“By DYSON CARTER ~

New interest in Canadian-Soviet

relations poses sharp challenge

ok week, friends of mine
bought a television set. Why?
So they could see Soviet movies!
It’s a fact that the CBC shows
Soviet films even in Quebec.

Another friend tried hard to
‘get a ticket for an exclusive din-
ner, so he could hear Gerald
Clark, just back from the USSR.
Clark is speaking to packed audi-
ences.

For the first time in eight years,
millions of Canadians are reading
newspaper articles, by Canadians,
about life in the Soviet Union. As
for our businessmen, it is not vic-
ious anti-Soviet slanders which in-
terest them today, but factual re-
ports about the prosperous eco-
nomy of the USSR, about opport-
unities for trade.

These are aspects of the new
situation in Canada, as Canadian-
Soviet Friendship Month begins.
It is a very interesting change. I
know that it gladdens all true
friends of the Soviet people.

But it raises a sharp challenge.
In this new and much healthier
situation there are real dangers
for us.

What is this “big change”? Is
it simply that information serv-
ices, such as the CBC; Canadian
Press, and Weekend Magazine,
carry more reasonable reports of
Soviet life than before?

This is a sign of the basic
change. What is happening in
Canada goes very deep in our na-
tional life.

Already big sections of our
population are beginning to see
a great, historic truth. Friendly
relations between Canada and our
neighbors to the north are what
we Canadians urgently need to
make sure of a peaceful, prosper-
ous, independent future for our
country.

That is the change. Millions are
awakening to the fact that friend-

ship with the Soviet. Union is for-

our own sake, for Canada. :

It is not too easy to see what
this means. I know of one man
who is swaggering around, shak-
ing his finger under the noses of
his workmates, and saying to
them, “See ...I told you so!”

Of course it is nice to be able
to prove that you’ve been right
all along. That the Soviet people
eat well, have beautiful cities, see
wonderful shows, are more pros-
perous than ever in history, and
so on. But the attitude of “I told
you so” won’t hélp to build friend-
ship.

Even worse is the fellow who
hears some friend express, for the
first time, a little sympathy for
the USSR. Then he beats him
over the head with a “political
argument.”

Talking that way misses the
whole point. The point today is
that friendship between Canada
and the Soviet Union is develop-
ing on a new basis. Many millions
of Canadian people, who do not
agree with the economic and
political structure of the USSR,
are becoming convinced that we
all need friendship with the So-
viet people. And they are right!

If we don’t grasp this, we are
in danger of doing real harm. But

will pass.

when we seize on this truth, the
opportunities are unlimited.

That’s why I think the “big
change” is a challenge to every
supporter of Canadian - Soviet
friendship.

e

Consider Soviet films. During
February, Canadian-Soviet Friend-
ship Month, more Soviet films will
be shown than ever before in a
single month. But think .. . it is
doubtful if one Canadian in 20
has ever seen a Soviet movie. And
because it is very expensive to
advertise, even in February not
one Canadian in 100 will hear a
word about the new Soviet movie
showings. t

There is a real challenge to us,
to find out when and where the
shows will be held locally. Then
we can make a definite date to
take the family, or the girl friend
or boy friend.

And then we must take advant-
age of the new situation. Invite
two or two dozen more people to
see what they’ve never seen be-
fore, movies that show them with
their eyes what life is like in the
Soviet Union!

This year it isn’t hard to get
strangers out to see a Soviet
movie. If we who have already
seen Soviet films do that, all
across Canada, we will bring about
a really tremendous change in one
month. ;

@'

*Let us keep in mind that re-
porters like Gerald Clark, and
Bill Boss, see life on the surface
only. The price of liquor seems
more important to them than the
price of four-course dinners in
big Soviet factories. They talk
about “drab” Soviet clothes. But
you do not hear them describing
the fabulously beautiful palaces
where millions of Soviet people
get rest, treatment, and holidays
every year.

