Labor Council asks resignation of CCL nominee on labor board

Delegates to Vancouver Labor Council (CCL) this week demanded resignation of

Harry Strange, CCL-nominated representative on Strange was charged with having failed to support

notorious Bill 87 during the last session of the legislature. : Delegates recalled that Attorney-General Gordon Wismer, during the House battle

on the bill, repeatedly claimed the support of Strange and of George Wilkinson, AFL-nominated representative, for the new straight- jacket provisions which Bill 87 add- ed to the stringent anti-labor clau- ses in Bill 39.

Strange defied labor opinion in his participation in the writing of Bill 87, and flaunted his defiance in a letter to the council stating flatly he does not intend to resign from his $5,000 a year position and that he considers the amendments

to the ICA Act “the best obtain- able under the circumstances.”

These amendments include power granted to the labor board to compel a government-boss super- vised vote on any boss offer dur- ing a dispute, to decertify unions and establish government-backed

strikebreaking machinery, as well, as provisions fortifying the estab- | lishment of unions as legal entities |

the provincial labor labor-sponsored amendments to the

relations board.

which can be engaged in ruinous

employer suits in the courts.

The B.C. Federation of Labor, several large CCL unions, and the council executive had already asked A. R. Mosher, national CCL to withdraw Strange from the board, it was reported, but the has asked for a 30-day stay of

president,

CCL executive council proceedings to study the council’s demand.

The council’s move is considered a significant blow against govern- ment stategy of seeking to para- lyze labor’s opposition to the CMA- inspired bill. That strategy de- pends on utilizing government in- fluence with certain labor officials to claim support of the measure from “respectable” labor while castigating majority labor opinion as that of an “irresponsible’ and

“communist” minority.

To give lecture

Maurice Rush, LPP provincial organizer, will give the first in a series of Marxist Centennial lectures at Pender Auditorium, this Sunday, May 30, at 8 p.m.

House talks out LaCroix Bill as protest influences stand of MP’s

The LaCroix police state bill was wgain talked out in House of Commons Tuesday as a made a number of MP’s leery of touching what has become

nation wide protest movement a political hot potato.

Debate was featured by a naive revelation of the when L. V. Skey (PC-Toronto-Trinity) state,

bill because I have in my constitu-| ency the leader of ‘the Canadian | Communist Party’, Mr. Tim Buck, | who has been opposed to me in elections, and whose methods I know very well.” 3

Skey succeeded in defeating Tim Buck, LPP national leader, in the 1945 federal elections only as a re- sult of the entry of a CCF split-the-|

vote candidate in the Trinity con-) ggg

stituency.)

Skey’s statement was hotly at- tacked by R&lph: Maybank (Lib. Winnipeg South Center, who stated Skey has given “an excel- lent example of where this sort of legislation will lead us. In ef- fect he said, ‘I have Tim Buck for

an opponent in my riding and I am in faver of this bill’.”

The hour allotted weekly for dis-| cussion of private members’ bills was spent in discussion before a vote was taken and the bill now goes to the bottom of the list, with eight other bills to be dealt with before the LaCroix measure can be ‘discussed again.

A mounting storm ‘of protest in British Columbia has followed the Pacific Tribune’s publication of the full text of the bill and extensive advertising by the B.C. Federation of Labor. This protest is influenc- ing a number of MP's. :

With the CCF remaining the only party committed as.aj parliamentary group to fighing the bill, William Irvine (CCF-Cariboo), replied to a letter of protest, “You may rest

assured that I will not only take

part in the debate on the LaCroix Bill but shall do everything in my power to defeat it.”

A similar position is being taken by H. W. Herridge (People’s CCF, West Kootenay).

Fact that even Tories can be in- fluenced to vote against the bill is seen in a reply to a constituent

?

motives of the bill’s supporters “My choice is simple. I must support this

by Col. C. C. I. Merritt (PC-Bur- rard), who writes two paragraphs of anti-Communist diatribe but states, “I may say that I do not pro- pose to support the LaCroix Bill.”

Though the Social Credit group as a whole is foremost in seeking police-state measures, John Black- mere (SC-Lethbridge) has. told

citizens of his constituency, “I en- tirely agree with you that this Bill is pernicious, and I will do all in my power to defeat it.”

Backers of the LaCroix measure have not given up their manoeuvers to secure its adoption, but the fight te maintain civil liberties has been ‘dengthened by the widespread outcry against the LaCroix Bill.

Public so

Seven out of the nine

maritime provinces.

TTA

aked

provinces asked the K ‘overnm

for a royal commission to investigate inequalities 5 st structure, and to suspend the 21 percent hike the period of the enquiry. That was more following presentations to the federal

in the freight rate in rail rates for than a month ago, cabinet by western and

The cabinet asked the seven premiers for time to consider the request for a royal commission. They said it was a very important question and they wanted time to give it attention. They were unable, therefore to set any time when a response to the request

might be made.

Because the request to suspend the freight rate boost is not in

|Vernon News,

By MINERVA MILLER

VERNON, B.C.—The glory of apple-blossom time bursting upon the Okanagan Valley is bringing with it the promise of a record apple crop of nine million boxes.

Apple-blossom time is also by- election time this year, Monday, May 31, being voting day in Yale federal constituency, and the lead- ing question confronting voters is disposal of their expected nine million boxes of apples now that the British market is lost.

