Page Four B.C. WORKERS’ NEWS February T, 1936- B.C. WORKERS NEWS Published Weekly by THE PROLETARIAN PUBLISHING ASS’N _ Room 10, 163 West Hastings Street - Vancouver, B.C. e 7 — Subscription Rates — One Year ____$1.80 Halt Year == 1500 Three Months __$ .50 Single Copy ——_— -05 Make All Checks Payable to the B.C. WORKERS’ NEWS Send Ali Copy and Manuscript to the Chaicnzan of the Editorial Board — Send All Montes and Letters Per- taining to Advertising and Circulation to the Business Manager. Vancouver, B €., February 7, 1936 THE RED ARMY pee capitalist press professes to be greatly alarmed over the strengthening of the Red Army of the Soviet Union. It poses as the champion of world peace and tries to represent the determination of the workers and peasants of the Socialist country to defend their gains as a threat to world peace. The fact is that Japan and Germany, backed by Great Britain, are planning to attack the Soviet Union. The great imperialist powers, envieus of the Soviet Union, desirous of cary- ing up its rich territory for imperialist exploita- tion, hope to achieve what they failed to do in the wars of intervention of 1917-1921. The building of the Red Army can in no way be compared to the building of imperialist armies. The armies of imperialism exist for the purpose of enslaying colonial peoples, sub- jugating small nations and extending imperial- ist robbery and enslavement. As such they are enemies of peace. The Soviet Union has no such need or ambition: It is not an imperialist power. But having smashed capitalism in a ter- ritory embracing one-sixth of the earth’s sur- face, and having succeeded in eliminating un- employment and in raising the living standards of the people to great heights, it knows that these gains must be protected and defended against a hostile and envious capitalist world. Their Red Army is therefore an army of peace. The hypocritical capitalist press may seream all it likes, but the people of Canada remember only too well that the capitalists of Canada joined with the robbers of the rest of the capi- talist world in their effort to strangle the infant Soviet Republic in a welter of workers’ and peasants’ blood. These plunderers of the people would like the Soviet Union to rely on their lying protestations of a desire for world peace. But the Soviet Union, while the gréatest force for world peace, is not a pacifist nation. Tt will defend its freedom and its frontiers against the renewed attacks of the capitalist na- tions, for in the words of Stalin, they desire no foreign territory, but will hold fast with the power of their Red Army to every inch of their soil. THE RIGG REPORT Tee whitewashing of the administration of the Slave Camps, the raising of the Red Bogey and the basis laid for the continuation of the festering sores represented by the forced labor camps, by the commission appointed by the King Government occasions no surprise in the workers who from long and bitter experi- “ence are privy to the purpose of such fake in- vestigations. The Rigg Commission is frank in stating that its chief concern is not with the welfare of the youth condemned to social ostracism and forced labor at a coolie wage, but with the wel- fare of the bosses’ State. It laments that the thwarted ambitions—a condition which if is compelled to admit—is not left to become in- erowing and to sink into utter hopelessness and despair. It inveighs against the wicked Com- munist agitators who desire to lift the youth out of their government-imposed despondency, hopelessness and degradation. The commission report shows clearly that while paying lip service to the need for abolish- ing the camps, nevertheless wants the abolition to be effected in the remote and hazy future, —meanwhile the name of the camps should be changed without any change in their rotten char- acter. ‘‘Reief Camps” stink in the nostrils of every decent citizen of Canada; the Rigg junketting gang except to make the efiluvia of the polecat smell like the rose by calling them “Tmergeney Work Camps.” ; The petty concessions made by Dick Rigg and Company were made because of the public opinion aroused by the strikes of the immates of the slaye compounds and their historic trek to Ottawa which compelled remoyal of the most irritating conditions. The scab wages of $13 per month recom- mended by the commission must be and will be rejected by the boys in the slaye camps. The demand for work and decent wages stands, and ereater organization and even more militant strugele, and not findings by commissioners, will