HE camp of reaction and war

in British Columbia is in a
crisis. The Torysliberal Coali-
tion, created to block»the pro-
gressive aspirations of the peo-
ple of B.C., has fallen apart.
Having won 40 of the 48 seats
in the last election and enlisted
the support of the CCF Opposi-
tion in the furtherance of its
war policies, the Liberals and
Tories will be compelled to
face an early election with only
half of the legal life of their
Coalition expired. :

Which of the partners in the
Coalition precipitated the break
at ‘this time is not the all-im-
portant issue. Both hav@ been
equally guilty in »giving away
the rich natural resources of
this province to U.S. monopoly
Capital; of extending tremen-
dous tax and other concessions
to these warmongering @ankee
interests and of showing a con-

_ temptuots disregard of the peo-
ple’s vital needs.

The splits and schisms within
the Tory and Liberal parties of
big business point up the deep-
ening capitalist crisis in its
drive towards war, and must
serve as a warning to labor
and the people generally, that
the bid of tthe Liberals for

Strong” leadership, minus
their Tory cohorts, is an at-
tempt to strengthen the bas? of
the war policies of the defunct
Coalition. By throwing the

blame” on the Tories for the
miserable fiasco of ‘the Coali-
tion and reluctantly conceding
the bare minimum necessary to
appease an angry electorate on
Pressing issues like BCHIS and
labor legislation, the Liberals
hope to make a strong “come-
back” to carry out their war-
fare commitments to U.S. im-
perialism. :

Recent developments striking-
ly confirm the popular demand,
Initiated by the Labor-Progres-
Sive party, upon the Tory-Lib-
eral partners—resign and go to
the people! The people are in-
dignant over the arrogant dis-
regard of their pressing needs

_ Which has characterized the ac-
tions of this Johnson-Anscomb
Coalition. They want an end to
Liberal and Tory policies. They
Want 'people’s welfare placed

- ttirst.

The people are protesting the
8iving away of our natural re-
Sources for war purposes; the
bungling of BCHIS; the main-
tenance of a -BCElectrie Public
Utilities Commission; the be-
trayal of the people on the vital
Issues of taxation, living costs,
milk and labor legislation to
Suit the demands of the big
monopolies.

Premier Byron Johnson now
tries to emerge as tthe “victor”
in this Coalition breakup, but
Johnson no less. than his erst-

.'While partner, Anscomb, has
lost the people’s confidence.
Striking evidence of this was
to be seen in the BCIHS cam-
paign last summer—a magnifi-
cent petition campaign sparked
by organized labor which called
upon Johnson and Anscomb to
retract their BCHIS premium
Souge, or resign. The crushing
defeat of the Liberal Coalition-
ist, Percy George, in the Esqui-
Malt byelection and the deep-
80ing rifts in the Liberal leader-
Ship ‘helped to produce a crisis
Which culminated in the resigna-
‘tion of H. G. T. Perry as pro-
vincial president of the Liberal

Party. re
Inside top Liberal circles
there is more than coalition

With the Tories involved, a fact
borne out by the old party stal-
Warts like. Roy Brown of the
Vancouver Sun, who felt com-
pelled to speak out against the
Wholesale handing over of the
Province’s resources to the cel-
‘anese, aluminum, pulp and tim-
ber trusts. Imagine what the

prosperity and

On this still-forested site the American-con

the company townsof Kitimat.

U.S. interests is one of the major s

rolled Aluminum Company of Canada will build

The huge land and power resources given away to Alcan and other

candals of the Coalition administration. ;

End Liberal-Tory |
_misrule in B.C.

PTC CAILLOU ee ee

situation inside the Liberal
party must be when the presl
dent of the B.C. Liberal As-
sociation feels compelled to
state publicly that “the Coali-
tion is giving away all the re-
sources of our country. Under
Coalition, the only free enter-
prise left is to be a cobbler or
a lawyer or a cleaner or a
presser.” .

Such masterly deception, how-
ever, does not absolve the Lib-
erals from the eriminal policies
pursued by the Coalition, nor
does it provide any assurance
that a purely Liberal adminis-
tration will, or can be any dif-
ferent from its predecessor.

G
- Tt has been obvious for some
time that both Liberal and

Tory parties have been keenly -

aware of the widespread | dis-
satisfaction over their policies.
Both could see the uttter im-

“possibility of living out the full

term of office as a Coalition,
thence ‘both were under the
necessity of jockeying for elec-
toral advantage. Anscomb’s
breach of “parliamentary eti-
quette” therefore served as well
as any other of numerous justi-
fications for ending the unholy

- wedlock of Liberals and Tories.

The Liberal plan is to hood-
wink the electorate into ‘believ-
ing that all the evils of the
Coalition are due to the Tories.
With the single transferable

pallot, the Liberals thought the

Tories would give them their
choice votes before ‘the CCF,
and likewise the CCF would
vote Liberal in preference to
Conservative. :

In this setting, the Tories
planned a tie-in with Social
Credit, to follow the, Alberta pat-
tern of Socred-Tory . alliance
which, they’ claim, on the crest
of an oil ‘boom, has brought
“sound free en-
Al-

terprise government to

berta.” Pee
Feven before the official break-

up of the Coalition it was an.

open secret that the Tories and

- Social Crediters had agreed to

give each other their second
choice votes, that is. after giv-

4

3 208

P mee (6 (
y : os
PPC LEC CUSED LL net

ing their own parties first
choice. No one should cunder-
estimate the considerable effect

. housing,
* educational facilities, for the

such Tory strategy might have

in the next provincial elections,
keeping in mind the widespread
dissatisfaction with Tory-Lib-
eral policies, and the absence
(at the moment) of any clear-
éut alternative to these political
obstructions to provincial wel-
fare. :

Whether or not the single

- transferable vote will be put

into effect at the next election,
as was originally intended, de.
pends now on how the old-line
parties and primarily the Lib-
erals estimate it will affect their
their ‘own chances. Meanwhile
preparations, including the usual
pre-election gerrymandering and
repairing of political fences are
proceeding, in ‘readiness for a
possible June election.

