Birth. of World Federation of Trade Unions in Paris

gives 75 million workers a united

voice in fight for democracy and labor participation in world reconstruction. Left: Gen.
- Sec. Louis Saillant of WFTU addresses:the meeting. Right: Vice-chairmen Sidney Hill-
man and Vassily Kuznetsov talk things over.

U.S.

$ to

By JAMES S. ALLEN

Is the United States headed for a complete scrapping of the Potsdam agreement
on Germany and for the rebuilding of a truncated, but aggressive German imperialism?

This question may well be asked in view of the marked tendencies to return to the
policies which after World War I led to the restoration of German imperialism as a bul-
wark against the Soviet Union and the democratic movements in Europe.

At the London Conference of |

foreign ministers the Anglo-
American departure from _ the
Potsdam agreement on the Bal-
kay treaties led to the break-
down of the meeting. But recent
revelations show that an at-
‘tempt is being made all along
he line to reverse the Big Three
agreement on the treatment of
’ Germany, the key to the peace-
ful reconstruction of Europe.
It has already been ~- evident
for some time that military and
civilian Allied authorities in the
. Western zones have been active-
ly, sabotaging the Potsdam de-
,-eisions on the purge of Nazis,
encouragement of anti-fascist
parties and. the dismantling of
“ the huge German trusts. From
“all. accounts, General Patton’s
jineautious press interview which
led to his transfer reflected a
state of mind widely prevalent
among the occupation author-
ities_
BUCK POTSDAM PACT
This is serious enough. But,
-: according to Raymond Daniell’s
*- sensational report to the New
York Times on Monday, a con-
“eerted effort is being made in
high policy circles to reverse the
Potsdam decisions on the de-
militarization and economic dis-
-armament of Germany. An Am-
erican group of economic ex-
perts headed by Prof. Calvin
Hoover and working under the
- authority of Brig. Gen. William
"“~F. Draper jhave submitted a re-
port. to the American Military
-: Government in. Germany in es-
’ sence directed against the repar-
ations and: disarmament provis-
ions of the Potsdam protocol.
This is not merely the work of
an extraneous group of experts.
It is an official- U_S..commis-

sion. The responsible American
authorities obviously thought so
highly of the report that they
submitted it to the Russians,
British and French on Sept. 17,

that is, while the Council of
Foreign Ministers was in full
session.

This could not help but have
the effect of a new atom bomb,
dropped right on the laps of the
Foreign Ministers, since the re-
port comes to the conclusion
that the Potsdam agreement on
Germany will be difficult if not
impossible of achievment.

EXPERTS PROPOSE

Briefly stated, the thesis of
the experts is as folows. They
start out from the premise that
it is imperative to assure a
minimum standard of living to
Germany on a par with other
European countries. In order to
achieve this it will become nec-
essary to allow German exports
about equal to those before the
war. From this it follows. that
the war-making industrial
structure will have to be main-
tained, since at least half the
exports must be machinery,
chemical products and precision
and optical instruments, all of
which are easily convertible to
war uSeS_

Once you reject the central
approach of Potsdam -— which
is to eliminate Germany as the
center of the European economy
and of post-war stabilization—
the door is open to a revision of
the whole setlement. Thus, the
report throws considerable doubt
upon whether. the United States

should support the-cession of the.
Eastern. German territories... to,
Poland by attributing the major’

PAGE 2 — PACIFIC ADVOCATE

eause of a future German
“trade unbalance” to the loss of
these territories.

The experts are especially
worried about maintaining not
only a “minimum” standard of

living in Germany but also Ger-
man capacity to do _ business
with the Western World. They
want to asure enough exports
from Germany to enable her to
pay occupation costs and, most
important, to service loans and
investments by Western big cap-
ital in a reconstructed Germany.
That is what lies behind the con-
cern about Germany’s “trade
unbalance.’ ;

REBUILDING I. G. FARBEN

It becomes immediately ap-
parent that this report reflects
the concern of American Big
Business with assuring a profit-
able field of exploitation for it-
self in Germany, on the basis of
the full restoration of the mon-
opoly-capitalist structure. It ex-
plains why no steps have been
taken to dismantle German heavy
industry in the Anglo-American
zones and why, instead, every
effort is being made to rebuild
the giant I G. Farben and other
monopoly combines.

