ncouver’s City Council

+» ELSIE ANDERSON

fall - tiered modernistic
ing, rises from a hill
what olf the beaten path
‘e everyday existence of
citys population, This
ation from the hustle-
© of downtown Vancou-
‘is industries going full speed
ar needs, is perhaps sym-
_ For the policies of most—
ui— the city fathers have
seen to ignore such modern
ons and needs as a closed
for civic employees, ahd re-
to accede to repeated re-
+from many quarters for an
sion of the franchise to
the -city in line with pro-
ye trends in other cities of
ation. :
sted by a small minority of
mall minority of the popula-
fortunate enough to be
id as voters, the city coun-
is for years turned deaf ears
| petitions fo bring the fran-
‘up to date. Ranking with
ria and Montreal as one of
i0St restricted cities in Can-
athe vote, Vancouver gives no
to women unless they own
arty, and even male citizens
efused the vote unless they
f Own property or are ten-
iwith property of an assessed
| of three hundred doitars or

nant,’ according to the city

its, “does not include any
2 who is a lodger or boarder
#0 is an occupier of a room
yoms in a lodging house, or
2st in a hotel, or who is the
pec of a furnished apartment
at im an apartment house, or
Person who is a temporary
pant of any room in any
ing.”

sade to seek a working agree-
of unity with the CCF.
is hardly likely that a full-
ded out policy on unity with
SCF “can be worked out im-
‘tately. In fact, in some areas,
with some of the top lead-
ip of the CCF, even a min-
fi degree of unity and under-
ding is a lot to hope for. But
changes that are taking place
nada aS a result of the im-
of the war have also had
> effect upon large numbers
meere and honest people in
CCF, and it is they to whom
new party must look in seek-
the first steps to formal unity
i whole raft of problems.
“any case we must start from
premise that a minimum of
€ment between the two bod-
Can be attained. rather than
umb to the idea that no
Yy Of any kind is possible.
L idea is hardly in line with
objectives set by the disso-
m of the Comintern, nor
| the terrible lesson that the
of the European working-
Ss under Hitler holds. for us
> in Canada. Had the unity
tbor been achieved as late as
» the Axis maniacs might
= been successfully quaran-
d; and millions of lives saved.
Qne guarantee that labor has
winning the peace is unity,
no effort should be spared
vorking for this unity now.
me time ago the Provincial
neil on the BC Section of the
_ Sttuck off a committee to
lore” some measure of unity.
| the Communists. While

(NCOUVER’S city hall, a

. Brake On Progress

A survey of the housing situa-
tion-in the city reveals at the
Same time that it is virtually im-
possible for anyone coming to
the city in comparatively recent
years to obtain any kind of ac-
commodation for his family that
would permit him to be classed
within the meaning of this defini-
tion of tenant. And since Van-
couver’s population has increased
tremendously due to an influx of
war workers and their families,
without a corresponding increase
in housing accommodation, and
Since housing accommodation was
far behind the need even in pre-
War years, it is obvious that
thousands of families are
condemned to live in whatever
kind of accommodation they are
lucky enough to secure, and can-
not “buy” their right to vote by
becoming even tenants, let alone
owners of property.

But even if the man of the
family should be a voter, his
wife is not recognized as capa -
ble of having a voice in the
city’s affairs. To qualify for
the voters’ list, she, too, must
be an owner or a “tenant with-
in the meaning of the Act,’
which would mean, of course,
that she pays the rent and her
husband loses his vote.

@
4p appalling results of this
antiquated policy is shown in

election results of recent years—"

a steady decline in the number
of votes cast, until in 1941 only
twenty percent of those entitled to
vote cast their ballots. In 1942,
the year of the last mayoralty
election, 26 percent of the voters
east ballots. If this meant twenty
percent of the adult population,
it would still be bad. But twenty
percent of the small number per-
mitted the yote means that Van-

Red Army men on the Orel front, who have taken part in the Russian encirclement of the
Wazis on this part of the battlefront. In the foreground, a Soviet nurse tends a wounded

soldier under fire.

couver’s city council is elected
actually by a very small minority
of the population—about eight
per cent.

Single sons and daughters of
families of course have no vote,
or persons subletting or sharing
living quarters with owners or
tenants of the property. A par-
ticular hardship since the out-
break of the war has been the
fact that while the husband is
with the armed forces neither he
nior his wife may record a vote,
Since the husband is out of town
and the wife in many cases living
with friends, parents, or in rent-
ed rooms or suites.

Comparison with other Gana-
dian cities shows that most of
them require only that would-
be voters shall have resided in
the community for one year—

e New Party

nothing as yet has come out oi
this decision I am confident it
will, since the CCF people who
are sincere in their desire for
labor unity are not likely to per-
mit the issue to be forgotten.
With us, they realize only too
well that unity is needed to win
the peace. While the new party
must respect the right of the CCF
to contest the political field for
parliamentary position, it cannot
concede all to the CCF. We don't
seek a political monopoly our-
selves, and we are not granting
it to others.

Some of these differences, and
they cannot all be listed here
will be hard to overcome, but
they are the problems the new
party inherits, with its task of
unifying Canadian labor for the
big job ahead, and they are not
insurmountable.

