Chinese-Canadians win provincial!

franchise, other rights mooted

Winning of the franchise

Act committee in Victoria, has come as
of many local Chinese organizations, ac

for Chinese, as announced by
the culmination of

the legislative New Elections
a long, hard fight on the part

cording to Roy Mah, International Woodworkers

of America organizer and vice-president of the Chinese branch of the Army-Navy Veterans

of Canada. “In this New Year's
s€ason we celebrate the winning
of the franchise,’ Mah told the
Pacific Tribune this week. “Last
hew year we celebrated the vic-
tory over Japanese fascism. This
hew year we are happy to boast
of a victory on the home front—
a victory against those who have
unjustly. prevented Canadian-born
Chinese from casting a vote in
Provincial elections.”

Vancouver Chinese, however,
have yet many a battle on their
hands. This year, which accord-
ing to the Chinese way of reckon-
ing years from the time of the
setting up of the Chinese Repub-
He, is the year 36, and Chinese-
Canadians have vowed that it
will be a year of progress for
their people in Canada.

Generally speaking, the Chinese

| palstibn is divided roughly into
two groups, the first generation
Chinese, whosa main battle at
present is for broadening of im-
migration laws to permit wives
of Chinese settled in Canada to
join them here, and the second
generation Chinese, represented
by the Chinese veterans, the Chi-
nese university students, and
other similar organizations.

“The present policy of forbid-
ding wives of Chinese residents
in Canada ta join their husbands
here is a moral crime against the
rights of man,” declares Mah.
“There are many Chinese in Van-
couver who have not seen their
wives and families for many
years,”

The younger Chinese who have
banded all their organizations to-

IWA women urge

strike action on prices'

NANAIMO—Unless the
mediate action against rising

federal government takes im-
prices, members of the Wom-

en’s Auxiliaries of the International Woodworkers of Ameri-

ca (CIO) have threatened to
of the IWA to take action, strike
action if necessary, for higher
Wages to protect living standards.”

The letter to the Prime Minis-
ter was sent from the fifth an-
nual IWA Women’s Auxiliaries
‘convention held here last week-
end, which was attended by 40
elegates from all Auxiliaries
‘throughout British Columbia, —

, The auxiliary members charged,
in’the letter to Mr. King, that
the government was “lifting con-
trols and raising ceilings, thus
Putting the seal of approval on
Skyrocketing profits.”

“In face of continuing protests
by the people,” the letter de
Clares, “you ang your government
have refused to act. We are cer

n that we will not stand alone
in this fight—that every trade
union, every veterans’ branch,
every farm and consumer organ-
ization will take a similar stand.

€ wives and mothers are the
Ones that have to budget the pay
check go that the food, clothing

_ Shoes, furniture ang milk monopo-
lies and the big landlords can
boost their rate of profits.”

The real story of the govern-
™ent’s de-control policy, the let-
ter asserts, cannot be told by
Mere statistics, Lifting of ceil-
‘ngs means less milk for children,

rther degradation for the aged
8nq infirm, continued reduction of
Value of pensions and gratuities
or veterans. The government
Stand that wage increases have

_ R€cessitated price boosts is false,
the letter declares, since price in-
creases took place immediately

*

following the end of the war,|

Many months before unions took
Strike action for higher wages.
“Clothing costs have risen stead-
iy,” it is pointed out, “yet there
has been no general wage in-

crease for workers in the cloth-}

ing industry.

“We cannot help but notice how
Silent you are on the important
Gestion of profits for industry.

According to “your own govern-
Ment figures, net profits of 26 Ca-
Radian corporations showed a 55.6
Percent increase over 1945. Why

“call upon the 27,000 members

super-profits. Your silence —fur-
nisheés us with additional proof
that it is the swollen profits of
industry, not the meagre increas-
es won in 1946 which has caused
the sweeping rise in the price
of goods.”

If a strike comes, responsibility
will be on the shoulders of the
Prime Minister, the TWA women
declared.

“The women of the, IWA do
not intend to stand idly by while
the welfare of their families is
sacrificed to the greed of Ca-
nadian big business. As we
have already stated, we are call-
ing upon our menfolk in the
woodworking industry to inten-
sify the fight with us against
your. willful destruction of price
ceilings, ‘This may possibly
mean a strike in B.C, logging
camps and sawmills.”

gether into a central federation
to fight for a broader franchise,
have greeted the winning of the
vote with satisfaction. But, they
say, their fight will not be won
until second-generation _ Chinese
are granted full equality in every
walk of life in Canada.