This problem is dominating the thinking of orchardists. The reporting the an- nual convention of the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association, states, “A stramge atmosphere pervades the hall here .. . It is an atmosphere of tension; not of fear, but cer-

tainly of apprehension, and it penetrates most every address, many resolutions, and most con-

versations.”

W. A. C. Bennet, Tory standard- bearer in “this traditionally Tory seat, has seized on the apple mar- ket question as his main: vote- catcher. - Well flanked by Tory big guns, including “Honest” John Bracken himself, he is voicing a program so ostensibly progres- sive as to sound like his late namesake, R. B, “Iron Heel” Ben- nett, in his last desperate appeal for popular support.

Making hay over deeply rooted dissatisfaction with federal poli- cies, Bennett heads a long list of promised reforms with a pledge that the Tories will restore the apple market.

While crowing over his Liberal adversary, E. J. Chambers, who must defend government policy, Bennett fails to clarify how the Tories can win back the apple market when they stand behind a government policy dictated by American imperialism, a policy that increasingly limits Cana- dian trade with the sterling bloc and Eastern Europe.

Hopes of scoring an upset which would take the seat from the old-line parties’ are pinned on the campaign of CCF candidate Owen L. Jones. It is unfortunate that official CCF support of the Mar- shall Plan and the overall foreign policy of the King government is preventing Jones from giving the clear lead that is sadly lacking on the key problem of markets.

On oth vital issues, Jones, who is well-known in the Okan-

Owen Jones gets strong support in Yale bid

agan, is making a strong bid for support. He is able to point to the record of his party as the only group that fought the dis- astrous freight rates boost which Increases the cost of marketing the apple crop by a million dol- lors. This, together with the overall battle to reduce the cost of living, is the main feature af Jones’ appeal to the elector- ate.

His campaign could have been greatly strengthened had he avoid- ed the stock CCF repudiation of LPP support, and had he rejected the backing of F. S. Zaplitny, CCF member of parliament for Dauphin and a notorious nationalist, whose ‘presence in the constituency is an affront to the large population of progressive Ukranian-Canadians whose vote must comprise an es- sential part of any successful combination against the old line parties.

Despite these weaknesses, popu- lar determination to defeat the Liberals and Tories is a strong factor operating in favor of Jones. By a unanimous vote in all branches,' the Copper Mountain Miners’ Union (CIO) decided to support the Jones campaign and call a conference of al] unions

|mobilize labor support. The CCF |candidate spoke at meetings in Copper Mountain, Allenby and Princeton, drawing a good turnout as a result of local resentment against high living costs and re- pressive labor legislation,

The LPP is conducting a vigor- ous independent campaign in sup- port of the CCF candidate, in- cluding canvassing, publication of leaflets and advertisements, and the holding of public meetings ad- dressed by LPP provincial execu- tive members, including Nigel Morgan, provincial leader,

Though Bennett is conducting @ spectacular campaign and the seat has been held federally by the Tories for twenty-four years, the Liberals hold two of the provincial ridings included in the Yale fed- eral constituency, and are likely to win a considerable section of the vote unless a move is made in the last days of the campaign to throw the vote to Bennett in the hope of stopping the CCF.

Notwithstanding the political traditions of the riding the hold of the old line parties can be broken. Jones and his party cam ensure a victory through cam- Paigning positively for a united progressive vote. :

ALWAYS MEET AT

Excellent Acoustics

Renovated—Modernized ant PENDER AUDITORIUM DANCING_CONVENTIONE wae aon?

Triple Mike P.A, System — Wired for Broadcasting‘

)

339 West Pender Street

the best interests of the CPR, the King government pleads for time to consider — and leisurely proceeds to do that. It was a different story, however, when the transport commissioners author- ized a 21 percent increase in freight rates on March 30. There was no request for time to consider that decision, despite western and maritime requests for a thirty-day suspension of the order to provide an opportunity “to meet and consider the judgment and to formulate grounds for an appeal.” In the short space of eight days (April 7) the King government rushed to reassure the CPR by declaring that it would not interfere with the order of the transport board. .

Premier T, C. Douglas, in commenting upon the arbitrary way in which the King government swept aside the protests and repre sentations of the provinces, said “that is the way our dictator- ship big businesses step on the people when they think they can get away with it. It is a discriminatory action against Western Canada.”

“We have fought for 18 months. And here I would like to pay tribute to the six other provinces for the fine fight they have been putting up as well. We are not finished. We haven’t even begun to fight yet. Under Section 52, subsection 1, we have the right to appeal to the governor-general-ircouncil, and we are going to appeal.” :

But King is not immovable Nor is he permanent. And

him to move by the prod of public protest will hasten moving day in Ottawa, when those who serve the interests of big business will be replaced by men who can hear and be stimulated by the voice of the people.

Vancouver Office 501 Holden Building 16 East Hastings Street

MArine 5746 ‘

STANTON & MUNRO

BARRISTERS, SOLICITORS, NOTARIES

Nanaimo Office : Room 2, Palace Building Skinner Street 1780

Se SS a

as.

PUBLIC LECTURE

339 West

“The Communist

Manifesto Lives”

SPEAKER — MAURICE RUSH PENDER AUDITORIUM

SUNDAY, MAY 30 at 8 p.m.

Auspices: Vancouver Committee LPP SILVER COLLECTION

[DD ee ee

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 28, 1948—PAGE ? —

Pender

in the Princeton-Hedley district to”