compel the government to abolish these camps and provide work and wages in places where social life is possible and not in imaccessible places. OBSCURANTISM IN U.B.C. [- is reported that the faculty of the University of British Columbia turned thumbs down on the students’ proposal to produce ‘‘Waiting for Lefty,” the working class play by Clifford Odets which won the regional contest against eleyen other amateur sroups. © This action of the faculty is further proof of the domination and control of the higher insti- tutions of learning by big business. The money bags and their representatives do not like a realistic proletarian play like “Waiting for Lefty.” The artistic development of these Babbits does not rise above appreciation of the inanities of bourgeois decadence. The progressive in- stinets of the students which was made manifest by their desire to produce the greatest dramatic achievement of recent times is temporarily stiflel by the Bourbons who starve the people intellectually as well as culturally and who strive to produce a generation of mental robots. The students will have the support of every progressive person in their endeavor to break through the circumscribed limits to artistic ex- pression imposed upon them by a bunch of ig- noramuses representing the worst and most re- actionary section of society. THE SALES-TAX STEAL {ees Pattullo government is plotting to add yet another burden on the backs of the poor in the form of a Sales Tax. Pattullo wants more money, not to institute a program of Work and Wages, but to provide more police to terrorize workers and farmers, to pay usurious rates of interest to bondholders, and to add to the al- ready burdensome bureaucracy of provincial government. If Pattullo must have more money there are plenty rich men and wealthy corporations in B.G. who can pay more taxes, instead of increas- ing the cost of living for the poor by making them pay a sales tax on everything they buy. ‘A sales tax is Pattullo’s way of dipping his hand into everyone’s pocket; it means that the inerease in the cost of living lowers the real wage the employed worker receives, and the al- lowance received by people on relief and small pensioners will not buy as much as formerly. The whole business is a piece of legalized thievery, an attack on the common people to conserve. the profits of the rich, and must be fought tooth and nail, not only in the legislature but throughout the whole proyince. COMPANY SUCKER HAS A HARD LIFE Nobody Loves a Skunk or a Scab GCUMBERLAND, Feb. 3.—There was a terrible stink around the Masonic Hall here last Sunday night, when 27 skunks gathered there to hold the first meeting of the Company Union and named Will Find Job on Police Board for Dismissed Protege COUNSEL PROTESTS Although Mayor McGeer was able through the Civic McGeer F ires Tucker; | Two Others Demoted signed, stated that he first wanted to. read out a letter received by members of the committee from Dugald McAlpine, counsel for Mr. Stead. Browbeating Methods of McGeer Mayor McGeer then read the let- ter, which bitterly denounced his actions and methods of conducting the investigation, and refusal of the committee to allow counsel to sum probe to put of on the various charges. themselves the “Independent Mine Workers’ Union of Cumberland.” Some of them claimed that there was 40 in the hall after the meeting was over but miners know different pecause we counted them as they went in and again when they came out. We watched the antics of some of the poor rats who walked up and down the street, past the hall and then turned around and when they thought nobody was watching them they ducked into the nest of yermin. Some of the bolder ones claim that they have 2 membership of over a hundred. They have put names of men down on their books who have no intention whatever of joining their ranks. We know for certain that they lie because when the time eame to elect a grievance committee that would be acceptable to the boss- es the vote was well under 40 votes. Hiven at that the votes were made up mostly of votes of foremen, shift bosses, firebosses and die hard scabs. Some of these rats are peddling literature of the Citizens’ League of B.G. around the town and trying to discredit the leaders of the Miners’ Dnion. Wearly all the miners are wise to this scum and when one of them sits jn a card game the rest of the miners get up from the table and jeave him to play solitaire. They are well hated by all honest miners and their families, ignored by beer parlor keepers and bar