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The
PEOPLE

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Published every Saturday by the People Publishing Gom-
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Editor
HAL GRIFFIN

Associate Editor
A. C. CAMPBELL

Cee MM MMMM MMMM MMM

: What About

‘HE question of the Japanese in Canada, long

_ the resort of reactionary politicians in this
province, is once again being raised out of all
proportion to its importance in an effort to
divide the people. That it should be raised at
this time when a federal election is in the offing
is, of course, no accident. Some members of the
old-line parties are already thumbing through
the speeches they made in 1930, in 1935 and
again in 1940, making their deft adaptations
and once more substituting their appeal to prej-
udice and chauvinism for sound policies.

It is therefore unfortunate that Angus Mac-
Innis, CCF member for Vancouver East, should
have chosen this moment to advocate granting
of the franchise to the Japanese. The state-
ments made by MacInnis might appear as the
erass utterances of a-stupid individual were it

not for the fact that they are in keeping with

the policies of CCE leaders to raise every issue
that will split and divide, engender distrust and
accentuate suspicion, all to the narrow partisan
advantage of the CCF. And it is not without
significance that the audible protest within the
CCF against MacInnis’ statemients has been ex-
pressed in the fear that they will lose votes for
the CCF. ; :

Alan Morley, in the Vancouver News-Her-
ald, has disagreed with MacInnis but voiced his
admiration for what he sees as MacInnis’ ad-
herence to a principle?. What principle? Surely
the first principle of any man elected to an
important public office by the working people
is that he shall be guided by the needs of the
working people.

Are the needs of the working people best
served, then, by taking a stand “on principle”
and out of all relation to the realities of the
situation which every reactionary in this prov-
ince has seized upon to distract attention from
the stern tasks of the war to a problem which
has, for the moment, largely been solved? We
are engaged in a war with Japan that has still
to enter upon its main phase, however much
we might adduce from some of the statements
made by MacInnis that we, or more properly
MacInnis himself, are at war with the Soviet
Union. We are engaged in war with a ruth-

the Japanese ?

less fascist power that looked upon its settle-
Aents around the rim of the Pacific as con-
venient openings through which it could reach
beyond the defenses of its intended victims,
conduct its espionage against them and influ-
ence their internal processes. It is not the most
important consideration now that in this coun-

try Japan was assisted in its designs by those

who placed their profits before patriotism or
utilized the problem created in a way that
served Japan, by preventing the Japanese
from being absorbed into our democratic way
of life, as it served them by providing an agi-
tational cover for their bankrupt policies.

The most important consideration now is
that this question shall not be allowed to
distract the working people from the major
tasks of war and peace and that it shall not
be allowed to divert them from the need of
uniting their forces to accomplish those tasks.
The question of the future disposal of the 25,-
000 Japanese in Canada is not a major issue
in this next election. The question of the future
social and economic security of Canada’s eleven
and a half million people is a major issue.

Not all the Japanese in British Columbia
were fascists, but all of them were to some
extent under the influence of their fascist
leaders. No one denies that the Japanese peo-
ple, after their fascist rulers have been over-
thrown, must go through a process of reeduca-
tion before they can take their place in the
family of democratic nations. Why, then, should
any, one deny that the Japanese people in Can-
ada must similarly be given an opportunity to

fit themselves to the responsibilities of democ--

racy? They were removed from this Coast as
a measure necessary to the defense of our
country and their properties and interests have
to a large extent. been sold. At the end of the
war they cannot easily return here where so
much prejudice has been erected against them
over a period of 40 years, and it is in their

own interests and the interests of the people :

of this province that they should not do so,
but rather that the present process of dispers-
ing them across the country should be con-
tinued.

-

_ BRITAIN -

“tional Union of

Women Workers j

] HE proportion of women in
Ee British war industries has

risen from 16 percent in 1940 to -

34 percent today, Jack Tanner,
presicent of the Amalgamated
Engineering Union, told a conter-
ence of AEU women delegates in
Leicester last week. The dele--
representing 138,000 AEU-

gates, t
women members, unanimously
voted for equal pay for-equal
work.
The AEU, which has 916,000
members, altered its constitution

Jate in 1942 so as te admit wo-
men members.

Unity of Labor

‘PT its annual conference at

Blackpool last week the WNa-
Distributive and
Allied Workers, one of Britain’s
most important unions, voted for
“maximum unity
of the labor movement” in order
to secure a labor government af-
ter the. war.

