Sree st Fee Re See we ee ee Effie Talks About Her Trip To Russia By RUTH DOHERTY hen Effie Jones left Van. W couver in July to visit England and the Soviet Un- ion, although obviously happy and excited, she seemed just a little reluctant to leave home and friends even for a short time. She told us then, “= tave Vancouver—couldn’t live anywhere else. Now Mrs. Jones is home again and eager to talk about the people and places she saw in her travels. She ad- mits she didn’t go with a wide open mind. Long ago this articulate and intelligent woman placed herself firmly on the side of humanity against privilege and decided that socialism was the chan- nel through which mankind must travel to peace and plenty. It is not surprising, therefore, that what she saw and heard in the Soviet Un- ion delighted and amazed her. Asked about her jmaares- sions of the first socialist state, she said that it took her some time to adjust to the slower tempo. People seem to have time to stand around :and talk with visitors, so that one is inclined to wonder how they accomplish as much as they do. “Don’t rush,” they would tell me, ‘“There’s no hurry.” They also have an- other quality we don’t seem able to afford — a genuine, unguarded liking for one another which shows in many little ways. HOUSING A PROBLEM There are some things we wouldn’t like to have to put up with. Although apartment building is going on at a great rate, housing is still a prob- lem in the large cities. The privacy we treasure would be difficult to achieve and many of the home comforts we have become accustomed to are lacking. Emphasis is on collective living and peo- ple flock to parks, museums, theatres, sports and so on. Health is a duty as well as a right and one is not per- mitted to neglect it, something we would consider an inva- sion of our rights as individz- als. Child welfare too is a community responsibility. I saw very few children in Moscow; most of them were away at summer camps. Their health is carefully watched in school and kindergarten and if a child is underweight or otherwise doesn’t measure up to the high standard of health, he may be whisked off to a sanitarium for treat- ment. Asked if women take full advantage of their equal rights and career opportunities, _Mrs. Jenes assured us that it is taken for granted that wo- men will work. “There is a big job to be done and most women want to do their share. The women I met were well groomed and_ though some are heavily built, they have good carriage no skinny legs and protruding tummies — and no wonder; every morning they are up at 7:30 exercising to instruction coming over the radio. Their hair is beautiful — shining and healthy looking. On one eccasion I saw a woman street sweeper leave her broom and join the lineup for a mani. cure. Ki AF maculate streets swept isn’t a very arduous job. I work much harder around my own house and garden,” she said. Few people own cars, but public: transport is so cheap and’ efficient, it is doubtful if they ever will. ® In this interview with the Pacific Tribune, well known civic and ccmmunity leader ~ Effie Jones, tells of her im- pressions when she visited the Soviet Unien during the sum- mer. Mrs. Jones went to Lenin- grad first and visited all the Lenin memorials — the room where he worked, the train -which brought him from Fin- land, all carefully and _ lov- ingly preserved. She saw the magnificent palaces of the ezars and historic sites con- nected with the revolution, as well as evidence of the heroic resistance to Hitler’s seige .of the city, the -steel mill where men and women to their last breath, and the mass graves, where nameless : thousands were buried. She also went to Kiev, an- other city which suffered un- der Hitler terrorism, and wit- nessed the tremendous re- construction which has taken place since then; factcries, farms, apartments, public buildings, historic sites—Ef- fie wanted to see them all, and she took carefu! notes of what she saw and heard. In Moscow the process was repeated — up early and on the go most of the day. One of the highlights of her stay in Moscow was a visit to an old folk’s home, a fine build- ing with large park-like grounds. “There is no com- pulsory retirement age and elder people may work as long as they wish after pen- sionable age (55 for women, 60 for men). In this home they may work three hours a day if they feel fit for it, earning extra money for their hob- bies or additional amenities, They are free to visit friends or family if they wish and return to the home at their convenience. “While I was in Moscow, doctors from all over the world were attending a Can- cer Conference and I’m sure must have been favorably impressed. The UBC rowers were on the plane coming home and when I asked one of them what he thought of the Russian rowers, he as- sured me they were a fine bunch of fellows. Let’s hope increasing numbers go to see for themselves,” said Effie. ALL FOR PEACE It is well known that the Soviet people support. their government’s. position on peace and believe that ev- everything possible is beins done, consistent with their security, for disarmament, so we asked Mrs. Jones if, in her judgement, they take this position through lack of infor- mation or emotional prejud- ice. Her reply was very em- phatic. “The Soviet people appear-— ed to me to be very well in- formed indeed and know a good deal more about North America than the North Am- ericans know about them. At the same time there is no anti - Americanism compar- able to the rabid anti-Com- ‘find here A demonstration in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in support of Cuba during the recent crisis. Similar