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Confronted with the implacable hatred of the Korean people and with world opinion clamoring against them, Lieut. General Matthew B. Ridgway (left), U.S. Eighth’ Army Commander, ard General J. Lawton Collins, U.S. chief of staff, Inok gloomy at this conference

in Korea.

Victoria students say

war not inevitable

VICTORIA, B.C.

Students at Victoria College . decisively rejected propa- ganda in favor ef a new war when they voted by a large majority at a noon-hour debate last week to reject the prop-

osition, “Resolved, that war

Main speakers opposing the re- solution were Archie McGugan, chairman of the Victoria Club of the National Federation of Labor Youth, and Pat Thomas, Student Council member and a son of Dr. J: M. Thomas, pro- minent local member of the CCF.

“Propaganda in favor of war comes mainiy from the Ameri- can political figures and news commentators,” said McGugan, “but they are unable to ‘find

any dependable allies. Europe wants reconstruction and Asia wants independence. Every-

where the overwhelming major- .

ity of people want peace. The true sentiments of the American people are for peace.”

“Since the conditions that breed wars are made ‘by man they can be changed by man,” ‘asserted Pat Thomas. “If we want to help backward coun- tries, we must send them aid without requiring their political subservience.”

is inevitable.”

Opinion in U.S. favors pulling ouf of Korea

NEW YORK

With two out of three Ameri-

cans declaring that the US.

should withdraw its troops from

Korea, the grass-roots peace up-

surge in this country swept for- ward to a new pitch last week.

‘In an American Institute of Public Opinion Poll (Gallup), 66

percent of those questioned re-

plied that the U.S. should “pull our troops out of Korea as fast as possible.’ Nine percent had no opinion. In addition, when asked if the U.S. “made a mis- take’ in going in to Korea in the first place, 49 percent re- plied: “Yes, we made a mistake.” This is more than double the affirmative opinion expressed when the same question was put last August.

UN must act for peace-[WA

VICTORIA, B,C.

An across-the-board increase of 25 cents an hour in 1951 was the major demand

advanced by British Columbia’s largest trade

union, International Woodworkers of

America, which wound: up its 14th annual district convention here Sunday night. De- termination of the 130 delegates to win this pay HS: before the present contract expires

June 15 was expressed in the slogan unanimously

tract — no work.”

, adopted by the convention: “No con-

Some 72 resolutions dealing with waages and contract revisions showed the tem-

CONTINUED

EX-MAYOR

will find ourselves unless we join with’ Nehru and the rest of the Asiatic bloc in a stiff resistance to that policy,” the ex-Mayor wrote.

“Can we honestly blame China for fearing the motives of the

* U.S. in Korea? More stubbornly

entrenched than ever, the US.

now states that ‘national secur- .

ity needs of the United States will dictate the future of For- mosa, They further declare that they will never participate in any conference about For- mosa at which the national gov- ernment of Chiang Kai-shek is not represented. What further evidence could. China need that she can expect no possible sym- pathetic approach to her prob- lems from that source?

“Despite the fact that ‘Chiang Kai-shek has been thoroughly discredited both at home and abroad, and that his Nationalist government does not represent @ comparative handful of the Chinese people, the U.S. reaffirms our fears that they have no in- tention of abandoning their vain hope of eventually reimposing that reactionary element on China, by any and every means.

“As for the elastic term, “na- tional security’, now coined by the U.S. to justify its action on Formosa, despite the terms of the Cairo agreement of 1948, whereby the U.S. pledged that Formosa, then held by Japan, should be turned over to China after the Second world war — what would be our attitude to any Communist power which de- cided to send troops, fleets, or air patrols 5,000 miles ~ away from their national borders, to say. Hawaii, Alaska or Vancou- ver Island, on the same pretext?

“We would not tolerate such a ‘national security’. move for one minute, and yet we expect

the Communist countries to ac-

cept this explanation of our in- tervention without protest.