The conference, representing
268,000 workers, deciared that “no
real pregress can be made by la-
bor in- the pursuit of its aims”
without unity and urged its execu-

tive “to support every step to
bring this about.” :
A proposal for an immediate

end to the electoral truce—which
provides that every vacated seat
in parliament be filled by a
member ef the party that previ-
ously held it—was rejected by
66,545, votes against 58,293. This
narrow margin was taken as an
indication of the -impatience of
British workers to secure a goy-
ernment more representative of
labor:

Deploring “the treatment of our
colored friends by certain ele-
ments in the U.S. armed forces,”
the conference adopted a resolu-
tien condemning all forms of
racial discrimination and calling
for equal treatment of all colored
races throughcut the world.

Another resolution urged re-
lease of all political prisoners
in India, re-opening of negotia-

tions with Indian leaders for
establishment of a national
government in India, and re-

moval of Col. Leopold Amery
as secretary of state for India.
At the recommendation of the
execulive council, an emergency
resolution was passed demanding
immediate withdrawal of the gsoy-
ernment’s new anti-strike legisla-
tion, which makes strike agitators
liable to heavy fines -or prison
terms. -The new law, the resolu-
tion declared, ‘is not justified by
the over-all picture of Britain’s
war effort.” The conference criti-
cized “the continued intrduction
of repressive defense regulations
without the sanction of parlia-
ment,”

Postwar Agriculture

if Bere biennial conference of the
Natienal Union of Agricultur-
al Workers, held in Blackpool last
week, made histery by recom-
mending that joint committees be
set up between the NUAW and
the National Union of Farmers
for united action on postwar agri-
cultural policy. The yote was 55
to 43. cae
Introcucing the resolution, NU-
AW President EK. G. Gooch © ac-
knowledged the differences
tween farmers and- land workers,
but Said that the two groups
would “sink or swim together” in
the postwar period. “Joint con-
sultations would make possible a
Presperous future for  agricul=
ture,” he declared, adding that he

reaffirmed his “whole-hearted sup- -

port of the Labor Party's agricul-
tural policy.” ;

Declaring that “a long term
land food policy is urgently re-
quired in the interests of agri-
culture and public health,” the

- ers,

of all sections ©

pe-

conference resol
sound agricultural pe
include as essential:
ownership of land,
of imports, elimination
ful -distribution cost.
teed prices for. effic;
adequate wages |
ers, better rural hou:
- social life and wider
for education, entertar
recreation.” — ae
Against the — advice
officials, delegates -yet
for a minimum agricy
of four pounds ten shi
weekly instead of the j
($16) proposed by the
Gooch reported thai
losts in British fiele
industrial- disputes sin
began had been “alm
iblex 2 4s

UNITE

Fourth Term
xpressing the cony
= “Franklin Delano”
must be a candidate fo
and that he will be
ingly reelected,” the ¢
stitutional convention
ed Steelworkers of Am:
meeting in Cleveland
resolved “to participa
its resources and its fi
ship in the activities
Political Action Comm
is now conducting 34
fourth-term drive.

The USA, second Ja
in the United States w
members, has contribu
toward the PAC driv:

“The way to achii
peace, Sidney Hilly
_man of the CIO pok
group, told the 2;400 ¢.
“to make sure that j
elected-”

Linking New York
Thomas -E. Dewey,
Republican presidentia
with “the ‘most reactic
of the nation,’~ Hilix
out that Dewey is: still
make it impossible fc’
icemen of his state tq

Hillman stressed the
and file of the AFL |
with the CIO on polit:
even though “some
leadership” of our ‘fr
petitor’ have told the
ship toe Keep away fre

CIO president Phi
who is also president
workers’ union, declar
ing the convention:

“Our Commander
Franklin _D. Rooseve
man who has demon:
will, courage and ste.
to forge the unshake |
among the peace-lovir
people for victory. 1°
_fore, my earnest cony)
in the interest of nai’
to bring speedy vict
cause and to assure
of the four freedoms,
> must. be a_ candidat

election and that the c

ing majority of the —
this nation, regardless

cal- affiliation, deman’
election.” Sars

Among the greeting:
the- convention was a
sage from Mikhail
president of the Soviel
Ironworkers Union,® 2!
‘Grankin, president of |
of Heavy Machine Buil

—ers of the USSR.

The message read:

“We send to all the?
your union—a militant
the U.S. working class—
est greetings and best
further achievements 1
duction of armaments
the defeat of Hitlerit¢
and her accomplices.
Watching with closest
the war effort of Amel
ers, firmly convinced ;
hour is close af hand:
USSR, U.S. and Brita