Coalition courtship

INCE tthe election of Byron ‘Boss’ Johnson
to provincial leadership of the Liberal
Party there has been a regular spate of specula-
tion, tory caucuses, and some sharp horse-trading
between Liberal leader Johnson and Tory leader
Anscomb on the “as, if and how” of the Coali-
tion.

It is “reported on good authority” that the
Tories are feeling a bit sore at being oozed
out of the post of premier. Measured by Coali-
tion yardsticks ( which are not always three
feet to the yard) the Tories feel that in point
of “seniority” Herbert Anscomb should auto-
matically succeed John Hart in the premiership.
The Liberal convention showed party stalwarts
in no mood to consider such “seniority” rights.
In fact (and in spite of the election of Johnson
as a Tory choice in a Liberal convention), there

were a great many Liberal delegates who would
have liked to have seen an end altogether to the
unholy wedlock of the Tory Liberal coalition.
Like a famed Irishman, the Liberals were un-
willing to continue in wedded turmoil with
their Tory concubine, but the prospect of man-
aging without her was equally trying and uncer-

As é

tain. Fear of the growing challenge of labor held
the shotgun alliance together.

Sensing some of the Tory opposition to John-
son as premier, the December issue of “Western
Business and Industry” cautiously lays down
the CMA-party line. “If Boss Johnson comes in
line for the premiership of B.C., some Conserva-
tives may balk at the idea of another Liberal
holding the job . . . but they will always con-
cede that Boss Johnson is an honest man .. .”

And what, according to “Western Business,”
is the measure of this honesty? “Premier Hart
was a business man. He had been a real estate
and insurance man for years before he went to
the top politically. But Boss Johnson is some-
thing new . .. a man who has come up in
industry .. .a payroll cheque signer on a large
scale.” 5

The CMA has spoken. Messrs Anscomb,
Carson, MacDonald and Eyers will only be too
happy to join the cabinet of a large “payroll
cheque signer.” They are prompted to feel sure
that he will speak their own language... on
such intimate payroll matters as Bill 39.,

All the rumblings from Victoria, the caucuses
and the horse-trading, are merely the political
flirtations of a none-too-happy alliance which is
keenly conscious of the fact that it must hang
together in order to stave off the evil day of
hanging separately.

Waiting in the kitchen

HE cavalier treatment to a consumers’ dele-
gation by Minister of Finance Abbott which
went to Ottawa to urge new price controls,
stands in sharp contrast to the sidestepping and
boondoggling of the ‘emergency’ session of par-
liament,
Mr.

Abbott has learned to say ‘no’ politely,
suavely, brusquely or snottily as he feels the
occasion warrants, but it is always ‘no’ to the
issue of price controls, subsidies or other mea-
sures which might bring some relief to the rav-
ages of inflation on the workingman’s household.

In parliament the ‘emergency’ turned out to
be no emergency at all. One MP is reported to
have characterized the special session as a
“comic opera.” It appears now as if the members
weren't required in Ottawa at all.

The real emergency is brushed aside—the
high cost of living. Instead the King cabinet
awaits the pleasure of the Marshall Plan, the
final behind-the-scenes results of the London
Conference, or what Truman may decide to do
(if anything) about price controls.

Just like Bidault and Bevin, Mr. King sits
philosophizing in the kitchen while U.S. im-
perialism makes up its mind in the drawing
room, When it says ‘go’ Mr. King snaps out of
his reveries. Meanwhile, Canada’s national in-
terests go by the board.

By Tom McEwen

in Con-

HIS will be our final
chat in this column for
1947. In a few days we will
‘be on the threshold of a
new year. Its pattern can al-
ready be seen in rough outline
- | well publicized as the year
of the ‘big bust.’ The tighten-
your-belt-honeymon’s-over’ era of
‘free enterprise’ so to speak.
Well, we refuse to become
‘alarmed. ~
Looking back over the hectic
months of 1947, we cannot share
the pessimistic view that every-
thing is ‘going to the devil.’
Quite the contrary. There have
been regrettable setbacks of
course, but there has also been
decisive victories won by the
-eommon people.
In our province, early in 1947,
big business and its CMA wire-

pullers in government construct-
ed a well-machined ball-and- -

ehain hobble for labor . .. Bill
39.
They thought it would be a

splendid obstruction to keep la- _

bor from winning wage increases
to meet steadily rising living
costs. Today, nearing the efd
of 1947, thanks to the fighting
unity of labor, Bill 39 isn’t
worth the proverbial ‘tinker’s
damn’ to its CMA _ promoters.
‘They have spent enough money
to send a trainload of wheat
to Britain in an effort to ‘prove’
the ‘workability’ of Bill 39...
‘and haven’t even succeeded in
convincing themselves!

Early in the year Messrs.
King and Mitchell devised a
similar dog-collar labelled Bill
338 with which to chain labor
to lower wage standards, while
Messrs Drew and Duplessis of
Ontario and Quebec indulged in
drafting similar restrictive mea-
sures. As in the fable of ‘Who
Will Bell the Cat?’ neither have

been able to clamp their legis-
lative hobbles on labor to date.