tenders, despised hut used by the bosses and secretly across his shake-up in the City Hall he was unable to save W. A. Tucker, the one used to bring about the probe, the the city hall staff. Tucker followed McGeer in getting “religion’’; he returned some stolen books to the library to salve his conscience. However, some of the evidence he gave at the investiga- tion placed him in almost identical- ly the same position as the ones whom he charged in his series of affidavits. Frank Stead, internal auditor, Was dismissed but received three months’ salary from the time of his suspension. Wardaugh was moved from the position of City Comptrol- ler to that of comptroller of ac- counts of the relief office, and Woodford was removed as city clerk but will resume his old duties of staff clerk at a slightly reduced salary. Mayor McGeer told the City Council February 5 that he had spoken to the Board of Police Com- missioners, and that a new job, that of “accounting clerk to the Board was open for Mr. Tucker.” Motion to adopt the report of the investigation committee was moved by Alderman Tisdall, but no mem- ber would second the motion. The other member of the Council who had signed the report, Alderman Harvey, upon being asked by the Mayor why he did not second the motion to accept a report he had hood left should get out and re-join their fellow workers in the Mine despised even by their own families. Any of them with 2 grain of man- Workers’ Union of Canada. “Phe Mayor used every artifice to lionize Tucker and pillorize the officials,’ said Mr. McAlpine, also protesting his “browbeating me- thods” ... “overbearing nature’’ ... “distorting answers to serve his own purpose”... “compelling answers from witnesses by his mien, gesture, words and ac- tions.”’ Threatening that he would re- sign as Mayor, if this letter was supported by Aldermen Tisdall and Harvey, McGeer once again dom- inated the Council and the letter was filed. CITY PROPERTY NOTFOR POOR Report Suggests ‘“‘Indi- gent Tenants Should Be Discouraged’”’ «long term leases at present low rental values should not be considered unless there are very special circumstances. Reduction of the present rents should not be granted, and the tenancy of in- digent persons should be discour- aged.” The above is taken from the re- port of the Vancouver City Council Union. : Fake investigation of police riots in Regina last Do- minion Day is being utilized to lay basis for conviction of trek leaders and outlawing of Relief Camp Workers’ NAZIS RAPIDLY RE-ARM FOR WAR Krupps, the mammoth German armament firm, have boosted their profits for the fiscal year just end- ed 3,500,000 marks over those of the previous year. The increase in Can- adian currency is approximately $1,500,000. During the past two years of German re-armament the firm’s profits amounted to 17,990,000 marks, approximately $7,065,900. The whole of this huge sum, annual report reveals, is to be plied to capital structure, in form of plant extensions and search facilities for substitutes for raw materials not native to Ger- many. The report attributes the increased profits to “‘measures taken by the reich government, which created de- mands for the company’s iron and steel products.” Application of the eighteen mil- lion marks to further plant exten- sions reveals the collossal propor- tions of Hitler’s war preparations. The already existing plant was suf- ficient during the World War to turn out 150,000 shells daily, 50 six-inch guns monthly, and enough field guns weekly to fill the requirements of an army corps. - During the peal period of the World War, the firm headed by Gus- tay Krupp von Bohlem and Halbach, French husband of Bertha Krupp, employed 180,000 workers. Under the treaty of Versailles the firms actiyi- ties were limited and it took up the the ap- the Te- manufacture of heavy machinery and railroad rolling stock. When Great Britain, openly espoused German re-arming, Krupp immediately started upon plant ex- tension, and during the early months of 1935 opened a new plant near Berlin capable of employing 20,000 men. : “Lefty” Cast To Get Help Victor Odlum Willing To Head Finance Committee VANCOUVER, Feb. 5.