—— =

7

abor Personalities—10

Effie Jones

By CYNTHIA CARTER

(EFIE stood at the cottage, listening-to the singing. As
“the column of ragged men came over the brow of the hill,
thouetted against the pale Welsh sky, the singing grew Stronger.
fie looked questioningly up at her grandmother.
; “Poor men,’ whispered the old woman. “They've been strik-
¢ now for three monuths, and they must keep on marching until
ey win their fight in the mines, and they must sing to show
sat they are not afraid to
zht for food for their starvy-
& women and children.”
Efie Jones—she was Effie
sifiths~ then—was seven,
it the picture of the march-
'g miners from South Wales
is always remained in her
ind. z
Born of Welsh parents in
#)merset, England, in 1889,
"© was taken when one
ponth old to live with her
yandparents in Breconshire,
ales, while her mother
wincipal of a girls’ school)
id her father (principal of
boys’ school) stayed in
+ agiand. ;
jin her seventh year she
‘oved again, to the copper
nd tin smelting town of
wWwansea. The uncle with
» hom she lived was an active
‘ember of the National
nion of Railwaymen there
id was working to bring
s0ut unity among the -“big

>

wee’—the dockworkers, Tailwaymen and miners.

= She read
S union papers with the same interest other children were
nding in adventure stories, and when the first general railway
rike occurred, Effie carried food and tobacco to her uncle
id the workers on the picket lines.

)~ “During those years I seemed to hear nothing but talk of
ade unions,” she recalls now.

2ars. Graduating in 1911, she faught in school in Swindon,
wansea and Hereford until she came to Vancouver in 1919 to
2 Married. _

“Until 1933 I was out of circulation as far as the labor move-
pient was concerned. I was busy establishing my home and
musing my daughter—she’s now married to a sailor and working
| War industry,” she says. “Then, in~1933, when the CCF was
| rmed I joined it because I felt that it would prove a means
) a better life for the majority of the people.

“I worked continucusly in the CCF until 1938. However, I
auld not endure the inaction and antagonism of its leaders
Iward unity with any other working class parties, so I resigned
ad announced my intention of joining the -Communist Party.”

e

ry EEING the sitdown strike in Vancouver Post Office men and
women from working class political parties, churches and
ther organizations formed the Emergency Committee which
oliected, prepared and cooked food for the 750 young strikers.
‘he first day of the strike Effie spent five hours peeling onions.
soon her sincere willingness to help in every way, and her
bility brought her the post of secretary of the committee. Then
d\llowed strenuous days—meetings, visits to influential people
0 plead for support, statements to a waiting press. letters to
fevernment authorities.

After six boys were jailed for their parts in the strike she
pent five months working with the Citizens’ Defense Committee
S secretary, collecting funds and soliciting support for their
= efense and release. =

Shortly after the strike Effie joined the Housewives League
£ B.C., for which she has been provincial organizer forthe
dast three years. :

Besides her activities in the League, in the Labor-Progressive
Party (which she joined when it was organized this summer) in

or School Board) Mrs. Jones has had trade unien experience
’n England as a member for many years of the National Union
4 Teachers, and is also an accomplished artist in oils and water-
solor. She has won several certificates for her work in Britain,
ind possesses a First Class Award here in Vancouver for a still
ife painting. .

At the present time, however, painting is “just a hobby”,
-iffie Jones gives most of her time to the progressive movement,
mind her steadfast loyalty has won her the esteem of working
deople here in Vancouver, who have submitted her name for
*ndorsation to the Trade Union Representation Committee as
zandidate for a seat on the school board this year.

“J thank Yaneouver workers for their confidence in me,” she
states. “And if I am successful in the election [I feel sure that
my experience as a teacher and the experience I have gained
in’ the Housewives League, which has been interested particu-
tarly in the textbook and nursery school questions, will be very
Valuable in helping me to do the job to the best of my capa-
bilities. >

“T firmly believe that working as individuals we cannot be
effective, but as members of a progressive organization our
voices and our work carry weight and are heeded by the auth-
Drities concerned. I urge all women to get into an organization
that will work for speedy victory in order that their sons
jand husbands may return home to aid them in building that
better life which is the hope of us all.’

fivic election campaigns (where she has twice been a candidate |

Hollyburn
Logging
Protested

Protests against the logging
operations now in progress on
Hollyburn Ridge came this
week from both a representa-
tive of organized labor and
members of thé armed forces.

William Stewart, Boilermakers
Union president and Labor-Pro-
gressive Party federal candidate
for Vancouver North, declared:

ook the plan to log Hollyburn
Ridge is carried through, Van-
couver will be robbed of one of
its finest beauty spots.

“More important, the value of
this outdoor playground, utilized
each winter by workers unable to
travel far from town in their
leisure hours, must be thoroughly
appreciated. If the profit motive
IS greater than the desire of gov-
erning bodies to save this natural
winter resort, labor should let
them know that in this case
profits should not come first.”

