Duplessis’ police raid peace council

MONTREAL

Angered by the knowledge that Quebec is sending about 300 determined delegates to the Cana- dian Peace Congress, half of them French-Canadians, and incensed by the rapid growth of the peace forces in French Canada, the Dup- lessis government has launched a whole series of police attacks against the peace forces here, in- cluding.:

@ The illegal raid on the offices of the Montreal Peace Council, the seizure by police of close to 12,000 signatures to the Ban the Bomb pe- tition, the confiscation of thousands of calls to the Canadian Peace Con- gress.

e: Arrest in Verdun of a woman for “disturbing the peace” by ask- ing people to sign her petition for

@ Cancellation, through police in- timidation, of halls for two meet- ings and one dance sponsored by the Montreal Peace Council. |

@ The arrest of ‘three young people for “carrying” peace posters

and peace circulars in their car)

“without a permit.”

‘@ The seizure by police of hun- dreds of posters advertising the Peace Torch Relay. ‘

Local newspapers have cooperat- ed with police in an unscrupulous campaign that matches the worst Yankee yellow journalism. Having blacked-out all legitimate news of the coming. peace congress, the papers are now employing the lie outright, even going to the extreme of claiming the peace congress is sponsored by the Labor-Progressive party, giving as their “news source” the Canadian Tribune.

The raid on the Montreal Peace Council office came on Thursday morning, April 27. ;

Police obtained’ a “search war- rant from Chief Recorder Paquette

under a section of the Criminal Code generally reserved for stolen goods. Half a dozen cops then des- cended on the room and carted away thousands of signed petitions addressed to the federal govern- ment asking for the outlawing of atomic weapons, which they de- seribed as “subversive literature.”

Legal counsel for the Montreal Peace Council claim the search war- rant was illegal and intend to start a fight in the courts to have it quashed. 3

While the raid was still in pro- gress, David Rigby, secretary of the council, wired the Senate Com- mittee on Human Rights which was sitting in Ottawa protesting “this high-hagded action which smacks of police state methods.” He urged that the senate commit- tee “subpoena Premier Duplessis for questioning. on this abrogation of fundamental civil rights contain- ed in the Declaration of Human Rights of the UN of*which Canada is a signatory.”

Canadian Peace Congress wired the Senate Committee on Civil Rights urging it to act against the raid amd stating that the World Peace Committee had been informed “ of this insult to those who would prevent war today and only yesterday died for peace.”

New vata sought for NFLY chorus

National Federation of Labor Youth chorus, now under the leadership of John Goss, is pre- paring a program for the great _ peace demonstration of Canadian and United States youth at Peace Arch in Jume, and desires to ex- pand its membership and activi- ties. ‘

Young people who can sing or play an instrument are urged to come to 1862 Williams Street on Tuesday evening, May 9, at 8 p.m, and join the choir. Further in- formation can be obtained by phoning Bobbie Bird at HA. 0086.

*

Police mike

a)

3

EN

MIKE

at strike meeting

last week. ;

Members of the Trenton tetxile union (UTW-AFL) discovered this mic:ophone at a union strike meeting. Wires led to police headquarters. The League for Democratic Rights raised the ques- tion in a brief presented to the Senate Human Rights Committee .

DAUGHTER OF TOM McEWEN

people who knew her, beth in B.C.

In Toronto, where she and her husband had made their home for many years, her early death—she was only 35 years of age—is mourned by hundreds of comrades and friends who shared with her

a lifetime devoted to the labor movement. ‘To Tom McEwen, his fellow-

members of the national commit- tee. ef the Labor-Progressive party sent. the following telegram:

“We share your sorrow at the tragic passing of Isobel and warmly press: your hand with

miss her aS a fine, devoted Com. munist.” — ;

Stewart Smith, chairman of the

Tcronto and Yorks LPP commit- tee, on behalf of the membership stated: “When on Tuesday, May 2, we learned of death through the night, we were stunned, because only at the May Day rally on Saturday she was busy as usual helping to make the meeting a success. We extend our comradely sympathy to her father, Tom, her husband Nick, her brothers Jim and Bruce, and her sister Jean. We shall all miss Isobel’s cheerful face and _ her shining Communist example as a fighter for socialism.”