On the eve of the war, Amer-
ican Big Business already had
important’ controlling interests
in some branches of German in-
dustry. According to the Treas-
ury, controlling interest as held
by 171 American corporations,
representing a total investment
of over $420,000,000, mostly in
the automotive, machinery, elec-
trical. and petroleum fields.
Among:the American investors

.. See Page. Three
ATOMIC DIPLOMACY
EAE

he is na he ea

Ship Union Urg
Congress PAC Ch

Delegates attending the second annual conver ,
Shipyard General Workers Federation (CCL) sti
ported’a resolution urging that the Canadian €
Labor political action committee’ alter its polu
policies and establish itself on a non-partisan

present the CCL PAC is tied to
the CCF, as the “political arm of
labor,” although the majority of
the major unions have withdrawn
political support of that organ-
ization and have pledged them-
selves to non-partisan political
policies.

A further resolution stressed
“electoral unity’? in the ranks of
labor, pointing out that labor’s
only chance of achieving success
would be assured if the “support
of the trade union movement is
centered on one candidate in
each provincial or federal con-
stituency.”

MAINTAIN SHIPBUILDING

A heavy
was passed dealing with the
maintenance of shipbuilding on
the west coast. While it was gen-
erally recognized that contracts
had been hinted for west coast
yards, assurance was necessary
of government policies ensuring
that finances are available to

maintain shipyards. At the same:

time the proposed merger of ship-
yard unions was considered, as
the best means of consolidating
gains achieved in wartime, and
of more closely welding shipyard
workers into a single organiza-
tion.

An appeal committee, struck
off to consider the action of the
Federation in suspending the

Cafe Workers
Support Ruling

The Hotel and Restaurant Em-
pioyees Union this week appear-
ed before a government board to
fight opposition by ‘restaurant
owners to the provincial coneil-
iation board ruling governing
shift hours for female employ-
ees. The restaurant owners dis-
played an attitude of “no gov-
ernment interference in private
enterprise” and while offering
no substitute plan or amendment
to present plans, argued against
changing of hours to permit fe-
male restaurant employees to
leave work before midnight.

Emily Watts, President of the
Vaneouver Union Local, pres-
ented a compromise plan to the
board, stating the union’s will-
ingness to consider moving back
of quitting hour to 1 a.m. She
pointed out that the operators’
arguments for better police pro-
tection and more frequent
streecar service constitute a de-
liberate evasion of the main ques-
tion of ensuring that female em-
ployees may cease work before
midni¢ht.

Operators argued that the or-
der will result in the loss of
“millions of dollars” and a re-
presentative of the Tourist As-
sociation contended that it would
“give Vancouver a bad name ”

guarding trade unio :

slate of. resolutions

Boilermakers local
presented its report,
ings were accepted !!
whelming majority:
bership. A resoluti
the action of the F
suspending tht Vi

was unanimously = j{

the delegates. i

Resolutions aime:
providing - security
in the coming peri

troduced covering a ||

of. subjects. A 50

=f,

crease in unemployr
urged,
compensation benef —
pendent children ;—
pensions were dem:
hundred percent wo:
pensation was den:
resolution, and ar
that the Compensat |
cognize all occupati =
and pay benefits fe °
A number of resi
with the demand f
hour week, which is
generally througho
union movement.
urged that “hours |;
reduced to meet th |
employment with n4
home pay, a rising; !
to meet the inere |
living, and abolis} .
come taxes on ez
$38,000 a year.

SUPPORT FORD |

Delegates accord |
support’ to the ¢£-
workers: in Winds,’
totalling $192 wert
convention from t ;
delegates, andaw.
ed sent to Alex

i
et
%.

substantial |

chairman of the
Strike Committee, - 1
and continuous sv
strikers. Anothe
Tisley, acting priz
Canada, to immedi
the Ford plants ©
amicable settleme) ;

Se ena ele

Papin ee

the Federation, we? |
the presidency of

cers: Garry Culh
secretary by accel
Smith, President
Union, Local No: 4
rpesident; J. Bre
ists Local No. 2 ]
president. 4

thi tettsterinitess

@ STYLES

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Vancouve

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