A FEW words on organizational
structure: it will have to be
many sided. In those centers
where ward divisons exist, that
will be the ideal form or organ-
ization, involying ward clubs or
branches of the party of one
hundred or more members. In
most cases a constituency form of
organization will have to be built,
with two or three constituency
clubs, branches and so on guid-
ed by a constituency committee.
The old organic form of district
or provincial and national coun-
cils or committees will have to
remain, in order that centralized
leadership for.the whole party
shall be maintained. Democratic
centralization and the rule of the
majority must preyail, and the

member yoluntarily discipline
himself to majority decisions of
the party.

Each club or branch should be
a chartered organization by the
national body, and subject to the
general laws of the whole party,
but haying the fullest freedom in
working and carrying out local
policies in harmony with local
conditions. Every club or branch
should become a community bee-
hive of political activity.

The new party should have an
authorized membership book and
a flat. uniform monthly rate of
dues and other assessments for all
members. The only exception to
this rule should be farm mem-
bers and married couples—in the
Jatter case where only one mem-
ber is a wage earner. This mem-
bership book should contain “the
basic rules of the party as laid
down in the party constitution,
and a full ritual and obligation
for new members.

The rate of monthly dues should
be set at a level equivalent to
the efficient ‘mainteanance of
party organization. Too low fees
in any organization does not
enhance its prestige or attractive-
ness, but on the contrary, gives
the impression of cheapness when
set too low.

Languages and other special
organizational forms should not

be definitely ruled out in the
new party organization. The
greatest strength of the new

party will be its ability to inte-
grate itself with the daily life
and problems of the common
people, and through adequate rep-
resentation in local, provincial
and federal governments, reflect
these needs in the political tri-
bunes of the nation.

in some cities only six months’
residence is necessary—and
that he or she shall be a British
subject through birth or natura-
lization. No property qualifica-
tion is necessary for a candi-
date to contest the elections in
many cities, and no deposit is
required.
@

HE disinclination of the city

council to take steps to ex-
tend the franchise can only be
due to their fear that a larger,
more democratic voting public
‘would threaten their security and
elect to office representatives
who would carry out policies in
the interests of the majority of
ihe people. Most striking in-
stance of this is shown in the
blank refusal of the council to
grant a closed shop agreement to
civie employees. Té a strong
labor - progressive representation

were in office, such policies would
be unthinkable.

Avpeal upon appeal has been
made for democratic exten-
sion of the franchise, each in turn
vetoed by the finance committee.
This dependence of democracy
on -civie financial needs, restrict-
ing the yote to those able to pur-
chase it, is a flagrant insult to the
working men and wimen of Van-
couver, smacking of a feudal re-
straint totally outmoded in this
era.

Other Canadian cities have
found it unnecessary to limit the
democratic right of the franchise
{to those favored by the financial
brains of the city, and Vancouver,
proud of its progress in the in-
dustrial field, should be in the
forefront of modern develop-
ment, not limping sadly in the
rear.

The Bitter Cry
Of Children

=

Following is an excerpt from
a new book by the Russian
writer, Boris Gorbatov, “Taras
Family,’ in which the author
describes the life in Voroshi'sv-
grad during the German occu-
pation and particularly the fate
of the Jews who remained be-
hind.

HE Jews were shot some-
where outside of the
town. The few who survived
by a sheer miracle hid with
Russian families. The Rus-
sians willingly and without
fear hid them. They consid-
ered it a duty of conscience.
The street on which Taras lived
hid a six-year-old girl. The police
got to know of this somehow and
started a veritable hunt for her.
Like hounds they got on to the
scent. The street did not surren-
der. Every evening the girl was
transferred to a new place, from
neighbor to neighbor.

In every house a trunk was
emptied of its belongings and a
place made for her to sleep. The
girl lived and slept in a trunk;
at the first sign of danger the lid
of the trunk was pulled down. The
child grew accustomed to her shel-
ter; it no longer seemed like a
coffin to her. She smelt of moth-

balls and mustiness like an anci-
ent old woman.

Taras’ granddaughter Mariika
learned about this little girl from
her friends. When the child was
brought into the house of Taras
Mariika was overjoyed and asked
her grandfather, “Is this the girl
of the trunk?”

“We will play with my dolls,”
said Mariika ,and looked back at
Taras. “May we? We will play
with the dolls in the trunk,’ she
hastened to add and Taras turned
away to wipe away a tear.

So

NS NIGHT the police broke into

Taras’ house. They ransacked
all the rooms, including the lum-
ber room, espied the trunk and
broke it open. The girl was sleep-
ing. She continued to sleep even
in the arms of the policeman,
Smiling serenely and softly smack-
ing her lips.

She was rudely awakened out
of her sleep. She opened her eyes
to see strange, terrible faces and
black greatcoats. Black greatcoats

. . She shrieked.

And Taras thought of another
girl, ef the fair-haired Mariika.
He looked toward her and saw her
eyes. Big blue eyes they were,
dilated with horror.

“What has happened, grand-
father? Why?” her eyes asked.

But there were no tears in them.
The children had learned not to
cry. They had forgotten how to
laugh and had learned not to cry.
The children had grown old.

st