They can distort facts too. Thus,
when they speak of Soviet wages
they can say the ruble is worth
only five cents. But when they
give the price of a refrigerator,
up goes the ruble to 25 cents!

I’m sure you have noted such
things. I’m also sure that you
know the answer. ‘i

There is a very big change tak-
ing place in Canada. But the job
of building real friendship be-
tween the Canadian people and
the Soviet people is a job that
must be done by those who are
élosest to the people.

Millions of Canadians know
that Gerald Clark was over there,
and that Bill Boss is there now.
But how many Canadians know
that seven of their fellow-citizens
recently made an extensive tour
of the Soviet Union? Only about
10,000 people have heard these
visitors speak. j

But the splendid picture-report,
Canadians Visit our Northern
Neighbors, is something you will
be proud to show anyone. It’s a
fascinating, fully-illustrated story
that takes you places where no
other Canadians ever were before.

It’s an eye-witness story. It
gives vital facts about Soviet life
that you don’t get in newspaper
reports.

Are you prepared to accept a

challenge? - Today, it is possible

to get the majority of Canadians
to read a Canadian report about
the USSR. That means going out
to the people with tens of thous-
ands of copies of Canadians Visit
our Northern Neighbors. Make
this report a national bestseller.

We have never had a publica-
tion like this one. We have never
had a Friendship Month so. prom-
ising as this February. But this
publication, and Friendship
Month, are not the “property” of
the Canadian-Soviet Friendship
Society. Dozens of organizations,

all over the land, will celebrate
the month independently, with
film shows, concerts, evenings
with people who’ve been to the
USSR, gatherings to listen to‘the
special radio broadcasts from
Moscow.

“Why should my group have
such an affair?” a certain well-
respected person asked me. “We
work for friendship all year
round, not just in one month.”

I asked him: “Why do the Czech
and Slovak peoples, by the mil-
lions, celebrate their month of .
Friendship with the USSR? They.
live in friendship all year round.
And what about the hundred mil-
lion Chinese who took part in

- Friendship Month over there?”

The truth is, the more the peo-
ple understand the importance of
friendship with the Soviet Union,
and the more they benefit from it,
the harder they strive to make
Friendship Month a success. “All
year round” is very good. But
during February, all supporters
of Canadian - Soviet friendship
should act in a special way.

This year, when masses of Can-
adians are just beginning to ap-
proach the question of friendship,
it’s our responsibility to see that
we and all our friends show the
people of Canada, and the people
of the Soviet Union, just where
we stand. For a mighty strength-
ening of Canadian-Soviet friend-
ship, for trade, and for peace!

Mrs. Florence Dorland, secretary of the Vancouver branch of
the Canadian-Soviet Friendship Society is shown with a group of

children during ‘her visit to the Soviet Union last year.

She writes

of her experiences in Canadians Visit Our Neighbors, iust published

by the society.

OPEN FORUM

Thanks for donations

J.P., Edmonton, Alberta, $2;
F.R., Kelowna, $1; G.M., Vancou-
ver, $1; H.H., Vancouver, $2;
“Nic/’ Vancouver, $5; N.S., Mis-
sion City, $1; T. H., Vancouver,
$2; W.H., Brandon, Manitoba, $7;
S.W., Rossland, $2; W.G., Vancou-
ver, $2; J.I., Okanagan Mission,
$2; E.B., Vancouver, $2.

What about pensioners ?

A SOCIAL WELFARE PEN-
SIONER, Nanaimo, B.C., Regard-
ing increases in salaries to MPs,
this would seem a good time to
draw to the attention of the pub-
lic that at the same time that
these legislators are requiring an
increase which will bring their
salaries to $10,000 a year, those
on Social Assistance are expected
to exist on $40 per month.

Ail too few realize how many
“unemployable” (which means
people for whom no jobs are avail-
able) are not yet 65, yet condemn-
ed to live on this pittance.

