Billy Matthews dead : Battle for life lost by gallant seaman The trade union movement lost| pital twice a week for the past one of its best workers, the Labor- Progressive party one of its finest members and the Pacific Tribune one of its staunchest supporters this week when Billy Matthews, 27, died after a long illness in Pearson TB hospital. Matthews went to sea as a boy of 15, served in Canada’s Merch- ant Marine during the Second World War, became a patrolman for the Canadian Seamen’s Union in 1946, and entered ‘hospital as a tuberculosis patient in 1947. From 1947 until his death Tues- day this week he rarely was able to leave his bed. \ But Billy Matthews’ life as a trade unionist, Communist and labor press supporter didn’t end when he found himself flat on his back, facing death. Indeed, it would be true to say that hospit- alization marked the beginning of the most important part of this young man’s life. He had joined the Labor-Pro- gressive party in 1946, on the basis of his travels and experiences as a seaman, which had taken him to ports in many parts of the world and given him a glimpse of what the fight for socialism means. A fighter himself—and a fun- loving seaman who had joined his mates in many a wild fling — Matthews in hospital began the greatest battle he had ever faced, ‘a struggle to enlarge his know- ledge by reading and to win back his health if at all possible. “Billy had more guts than any- one I’ve ever known,” said Jimmy Thompson, head of the West Coast Seamen’s Union, when he heard of Matthews’ death. “Why, the doctors told him four years ago that he had no right to be alive, but Billy just refused to die. Whenever our union was en- gaged in a strike, he would write us long letters, encouraging us to keep our chins up, predicting vic- tory for the union if we’d never stop battling. Never a word of, his own troubles—his whole inter- est was centred on the cause of labor.” Merwyn Marks, manager of the People’s Cooperative Bookstore, had been visiting Matthews in hos- three years, keeping him supplied with books and bringing him food delicacies donated by the WCSU. “He was an avid reader,” said Marks, ‘with a particular liking for Marxist theoretical books, tech- nical books dealing with the mak- ing of model schooners, and biog- raphies of fighters for progress. “When The Scalpel, The Sword was published, this story of Dr. Norman Bethune so enthused Billy that soon he had two copies cir- culating among the doctors and nurses in several city hospitals.” During periods of his illness when he was sufficiently well to sit up and work with his hands. Matthews spent hundreds of hours working on model schooners. One took a prize at the Pacific National Exhibition last summer; others were displayed and sold by yacht clubs here and in Seattle. He had far more orders on hand than he could ever hope to fill. A reader and supporter of the Pacific Tribune for many .years (the Kitsilano LPP Club sent him a gift subscription every year) Billy Matthews introduced the paper to other patients, signed up several new readers, and collected a few dollars during financial cam- paigns. He contributed some book reviews, and engaged in lively cor- respondence with Bert Whyte over sports questions, : Until the hour of his death, Billy Matthews never lost his zest for life and his courageous fighting spirit. His passing leaves a gap in the progressive movement which will not be easy to fill. IWA leader to appeal Taft-Hartley conviction SEATTLE Attorneys for A. A. Fisher, Inter- national Woodworkers rank-and- file leader, announced that his con- viction on four of six counts of a Taft-Hartley indictment will be ap- pealed to the U.S. federal circuit court. 2 Fisher became the first member of either major labor federation to be convicted under the T-H non- Communist affidavit provision. a 119 E. HASTINGS \ . ESL SPR FR ILE SOT OTE SS TA OTR OTE SSR SESS OTE OTR NSE SNS ASA AAS 119 E. HASTINGS PACIFIC 9588 Xmas Supplies @ TURKEYS | @ MEATS @ FRUITS , . @ VEGETABLES FERRY MEAT MARKET FERRY MEAT MARKE x VANCOUVER 4, B.C. i | x 4 x 4 4 x x x : : | @ CIGARETTES Ry : x 4 VANCOUVER 4, B.C. ‘ Progressive candidates — poll increased:votes — In a dozen cities and villa dates contesting municipal office Hope, was a progressive elected. There Angus Maclsaac, third of three commission by six candidates. ‘ Chief interest was centred in Burnaby, where independent can- didates posed the only strong chal- lenge to the dominant Non-Parti- san Association, and North Van- couver District, where three well known campaigners for progres- “ sive policies contested council and school board office. : In Burnaby, which only two years ago boasted a CCF reeve and council majority, the CCF reversed an earlier decision to continue nominating candidates for muni- cipal office and decided that CCF members contesting office should do so as individuals. The one re- maining CCF councillor complet- ing her term of office, Mrs. Pat- ricia Wilks, announced that she would not stand for reelection and only one former CCF councillor, J. D. Drummond, who was narrow- ly defeated last year, announced his candidacy for council. The brunt of the election cam- paign against Non-Partisan policies was borne by two independents, William Turner, who has frequent- ly headed delegations to voice rate- Payers’ grievances before council over the past two years, and