S10 90L pees ADIOA 3:3 1dO03d = ar ey (o) Shey mermnne: mm cer re errors AW LNT ee erates ‘ HITLER LOOKS EASTWARD PAGE FOUR SOCIALIST MERRY-GO- ROUND - PAGE SIX FULL NO. 131 = Published Weekly VANCOUVER, B.C., FRIDAY, JULY 16, 1937 Single Copies: 5 Cents VOL. III. No. 27 Secrecy Dominates Pan-Pacific Meeting “If the people of British Columbia could sit in at yarious sessions as I have done, they would realize the Stavity of danser to world peace,” a delegate to the Pan-Pacific We- men’s conference, now proceeding at Hotel Vancouver, told the PA this 4. week. Behind fulsome speeches on the blesing of peace, there is lurking a fear in the minds of many inter- national delegates that they may say Something out of keeping with war Policies in their home countries. Behind closed doors, round-table discussions are taking place among a Carefully serutinized and selected few who refuse.to allow their opin- ions and conclusions to be published. Accordine= to reports from delega- tes, there is an overwhelmine sence of being gagged through fear of con- Sequences that might follow frank, open speeches. Yasue promises that all resolut- ions endorsed by the conference will be published does not Satisfy those Who would engergetically crusade for peace or who would point out those nations now openly driy- ing to war, Public lecturers at the conference are careful to avoid linking any country with the various Policies that have been criticised, and the names of many delegates are with- held. Delegates state that wordy, pac- ifist speeches which the press has full fredom to publish are divorced entirely from the nature of the dis- cussion held behind closed doors where many well informed and earn- est women speak their minds on the Sreatest problem of today, that of prevention of another world war. Republican Spain cannot get a fair hearins under such conditions. The very centre of the threatened world War is carefully avoided. The Poss- ibility of a rallying Call from this con- ference to peace-loving women to assist openly the best fighters for Ppeace—the people's army of Spain is very remote, The shadows of International Fascism and the vested interests Hover over this Pan-Pacific Wom- en’s' conference. Concluded July 24,4 Waiting world cannot hope for much in such delib- erations and conelusions as may be released. C.C.F. Bloc To Present Labor Bill Gov’t. Recognition Of Co. Union Ires Labor RIGHTS MENACED Organized labor in British Columbia is awakening to the need for protective legislation which will be of assistance in the drive for organization and a brake upon unscrupulous employers who are bitterly opposed to the elementary rights of labor. Union’ organizers of the Lumber and Savwaill Workers’ Union stressed the need of unions par- ticipating in the parliamentary field, at its convention last week, pointing out that the recent suc- cesses of labor in the TSA were, te a large extent, due to a friendly administration there. Harold Winch, MILA, guest speak- er at the convention, promised the full support of the CGE ploc in the ext legislature and urged that the unions pive more co-operation than in the past. The need for the enactment of a trade union pill which would inake it impossible for the courts to hand down a decision which re- Stricts the movements of trade union organizers, as in the recent case of Arne Johnson, LSWU= of- ficial, was seen by the eonyention. Another bombshell which empha- Sizes the need for stricter labor leg- islation is the fact that the federal severnment this week recognized a company union in Vancouver as legal and worthy of the protection afforded by the Trade Union Act This “union” is named “Tnited. Hotel and Restaurant Eraployees” and was initiated by restaurant Owners recently who applied to Ot- tawa for recognition and got it. EMown cafes which insist on the employees joining this “union” are Seott's, Eden and Waldorf. Agree- taents have been arranged by a man Gamed E. W. Walker and a local lawyer who boast that this “union” is purely Ganadian. Officials of local 28, Hotel, Restaurant Workers, state that fed- eral recognition of this group is a menace against which the Canadian Trades and Labor Congress as wel] as local labor councils will fight to the last ditch. That it is now no longer the strugle of local 28 alone is recognized by Canadian labor leaders. New Scheme Inadequate Will Leave Jobless In Worse Plight, Says Alliance Under the new provincial scheme endorsed by the city council this wek 3000 men will be removed from the relief rolls by next Monday and Put to work on boulevards and sew- ers and at Stanley Park. They are being divided into four categories on a rotation basis. Class 1: Man, wife and two chil- dren, seven days work at 50 cents