York Disarmament Conference

Weapons technology threat to fragile balance

TORONTO — The Disarma- ment Conference in York, Eng- land, March 28-April 1, noted that ‘‘armaments require abnormally high research and development expenditures — 500% higher than in ordinary commodity produc- tion,’ reported Anna Sideris, official delegate of the Canadian Peace Congress at the York forum.

She spoke, on April 10, ata social evening and dance ar- ranged specially to hear her re- port, at a time when the campaign for a million Canadian signatures to the world-wide Stockholm Ap- peal on disarmament was getting under way across the country.

The York Conference, at- tended by some 350 representa- tives of a wide spectrum of trade unions, churches, government and other organizations, was marred by the fact that the British Labor Government refused visas to a number of delegates: from socialist countries.

The conference was in agree- ment, Anna Sidéris said, that ‘‘af- ter 30 years of failure to disarm,

the present advances in weapons technology are threatening to up- set the fragile balance now existing.” 10% Arms Cut

Delegates heard a message from United Nations Secretary- General Kurt Waldheim who acclaimed the forum as very’ im- portant to the work of the UN in the disarmament field. (The United Nations, back in 1972, had committed itself to sponsoring a world disarmament conference, but a date has not yet been set.)

Speaking at York, the delegate of the Soviet Peace Committee, Dr. Alexei Kalyadin, emphasized that the USSR will do everything possible for a new Soviet-U.S. agreement on limitation on reduc- tion of strategic arms. The Soviet people, he said, had paid a high enough price in the loss of 20 mil- lion lives in World War Two; and the USSR is ready to start by cut- ting its defense budget by 10% if other powers will do likewise.

In reporting on the York Con- ference, the Canadian delegate said the conference workshops

Maoist student meet collapses in Quito

An all-Latin American meeting of Maoist student groups collapsed in Quito, Ecuador recently, when more than half the delegates walked out.

Before the walk-out occurred, a spokesman for the protestors took the floor in the meeting and stated that the walk-out would occur be- cause the delegates were indignant about the attacks on socialist Cuba and the Soviet Union.

The Quito meeting had been billed by Maoist publicity as a meeting of real ‘‘revolutionary”’ students in all of Latin America who would set up a rival organiza- tion to the existing Latin American Student Federation. No such or-

ganization was set up by the remnants left after the walk-out.

Students from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia and Bolivia sparked the walk-out and were joined by others. Not all Latin American countries were represented at the meeting. Many student groups decided to boycott the Maoist gathering.

This development follows the ac- tion of Maoists in Peru who in the national conference in Lima decided to abolish themselves as a party and urged their members to

join the real Peruvian Communist-

Party.

There is such a party :

had considered ‘‘the impact of the arms race in the western hemis- phere.”’ She related:

‘‘Nuclear weapons in South Korea, the sympathy of West German monopolies for arma- ments, the U.S. Trident sub- marine base near Vancouver, and most of all the U.S. bases in West European countries, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin Ameri- ca, and Australia, were thoroughly examined.

Research Money Squandered

‘The sale of arms, interference in the internal affairs of other countries ... was bitterly criticized, and the need to stop the interference and the sale of arms was stressed.” The nuclear test ban treaty was seen as a good step, and it was deeply regretted that the Government of China would not participate.

There was criticism at the con- ference of the efforts in NATO countries to obscure the agree- ments reached at Helsinki by 35 European countries, Canada and the USA.

Noting the overriding profit motive behind the arms promo- tion of the multi-national corpora- tions, and the squandering of re- search monies for this purpose (while medical, agricultural and social welfare research goes beg- ging), the conference revealed that, in the words of the Canadian delegate, ‘‘40% of all scientists are now engaged in work for the weapons research and develop- ment institutes.’’ This is seen as contributing to the fact that ar- maments are a major factor in to- day’s galloping inflation.

Role for Trade Unions

‘‘Therefore it was agreed,” said Mrs. Sideris, ‘‘that new sys- tems such as the Cruise Missile, Trident nuclear submarine, Omega and other such systems, must be stopped.”

‘She said that the Canadian.

WORLD NEWS |

MAY DAY CELEBRATED AROUND THE WORLD As Canadians marched through city streets, packed meeting halt and otherwise celebrated May Day, ‘millions of the world’s citizens? other countries took part in their own celebrations of the internation®

workers’ holiday.

~ MOSCOW — In socialist countries May Day is an official holida and there are massive preparations for parades in honor of the wo! This year in the Soviet Union, thousands of workers marched thro Moscow’s Red Square to celebrate the achievements of socialis

Across the rest of the country, m

illions of Soviet people participal

in similar parades. In Red Square, celebrations included performance

by school children and gymnasts.

MADRID — The newly formed Coordinacion Democratica, ht ( united opposition in Spain, succeeded in massing thousands of supp™ | ters for a peaceful rally in a park outside this city in defiance of a han®

demonstrations.