Robert Towle, making his first bid for Office. In the school board contest, Mrs. Corol Cameron, another newcomer, represented the sole opposition to the sitting Non-Partisans. She en- tered the field in a last-minute nomination after Alex Kucher, | Standing as an independent, was informed that his qualifications were not in order. _ Although the Non-Partisans car- ried all but one seat, they won only in face of a strong opposition vote. Drummond knocked out Norvel Asel; a Non-Partisan new- comer, to take a council seat, and Turner polled 2,726 votes, the highest figure he has yet achieved, to bring him within sight of elec. tion. Towle’s vote was 1,870. In the school board contest, Mrs. Cameron with 3,540 votes, was only 900 below the lowest Non-Partisan candidate. An even closer contest was fought in North Vancouver District where Mrs. Dorothy Lynas, in a field of four candidates for ‘two school board seats, came within 100 votes of election. ' Two independents standing for council seats both polled increas- ed votes. ; Damon Eisenman, seeking a two- year term, polled 900 votes, and Ivan Birchard, seeking a one-year term, 766 votes. ‘ In other major provincial centres, New Westminster, Victoria and Nanaimo, votes won by progres- sive candidates reflected the gen- eral upward trend. G. P. Amy, although he placed tenth among 10 candidates con- testing four council seats in New seats by a three-vote margin in ges throughout the province last week progressive polled generally increased votes, candi- but only in one place, veteran trade unionist, won the an election strongly contested “ MRS. COROL CAMERON She polled 3540 votes for school trustee in Burnaby. : MRS. DOROTHY LYNAS She came within 100 votes of election to North Vancouver School Board: . Westminster, polled an impres- sive 1,049 votes. Elgin Neish, in Victoria, was ninth in a field of 10 candidates for four council vacancies, polling 729 votes. In Nanaimo, Mrs. Beryl Wheel- don increased: her vote, polling 400 votes to place fifth among five candidates contesting. three coun- cil seats. Elsewhere in the province, Carl Hilland polled 322 votes in Maple Ridge and Leo Brady a disappoint- ing 42 votes in Surrey’s Ward 5. In elections to village commis- sioners, W. S. E. Morrison polled 50 votes in Parksville, John Hewi- Defer Kaiser deal until 3 House meets, The CCF this week condemned the secrecy with which the prov- incial government is trying to rush through the Kaiser dam deal, and asked that action on the storage dam be delayed until the legis- lature can debate the issue in Jan- uary. ; “Since the power potential in the Castlegar area is perhaps the greatest in North America, no gov- ernment is justified in signing an agreement of such consequence without consulting the people’s elected representatives,” said a CCF statement. i 4 x i 4 x x i says CCF CCF provincial leader Arnold Webster also blasted action of Lands Minister Robert Sommers, who admitted this week that copies of his recent speech defending the deal with Kaiser had been mailed to all school principles in the proy- ince; “Sending of general information on current issues is a common practise,” said Webster, “but it is quite another thing for a govern- ment to take advantage of its posi- tion to present one side of a con-|| troversial subject to teachers.” $380,000 first unit of new muni- cipal hall: Yes, 4,784; No, 2,41 (Carried). hall on Grandview Highway: Yes, — 4,410; No, 2,630 (Carried). Estab- © lishment. of elective park board: Yes, 4,952; No, 2,081 (Carried). NORTH VANCOUVER DISTRICT son 161 votes in Campbell ‘River and Olaf Carlson 106 votes in Lake Cowichan. Following are complete election result in Burnaby and North: Van- fcouver District: BURNABY Council (first three elected) — W. P. Philps, Non-Partisan, 4,218; Gerald Charlton, 3,741; J. D. Drummond, indepen- dent, 3,446; Norvel Asel, Non- Partisan, 3,185; William Turner, independent, 2,726; Robert Towle, independent, 1,870. Non-Partisan, School Board (first three elected —Frederick Salisbury, Non-Parti- san, 5,305; William Maxwell, Non- Partisan, 5,013; Samuel Noble, Non- Partisan, 4,475; Mrs. Corol Camer- on, independent; 3,540. Bylaws — $66,000 for library buildings: Yes, 4,091; No, 2,867 (Rejected because it lacked re- quired three-fifths majority). $680,- 000 hospital grant: Yes, 6,009; No, 1,000 (Carried). Establishment of library board: Yes, 4,341; No, 2,608 (Carried). Referendums — Contruction Location of municipal — Council (full two-year term, first three elected) — Murdo Frazer, 2,582; Gordon Hutton, 2,419; John Donovan, 2,341; 1,827; Damon Eisenman, 900. Tom Chambers, Council (one-year term, first one elected) — John Davidson, 1,867; Mrs. Grace Laird, 1,533; Ivan Bir- chard, 766. School Board (first two elected) —William Darregar, 2,368; Russell Byatt, 1,767; Mrs. Dorothy Lynas, 1,636; A. K. Wilson, 1,408. Bylaw—$830,000 for school con- struction: Yes, 3,354; No, 820 (Car- ried). North Vancouver City vote: Yes, 1,308; No, 690 (Carried). MEN ... You Will Need CLOTHES for XMAS Buy yours from THE HUB with the guarantee that they are union-made and of first quality. Use our FREE CREDIT It meafis you pay absolutely nothing extra than if you Paid cash. SUITS FROM $45 to $75 TOPCOATS $29.50 to $79.50 Men’s Furnishings Work Clothes ; WL E“HUp &£TO* TH 45 EAST HASTINGS 45 EAST HASTINGS PACIFIC TRIBUNE — DECEMBER 17, 1954 — PAGE 7