: day.

the seclusion of the “Pioneer ©
Home” for the aged, letters and —
visits from those who were his —
comrades-in-arms in bygone years ;
had been few and far between.

Periodically I have letters from: —
a few of these grand old fighters —
for socialism, their bodies wrack- —
ed with the vicissitudes of the ~

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years, their minds keen, alert and f

happy at the growth of a mighty
Socialist world, the fulfillment of —
their life’s ideal and efforts. Many _
condemned to subsist on a miser- —
able pittance called a “pension,”
others to spend their last years in ©
an institutionalized atmosphere,
separated from the comradeship of
a great cause in which they gave
the active years of their life.

But, says this “Kydd of 83 years —

. . here’s $6
paper going .. . and I may be able 3
to help a little more.” And, as OV _
Bill said, in reference to the-Cutty |
Sark, Bob Kydd has been helping :
since 1869.

Those who would like a.grand _
old warrior for Socialism to know
that he isn’t forgotten on his 83rd _
birthday by the movement he has

oe

Bob Kydd, c/o Pioneer Home, At-
lin Avenue, Prince Roupert. It will
make the recipient — and the
sender — happier people. Bob’s

October 30, 1959—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 4

. .. to keep a good os :