With good reason we hear out-

cries at the inadequacies of the
old age pension, but please con-
sider the position of the person
of perhaps 62 who must pay rent
(or taxes), fuel, light, clothing
and still eat on $40 a month.
« Some pay as. much as $18
monthly for rent—and what kind
of accomodation can be had for
$18? .

True, Medical, dental and drug
expenses are paid by the depart-
ment. It would be a farce were
they not. True, also that the re-
cipients may earn as much as
$20 monthly additional. That is
perhaps the most wicked feature
of all. Once every three months
they must fill out a form listing
any other source of income dur-
ing that period, including “gifts
of money from relatives.”

I have battled for an increase
for such pensioners for more than
15 years. In 1939 the amount
paid was $9.60, increased about

@

”

1941 to $10.40, and since then by
driblets, and always with the in-
iquitous limitation of earnings.

There was, prewar, an addi-
tional $6 annually ‘for boots.
This was cut off in’ 1940,
the department stating it felt
this category of citizens must
also be prepared to economize in
view of war expenditures.

I was informed by the depart-
ment that “such pensioners must
save to offset this in summer when
their expenses were lower.” Light
and fuel were the suggested econ-
omies.

_When told that those on such
“income” must habitually go to
bed with the daylight and “rustle”
their fuel, the authorities were in-
credulous. I made myself un-
popular by suggesting in a letter
to the press that as part of their
training, welfare officers should
spend a period of three months on
the same income as they were.
administering.

‘'On behalf of all who, like my-
self, are existing on this allow-
ance, I urge protests and publicity
as to the conditions under which
so many life-long taxpayers are
compelled to live out their days;
days in which so much useful
work could be accomplished. I
feel I am speaking for the rest
when I say I feel sure we would
settle for the increase our MPs
are asking!

Also, is this not a further reas-
on to press on toward a system
under which employment is a
human right for those able to
work, and a sufficient standard
of comfort an equal right for
those who have contributed their
life work to their country and

‘are no longer in physical condi-

tion to do so.

Much as I deplore the principle
of anonymous letters, for obvious
reasons I must sign myself as one
of “the forgotten people.”

More on chiropractors

E.B., Vancouver, B.C.: Jack
Phillips’ denunciation of chiro-

PACIFIC TRIBUNE —

practors could have been more
effective had he separated their
political beliefs from their theory
of healing.. After all, if they, as
a body, disapprove of national
health schemes, they are in the ~
good company of medical asso-
ciations in many countries of the
world today.

Custom has so ordered things
that doctors are the sole arbiters
of health care. This condition is
not. necessarily correct. Surgery
has indeed reached a point of ex-
cellence deserving of praise. I
doubt if the same can be said of
drugs. In the United States where
drugs are used most freely the
health of the people is constantly
deteriorating. In Canada, drug
companies are at present under
investigation for false~ claims.
Doctors are themselves the vic-
tims of these companies since it

is the latter that discover all our
medicines.

When Mr. Phillips criticises a
certain chiropractor for going
along with a woman’s self-diag-
nosis, he is overlooking the fact
that in B.C. chiropractors are not
allowed to diagnose. When he
gives the medical doctor the
credit for curing the woman’s

back, he is falling into a common

error. I would say that the lady
should have had a wee bit more
patience.

_ In conclusion I would say that
it would indeed be wonderful if
our professional men were politi-
cally advanced. There is many a
dentist who might prefer twisting
Mr. Phillips’ neck instead of fill-
ing his tooth. That is a risk he
must take, and I do not think it
is a big one.

Probably Mr. Phillips has for-
gotten the fearless ‘course chiro-

-practors took a generation ago,

before they had a “law.” That_
law needs still to be broadened.
The current’ group of practitioners
working in a more temperate
climate need not fight other
branches of the healing art. Let
us be equally tolerant.

FEBRUARY 12, 1954 — PAGE 4