THE PHEOPL H’S ADVOCATE Page Three A LASKI SCORES | CHAMBERLAIN’S FOREIGN POLICY 2000 Hear Famous Economist Castigate Britain’s Betrayal 28 A MEET, MR CF Great Britain’s foreign poli- cy Since 1931 and its leng list of sordid betrayals were held out by Prof Harold J. Laski as a warning and a lesson to the ©2000 citizens who gathered in »the Auditorium last Friday -evening that Prime Minister /Neville Chamberlain cannot be trusted with the common people’s destiny. Launching into a brief but ana- iytical review of the capitalist ; system, the famous professor stated that it had worked well so jons as the common people were ;receiving some benefits, but since ithe epoch of expansion had now _ become an epoch of contraction » the people were now besinning ex— amine and challenge its existence. His castigation of the British Wational government was merci- \iess. The failure of the disarma- Pment conference and its replace— ment with an arms race, seizure of Manchuria, Ethiopia, Spain, Aus- tria and Czechoslovakia were cited ;aS a record of the government's ) betrayals. “Munich was one of the most tragic events in the whole of hu- man history,” he said, “and these eyents were so momentous that ) initiative has passed from the de » mrecracies to the dictators.” The events of Munich must not be judged by the last few days, » but one must go back and examine | the betrayals since 1931. “: The government had been chal- Sienged by labor and liberal mem- bers on the adequacy and efficiency of its defences and had been as- Sured that Britain was prepared /for any eventuality, Laski ex- plained, yet after Munich, Cham- )berlain had said Britain was not > ready. Appeais of the Soviet =Union for conversations over » CzechoSlovakia went unanswered. > iad Britain cooperated with the |} Soviet Union and other democra- cies, Germany would have been halted before Munich as it had | been in May during the first Czech ) 2risis. “A prinie minister who cannot » ell the truth to the House is not Ht to be in charge of the common people’s destiny,” he asserted. Anthony Eden did mot escape the professor's eriticism. His compli- )} city in the affairs of Ethiopia, his ) organization of the “iNon-Interven- tion” Committee which had abro- gated all semblance of interna- }tional law, and the fact that Eden had never yet voted against the ) Sovernment when these questions were discussed in the House made Him unsuited as well as not to be trusted. With regard to Sir John Simon, ) Prof. Laski declared he had “sat so long on the fence the iron lad entered his soul.” | “It is not insignificant that there (Have been more free speech con- ‘victions from 1919 to i938 than there were in the whole period from 1815 to 1919, nor is it insig- inficant that the Trade Union Amendment Act, a reactionary bill aimed at crippling the trade unions, and the Incitement to Dis- affection Act were passed,” the Speaker commented. On the question of fascism Prof. Gaski warned his audience not to say “it can’t happen here.”’ “It is happening here,” he cried. “Right here in Canada, in the province of Quebec. I want to know what the working people are igcing to do about aé_é situation where the government is rapidly ‘becoming invisible.”’ ) Prof. Lanski, in answer to a question, stated he would have voted against the expulsion of Sir Stafford Cripps had he been in Transport House although he believed Cripps had erred in not resigning from the executive and taking his case to the rank and ile when he failed to receive en- dorsement of his proposals for 2 popular front. Don Smith, well Known local Trotskyite, was effectively an- Swered during the question period. Smith sought to prove that since Winston Churchill was a capital- ist, no cooperation with him should be allowed. “Really, really, really,” the speaker answered, “there is noth- ing to prevent me from using Win- ston Churchill for my ends so lone as he is agreeable to be used.” The audience broke into laugh- ter. Several other questions relative to Trotskyism and its dangers to the working class movement were answered and 2 clear cut outline of the Communist Party’s policies Were answered. He was introduced by Prof. Ivor Jennings, a former colleasue at the London University. Miss Ruth MeWilliam presided. Boycott Italian Goods 7 ta S Growing Sentiment For Unity Forces Green’s Acceptance for reopening of negotiations the past few years. Definite assurance of opening of negotiations, in which over 7,000,000 trade unionists are involved, came from Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins who declared she would call a meeting of the negotiators “in less than a week.” John LL. Lewis will head the CIO delegation which will include vice- presidents Sidmey Hillman and Phillip Murray. Green is under- stood to have named Matthew VWoli and John P. Frey. The CLO president was the first te agree to reopening of discus- sions. As early as last Wednes- day, three days before Roose velt issued his appeal at Miami, Lewis had told Mayor Ficrello LaGuardia in Washington that “Sf it was up te him, he is ready te get together tomorrow.” “I met Mr. Lewis and had a so- Cial visit with him,’ New York’s Progressive mayor stated, “and he told me that the quicker the labor movements get together the better it will be.” Green’s readiness to resume unity discussions; which he had broken off on two previous occa- Sions, was taken by observers to indicate that the AFL president is far from secure in his position. He realizes, as President Roose- WASHINGYON, DC.—President Roosevelt's urgent appeal leading to unity between the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations forced AFL president William Green this week to name a negotiating committee of three to meet with a similar committee of CIO leaders for an end to the dispute which threat- ens to destroy the gains won by labor and liberal forces during velt stated, that the overwhelming Majority of the AFI. “ardently de- sires peace.’ He is faced with a Srowing revolt within the execu- tive council of the federation, with the international presidents of some of the most powerful of the eraft unions swnging solidly over to the unity position. in addition, his advocacy of amendments to the Wagner Act, through the medium of the Green-Walsh bill, which would emasculate the NLRA and pro- mote the growth of company unionism, has proved a boomer ang, with 2 large number of AFL unions, central labor councils and state federations already on record against his stand. The outcome of the conference is unpredictable. Green has con- sistently refused to consider unity of the two groups on the basis of maintaining the industrial union Setup within the AFT. Lewis, on the other hand, maintains that unity cannot be achieved at the Sacrifice of the great industrial organizations in mass production indutsries, declaring that any mer- ger should take place without dras- tic changes, leaving the matters of jurisdictional questions to later conferences. Franco Plans To ‘Take Over’ Cuba, United States a recent closed meeting in the Tea- tre Wacional where plans were laid to bring Cuba back in the “Spanish Empire.” im conjunction with the showins of a pro-Franco film, the following slogan was emphasized: “The Spanish Empire has its path marked out and will recon- quer all its colonies. The WNa- tional Socialist government of Spain will aid its national min- orities.” Within recent months the acti- wity of the Falangist branches throughout South America has been greatly increased. At a re- cent election in Chile, the anti- democratic candidate ran as the HAVANA, Cuba.—The return of Cuba to the “Spanish Em- pire” is the next step on the program of the Spanish Phalanx of Cuba, according to the newspaper Hoy. The newspaper reports that Spanish Falangists, together with German Nazis and Italian fascists living in Cuba, held a FPalangist candidate. AS an indication of the plans being laid by Franco Spain for ex— tending fascist influence in the Americas, the rebel government has published an edition of Maez- tuw’s “Defensa de la Hispanidad,” recently received here, which also contains a map of a new anti- democratic empire based on ‘His- panidad.” According to the map, Franco has laid claim to the entire United States Atlantic seaboard, a good Section of the southern and south- western US, all of Mexico and Cen- tral America, all of South America with the exception of Brazil— which is to be “left” for Portugal —and the Philippines. Hon. A. Wells Gray, Minister of Municipalities stated that Victoria was limited to $200,000 under the Municipal Improvements ists are guilty of sabotage plots yin Winnipes, Windsor and other Canadian centers in the event of war. “Needless to say, my party is astounded that you are reported te be preparing such a statment. A few days ago I had occasion to send a2 telegram to Hon. fan Mackenzie, taking strong excep- tion to a statement he made in the House of Commons during the Bren gun debate im which the Communists were accused of being in a ‘sinister combination’ te weaken the defenses of Can- ada. “Wiy telegram expounded in brief form the position of the Commun- ist Party With regard to the de fense of Canada, and repudiated Story’ =e = Tim Buck Writes Premier King Asking Retraction of Smear Story Re Communist ‘‘Sabotage Plot’’ Dany similarity with the subversive attempts of fascist agents within our borders to assist aggression upon our peaceful country. “Not long ago we made available to the responsible authorities at Ottawa, reliable evidence of the smuggling of arms into Canada by the agents of the fascist powers. “On numerous occasions, in the press, on the platform, and over the air, my colleagues and I have stated the urgent need for mea- sures to safeguard our country from cabotage and aggression by the fascists. “A pamphlet written by a mem- ber of our party, Fred Rose, en- titled Wascism Over Canada, has (Continued on Page Five) See SABOTAGE STORY LONDON, Eng.—Possibly the biggest news of the month, says the current issue of ‘The Week, authoritative confidential news sheet published here, was contained in a despatch to Rus- Sian newspapers from a man who had just returned to Chunkins aiter a tour of far western my” | YCL CONVENTION OPENS MARCH i8 To Again Feature “Pageant of Youth” Delegates from a large num- ber of provincial centers are now preparing to attend the Seventh annual conyention of the Young Communist League which will convene the first of its two day sessions in the Vic- tory hall in Vancouver on Sat urday, March 18. The main report, to be deliv- ered by the acting secretary, William Palmer, will be thor- oughly discussed by delegates and a plan of activity laid for the ensuing year. Provincial officers will be elected on Sunday during the closing sessions. As a diversion from the more serious deliberations of the con- vention the League is planning the second annual Pageant of Youth which will feature a half hour Zymnastic display by Provincial Recreational Genters on Saturday evening in the Vic- tory Auditorium, one floor above the convention hall. INT'L WOMEN’S MEETING SUNDAY A wide variety of subjects in keeping with the spirit of Inter- national Women’s Day will fea- ture the meeting in the Empress Theater Sunday evening. Mrs. Dorothy Steeves, MLA, has chosen for her subject “Women of Canada Look to Home” while Mrs. J. Stuart Jamieson, Women’s In- ternational League for Peace, will speak on “Women of Canada Look Abroad.” An international character will be given the meeting by the pre- sentation of a tableaux of the var- ious nationalities attired in their native costume and by the ushers who will be similarly dressed. Mrs. Charles Stewart, who has for many years been prominent in women’s labor circles, will speak on the meaning of International Women’s Day in view of the dis- turbing political events and the threats of war. Russian and Finnish choirs and Otto Kemp’s orchestra will pro- vide the audience with entertain- ment during the interludes be- tween speeches. Another attrac- tion will be a Chinese fan dancer: The meeting is sponsored by the Mothers’ Council in conjunction with other women. Mrs. G. Wz. Wilson, of the Mothers’ Council, will preside. Tickets can be purchased at the New Age Bookshop or from the People’s Advocate. NANAIMO, Mar. 2 — Instantly killed by a rolling loz Wednesday, the death of Masaki Koga, 25-year- old Cumberland-born Japanese, raised the fatal accidents in the woods to four for this year. Koga was employed as a choker- man at the Cameron Lake Logging Company. The remains were brought to this city. Details of the accident are lacking.