Her co-workers in the Fur and Leather Workers’ Union said: “We, the members and officers of the International Fur and Leather Workers .Union (CIO). deeply mourn the sudden and unexpected passing of Sister Isobe] (Ewen) Argyros. We pledge to carry on to their final achievement the high principles for which she so ably fought.” : \

‘Leslie Morris, editor of the Can- adian Tribune, spoke for the staff and readers of the paper: “Right

bel has left the ranks of the fighters for a better life. She will not see the day of socialism, but the young people who knew her will, and that is what she would have asked more than anything else in the. world. We send our deepest sympathy to our fellow working-class journalist, Tom, her father, to Nick her husband, and to her family, who will mourn her loss so much.”

Isobel (Ewen) Argyros was born in Western Canada and raised in Saskatoon and Winnipeg in a fine communist famffy which included her two brothers, Jim and Bruce,

| deepest sympathy. We all shall J |

Isobel’s sudden |,

in the very prime of her life, Iso- |

Many mourn death . of Isobel Argyros

‘Word of the sudden death in Toronto on May 2 of Isobel (Ewen) Argyros, youngest daughter of Tom McEwen, editor of the Pacific Tribune, and- wife of Nick Argyros, will come as a shock to the many

and in the Yukon Termitory where,

in 1945, she was her father’s right-hand worker in the campaign that came close to electing him to the Yukon federal seat.

This: picture of Isobel Argyros was taken af Whitehorse, Y'.T., during the 1945 federal election

campaign.

veterans of the Spanish struggle and of World War II, and her sister Jean, who worked in China with Dr. Norman Bethune as a nurse.

/All the children followed the

magnificent example of their fath- er, Tom, who in Saskatoon, Win- nipeg, Toronto and Vancouver led great workers’ struggles, for which he was imprisoned in 1931 with Tim Buck under Section 98, and again during the war when he fought the appeasers of: fascism.

Iscbel was active in the Com- munist movement from an early age, first in the Youngs Commun- ist League and then in the Labor- Progressive party, of which she was a.foundation member.

‘As a restaurant worker she help- ed to build the union of which

her husband, Nick, was an or-

ganizer, and in recent years she had taken a particular interest in supporting work for the Cana- dian Tribune.

Of the family left to mourn her passing, the funeral in Toronto on Thursday this week was at- tended hy her father and her brother, Bruce, who flew from Vancouver, and her brother, Jim, in Toronto,: Her sister, Jean, re- sides in Penticton, B.C., and two half-brothers,. Norman and Ron- ald, live with their parents in Vancouver.

control a

Contrast between the federal

Morgan addressed a meeting with

Queensborough.

“Apparently millions of dollars are available for constructing bases to ‘protect’ the Canadian people against the non-existent threat from a country which has repeated- ly stated and shown its desire for peaceful and friendly relations with Canada,” he declared. “But when it is a matter of building dykes—or schools or,hospitals—no money is available, as in this instance where thousands of residents of Queens- borough and Lulu Island and along the river in south Burnaby lack protection against the very real threat, on the provincial govern~ ment’s own admission, of a new flood.” «

Morgan pointed to the fact that government water control statistics show a more dangerous situation than existed at the same time in 1948, and that Mayor Sangster ot New Westminster had called for a meeting of the army, navy, and Red Criss and representatives | of other municipalities affected. He demanded that the government take immediate action to protect the life, property and welfare of thousands of Valley residents _liv- ing in the threatened area.

“Absolutely nothing has been done since the disastrous. flood in 1948 to protect the thousands of residents of Lulu Island — and Queensborough,” he stated. “It is a matter of days now before the threatened flood waters will begin to run, but it is not too late if the government can be, prodded into ac- tion.

