Vinee proof that there is a liv-

ing progressive underground
movement in Japan despite the
terror of the ‘Tokkoka - (Secret
police) is shown in an expres-
sive book of drawings by Taro
Yashima, The New Sun, publish-
ed late last year by Henry Holt
and Company.

The drawings, linked together
by a narrative which is the
author’s biography, give a strik-
ing impression of life in Japan
from the earlier days of fascist
domination to Japanese aggres-
sion, when “one idea was being
forced upon all these working
people: to kill the other nations
for the ‘Peace of the East. ...
Horrible sacrifice awaited these
people. ... But finally through
hunger, sickness and death, they
would learn to build a people’s
Japan, a people’s Orient.”

Rockwell Kent, one of Amer-
ica’s foremost progressive artists,
described this book as “an auto-
biography of terrific impact,
“remarking on the great power
of its drawings.

The author, Taro Yashima, aft-
er being imprisoned ten times
for his anti-fascist underground
activities, finally made his way
with his wife to the United
States, where he is an active
member of the Japanese Ameri-
can Committee for Democracy.

He dedicates his book to “the
America which lets me talk and
write freely about people and
events which I shall never for-
get.”

ANADA’S new marxist mag-
azine, the National Affairs
Monthly, is really a smart Tlook-
ing job and Stanley Ryerson, its
managing editor, is to be con-
gratulated on an excellent first
issue.

The April number contains
articles on- current political af
fairs by Tim Buck, Sam Carr,
Leslie Morris and Charlie Sims,
and if this in itself were not
enough to make it “must” read-
ing at 15 cents a copy—for every-
one eager to keep abreat of the
times, there is also an estima-
tion of General Smuts’ “‘mischiev-
ous speech’, by R. Palme Dutt,
an extract from the Soviet trade
union magazine, War and the
Working Class, on Soviet trade
unions and the forthcoming world
Jabor conference, and a review
of the International Labor Office
Conference report, “Organization
of Employment in the Transition
from War to Peace.” ~

Mrs. Annie Buller, the business
manager, whose vigorous direc-
tion contributed so much to the
“success of the old Mid-West
Clarion, will doubtless soon be
after all of you for a Subserip-
tion to National Affairs Monthly.
Why not save her the time and.
effort by sending your $1.50 for
a year’s subscription to Room
301, 73 Adelaide Street West,
Toronto.

WAND SEUDEIO

“Anything With a Camera”

8. E. Hastings St. PAcific 7644
VANCOUVER, B.C.

s.
be od

i
i
|
C)

of — 1 —— i —n frm

Kay Gregory—

construction program
-United States Maritime Commis-

Continued

Marine

future, and it is only right
that Canada should have a gov-
ernment-owned merchant marine.

- “We had one in the past, the
CGMM. They were old ships
and we must have better in the
future. We should have shipping
te be prepared for any emerg-
ency. We have the trained men,
and we should build up a mer-
chant marine that the Canadian
people can be proud of. Young
and old weuld be proud to see
a fast fleet of Canadian govern-
ment merchant vessels fiying the
flag of their country; and I hope
that our ship will fiy a truly
Canadian flag-”

The tLabor-Progressive mem-
ber for Montreal-Cartier was
commenting on figures given by
Minister of Munitions and Sup-
ply C. D. Howe. These showed
that at_the beginning of March,
54 10,000-ton ships, including 10
tankers, and 13) “4,700-ton ships
had been completed and deliv-
ered to the Park Steamship
Company.

Howe estimated that by the
end of August, the Park Steam-
ship Company would have a fleet
of 71 10,000-ton dry cargo ves-
sels, 13 10,000-ton tankers, and 13
4,700-ton dry cargo vessels.

“The minister admits that the
4,700-ton vessels are useful only
in the coasting trade,” stated
Rose. “The 10,000-ton vessels,
even the Canadian Victory ships,
are of a type that will be in
tremendous oversupply after the
war. They will be utterly un-
able te compete with the United
States, British and other foreign
vessels.