Naturally, they do not believe the United States — and cou- pied with such flagrant support of rotten reactionary regimes, and refusal to accept the man- date of the majorities of the peoples in these countries as to the government they wish to represent them on the world council--it is not to be wondered Bt ewars °

“We must speak out, in no uncertain terms, as a free and independent nation and free and independent peoples, that we stand. for the forces of progress in Asia and in all underprivi-

leged countries—that we recog- |

nize the social significance of the revolts of these peoples and that we sympathize with them and will do what we can to help them to accomplish their objectives.”

per of woodworkers in the face of rising living costs. Other key demands include nine paid statutory holidays, periodic upward adjustment of wage rates in relation to. the COL index, better pay for skilled and semi-skilled workers, a health and welf@re plan, and union shop con- ditions. mis

An interim wage increase of six cents an hour (which employers hoped to tie to a cost-of-living sliding scale for an 18-month term) proved so unpopular with delegates that IWA leaders, who had been secretly pushing the scheme

for some time, only made passing reference to it. Ignored in the daily press was an important peace

resolution endorsed by the convention.

“Whereas, peace of the

CONTINUED

' prosperity

~~ PEARKES

our own land. We may have to step up our forces to 120,- 000 men. We have a_ three- fold commitment — forces for

support of the Atlantic Pact

army in Europe, maintenance of the Korean effort, and send- ing more and more. supplies to nations which feel that their standard of living has fallen so low that it is not worth defend- ing.

“The. aged, pensioners, unem- ployed and unemployables. are having very hard going, but our program will cost a great deal of money. You can’t have and defense. Our soldiers’ pay is good, $80 a month.”

As Major’ General Pearkes sat down, feeble applause came from about a dozen of his support- ters. Then a young RCAF vet- eran jumped to his feet and moved that Canada withdraw the Princess Pats regiment from KXorea, on the grounds that gov- ernments representing the ma- jority of mankind opposed our role in Korea.

Not a voice was raised in op- position to the motion, and chair- man K. D. Alexander peremp- terily ruled the motion “out of order” and declared the meeting adjourned.

CONTINUED

PEACE

important factor in frustrating continued American attempts to brand China as the aggressor, force imposition of diplomatic and economic sanctions and pre-

pare for attacks on the Chinese |

mainland. Back of the conciliatory posi- tion taken in the UN by Exter-

“nal Affairs Minister Lester B.

Pearson was the nationwide de- mand .— cutting across political lines — for recognition of ‘China. This demand was frequently ac- companied by the call for with- drawal of Canadian troops from Korea, opposition to any con- scription of Canadian youth and denunciation of plans to rearm Germany and Japan.

‘ Canadian Peace. Congress of- ficials expect this action for peace to grow, culminating in

the great National Assembly for ~

Peace to be held in Toronto on April 6-8.

It read:

world is a matter of vital

concern to all woodworkers and people in general, and ;

“Whereas, it is the hope of all that Canada should exert every effort through the United Na- tions to maintain world peace,

“Resolved, that the 14th an- nual convention of the B.C. Dis- trict Council No. 1, IWA, go on record urging the Canadian gov- ernment. to exert every effort in the United Nations to settle international disputes without war.”

Another resolution; unanimous- ly endorsed, took a strong stand against es | freezing” and against “no strike” legislation.

An executive-inspired resolu- tion advocating an increase in union dues of 50 cents per month was defeated, 69 to 58, but a recommendation for a $2 as- sessment was carried and goes to the membership for ratifica- tion.

All 12 locals of the district, representing 27,000 IWA mem- bers, sent delegates to the con- vention. The international of- fice representatives were James E. Fadling, president; A, F. Hartung, first vice-president; and Virgil Burtz, research and education director.

J. Stewart Alsbury, president of the district, was nominated to hold that post for another year. No other candidate was proposed, but a referendum vote - will have to be held to confirm his re-election, and the ballot will allow for “write-in” of other names.

George . Mitchell was the sole nominee for the post of secre- tary-treasurer and Fred ¥Fieber was the only candidate for third vice-president.

(Referendum votes will also be held on the nomination of Joe Morris, Duncan, and Tom Brad- ley, Vancouver, for first vice- president; Stu Hodgson and Carl Mertz, Vancouver, for second vice-president; and Roy Whittle, Victoria, and Andy Good, Van- couver, for six-year trustee.

Appointment of. a _ full-time safety director for the district was approved.

LPP national meet opening in Toronto

TORONTO Dele to the fourth natio- nal convention of the Labor- Progressive party, to be held here January 25-28, were arriv- ing in Toronto this week. De- cisions of the convention will be outlined by Tim Buck, LPP national leader, at a public meet- ing in Massey Hall this Sunday.

i; PACIFIC TRIBUNE — JANUARY 26, 1951 — Page 12