Meanwhile in Barcelona, a May Day demonstration was turned it a bloody battle as police moved in on marchers with guns, tear gas billy clubs. Both events centered on demands for democracy, amnes j for political prisoners and freedom for Spaini’s national minorities:)

HAVANA — More than 150,000 Cuban people including worke™ | school children and soldiers took time out for a march in the mas' Revolution Square to celebrate May I. Carrying banners with

sages of solidarity with the national liberation struggles in Africa condemning imperialism, the mare

hers streamed past the official s

where Premier Fidel Castro and other leaders stood.

MILLIONS VOTE IN UNITED VIETNAM POLL i

SAIGON — Along with millions of their people, Vietnam’s #! volutionary leaders took their place in line at balloting places across% country April 25, to vote for a common national assembly that 7.

unite the two countries.

The assembly has 249 members from the northern half and 4 members from the southern half of Vietnam. Among the voters’ Saigon was Gen. Duoung Van Minh, who took over as U.S. puphy president of South Vietnam in the last days of the war, and signed

official surrender.

Peace Congress has set a goal of one million signatures, and en- dorsations, on the Stockholm Appeal, to be collected by August ... to be presented to the Cana- dian Government to show that the people of Canada, along with

people of other countries, want .

disarmament, detente and peace- ful co-existence between coun- tries, and that they will settle for no less.

“The Stockholm Appeal was thoroughly discussed at the York forum. Also, the role of the trade unions in this movement was mentioned.’ Since trade unions represent millions of the world’s people, they can be a tremendous force for peace and detente.

‘*Trade unions, therefore, have the responsibility to make mem- bers aware that the huge arms bill

By ALFRED DEWHURST

has diverted money and sources which are urgent needed for social welfal programs.” The speaker appealed to ¢ peace and progressive mo” ments and organizations to jo! hands in a great new world-wit offensive against the arms rac “Together we,can make 0! tente irreversible. Together ¥' can move forward to a new intel national economic order,’ SM! said. ‘‘Together we can achit¥ the barring of all nuclear and ot} weapons of mass destruction. She urged peace supporters” work for the calling of the Unit@” Nations World Disarmam@ i Conference, one of the dem of the Stockholm Appeal, basis for ‘‘building a life worth mankind.”

{ ei |

— tm

A reader writes: ‘A fellow worker asserted, during a lunch break discus- sion, that the working class must have its own political party. Is this assertion correct and, if so, why?”

This assertion is correct. It is not only correct, it is an inevitable development of the class struggle between the work- ers and the capitalists.

. * * *

In a class-divided society political parties are formed and come into being to serve the basic interests of particular classes, or, private interests of certain strata of this or-that class. Thus, in Canada, the capitalist class have the Liberal, Conservative and Social Credit Parties which serve the basic interests of the capitalist class a a whole.

In addition there is the New Demo- cratic Party which purports to speak on behalf of the working people from posi- tions of middle class opportunism and social reformism. In Quebec there is the Parti Québécois, which reflects the posi- tions of petty-bourgeois .nationalism and reformism.

None of the above-mentioned parties is based on the working class although

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 14, 1976—Page 8

Marxism-Leninism in Today’s World

all of them, particularly the NDP, are the recipients of working people’s sup- port and votes.

The only party that is based on the working class is the Communist Party which is the party of scientific socialism in Canada.

* * *

The Canadian working class has created for itself strong economic or- ganizations to assist it in fighting for, and winning, better conditions of labor,

. improved wages and living standards.

But the trade unions alone, even though they are forced more and more to com-

bine the economic struggle with politi- »

cal struggle, cannot serve the basic political aims of the working class. As, for instance, that of bringing the working class to power in order to ef- fect a revolutionary transformation of society.

In order to carry through this aim toa successful conclusion the working class needs a party that is adamant, both in words and deeds, in its refusal to recon-

cile the basic interests of the working

people with those of capitalism. Such a party must be equally intolerant of all forms of opportunism which in practice is an adaptation to capitalism. |

The working people need a party which is a voluntary union of like-

minded people who unite together for .

the purpose of carrying out the historic

mission of the working class, which is

to replace capitalism by socialism. This revolutionary character of such

a party determines its organizational

principles, its unity, its identity of ac- tion and the flexibility of its tactics.

* * *

The working people need a party |

whose interests are not the mere sum total of the private interests of indi- vidual workers or groups of workers. They need a party whose interests are those of the whole class. Such interests can manifest themselves only through

the common will which unites numer- .

ous isolated actions into one common struggle. Only a centralized leadership is capable of uniting all the forces, di-

recting them towards a common goal

‘and imparting unity to the uncodo?

nated actions of individual workers groups of workers. : ‘However, such a common will only be achieved collectively. That democratically. Thus, the centralis™) |

_ the type of party the working

needs is a democratic centralism, ba* on the will of the broadest member™ of the party. a

In practice democratic central means: all leading bodies from top, bottom are elected; regular account) ¢ by leading bodies to their respé organizations; strict discipline and ordination of the minority to the may ty; decisions of the higher bodie obligatory on all lower bodies.

- The democracy of such a party © not be reduced to merely electing !€ ership. It is a democracy of vigoh) common action in which the mem™)) not only elect and discuss, but also¥7 a practical part in guiding the wo! the party.

The Communist party of Canae* such a party. It is the party the wol® of Canada must build in order tO * once and for all the exploitation of ® by man in this country of ours.