demonstrations took place all ove? Latin America. How did Canada Act? Cont’d. from pg. Walter Reuther, who fe to the President: ‘“‘We are with you, all the way, Jack!” But what about the rank and file, what about the Can- adian trade union spokesmen. Where is labor’s part in the fight for peace? Unfortunately, the trade unions, and ‘the farmers’ groups, largely remained si- lent. Are .workers aha farmers interested in war and peace? Of course. What, then, of their strong and influential organizations? Showld they not speak and act? Why did they not do so? True, there were excep- tions. A good resolution was passed by the B.C. Federa- tion of Labor convention, which was meeting at the time. Unions with wide-awake _and progressive leaders spoke out. But on the whole, even in French Canada where the Catholics unions are usually more alert to such matters, labor was asleep at the switch. : Meeting a couple of weeks after the crisis had eased the Ontario Federation of Labor convention, .representing the largest provincial trade un- ion group of the Canadian Labor Congress, had nothing to say about the biggest event in Canada since the end of the Second World War! These are worrisome facts. SITUATION FAVORABLE On the other hand the sit- | uation was never so favor- able for the people’s move- ment for peace. The government is in great difficulty because American pressure is increasing and the Bomare warheads and the whole issue of foreign bases are at the top of its agenda. There are signs of a div- ision within the cabinet, be- tween the Green and Hark- ness groups, on the station- ing of nuclear warheads in the Bomarc missiles. Public opinion, as the prime minister himself admitted the other day, is generally against nuclear weapons in Canada. There is the Kennedy Doc- trine: the impudent imperial- ist announcement by Kennedy at Ottawa some months ago that the U.S. government ar- rogates the rights to decide what pclicies other countries _ of the Americas have. This was repeated by Vice- President Lyndon Johnson on Nov. 14. Having declared that the U.S. will meet “force with force”, he said: The purpose of the U.S. Temains unChanged towards this hemisphere: We intend that the Americas shall be free ffom Communism, free from tose who serve Com- muniSt maSters and—through the joint effort of the Alli- ance for Progress. — free cf the seeds from which com- munism gTrows.”’ This is a blatant warning to Canada that its policies and government either must meet the approveil of the USA now and in the future or the U.S. will act towards Canada as it does to Cuba, and meet “force with force’. This, and not the Soviet union, is now the central problem in our foreign poli- cy. Already it is clear that U.S. interests oppose our wheat trade with China; that they © think we acted too slowly in the Cuban crisis, and did not shout with one voice: “Ready, aye, ready!” when Kennedy cracked the whip. The Pentagon’s pressure on Canada to accept nuclear - weapons is the first thing the U.S. will insist on. DANGER FROM U.S. So—the lesson of the Cuba crisis is this: it revealed as in a lightning flaSh to millions of Canadians that we are in g'eat danger from the USA not from Cuba or the Soviet Union, as tMe cold war boys would have us believe. It was Cuba yesterday; it might be Berlin tomorrow, or some other Latin-Ameri- can country which takes a. stand not to the liking of Mr. Kennedy. Or, if Canada Starts trying to free itself f'om U.S. dom- ination, it could well be Can- ada‘s turn to come under the Yankee Jun. What shall we do? Passive- ly await events, or realize now that this matter — the independence and_ security of our country -—— is the re- sponsibility of ail Canadians, and like war itself, is too precious a matter to be left to ‘politicians? Canadian vatriotism and the good of our country, in- deed our very lives, literally cry out that we learn the les- son of Cuba and that a great public movement to free 9 country from U.S. bases, stop the over-flights of U¥ war planes, perhaps load ded with atomic bombs, to Té fuse to allow. nuclear wal heads on Bomarc missiles is long overdue. The good start made mUs be only a start. NO NUCLEAR ARMS The alternative is the gha tly one of being passive vig tims, with our heads on a block, ready to accept any thing the war-crazed generals conjure up, as they did’ when it mobilized fF the invasion of Cuba. The Soviet Union Pi vented world war at the e™ of October. But how can expect to have world Pé if we do not realize that ! is not the Soviet Union’s sponsibility but ours whe or not Canada is to be ™ expendable by the USA? This is not a Commu matter and not somethin confined to socialist-mindé people. It is the deepest © cern of all Canadians. But the NDP with its peac’ policy, as put forward by Mr Douglas; the trade union® with their good resolution® ready to be acted on; many peace movements; brave women and young Pe? ple who showed the best itiative in the demonstt tions for peace during Cuban crisis; the Commu? Party and the Young Com minist League — these 4 in the best position to arouse” Canadian public opinion — prevent nuclear arms in oa ada and to compel the ©” mantiement of U.S. bases. oF, our territory. 70 Charity begins at home. help bring the dismantlin& foreign bases everywhere — the world, Canadians sh? start at home. No nuclear arms mer ada, dismantle the U.S. —crate them up i them home as the Soviet t ion did in Cuba. : This is now the next stone on the road to peace Britain’s foreign secret Lord Home was Champ’ lain’s assistant at the Mut” sellout to Hitler 24 years” ag There are now Comn¥ parties in 88 countries total membership of nN 42,000,000.