Morgan outlines policy to conventiou LPP will run in every constituenc it can in! next year’s federal. election “The coming federal election campaign will mark the beginning of the victorioys struggle of the Labor-Progressive party to unite the people of Canada for Canadian independence and people’s de- mocracy, and our advance through people’s democracy to socialism.” These concluding words of Tim Buck’s report to the LPP national committee last month “express the optimism and confidence we all must feel in this present crucial stage of history,” Nigel Morgan, LPP provincial leader, observed in the concluding part of his keynote political report to the ninth annual convention of the British Columbia-Yukon sectién of the Labor-Progressive party, held at Pender ‘Auditorium last weekend. Tim Buck, LPP national leader, in Vancouver to attend the convention, spoke to the 123 delegates at the afternoon session Sunday. - “A year of great activity lies ahead—a year of limitless possi- bilities,” Morgan stressed in in- troducing his report, delivered at an open session of the convention Friday evening. “First,” he said, “within six week 40-odd cities, municipali- ties and villages in &.C. will go the polls. Secondly, the precari- ous position of the Bennett ad- ministration, coupled ‘with the fact that the Socred government has already nominated its candidates in Vancouver Centre for the, next. provincial election, strongly sug- gests that the life of the present legislature may be very short. Thirdly, an early federal election is now virtually a certainty. “The dramatic routing of the Liberals and Tories last June, after they had won 40 of the 48 legislative seats two and a half years previously, illustrates the deep-going changes taking place mB is “Tt shows the growing popu- lar opposition to the war pro- gram of the Liberals and Tories, and the revulsion of public op- inion against the anti-Canadian policies by which the vital in- terests of our province are be- ing sacrificed, and our country being transformed into a de- pendency of the United States.” Declaring that there is ‘a wide- spread sentiment for change,” Morgan cited ‘‘a notable increase in the militancy and fighting spirit of the labor movement, and a deeper and broader participation of the people in mass political ac- tion.” He recalled the anti- BCHIS mass protest, the great strike battles of the past sum- mer, the campaign against in- creased bus fares and utility rates. “Then there was the successful campaign against the scandalous increases demanded by the. milk distributors, which saw the, first beginnings of united action be- tween the consumers, farmers and labor,” Morgan said. ‘‘The LPP was the only political party to present a brief at the Milk Board hearings, and it is interesting to note that 15 requests were receiv- ed for copies of our brief.” Touching on the stepping-up of the fight against racism by the people of this province, the LPP leader mentioned the Stanley Der- en and Clarence Clemens cases. He noted that ‘‘the Pacific Tribune was the first paper to print the details of this case, after the daily press had refused to publish a word about the shameful beating given the Negro longshoreman by city police officers.” (Morgan dwelt on the struggle for trade union unity and the de- cisive defeat of the splitters and raiders in ‘BeC. He added: “Special mention must also be made of the part played by the militant delegates from B.C. in poth ‘the national trade union congresses — in the TLC, where the Gregg-Bengough appeal for parliamentary action to outlaw the LPP was decisively defeated, and in the CCL, where the defeat. of Millard’s man Mahoney reflect- ed a serious setback for those at- tempting to fasten American con- trol on the Canadian labor move- ment.”’ * * _* Returning to the recent provin- cial election, Morgan said that the problems facing the people before June 12 are still here, and more pressing than ever. LPP re-elects | Nigel Morgan Nigel Morgan, leader of the Labor-Progressive party in British Columbia since provincial 1945, was unanimously re- elected for another term at the ninth annual convention of the B.C.-Yukon section of the LPP held at Pender Auditorium last weekend. Morgan heads a prov- incial committee of 27 members elected by the convention, “They are expressed in rap- idly shrinking markets, in crops rotting im the fields, growi unemployment and the ° ‘ tive of mass layoffs and plant shutdowns for thousands of workers this coming winter. “The lumber operators are re- ported to be getting ready to slash wages in the camps and mills in December when the agreement comes up for revision under the Sloan escalator formula; fisher- men have already taken a severe eut in their season’s return; and now the hardrock miners are fac- ing the perspective of their ‘home centres becoming ghost towns. The economic outlook for B.C. is a grave one, indeed. “Lumber production, basis of British 'Columbia’s wellbeing, is confronted with a 40 percent cut- back in production as soon as the present cutting on the 1951 Brit- ish orders is completed. Dozens of smaller camps and mills are al- ready closed. A number of, big= ger ones are cutting out shifts or even preparing to shut down. “In agriculture the situation is is equally grave. On the basis of 100 for index of prices for farm products stood at 258.3 in May of this year, compared with 295.3 for August of last year. At the same time the cost of goods and services to the farmer rose from 237.7 to 243.2 over the same period. “The Okanagan fruit and Fras- er Valley poultry and berry in- dustries have been hit hard. Only a couple of weeks ago I saw Ok- anagan apples selling along the side of the road for 50 cents a box. “The effect of the St. Laurent war policy on B.C. economy was well described recently by W. A. McAdam, this province’s agent general in London, who said: ‘Our salmon and fruit, and as you are all aware, our timber shipments have been severely restricted, Dur- ing the war years no Canadian could buy a can of B.C. salmon. It was all reserved for export to Britain. Even before the war we shipped something like a million cases a year. Today our ship- ments to the United Kingdom are practically nil, ‘Then there is our fresh fruit, grown largely in the Okanagan Valley with a special eye to the requirements of this market. Similarly our trade in soft fruit for jam making. which was especially developed to meet the British demand, has been en- tirely cut off.’ * * * “Behind the slash in foreign trade lies the Marshall Plan and the whole United States war pro- gram,’’ emphasized Morgan. “In the case of B.C., economic life depends on exports. It has been estimated that some 35 per- cent of Canada’s national income is attributable to foreign trade. In the B.C. economy the percent- age is much higher. The lumber industry, for example, exports 60 percent of its production; news- print, 80 percent; fisheries ship more than 60 percent abroad, metal mining its entire produc- tion and 32 percent of our agri- cultural produce is exported be- j yond Canadian boundaries, . “That is why the decisive need of the people is a policy. which will help bring peace im- stead of one which provokes war. That is why we must fight to redirect the foreign and eco- nomic policies of our country to develop trade with all coun- tries. 2. “American domination of the economic and political affairs of B.C. and Canada must end. We must open trade with all coun- tries willing to trade if we are to avoid mass unemployment. We must reopen our former trade outlet in Britain and other sterl- ing countries. Why should we not exchange by means of sterling credits, British machinery, tools and textiles for our lumber. fish and fruit, which the British peo- ple so urgently ‘require? “There are also inexhaust- able markets in China, the New Democracies of Europe and the Soviet Union, which are just as available to us as they are to Britain, provided we refuse to be dominated and shut out by American-dictated barriers “Of particular interest to B.C., since it is Canada’s Pacific outlet, is the fact that in 1946 the Soviet Union, China and six People’s De- mocracies bought $80 million worth of goods. By 1950 the total had fallen to $6 million as a direct consequence of Canadian subservience to American cold war the 1935-39 period, the. policy. Recognition by Canada of China would"mean a 20 to 25 percent increase in port commerce in Vancouver. It would mean jobs for woodworkers, mechanics, miners and steelworkers, shipyard workers and seamen. It, would mean better times for B.C, farm- ers and fishermen.” . * * * se Analysing the recent provincial election, Morgan said the most important feature brought out is the fact that forces are maturing for .a people’s coalition against the war-crisis policies of monopoly capital: But he warned: “There will be no united front or people’s coalitions unless we fight for it. And that fight can- not be led by sitting on the side- lines. . The old parties are break- ing down and unless we come for- ward boldly and audaciously his- tory will pass us by. “That is why Tim Buck has em- phasized that the key to a future of people’s democracy is a change — in our attitude towards elections. © We must, instead or running 4 few candidates as possible, hence- forth run as many as our resources will possibly permit. : “The aim of the LPP in the coming federal election .cam- paign will be to make our neW — program known to the electors: to win their support for it, and to elect candidates; to create the popular basis for a neW alignment of forces, a People’s — Coalition of all patriotic Cal- adians who desire a new nation- al policy for Canada—Canadia® — independence, peace, economic security and democracy, T° achieve this will require the _ naming of candidates in every constituency in which LPP strength makes a candidate pos” — sible, and where no united front. candidate is running.” ——. Seamen open drive to oust Hal Banks U.S.-imposed head BY HARRY BINDER MONTREAL Growing resistance among Canadian seamen to the rule of Hal Banks, Canadian head of the Seafarers International Union, * symptomatic of the restiveness of members of AFL unions with the policies of betrayal pursued by their right-wing leaders. It is one many developments in Quebec which show that a rank-and-file mov’ ment is appearing, based on the struggle for the interests of the workers rather than acceptance of dictation from Washington. The demand that Banks be re- moved came from a rank-and-file movement among the seamen. Their demands. foreshadow similar developments in other Yankee- dominated unions. The seamen wanted recognition of their right to inner-union de- mocracy; holding of membership meetings; replacement of Banks by a Canadian elected by the membership; and abolition of the notorious “Do Not Ship’ list, (a blacklist operated jointly by the union and the companies which kept over 2,000 seamen out of jobs). : A petition, with the above de- mands, was circulated and won substantial support. Action ‘was taken in the courts by individual sailors against the blacklist pro- cedure and to force Banks to show what has happened to the hun- dreds of thousands of dollars ex- torted from Canadian seamen. © The New York office of the SIU was forced to send an inves- tigating committee to Montreal. Since the. story of the opposition movement to Banks had already appeared in the daily press, the investigating committee made a show of hearing the grievances of the men. The findings of this investiga- tion committee have not been made public. It is reported, how- ever, that Banks will be removed next spring. His lieutenants, it is 2 PACIFIC TRIBUNE —- OCTOBER 31, 1952 — Pas® “ — claimed. will be removed wit? him from the “gravy train” which they have been riding at the pense of the Canadian seame? since they helped break the strike of the Canadian Seamen’s Unio? Behind the seamen’s resistaD©® lies the fact that Banks and ® clique of AFL right-wingers hav® been trying to make scabs out of Canadian seamen, CooperatiD® with Montreal “Red Squad” me” bers Benoit and Boyzcum @?° other Duplessis police agents, ® tempts were made to use seame? against the textile workers ip Valleyfield during their rece?! strike. So close has the liaison betwee? the Banks clique and the polic® 4 become that Banks hired Boyy cum’s son, trained by his father as a stoolpigeon in labor youth: organizations, Young Boyzeum became a paid employee of the SIU, . These game elements nave peer ’ organizing scabbing at the Bh ers shipyard strike, and trying force seamen to scab on thei! i low workers on the waterfront. similar role was marked out 7° seamen in the UF strike at war den King and in the strike!of Canadian Copper Refinery» 2° in its 14th week, led by the Ct Oil Workers union.