— Definite assurance of assistance has been receiyed by the Progressive Arts Club for their trip to Ottawa to compete in the finals of the Do- Ininion Drama Festival, according to a statement made by Garfield A. King, director of the P.A.C. at u house warming held in the club- rooms last night. Victor QOdlum, president of the Vancouver Little Theatre Associa- tion, runners-up in the regional contests, has declared himself as willing to serve on a committee of citizens to raise the necessary finances, which will be in the neighborhood of $2,500 for the cast’s travelling expenses. The P.A.C. was organized five months ago by some of its present members, who saw possibilities for the new drama, and while the spon- sors started without funds the little group had faith in the latent talent in Vancouver, which has given the sponsors some measure of compen- sation by the club’s recent success at the Dominion Drama Festival regional contests. During the club’s existence, the presentation of “Waiting for Lefty’ has been acclaimed everywhere by full houses and in some cases the houses were sold out. Staff Secretary’s Office to the Re- organization Committee (Ald. A. G. Cowan heading the committee) last year. The report deals with tax sale property that has reverted to the City. From this it can be seen that the City Council does not assist relief recipients when they are evicted by landlords for non-payment of rent. It does not ven take a non-partisan attitude to the evictions of relief recipients, but it actually assists in preventing the relief recipients from getting a dwelling place for the relief rent allowance by recom- mending that “tenancy of indigent persons of City owned property should be discouraged.” City Would Reduced Interest to Big Property Holders The report submitted last year also shows that the City of Vancou- ver held tax sale lands in 1934 amounting to 19,394 lots at a cost of $2,525,069.08 and approximately .as- sessed at $5,276,315.00 (land only). The City also owns a total of 176 buildings. Some of these buildings contain suites, and altogether there are approximately 240 rentals. On top of that there are a num- ber of lots rented out for vegetable gardens. These include 103 vacant lots as well as other property such as water lots, street ends, etc. The total rent collected in 1934 by the City was $71,613.84 and in addition to the above there were 37 dwellings erected under the “Better Housing Act.” All of the above properties are for sale. It is significant to note in the report that whilst mention is made of the necessity of discouraging in- dizent persons from renting City owned property, the report recom- mends in a later paragraph that “it would be good policy to reduce in- terest from 7 per cent now charged on land sales to 6 per cent.” Any worker who imagined that the City stood between the land- lord and the tenant in th2 case of eviction for non-payment of rent or for non-payment of interest on mortgages should be disillusioned by the above report, which shows plainly that if the City is going to give anybody a break at all, it is going to give it to the landlord. Listen in to BILL KASHTON, Canadian youth leader, over CKMO tonight (Friday) at 8:45. ‘Waiting for Lefty’ and B.C. University The play “Waiting for Lefty” which last week triumphed in the Dominion Drama Festival here, not only revealed hidden talent. It also (though quite by accident) revealed the farce of student “democracy” on the campus of U.B.C. and exposed the reactionary role played by cer- tain professors on the Faculty Coun- cil. This interesting situation was brought to light after much effort had been made by a number of stu- dents to have “‘Lefty’’ produced on the campus. Following a great deal of discussion, tentative arrange- ments were made with the Progres- sive Arts Club, producers of the play, and were then submitted to five professors for their approval. These professors personally endorsed the proposition both by verbal praise and by the guarantee of financial support. With this splendid backing the plan was submitted to the Students’ Council for approval. Eight of the nine members of this council, which is elected annually by the student body as an executive, were very much in favor of bringing the play to the campus, and consequently permission was granted. Unfortunately this decision Was not final, because all matters passed upon by the Students’ Council haye to £0 before a Faculty Committee for final ratification. Bureaucracy Versus Democracy The three professors making up this committee for a long time gave no definite answer, but it was learn- ed three weeks later that they had refused permission despite the stand of their five more liberal minded colleagues. The curious thing about this was that no definite reasons were given or suggested for the refusal. The matter was just politely glossed over. By acting thus, of course, the Faculty Committee has