Runaways

FLASHBACKS FROM
THE COMMUNIST PRESS

50 years ago...
UNEMPLOYED ARRESTED
IN PORT ARTHUR

PORT ARTHUR — Three mem-
bers of an unemployed delega-
tion, who waited on City Council

-with drastic demands: for work

or food and clothing, have been
taken into custody following -a
meeting at which the chief of
police heard some “fiery” state-
ments.

The chief of police and magis-
trate refused to permit some of
their friends to enter the police
court at the preliminary hearing,
the magistrate saying he would
not allow his court to be made
the scene ofan “I.W.W.” demon-
Stration. Bail was refused preli-
minary to their trial next day.

We protest against this brutal
and cynical treatment of the
Port Arthur unemployed. No
worse case of adding insult to
injury can be conceived than
when an insolent chief cop and
magistrate arrest men who are
deprived of work and a living by
their bourgeois masters. We de-
mand the release of these work-
ers!

The Worker, June 21, 1924

25 years ago...

‘SUBSIDIZED HOUSING’
ST. LAURENT TOLD

OTTAWA — Defiant pickets of
the Ottawa and District Tenants’
League, backed by emergency
housing residents of Uplands,
surrounded St. Laurent’s private
car following his meeting here
demanding “action now” on hous-
ing instead of election promises.

Ex-Premier King, acting as
chairman, was interrupted during
the course of ‘the Meeting and
asked about building houses. St.
Laurent jumped to his feet as
though stung by an hornet and
gave the hazy answer, “As many
houses ‘as possible as quickly as
possible”. Mr. King hurriedly
closed the meeting saying there
was no time for further. ques-
tions.

Outside the meeting pickets
circled St. Laurent’s car. They
asked him what he meant by
building houses as quickly as pos-
sible. He replied: “As quickly as
we can”. He then jumped into
the car and was driven off. Pick-
ets chanted “We want action
now”.

Tribune, June 20, 1949

Profiteer of the week:

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: “ “4 4s
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, Pacific Tribune

Minister of Agriculture Whelan, the farm-
er's friend, who keep the public informed
that prices are high because his friend the
farmer is getting rich, ought to do a survey
on how much farm income ends up in the
pockets of the implement and fertilizer mon-
opolies. The thought is prompted by Massey-
Ferguson's three-month, tax-free take of
$6,404,0000. That was for January, February
and March; wait till the season really gets
under way. In the same three months fast
year they netted $3,645,000. b

~ (Editor — MAURICE RUSH .
Published weekly at Ford Bldg., Mezzanine No. 3, 193 E. Hastings St.
Vancouver 4, 8:0. Phone 685-5288.
: Business & Circulation Manager, FRED WILSON
: Subscription Rate: Canada, $6.00 one year; $3.50 for six months
North and South America and Commonwealth countries, $7.00
All other countries, $8:00 one year
North and South America and Commonwealth countries, $7.00 one year

ve: PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 1974-PAGE 4.5)

Hit price gougers where it hurt

These facts are well known. Food
prices jumped by 18.3% in the -year
ended May 31. The overall cost-of-living
index was up by 10.9%. Unemployment
reached 5.5% of the work foree —
524,000 people jobless. The need for
steps to protect the working people’s
living standards is pressing hard.

Double-digit inflation and unemploy-
ment are disasters directly related to
Liberal policies designed to serve mono-
poly’s profit interests, and to the de-
ranged capitalist system which rules
our lives.

' Tory proposals would bring a hor- ~

rendously worse disaster — a freeze on
incomes that would force additional

NDP frankness needed

Serious working-class politics de-
mands and deserves forthright state-
ments and actions. That.some workers
still vote for the old parties’ carrot on
a stick shows they have not yet seen
that the fight against the system on
which those parties float like slime, is
: fight that goes far beyond election

ay.

The Communist Party is outspoken

on its intent. It is out to win every pos-

sible vote for Communists and their
program, with the aim of having Com-
munists as part of a progressive bloc
in parliament. Beyond that the Com-
munist Party works, over a period of
time, for the formation ofan anti-
monopoly coalition to govern Canada,
and beyond that for a socialist Can-
ada — a higher stage of human society.
That is frank and clear.