OTTAWA—Prime Minister King
intimated this week that the gov-
ernment was prepared to repeal
the Chinese Immigration Act
which bars Chinese people en-

bill would be brought in at the
coming session of parliament for
the repeal of the repressive meas-
ure.

With the repeal of the Act
wives and unmarried children liv-
ing in China would. be allowed
to join their husbands and fath-
ers in Canada, ~

Mr. King in his belated action
admitted that the present Act
is ‘in the nature of discrimina-

tion against the Chinese on ac-
count of race.”

Labor hater U.S. Senator Capeheart,
millionaire industrialist, has spon-
sored a bill to kill labor’s de-
mands fo portal-to-portal pay.
He ‘warns’ that such suits might
ruin the nation’s economy. But
then, what else would you expect
him to say?

not getting away with their

tion on a Charter of Rights

Poland, RCAF, on a charge of
conspiring to give secrets to Rus-
sia, has touched off a movement
for a parliamentary inquiry which
promises to highlight Canadian
politics in 1947.

Poland was the sixth Canadian
of the many branded by the Kel-
lock-Taschereau espionage com-
mission to be freed “by the courts.

For one dollar Canadians still
can buy the report of the Com-
mission in which Poland and
other innocent people are vili-
tied, (Khe Saturday Kvening
Post is even now running the
“complete” spy story.)

January 27 in Toronto’s Jarvis
St. Collegiate Senator Arthur Roe-
buck, prominent Liberal, will head
an imposing list of speakers for
| the Civil Rights Union. He will be
joined by Leslie Roberts, promin-
ent writer, F. A. Brewin, Ontario
CCF president and Geo. Burt,
Canadian. director of the UAW-
| CIO. MT Byes
Rev. Alex
lof the Quebec Committee

Acquittal of Squad. Leader Fred

Cameron, secretary
. for
‘| @rade ~Union Rights, announced

in. Montreal. that February 1° will

Civil Rights body urges
‘spy’ report be probed

TORONTO—Premiers King, Drew and Duplessis are

violations of civil rights. An

aroused public opinion promises to force discussion and -ac-

for Canadians.

see a public rally against Duples-
sis’ persecution of union leaders,
and to “take action on these mat-
ters.” He charged that Duplessis
and his agents on numerous 0Oc-
casions have used dictatorial meth-
od to deny the rights of organ-
ized workers.”

Canada’s Youth © Commission
eracked down on “recent in-
fringements on the rights of cer-
tain groups and individuals .. .
There is need in every commun-
ity for some organized method
of investigating and _ resisting
threats to democratic freedoms.”

Toronto’s Civil Rights Union,
‘at a general meeting, resolved to:

1,. Press for a public inquiry
by a parliamentary committee
to investigate violations of civil
rights,

2. Campaigning for a Charter
of Rights for Canadians,

The Union pointed to the con-
duct of the “spy” cases, heavy
bail and use of outworn statutes
in labor cases, persecution of Je-
hova's
against

Japanese- Canadians as

CTUIES SEV ote

ws Oi

trance to Canada. King said 28 |;

_ Witnesses, discrimination

by IRENE

to contact all organizations in the
district to attend a conference in
‘Trail in the near future to take
concrete steps on the price con-
trol question. :

Guest speakers at the meeting
were W. H. Herridge, Peoples’
CCF MP for Kootenay West and |
George Knott, International di-
rector of the’ MMSW. The first
speaker, Knott,
clearly outlined
the role taken
'“by the. coali-
pution Of: reac-
' tionaries in the
United States
“who are try-
ing to hoodwink
the American
people by stat-
ing that they
are in favor of
price. control
‘but we must
relax them a
little’, which
we. all know is an impossibility.”

Vetere

Irene

Trail workers promote
united front on prices

Knott further pointed out that

VETERE

TRAIL—Lifting of price controls by federal authorities
was protested at a public meeting called by Local 480 of the
International Union of Mine,
(CIO-CCL), here last week. The meeting passed a motion

Mill and Smelter Workers

Management was stigmatizing the

workers with the fear that wage

increases mean price increases,

but it had been proven many .
times in the great wage drives

in both Canada and the U.S. that

Management will not consent to

an increase in wages unless they

are assured their profits will not

be lowered.