A letter bearing an Alaska post-
mark was also received by Van-
eouver City Council this week
signed “LAC Ruddell and the
Boys,” which read:

“I am writing for myself and
other Vancouver boys here in
Alaska. We want you to know
how thoroughly disgusted we are
on reading of the situation (re-
garding logging on MHollyburn)
and we are right behind any
move to retain it as a park Van-
couver is our home, and we
would be greatly disappointed to
return to find it marked and
scarred for a lifetime.”

Council
Formed

A provincial women’s coun-
cil of the Labor-Progressive
Party, that will act as an ad-
visory group to the party on
womens and consumers’
problems, was set up at a
meeting held here Tuesday
evening.

The council, made up of 15
members, will carry on general
Work on civic and provincial
questions and will work closely
with LPP branches throughout
British Columbia, if was an-
nounced. Effie Jones, House-
Wives eague organizer, was elect-
ed chairman of the council.

Other executive members are:
vice-chairman, Kay Gregory: sec-
retary, Jean Mason: treasurer,
Barbara Friesen: and Julia
Christiansen, Mona Morgan, Nel-
lie McKean, and Rosaleen Ross.

Council members include Mar-
garet Black, Jean Bird, Caroline
McFarlane, Helen Skehor, Rea
Dear, Hazel Pritchett, Dorothy
Lynas, Grace Greenwood, Alice
MeKenzie, and Minerva Cooper.

“Anything With a Camera”
8 E. Hastings St. PAcific 7644
VANCOUVER, B.C.

Native Indians Get
Gov't Run-Around

Andy Paull, business agent of the Native Brotherhood of
B.C., returned to Vancouver last week to report that to date
the visit of Canadian Indians to Ottawa had brought no con-
erete results, and to reaffirm his belief that-the interests of
mative Indians can best be served by uniting their organiza-

tion with the organization of
white fishermen here—the United
Fishermen's Federal Union.

The delegation was instructed
to visit Prime Minister Macken-
me King at a continent-wide con-
vention of American Indians held
on the Six Nations Reserve in
Brantford recently, to appeal for
the lifting of income tax levies
until Indians are represented on
government bodies.

The first indication that the goy-
ernment, and particularly the De-
partment of Mines and Resources,
Was not sympathetic to their de-
mands was given shortly after the
canvention when Harold McGill,
Director of the Department of In-
dian Affairs, ordered Indian
agents to tell Natives not to come
to Ottawa, on the grounds that the
call to delegates, sent out by con-
ference secretary in both English
end French Jansuages, was “un-
authorized” since the secretary
was not an elected representative
of the bands.

“The letters were signed by this
mian on the authority of the con-
vention,” stated Paull. “That the
Indians were willing to accept the
call was proved by the fact that
they disregarded McGill’s letter
completely and attended our dele-
gation.” :

Although Premier
been notified of delegation plans
several weeks previously, and had
promised to meet them, Paull
and fellow. delegates found when
they arrived that the premier was
“too busy’, and that Indian De-
partment head Crerar had left
Ottawa the day before “to attend
\ dinner in Winnipeg.”

Paull, spokesman for the In-
dians, visited Crerar’s secretary,
told him this was “the biggest
insult ever given to aborigines”,
and demanded an audience with
a government representative.

Finally, they were able to speak
to the Deputy Minister of the
Department of Mines and Re-
sources, who told them that

“nothing can be done in the ab-—

sence of Crerar.” The Indians
left with assurances that their
case would be given considera-
tion when he returned.

Indians also protested state-
ments of government officials to
the effect that they “preferred to
speak to chiefs appointed accord-
ing to the Indian Act’, rather

(7 >)

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Dec. « 5—Clement @. Williams
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“THE SOVIETS EXPECTED IT” by Anna Louise Strong

Kang had*

than the delegates from the In-
dians’ convention.

“No wonder they feel that way!
The Indian agents play a leading
role in the ‘election’ of chiefs,”
Said one delegate. “According to
the Act the agent may call an
election when he sees fit. In one
recent election, the chief of a
band of 6,000 members was elect-
ed to office on 38 votes!”

In their fight for equality as
Canadian citizens, Indians point
out that even in the matter of
old age pensions they are the
victims of discrimination.

“Old age pensions for Indians
amount to $4,per month in groc-
eries,” said Paull. “We have no
widows and mother’s, pensions—
no vote unless we apply to the
Indian Department. Yet out of
a population of 130,000, we have
1,800 volunteers in uniform, one
of the highest racial percentages
in Canada.” 3

The 4,000 Native Brotherhood
members will consider affiliation
with the UFFU at their December
convention. The UFFU has al-
ready stated it will welcome the
move, and Brotherhood officials
feel certain that action to bring
about affiliation will be requested
by their members when they:
convene.

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