The Coalition is dead, but the
joint Tory - Liberal policies
which made it one of the most
unpopular ‘governments in the
recent history of this province

will remain, until both Liberals

and Tories and all who support
their policies of warfare before
welfare are ‘driven from the leg-
islature.

PUL RUBLE LL LL LEE

Byron Johnson and his Lib-
eral cohorts can searcely shift
the “blame” for BCHIS. for an
inadequate Workmen’s Compen-
sation 4sct, for a viciously anti-
labor ICA Act, for the’ lack of
hospitalization and

criminal neglect of interests of
our farming communities, onto
the shoulders of their erstwhile
Tory concubines.

But they will ‘try it, and that
is the political deception the
people must strengthen their
guard against as they begin the
selection of genuine united la-
‘bor and farmer candidates,
pledged to fight on all issues
of welfare affecting the people
of B.C.; people’s candidates who
will make people’s unity around
‘burning issues their key wea-
pon to end a decade of Liberal-
Tory misrule. :

e

The key resolution of the last
provincial convention of the La-
bor-Progressive party declareds
“The pre-condition for ousting
the Liberal-Tory Coalition is in-
volvement of the labor move-
ment and supporters of the
CCF in united action for peace
and immediate vital issues.”

Since the adoption of that
resolution the movement and
sentiment for peace has grown
tremendously in this province,
with almost one quarter of the
number of people who voted in
the last- elections signing the
five power peace pact petition.

‘The trade unions are develop-
ing increasingly militant econ-
omic struggles in defense of
their living standards and work-
ing conditions.

Farm movements within the
province have also conducted a
number of historic struggles on.
the vital issues of taxation,
flood relief and prevention,
against the dairy monopolies,
and on behalf of the losses sus-
tained by farmers in the fruit-
growing areas. In most cases,
these burning issues facing our
rural populations have received
scant, if any attention from the
Tory-Liberal Coalition. It is

hardly to ‘be expected that By-
ron Johnson the Liberal will be
any more desirous of effecting
redress for our farm popula-
tion, than Byron Johnson the
Coalitionist. -
But, the time has come when

the people can effect a change.

There are powerful forees in
this province which, if united,

‘could administer a crushing de-

feat to the big business clique
at Victoria. Obviously the CCF,
which had its representation in
the B.C. legislature cut from 17
to seven-in the last last election
and whose supporters have be-
come thoroughly disillusioned
by: the conservative, pro-war, la-.
bar-splitting policies of their
right-wing leadership, cannot
provide the alternative.
Despite this and the organiza-
tional disintegration that has

_ taken place in the CCF, it would

be a serious mistake to under-
estimate the vital necessity of
winning thousands of CCF sup-
porters for united action to dis-
lodge the Liberals and Tories.
In fact, until united action of
all those opposed to the reac-
tionary war policies of the Lib-
erals and Tories is achieved,
conditions will continue to
worsen. The situation is ex-
tremely precarious today and
the fight for peace and against
the consequences of the war
policy is the crucial political
task. "
e

The Labor-Progressive party

- therefore earnestly appeals to

the CCF voters, trade unionists,
farmers, women and young peo-
ple to unite forces and assure
the ouster of the Liberal and
Tory spokesmen of tbig business
at the forthcoming elections.

The Labor-Progressive party
proposes that no time should be
lost in the putting forward of
labor, farmer and _  people’s
candidates in urban and rural
centres; candidates who will
take a firm stand on the issues
of peace and welfare affecting
their province. Thus it will be
possible to mobilize the widest
masses of the people for a con-
certed stand against the ruin-
ous and criminal war policies
of both Liberals and Tories, re-
gardless of how they try to cam-
ouflage themselves in order to
do big ‘business’ bidding for an-
‘other five years.

The Labor-Progressive party
will subordinate all other con® —
siderations to the need for elec- —
tion of a fighting majority of
men and women who will cham-
pion the cause of peace, labor- —
farmer unity and satisfaction of |

the economic needs of the peo- —

ple. We will support all labor,
farmer or CCF candiadtes who ©
will publicly declare themselves
for peace. We will endeavor to
get people’s unity in each con-
stituency around one candidate
to assure defeat of all those —
who stand for war and betraya

of our vital interests. ne

The Labor-Progressive party
calls on all its committees, clubs

and every member to carry on ~
a sharp political fight for the
greatest possible public activity

against the Johnson-Anscomb
policy of sacrificing B.C.’s wel-

fare to the drive for: war arma-
ments, inflation,
taxes and prices and the giving
away of valuable resources and
vital markets.
tion must be paid to every as-—

pect of the development of unity ©
in action with members’ and sup- _
porters of the CCF, trade union, —
cooperative, farm and pension ©
organizations. ‘

The Labor-Progressive party

calls for united action for peace

and security and defeat of the

Liberal and Tory henchmen. of.

the war ‘trusts. :

® Nigel Morgan, author of this
article, is provincial leader of
the Labor-Progressive party.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — FEBRUARY 15, 1952 — PAGE 9

increasing _

Particular atten-