“The Canadian Victory ships
are slow—I am informed they
ean make only 10 to 11 knots at
best—and are not to be com-
pared with the United States
ships of the same name which
are of an entirely different type.
These United States ships have
a speed of from 16 to 18 knots
and are now being turned out
in United States yards in large
volume for use both during the
war and in the postwar. period.

“The Canadian Victory ship
compares with the American
Liberty ship, which is now gen-
erally known to have little post-
war value. :

Why did we in Canada not turn
to the production of a more use-
ful type of vessel for postwar
trade, especially as the yards
have been cutting down produc-
tion?”

Rose said he had read in the
CPR report that a number of
ships of the Beaver type had
been ordered in Britain, although
he did not know the exact speed
of these ships.

“The recently announced re-
‘of the

sion for the year beginning next
July includes 213 C-type ships
whose speed will be faster than
that of the Victory ships; 1,131
Victory ships, 372 tankers and
only 194 Liberty ships,” he con-
tinued. “Other types make up a
total of 2,359 ships.

“The fact is that in the United
States they are concentrating on
the faster ship, the Victory ship
and the C-type ship. But we are
to have only slow ships and I
am very much afraid they may
be useless. We shall only be
able to operate them as tramp
vessels carrying cargoes at bar-
gain rates, and there will always
be arguments over the wages
paid on such ships, because it
will be said they take so much
jonger to complete a trip, and
the tendency will be for wages
on these ships to be lower.”

Rose concluded by pointing
out that there was still time to
correct this situation by building

‘a faster type of ship suitable for

postwar trade.

Continued

India
ots — members of the National
Congress and Muslim league

and others who want to serve
the peasant and do positive work
for _the solution of our national
erisis.”

Reviewing efforts of the Sab-
ha during the past year to grow
more food, and pledging to re-
double our efforts in the fu-
ture,” the session called on the
government “to remove the
obstacles whieh prevent the
peasants . from growing more
food.” Pointing out that pro-
ecurement of supplies was the
most vital part of the central
government’s food plan, but that
“In practice the government's
very policy is serying to defeat
its own ends,’ the resolution
stated:

“The government relies upon
the hoarders who were the food
thieves of 1943 to supply food to
the people in 1944, and refuses to
rely on the patriotic efforts of
the people themselves: It de-
clines to make way for a na-
tional government, which could
effectively enforce price control
against hoarders by means of the
people’s cooperation, inspire the
peasants to sell their surplus at
a fair price, and organize ration-
ing in the towns.”

Kisans were called on to sell
their products not to the hoard-
ers, but to government agefits,
and to “organize self-help on the
basis of village unity to feed
the destitute and poor.” The
resolution ended by appealing to
Congressmen and Muslim TDea-
guers for help in the fight against
hoarding.

Characterized by a correspond-
ent of the leading Hindu na-
tionalist daily of the south as
“reminiscent of National Con-
gress meetings,” the Sabha ses-
sion arounsed interest through-
out India days before the pro-
ceedings opened owing to the
Madras government's ban against
railway travel to Bezwada, and
the debate over this which fol-
lowed in the Central Assembly.

Governmental interference gave
a bare two weeks’ preparation,
yet 75,000 rupees ($25,000) were
collected from 2,000 villages.
Peasant volunteers in rural sur-
roundings, against a background
of massive rocks containing his-
toric caves, erected a temporary
town with bamboos and palmyra
leaves for shelter. No other
organization except the National
Congress has ever done anything
like it before.

But unlike the Congress, feed-
ing arrangements were not left
to hotel keepers. Communal Kit-
chens run by peasants and others
fed the vast gathering. High
caste peasants, untouchables and
landless agricultural laborers
dined together.

A notable feature of the ses-
sion was the presence of 20,000
peasant women—a higher per-
centage than has ever been
mobilized by any political org-
anization.

Camp To Hire

Through IWA

Hemingsen and Cameron Camp
at Port Renfrew has agreed to
hire men through the TWA hiring
hall in Vancouver, Don Barbour,
hiring hall manager, said this
week.