unfortunate- ly debased the fundamental tradi- tions underlying all institutions of higher learning . . . ie. the right of all students to be allowed a free and impartial study of all topics. From this incident, two important and illuminating questions arise. And they are questions which, soon- er or later the student body must face and answer. First, student democracy on the campus is highly limited. There is mo question but that a large num- ber of students, uot to mention their elected representatives, were in favor of having the play. Yet three professors, without a single real reason between them, were able to squelch the plan. It goes without saying that such a system can in the future, and when matters arise which are of much greater import- ance than a play, Seriously hamper the right of students to govern their own activities. Secondly, the Faculty Committee, by clamping down on this effort of certain students to embrace progres- sive cultural activity reveals itself as quite unworthy of the best uni- versity traditions. For universities are, above all, places where free- dom of thought must be allowed. Otherwise they degenerate into pup- pet institutions, such as are seen in Germany today, whose one function is to stultify and deaden all signs of thinking. Seeds of Fascist Philosophy And while it may Seem absurd to suggest that U-B:C. is in danger cf this, it would be foolish to blind oneself to a situation in which lurk the seeds of Fascist philosophy. Any movement made by authori- ties, whether at a university or else- where, which is calculated to restrict the reasonable exercise of people's rights of free thought and expres- sion must ever be regarded with the greatest suspicion. THREE STUDENTS NAZIS PRIHIBIT ; GERMAN JEWISH CULTURAL MEETS BERLIN.—The third Reich en- forced a ban on meetings of all Jewish cultural organizations re- cently in an effort to forestall any renewal of anti-Semetic rioting as the fourth winter Olympic Games opened at Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Financial Statement On The Workers’ Press Drive Following figures give the com- plete returns of monies collected in the drive for the “Worker” and the “B.C. Workers’ News’’ in B-C. dur- ing the December Joint Campaign: U.LF.TA. (Ukrainian Organization Amount 9% Organization Amount % INfketzhterte) sa occ do9 nos 2 $ 71.61 358 IVACLOLION eee ee 105.19 210 Quesnel —..=..---.-- 9.10 180 Press Committee No. 1. 305.13 153 Salmony AIM sore aire one 38.15 127 Cumberlands. 37.00 125 Press Committee No. 9. 46.57 117 Press Committee No. 4. 103.63 115 Pan CyA. Soe ie eee eS 56.21 11:2 Press Committee No. 7 55.26 110 Press Committee No. 5 53.53 107 Prince Rupert .-...---- 26.45 106 Press Committee No. 3. 74.02 105 Prince George ...-.--- 41.64 103 Press Committee No. 8. 51-45 103 Press Committee No. 14 50.00 100 Press Committee No. 11 49.41 98 Gibson’s Landing ..... 13.23 86 West Vancouver ...-. 7.85 78 Stewary | ies eee 13.00 65 Revelstoke .... ------ 2.90 58 eke). Sans as sq sccr aos 27d 55 Bridge River .--..----- 8.55 40 Welson, Cranbrook ...- 3.00 20 Press Committee No. 10 6.55 13 MernGNe eee -70 13 = = * * . Maxim Gorky Club . 104.35 208 Polish Workers’ Club... 11.0% 201 Workers) .---------- 151.92 152 German Workers and Farmers ..->.---+--- 13.76 137 Lettish Workers’ Club. 6.15 123 Scandinavian Workers’ lie) a5 45onoa seas 5.96 119 Yugo-Slav Workers’ Glub eee ee 70.78 108 Hungarian Workers’ Gliby seer eee 5.00 100 Teor (Jewish Organiza- inlosek) Sess sen OD ODO SE 25.00 106 Italian Workers’ Club . 10.00 100 Swedish-Finnish WVOLKCCS ae eee 75.48 100 Finnish Organization . 45.74 91 W.E.S.L. (Worker Weterans: .) 22s). 2s 15.00 60 L-w.t.U. Gaumber Workers’ Union .... 44.25 59 E.C.W.1.U. Fishermen's - (Ebsbieyel So comes gens so 16.25 54 Women’s Labor League 19.00 38 C.L.D.L. (habor De- $6.45 37 fence League Sympathisers .-------- ES. Klondyke Nite ------- 55.74 Concert & Dance .-.- 2.84 Loss Greeting Cards --.----- 55.64 $2053.30 2.84 Gross Gain -.