an hour for an eisht-hour day—a total of $28 a month. H @lass 2> Man, wife, three or four children, nine days’ work, for a tot- al remuneration of $36. Class 3: Man, wife, five to Seven children, ten days’ work, $40 a month. Class 4: Man, wife, eight or more children, ten days’ work, $44 a mon- th. The relief family with no children is grouped under Class 7. Officials of the Workers Alliance State that information on the whole scheme is difficult to obtain, but it is certain that the plan is totally in- adequate to meen the needs of un- employed families in Vancouver and that experience will show that the jobless will actually be worse off than before. JAPAN PROVOKES WAR ON CHINA No sleeping giant this time, troops seen on manceuvres in first stinging defeat to Japan. Miners Firm For Demands In Cariboo Rap Mercenary Attitude Of Wells Hospital WHLLS; BG, July 15—A spirit of determination was evinced at a strikers’ mass meeting held here last week when miners declared them- selves solidly behind union demands and so instructed the negotiating committee which met Adam Bell, deputy minister of labor and Fair Wage Officer Thomson immediately after the meeting. Trouble-seekine Cariboo residents, of whom there are a few, are mak- ing a loud outery against the union and the CIO, circulating a petition requesting the government to send into the district a Sizeable body of police whose only function could be, under the circumstances, to stir up provocation and violence. The women's auxiliary here is Playing an extraordinary part in steadyine strikers and maintaining morale. Uely features minine towns stand during a strike. The local ‘“pri- vate” hospital for which the miners pay $750 a month, without voice in its Management, is re- vealed as the mercenary affair that it is. Ability of a patient to Pay deter- mines length and quality of treat- Iment. Maternity. cases must have money in hand before admission. Fortunately, although 60 miles away, the Quesnel hospital is staffed with respected attendants headed by Doctor Baker who has yet to turn down a pénniless patient. Cariboo people must depend on this haven when sick or injured. ef these gold out starkly Litvinoff z - . - represented Soviet Russia in discussions with Japan on the Amur riyer border clash. City Men Leave For Spain they might never appeared the most easual. They might have been leaving for a week-end trip to Seattle. Cer- tainly they were dollars in their pockets and the clothes they were wearing. Just that and nothing more. There were no military airs to Stir the emotions and make the heart leap. Nor was there any need of them. No one to wave flags or make Pompous speeches. Wone of the mass hysteria usually associated with such scenes. Only a few comrades to say ‘s'long’ and give the People’s front Salute as the train pulled out of the station, while people stood curiously looking on and wonder- ing what it was all about. * > * They are on the high seas now, these six to whom we said so long the other night. In a little while they will have joined the other 600 Canadians in the Mackenzie-Papi- neau battalion at Albacete and, after a period of training, on the Jarama front. Pretty soon they will be writing back to tell us of their experien- ces, to exhort us _ to keep up the fight at home while they are help- ing to make history over there in the front line of the struggle for democracy against a terror that threatens our every liberty; that will, unless checked in Spain, en- gulf our whole civilization and leave only the desolate skeleton. The big, heayy-set Man with the red face, considerably older than the other five, will be a valu- able addition to the Canadian bat- talion because of his machine- Sun experience in the last war. Only this time he will be fighting for his own ideals, something he believes in and for which he is pre- pared to give his life. = * We were sitting in the carriage before the train left talking of inconsequential things, possibly because none of us cared to say the things we really felt. “You know,” remarked the tall Slim fellow Sitting by the win- dow to the little dark man across the aisle, “it’s ten years since we were last on a train together.” The puzzled frown left the little man’s lean, shrewd face. “Hell, yes,” he said. “Now Tf remember you. We went through southern Ontario together. Geez, that’s a coincidence Ts it as long ao as all that?” “Sure,” replied the slim fellow who, two years azo, was a leader (Continued on page 2) See VOLUNTEEERS Will Join 600 Canadians Of Mackenzie-Papineau By HAROLD GRIFFIN You would never have thought they were on their way to Spain; that they were taking farewell] of familiar scenes see again. For, the railway platform in Vancouver the other night, they of the score or so of us on travelli ight | J O enough. A suitcase oe Gore few apanese n Strike Still Refuse To tahsh At Namu Before Demands Granted SMITHS INLET, July 15.