Mabel Richards, Victoria,
|| Writes: Methinks Tom Fawkes
4 doth Protest too much (‘‘Fawkes

assails editorial,’’ Letters,

Tribune Jan. 15) . probably

because he is aware that not only

your editors but a large section of
1 the population were highly dub-
| lous about the good sense in entic-
#} ing Polish workers to ‘“‘come over
here” where unemployment, in-
flation and general chaos are the
order of the day. Nor did it make
sense to thinking people that the
Polish fishing fleet was in some
cases delayed in performing its
task of producing protein food
for a hungry population.

When the Reagan-Haig-
Weinbergers choose to practice
International blackmail — with
food as’ the hostage, organized
labor should have no part of it...

SS,

iain ee

| Bs
ABS
‘vl ‘LETTERS

If Fawkes missed information
onthe Polish crisis in the Tribune,
he might have learned something
valuable from the British doc-
umentary based on tapes, per-
sonal interviews and films from
Poland, that was shown on CBC
after the new year. This film
revealed that the movement
which began as a genuine work-
kers’ protest, within the first few
months had turned into dn in-
surgent movement led by right
wing factions within Solidarity,
many of them with no roots in the
working class. The film clearly
revealed that Lech Walesa was
pulled like a yo-yo between a fac-
tion that was prepared to neg-
otiate in good: faith and a
vociferous right-wing mob which
would under no conditions come
to terms, even though the leader-

Fawkes ‘protests too much’

ship of the government was
_changed again and again to effect
a compromise.

One can hold no brief for the
original government which allow-
ed the country to get into the clut-
ches of the financial vultures in
the West, particularly the United
States (a lesson for Canada,
that!). But we know that the huge
loans to Poland were part of a
deliberate plan to bring about the
death of socialism, hybrid-brand
that it was, in that country. If
Fawkes believes that a respectable
social-democratic regime could
have been put in its place, heis liv-
ing in the same dream world as
post-war Polish immigrants who
hope that some day they’ll be
returned to vast estates with at-
tendant serfs.

| Sree

Shortwave’

for just
over $100

Thena Muryn, Coquitlam,
writes; In response to Fred
Wilson’s article on short wave
radio (‘‘Shortwave: unique, neg-
lected radio’’, Tribune, Dec. 16,
1981), I would like to point out
that our short wave set, which
costs just a little over $100, brings
in quite a few of the major cap-
itals of the world.

We can receive Moscow, Kiev,
Tokyo, London, Peking,
Washington and Paris, as well as
broadcasts from Australia, West
Germany and Latin America.

We purchased the set, which is
made in the USSR, from Ukran- |
ska Knyha. Soif you can’t afford
the more expensive sets but still
want to listen to short wave, try
their store on East Hastings.

For us it has been worth the
small investment to keep abreast
of current international events.
The programs are broadcast not
less than three times a day.

fo _ Foralmost 40 years, the People’s
| Cooperative Bookstore has served
the reading needs of British Col-
umbia’s labor, cooperative,
ep cultural and other progressive
, Organizations. Now the store is in
ie need of new capital to expand its
Services and extend its reach
beyond the boundaries of the lower

ei Mainland.

a

‘‘Many Island and interior cen-
tres like Nanaimo, Kamloops and
Prince George have grown rapidly
in recent years and new towns are
springing up,’ says Hal Griffin,
chairman of the bookstore’s
board. ‘‘People need access to
books not available at their local
bookstores and, weighing the costs
and shortcomings of mail ordering

io 4, Ce a

LEO BROUWER. .

Leo Brouwer, Cuban
aera composer and advisor
Othe ministry of culture, will be
Siving his first ever concert in
ancouver Sunday, Feb. 7.

PP ape RE CP EN emcee wet ty, SS

One of a number of concerts
reaped by the Vancouver
1 olk Music Festival, it is slated
, Or 8 p.m. in the Vancouver
; |} East Cultural Centre.
r
r

h Aworld-ranked guitarist who
: ‘48 performed in concert halls
r hroughout Europe and North
: €rica, he is also a noted com-
; sees and is currently the music
i rector for the Cuban Film In-
, | | Sttute for which he has produc-
More than 50 film scores.

Heis also a special advisor for

: si Ministry of culture, respon-

sible for developing educational

Methods, organizing musical
a

_ in first Vancouver concert.

Cuban guitarist here

garde movement in Cuban

groups and orchestras and
developing music festivals
around the country.

Although he received much
of his musical education in the
U.S., he returned to his native
Cuba at age 22 and for the last
20 years he has been part of the
cultural renaissance ushered in
by the 1959 revolution.

The revolution touched new
innovation. .and experimenta-
tion in music, and Brauwer,
together with another com-
poser and the conductor of the
Havana symphony orchestra,
are the founders of an avant-

music, One of their works was a
multi-media presentation, com-
plete with electronic music
score, for the 100th anniversary
of Lenin’s birth.

against the advantages of being
able to peruse what you are buying,
we have to take the books to the
potential customers.”’

Acquisition of some kind of
bookmobile to cover Island and in-
terior centres heads the list of in-
novations the store’s directors and
management have been consider-
ing these past few months. Other
plans include diversification of the
store’s stock and improvement of
the layout at 353 West Pender.

‘‘Under-capitalization in rela-
tion to our needs has always been‘a
problem for the store,’’ Griffin

notes in announcing that the Peo- |

ple’s Cooperative Bookstore
Association is launching a cam-
paign to raise $15,000 in the next
two months.

To reach this target, the cam-
paign will aim at increasing the
number of shareholders, currently
around 800, as well as seeking
donations from supporting
organizations and individuals.