The other party which counts on
working-class votes, the New Democra-
tic Party, which advances a program

calculated to win the working people’s

support, should be equally frank and

clear. _ |
Mr. Lewis is reported to have said

how he has fought the Communists. The

question is, is he prepared to fight the.

monopolies? Is he, and is his party,
willing to go beyond Mr. Lewis’ com-
mendable labelling of the corporation
rip-off, and beyond the proposing of a
prices board at which these same cor-
porations could argue their case for
this or that a mount of gouging?

Is the NDP prepared to deny them
the right to gouge the consumer by
placing such key industries under pub-
lic ownership and democratic control in
the interests of preserving the living
standards of Canadians?

For the sake of working people it is

. to be hoped that the NDP will reach

the point where it can answer yes, and

_ where it can see the basic necessity for
unity on issues between social demo-

crats and communists.

The NDP and its supporters bear a
large responsibility in this election to
do their share to prevent politics being
pushed to the right, a feat the moneyed
backers of the old parties are determin-
ed to achieve.

The more the NDP will level with the

electorate — display a fearlessness in.

the anti-monopoly fight that must be
waged if any meaningful gains are to
be won for working people — the bet-

ter will be their contribution to work- .

ing-class and democratic advance
through and beyond this election cam-
paign. 7 ‘ : z -

thousands of Canadians to join the y
already below the poverty line.

Every family must weigh the :
spect of being frozen indefinitely 1
today’s price squeeze by one oF 97,
of these 19th century parte
choice between the open Tory thr sti
a freeze, and the Liberal secret CO™”
gency” plan, is no choice at_all. :

Wage-freeze and related plans 00%
really aim to hurt inflation,
clamp the lid on wages, slash une! fl
ment benefits, and clear the roa0
profits to soar without let-up.

One June 11, a newspaper re 7
Corporate profit growth rate Si0r N
24.8% from 40%. A profit plunger at |
in the same paper four days late My
other headline: Survey shows eee a
47.8% but rate of increase lowe ths
actually, in 1974’s first three "he
profit jumped 47.8% ! In dollars, 21
companies surveyed grabbed 0135)
700,000 (Jan.-Mar.) eompared t0
$865,000,000. After taxes, that Cane

A poll showing that a typica n foot
dian family spends $45 a week te i
which, in 1958 the same family, m, bit
for $26, reveals not, only inflane a
where the money came from 10° © —

Sas

.ee

_ of those bulging profits.

A te
Bringing out a powerful 0
candidates pledged to an anti-moniiy
fight is one opportunity to Butt!

‘schemes of the price gougers-

4
bring out such a vote dictates Be
voters, explaining what a valle ©
inflation program is. “rctel
The pana candidates.
a few pages from here are lea ati"
responsible battle against oust?
with a program to strike at iS yall
— monopoly control of our socl®
our lives. Whoever is fed up wnt be q
gougers, who has decided to fight "is

can hit hardest by electing Commnon0l

as the nucleous of an anti-m?
bloc in the next: parliament.

A two-faced syste

U.S. President Nixon’s June a DA
mit with Soviet leaders in Mors on3 Pf
emplifies one of the two reac vids al
imperialism to its shrinking we men
tem. Accommodation to the mia “exit |
of mankind towards peaceful CY eft)
ence of different systems, an ori ng dey
threat of world war, and ma ple ee
tente irreversible, is unavoida, c
Nixon’s Soviet visit will be 4
good for mankind. reve
His tour of the Middle East Tori
further the dilemma of U.S. ! ne?

SeSB

==

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i

Then there is NATO, whose mee
ument Nixon will sign in Bru up t
June 26, reportedly steppins
pact’s ability to wreak nucles” si”
lation whenever the Pentagon $
paths invent a pretext. : yall
This is the other face of impé yr
still bent on gaining its endea
military threat and economic te"
The system with two faces 1§ 1 |
voice of Canada’s people. An in 00 "4
government in Ottawa must 1:
commit Canada to new NAT ad
without the new parliament's ©O°~
0) Ls age