“Tf in view of the government's own estimates of the flood danger, | federal, provincial and municipal authorities fail to pool their re- sources and take the necessary steps to prevent disaster, it will

_be nothing short of criminal neg-

_‘ligence.”

The meeting adopted a resolution calling on the government to take immediate emergency flood control. action. ‘

At this week’s meeting of Burn- aby municipal council, municipal engineer Sidney M, Porter warn- ed that north Fraser River dykes in Burnaby were in poor condition and offered little protection if there should be a flood. this year. He stated that flood gates needed repairs costing some thousands of dollars and@ that there were no pumping facilities as feat a, give protection to residents in the areas likély to be affected.

Respect picket line, win UIC benefits

Sign painters and sheet metal workers who have refused to cross Electrical Workers’ picket lines at Neon Products, where a strike has been in progress for eight wecks, this week won their fight to draw unemployment insurance benefits.

Previous refusal to make pay- ments was considered a deliberate government attempt at strike- breaking by ‘Vancouver labor. Strong protests were made to UIC officials, and when Vancouver and District Trades and Labor Council stepped in, a court of referees de- cided in favor of the union men.

Local office of the UIC then ask- ed Ottawa if the referees’ favorable Cecision should be appealed to the Umpire, the final appeal. But Ot- tawa apparently felt it was handl- ing a “hot potato” and decided not

to appeal.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 5, 1950—PAGE 6.

Royal City meet calls for flood

ction |

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C.

government’s squandering of mil-

lions of dollars a day on war preparations and its failure to spend the money necessary to give residents of Queensborough and South Bumaby adequate protection against a possible new flood was sharply drawn by Nigel Morgan, LPP provincial leader, in a May Day speech here.

John Dubno, provincial secretary

of the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians at Tatra. Hall,

Cyril Morgan dies at home of son, Nigel

Cyril Morgan, father of Nige} Morgan, provincial leader of the Labor-Progressive party, passed away at the home of his son in

Vancouver on April 28. He was 68& years of age.

One of the pioneer residents of Galiano Island, Cyril Morgan was well known among the Islanders, where for a number of years he was provincial assessor. Before taking up farming in the Gulf Is- lands 40 years ago, he was a mar- ine engineer, and a member of the British Amalgamated Society of Engineers.

During the First World War he worked in Vancouver shipyards and was active in the Internation- al Association of Machinists and the One Big Union.

Allehis life a strong union man and supporter of progressive causes, he leaves to mourn his passing his wife, Kathleen; two sons Richard and Nigel of Van- couver; and a daughter, Edwina, of Vashon, Washington. — }

A private funeral was held here

On Saturday last week, followed.

by cremation.

The Labor-Progressive party €x- tended its deepest sympathy to the family in their bereavement.

City MLA’s get. worst of union shop argument —

Two Vancouver MLA’s got a rough “going over” from angry del- egates at this week’s meeting of Trades and Labor Council (AFL- TCL) when they attempted to jus- tify their opposition to union shop security for civic workers.

Don Brown (Burrard) and R. A. MacDougall (Point Grey) argued that the union shop would lead to “a transgression and interference with civi) liberties.”

Delegates found it hard to swal-

low that line of thought. Jack Phillips (Civic Workers) jumped

to his feet and challenged .Mac- Dougall to a public debate on the union shop issue, “loser to pay the hall costs, and proceeds from the debate to go to the arthritis fund.”

“I haven’t the slightest intention.

of accepting your challenge,” said MacDougall huffily. “My dignity is above it.”

John Lockwood, International

Association of Machinists, asked MacDougall, a lawyer: “Seeing the MLA is in favor of a closed shop for lawyers, why isn’t he a big enough democrat to give it to the working man?”

Delegates laughed as MacDoug- all looked embarassed. ,

Don Brown told delegates that

“eight or ten organizations lobbied

against the union shop amendment.

at Victoria” and said that he stood

firmly against the union shop, him-

self.

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