—Des- potic cannery operators fearins srowing dissatisfaction among fish- ermen at Rivers and Smiths Inlets at low fish prices, chartered a plane to the grounds accompanied by F. Rolley: of the BCPA, and, excludine elected delegates of fishermen from the meetings, signed with repre- Sentatives of the Native Brother- hood of BC for an increase of one- half cent a pound, the new price now being 8 cents. At the Namu cannery where fish- ermen were on strike recently for a higher price Indian and white fish- ermen are fishing pending a prom- ised increase by the Manager of Namu cannery. The Japanese, how- ever, are still tied up, refusing to fish until their demand of 4212 cents per fish is granted. Payment for fish by the pound works to the advantage of canners who insisted this year for the first time on this method, Wish are ex- ceptionally small this year. Shigeftmitsu whose represented Japan imperialists, now snvading China, Sought to provoke war with the USSR. e Ar Vets Here Want Tax On Industry | Public Works Program For Returned Men Sought —__ PLAN PRESENTED It has devolved upon BC ex-servicemen who helped to make security possible for Canadian capitalists in 1914- 18 \t0 propose 4 workable Scheme 20 years later where- by their niggardly corpora- tions-and fovernments may at minimum cost enable those who fought their battles to work for a living wage during. Spring and summer months. Painstakineg research over a period of several months by Fred Tyler, president of the Ex-Servicemen’s League here, has resulted in a Scheme for re-habilitation of re- turned -men. : Monday nicht, at Hastings street hall, 300 ex-servicemen, with official representatives from several re- turned men’s organizations present, heard this plan for work and wages Presented in the name of the ESL, Showing that for less than 7 per “cent of last winter's relief appropri- ation, full Wages for three months can be paid for road work to 500 veterans. A committe was elected from the floor of the meeting to work for its realization. Pearson Has Plan Outline of the pian is in the hands of the Hon. G. S. Pearson, following his reply to 100 ex-sery- icemen who protested closing of Work projects. Harrison Mills and Cheam Vievw; camps for returned mien were shut down last week. ~ Pearson stated in his wire that ex. servicemen had been fFiven “special consideration by an extension of the federal-provincial brogram at Provincial expense.’ President Tyler's letter to Pearson States: : “> + . at provincial expense”’ pre- Supposes that the entire $1,500,000 provided on a 50-50 basis by Ottawa and Victoria. during: the Past winter, had been spent prior to June 1. “This should mean that 5,000 Single men received $300 each in wages and supervisory expense; their board and clothing Purchased from wages. It would be most diffi- cult to find one of ,these men who earned $100 in the rotation system used. The facts Show that. the $1,500,000 spent to Provide 5,000 men with work and wages still left them Soliciting for public assistance q few weeks after the Wind-up of the scheme. “Tf this money had been used to pay the workers real earnings, with about 25 per cent overhead, the re- cipient would not be destitute. In- Stead, there was 4 repetition of the Bennett relief camps. “From official reports department of National Defense, 1932-36. the following is obtained: From the inception of the scheme in October, 1932, to June, 30, 1936, when actual works tinued as relief Projects, 18,156,213 | Man-days of ‘relief were afforded. | Total expenditure from relief funds | fo October 31, 1936, was 517,012. | “The expenditure per man-day oF relief afforded Was, therefore, ap- proximately $1.33. without any credit being taken for values of remaining supplies. | from the were discon- | 2 stocks of materials and “The ‘wa of 20 cents per day Was actual cash received by the worker from a total of $1.35 a day spent per man; with 26 cents for rations per day, §9 Cents was left to provide 20 cenis in Cash and 26 cents for rations per day. The result was destitution for the men after the 31,500,000 had been spent. “The returned men. fresh from the project camps pertinently asic whether or not the heavy industries in the province which are now in a PYOSperous condition, though em- ployineg less labor, can Carry a little more burden ine a special Unemploy- (Continued on page 2) See VETERANS City Men Killed In Loyalist Drive ———_—_—_—— 6 Canadians Give Lives At Jarama CCF Member |Meckgnric: Papinens Sends $128 From Spain Donated To PA\, Clarion and City Organizations From