Mr. Herridgée stated that Can-
ada needs price control and the
people are in favor of it. “As in-
dividuals we have no power, but
through continuous protests from
organizations the government will
be forced to do something,” the
Kootenay West MP declared.

Concluding his talk, Mr. Her-
ridge stressed the need for inter-
national peace, pointing out how
the capitalist press, by its mis-
statements was confusing the
neonle. “If we wish to build world
peace, it will take the willingness
of each to accept personal re-
sponsibility to build democracy,”
Mr. Herridge said. :

versary of the death of V. I.
Lenin, founder of the Soviet
Union.

“Only by exposing and fighting
those profit-hungry politicians who
are exploiting the millions in
China and India can we have
lasting peace anq Socialism ‘in
Canada,” the LPP leader said.

“The King government has fol-
lowed the path of the reaction-
ary Truman administration by
lifting price controls in Canada,”
he noted, and called for a mass
protest movement against “these
inflationary policies.” biaes

“There is definitely a class
struggle in evidence in Canada
today. We have only to witness
the; Noranda strike, where 600
metal miners are solidly united,
picketing this huge monopoly in
40 below zero weather,’ the
speaker declared.

The audience, made up mainly
of loggers, miners and their wives
heard the LPP leader discuss the
work and teachings of Lenin as
“the surest guide in the struggle
for lasting peace and the aboli-
tion of world imperialism.

In referring to the international
sphere, the speaker noted that
the Canadian delegation to the
UN assembly refused to vote for
the breaking off of diplomatic re-
lations with Franco Spain. “Could
this action be due “to the large
Canadian investments in the Ma-

drid street railway,” queried
Morgan, “I also note that the
Canadian government recently

sent a shipment of armored equip-
ment to the Dutch colonial admin-
istration which was used in an
attempt to suppress the Indo-
nesian people’s revolt for inde-
pendence,” he said.

“Today we are entering a period
Qf Socialism. The events taking
place in Europe and Asia today
bear witness to the genius of
Lenin,” Morgan said. “A strong
and active membership in the
Labor-Progressive Party, Canada’s
‘Marxist-Leninist® party will show
the Canadian people that Lenin,
the Russian, had the the inter-
ests of the Canadian people and
the people of the world at heart,”
Morgan concluded.

_ Prior to the Nanaimo meeting
the LPP leader addressed a large
meeting at Courtenay. The pre-
vious Wednesday, he held a mass
meeting in Victoria, which was

1946’s encroachments on civil lib-
: (very well attended.

4

ih be Fret Whe ce

a

LPP leader speaks at
Lenin memorial rallies

NANAIMO-—Stressing the urgency of the fight for world
peace and cooperation, Nigel Morgan, B.C. provincial leader
of the Labor-Progressive Party, addressed a large meeting
here last Sunday evening, commemorating the 23rd anni-

Kootenay labor
council formed

CRANBROOK— The East

Kootenay Labor Council came
into being Sunday, January
19, with the installation of a
CCL charter. The new group will
include the IWA, the Kimberley
local of the IMMWU and the
local at Field, the UMWA locals
at Fernie ang Michel, while it
igs expected taht the IWA local at
Nelson and the Trail and Dis-
trict miners union wilt also affili-
ate. "

T. Johansen of Kimberley was
elected president and Mark Ken-
nedy of the IWA, secretary-treas-

was left open until the UMWA >
locals could be in attendance.

A special provision of the coun-
cil allows Ladies’ Auxiliaries to
affiliate, and the IWA have al-
ready seated their delegation; it
is expected that other auxiliaries
will attend the next meeting of
the council,

A resolution condemning the
lifting of price controls and call-
ing on the federal government
to take action to protect basic ne-
cessities by reimposing price ceil-
ings was introduced by the IWA
auxiliary. The resolution received
the unanimous support of the
council and copies will be sent
to all organizations for endorse-
ment. d

The council endorsed the . de-
mands of the IWA as set forth
in their recent convention and ex-
pressed its wholehearted support
of the fight of the IUMMW for
union security.

Resolutions were also passed,
1) supporting the presentation of
the Labor delegation to Victoria;
2) asking for compulsory auto-
mobile insurance; 3) Petitioning
the government for an increase
of 50 dollars per month to old
age pensioners. :

After hearing a report from a
miners’ delegate regarding the
closing of the operations of the
Base Metals Corporation at Field
the council decided to write the
MLA, Tom King, demanding an

explanation for the closing of the
mine. ~ aa a 4
'

urer. The office of vice-president