Publication and distribution of

books and pamphlets embodying .

their ideas have been part of every
progressive and labor movement in
this province for the past century
and, Griffin adds, ‘‘at no period
has a bookstore been more impor-

tant to the progressive movement ~

than in this time of sharp
ideological conflict.”

From the early thirties when
Wilf Ravenor sold Marxist works
from an East Hastings office,
through the early forties under Bill
Bennett from a West Pender of-
fice, to establishment of the co-op
in 1945, a progressive bookstore
has been seen as indispensable to all
those who want to know about the
growing socialist world.

In fact, during its early years, the
People’s Co-op was Greater Van-
couver’s major bookstore, displac-
ing the old-established Ireland and
Allen bookstore on Granville, until
it became a cold war target in the
fifties.

Opening of other major
bookstores in the city, and more
recently establishment of
bookstores in shopping malls,
coupled with its own lack of capital
to maintain its preeminence as a
general bookstore, compelled it to
specialize in Canadiana and Marx-
ist, labor and progressive works,
restricting its general works.

“High prices for books publish-
ed in our own country, the United

Co-op eyes the future—and *15,000

States and Britain, regardless of
their merit, rising unemployment
and inflation, are affecting the
book trade, which itself is faced
with the problem of carrying inven-
tories at high interest rates,’’ Grif-
fin says.

‘But more people are being
compelled to question the causes of
the chronic ailments that plague
our society. They won’t get the
answers frem television and radio
— only from books and other
publicatious that deal with those
problems from the working peo-
ple’s standpoint.

‘‘That’s why we believe working
people will respond to our cam-
paign. Where else can they find the
range of ideas, the lifetime works
of the finest minds of the past cen-
tury, the optimism of a new
socialist world that counters the
despair and cynicism of our own?”’

Meanwhile, in the bookstore
itself, the new manager, Linda
Chobotuck, is already busy on
changes with assistant manager
Ray Viaud.

“For all our plans we first have
to raise the money,”’ she declares.
‘*All except one — service. That we
intend to improve right now.”’

mace. / | os § @) 7 Faas

The Crisis
in Poland

: hear

Sean Griffin
Editor, Pacific Tribune

Thurs. Feb. 4,
7:30 p.m. Hall B,
Union Centre

2750 Quadra St.
Auspices Victoria CPC

Hal Foch

“CLASSIFIED
ADVERTISING

COMING EVENTS

JAN. 30 — PEACE is everybody's
business. Petition blitz Sat. 11-3
p.m. Come to B.C. Peace Council
office, Rm. 712-207 W. Hastings.

JAN. 30 — Annual Jose Marti din-
ner. Oddfellows Hall, 1720 Gravely
St., Van. Cocktails 6 p.m., dinner,
7 p.m. Adults $7, children $4.
Auspices: Canadian-Cuban Friend-
ship Assoc.

FEB. 6 — Ash St. Cabaret’s
Chilean night and dance at Peretz
School, 6184 Ash St. Featuring
Chilean trio Puelche. Doors open .
6:30, dinner at 7:30. Adm. $10,
OAP, unempl. $7. For reservations
ph. 987-1691 or 433-1145.

FEB. 6 — FRC Valentine’s banquet
and dance. Russian People’s
Home, 600 Campbell Ave. Banquet
6:30 p.m. Dance to Harry's or-
chestra 8:30 p.m. Everyone
welcome. :

FEB. 14 — FRC concert, 2 p.m.
Russian People’s Home, 600 Camp-
bell Ave. Good program. Everyone
welcome.

MAR. 6 — PETE SEEGER at the
QE Theatre. Tickets avail. at Lower
Mainland Woodward's stores, CBO
(687-2801) and UBC.

MAR. 20 — Keep this date open
for Mac-Pap annual banquet and
dance. Russian People’s Home, 600
Campbell Ave.

APR. 4 — EARL ROBINSON at the
QE Playhouse.

MAY 16 & 17 — ODETTA at the
QE Playhouse. Single tickets for
each concert avail. at CBO, 501 W.
Georgia, Van., 687-2801.

COMMERCIAL

CONDOR’S PAINTING & build-
ing maintenance. Free estimate.
Phone 433-1145. A progressive firm
owned and operated by Chilean
Canadians. Reasonable rates.

GRAMMA PUBLICATIONS.
Complete printing services.
Brochures, menus, leaflets, etc.
Special rates for the progressive.
movement. A union shop. 1595 W.
3rd Ave., Van. 733-6822.

ROOF REPAIRS — New roofs.
Reasonable. or 277-3352.

ELECTRICAL, plumbing, appli-
ance repairs. Don Berg. 255-7287.

LEGAL SERVICES

RANKIN, McMURRAY &
BOND, Barristers and Solicitors.
157 Alexander St., 2nd Floor, Van-
couver. 682-3621.

DIRECTORY

COMMUNIST PARTY OF CAN-
ADA offices located at 102-2747 E.
Hastings St. Ph. 254-9836. For in-
formation on political issues or as-
sistance in political activity.

HALLS FOR RENT

RUSSIAN PEOPLE’S HOME —
Available: for rentals. For reserva-
tions phone 254-3430.

WEBSTERS CORNERS HALL —
Available for banquets, meetings,
etc. For rates: Ozzie, 325-4171 or
685-5836.

UKRAINIAN CANADIAN CUL-
TURAL CENTRE 805 East
Pender St., Vancouver. Available
for banquets, weddings, meetings.
Ph. 254-3436. z

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JAN. 29, 1982—Page 7