| GIVE SENIOR CITIZENS A BREAK Re one, $150 PENSION FOR EVERY WORKER? SEE PAGE 8 * FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1957 fo No. 7 VANCOUVER, imal | O18 1S. 28 Authorised as second class mail by ‘| * The federal government’s “tight or. cut its working force and expects ‘to clos i ~____ the Post Office Department, Ottawa money” policy to re- Strict credit and car dealers’ uncertainty over the budget © contributed to unemployment and short time in Wind- eo y : ow 10,000 jobless. Chrysler s hibakt aston aed oe e its plant down Wo weeks, General Motors’ assembly plant at Oshawa a 4 ‘lso on short time. And this week Ford was expected to Se down all production lines alt its big Oakville plant. AUTO LAYOFFS © Jobless figures rise to 350,000 TORONTO It is estimated that at least 350,000 people are now unemployed. throughout the country — well above the figure at this time last year. Although there is no imme is not too bright. diate cause for alarm, the outlook for the future The federal government ‘“‘tight money’’ policy is freezing credit, cutting back the sale and production of durable goods and drastically curtailing construction, par- ticularly home-building. Two ominous reports on the auto industry were issued last week, one from Ottawa and the other from Oshawa. Bureau of Statistics figures released at Ottawa showed an all-time peak of motor vehicle production for January — 45,- 739, some 14 percent above the previous record set in 1954. The report from Oshawa announced another short work week at General Motors’ giant assembly plant. In addition, Ford’s big Oak- ville assembly plant, its new car parks packed with vehicles, was expected to close down all its production lines this week. At Windsor, Chrysler Cor- poration has reduced its work- ing force from a high of 8,800 to. 7,500, and its plant is ex- pected to close down for two weeks. Charles Brooks, president of United Auto Workers’ Local 444, reported that there had been very few 40-hour week cheques recently. The local is calling for an excess profits tax and lifting Continued on back page See UNEMPLOYMENT Hungarian refugees form private army TORONTO A “private army” is reportedly being organized among refugees in this country by Hungarians who take their orders from a pro-fascist emigre organization in France. The “army” is said to be recruiting 3,000 refugees. Last week the Toronto Telegram hired a Hungarian refugee as a reporter. Stephen Tupy says he worked for the Hun- garian news agency (MTI) in Budapest for seven years. His first assignment for the Telegram was to reveal the existence in Canada of this “private army.” “When the time is right,’ Tupy wrote, “the 3,000 men and women will ask for rifles from the Canadian govern- ment for military training.” He said the leaders of the army, Judith Vass and Alex- ander Koystya, operated un- der orders from “world head- quarters” in Strasbourg, France. The army of refu- gees waits only acknowledge- ment from the United Nations before arming itself. No drills or training will be undertak- en until that acknowledgement is received.” The unit is called the Asso- ciation of Hungarian Revolu- ° tionaries. It is reported. to have branches in Vancouver, Wind- sor and Quebec. j -— : Read Bert Whyte’s report on the legislature TURN TO PAGE 3 What is the federal govern- ment doing about it? So far, nothing. External affairs officials are quoted as saying they have no policy towards the private army—but it is hardly likely arms would be issued to it unless Canada went to war with Hungary. That all is not well among the refugees here is indicated in a charge made this week by Georg Nagy, general sec- retary of the Hungarian Fed- eration in Toronto. Nagy said many of the newcomers were “terribly frustrated and un- happy from time to time.” And. from Windsor last week, a refugee decided even the threat of going back to jail in Budapest for a “political crime” was better than trying to make a living in Canada. Joined by a fellow jobless refugee, they are heading back home, charging that they were “cheated” by Canadian offi- cials who promised them steady work and good wages. Nagy used the “Communist underground” claim to explain the difficulties. But, he add- ed: “It takes a long time be- fore a political emigre learns the hard facts.’ He didn’t explain what the “hard facts” were.