The camp is being rebuilt with
a new dining hall and cookhouse
and plumbing is being installed,
making this camp one of the
most modern on the coast.

_This is the first big camp be-
longing to the Loggers’ Associa-
tion to signify its intention of
hiring through the IWA. Form-
erly it hired labor through Black’s
“Loggers’ Agency,” an organiza-
tion notorious for its blacklist of
union loggers.

aT
Victoria Plans
Tag Day to Aid
‘Adopted’ City.

VICTORIA, B.C.—A tag day te
raise money for a special fund
to aid the Soviet city of Sevasta-
pol will be held in the capital
city soon, it was decided this
week after Victoria City Council
granted permission to hold the
tag. Victoria recently “adopted”
Sevastopol, following out the pro-
posal made by the Gouncil for
Canadian-Soviet Friendship that
Canadian cities should officially
adopt Soviet cities devastated in
the war.

The city council has also been
asked by the Victoria branch of
the Canadian Aid to Russia to
establish a central depot for col-
lection of clothing:

ANCA MCT

Ball Protests
Council Action

BURNABY, B.C.—A_ dispute
over municipal printing centracts
flared up at this week’s meeting
of Burnaby Municipal Council,
when Councillor V. Lewis, sup-
ported by Councillor J. P. Gar-
tian, proposed that the contract

for printing municipal tax de- -

mands be given to a non-union
shop. 5
The council recently adopted a
resolution to give municipal
printing only to union shops and
the departure from this policy
brought protests from Councillor
Harry Ball, who insisted that the
eouncil should stay by its decision
and grant printing contracts only
to union shops. g :

Citizens Protest
Industrial Odor

Industrial ordors in the East
Hasting area emanating from the
Burns plant at the foot of Wood-
land Drive, protested by a com-
mittee of citizens which charges
that the smell, noticeable for five
years and the subject of many
complaints to authorities, now
covers an. area of ten blocks in
every direction.

Citizens are peing petitioned
by Sid Sheard and Jack Tinck-
ler, who live in the district.

THE PEOPLE BOOKSH|

bes peyh l+

May Da:
Celebra

Planned

With both Vance)
Trades and Labor
and Vancouver Labc.
eil officially endors|
proposal, a demonst
solidarity between 1!
the armed forces {
planned to celebra’
Day in Vancouver *
day, April 30. ;

Committee headquari
been been establishet
Holden Building and i
tive committee headed |
liam Wear, Steamfit:
Plumbers Union (AFI
ready engaged in orga
work.

Other officers of the ¢
are Shelly Rogers, 1
Union (AFL), vice - |
John Turner, secretary
ver Labor Council (CC
tary, and Mrs. Doris
treasurer. j

A call has been. se:)
labor, fraternal and p
organizations in the ‘F
and New Westminste:
asking them to send |
gates to a conference i¥%
Monday, April 17, in F ¥
Hall, where final arr 4
for the May Day parad:
ceedings will be compli

Invitations to address!

have been sent to Majc
G. R. Pearkes, officer |
ing Pacific Command
Cohen, former specia |
adviser to Generalissiz
Kai Shek, now resider |
couver; Flight Lieut. J?
clair, M.P.; Mrs. Doris’
M.P.; President Reid —
of the International }
Mine, Mill and Smelte }
and Howard Costigan, %
Seattle radio commen?
is public relations di}
the Seattle Metal Trad

UNDER COVER

My four years in the
Nazi underworld of
America
by
JOHN ROY CARLSON

$4.50

THE SOVIET
FAR EAST

Issued under auspices of the
Institute of Public Relations.

by
WILLIAM MANDELL

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ALASKA:
and the
CANADIA|]

NORTHWE!

The story of the oper @

of North Americ
last frontier ~

: by d
HAROLD GRIFIS
$3.50 |
FALANG
-The Axis secret if
in the Americ#

_ bY 2 oe
ALLAN CHAS”

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MArine 6929 <

105 SHELLY BUILDING — 119 WEST PEND®|
VANCOUVER, B.C. 4g