-- ---= $2050.46 does not agree with the judge in the recent Drama Festival presentations at the Empress Theater. He thinks ‘Waiting for Lefty’ should not have been placed first. Amd his reasons> “« efty,’”’ he says, is “a cheap piece of stark realism! Butterfield. appar— ently considers that_realism has 70° place in the drama or other forms of art. The substance, the content, the theme, of dramatic art should be akin to the airy nothings, the incon- sequential trifles, the meaningless blather of words that follow his au- gust signature on the editorial page of The Province. “There is a duty in the arts,” says Butterfield, “toward propaganding beauty and truth. There is truth im ‘Lefty’ but no beauty” (‘propagand— ing’ is probably the beauty. emanat- ing from the artistic soul of Butter— field). If it is a duty of art to propa- gate beauty and truth, it becomes in- cumbent on it to fight ugliness and falsehood. The ugly facts of life are more real than the beautiful dreams; falsehood is more potent than truth. And we need not go back to the days of Caligula to learn this. Beauty and truth can only grow and bourgeon: as ugliness and falsehood are driver out of the world. The artist, no matter what his vehicle may be, painting, sculpture music, literature or the drama, can: only propagate beauty by emphasiz— ing in his artistic creations, such beauty as he sees and feels around. him (@vhich is not much in capitalist society) and’at the same time stress— ing the ugliness he comes in contact. with (which is abounding in capital— ist society). Only by doing so can he inspire in his audience, his clientele, his readers, his followers, the urge to supplant ugliness by beauty. Only so can the artist raise the cultural level of such uncouth and boorish: individuals as Butterfield. If Butterfield can see no beauty m ‘Lefty,’ it is not the fault of the play; it is not the fault of the play- wright, Odets; it is not the fault of the players; it is because ‘Lefty’ is a “‘piece of stark realism’’ from a. world in which ugliness is almost all- pervading, But maybe ‘Lefty’ is not quite so- lacking in beauty as Butterfield would have us believe. A slave strug- gline to free himself from bondage is an object of beauty, a much more beautiful object than a snide column-— ist selling his artistic snob-soul by the week to a capitalist rag. Ang even if he is only a wage slave and is only struggling for a little more of the wealth he creates he still ex— hibits the essentials of beauty. A striking hackman is a more beauti- ful, more ennobling, more edifying spectacle than a lickspittle penny-a— liner. Odets thought so. Butterfield’s conception of beauty seems to be different or he could never haye written, as he does in his column of tripe, “Everyone knows that taxi-drivers have a bad time and the matter ends there.” Wor the taxi-driver who is bent on making this a better world for taxi-drivers and their wives and kiddies, it does not end there; nor does it end there for the artists who desire to make- this a better world for everyone, in— cluding taxi-drivers. And this frothy, flaswaving, ‘Brit- ons-never-shall-be-slaves’ scribbler, who tries to be Chesterfieldian but only succeeds in being Butterfield- ian, thinks the main appeal of ‘Lefty’ is in the “impact of three or four foul words.’ The language of ‘Lefty’ is the language of life, and will not be altered by writing “taxi- drivers have a bad time and the matter ends there.’’ In the words that Shaw placed in the mouth of one of his characters “Not bloody likely!’ * * >= * A crowd, reported to be 50,000, but probably much exaggerated in num— bers, gathered before the Shell in Stanley Park to pay their last res- pects to the late King. Gerry Mc- Geer and other so-called leading citi- zens were responsible for the organti- zation of this gathering. A few days later the Parks Board superintendent published an apology in the press for the failure of the public address system. He placed the blame on the bourgeois crowd, who climbed the trees and tore down the wires, destroyed all the spring flow- ering beds and ruined many valuable shrubs. We deplored the fact that there were not enough police there. Last May Day, 25,000 workers gathered at the same place; there were no policemen on the job and@ there was not a blade damaged Selah! * = Ls + A friend of mine doing a little propaganda on one of his workmates, made use of the anniversary number of the Moscow News. He thought the photos of the Soviet Union would be more effective than any words of his. After scanning the pictures closely the prospect handed back the paper with the remark “Aw these photos are faked.” This is probably the best compli- ment that could be paid to the work of the Soviet Government and the Communist Party. These real photos look too good to be true. ANNOUNCEMENT The winning number for the table lamp drawn for at the social held at 3034 Bast 54th Ave. on Jan. 3ist Was ticket No. 67. Our paper must be good, We're drawing the enemy’= fire. Shoot us up some more ammunition. Send subs. The great Butterfield is peeyed. He of grass