Through the efforts of organ-
ized labor, big business pocket-
ed a good many million dollars
less than they had intended in
1947—in spite of having the
full backing of governments in
their predatory raids upon the
living standards of the people.
This is not to say that the big

boys did not do well in 1947.

They certainly did, with profits
showing an alltime high, but
just imagine what a field day
they would have had without
a labor movement fighting every
inch of the way to slow up
the barefaced, albeit illegal rob-

bery?
ND Canada’s farmers? 1947
saw a picket line stretching
from the Alberta foothills to
the ‘Manitoba border, fighting
for parity prices, farm security,
and an end to

farmers and
uses the pro-
duct of his toil
: bolster re-
abroad,
and promote
at home specu-
lative gamb-
ling. In the dy-
ing days of
1947 farmers from the Mari-
times to British Columbia are
telling the’ politicians and
‘statesmen’ in Ottawa and in
their home provinces just what
to expect if the looting of farm

resources continue. No cause
for pessimism in that quarter.
If Canada’s organized workers
and farmers could get together
in a united front (sshhhh, that
is communism) they could

Tom McEwen

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Published Weekly at 650 Howe Street

By THE TRIBUNE PUBLISHING COMPANY LTD.

Telephones: Editorial, MA. 5857; Business, MA. 5288

Tom McEwen

Peewee ee Se ee ee

Editor

Subscription Rates: .1 Year, $2.50; 6 Months, $1.35.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1947

i Printed by Union Printers Ltd., 650 Howe Street, Vancouver, B.C.
_ Authorized as second-class mail by the post-office department, Ottawa

cpen a new chapter
tederation. Well, perhaps in 1948.

In 1947 a lot of politicians
sustained themselves with the
idea that if you can ignore or
side-step an issue long enough,
it will solve itself? Thus, hous-
ing, price controls, subsidies,
veterans’ pensions, taxation. .
a whole flock of questions hav-
ing -a direct bearing on the liv-
ing standards of the people have
by and large been dealt with in
this manner. Parliaments have
met and expenditures have
zoomed—not to do things, but to
‘explain’ or decide that these
things cannot be done?

One of the encouraging signs
‘of 1947 is that the hunger of
the people for progress is no
longer appeased by these pious
‘explanations. A happy augury
for 1948.

In the realm of foreign rela-
tions 1947 has seen a_ steady
deterioration of Canada as a SOv-
ereign state. True, we haven't
lost our formal independence
implicit in the Statute of West-
minster, but we must now
dance to the music of Wall
Street in order to qualify for
‘Marshall Plan’ dollars?

We sparked the ‘spy scare’
in order to provide the basis
for a ‘get-tough-policy’ with our
neighbors the Russians. The
filming of ‘The Iron Curtain’ in
Ottawa has. conferred upon us
the dubious honor of interna-
tional garbage collector for
Uncle Sam, in return for an
imperialist ‘friendship’ which
ean turn our country into an
atomic battleground against
world progress.

We cannot now say to a
Briton, a Czech, a Yugoslav, a
Russian or others of our neigh-
bors’, say brother, we have a
lot of things each other needs,
how about working out a trade
deal or a little loan to help
each other along?’ Now we must
ask, ‘Are you politically eligible’
for Marshall plan dollars? Of-
ficially, our friends are counted
among the Chiang Kai-sheks,
Greek quislings and nazi _ col-
laborators.: We cannot live for
a day now without a strong
dose of ‘communist bogey’ medi-
cine from the quacks of press

and radio.

Yes,
year.

1947 has been a great
Hail, 1948!

OYE URE BE NEVE REE UE REDE NEB MDE MDE YE MED MEET DE VEN VE UE UO EU RU EE VR ERE UR

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oh

“You're right, hard work amd long hours never hurt anyone.
See that our personnel department emphasizes that during 1948.”

c&)

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Yuletide greeting

HE Pacific Tribune staff extends the season’s

greetings to all our readers, co-workers and friends.
In our third Yuletide season since V-J Day, there is
still much to be done before the centuries-old hope ot
mankind is realized, “Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward
Men.” There are still numerous powerful selfish
interests who place profits and the exploitation of their
fellowmen above this longed-for goal.

Despite all obstacles, the common people of our
own and other lands, their sterling worth immortalized
in suffering, in struggle, in song and in poetry, in “A §
Christmas Carol” penned by the immortal Dickens,
will yet emerge victorious over all the evil forces of
reaction, Imperialist philistineés pay lip service to
peace, democracy and freedom, but their everyday deeds
profane the Yuletide symbol of human regeneration.

Our Christmas greeting to all our co-workers for
progress is written into the Charter of the United”
Nations with the blood of millions of workers:

“WE THE PEOPLES REAFFIRM OUR FAITH
IN THE DIGNITY AND WORTH OF THE
HUMAN PERSON.”

On that granite-hard faith we extend to our readers
and friends a very happy Christmas and a hopeful 1948. ¢

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE |